Page 92 of Sinner's Salvation

The High Line was an elevated railway in New York City built in the 1930s and used mostly for freight. By the 1980s it had fallen out of use. Some of it had been torn down, but a large section of it had been turned into an urban park. All along it there were art installations, small gardens, water features, and many places where people could sit and relax.

The group got off the subway at the closest stop to the High Line, then moved in large clumps of people up and onto the urban oasis.

Her two new friends expressed their admiration for how lovely it was to have such a beautiful and natural space available for use by people living in the city. Anna took several photos of them, posing with the trees, flowers, and other plants in the foreground and the city skyline in the background.

Once they reached the opposite end of the High Line, they all trooped down the outdoor staircase, which dropped them into the old Meat Packing District. Many of the warehouses here had been converted into other businesses, including restaurants and shops.

Homeland Security’s temporary home was one of these warehouses, its brick façade right across the street from a large restaurant.

Their group’s tour guide informed them of the fact that it was Homeland’s temporary headquarters right in front of them. This caused a stampede of people to run across the street to look through the windows, pose in front of the building, and generally make a nuisance of themselves.

This information wasn’t widely known, but several of the businesses across the street had posted about the number of Homeland Security agents coming and going from the building on social media.

Anna kept with her group of two ladies, though several more glommed onto them as well. She took a few photos of the group, then slid behind them to have her picture taken. Some of the other tourists were doing the same. One group, however, seemed to take the posing thing a little far.

They were posing back-to-back with their hands poised to look like they were guns, James Bond style. Their antics attracted more tourists, Chinese and others who just happened to be there at the same time.

In minutes, the entire sidewalk and one lane of the street in front of the building were full of people, laughing, talking, and calling to each other.

Anna and her group of now six ladies were oohing and aahing over the photos they’d taken. They shared their phone and camera screens with each other, commenting on how wonderful the photos looked and how happy they were with the tour company.

This was an unexpected bonus stop.

The big double doors leading into the warehouse opened and three Homeland Security agents came out. They shouted something, but not loud enough to be heard by more than the closest people.

After a few more tries to get everyone to move, one of the agents went back inside, leaving two to stand by the doors.

An excited buzz went through the crowd, and they shifted closer to the entrance.

Suddenly, two of the younger Chinese tourists dashed in to pose next to the agents. Photos were quickly taken and they dashed away, but that started a whole new exciting opportunity.

Other small groups of people tried to do the same, but the agents, having gotten over their shock at becoming celebrities, were waving their hands and shaking their heads, trying to get people to back off.

It didn’t work. Soon they were surrounded.

The doors opened again, and this time a handful of agents came out, and one of them had a bullhorn.

Which didn’t help, because the majority of the tourists were Chinese and didn’t speak English. Or, at least, they acted like they didn’t speak it.

The new agents got surrounded as well.

More agents came out and a few tourists darted inside, their cameras and phones poised to take pictures.

One of the ladies with her group disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, thrusting something into the pocket of the light jacket she was wearing. The entire group then began a slow slide toward the door. It didn’t look intended at all. They just moved in the direction they were pushed in by the rest of the crowd.

After a few moments, her entire little group went inside. They posed in the doorway, so Anna could get pictures of them standing on the carpet emblazoned with the Homeland Security emblem. Then they posed near the reception desk, and again close to a couple of American Flags that were a little further into the room.

All the ladies flitted about, chattering at each other in Mandarin, exclaiming about how amazing New York City was, just in case someone spoke their language.

The ladies clumped up, pushing Anna toward the back wall as a group of agents strode by, yelling at some of the other tourists to stop taking photos of the reception desk and staff.

Anna handed the camera to one lady while another tugged at the sleeve of the jacket. Anna bent down as if she dropped something, slithered out of the jacket, grabbed the item that had been in the pocket, and shoved her hat into one of the sleeves.

The group of ladies moved away from the wall, taking photos like all the other tourists, while Anna walked deeper into the building. In her hand was an ID badge on a lanyard. Those sweet ladies had picked the pocket of one of the agents.

The Chinese had always excelled in the training of their people.

She reached a closed door with a digital locking mechanism. She flashed her card over it and the door clicked.

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