Honour Among Thieves

delivery entrance of the National Archives.' He unfolded a large map of Washington and placed it in the centre of the table, then ran his finger along Constitution Avenue. 'Once they leave you, Johnny, it's for real.' 'But how do we get in and out of the Archives?' 'That's not your problem, Johnny. Your contribution ends when the six motorcycles and the Presidential motorcade turn right onto 7th Street. From then on, it's up to Gino.' Until that moment, Gino Sartori, an ex-Marine who ran the best protection racket on the West Side, had not spoken. His lawyer had told him many times: 'Don't speak unless I tell you to.' His lawyer wasn't present, so he hadn't opened his mouth. 'Gino, you're going to supply me with the heavy brigade. I need eight Secret Service agents to act as the counter-assault team, preferably government-trained and well-educated. I only plan to be in the building for about twenty minutes, but we're going to have to be thinking on our feet for every second of that time. Debbie will continue to act as a secretary and Angelo will be dressed in naval uniform and carrying a small black case. I'll be there as the President's assistant, along with Dollar Bill as the President's physician.' His father looked up, frowning. 'You're going to be inside the National Archives building when the document is switched?' 'Yes,' replied Tony firmly. 'I'll be the only person who knows every part of the plan, and I'm sure not watching this one from the sidewalk.' 'A question,' said Gino. 'If, and I only say if, I am abie to supply the twenty or so people you need, tell me this: when we reach the National Archives, are they just going to open the doors, invite us in, and then hand over the Declaration of Independence?' 'Something like that,' replied Cavalli. 'My father taught me that the successful conclusion of any enterprise is always in the preparation. I still have one more surprise for you.' Once again he had their undivided attention. 'We have our own Special Assistant to the President in the White House. His name is Rex Butterworth, and he's on temporary assignment from the Department of Commerce for six months. He returns to his old job when the Clinton nominee has completed his contract in Little Rock and joins the President's staff. That's another reason why we have to go in May.' 'Convenient,' said Frank. 'Not particularly,' said Cavalli. 'It turns out that the President has forty-six Special Assistants at any one time, and when Clinton made his interest in commerce clear, Butterworth volunteered for the job. He's fixed a few overseas contracts for us in the past, but this will be the biggest thing he's done for us yet. For obvious reasons, it will also have to be his last assignment.' 'Can he be trusted?' asked Frank. 'He's been on the payroll for fifteen years, and his third wife is proving rather expensive.' 'Show me one who isn't,' said Al. 'Butterworth's looking for a big payday to get himself out of trouble, and this is it. And that brings me on to you, Mr Vicente, and your particular expertise as one of the biggest tour operators in Manhattan.' 'That's the legit side of my business,' replied the elderly man who sat on the right of the chairman, as befitted his oldest friend. 'Not for what I have in mind,' promised Tony. 'Once we have the Declaration in our possession, we'll need it kept out of sight for a few days and then smuggled abroad.' 'As long as no one realises it's been removed and I'm told well in advance where you want it delivered, that should be simple.' 'You'll get a week,' said Cavalli. 'I'd prefer two,' said Vicente, raising an eyebrow. 'No, Nick, you get a week,' the chief executive repeated. 'Can you give me a clue what distance it will have to travel?' Vicente asked, turning the pages of the file Tony had passed across to him. 'Several thousand miles. And as far as you're concerned it's COD, because if you fail to deliver, none of us gets paid.' 'That figures. But I'll still need to know how it has to be transported. For starters, will I have to keep the Declaration between two sheets of glass the whole time?' 'I don't know myself yet,' replied Cavalli, 'but I'm hoping you'll be able to roll it up and deposit it in a cylindrical tube of some kind. I'm having one specially made.' 'Does that explain why I've got several sheets of blank paper in my file?' asked Nick. 'Yes,' said Tony. 'Except those sheets aren't paper but parchment, each one of them 29 inches by 24 inches, the exact size