Free Carlotta and the Krius Scepter (Carlotta Series Book 1) by John Booth Page B

questions.
    “I was thinking maybe you would go in over the roof,” The Don told us. “We seen you can climb walls and the surveillance cameras only cover the ground.”
    I closed my eyes and examined the plan of the roof. “Laser trip wires on all the skylights as well as conventional alarms if we were stupid enough to open a window.”
    “There’s no lasers on the roof though. They took them off because the pigeons kept tripping them,” Mike said. “No sound detectors for the same reason. If you can get up there it’s still the easiest way in.”
    “We want this box,” The Don said. He threw a pamphlet at me that had a photograph of the box in question on the cover. It was the one I had seen in my flashback except my face had been scratched off the middle of the design. I recognized that now. How long had I lived anyway? That box was four thousand five hundred years old according to the pamphlet.
    “You got any tools for us?” Guess who said that? Yeah, the boy-wonder again.
    The Don pointed to the wall where three large canvas bags waited. “The last team gave their tools as a gift to me. Take what you want.”
    ‘I’ll bet they did,’ I thought, but decided to keep the thought to myself. The Don thought I was surplus to requirements and I was partial to keeping my head. I thought I looked better with it than without it.
    Brian and I went over to the bags and unzipped them. One was filled with electronic equipment and a laptop.
    “You know how to work any of this?” I asked, half expecting an enthusiastic nod, but Brian shook his head.
    “I know how to use the glass cutter though. And the suction cups.”
    There were some spray cans labeled ‘Reveal’ and I sprayed one in the air above the table. Light from the spot showed as a pale image in the mist the spray formed.
    “Could be useful,” Brian suggested and I nodded.
    I brought up the plan in my head showing the security around the box. Not easy to get through without setting off every alarm in the State.
    Brian waved a long nylon rope at me and I nodded. We would need that. I hoped it would be long enough.
    There was something else at the bottom of the third bag that might prove invaluable. I looked over to the Don who was in deep conversation with Mike and slipped them casually into my jacket pockets. With luck nobody had noticed.
    “When do we start?” Brian asked. He sounded eager.
    The Don finished his conversation with Mike and looked at us.
    “There’s a shift change at 1 a.m. Vinnie and Mike will drop you off a block away from the museum at a parking garage I own. They’ll walk with you to where the visual surveillance begins and then it’s up to you. You’ll have an hour before your necklaces explode, give or take the few minutes you’ll stay in range of the remote. Your watches are set up to start an hour countdown when you press the top right button. Don’t be late getting back.”
    “An hour’s not long enough,” I said, moving into negotiating mode.
    The Don shrugged.
    “Then you won’t get back. Go to the garage with the box and make sure the cops aren’t tailing you. The doors will be locked if we see anyone behind you.”
    “Won’t it upset your VIP if the box gets blown to pieces?” I asked innocently.
    “The heist goes wrong, I get to blame the hired help. We tried to do the heist and you failed. Your heads get blown from your bodies, that’s something that ain’t gonna be forgotten in this town.”
    “So you win either way?”
    “That’s why I’m The Don .” He didn’t sound the slightest bit apologetic about it.
    “Let’s put everything we’re taking into one of the bags,” Brian suggested.
    As we moved the items over I whispered, “You seem to be enjoying this.”
    “It’s better than wearing those silver cuffs and maybe the Hawks will help us. They must be watching the museum.”
    “Don’t count on it, kid.” I couldn’t explain it, but I was sure we’d be on our own. Given that my memory