Page 31 of Hawk on the Hunt

It was noon when Olivia and Lilly brought food to the command center so they could eat while they were working. Fox had mirrored Dylan’s cell phone apps with one of the computers so he could keep an eye on Zara’s location on the monitor without having to constantly check his cell. Everybody was applying their skills to come up with a plan of how to prevent the president and the vice president from being killed.

“How would you smuggle a bomb into Joint Base Andrews?” Yankee mused.

“Security is really tight there. It has to be an inside job, right?” Dylan asked, looking at Ace, who chewed on a sandwich.

“We have to assume that Polo has contacts in the military. Maybe he’s cashing in an old favor,” Fox said from behind his computer, taking a quick break from hacking away on his keyboard.

“Still, even if he’s got one person on the inside,” Yankee said, “everything that goes into that place is screened. We’re not talking about a firecracker, are we, Ace?”

Ace shook his head. “No. Definitely a big explosion. It’s not something you could smuggle in on your body. It has to be big enough to blow the president and the VP to smithereens wherever they’re standing.”

Ace’s words sparked a thought in Dylan. “They would be close to the coffin, right, I mean the VP and the president?”

Everybody nodded.

“What are you thinking?” Ace asked.

“What if they don’t have to get the bomb past their security? What if it lands there?”

His fellow agents’ eyes widened.

“You mean—” Tiger stopped himself from completing his sentence, nodding to himself.

Dylan nodded. “The coffin. They’re not gonna open the coffin when it arrives at Andrews.”

“Fuck!” Ace cursed.

“It’s brilliant, really,” Tiger agreed.

Yankee grunted to himself. “Security on the base in Germany is maybe a little less strict. And if the body is put into the coffin at the army hospital in Landstuhl, and not opened again, then whoever made sure that David Grossman didn’t make it, also planted the bomb in his coffin.”

“Sounds doable,” Ace mused. “But how is he detonating the bomb?”

“Can’t be a timer,” Fox said instantly, standing up from his chair now. “Too many variables. If the plane gets delayed due to weather, or rerouted, then chances are that the bomb goes off when the plane is still in the air.”

“You’re right,” Dylan agreed. “That leaves remote detonation. Doable right?”

Fox nodded. “Totally. But Polo would have to know the exact time the president and the VP are close enough to the coffin. And I’m not aware that the Speaker of the House is going to Andrews with them.”

Dylan shook his head. “He can do what he needs to do from any TV. The press is gonna cover this event live, right? He will see when it’s the right moment.”

“Fuck!” Ace ran a hand through his hair.

Lilly, who’d stood close to Yankee, suddenly cleared her throat. “Can’t you call in a bomb scare or something? An anonymous tip?”

Dylan exchanged a look with Ace, and they both shook their heads.

“We have nothing that ties the Speaker to the bomb. And we can’t spook him,” Ace said with regret.

“We have to eliminate him first. If he finds out we’re onto him, he might disappear,” Dylan added. “We can’t let on that we know of his plan. Everything we do has to look like it’s an accident or a believable coincidence.”

Yankee looked at Lilly. “Nice suggestion though.”

Lilly shrugged. “Well, that was my two cents.” She grabbed the serving tray. “Oh, Ace, you should look in on Phoebe. She complained of back pain. I can’t give her anything for it, but maybe you can massage her back a little to help her with the pain? Or I can do it…”

Ace jumped up. “I’ll do it. I need to clear my head anyway.” He followed Lilly out of the room and closed the door behind him.

“Can’t be easy for him right now with all that’s going on,” Dylan mused. “I hope she’ll be all right.” He’d seen Phoebe only during dinner the night before. She’d looked tired and had moved sluggishly.