I leaned back against the counter. “What else?”
“Nothing that tells us precisely how the trigger sequence works,” he said. “It’s only confirmation that pieces are moving into position. I doubt we’ll see the mechanism until it moves.”
“This kind of structure helps.”
“It’ll have to.” I heard typing on his end. “Whatever they’re planning, it’s built to execute fast. They won’t extend the exposure any longer than necessary.”
The line clicked dead.
I set the phone on the counter and continued looking at the diagram. I thought about the original mark for the podium, the one we’d moved six feet upstage into the shadow of the orchestra risers.
It was the one variable we’d successfully changed. Whether it would be enough depended on the assumption that the person holding the weapon would need at least a second to adjust when the position didn’t match the original plan.
Eamon entered from the courtyard. He took one look at my expression and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Michael?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“What did he find?”
“Devereaux was inside the Orpheum on the twentieth.”
Eamon stopped pouring.
“Before we moved the mark,” I said.
He set the pot down slowly. “So, he was confirming the sightline.”
“That’s the most likely explanation.”
He carried his coffee to the table and leaned over the diagram.
“So,” he said after a moment.
“So,” I agreed.
He was quiet a little longer, following the pencil lines I’d drawn on the floor plan with his eyes. “We’ve got the shape.”
“But we’re still missing the exact mechanism.”
“We won’t have it until they move. That’s why you moved the mark when you did. Before we had confirmation. Before the picture was complete.”
“Yes.”
“Good work, Thiago.”
Eamon didn’t deliver compliments casually. I inclined my head.
He tapped the balcony on the floor plan. “I’ll be in the upper level. If Devereaux approaches a device there, I’ll see it.”
“Local law enforcement?”
“We’ve already arranged for a plainclothes officer in the house. Briefed and positioned in the third row of the house seats, left aisle.” He moved his finger to the stage-right wing. “You stay here.”
“Twelve feet from Micah’s likely position.”
“Approximately.” He looked at me. “You don’t move until he commits.”
