Chapter 37 Section thirty-six

Pendergast sits at a desk in the command post, fiddling with a nine-linked brass and knotted silk thread, an ancient Chinese puzzle.He seemed completely immersed in it, a small tape recorder playing an elegant string quartet behind him.Pendergast didn't even look up when D'Agosta entered the room. "Beethoven, String Quartet in F major, Op. 135," he said, "no doubt, lieutenant, you know that. It's the fourth movement Allegro, the famous 'Der schwer gefaβte Entschluβ'—'The difficult Choice'. This title is not only worthy of this movement, but also worthy of the current case, don't you think? It's interesting that art imitates life so much."

"It's eleven o'clock," D'Agosta said. "Aha, yes," Pendergast pushed back his chair and stood up. "The chief of security promised to show us around. Please?" Ippolito himself opened the door of the security center.To D'Agosta, the room resembled the control room of a nuclear power plant, full of knobs, buttons, and lever switches.A grid of lights weaves intricate patterns on the walls, resembling a gigantic city shrunk down.Two security guards guard a bank of CCTV monitors.In the middle of the room, D'Agosta recognized the relay box for the relay station that ensured that the radios carried by the police and museum security had a strong enough signal.

Ippolito spread his arms and said with a smile, "This is the most sophisticated security system in any museum in the world. It was specially designed for us. Let me tell you, it cost us a lot of money." Pendergast looked around. "Amazing," he said. "Top technology," Hippolito said. "Undoubtedly," replied Pendergast, "there will be five thousand guests at the opening tonight, Mr. Ippolito, and I am more concerned about their safety now. Tell me how the system works. " "The main goal of the design is to prevent theft," explains the head of security. "Many of the museum's most valuable objects have small chips attached to them in inconspicuous places. The chips constantly send weak signals to receivers located throughout the museum. If an item moves even an inch, the alarm will go off and the location of the item will be marked."

"And then?" D'Agosta asked. Ippolito smiled, went to the console and pressed a few buttons.A floor plan of each floor of the museum appeared on the big screen. “The interior of the museum is divided into five partitions,” continued Ippolito, “each partition contains a certain number of exhibition halls and storage areas. Most partitions extend from the basement to the roof, but due to the structural problems of the museum, The boundaries between Partitions 2 and 3 are complicated. When I press the switch on this panel, a heavy iron door will drop from the ceiling, sealing the internal passage between the partitions. The windows of the museum have railings. Once Seal a partition, and the thief is trapped inside. He can move freely in an area of ​​the museum, but he cannot escape. The division method determines that the exits are located outside the partition, which is convenient for us to monitor." He walked Before the floor plan, "For example, someone comes to steal something, and when the security arrives, he has left the room where the item is. It doesn't matter. After a few seconds, the chip will send a signal to the computer, instructing the computer to seal the entire partition. From the beginning It's fully automatic from end to end. There's no escape for thieves."

"What if he removes the chip before fleeing?" D'Agosta asked. "The chip has motion-sensing capabilities," Ippolito continued. "It will still trigger the alarm, and the security door will be lowered immediately. Thieves can't compete with it." Pendergast nodded: "After the thief is caught, how do you open the door?" "We can open any door in the control room, and each safety door has a manual override device-in fact, it is a small keypad, enter the correct password, and the door will go up." "Amazing," Pendergast murmured, "but the idea of ​​the whole system is to keep the thieves from escaping. The murderer we are going to deal with wants to stay in the museum. How will this system ensure the safety of tonight's guests?"

Ippolito shrugged. "It's not a big deal. We're using the system to create secure areas around the reception and exhibition, and all the activities will be held in Partition Two." He pointed to the floor plan. "The reception is in the sky hall. , is here, next to the entrance of the aboriginal culture exhibition hall, and the aboriginal culture exhibition is in the No. 2 separation area. All the iron gates in this separation area will be closed, leaving only four exits: the east part of the rotunda. There is a door leading to the sky hall, and there are three emergency exits. The four entrances and exits are heavily guarded."

"Which parts of the museum are included in Partition Two?" Pendergast asked. Ippolito pressed a few buttons on the console.A large area of ​​the museum on the monitor lights up green. "This is Partition Two," Ippolito said. "As you can see, it extends from the basement to the zenith, and the other partitions are the same. The sky hall is here. The computer room and this security center are in Partition Two." In the area. The safekeeping area, archives center and other areas with high security requirements are also there. Except for the four iron gates that are manually overridden, there is no other way to leave the museum. We will start to block one hour before the reception. Put down all the other security doors and put guards at the exits. I'll tell you, it's going to be safer than a bank vault."

"What about the rest of the museum?" "We considered sealing off all five compartments, but ultimately decided not to." "Fine," Pendergast said, looking at another screen. "If there's an emergency, we don't want to block the rescuers." He pointed to the glowing screen. "And the lower basement? The basement of Sector Two." It is likely connected to the lower basement, which leads to almost every part of the museum." "No one dares to venture that way," Ippolito scoffed. "It's a complete labyrinth." "But we're not talking about an ordinary thief. We're talking about a murderer who has evaded all searches by you, me, and D'Agosta's organization. The murderer seems to have made his home in the lower basement."

"There is only one staircase that connects the Sky Hall to the other floors," Ippolito explained patiently. "My men will guard that staircase, as will the emergency exits. Let me tell you, we've got it done, the entire area enclosed It will all be very safe." Pandegastor remained silent, staring at the shiny map for a while, and finally said: "How do you know whether this plan is accurate?" Ippolito was a little flustered: "Of course it is accurate." "What I'm asking is: How do you know?" "We designed the system based on the structural drawings from the reconstruction in 1912."

"Hasn't anything changed since 1912? Opened a door here and sealed a door there?" "All changes have been taken into account." "Does the building plan also include the old basement and lower basement?" "No, those areas are too old. But, as I said, those areas are either closed or guarded." Pendergast continued to study the screen, silent for a long time.Finally, he sighed and turned to face the security supervisor. "Signor Ippolito, I don't like this." A throat-clearing voice came from behind them, "What's not to like about him?"

D'Agosta didn't have to turn around to know that the gruff Long Island accent could only belong to Special Agent Coffey. "I'm reviewing the security regulations with Mr. Pendergast," Ippolito replied. "Oh, Ippolito, then you have to review it with me again." His small eyes turned to Pendergast, and he said angrily, "Remember to invite me to your private party in the future." "Mr. Pendergast—" said Ippolito. "Pendergast is from the Deep South, here and there helping us when we need it. Now I'm in charge. Understand?" "Understood, sir," said Ippolito.Coffey sat in the operator's chair and twirled the headset with his fingers while Ippolito went over the security regulations with him.D'Agosta walked up and down the room, examining each control panel.Pendergast listened carefully to Ippolito's explanation, no matter who saw it, he would feel that he had never heard this passage.After the security chief finished speaking, Coffey leaned back in his chair. "Ippolito, there are four holes in your security perimeter." He paused for dramatic effect, "Block three for me. Only one entrance and exit." "Mr. Coffey, the fire regulations require—" Coffey waved his hand, "Leave it to me to worry about the fire regulations. You should worry more about the holes in the security net. The more holes there are, the more likely there will be trouble." "I'm sorry, but that's exactly the wrong way to go," Pendergast said. "Close the other three exits, and guests will be locked inside the museum. If something happens, they will have only one escape route." Coffey spread his hands, expressing his dissatisfaction, "Hey, Pendergast, that's the point. You can't look at the head and the tail. Either you successfully set up a security boundary, or you don't have anything. In addition, according to what Ippolito just said Yes, every security door has an emergency override. Do you have any questions?" "That's right," Ippolito said. "The security door can be opened with a keypad lock in an emergency. All you need is the combination." "What controls the keypad lock?" Pendergast said. "Central computer. The computer room is next door." "What if the computer crashes?" "We also have redundant backup systems. The panels on the opposite wall control the backup system. Each panel has its own signaling system." "One more question," said Pendergast quietly. Coffey exhaled loudly and said to the ceiling, "He just doesn't like it." "I counted eighty-one alarm lights in that row of control panels alone," Pendergast said to Coffey, "if there was a real emergency and multiple systems failed simultaneously, most of the alarms The lights are going to start blinking. No team of operators can handle that." "Pendergast, you're slowing me down," Coffey yelled. "Ippolito and I will take care of the details, right? There's less than eight hours until the show begins." "Has the system been tested?" Pendergast asked. "Tests every week," Ippolito replied. "What I'm trying to say is, has the system been tested in a real environment? Let's say someone is trying to steal it?" "No, and hopefully never will." "As much as I hate to say it," said Pendergast, "I feel that this is a system doomed to failure. I am keen on new technologies, Mr. Ippolito, but I strongly recommend traditional means. The alternative is Me, I'm going to shut down the whole system during the reception. Just unplug it. This system is too complicated and I'm not going to trust it in an emergency. We need a tried and tested method, something that everyone is familiar with .such as foot patrols, with armed guards at every entrance and exit. I trust Lieutenant D'Agosta to provide what you need." "Just let me know," said D'Agosta. "My answer is no." Coffey laughed loudly. "God, he wants to turn off the security system when he needs it most." "I have to reflect to the above that I strongly oppose this plan." Pendergast said. "Whatever you want, write your dissenting report," Coffey said, "and send it to the New Orleans office by slow boat. Mr. Ippolito has the situation under control, if I ask you." "Thank you." Ippolito was clearly encouraged. "The current situation is very unique and dangerous," added Pendergast, "and one should not rely on a complex system that has not been tried and tested." "Pendergast," Coffey said, "I've heard enough. You better go back to the office and eat that catfish sandwich your wife made for you." Pendergast's expression changed dramatically, which startled D'Agosta.Coffey took a step back involuntarily.But Pendergast just turned around and walked out the door.D'Agosta followed. "What are you doing?" Coffey said. "We still have to discuss the details. You should stay." "I agree with Pendergast," D'Agosta said. "This is not the time to mess with video games. You're talking about human lives." "Listen, D'Agosta. We're the boss, we're the FBI. We don't care what a traffic cop in Queens thinks." D'Agosta looked at Kofi's sweaty red face and said, "You are a disgrace to the law enforcement team." Coffey blinked: "Thank you, Police Chief Hallock is my good friend. When I write a report to him, I will definitely mention that you insulted me for no reason. He will definitely take appropriate measures." "Then remember to add: You are a bag of rotten shit." Kofi looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "I like to watch people wipe their own necks, which saves me trouble. By the way, I suddenly remembered that this case is very important, and I shouldn't just find a deputy captain to be the police station's liaison, Dago Star, you'll be out of the case in twenty-four hours. You probably don't know that yet? I was going to let you know after the reception—don't want to spoil your interest, but I think it's a good time. So, Enjoy your last afternoon on this case. See you at the four o'clock briefing. Don't be late." D'Agosta said nothing.For some reason, he wasn't surprised.