Okay, I thought this would be the final chapter but it seems that I need a little more time to wrap things up :-) Thanks to everybody for staying with me that long, and thanks for your reviews and story alerts. You're making me really happy :D
ooo
Sophie had expected Carpenter's office to be something special and she was not disappointed. The room was quite impressive with its stylish furniture and large windows, which allowed a lot of light to fall in. The leather chairs looked expensive, as did the tasteful paintings on the walls. In all probability, the Picasso was even an original. The other two paintings were replicas. Too bad that she wasn't here for the art. Sophie would have loved to have a closer look at them.
Instead, she sat down in front of the big mahogany desk and opened her folder, pretending to study the records in there. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Carpenter sat down as well, watching her with what she interpreted as an expectant glance. He had been astonishingly calm so far but Sophie suspected that he was just putting on a facade. This wasn't the first time that she was impersonating an IRS agent, and she knew the emotional response that a federal tax audit commonly evoked in the proprietor of a company. Just the fact that Carpenter didn't flinch didn't mean he wasn't concerned.
"Well, Mrs. Taylor," he finally said, "How can I help you?"
Sophie closed the folder with a humorless smile and looked up, evenly meeting his glance.
"You seem surprised, Mr. Carpenter. You have been notified of the audit two weeks ago."
She looked at him attentively, taking in every change of his demeanor. Still no sign of stress or unease in his composure. Sophie had to grant him that he was good. She watched him lean back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap in a gesture of calm observance.
"It appears that my secretary has failed to inform me. May I ask how I managed to attract the attention of the IRS?"
That was not an unexpected question and Sophie settled on one of her standard answers.
"Well, I'm afraid that some of your deductions require further examination. Some of them appear to be rather large in comparison to your income and in some cases, you failed to provide adequate documentation. We also need to check the charitable contributions that you made."
Charity was a stab in the dark, of course, but it was only a small risk. Somehow creeps like Carpenter always made sure that their outward appearance was flawless.
"Right," Carpenter nodded. "You'll understand that I'm not really prepared for anything like this. If we could make another appointment you'll probably save a lot of time."
Sophie gave him a thin smile. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"I figured you would say that." He rose from his chair. "Well, Mrs. Taylor, in that case, I'll inform my accountant. He'll be down in a couple of minutes to answer all questions that you might have."
Sophie rose as well, realizing just a moment too late that he had just ended the conversation. Somehow she had expected this to last a little longer. Damn this unpredictable son of a bitch. She followed him as he proceeded to leave his office, her thoughts racing. He couldn't leave yet, Nate and the others needed more time.
"Mr. Carpenter, I believe you underestimate the importance of this matter. There are still some questions I need to ask you and I have to insist..."
She literally ran into him as he suddenly stopped and turned around. Having him standing so close was more than a little disturbing. He was a couple of inches taller than her and even though he wasn't directly threatening her, Sophie felt a little intimidated.
"Your questions will have to wait, Mrs. Taylor. We're having a security problem right now that requires my attention. I'll be at your disposal as soon as that matter is solved. In the meantime, my accountant will be happy to talk with you." He opened the door before Sophie could get another word in. "Would you like another cup of coffee?"
The placidity in his voice made her inexpressibly angry. Nobody walked out on Sophie Deveraux just like that. Not when she wasn't finished.
"Mr. Carpenter, as an IRS agent I demand..."
"Mrs. Taylor," he interrupted her. "I do realize that this is an important issue and I am terribly sorry that I can't sit through an interview at the moment. If you would be so kind to wait for a couple of minutes, you will have my full attention in no time."
"Margery?" He addressed his secretary. "Another cup of coffee for Mrs. Taylor. And tell Mr. Piper to come down, please. I'll be needing his assistance in this matter."
Sophie watched him leave, her reply left unspoken. What on earth had just happened? It wasn't common for her to be lost for words, but right now she didn't know what to say. She felt the secretary's eyes upon her as she tried to regain her composure. Instinctively, her hand trailed up to her ear, searching for the small button that activated the comm, just to realize that she didn't wear one. She suppressed a curse. Hopefully, the others were on their way out already.
ooo
Carpenter walked down the corridor in long strides, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand. That woman from IRS was certainly a problem, but right now he had more pressing matters to deal with. If Stratton had informed him correctly, the intruders had tried to steal highly confidential information that was worth an incredible amount of money and that proved his association with a range of criminal activities. This could easily break his neck. Maybe they were in some way connected to the last fool who had attempted to cross his plans. Whoever was behind this, he would make sure that the bastards would regret setting a foot on his property.
He had almost reached the elevator, when the alarm went off. Carpenter stopped dead, taking a moment to realize what was happening, then reached for his cell phone. If this was a fire alarm, it was bad news and it was probably connected to the intruders. He hit the speed dial and was talking to the head of security a moment later.
"Stratton."
The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little pressed. Not that he gave a damn.
"Situation report," he snapped.
Carpenter reached the elevator and pressed the button, noting with irritation that it didn't respond. Probably due to the fire alarm.
"Uh, Mr. Carpenter, Sir. We're having a fire breakout at sublevel three. You'd better leave the facilities."
"What about the thieves?"
Stratton cleared his throat. "Well, we're currently checking that, Sir, but I'm afraid I don't have good news. It appears that the plumbers I told you about - you know, the ones that required access to the sublevels, the ones with the gun in the tool box..."
"You're rambling, Stratton."
"I'm sorry, Sir. Well, it appears that they really are the plumbers that we called earlier."
Carpenter's eyes narrowed. He certainly wasn't an impatient person but the situation seemed to get a little out of hand and his subordinates obviously were more than incapable.
"What about the man you're holding at sublevel three?"
"We don't know, Sir."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Uh... we've been trying to contact the security personnel that were keeping an eye on things but it seems we have lost communication."
Carpenter watched as the first staffers started to push into the corridor, making their way to the exits, and a little later the place was filled with hectic and noise. He had to stick his finger into his ear so he could understand what Stratton was saying.
"Let me get this straight. You're telling me that you had two of them locked down in a section that's high security and you let them walk away?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Sir..."
"We'll talk about this later. Guard the fire exits. See that you get them."
"Yes Sir. I'll try..."
Carpenter didn't wait until the other man had finished his sentence and simply disconnected the call. There was no point in continuing this conversation, probably there was no point in guarding the exits either. With the fire alarm and the whole staff crowding the corridors, their chances of catching the thieves were unimaginably poor. At least they hadn't been successful in stealing the information they had been looking for.
In an instinctive action, he slipped his hand inside the pocket of his jacket and for a moment his heart stopped beating. It was impossible. He clearly remembered Stratton handing him the CD he had confiscated from the thieves before, and he was sure that he had put it in his jacket. Frantically, he checked his other pockets, running his hands over suit, but it was gone. Then realization hit him like a freight train, as he remembered the brunette woman, the supposed IRS agent, stumbling against him in his office. She must have used the opportunity to pick his pocket and sneak the disc from him unnoticed. Damn it, he should have known that something was wrong with her. His heart racing, he headed back to his office as fast as he could, hoping that he would get there in time.
ooo
At the same time in a different part of the building, Nate climbed the last flight of stairs, following the other people up through the fire escape. Emergency exits were usually a bad way into a building, but when it came to an escape route, they often proved to be the safest way out. He silently thanked Parker for stealing the smoke bombs – that way, the fire scenario was way more believable. With the smoke filling the corridors, security would have a hard time figuring out what was going on, and by the time they caught wise, his team would be already gone. Nate doubted that they would have any difficulties leaving the place. Among the other white coats, they were almost invisible and even an injured man wasn't such an uncommon sight in a situation like this.
Nate stopped to turn around, watching his fellow team members coming up the stairs behind him. With concern, he realized that Eliot was panting heavily, the blood on his face standing out against the pallor of his skin. Judging by the unfocused gaze of his eyes, it wouldn't take long until he passed out. Parker seemed to be having a hard time keeping him upright, leaving it to Hardison to take most of his weight. The computer tech noticed Nate's glance, reading the unspoken question in his eyes.
"Keep on walking, man. We'll manage."
Nate gave a curt nod and complied. He knew he had to stay focused if he wanted to make sure they got out of here safely. There was not only Eliot he had to think about, there was also Sophie who was still somewhere in the building, trying to keep Carpenter occupied. Nate hoped that she was alright. He couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt.
The moment he stepped into the open air, his eyes started scanning the premises. There was a general atmosphere of chaos and panic, which was a good thing to start with. People were pushing out of the various exits, crowding the parking lot in front of the building, and they were getting more by the minute. In the distance, he could hear the alarms of a fire truck and possibly the police. The first one he could handle, the second one could become a problem. They had just broken into the facilities after all, and Carpenter would hold them responsible for the supposed fire breakout.
Well, he'd just have to take care of things one at a time. First, he had to contact Sophie. Nate turned around, watching Parker and Hardison exit the door, the wounded hitter between them. So far, so good. He was just about to reach for his cell phone when a familiar black van stopped a few feet away, the passenger door being kicked open from inside. A relieved smile flashed over his face.
"Hurry up. We better leave before things get too hot."
He didn't need to be told twice. Nate opened the door to the back of the vehicle, speeding things up for the others, then climbed up into the front seat. The moment the back door was slammed shut, Sophie floored the gas pedal.
TBC