Chapter 19
The sun had set and Crane's blood boiled with anticipation. It wasn't very unlikely that they would bump into Harriet and her team but Crane was looking forward to taking their lives especially the black man who had killed Darley, he was going to die a slow painful death.
Crane clenched his teeth as Lucas slid into the passenger seat. They had agreed that since Lucas was the one who was mostly familiar with the scanner, he would be the one that would have to find as well as retrieve the case.
"You ready?" Crane said
"As ready as I'll ever be," Lucas replied.
They had worn leather coats, black gloves, a matching pair of cargo pants and black boots. Lucas on the other hand decided to add a green syndicate to his get up. The guns would be easy to conceal under the coats so that wasn't a major deal, what worried Crane was that the scanner might not fit into the jacket pockets and that would prove to be a hindrance.
As if reading his mind, Lucas tried placing the scanner into a jacket pocket and much to his luck the damn thing actually fit.
"Let's get the case first then we finish off the bastards," Crane said
He drove out of the garage where they had taken shelter the highway was packed with cars but it wasn't unnavigable.
The drive only took thirty minutes before they reached Fifth Avenue, they slowed as they cruised past the main entrance of the Empire State building.
It seemed more grand than usual with chatter coming from the ground floor. It seems some kind of party was going on, the tiled steps that led into the building was covered by a red carpet that was rolled from the main doors all the way down to the curb where fancy as well as expensive cars were parking and spilling out wealthy men and women before they were driven away by the ushers who wore red attire. He saw a black Audi with tinted windows pull up on the curb.
The door opened and out came the black man who killed Darley, his face was shining against the light, he was dressed in a black tuxedo, his hair was combed evenly making his stylish haircut stand out even more. Crane looked long enough to see him hold his hand out for a woman in a red glossy dress. No doubt that was Harriet.
When she was helped out the black man looked around briefly before his eyes stuck to the SUV. Crane instantly looked forward to avoid his gaze and he drove forward.
The man he so desperately wanted to kill was here. Crane angrily gripped on the steering wheel before he pulled up in the alley that was just behind the historical Empire State building. There wasn't much light shining into the alley other than one coming from passing traffic. The alley was the domain of several trash containers some of which were filled to the top and left open by some scavengers. A stray cat that was digging through the trash meowed before scurrying away at the approach of the SUV.
Since the SUV couldn't go further in Crane made it that only the hood was in it.
"Keep your radio handy so you can tell me if you coming out and also be careful. Those bastards are here which means they're not the ones who currently have the case so avoid them as much as possible," Crane cautioned
"Relax I'll only drop them of they get in my way," Lucas said before hopping out and running into the alley. He was heading for a back door that would lead directly into the other end of the building. Crane pulled out of the alley just as Lucas was inside.
Crane drove further down the road where he parked in front of a closed pharmacy. He turned off the engine and looked ahead as a red Maclaren pulled up at the curb of the Empire State building. It seemed Harriet and the black man had already made it inside.
Lucas rain through the stinking alley, the scanner was in his jacket pocket, it was concealed together with his Micro Uzi semi automatic pistol which would have been hard to hide if it wasn't for the coats. On his run he kicked a scurrying rat but he didn't at all. He made it to the steel door and even standing behind it, he could smell the different aromas coming from the room within. He concluded that he was behind a kitchen.
He twisted the door handled and pulled the door open, the smells were stronger now as well as the noise of clinging pots and other kitchen utensils. He had expected someone to notice his presence into the room but the kitchen staff seemed too busy to even take heed into the man who had just entered using the back door. If he was a mass killer everyone in there would be dead.
Lucas threw the distracting thought away and pushed through the room past the chefs and waiters who were coming in with empty metal trays and going out with them full of half filled champagne glasses. He got a few side glances but nothing alarming as he passed through wooden double doors that had some round glass windows. He appeared in the ground floor that was wide spaced. The chandeliers at the high ceilings were gleaming over the crowd of suits and dresses who were conversing over the piano and violin that was playing on a stage a distance away. The golden coloured walls were reflecting the light from the chandeliers making the entire place look like a scene taken from a Cinderella movie. There were large potted plants standing close to the walls that offered him some cover as he pushed through to the end of the room where the elevators were stationed. Not far from them was a fire escape door that would provide a passage for those above to climb down if the need ever came. Lucas pushed through the door unnoticed. He was surrounded by a flight of stairs that led five floors up. The stairs were spiralling from the walls of the rectangular shaft. He took a step up and the this echoed throughout the shaft. He climbed up until he reached the door that led to the fifth floor. He took the scanner from his pocket and noted the reading telling him to go further up.
Lucas sighed and opened the door into a corridor that had a similar design to the ground floor. The corridor seemed vacant, it was probably because of the party going on downstairs. He made for the elevator and pushed the button for the 6th floor. As the elevator went up he checked the scanner once more. He needed to go eight hundred feet up. He closed his eyes mentally approximating which floor he needed to go and he concluded that it was best to start from the 80th floor.
Having made up his mind he pushed the elevator for the 80th floor and heard the soft hum of the metallic box as it headed up.