Free American Heroes Series - 01 - Resurrection by Kathryn Le Veque Page B

refocusing her attention on the gallery again. She didn’t think twice about the woman or her aggressive request.  It was just another visitor on an unusually busy day.
    Out in the sunny parking lot, Coral removed her cell phone from her purse and hit the speed dial.  Putting it to her ear, she was almost to her car by the time the other end answered.
    “I didn’t see Joseph but I think I have a brilliant idea,” she forewent any greeting and went straight to the point. “Look up the name Cydney Hetherington. See if you can get an address. Then I want you to call Joseph and tell him to seek her out.” There was a pause. “Because she has access that a security guard wouldn’t. Perhaps if properly persuaded, she would agree to our wishes. More than that, I want to know where the woman lives. Perhaps she has family, if you know what I mean.” Another pause.  “All right; let me know. We’re very close now and I’ll leave nothing to chance.”
    She shut of the call and climbed into her white Mercedes E Class.  Driving out of the parking lot, she headed towards the freeway.
     
     
    ***
             
    Joseph was positioned in another area of the museum on his first day on the job. Most of the experienced guards were in the gallery where the Resurrection exhibit was being held, leaving the very old and the very new guards stationed in other galleries.
    Dressed in his maroon blazer with navy and maroon striped tie, just like everyone else, he was disgruntled at not being stationed in the big exhibit. But he stood dutifully in the corner of the East Asian exhibit, watching a few people trickle in and examine the sculptures.  Unfortunately, from this position, he was unable to see any of his colleagues as they came to view the Robe. Down in the lower floor of the museum, he was both hidden and blind.
    He began to pace around the room, pretending to watch the few patrons that were there, but mostly he was just trying to figure out how he could get moved into the main gallery upstairs. Granted, he was new and hadn’t the experience of most of the other security personnel, but he was young and bright and figured that those attributes would work in his favor.  Moreover, there was a bigger issue that no one but him was aware of; the FBI had made their presence known and he was anxious to see what they were up to in the gallery above.
    A Special Agent had briefed security personnel before the museum opened to generically inform them that there were potential threats directed at the controversial relic and to be alert.  Joseph had sat through the speech like everyone else, pretending to care when what he really wanted to do was laugh; he knew that there were no plans that he was aware of for any type of activity today or even in the next few days. 
    Their plan was still taking shape; the biggest factor in that plan to date had been to get Joseph a job at the museum where he would have a global picture of the Robe and learn the intricacies of the security surrounding it. Based on his observations, Die Auhänger would plan their next move. There was just a few of them, anyway.  The majority of the group was overseas, waiting.  Much rested on the California cell and there was a significant amount of pressure.
    Two hours into his shift, an old woman with bad dentures and black orthopedic shoes relieved him for his break.  Joseph found his way to the employee lounge in the underbelly of the museum but he very soon realized that he had no cell phone reception.  Wandering his way out through the main offices, he went out into the employee parking lot.
    Reception was better in the open and he saw that he already had two missed calls. Both were from Nat. He hit redial and held the phone to his ear.
    “So,” Nat picked it up on the second ring, recognizing the incoming number and foregoing any greeting. “How is your first day?”
    “Uneventful,” Joseph replied. “But we may have a problem.”
    “What’s