Devil's Advocate (Trackdown Book 4)

by Michael A. Black

  “Here, this is my cell,” she said with an alluring smile. “My personal cell. The other number on the card’s my business number. Call me when you have time.”

  Wolf nodded, put the paper in his pocket, and thanked her again. He was watching the rotation of her full hips as she walked toward a silver Toyota Camry when Ms. Dolly and Brenda came up on either side of him and grabbed his arms.

  “Ain’t she the hot tamale,” Ms. Dolly said

  “Una pinchón,” Brenda said. “That’s for sure.”

  “Yolanda know about her?” Ms. Dolly asked.

  Wolf was a bit taken aback by the question. A sting of anguish and resentment swept over him as he answered. “I haven’t talked to her in a while.”

  “Well, why the hell not?” Ms. Dolly asked. “She’s sure been asking about you.”

  Wolf raised his eyebrows and thought that sounded a bit promising, but then reality came swinging back like a wrecking ball on a chain.

  “I’m a convicted felon,” Wolf said. “She doesn’t need me in her life right now.”

  Ms. Dolly frowned. “Aw, hell, we know all about that. Mac told us you were set up.”

  “Yo don’t think like that,” Brenda said.

  Wolf shrugged. “I’m sure the police department might feel differently.”

  “Where’d you meet that—her?” Brenda asked, cocking her head toward Delgato’s Toyota, which was now pulling away.

  “She works for a law firm in Phoenix,” he said. “She was going over my old lawyer’s files and contacted me.”

  “Looks like she’s got more than files on her mind, honey.” Ms. Dolly elevated the tone of her voice and said, “Here’s my personal cell.”

  Brenda’s full lips pursed, and she looked askance at him.

  “She’s not from around here, you know,” she said. “I could tell by her accent.”

  “Accent?” Wolf said.

  “Her Spanish,” Brenda said. “I was talking to her.”

  “Too fast for me to follow,” Ms. Dolly said.

  “That’s because she’s a Puerto Rican,” Brenda said. “They talk fast. Not too many of them around here.”

  Wolf was aware that a native speaker might be able to detect something like that, but was uncertain if it had any real significance.

  “Well,” Ms. Dolly said with a grin. “I guess she ain’t no tamale after all then. But she’s still pretty hot.”

  Maybe both of them are a bit biased against Ms. Delgato, he thought as he took a deep breath. But that still doesn’t change the sad reality of things. He still had way too much negative baggage to be associated with someone who had aspirations of being a cop.

  I’m not going to let my past drag her down, spoil her chances, he thought. Unless something changes.

  And in his heart he knew nothing probably would.

  THE GRAND TETONS HOTEL

  PHOENIX, ARIZONA

  Soraces had almost finished packing when Charles Perkins called him.

  “They’re still in the restaurant,” he said. “The bail bondsman’s with them. Looks like they’re taking their sweet-ass time.”

  “Good,” Soraces said, glancing at his watch. Sixteen-twenty-three. “Okay, stay on them. Advise me when they’re heading back.”

  “All right, but I’m going to need to change clothes pretty soon. I’ve been sitting here sweating since I took over surveillance this morning. How about sending my brother to assist?”

  “Negative,” Soraces said. He placed the last item into the suitcase and zipped it closed. The papers on the whiteboard had been totally eradicated, and the wipe-down of this room wouldn’t take him more than ten minutes. “I need him to assist me with that business tonight.”

  Charles Perkins grunted in weary acquiescence.

  “We won’t be here when you get back,” Soraces said. “But your room will still be covered. Stay on them and keep reporting to me.”

  “And then what?” Perkins asked.

  “Then you’ll be coming down to join us in Belize. You did bring your special passport like I told you, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Be prepared. We were both eagle scouts.” He laughed. “How come he gets to go down there with you, and I have to stay here and hold the shitty end of the stick?”

  “Well, you get along better with Dirk.”

  “True that,” Perkins said. “I’ll get back to you in a couple of hours then.”

  Soraces hung up and looked at his watch again, doing the mental calculations. It would take Wolf and company a good two and a half hours to drive back to Phoenix even if they left immediately, and from the sound of things, they weren’t even close to doing that. When he got word they were back in town, he’d give Wolf another quick call from the airport to get things moving. The timing was virtually perfect.

  This was turning out even better than he’d anticipated.

  Always one move ahead, he thought, as he went to the refrigerator for the vial of ketamine and the hypodermic syringe and contemplated the next step in his trap.

  Chapter Thirteen

  INTERSTATE 10

  JUST OUTSIDE OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA

  Wolf watched the overhead road-lights glowing in the gathering darkness as he piloted the Escalade along the interstate. McNamara slumbered in the front passenger seat, having asked Wolf to be the designated driver on the way back.

  He’s earned the rest, Wolf thought. All of us have.

  He looked in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Ms. Dolly’s closed eyes as she sat in the back seat, her arm around Brenda’s slumbering form that was pressed against her. They both looked exhausted. The big meal and the subsequent celebratory bottle of wine probably hadn’t helped. As usual, Wolf had abstained.

  They were getting close to the city and beyond the guard railing periodic clusters of houses, shopping centers, and gas stations were springing up. The fatigue that had been his constant companion lately was starting to engulf him again and he was looking forward to getting back to his apartment above Mac’s garage and slipping between the sheets of his comfortable bed. He was glad that Yolanda hadn’t been part of the P-Patrol this time, although the thought of her soft touch brought the accompanying longing. But he was so tired all he wanted to do was sleep.

  Put everything on hold, he thought. Think about it tomorrow, like Scarlett O’Hara.

  Then his cell phone rang, jarring him out of his reverie.

  He fished it out of his pocket and took a second to study the screen.

  A blocked call …

  The last time he’d gotten one it had been Soraces.

  Was the devil’s advocate calling back?

  He pressed the button and held the phone to his ear, cognizant that the ring tone had awakened McNamara.

  “Hey, Wolf. How you doing?”

  It was Soraces, all right.

  “What do you want?”

  “Just calling to see how you were,” Soraces said. His voice sounded jovial, like an old friend just touching base. “You ready to deal yet?”

  Wolf wasn’t about to negotiate anything with this con man unless they were on equal footing.

  “I told you before,” Wolf said. “Call me back from an unblocked number and maybe we can do business. I don’t deal with anybody sneaking around in the shadows.”

  “Maybe you should get yourself some night-vision goggles then.”

  The mention of the same equipment they had in the car kind of stunned Wolf. Why the hell would he mention those. It was almost as if … He immediately checked his rearview mirror.

  “I was speaking metaphorically,” Wolf said. “I trust you about as far as I could throw you.”

  “That’s unfortunate. I was hoping we might make some progress. I guess it’s time for me to up the ante, eh?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ll be finding out soon enough. Honest, Injun.”

  “You can go to hell.”

  Soraces laughed. “Okay, Stevie-boy.
I’ll give you a call when you have more time. Maybe when you get back to the Ranch.”

  When you get back?

  How did he know they were gone from there?

  Wolf checked the mirror again.

  Was it a lucky guess, or was someone tailing them?

  Wolf saw nothing but a collection of headlights on the highway behind them. Early evening darkness was settling in and it was difficult to tell.

  Mac picked up on Wolf’s movements and glanced in the sideview mirror.

  “Oh, by the way,” Soraces said. “Give my regards to Special Agent Franker.”

  Franker?

  What the hell? How did he know about Franker?

  “You’d better explain what you’re talking about.” Wolf said.

  “You haven’t heard, have you? Your favorite FBI agent’s in Phoenix Metro South. Intensive care. He was shot. You should give him a call. But wait, he’s probably still in surgery. Maybe just send flowers. In the meantime, keep your phone on and I’ll call you back in a little bit with my instructions. We’ll talk then. Talk turkey, as they used to say.”

  “What’s all this got to do with me?” Wolf said.

  Soraces laughed again. “I’ll be talking to you, Wolf. Probably sooner than you think. And tell your buddy to make sure and tip that babysitter real good. She’s doing a hell of a job. Bye-bye.”

  Wolf looked at the screen.

  The call had been terminated.

  The Babysitter … The words burned in his mind like a red-hot branding iron being pressed against bare flesh. A sudden, desperate thought occurred to him.

  No, he told himself. It can’t be.

  “Was it that Soraces fella?” McNamara asked, glancing over at him.

  Wolf nodded, his mind racing, not wanting to believe that what he was inferring was true.

  “Who’s Soraces?” Ms. Dolly asked from the back seat.

  “What the hell did he want?” McNamara asked.

  “Not sure,” Wolf said. His mind replayed the cryptic conversation again and struggling to find the right words to say. “You said Kasey was getting ready for a date tonight. Was it with Franker?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately,” McNamara said, heaving a sigh. He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Give her a call.” Wolf was going to tell McNamara to check to see if she was all right, but it was as if he’d already picked up on Wolf’s fear.

  A second later McNamara’s head jerked back, like he’d been smacked.

  “Who’re you?” he said, and put the call on speaker.

  “I’m the guy who’s with your daughter,” Soraces said. “Now put Wolf back on.”

  “I can hear you, Soraces,” Wolf said, feeling an immense trepidation grip his spine.

  “Listen, Soraces—” McNamara started to say.

  “No, you listen,” The voice had gone from joviality to absolute malice. “I’ve got people watching you at all times. Pros. You’ll never spot them, so don’t even try. And don’t even think about notifying anybody. I even get a whiff of the authorities, local, state, or federal, and you’ll never hear from me or her again. Comprende?”

  Wolf pulled over onto the shoulder of the freeway and hit the hazard lights button. Several cars whizzed past. He wondered about each one of them. They sat in stunned silence for several seconds before he reached for the phone and took it out of Mac’s hand.

  “Look,” he said, straining to keep his voice calm and even. “This is between you and me. Nobody else. Let her go and I’ll give you what you want, no strings.”

  McNamara reached for the phone, ripping it away from Wolf and speaking in a low, deliberate voice.

  “Listen, you son of a bitch. You hurt my daughter, you even touch her, I’ll track your fucking ass down to the ends of the earth and make you wish you were never born.”

  A low chuckle came through the dashboard speaker.

  “Now that you’ve got that out of your system,” Soraces’s voice said. “Let me reiterate. Nobody has to get hurt. It’s a simple exchange. A business transaction. Just follow my instructions to the letter and it’ll have a happy ending.” He paused and then added, “If not …”

  The silence hung in the air like an ominous cloud.

  “Remember,” Soraces said. “No cops. And don’t try pinging this phone. It’s about to become inoperative. Go home, wait for my next call.”

  “Soraces—” Wolf shouted.

  “Bye.”

  The dashboard indicated that the connection was terminated.

  A few more cars whooshed by slamming an air pocket against the stopped Escalade. Wolf accelerated, glanced in the mirror, and shot back out into traffic when he was sure the lane was clear.

  “Oh, my God.” Ms. Dolly’s voice sounded cracked.

  “Madre de dios,” Brenda said. “Qué lastima.”

  “God damn.” McNamara said, blinking away the tears. “What am I gonna do? They got my little girl.”

  He sounded deflated, hollow. Ms. Dolly reached across the seat from the rear passenger space and patted McNamara’s shoulder. She kept her hand there on his neck.

  Wolf searched for more words to say, something to give comfort and hope, but once again, came up empty. He was to blame for this. Just like with Yolanda, he brought nothing to those he cared about except negativity and sorrow.

  Finally, he said, “We’ll think of something, Mac. We’ll get her back.”

  PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

  PRIVATE AIRCRAFT HANGER SECTION

  PHOENIX, ARIZONA

  Soraces removed the back of Kasey’s phone and popped the battery from its holder. He then slipped it into his jacket pocket and glanced at her slumbering form in the seat across from him. The injection of ketamine would most likely keep her out for the entire flight. It was only a couple of hours, but, just in case, he looped the nylon band around her ankles, thighs, arms and wrists and secured it with a sturdy knot before buckling her seatbelt. It wouldn’t do for her to wake up unexpectedly and make a run for the border, in this instance, the jet’s cabin door.

  At our cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, he thought, it would be rather unpleasant, to say the least.

  “We’re ready for take-off,” the pilot said over the intercom system.

  “Then do it,” Soraces yelled back.

  Yes, he thought, having your own private Lear Jet at your disposal was a nice convenience. First class all the way.

  Across the aisle, Clyde Perkins buckled himself in and looked over at the slumbering woman.

  “She’s pretty,” he said. “But are you sure they’re going to be coming all the way down there after her?”

  “Without a doubt,” Soraces said. “She our assurance that they will, and also our insurance that they’ll do as I tell them.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  Perkins shrugged. “And that guy I had to shoot … He’s an FBI agent?”

  Soraces nodded.

  “I wish you would’ve told me that earlier,” Perkins said. “I don’t like the idea of shooting a fed. They take things too personally. Especially the Bureau.”

  “Relax,” Soraces said. “And don’t worry. We’ll be safely out of the country shortly and once we’ve concluded our business, we’ll collect our fat paychecks, and just fade into the sunset.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  “It will be.” Soraces suddenly felt the vibration as the turbine engines spooled up and the plane edged forward. “Once we get Wolf and his buddy down in our spider’s web.”

  THE MCNAMARA RANCH

  PHOENIX, ARIZONA

  Soraces’s second call had come about four hours after the first one. They’d all been sitting and waiting in the living room at the Ranch, him, Mac, Ms. Dolly, and Brenda.

  Waiting … and waiting …

  When Wolf’s phone rang showing BLOCKED CALL on the screen, Wolf let it ring three times before pressing the button to put it on speaker.

  “How’s things
at the Ranch?” Soraces said. “You tip that babysitter like I told you?”

  It was an obvious ploy to let Wolf know that he was still most likely being watched.

  “Let me talk to Kasey,” he said.

  “Ah, she’s … resting. But, I’ll send you a picture if you want.”

  Wolf saw McNamara rising out of his chair, gearing up to yell at the phone. Wolf shook his head and held up his hand. They’d discussed earlier how they should play it. Keep cool, show emotional detachment, professionalism. In other words, don’t let the other guy see you sweat. Mac’s emotional state precluded him from being a part of the negotiations.

  “How do I know you even have her?” Wolf asked.

  “Come on, Stevie boy. Do you want me to describe what she’s wearing? Maybe undress her and look for birthmarks?”

  Wolf saw the tendons in McNamara’s neck tighten.

  “I’m still going to need to talk to her,” Wolf said.

  Soraces sighed audibly. “All right.”

  There were few a muffled sounds, and then Soraces’s voice came back on the line.

  “Say hello, babe,” he said.

  “Dad?”

  It was Kasey’s voice.

  McNamara’s mouth twisted into a scowl.

  “It’s Steve. Are you all right, Kasey?”

  “Yes.” She sounded groggy, unfocused. “I’m just—”

  Soraces came back on the line: “All right, satisfied?” Without waiting for a reply, he continued talking. “Like I said, this is purely a business transaction. Here’s what we’ll do. Since tomorrow’s Sunday, I’ll give you until Monday. You bring the item to the airport where there’ll be two round trip airline tickets reserved for you at the United Airlines counter. One for you, and one for Mr. McNamara. Bring your passports. The flight’s to Belize.”

  “Belize?”

  “Right, as in the Central American country of down in the Caribbean. Oh, better bring Ms. Riley’s passport, too, so you can get her back across the border. The one she used getting down here has a different name on it. Once you get there, we’ll have someone meet you at the airport and we can arrange the exchange of goods. I’ll even toss in the flashdrive. It’ll be quick and easy. I’ll be glad to make some hotel reservations for you as well. Any questions?”