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TWENTY-FOUR

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The air buzzed with the chatter of insects, and the occasional screech of a bird cut through the humidity. We were close enough to the sea to smell the salt in the air and hear the crash of the waves on the beach.

I adjusted the high-powered binoculars and focused on the compound. It had taken us about forty-five minutes to get into position, including a stroll down the southern beach of the island leading to the compound. We were finally in a safe spot on a small rise to the east, partially sheltered by trees where we could look down into the compound.

The Pacific sun burned against the nondescript gray walls—hurricane-proof, as noted on Manny’s drawings. I spotted one man wandering lazily from the gate area, his path predictable and shoulders slouched. He was likely the guard stationed at the gate. I didn’t see a sophisticated comm unit on him, just a walkie-talkie on a belt. There were no other patrols. The roofline was empty, and I didn’t see evidence of dogs. Whoever was in that compound didn’t appear to be expecting company. All of which worked in our favor.

“One guard,” Manny muttered, also looking through binoculars and shaking his head. “He’s barely paying attention. You’d think he were guarding a luxury spa, not…whatever this is.”

“That’s the point,” I replied, not looking away from the compound. “They’re banking on appearances. They are trying to find the right balance between fortress and private residence. They obviously don’t want to advertise that they’re an armed compound, but clearly, they’re protecting something inside.”

Manny nodded, glancing back at the rise. “In the past, they’ve had three, even four sentries, though I can’t imagine why. Maybe they had a high-level visitor. Way too many armed guards for just a private residence, which is how it drew our attention in the first place. But apparently they’re stretched thin supporting the coup, maintaining civil order, and searching for the prime minister. My guess is they’re mostly out securing the airfield, television stations, and other high-value sites like the power plant and telecommunications switching center. By the way, Liko Maivia—the new coup leader—has been here before.”

I lowered the binoculars. “You’ve actually seen him here yourself?”

“I have. Three times in the past two weeks and eleven times total since I started surveilling six months ago,” Manny said. “He’s probably been here a lot more than that. Since the prime minister doesn’t have a counterintelligence office—it’s essentially just me doing some work for her—I couldn’t blanket this place 24-7. I can give you the video and the list of times and corresponding dates I saw him here, along with everyone else I recorded going in and out of the compound over the past six months. Maivia always came after dark and left before dawn. He thinks he’s being discreet, but he’s as dumb as a sack of pineapples. It’s no wonder the Chinese picked him as the so-called face of the rebellion. He’s about as pliable as you can get.”

It was encouraging that Manny had useful intel. “Do you have summaries of the important names who have visited and your analysis?”

“Sure. I provided weekly summaries to the prime minister. I don’t have printed copies, but I can bring up or send you what I have.”

“That would be useful. How accurate are the locations and purposes of rooms inside?” I asked.

Manny shrugged. “Pretty good. They’ve been verified by my cousin, who makes weekly deliveries to the kitchen and has been around most of the first floor. The second-floor rooms are also likely to be fairly accurate in layout—I got the blueprints from the contractor who filed them when he modified the compound three years ago, so I’m reasonably confident in the floor plan. The upper rooms on the east side near us must be rarely used, as I hardly ever see any lights there.”

I nodded, thinking. “Changing subjects, when would you say is potentially the best time to break into this place?”

Manny considered for a moment. “Probably before the shift change, which occurs at eight o’clock in the morning. So, somewhere between six and seven would be best. It’s mostly quiet and there aren’t a lot of people up and about yet. The outgoing shift will be tired and possibly inattentive. You’d have the best chance of slipping in and out at that point.”

I nodded. It made sense. “What else have you seen that raised any questions in your mind?”

“Not a lot,” Manny said. “Just a gut feeling and the fact that a lot of Chinese caravans and cars we’ve traced back to the police go in and out of this place on a regular basis.”

“Ah, that reminds me.” I pulled out my phone, called up an app, and waited for it to load. “Well, look at that.” I angled my phone toward Manny. “Our friend Moe, who is supposedly Maivia’s right-hand man, is currently parked at the compound.” I glanced back at the compound through the binoculars. “I don’t see the truck, but it could be parked in the back.”

“Yeah, Rangi told me you planted a tracker on his car. Bloody ballsy, that was. It’s something a good counterintelligence officer might do.”

I shrugged. “Or just a regular guy with a good idea. It made sense at the time.”

“I bet it did.”

I took my phone and snapped several photos of the compound. No one had entered or left since we’d been here. “Have you ever seen them together—Maivia and the Chinese?”

“Sure. I’ve got several long-lens photos taken through a window.”

“This keeps getting better. Which window?”

Manny took the binoculars and trained them on a window and then handed the binoculars to me. “That one. According to my cousin, it’s a conference room of some kind.”

I adjusted the view to the bottom floor, left side of the house, second window from the back. I studied the window but couldn’t see inside. Instead, I zoomed in on one of the security cameras situated on top of the wall at the nearest corner. I could see an orange logo of some sort on the side of the camera.

“I’m going to need to get closer to the compound so I can get a better look at that camera on the wall,” I said. “I think if I can get into position by those bushes over there, I should be close enough. What is the best way to get there?”

“No need to risk it. I can tell you whatever you need to know. I recognize the camera from here.”

“Great. Who’s the manufacturer?”