The Case of The Devil's Octopus

The next main objective was to neutralize the two guards at the front entrance, where Costocki and Desmond would handle that task and then take the place of those guards to maintain appearances. They would then wait for the roaming patrol to come by the entrance as per the earlier reconnaissance, and then devise an impromptu plan to neutralize them as well. Desmond suggested using one of the neutralized guards as a decoy with both himself and Costocki standing over the body. This should draw the attention of the patrolling guards, who, when within hand-to-hand range, could be quickly and quietly dispatched.

Once that was achieved, Charles, Lyle, and Yvonne would enter the office building and rescue Chasey from the vault. If the vault was locked, Costocki explained, then Charles -- who was also a master locksmith -- would attempt to open the vault door. The team reasoned that the vault would not be as complex nor as durable as a bank vault so cracking it open should not be difficult or too time consuming. When Charles had completed whatever tasks were necessary for the vault he would then act as a lookout from within the office keeping an eye on Costocki and Desmond at the front gate.

The final part of the plan involved Yvonne and Lyle. Once they visually located Chasey, and if she was conscious, then they would assist her from any bondage she may be constrained with and lead her back the way they came through the rear entrance. Charles would communicate to Ronaldo when to return so as to meet them and get them safely inside the van. Yvonne and Lyle would also have a radio in case they encounter any problems getting back to the van. When Yvonne, Chasey and Lyle were in the van then Ronaldo would drive around to the front entrance where Charles, Costocki, and Desmond would enter the van and then all six of them would drive away and the mission would be a success.

Charles mentioned that there were three main obstacles to overcome. The first was making their way to the office building. It was located diametrically opposite of the rear entrance to the compound. The concern being that was a lot of ground to cover getting there and back undetected. Second, what to do with any opposition they encounter. If any of the opposition is neutralized ahead of the plan, or if they encounter other members not accounted for, the team calculated from that point forward they may have ten minutes tops to either complete or abort the mission. Finally, if Chasey was incapacitated in any way then her extraction would become an additional burden to the mission. If that is the case, Charles said, then Costocki will be the one to carry her out. This would reduce the number of fighters for the team in case of any trouble.

"Sounds like a reasonable plan," Lyle commented. He then looked over towards Yvonne before he continued. "Darling, are you sure you still want to come along with us?"

She gazed at him and said with conviction in her voice, "Yes, sweetie. I, too, feel that the plan these nice fellows have laid out sounds reasonable." She first looked over her shoulder to Costocki and Desmond and said, "Thank you gentlemen for including us in your plan. I know you must be thinking that this silly woman with her broken arm in a plaster cast and sling can't possibly be of any use to this mission." She then looked towards the front of the van at Charles and continued, "But let me assure you that I can do my part. Chasey is one of my best friends, and I feel personally responsible for her being captured while trying to help me. I won't let you guys down." Finally, she returned her gaze to her lover's eyes. "I promise."

"Aye, lassie, that was well said," Desmond said, "and I understand and respect the bond of friendship. Never leavin' yer mate behind, as we said in the military. That means something to me, to all of us in the van, about yer character. So, Miss Yvonne, you have my personal guarantee that I will help you succeed and maintain yer safety throughout the plan."

"Me too," chimed in Costocki.

"And me as well," Charles said.

Yvonne heard a rapid drumming sound of a hand tapping the dashboard. She looked into the rear view mirror and saw Ronaldo making eye contact with her and giving the thumbs up gesture. "Thank you Ronaldo. Thank you all again!"

She looked over at Lyle, who she saw was giving her that heart-warming smile she loved to see. It was that same look he had the first time he said 'I love you' to her. Yvonne couldn't help but get a little choked up.

After a moment of silence it was Charles who spoke up, "Well then, it seems we have a plan. And," he first looked at the sky through the windshield, then down at his watch before he continued, "we should think about heading out to the warehouse compound now. The rain has stopped, and the heavy cloud cover will give us the dusk-like conditions that we need. Ronaldo, start the van and get us underway. We should be there in about fifteen minutes."

*****

"Take the next left turn Ronaldo, about fifty yards ahead," said Charles as he pointed in the direction of the alley they were planning on taking. Ronaldo did not join the earlier recon mission as he was busy procuring the getaway van. "And turn the headlights off."

Ronaldo did as he was instructed. The van entered the dark alley with lights off and rolled slowly close to the location of the rear entrance to the target warehouse compound. He stopped the van about ten feet away from the entrance near a bank of dumpsters. This provided decent cover to further obfuscate the vehicle from casual observation. Ronaldo killed the engine, and everyone sat motionless in the van waiting to see if the patrol would pass by.

After about three minutes Charles, using high-powered night vision binoculars, spotted the wandering patrol -- two men wielding sub machine guns -- through the holes in the fence just as Costocki and Desmond observed earlier. He relayed this information to the rest of the occupants. Charles observed the men on patrol continued by the rear entrance without pausing or even noticing the van.

Charles turned his head over his shoulder and said, "Okay lads, and lady, the coast is clear. How long until they return to this location?"

Desmond spoke up, "Seventeen minutes, that is the time it takes them based on their cadence we observed earlier."

"Okay everybody, it's go time!" Charles said excitedly.

Lyle, who was seated next to the cargo door, opened it and got out first. Costocki was next to exit the van followed by Desmond. Once outside Desmond offered his hand to assist Yvonne from the vehicle. Yvonne thanked him, took his hand, and exited the vehicle. Charles was the last to get out, and before he closed the passenger door repeated his instructions to Ronaldo one last time. Ronaldo started the van and drove off to the designated waiting place one block away.

Costocki rummaged around the nearest dumpster and found the duffel bag he placed there before the team completed its earlier reconnaissance. He opened the duffel bag and produced a heavy-duty set of lock cutters. With rapid, yet efficient motion, he quickly cut the padlock that held the entrance gate closed. As Costocki placed the lock cutter back into the duffel bag, Desmond opened the gate and went inside first. The others waited outside in the alley. After what seemed like an eternity to Yvonne, she saw Desmond return and wave for them to come inside.

When they made it inside the warehouse compound, they saw that they were about fifteen feet away from the middle of the three warehouse buildings closest to the rear entrance. Each building appeared to be uniform in size at roughly one hundred feet long with about twenty feet between them. Desmond relayed to the team that the patrol had made its way past the building to their right and turned towards the front wall. Charles, Costocki, and Desmond agreed that the patrol would most likely go around the inside of the compound fence. The tactic they would employ would be to move between the middle and right-most building, staying close to the exterior wall of the right-most building to help avoid detection as the patrol was moving in a counterclockwise direction.

As anticipated, the compound was dimly lit with single metal halite lamps atop the four corners of each observable building. These lamps seemed old as they emitted a low, yellow luminescence that barely lit up the ground beneath them. Upon further observation, it seemed that the buildings were about one hundred and fifty feet deep. The depth of the buildings coupled with the weak lighting would give the team optimal cover. The tricky parts would be moving from building to building under the lamps. Between the lamps they would travel in a tight cluster, and go single file one at a time between buildings. Save for Yvonne who would move with Lyle at her good side to help her balance and catch her if she missed a step.

"Alright team," Charles said, "Form a tight group. Desmond in front, Yvonne in the middle, Lyle to her left, myself to her right, and Costocki in the rear. Move out."

The team assembled into a tight group as Charles instructed. Desmond led the way. Yvonne cradled her broken right arm with her left, and Lyle put his right arm around her waist. Charles, on her right side, put his hand on Yvonne's back just above Lyle's arm making sure he did not accidentally bump her injured limb. Costocki remained a step behind. All five of them quick-stepped to the right-most building a few feet beyond the radius of the tired glow of the lamps affixed to the corner of both the middle and right-most buildings.

Still in their grouping, they practically hugged the wall of the right-most building as they paused for a moment to take in their surroundings. The night air was cool and quiet. The only sound heard was water dripping from a leaky gutter attached to the middle building. The acoustics between the buildings amplified the dripping sound and created a reverb echoing effect. Desmond was the first one to point out the acoustic issue, followed by Costocki who suggested the team move in smaller bursts of movement so as not to create any additional undo noise.

"We should also try to be as light-footed as possible," Charles said. He then addressed Yvonne directly, "Miss Yvonne, I realize you are wearing a pair of dressy boots with high heels. Would you be okay with trying to walk more on your toes if possible?"

"I'll try," she said, "but I won't be able to move as quickly."

"We can hold you steady, Charles and me," Lyle chimed in. "Do you think that would work darling?"

She looked at Lyle as she replied, "I think so."

Desmond spoke up, "Let me scout ahead to the end of the building. I'd like to'a get a visual on that patrol. By my reckoning they should be crossing between'a buildings ahead by the fence yonder any moment now."

"Go for it," Charles said.

And with that Desmond made his way to the other end of the right-most building. The others watched as he waited, hidden in shadow. Exactly as he predicted the silhouettes of the patrol guards were seen walking between the farthest buildings moving from right to left continuing their counterclockwise movement. Once the silhouettes had passed out of sight Desmond motioned for the rest of the team to move towards his location.

The other four members walked at a brisk pace, and Yvonne made every effort to step on the balls of her feet to reduce the clacking of her high heeled boots. She felt her weight supported by Lyle and Charles, and this allowed her to not only move more silently but also feel better balanced. Walking in high heeled boots was tricky enough, she thought, and moving at a quick pace even trickier. Couple that with her broken arm in a cast and sling and the problem compounded itself exponentially.

They met up with Desmond. Now came the next challenge of moving between buildings. Each of them would be exposed briefly as they made their way under the glow of the lamps at the corner of the buildings. Since they were closer to the middle of the compound there were four lamps that shone their light down on the ground. Quickly dashing across the space between buildings one at a time was the best option versus moving more slowly as a group. The exception being that Yvonne and Lyle would cross together.

Desmond, after he took one final cautious glance, sprinted from the corner of the one building to the next. The sounds of his footfalls -- seven in total -- were heard reverberating between the buildings. He paused for about fifteen seconds listening intently to hear if any of the guards had been alerted. Nothing. He motioned for the next person to cross.

"Miss Yvonne and Lyle, you should go next," Charles said.

"Right," Lyle replied, "Darling, are you ready?"

"Yes," Yvonne said still cradling her casted arm.

Lyle put his arm tightly around her waist and said, "On the count of three. One... two... three."

The two of them moved, in lock step, as quickly as Yvonne could move. She did not bother to try to stay on her toes as it took all of her effort to make it across without losing her footing. The clack-clacking of her high heeled boots reverberated more so than Desmond's footfalls. When they made it across, they stood silently next to Desmond to hear any sounds of approaching guards. No sounds heard this time as well. So far, so good, Yvonne thought to herself.

Charles came across next, followed by Costocki. The five of them reformed their original grouping and continued on to the edge of the next building. At the next intersection, their movement became more complicated as this time they needed to move from the right-most building to the middle building. These were the buildings closest to the front wall of the fence. Desmond recommended that the team wait here until they had a visual of the patrolling guards pass between the left-most building and the furthest middle building.

As they were waiting, Lyle looked at Yvonne and noticed that she was grimacing and rubbing her cast. "What's wrong darling? Is your arm bothering you?"

"Yes," Yvonne replied sheepishly through clenched teeth, "my arm is killing me! And of course I don't have any pain medicine on me either. I left it in my purse back in the van."

"Do we need to return you to the rear entrance and call Ronaldo?" Charles asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Yvonne said as she looked at Charles. "I promised that I wouldn't be a burden to you and your team, and I mean to keep that promise."

"Sweetie, if you really need to--"

"Lyle, I'm fine darling. I'll just need to 'woman up' put it out of my mind, that's all."

He leaned in and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. "Okay, I believe you. If there is anything that I have learned about you my love, it is that if you put your mind to something you do it with great zeal."

She gazed into his eyes with heartfelt reassurance. "Thank you my love. I know--"

"Quiet!" Desmond said in a loud whisper as he held up his hand.

The five of them stood silently, pressed up against the wall of the building, and looked in the direction that Desmond indicated a few minutes earlier. Once again, right on cue, the two patrolling guards walked between the left-most building and the furthest middle building. The air was so still that they heard what sounded like conversation going on between the guards. They seemed complacent that nothing was out of the ordinary. The guards continued on their patrol and soon went out of sight.

Desmond looked over at Yvonne apologetically, "I'm sorry to have'a said that to ya Miss."

Yvonne smiled at him and replied, "No need to apologize Desmond. It was me that wasn't thinking."

He smiled back at Yvonne, and then looked over the rest of the team. "Ready to make the next crossing?"

Each member of the team agreed in turn, and they repeated the same procedure as before. They quickly moved along the edge of the front-most middle building towards the corner that faced the left-most front building.

"Now, this is where the offices are located, in this building across the way," Charles said as he motioned with his hand towards the building in question. "Costocki... Desmond... this is where your expertise is required."

Costocki and Desmond each nodded at Charles, and made their way to the very edge of the corner of the front-most middle building and peered down the space between it and the front-most left building. At the end of this thruway was the main entrance gate. They saw the two posted guards from their earlier reconnaissance mission. Costocki looked at Desmond and nodded, and Desmond looked at Costocki and nodded. Without a word they made their way towards the guards at the front entrance.

Charles made his way to the same corner that Costocki and Desmond stood moments prior, poked his head around the corner for the briefest of moments, and turned his attention towards Yvonne and Lyle. "Stay back against the wall, and be ready in case of anything unexpected that may occur."

Yvonne and Lyle each nodded their head in understanding. They then looked at each other. She with an anxious look that pleaded to her lover to protect her, and he looked at her with steely determination that he would in fact protect her at all costs. No matter what. Yvonne smiled warmly at him, then leaned in to return the kiss he gave her a few moments back. They continued to gaze into each others eyes until they heard Charles addressing them.

"Looks like they did it!" he said in a muted whisper barely able to contain his enthusiasm. "Hurry, we need to make our way into the office before the patrolling guards return."

Charles stepped back from the corner and stood by Yvonne's right side. Like before, they walked quickly three abreast, with Lyle and Charles helping to balance Yvonne. As they approached the office door, they glanced over at the scene in front of the main gate. Costocki and Desmond were seen standing beside the two guards they neutralized, and each one removing the outer clothing of the fallen guard nearest them. They swapped garments, and place their own on the fallen guards to give the illusion that those guards had neutralized two intruders. With his free hand Charles gave Costocki and Desmond the thumbs up gesture.

At the office door, Charles let go of Yvonne and tried the door handle. It was unlocked. "A lucky break for us that these fellows were careless," he said as he opened the door.

Charles peered inside for a moment, then entered the office. He flipped on the light switch after he entered. Yvonne entered next with Lyle following her. He closed the door behind him. The office looked like a typical office, albeit abandoned. A thick layer of dust covered the remaining furniture -- a coupled of desks, three chairs, four filing cabinets, and a coat rack leaning on its side against the far wall. A closed door was on the left wall.

Lyle pointed to the door on the left wall and said, "I'm guessing that this leads to the vault?"

"Yes, that is the one," Charles commented. He looked around the room before he continued, "That, and it is the only other door save for the one we entered."

Yvonne looked down at the floor. She saw that through the dust there were distinct foot prints in front of the door on the left wall. "Charles... Lyle... take a look on the floor in front of the door."

They each took a step closer until they were about three feet from the doorway. Lyle bent down on his knees to take a closer look. "Definitely multiple sets of footprints."

"And look!" Yvonne exclaimed as she pointed to the floor in front of Lyle, "There is a set of footprints wearing high-heeled boots. Those belong to Chasey, I just know it!"

"So it seems. Nice work Miss Yvonne," Charles said. "Lyle, step aside as I try this door next."

Charles tried the door handle. It was locked. "Time to break out my toolkit," he said as he reached inside his coat pocket and produced a cloth that contained his lock picking tools. He laid out the tools on the floor, select the ones he needed, and in just under a minute he managed to pick the lock open. He looked up at Yvonne and Lyle and smiled.