Chapter 6

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Dan strolled across the basement car park. It was late and there were only a handful of cars left at this time of the evening. He opened the door of the Buick and threw the briefcase onto the passenger seat before sliding in himself. He arrived at the exit and waved his security pass at the card reader before heading up the ramp and out onto street level for the journey home. As he left the car park and turned right onto Independence Ave he noticed the lights were out on the corner opposite. While he took this in, he didn't notice the other vehicle pulling out of the car park behind him. A couple blocks down he turned right again onto Seventh Street. As he passed the Verizon Center heading toward Mt Vernon Square he glanced in the mirror. A large dark blue Ford Escape filled his sight behind. He held up his palm and gestured below the mirror in the gap between the driver's and passenger seats.

"Geez, you wanna sit in the back?" He muttered.

The driver of the Ford paid no attention and continued to follow too closely. A few blocks further Dan slowed as he approached the lights at the intersection of Rhode Island Ave and stopped. He looked in the rear view. The driver of the big Ford stopped right behind him. He was close enough that Dan could see he was wearing a grey suit. He looked like he was reaching for the door to get out.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

The lights turned green and Dan turned right, heading west across town. The driver in the Ford also turned right and before long was following right up behind him once more. Dan began to feel uneasy. Was he being followed? He dismissed the idea. That sort of thing only happened in the movies. Why would anyone be following him? His eye caught the briefcase on the passenger seat before turning back to the road ahead. A short distance in front he saw the intersection of 15th street. The light was already yellow. Dan turned right cutting quickly across the intersection ahead of the oncoming traffic. Behind him he heard the squeal of brakes and the angry sound of horns as the driver of the Escape followed around the corner with even less room to spare. Something was wrong. Five blocks down 15th street he came to a red light. Dan looked up in the mirror, the big Ford again filling the view. This time the driver looked to be reaching for something in his coat pocket. Dan's eyes widened as he saw the dark shape of the pistol that emerged in the driver's hand. There was no traffic coming through the intersection. Dan gunned the Buick through the red light and turned left. He must've caught the driver of the Escape off guard because it was several seconds before he too came round the corner, but sure enough, eventually there was the dark blue Ford in the mirror behind him again, albeit this time two cars back. Another intersection loomed ahead. This time instead of turning right onto 16th street, in the direction of home, Dan veered left, doubling back toward the city along New Hampshire Ave. A few cars back the Ford also turned onto New Hampshire Ave. Okay, he was definitely being followed. Dan wasn't taking any chances. So long as he stayed in heavy city traffic he figured there was less the driver of the Escape could do in full view of other commuters. Maybe it would also give him a better chance of giving him the slip. A couple of blocks further Dan saw his chance. He checked in the mirror. The Ford was changing lanes to pass the cars between them. Dan turned hard right and the Buick's tires screeched in protest as the car pulled into a narrow side street. Dan drove about fifty yards up the alley, pulled the car in behind a delivery van and cut the engine. He sat hunched low in his seat for what seemed like an eternity before it occurred to him that inside the car it made no difference. After the hustle of the main street traffic the alley was eerily quiet, the silence only broken by his breathing and the heavy pounding in his chest. Seconds ticked by. Dan peered into the mirror outside the driver's window. No vehicle turned into the alleyway. He let out a cautious breath and relaxed his body. He was alone. Dan looked across at the case sitting next to him. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled through the list of contacts looking for Paul Burr's number. Whether the crystal he had found in the briefcase was valuable or not was no longer a question. Whatever it was, it was clear that somebody wanted it back, and badly. As the President Elect's National Security Advisor, and as a friend, Paul would know what to do. He waited for the number to connect, but there was just silence. He glanced at the small screen. There were no signal bars.

"Damn it!"

Bright light splashed across the red brick walls as a vehicle turned into the far end of the alleyway, its headlights piercing the shadowy twilight. The approaching truck moved slowly, filling up most of the gap between the buildings flanking either side. As the advancing silhouette moved closer Dan began to make out its detail. It was the dark blue Ford. The driver must have gone around the block and come in through the other side once he had realised where Dan had lost him. Dan craned his neck to look down the laneway behind. There was no room to turn the Buick around, and the big Ford blocked the only available exit ahead. He was trapped.

The truck crept closer toward him, and then stopped. The alley narrowed at its centre and the big SUV didn't have enough room on either side to make it all the way through.

Dan seized his opportunity. He scooped up the briefcase, flung open the door of the Buick and ran.

He could hear the door of the Escape slamming followed by the staccato clacking of footfalls on the pavement behind him.

Ahead the light from the corner of the busy main road inched closer in slow motion...twenty metres...ten.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind, "Stop now or I'll shoot!"

But at that moment, Dan had somehow reached the corner. He glanced over his shoulder as he darted around the edge of the building.

Behind him the tall grey suited young man was bearing down fast. He had a pistol drawn. Dan recognised him in an instant. It was the intern from the office.

Dan rounded the corner to his left and raced down the sidewalk, rushing passed rows of shopfronts, now closed for the day. He looked around frantically. He had to get off the street. Where? He could hear the footfalls behind him once more. His pursuer had reached the corner.

He reached the next corner at the end of the block and dived around it.

Just down from the corner there was a bar. Dan ducked inside the entrance.

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