Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter Read Free Book Online

way. If you’re in, I’m in.”
    Together, the two of them turned to Gabrielle, who plopped onto a park bench and crossed her legs. “So what do we know?” She stared at the building in the distance as if trying to move it through the sheer power of her mind. It might have worked, too, if Hale hadn’t stepped in front of her.
    “The stone arrives Thursday from Switzerland via private charter. It will go immediately to the tenth floor, where it will be polished, verified, and appraised.”
    “How long?” Kat asked.
    Hale shrugged. “If they’re not distracted, I’d say three hours. Maybe less.”
    Gabrielle looked at Kat. “Didn’t the Wobbley Brothers do Humpty Dumpty once in three hours?”
    “ Maybe less ,” Hale said again, even louder.
    “And it’s cursed,” Gabrielle chimed in. “What?” she asked when Kat gave her a look. “I’m just saying we should never underestimate curses.”
    “What about transit?” Kat asked, ignoring her.
    Hale shook his head. “They’ve got three different armored car companies with three different routes, and that morning they’ll flip a coin to see which one gets the job. Plus, once it’s in transit, there’s…you know…an armored truck. And guards. With guns.”
    “The Bagshaws blew up an armored truck once,” Gabrielle offered.
    “And guards.” Hale’s voice rose even more. “What’s the first floor like?” he asked, but Kat was already shaking her head.
    “It’s as good as you’d think it would be—maybe better. Four guards. Two uniforms at the front door, one at the staff entrance, and a plainclothes that probably rotates, depending on the day.”
    “Cameras?” Hale asked.
    “Lots.”
    “Blind spots?” Gabrielle said.
    “None.” Across the street, the lights were fading to black, and Kat saw the employees slipping from the door on the side of the building, disappearing among the commuters and workers and shoppers of midtown Manhattan.
    “Night’s no good,” Kat said to their unasked question. “Even if we could get past the guards and security, the emerald’s case sinks into a reinforced titanium vault beneath the floor at closing time.”
    “Basement access?” Hale asked, perking up.
    “No.” Kat shook her head. “With that kind of case, there won’t be any access of any kind.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Tokyo,” Kat and Gabrielle said at the same time.
    Gabrielle shrugged when Hale looked at her. “If you don’t believe us, Uncle Felix has got the blowtorch scars to prove it.”
    Kat’s gaze was lost in the distance, her voice low, and when she spoke, it was almost to herself, saying, “The stone is small, and small means easy to hide.” Hale and Gabrielle stayed quiet, letting her talk, mind working, gears turning. “But no one’s seen it in years, and if no one’s seen it, then everyone’s going to be staring, and staring people tend to…see. But staring also means focused, and focused people get scared, and scared people get distracted.…”
    “So we’re back to Humpty Dumpty,” Gabrielle tried, but Hale was already shaking his head.
    “No,” he said. “I’m telling you, even if we can get the king’s horses in there, there’s no way we make it out before someone notices the emerald is gone. And trust me, we do not want to be caught on the inside.” He cringed. “Ex-Navy SEALs. Big ones.”
    When Kat spoke, it was more a hypothetical question than a challenge: “What if they don’t notice?”
    “No, Kat. No.” Despite the snow, sweat was beading at Hale’s brow. “I’m telling you, if we had a month and a big crew…maybe. But Kelly is not messing around with this thing. We don’t have the time or the resources to—”
    “What are you thinking?” Gabrielle asked, cutting him off.
    “Kat!” Hale snapped, probably louder than he’d intended, because when he spoke again, the words were softer. Sadder. “Kat, Uncle Eddie couldn’t steal it.”
    There it was—the single fact that was