CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"I won't say it again," Ryan said firmly. "Unlock access to the top floor, or we will help you unlock it."

Jessie watched nervously to see how this would play out. They were standing at the bank of elevators on the lobby level of the north tower, where they'd been engaged in acrimonious negotiations with the tower's security for five minutes now.

When they'd first arrived, they were greeted by the security guard manning the reception desk, an amiable heavyset gentleman named Gary with a shock of curly red hair and freckles who struck Jessie as the incarnation of an adult, male Little Orphan Annie. He initially had no problem sending them up, along with the two uniformed LAPD officers that stood beside them.

It was only when Gary called up to inform the folks at BEING that they'd have law enforcement visitors that he got pushback. Jessie could hear a voice on the line insist that they not be allowed up. Clearly startled by the response, Gary called his supervisor for help. He got a lot more than he expected. Within sixty seconds, the supervisor and three other security guards arrived.

The supervisor, a middle-aged guy with thinning gray hair who didn't have a nametag like Gary's, informed them that this was private property and that they'd need a search warrant to access the premises.

"We're not trying to search the place," Ryan said slowly, trying to keep things civil. "We just need to interview someone in relation to an investigation we're conducting."

"Nonetheless," the security chief replied, "we've been instructed not to permit you access to a private workplace."

It went back and forth like that for a few minutes. Ryan made his case, and the security chief repeated the same objections. Finally, Ryan sighed heavily and turned to Jessie.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

She was sure that he was.

"Exigent circumstances?" she guessed.

He nodded and turned back to the increasingly agitated security chief .

"What's your name, sir?" Ryan asked.

"Clingan," the man replied.

"Is that a first name or a last name?"

"Does it matter?" Clingan retorted.

"I guess not," Ryan said, now seemingly more relaxed since he was free from the shackles of courtesy. He walked past the man in the direction of the elevators, calling back over his shoulder.

"Clingan, we have reason to believe that there is evidence of a serious crime in those BEING offices upstairs. We have concerns that any delay in accessing the offices might result in the destruction of said evidence. As such, these are exigent circumstances and we're going to dispense with warrants and things like ‘permission.' You can have Gary give us access or you can do it yourself, but one way or another we're getting up there."

Clingan chased after him, along with Gary and his three other minions. The two uniformed LAPD officers looked over at Jessie nervously. She followed the other group and indicated that they should do the same.

"Just stay cool," she muttered to them, projecting a confidence she didn't entirely feel. "Let Detective Hernandez do his thing and follow his lead."

"I'm sorry, sir," Clingan said when he caught up to Ryan by the elevators, "but I simply cannot allow you access."

"Clingan," Ryan said, a broad smile on his face.

"Yes?" the man asked, his own face red with exertion from moving so quickly.

"I won't say it again," Ryan said firmly. "Unlock access to the top floor, or we will help you unlock it."

Clingan looked back at him uncertainly, then glanced over at the cops standing on either side of Jessie. Finally, his eyes fell helplessly on her. She decided to give him an assist.

"Mr. Clingan," she said, giving him the benefit of the doubt that it was his last name, "we don't need this to escalate. The next logical step, from our perspective, is arresting you and your team for impeding a priority investigation. Now, do you really think the legal staff up there at BEING is going to offer you their services when you all face those charges? Color me skeptical."

"Please, Ms. Hunt," he pleaded, indicating that even though she hadn't given her name, he knew exactly who she was, "you're putting me in an impossible position. "

"No we're not, Mr. Clingan. They are," she told him, pointing up. "This is a law enforcement action, and you are being instructed to impede it by them. Not only is that unfair to you, but it's also pretty darn suspicious, don't you think? Now, if you know who I am, you also know that I have some cachet in this town. And I assure you that if you get any blowback from your overlords upstairs for following the law, I will be front and center with the press to call them out. That's a promise. Now, let's end all this silliness and just enter the access code so we can do our job. What do you say?"