“No, you idiot,” Curt said loudly. Then he lowered his voice. “We’re going to give you a small smoke bomb that generates lots of smoke. It’s about the size of a large firecracker, and you’re to light it with a match. Most importantly it will not set off the metal detector when you go into the building.”

“I have to go inside?” Mike questioned.

“That’s right,” Curt said.

“But won’t they ask me why?”

“No! People are going in and out all day long.”

Mike raised his eyebrows.

“I’m serious,” Curt said. “You won’t have a problem as long as you look halfway decent. Hell, it probably wouldn’t matter even if you wore what you have on today.”

“All right,” Mike said. “So I’m inside. What do I do with the smoke bomb?”

“Get on the elevator and go up to the third floor,” Curt said. “When you get off, go to your right. About thirty feet down the hall is a men’s room. Got it?”

Mike nodded.

“Go inside the men’s room and make sure no one else is in there.”

Mike continued to nod.

“Actually, it probably doesn’t matter even if someone is in there,” Curt said. “Just get yourself in the last stall. There’s a vent in there against the back wall. Unscrew the cover with a coin, light the bomb, toss it inside the duct, then put the cover back on.”

“Is that all?” Mike asked.

“That’s it,” Jack said. “Then wander out of the building. The bomb’s going to set off a smoke detector in the HVAC system so there’ll be a fire alarm, but you just continue on your way. There also might be some confusion. After the alarm sounds, Steve and I will show up in minutes in our truck, and if you happen to see us, ignore us. That’s all you have to do.”

Mike gave a short laugh. He glanced around at the others. “That’s a piece of cake.”

“But it’s an important piece of cake,” Curt declared. “It’s an important mission for the PAA.”

At that moment Curt saw Yuri come in through the front door. Curt raised his hand to get Yuri’s attention, and the Russian came over. “You’re late!” Curt snapped.

“The traffic was bad getting into the Battery Tunnel,” Yuri explained.

“Jack Stapleton better still be at his work,” Curt warned. He stood up and went to the bar to pay the tab.

“All right, move out,” Curt said a few minutes later when he’d returned to the table. He had to take bottles away from Kevin and Carl, who thought they’d carry out their unfinished beers.