Panic

“Finds out what?”

“That the entire business and economics department was disrupted for the best part of the afternoon. That the fire department had to come out for no good reason, at a cost of several thousand dollars, which I’m sure they’ll be billing the University for, and that somebody’s been breaking in to Pupin Hall for the past month to send threatening emails from a computer you’ve got hidden in the basement.”

Marty paused a second or two before answering. “What’s any of this got to do with me?”

“I’ll tell you why you should be worried, Marty. When the board of trustees finds out, they’ll want to know who’s to blame. I think starting with the security guard who can’t keep hold of his keys is a pretty good place to start, don’t you?”

The chubby guard blanched, an impressive feat considering his original color. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I? A quick call to my contacts in the press and the whole thing goes public in a matter of hours. How valuable are you to this place that you think you’ll be able to keep your job after that?”

Marty opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off as she continued.

“In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’ll have some questions for you myself in relation to a recent kidnapping involving someone using University computers to send illegal emails, which would certainly require some help from the inside. So, we can continue this conversation like responsible adults, or I can make a few phone calls.”

The rent-a-cop’s eyes bulged, but he stayed quiet. After a few seconds he nodded and motioned for them to follow him to his desk. He led the group over to the security office and logged on to the computer. The room was small, with just enough room for Mary and Leopold to lean in over Marty’s shoulder and give instructions. Leopold tried not to look at the dog-eared Playboy calendars hanging on the wall. Jerome noticed a black windbreaker hanging on the back of the door and held it up to his chest, checking the size.

“Hey, that’s mine,” said Marty, pointing at Jerome.

The towering bodyguard scowled and pulled off his Armani jacket, revealing his handgun and bloodstained shirt. Marty gulped, and turned his attention back to the computer screen.

“Okay, here you go,” coughed Marty, jabbing an oily finger at the monitor. “Two days ago around midnight. Only person to clock out of Pupin is Professor Brian Locke. Works in the Department of Computer Science.”

“Where can we find him?” said Leopold.

“He’s got a home address listed, but he holds office hours on Friday afternoons, so he won’t be there.”

“Where’s his office?”

“His usual office is at the Shapiro Center, just across campus, but it’s being renovated, so they’ve found him a spare room at Butler Library. You’ve got about an hour before he locks up for the weekend.”

“Good. Mary, I assume this is good enough reason to hold off giving your friends a call about Marty here?”

Mary nodded and handed the keys back to the sweaty guard, who hastily clipped them back onto his belt.

“If this doesn’t pan out, I’m coming back for you,” she said, pulling aside her jacket to reveal the gun underneath.

Marty glanced at the firearm nervously, then sank back in his chair and sighed deeply. “Don’t worry about me. I need this job. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know and I’ll make it happen.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” said Leopold. “I need to borrow one of your labs. There’s something I want to take a look at.”

Chapter 28

“Fascinating.”

The research laboratory was deserted and smelled faintly of sulphur and wood polish. Leopold hunched over a tall microscope, adjusted the focus with his right hand, and waved Jerome over with his left, never taking his eye off the scope. The bodyguard approached, zipping up the windbreaker he had taken from Marty’s office. He had tossed the ruined Armani jacket into the laboratory incinerator with some regret.

“Found something?” asked Jerome, peering over Leopold’s shoulder.

“Look at this.”

The consultant stepped back and Jerome placed his right eye over the lens. “What am I looking at?”

“One of the plastic coins we took from our German friend downstairs,” said Leopold. “It’s a micro-explosive. I managed to get one open.”

“Did you figure out how they work?”

“Oh yes, and they’re very clever. Can you see the two reservoirs of liquid?”

“Yes; what are they?”

“This is the clever bit. It uses a binary explosive to create a potent detonation that is restricted to a very small radius – perfect for targeted attacks with little or no collateral damage. You take two chemicals, either of which is harmless by itself, and mix them together to form a volatile explosive. Add a battery and circuit board, and you can detonate remotely. I can’t tell which chemicals have been used here without further testing, but I’m guessing nitromethane and ethylenediamene.”

“How does it work?”

“When the device receives the signal, it releases an electric charge strong enough to melt the layer of resistor-impregnated plastic that separates the two chemicals. After a few seconds, the chemicals mix and a second signal is sent, which triggers another charge and detonates the device.”

“I’ve never heard of something like this,” said Jerome, still squinting into the microscope.

 “It’s cutting-edge stuff. This sort of technology isn’t around in the public domain yet. These must be the prototypes that were stolen from the military facility a few days ago.”

The bodyguard stood up straight again, his face grim. “There’s enough of the chemicals stored in this capsule to blow a hole in solid rock. Just think what that would do if you planted it on a person.”

Albert started patting his pockets frantically, his eyes bulging in horror as his fingers found what turned out to be his keys. “Phew! Sorry guys, carry on.”

“That’s certainly a possibility,” replied Leopold. “Considering how small they are, it would be almost impossible to notice someone slipping them into a bag or coat. They don’t give off any radiation, and they use the same radio technology as cell phones, so they’d be difficult to detect by sca

“How many are left?” asked Jerome.

“There were three recovered from our friend in the tu

“Make sure you keep them in their case. I don’t want to have to scoop you off the sidewalk.”

“Don’t worry, they’re harmless without the remote trigger. I could smash them with a hammer and still not set them off.”

Leopold closed the lid of the metal case holding the remaining two micro-bombs and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He buttoned his jacket and motioned for the others to follow him.

“It’s time we found Professor Locke,” he said, turning off the light to the microscope. “Office hours are officially open.”

Chapter 29

It was four p.m. and the sun was still bright in the sky above the Columbia University lawns, though the air had cooled and the wind had blown away the smell of hot asphalt from earlier in the day. Leopold led the others toward Butler Library with a quick, determined step and ran over the events of the day in his head.

“Pe

Snapping out of his daze, he looked around as they continued walking. She was wearing that warm smile that had always been so effective at disarming him in the past.