Page 40 of No Time Off (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #15)

FORTY

Lexi

S lash and I set up our laptops and easily connected them to Paul’s sister’s Wi-Fi, thankful she was willing to share the password. Her Wi-Fi was a little better and faster than the farmhouse connection, perhaps because we were closer to the capital.

Once online, we checked in with Elvis and Xavier. Elvis confirmed everyone was ready and standing by, so Slash and I did a final check on our end. Paul rustled up some food, and we ate while keeping an eye on things.

I glanced at my watch. Five thirty. Thirty minutes until the plan launch.

A few minutes later, Manny returned from his surveillance trip. We gathered in the small living room, ready for his assessment of the security at the television station.

“Here’s the situation,” Manny began, his voice serious. “Two cops outside, no backup. According to my source inside the station, there are no extra police inside right now. Apparently, Slash’s escape from the compound forced them to pull extra security from the station. That means we have two men on the outside and no one inside guarding the station. The purpose of the two policemen outside seems primarily to let in authorized staff only. I recognized a few familiar news anchors going in, probably getting ready for the evening show. There’s nothing physical blocking the entrance, and no apparent backup close by. The station is calm inside, but the mood is mutinous. Staff feel as if Maivia and his team are muzzling them. Given this information, I believe we should be able to get into the station with minimal effort and expect to be supported by the news staff inside.”

The prime minister appeared relieved to hear that, and she clasped her hands together. “Excellent. Rangi and I know some of the news staff personally, so that should help. What’s next, then?”

Manny slid his phone out of his pocket, swiping it on and pulling up some photos. We crowded around him. From what I could see from my vantage point, the first photo showed the station entrance with the two policemen standing in front of the door, one of them examining a badge that hung around a young woman’s neck.

“As you can see, these two officers are just standing there and checking staff credentials while keeping everyone else out,” Manny said.

The prime minister studied the images. “How do we get in without causing a scene, raising an alarm, or hurting anyone?”

“We don’t need a full-on confrontation,” Slash warned. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to use the crowd outside as our cover.”

“What crowd?” Paul asked.

“A crowd we anticipate forming in public spots, including the television station, in the next hour or so,” I explained. “We don’t need a lot of people, although that would be nice. Just enough to make the police uneasy.”

“The social media blast,” Petra said, quickly grasping where we were going with this. “You’re counting on a protest, a crowd, or a distraction of some kind after my video is broadcast.”

“Yes,” Slash confirmed. “But not only. We can’t rely on a crowd to perform on our timeline. We need to create our own diversion as well. No one knows where your seven o’clock announcement will be coming from. I believe Maivia and the Chinese will be expecting another social media video. They won’t have a big presence at the station until after you start broadcasting live. That’s when they’ll rush to intercept you.”

“Good,” she said resolutely. “I’m counting on it.”

Paul stood behind Manny, staring at Manny’s phone. “You know, there’s something about that policeman on the left that seems familiar. Manny, zoom in on him, would you, mate?”

Manny did as he was asked, then handed Paul his phone.

“That policeman on the left, I know him,” Paul said. “He’s just a kid—Aolani Kekola. He went to school with my daughter. He’s barely eighteen. I didn’t know he joined the police force.”

Manny passed around his phone as we all studied the photo. “His posture speaks volumes,” Slash said. “He clearly hasn’t been a police officer for long. He probably doesn’t know much beyond his orders to stand there and only allow authorized news staff inside the building.”

“Well, no matter what we do, we’re not going to hurt anyone,” the prime minister said firmly. “Certainly not a teenager. In whatever manner we carry this out, we do it peacefully.”

We all nodded in agreement, and Manny got his phone back and pocketed it.

“The idea here is simple—as agreed, we don’t charge in guns out or blazing,” Manny said. “If the crowd isn’t large enough, we create just enough of a distraction to break up the police’s focus. That gives us a window for us to slip in behind them unnoticed.”

“Are there any other doors we can go in if one of the staff from inside opened it for us?” I asked.

Manny shook his head. “No. There are only two other doors, one on the side of the building and one in the back. Both have been chained shut. You might be able to open them far enough to hand something out, but a person wouldn’t fit.”

“Has it always been like that?” I asked. “That’s seems like a fire hazard to me.”

“Nope, you can thank Maivia and the Chinese for that one,” Manny said.

Rangi blew out a breath. “So, once we’re inside, we’re trapped?”

“I’m afraid so unless you have some bolt cutters,” Manny said.

Slash spoke, his voice measured. “We’ll have to go in through the front. It’s like Manny said, we don’t need mass chaos, but we need that distraction, whether it’s organic from the crowd or instigated by us. But we won’t have to time to waste, so the distraction must happen almost immediately after our arrival.”

There was a brief silence, the weight of our deadline hanging over us.

“What do you have in mind for a distraction?” I asked Slash.

“Something subtle,” Slash replied. “Perhaps a fight—verbal. Something heated but not dangerous.”

Paul gave a crooked smile. “That’s easy enough to do. We just trash talk a rugby team and be obnoxious enough about it to make it look like we’re about to tear into each other. A few shouted insults and a little shoving should pull the police’s attention and bring them over to us.”

“But don’t let it get out of hand,” Manny warned. “We don’t want a full-on riot.”

“Be cognizant of that,” Rangi agreed. “We just need to get the police to do their job—break up the fight. And while they’re focused on that, the rest of us will slip inside.”

“No worries, mates,” Paul said. “We’ve got this.”

The prime minister looked at each of us in turn, assessing our expressions, her mind already working ahead. “Okay, what happens once we’re inside?”

“We have to move fast,” Slash explained. “We don’t linger. Once the police are distracted, we secure the station from the inside.”

“The prime minister will be immediately recognized by the television staff,” Rangi protested.

“I’m counting on it,” Slash said. “She’ll have a chance to speak to them personally before the broadcast, explaining what has happened. We need the staff to be on her side, to support her and give her the space and platform she needs to tell the population what’s really happening.”

“I know what I need to say.” Petra’s jaw was set in firm determination. “To both the news staff and the people. I’m ready.”

So were we.

The room fell quiet for a moment before I spoke up. “We only have a few minutes until the social media blast goes out. Once it becomes known we’ve taken back control of the prime minister’s official and personal media accounts, it will cause chaos within Maivia’s and Shi’s camps. While they’re busy sorting that out, we’ll make our move on the television station. For us, that means we need to be inside the station no later than 6:40.”

“That’s in less than an hour,” Paul said. “And it’s a twenty-minute walk to the station.”

“Sixteen minutes, if we walk briskly,” Manny corrected him.

My feet hurt just thinking of it. Another hike ahead, but at least this was on mostly straight ground with no slippery ropes, cold streams, or muddy slopes.

“I suggest everyone gets their shoes on, because we’re leaving in staggered groups shortly,” Manny said. “Petra, Slash, and Lexi, you will need to keep the caps on and keep your gazes down the best you can for the walk to the station. Paul, once we’re all there, you and your men start the distraction outside. The rest of us will slip in. Once inside, we’ll lock it up from the inside to stop or slow down any police who may try to follow or enter before or after seven p.m.”

“Don’t forget to lock the other doors to the station,” Slash said. “The police might have the keys to unlock the chains. Manny, you stand guard inside the second door. If they try and enter, an alert will give us a few extra minutes.”

Manny nodded. “Copy that.”

“The rest of you will have to talk to the news staff and get Petra in front of the camera by seven,” Slash said. “Lexi and I have another card to play once we’re inside.”

To my surprise, no one challenged him or asked for details. At this point, they just accepted we knew what we were doing and went with it.

“Okay, everyone knows their roles,” Manny said one last time as we finished putting on our shoes and socks. Both of mine were somewhat dry, having baked in the patch of hot sun beneath the window. “From this point on, there’s no turning back.”

“No turning back,” Petra repeated firmly, pulling the cap’s brim low on her face.

I put on my cap as well and stood by the door, tightening my laptop bag securely across my body. The tension in the room was palpable.

Just then my watch beeped six o’clock, and the plan went into motion.

“It’s time,” I said, opening the door. “Let’s go change history.”