“9:48, silent alarm is triggered,” Taz replied. “9:51, the 911 call comes in. 9:53, they play Russian roulette and gain access to the secure area of the building.”

“Do we have any blueprints of this place?”

“We have one of their company reps on his way,” Nic said. “But from what we know, the front half of the building is reception and sales. It’s secured by an armed guard. Then the back half of the building is for clients only. There’s a lounge area, the manager’s office, a row of private viewing rooms, and the vault room.”

“The building doesn’t look big enough to hold all that. How big is the vault?”

“That’s the part we don’t know about. Supposedly, their vault technology is a closely guarded trade secret.”

“When do you expect the GoBox rep to be here?”

“We expect him or her at any moment, sir,” Nic said.

“What about their transportation?”

“We found a stolen blue panel van across the road. We have our techs checking it for everything, but so far, no prints. Preliminary results show traces of C-4.”

Carter sipped his coffee and took a moment to check on Burke. The young man was still tapping with his iPad and Apple Pencil.

Carter placed his coffee back on the conference table and returned his attention to the task at hand. He wasn’t really angry at Burke. In the short time he’d spent working on cases with the kid, Carter had come to realize that there was always a reason for any abnormal thing Burke may do or say. Though the reason may not be fully realized, even by Burke himself.

He couldn’t be angry. He had dragged the kid into this kicking and screaming. Burke had made it clear from the start that he didn’t want to be here. Carter supposed he was just a little disappointed. He had thought the kid would find all this more interesting.

“So what about the video feed in the secure part of the building?” Carter asked.

“We lost that a few minutes ago. The cameras in the rear are built into the wall and hidden, along with some armored cameras for show. But one of the three, referred to by the others as Doc, was working at the terminal when we lost the video feed.”

“So the assumption is that they now have unfettered access to the building’s computer and security systems?”

“Correct, sir.”

“What does that mean for us?”

“We don’t really know yet. Hopefully, the GoBox rep will be able to shed some light on what they may be after.”

“That’s all we know right now, sir,” Deputy Chief Edgar said. “We’re just digging in and waiting for them to make the next move. Time is always on our side in standoffs like this.”

Carter nodded. “Thank you, gentlemen. Dr. Burke, do you have any observations to add?”

Burke looked up from his iPad. “Right now?”

“No better time than the present.”

“I’m still gathering data.”