Vanishing Point - Marc Cerasini [79]
* * *
12:39:15 a.m. PDT
Hanging Garden Ballroom
Babylon Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Banquet Manager Evelyn Ankers, with help from Congressman Larry Bell and Senator Palmer, had gathered everyone trapped on the upper floors inside the main ballroom. It was a wise strategy. With most windows broken the ballroom offered plenty of fresh air, a welcome reprieve from the smoke filled lower levels. Several people were injured, and Sherry Palmer had appeared to supervise their care. Seven victims had been killed. Their bodies were covered by bloodstained table cloths.
Lilly had scanned all the faces in the room, but did not see the man she was searching for. As soon as she had the chance, Lilly ducked out of the ballroom to search for her daughter. She was sure Pamela and her kidnappers were still on this floor, even though she hadn't seen them.
Searching, she moved through the empty kitchen, to the corridor that led to the elevators. She was walking so fast she passed by the open door. It was the sound of voices that stopped her.
"Someone must have defused one or two of the bombs," a man's voice said.
"Lucky thing, my brother. We would all be dead now if things had gone as planned," said another voice, one Lilly recognized.
She peered through the open door, nearly gasped. Stella Hawk was there, hands clutching her daughter's shoulders. Then Lilly saw the others. Two men, both armed. One was the man who'd given her the bomb.
Lilly began to tremble, uncertain what to do next. She ducked back into the kitchen, grabbed a carving knife from a steam table.
Then the cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she fumbled for the phone. "Hello."
"It's Jaycee."
"Where are you?"
"I'm near the service elevator. It will be working soon, in ten or fifteen minutes. Then I'm coming up."
"Oh, god, Jaycee. They're here. They have Pamela..."
"Who? Where?"
"Stella and two other guys. They're real close, Jaycee, just down the hall."
"Can you reach the service elevator without being seen? If you lead me to these men, I'll get your daughter back."
"Yes," Lilly cried. "I'll go now."
As she raced for the elevator, Lilly heard two shots...
Balboa killed the firemen as they emerged from the smoky stairwell. He regretted not having a silencer on his Makarov, but reasoned there was no one around to hear the shots anyway.
He and Pizarro dragged the corpses to a maintenance room, then removed the dead men's oxygen masks and tanks, along with their fire-resistant overalls.
Stella Hawk stood watch in the corridor, her fingers bruising Pamela Sheridan's tender flesh. Silently, the girl sobbed.
"The stairs are filled with smoke, and there are only two protective suits," Pizarro said.
Balboa glanced at the woman in the hall, then back at his brother. "Take them. You and the woman. And do it quick. I am sure the authorities will be here soon."
"And the child?"
Balboa frowned. "I will keep her as a bargaining chip."
To Pizarro's surprise, his brother chuckled. "This is Las Vegas, no?"
"But how will you get out, elude the policia}"
Balboa handed his brother the oxygen masks, overalls.
"I'll manage," he replied. "In any case, someone must continue on with the next part of this operation. Better that someone is you."
"But..."
Balboa silenced his brother with a gesture. "I see how you look at that woman, Pizarro. I've known you all your life and you never looked at any woman that way before. So I want you to escape, and take her with you! I will provide a diversion, then join you at the rendezvous."
14THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1 A.M. AND 2 A.M. PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME
1:01:09 a.m. PDT
Dormitory B, Experimental Weapons Testing Range
Groom Lake Air Force Base
Tony Almeida returned to his cramped quarters in Dormitory B, stripped off his sweat-stained shirt and lobbed it in the general direction of the overflowing hamper in the corner. He wanted nothing more than to grab a hot shower and a good night's sleep, but could do neither until he checked in with CTU.
Still