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I was suddenly glad I was wearing a pair of denim shorts. I put my foot in his hands and reached for the edge of the metal box so I could pull myself up as he boosted. When I was on top, he grabbed the edge and hoisted himself up with little effort. Once he was on the trash bin, he repeated the process, helping me up onto the roof first before pulling himself over the edge.
We stopped when we reached the edge at the front of the building, and I was surprised to see he already had a blanket spread out, topped with a bottle of water and binoculars.
“You’ve already been up here?”
“For a couple of hours, actually. I wanted to keep track of how many people were in the warehouse in case your professor got into trouble.”
“He has a name. David.” At least Collin was proving to be useful, which made me feel better about going against David’s wishes. “So what have you seen?”
“Two guys showed up at around nine. I’ve been watching since seven and hadn’t seen any other activity until then, so I think it was empty. It looked like they turned off an alarm when they entered. There’s a front office and they entered the code to get into the back. The front door only requires a key.”
“So just the two men?”
“No. A woman showed up around nine forty-five. Very well dressed—heels, expensive skirt, and blouse. I’d say her purse cost more than your car and my truck put together.”
I chuckled. “That’s not saying much.”
“True enough.”
“Allison said she met a well-dressed older woman named Miriam. I bet that was her.” I narrowed my eyes mockingly. “And for the record, may I state that I’m more than a little concerned that you recognize a high-quality purse.”
This time he laughed. “Fancy purse or not, the two guys were expecting her.”
“Any idea who they might be? Had you heard of Miriam?”
“No.”
“Would you tell me if you knew?”
He glanced over at me, his grin fading. “Yes.”
I believed him, but it surprised me that he was being so forthcoming. That wasn’t exactly characteristic of the Collin I had come to know.
“What about the back?” I asked. If he’d staked out the front, he’d definitely know about the back.
“There’s a warehouse next to the office. The public record says it’s available for rent, but I think they’re using it for short-term storage. The office has been leased to the Henderson Foundation for less than a month.”
“The people who called David to set up this meeting said they were from the Henderson Foundation.” The fact we were finally connecting dots made me feel like we were making progress. “So they’re using the warehouse without paying for it?”
“No. The warehouse is owned by the same corporation that owns the office. I called this morning to ask about seeing the warehouse for my imaginary business, and they told me it was under renovation and wouldn’t be able to be seen for another week. Which tells us two things…” He turned to me with a grin. “How about giving it a guess, my little prodigy?”
“They rented the building to the foundation, but it was an under-the-table deal.”
“Exactly. If they rent a warehouse, it draws suspicion. Now what’s the other?”
“If you can see it in a week, they’re planning to move the stash soon.”
“Exactly. I should have texted you to have Dr. Preston try and find out where it’s going and when.”
“The less he knows, the better, Collin. He’s out of his element in there. David grew up in highbrow London. He’s not used to people like this.”
“Then what’s he doing down there?”
I lifted my eyebrows. “You and I both know that he knows what to look for better than either of us do. We need him. Admit it.”
He scowled and turned to look back at the building.
I took his lack of comment as an admission of truth.
