Flu
Chapter 115
From long years of habit, Jack is awake even before sunrise. He has no reason to be. It will probably be hours before the scientists return to the city. He makes a half-hearted attempt to go back to sleep, even as he's sure that it's useless.
Despite the early hour, there must be some food around. Students also inhabit East Campus, meaning that hungry mouths will seek filling 24/7. A lounge with vending machines is open. The options inside look amazingly fresh, most likely because the operators are frequently forced to refill them to keep up with demand. Jack uses his government per diem card to purchase two breakfast burritos he can heat in a nearby microwave oven. A free urn of coffee provides him with caffeine. His breakfast isn't fine dining, but it's a hell of a lot better than he usually does in the field.
Jack can use the next few hours to figure out Agapov's plan and get ahead of it. He'd pretty much sussed it out anyway, but further texts from the agency informed him that the returning scientists' laboratory and office space are in Fairfield Center. He can use satellite views to watch the East Campus' roof in case Agapov shows up, but Fairfield Center is the Russian agent's other likely destination.
Knowledge of any classified projects that might be going on at the university is on a need-to-know basis, and Jack qualifies concerning Agapov's targets. According to the agency, no projects requiring a high level of security are in their orbit. That's a mixed blessing. Jack won't have any problem keeping an eye on Agapov, but Agapov won't have to contend with many obstacles either. He'll merely have to look as if he belongs. In Jack's experience, the Russian has reasonable chameleon skills. Jack will have to keep his eyes open.
Maksim observes as the nightshift groundskeeping crew goes off duty. They don't mow lawns or trim shrubs at night, but they do clean restrooms, office spaces, and classrooms. Apparently, at least some of them are on duty even on holiday weekends. The departing maintenance workers hang their coveralls in lockers before they leave. Perfect! By slipping into one of those seen but rarely noticed garments, Maksim can achieve near invisibility.
Jack surveys the shift change. If he were going to situate himself in a facility, that's when he'd do it. He expects that Agapov will think along similar lines. With a lanyard dangling a phonied up Columbia I.D. around his neck, Jack enters the building with the nonchalance of one who doesn't expect to be challenged. He receives a couple of cursory looks—someone his height usually does. But no one asks him why he's there or even speaks to him.
He finds his way to the locker room just in time to see a man in a coverall shutting a locker. Agapov's peculiar posture is still a dead giveaway. Jack feels in his pocket for his syringe while estimating the space available inside the lockers. Agapov will be a tight fit, but if Jack knocks him out, he can shove him in one until he can figure out a way to get him out of the building without being noticed. The vents in the metal door will provide the Russian with air. Unconscious, he won't require anything else. And if the assassin ends up with cramped muscles, Jack doesn't give a damn.
The vanilla scenting the loft's air tells Kate that Rick is making waffles even before she spies the indicator light's glow on the required appliance. "Are these supposed to be compensation for leaving the Hamptons early?"
"If you like, but mostly," Rick confides, "I had an urge for waffles. I haven't made them that often lately because Alexis has been out early, and you and I have been hot on the trail of one case or another. This is a down day. C.S.U. is running on a skeleton staff that, much as she wishes it did, doesn't include my lab-obsessed daughter. Mother isn't due at the theater until this evening. The coin landed on edge, and we don't have an active case."
Kate presses a finger to her lips. "Shh! Somehow, somewhere, a killer will hear you."
"Even if one does, aren't the boys on emergency call? Ryan told me he asked for it. He's still trying to rack up overtime."
Kate nods. "R-i-i-ght. He told me that too. When will those be ready?"
"I just started the iron preheating. Ten minutes, maybe, for the first two. But if you want to filch some of the strawberries I hulled for topping. I'll pretend I don't notice."
"Sounds good."
With classes on break, morning foot traffic in Fairfield Center is almost non-existent. The maintenance day shift is already on duty. No one gave a glance to the locker containing the near-comatose Agapov.
While checking out a supply closet, Jack finds a utility cart and a body-sized black trash bag. After confirming that he'll be unobserved, he stuffs the oblivious Agapov in the trash bag and loads him into the cart. From there, it's no trick to wheel the Russian to the car Jack parked in the nearest employee lot, using a bogus parking permit. Jack makes sure there are enough air holes in the bag, and the trunk isn't airtight before making the short drive to East Campus to check out of his room. No reason to leave unnecessary loose ends. Once he turns Agapov over to the staff at the New York City C.I.A. installation, his assignment will be finished, but he'll still have some time in New York.
"How about a walk?" Castle proposes to a family still happily digesting its fill of fluffy waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream. "Kate is supposed to keep her blood circulating, and even with the rumble of traffic instead of the surf, it is a lovely day. I doubt anyone will be staging rescue operations in the park."
"I want to meditate," Martha declares. "I never did find my center when we were in the Hamptons, and I need to renew my energy before the evening's performance. But you all should go ahead."
"I can't go," Alexis informs her father. "When I found out we were coming home early, I called Paige. I promised her we could go shopping. She says she needs a summer wardrobe, and she can never tell how things look from the back."
"Ah, the eternal query of "Do these jeans make me look fat?" Rick muses.
Alexis scowls. "It's not funny, Dad. She went shopping alone last summer and ended up having to return everything. Anyway, a new boutique is having a grand opening sale. I want to check it out."
"The truth emerges," Rick notes. "Fine. I will enjoy a pleasant stroll with my wife and plus one."
Kate massages her belly. "I think The Peanut is looking forward to it."
From his car parked across the street from the loft, Jack smiles as Rick and Kate emerge. He had no idea they'd be leaving the building. Pulling into the spot as it opened up five minutes before was just dumb luck. His business doesn't afford much luck, so he's grateful when he gets some. From the direction the couple turns and their leisurely pace, he suspects they're heading for the local park. Great. He can watch from a distance. He might even buy a pretzel.