She managed to maintain a purposeful strut throughout the gigantic marble lobby, but as soon as she found herself in a deserted side corridor Lucy let out a huge breath and lapsed back into her usual, more timid pace. She scurried along the hallway until she found a small alcove that held an ice machine. It made a satisfying grumbling sound that would effectively mask the content of Lucy’s call to anyone walking past. Lucy leaned against the vibrating machine and pulled her encrypted cell phone out of her pocket. Still keeping a firm grip on the briefcase, she dialed the number with her thumb and went through the standard coded greeting until she finally was connected with her liaison.

“Miss Dawson, my name is Brian White. I will be guiding you from here, ok?”

“Ok,” said Lucy, trying to keep the nervous tremor out of her voice.