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“That was played yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“And what documentation do visitors need to get through the gate?”

“They have to be on the guest list, called in by a homeowner, or have a temp pass. The contractors go that route usually, though some of them who come really frequently have permanent gate passes.”

“What form do these permanent passes take?”

“Form? I don’t understand.”

“Do they have the electronic strips on their windshields that trigger the gate like the homeowners do, are they paper on the dashboard, or what?”

“Well, they can be either/or, actually.”

“So the paper ones will have no record of who was actually coming and going?”

“No. I mean, we don’t keep a list, we just check to make sure the paper pass is still valid. And we keep a count of vehicles coming through. And contractors are supposed to be gone by six p.m.,” he added.

“What if a car or truckload of people comes in? Do you do a head count to see how many come in on paper or electronic passes?” Decker asked.

“What?” said the guard, looking confused.

“He means,” said White, “if five people come through the gate in one vehicle, do you make sure the same five people go out in that same vehicle?”

“Um…”

“So the answer is no,” said Decker, eyeing the papers in his hand like they were dung.

“Right.”

“And guests who come in after hours?”

“They have to use the call box to phone an off-site security service that will check to see if they’re on the list.”

“And people who bike and walk up here?”

“Well, they’re usually homeowners or their guests.”

“So you only check vehicles?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Is there camera surveillance here?”

“Um, yeah, but the cameras keep breaking down. Salt air, I guess. But this is a really safe place.”

Decker sighed. “Not anymore it’s not. Did you see anyone who looked suspicious or who previously asked about the judge or otherwise seemed nervous or out of place?”

“No, but you should check with the off-site service, too.”

“We will,” Andrews assured him. “Thanks.”

The man got back into his white Honda withSECURITYstenciled on the side and drove off.

“The security situation here is not as good as the residents probably think it is,” noted White.

“It’s also typical for this type of gated community,” said Andrews. “The super-rich have whole other layers of sophisticated protection.”


Tags: David Baldacci Amos Decker Thriller