Free Vanishing Act by John Feinstein Page A

to be a zoo.”
    He wasn’t exaggerating. At the door to the interview room, a security guard, a police officer, and a USTA public relations person stood carefully checking credentials.
    â€œJordan, why do we have to show credentials to get in here when we’ve already cleared security to get into the media center?” Kelleher asked the PR guy, who seemed a lot more relaxed than most of the people Stevie had met during the day.
    Jordan smiled. “Because in the last hour we’ve had calls from every news network, every tabloid, and every magazine in the world wanting credentials to come on the grounds. Some are too legit to turn down. PBS is sending Charlie Rose. Are we supposed to turn him down? CBS is sending Katie Couric out here because—I swear to God, this is what the producer said—‘Katie just interviewed Nadia last week and she’s
very
upset about this.’ We’re giving priority in here to people like you who are actually here to cover the tournament. That’s why we’re checking credentials.”
    Kelleher clapped Jordan on the shoulder. “Good answer,” he said. “Three times longer than necessary, but a good answer.”
    â€œHey, I’m a lawyer in real life,” Jordan said. “What do you expect?”
    â€œIs he really a lawyer?” Susan Carol asked as they found seats in a rapidly filling room.
    â€œActually, he is,” Kelleher said. “He’s been volunteering out here for years.”
    Carillo walked in a few seconds after they had been seated, the cheery smile she had worn earlier nowhere to be found. She slid into an empty seat next to Stevie and leaned over so she could whisper to the group. “I just talked to one of the SMG boys,” she said. “He’s claiming the Russians did this.”
    Kelleher nodded. “He probably got that from the father. That’s what he told Bud.”
    â€œLast I saw Misha, the FBI was taking him someplace,” Carillo said.
    People were walking onto the podium. Stevie recognized Arlen Kantarian and Hughes Norwood. There was another man in a dark suit, who Stevie immediately guessed was with the FBI, and a fourth man who was wearing a blazer that said USTA on the breast pocket.
    â€œLadies and gentlemen, if you can settle down, please, we’ll get started,” Arlen Kantarian said. “As you know, an event has occurred here today that, to be honest, we are still trying to sort out. But to cut right to the heart of the matter, Nadia Symanova disappeared en route to her match to be played in Louis Armstrong Stadium just before two o’clock this afternoon. At this moment, given the circumstances and in the absence of any other theories, we believe it is possible she was kidnapped. Sitting on my far left is Special Agent Bob Campbell from the New York field office of the FBI. Next to him is Hughes Norwood, who, as most of you know, represents Ms. Symanova, and on my right is Dana Loconto, our tournament director. We aren’t going to take many questions, because, as I said, we really don’t have many answers at this moment, but we will take a few.”
    As soon as he finished, it sounded as if a hundred people were talking at once. Kantarian looked stunned for a second, then put his hands out, palms down, to ask for quiet. “Folks, we need you to follow our normal procedures in here even though this isn’t a normal situation. We’ve got three people with mikes. Call for a mike and I’ll call on you from there.”
    The noise broke out again, people screaming for mikes. Kantarian finally pointed at a man who was holding one of the mikes.
    â€œCan someone
please
tell us exactly how this happened in broad daylight?”
    â€œI’ll take that.” It was Loconto, who Stevie noticed had an accent similar to Susan Carol’s.
    He explained that the security procedures for matches on outside courts varied, depending on who