Hidden Agemda (Kate Diamond Adventure) (8 page)

She smiled, imagining the look on Crowder’s face when he found it on top of her bed. Somehow, knowing that
he’d
know he’d been faked-out by an impostor gave her great satisfaction. And it would also clear Chyna Hunt’s name in underground circles—according to Max, she hadn’t minded lending her name to the cause, but didn’t want people thinking she really
was
a thief. Leaving the wig would accomplish that nicely.
 

She changed into the black outfit and pulled on a black ski mask that covered her entire face with only tiny slits for her eyes. Special battery heated gloves fitted to her fingers would allow her to work effectively without anything thick to impede her fingers, but still keep them warm.
 

Reaching into the suitcase, she pulled out a box of tampons and selected one that she ripped apart to reveal the frequency jammer for the case the ruby sat in. She shoved it in her pocket along with a pair of high-tech wire cutters she had hidden in the camera case. They looked like regular cutters, but would disrupt the signal from the door wire and return the signal so the system wouldn’t be aware the circuit had been broken.

Grabbing the perfume vial, she unscrewed the top, removed the side holding the needle and vial of serum, and placed it carefully on the table.
 

Finally, she turned to the juice drink that had been sitting on the faux fireplace mantle. It was still very cold, in a slush-like state. Being in an ice hotel did have its advantages when it came to keeping drinks cold, but that didn’t matter to Kate, because she wasn’t going to drink it.
 

Ripping the straw off the drink package, she loaded it up with the needle and vial, taking care not to prick herself with the serum—it wouldn’t do to knock herself out before she had a chance to get the ruby.

Noting the time, she double-checked she had everything ready and just where she wanted it, then she made her way to the door. Resting her hand on the handle, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing her nerves into a calm state.

She’d have only one chance to get this right. She needed a calm mind and nerves of steel. She couldn’t risk screwing up because of shaky hands or a bad decision—not only because it would ruin the chances of recovering the ruby, but also because her life may depend on it. God only knew what Crowder would do to her if he caught her.

***

Kate slipped out into the hall, checking both ways before she crept off toward the lobby. She flattened herself against the wall at the corner where the lobby turned into the hallway to the secured room. Taking another deep breath, she peeked quickly around the corner then drew her head back in a single motion.

The giant was there, sitting in the ice chair with his head angled away from her, looking toward the door to the secured room.

Kate looked at the straw in her hand. She’d only have one chance to hit the giant and she’d better make it count. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the straw to her lips, stepped out into the hallway and aimed.
 

Kate’s heart skipped when the giant rose from his chair and turned to face her. She stood there frozen as he took one step toward her, at the same time his hand flew to his neck. She saw his eyebrows dip together … and then he crashed to the floor.

Kate’s pulse raced as she ran toward him. Was he really out? Did anyone hear him fall? She flattened herself against the wall, straining to hear if anyone was coming, but there was only silence.
 

She bent down to check the giant. The makeshift dart had hit him in just the right spot in his neck, and she gave a silent prayer of thanks for her childhood education at the hands of her parents and their friends. She’d learned a lot of unusual skills that had come in handy over the years, and shooting darts out of a straw was one of them. He was out like a light, but still breathing.
 

Taking out the wire cutters, she bent down in front of the door and attached them to the wire, holding her breath and waiting to hear the alarm that would raise the others. No alarm. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was pitch-black except for the eerie white lights coming from the platforms the ruby and jewelry sat on and the red laser beams that crisscrossed around the room.

Kate went through the steps in her head as she stared at the lights, double-checking that the movements matched with where the lights fell. Satisfied, she stepped forward, raising her right leg over a beam of red light. Then she spun, angling her left hip upward as she raised her leg to the knee, threading her calf, thigh and then entire body in-between two beams of light. Next, she bent at the waist and crawled forward through more beams.
 

To anyone looking in, it might have looked like some strange kind of dance or an odd game of twister. Except no one looking in would actually be able to see her. The black outfit and stocking mask made her all but invisible. Of course, the sleeping giant in the hallway might give away the fact that things were amiss. Kate picked up the pace. She needed to grab the ruby and get out before someone woke up and found him.

Finally, she got to the case that housed the ruby. Taking out the jamming wand, she applied it to the case. The lights on the wand flickered … then came on strong, indicating it had done its job. Holding her breath, Kate lifted the top—slowly at first, then, when no alarm sounded, she whipped it off, grabbed the ruby and stuffed it in her backpack.

Repeating her strange dance in reverse, she made her way back to the door. Opening it, she looked out into the hall. It was empty except for the guard who lay snoring on the floor.
 

She slipped into the hall, tiptoed over the guard, and ran for the front door.

Outside, there was nothing but silence. Kate had a moment of panic, wondering what she would do if Sal wasn’t there with the ski-cycle. But then she rounded the corner and saw him at their meeting spot. She whistled her best imitation of an owl hoot—their designated signal—and Sal gave her the thumbs up, then swung the cycle around to meet her.

She grabbed the puffy down jacket from the back of the bike to keep her warm during the ride and shrugged into it. Swinging one leg over the back of the bike, she settled into the seat, a bubble of triumph rising in her chest. She’d pulled it off! She tapped Sal’s arm in a signal to take off and the cycle rushed forward.

Kate was surprised at how quiet the machine was. The snowy landscape was like a blanket dampening any other sounds and Kate marveled at the nighttime beauty of Antarctica as they raced across it. Pulling off her ski mask, and looking upward she realized the stars really were brighter here—just like Gideon had said. She felt a pang of regret that she hadn’t been able to get any penguin pictures for him.
 

Her pulse started to creep back to normal and she relaxed on the back of the ski-cycle, the dark, silent night almost lulling her to sleep.

Thwack!

Kate’s nerves snapped to attention.
What was that?
 

She felt a rush of air blow past her cheek, then her heart stuttered as she saw something rip through the sleeve of her coat and embed itself in Sal’s thumb.

A dart? Why would someone be shooting darts?
 

Kate thought about the dart with the knock out serum she’d shot into the giant guard and her heart froze. What if
these
darts had something worse on them … something deadly?

She didn’t want to find out.
 

“Someone’s shooting at us! Put up the shield!” She tapped Sal on the shoulder and pointed to the dart in his thumb wondering how he could possibly not have noticed.
 

Sal pressed the button and the back shield rose up, causing the bike to slow. Kate glanced back to see a row of snowmobiles in the distance. Three … no four … and they were gaining.

“Faster, Sal, they’re gaining!” She could hear the motors now as whoever was chasing them pushed the vehicles to go faster.
 

“We’re almost there,” Sal shouted as Kate watched the black specs grow larger.

Thwack. Thwack.
 

Darts bounced off the Plexiglass shield and Kate reminded herself to thank Gideon for installing it … if she ever saw him again.

Kate turned forward, her stomach sinking when she saw the dart in Sal’s thumb. “Sal, your thumb! We need to get that dart out!”

Sal waved her off. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt.”

“But it could be poison!” Kate’s gut wrenched. What would happen if Sal passed out—or worse—while he was driving? The bike would stop and the bad guys, whoever they were, would catch up to them. Then where would they be?

But Sal only pushed the cycle faster. “It’s only a half mile more!”

Kate looked back again, her heart pounding in her chest. They were getting closer and she realized the big flaw in her plan—she didn’t have a weapon to defend herself.
 

“Hold on!” Sal shouted and Kate whipped her head forward in time to see the black ocean approaching. Her gut tightened as it got bigger and bigger—it was coming up at an alarming rate and she wondered if the ski-cycle was built to splash into the ocean at this speed, or if the whole thing would sink. The ocean was frigid and she wouldn’t survive in there long, but that death was probably preferable to what would happen if her pursuers caught her.

“Geronimo!” Sal shouted as they approached the edge of the iceberg.
 

Kate’s heart jumped into her throat as the bike sailed off into thin air.
 

Glancing down at the black, cold waters below, Kate realized the iceberg was only about seven feet off the water—but it felt like seventy, because time had slowed down. Kate felt a sickening sensation, like she’d left her stomach back on the glacier as they shot out into oblivion. She stared at the dark, star-studded sky ahead of her and noticed it was nearly impossible to tell where the sky ended and the water began—it was all just black except for the light of the stars and a few moonbeams that danced off the waves.
 

And then they were losing altitude. Her stomach apparently caught up to her and then proceeded to crowd into her throat. She heard a click, and the flotation platforms shot out of the side of the cycle.
 

Maybe she wouldn’t die, after all …
 

As the ski-cycle headed down toward the water, she risked a glance back at the glacier. The snowmobiles had stopped at the edge—they couldn’t follow them into the water. She noticed the men jumping off and aiming something at them just as they disappeared from her line of vision.
 

She looked down to see how close she was to the water. And that’s when she saw them. Penguins. Dozens of them floating on an iceberg.
 

She pulled the Tic-Tac camera from her pocket just before the ski-cycle splashed into the cold arctic waters. She was determined to get pictures of the penguins for Gideon … even if it was the last thing she did.

***

Kate climbed up the ladder and heaved herself over the side of the boat, thankful that getting pictures of the penguins wasn’t the last thing she ever did.

“Katie!” Her father rushed over, crushing her in a bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay—we saw you being chased through the binoculars.”

Kate wriggled out of her father’s grasp.
 

“Sal got shot … well, darted! We need a tourniquet, bandages maybe even hot water!” Kate ran over to Sal. “You better lay down.” She waved her hand at one of the teak lounge chairs on the deck of the boat.

Teak lounge chairs?

Kate did a quick survey of the deck, noticing it looked more like a pleasure ship than a research vessel. Her parents and several of the
Golden Capers
retirees stood around.
 

Did they have drinks in their hands?

Kate’s brows flew together as she noticed her mother was handing her a martini. She looked over at Sal.
 

Why was everyone just standing around and not tending to him?

“Sal needs help. Why are you all just standing ar—?”

“This?” Sal cut off her words, holding up his thumb with the dart still sticking out of it. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
 

Kate’s eyes went wide as he reached over with his other hand and removed the entire thumb, dart and all.

“You have a prosthetic thumb?”

Everyone laughed and Kate felt relief, then anger. Relief that Sal wasn’t hurt, anger that everyone was laughing at her.

“Yeah, I lost my thumb back in Berlin when we did the Covsner job.” Sal’s eyes got a faraway look. “You remember that one, Vic?”

“I sure do,” Vic said.

“Yeah, those were the days,” Benny added.

“Why darts?” Gertie, one of the
Golden Capers
retirees who had been an expert safe cracker back in the day, held Sal’s thumb up in front of her face.

“That’s a good question.” Kate looked back at the glacier, which was now empty. Who were those men on the snowmobiles?

“They were probably afraid that gunshots might cause the iceberg to break up or start an avalanche,” Benny offered.

“Were those Crowder’s men chasing you?” Vic asked,

I’m not sure.” Kate pursed her lips together. “I never saw that many men at the ice hotel … but who else could it have been?”

“Well, you’re safe now, dear.” Carlotta helped Kate wriggle out of the backpack. “Is the ruby inside?”

“Yes.” Kate sipped the martini, enjoying the sting in the back of her throat.
 

“I’ve been dying to get a look at it.” Carlotta pushed a pile of empty drink glasses aside and set the bag on a glass-topped table. “May I?”

“Sure.” Kate collapsed into a chair, coming down from the rush of adrenalin and starting to feel a sense of elation and pride that she’d pulled the job off and was on her way back to the museum with the ruby.

She sipped her drink as she watched her mother take the ruby out of the backpack and place it carefully on the table, walking around the table in a circle to look at it from all sides.