Silencing Eve

don’t necessarily always learn from their mistakes. Those old rats keep going back when they’re hungry. There’s plastic that they gnaw at … and some kind of circular-tube-type gadget.”
    “If they ate the wires, maybe they actually disconnected the bomb,” Jane said.
    “Or if they were outside the box, maybe the wires were meant to be an alarm system,” Trevor said. “That seems more likely. Kevin would have wanted to protect his treasure. Could you tell what else was in the room, Margaret?”
    “No.” She thought about it. “But the circular tube had a WR—and the rest has been eaten. The only reason that made any impression on them was that it was on the wall.”
    “They’re into wall art?” Trevor asked.
    Margaret gave him a disgusted glance. “No, haven’t you noticed that you seldom see a rat in the middle of the room? That’s because they have terrible vision, and they feel uneasy unless they can hug the wall.”
    “It never occurred to me,” Jane said. “But the nuke device is tucked away in the wall, and, therefore, it’s rat fodder?”
    “It’s possible. I guess it could be some other box that’s been hidden there,” Margaret said. “But no one goes to that room. It’s deserted whenever the rats decide to raid.”
    “Then it’s worth a shot,” Trevor murmured. “Let’s get back to the hotel and get a schematic of the Wrigley building and see if we can figure out where that room is located.” He smiled at Margaret. “Of course, we could send you back and have the rat third degree continue.”
    “No, you couldn’t,” Margaret said flatly. “I’m done. It’s up to you now.” She leaned back on the seat. “Take me back to the hotel. I need a hot shower and a long nap.” She closed her eyes. “Then I’ll be fine. Too many rats … I just have to get away from them…”
    *   *   *
    “HERE’S THE WRIGLEY floorplan.” Caleb turned his iPad around on the room-service table. “It’s a damn big building.”
    “We only want the lower floors.” Margaret was scanning the floor plan. “And probably an area that’s not usually frequented. Kevin wouldn’t have wanted to risk stashing the device somewhere that it would have been easily discovered.”
    “And how do we find a room where no one would generally go?” Jane grimaced. “Particularly in a high-rental place like that building. It’s not reasonable that any space would be wasted.”
    “And we could spend all evening going over this map and still not be sure.” Trevor was gazing down at the computer. “But there’s one way we’d know for sure.” He jabbed his finger at a cubicle on the plan. “Security.”
    “What?” Jane frowned. “Security’s not even on the lower level.”
    “No, but their motion cameras are focused down there. They’d be all over the building.” Caleb nodded. “And if we could get our hands on a set of the security tapes, we’d be able to run them and find the type of area that we’re looking for. If there’s no motion activity, then there’s a good chance that we’re close.”
    “And how are we to do that?” Jane asked.
    Caleb exchanged glances with Trevor. “Distraction, then a discreet snatch. I can provide the distraction. In fact, such a good distraction that they won’t even suspect that you were the one who made off with the tapes.”
    “So I’m the one who runs the risk of the snatch,” Trevor said dryly. “And I have to rely on you to make sure that I don’t get arrested.”
    “No,” Jane said. “We’ll think of something else, Trevor.”
    “No, it’s a good plan.” He smiled at Caleb. “He knew that’s where I was headed when I mentioned security. And I even trust him to make an excellent distraction. It would be too obvious for him to do anything else.”
    “What kind of distraction?” Jane asked warily.
    “One of the security guards will start worrying about the possibility that he’s having a heart attack.” Caleb held up his hand. “Not pain, I promise. Just a rapid beat. It will end when he’s on his way up to the medical center. The other guard will probably stay with him until he’s at the facility. If he’s not, I’ll have to think of something else.” Caleb turned to Trevor. “I lure the guard away, and you get the tapes. And there would be no immediate discovery of anything wrong. You don’t have to access anything recent. You can go back to past-date files and get a day that’s already been filed away.