by Dale Mayer
She looked at him, shook her head. “Nope.”
“And what about forensics?” he said, “Do you have anybody?”
“No,” she said. “I have to go to Denver for that.”
“So why don’t you start there now?”
She nodded. “I guess that probably a good idea.” And from there, it was organized chaos, at least as organized as they could make it. They went systematically through all the equipment, dismantling everything so they could take it back to the office and reconstruct it all there.
“It seems like a waste,” he murmured.
“I can’t deal with it all here,” she said, staring around the security room. “We’ve taken photos of everything, and now we have all the equipment ready to transport.”
“What happens when Ronnie finds out what you’ve taken?”
“He’ll set his lawyers on me, which is why I wanted to get it out of here.”
Just then her phone rang. “It’s Denver.” She spoke with someone from forensics there. “Yes, we’re removing everything and bringing it back to the station.” At that, another voice interrupted, and she realized they really would take this over. She frowned into the phone. “I don’t want to hand all this off to your case, when it’s also my case,” she said heatedly, turning to look at Bonaparte, putting her phone on Speaker.
“We’re taking it over,” the man said.
“I’m not sure you have any jurisdiction to do that,” she said in a defiant voice. There was silence on the other end.
“It will be a joint task force, of course.”
“Right. Of course it will be,” she said in a dry tone. At that, she watched as Bonaparte set one laptop back down again, opened it up, and pulled out a chair. She said, “We’ll be hours yet.”
“And you don’t have the facilities there to handle this. This isn’t just about Denver,” he said. “This could go across the country.”
She winced at that. “In which case, you’re bringing in the FBI? Is that what I’m hearing?”
“It’s not typically one of their cases,” the man cautioned.
“Maybe not, but, if you expect me to be cooperative to the extent that you’re taking this over,” she said, “I want to make sure that you aren’t as corrupt as the people who started this.”
An audible gasp could be heard at the other end, and she looked up to see Bonaparte staring at her, his eyebrows raised.
She said, “No offense intended, but it’s obvious that some level of collusion has occurred, which involves some top officials in Denver,” she said. “And it’s my duty to ensure you aren’t a part of it.”
“That’s a pretty broad accusation,” he said.
“I get it, but it’s one that needs to be brought up.”
“I’ll give you that,” he said, “but I don’t know just how I’m supposed to convince you that I’m innocent.”
“Well, I’ll make a few inquiries on my own, and then I’ll call you back,” she snapped. She hung up the phone and stood there, glaring at Bonaparte. He smiled, then clapped gently. She shrugged. “It’s obvious these brothers are getting some assistance from somebody in Denver,” she said.
“And much higher perhaps,” he said.
“I know.” She pulled out her phone and, as soon as Levi answered, she explained what had just happened.
“Give me a little time, and I’ll get back to you,” he said, and he hung up.
Chapter 11
Angela looked over at Bonaparte. “What would we do without guys like Levi?”
“Wander around in the dark,” he said quietly. “We need people doing what he does. It’s really necessary and nice to have somebody who’s unbiased helping out. Plus he and Ice have some of the best people, who are all fast and expert at what they do.”
She nodded, waiting for Levi to call, then noted Bonaparte doing something on the laptop. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Checking to see just what information is here,” he said.
“A whole server is here,” she murmured, looking over his shoulder.
He nodded. “But we don’t want Denver or even the FBI to have everything without a backup.”
She frowned at that. “What should we do then?”
“Well, I have a thumb drive on my key chain,” he said. “It’s a USB, so we can transfer a bunch of information, if need be. I’m just studying this to make sure we actually have something solid.”
“Now I feel useless,” she said, looking around.
“There’s another laptop,” he said and pointed to the one he had put on a stack.
She immediately popped it open, turned it on, and said, “The email program is open.”
“Good,” he said. “You might want to start taking some photos. Get his various email addresses that we can then search through for anything we might need, plus hopefully some log-ins.”
She laughed. “Ronnie, the idiot, has a file called Passwords.”
Bonaparte looked up. “Really?”
Nodding, she opened it up and started taking photos.
“What we really need to know is what’s going on with this property development angle,” he said. “And anything they may have done in the meantime.”
While working on that, she shifted the laptop, since the stack it rested on was a little precarious. She pulled a notebook out from underneath it, and, flipping through it, realized it was mostly empty. Then she turned it around because it was one of those that had a front cover on either side. She stopped, checking out both covers, front and back, then went through the first few pages from each side. She was stunned to see the information and note-taking written there.
Remove deputies.
Sheriff cooperates or take her out.
As she mumbled the words, he looked up, distracted. “What are you reading?” he asked. She held out the notebook. “Looks like somebody’s doodles,” he said, studying the page. “But not doodles we particularly like to see.”
“Yeah, especially not the part about taking out the sheriff,” she said, shaking her head.
“No, but that’s not a shock either,” he said. “It’s nothing more than we’ve already seen signs of, right?”
“I know,” she said. Her phone rang at that moment. She looked at it, smiled, and said, “Hey, Levi. What’s up?”
“I’m sending two men from Denver your way.”
“Okay,” she said, “but why?”
“Because I trust them,” he said.
“Well, I’m happy to hear that,” she said. “I presume that means you’re not trusting anybody else?”
“I pulled the governor’s ear,” Levi said. “We have to get to the bottom of this, and we can’t trust anybody at the moment.”
“Good enough,” she said. “So how will I know who they are?”
“Do you remember Stone?”
“Are you kidding? How could I not remember Stone?” she said, laughing. “He’s very memorable.”
“He is, indeed. And he happens to be in Denver.”
“Oh, yay,” she said, turning to look at Bonaparte, who now straightened up and stared at her in surprise. “Is he coming with them?”
“He is, and he’s also one of our best hackers.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about his skills,” she said. “I’m actually quite delighted. How far out are they?”
“With any luck the good guys will be there in ten minutes.”
“Is that before or after the forensic team from Denver gets here?”
“I’m not sure, but Stone and his men take priority,” he said. “You hand off nothing until he gets there.”
“Well, if there’ll be a fight,” she said, “I need some legal leg to stand on.”
“Stone has it with him. It’s coming directly from the governor.”
“Good enough,” she said, then hung up the phone. She looked at Bonaparte. “Well, this will be interesting.”
“Hey, we couldn’t ask for a better person in our back pocket than Stone.
Both for hacking and for a scuffle.”
“Oh, I agree,” she said. “It’ll just be a matter of who gets here first.”
“Doesn’t matter who gets here first,” he said. “Nothing leaves without Stone.”
She looked at the laptop in his hands. “Did you find anything?”
“All kinds of shit,” he said. “Ronnie’s got folders in here, with access to a lot of details on business dealings.”
“Well, if we do end up in trouble,” she said, “and have to hand everything over, I suggest we keep that one back, out of everybody’s possession, unless you can get it all saved to that thumb drive before those Denver people arrive.”
He looked at it, with a slow dawning smile. “I like the way you think.”
“I just want to make sure,” she said, “that the brothers don’t get away scot-free.”
“Nope, that’s not happening.” Just then they heard a vehicle.
She looked over at him, sighed, and said, “What do you want to bet we’ll have an entirely different fight on our hands right now?”
He immediately closed the lid and placed the laptop on the bed, and said, “Come on.” She headed downstairs with him at her side.
When they got to the front door, she stepped out and froze.
*
Bonaparte joined Angela and took a look at the two forensic vans, clearly marked Denver County, Colorado, that had just pulled up with a team of six. Bonaparte looked at them, crossed his arms over his chest, and said, “Where’s your authorization?”
The team looked at him in surprise, then at her. “Sheriff Angela Zimmerman?”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s correct, but we’re waiting on three other men right now,” she said. “So I can’t give you access yet.”
“We came here under Commander Conrad’s instructions,” the head tech said, frowning at her.
“And I get that, but I still can’t give you access.” She gave him a cheery smile.
“Surely this isn’t a jurisdictional issue,” he said, his hands on his hips. “You don’t have the equipment or facilities to even begin to handle something like this.”
“You’re right,” she said, with a gentle nod. “Absolutely correct. And most of this stuff should go to Denver theoretically. The trouble is, I don’t know who I can trust at this point.” At that, she could see the shock rippling through the team, as they looked at each other, then looked at her. “You see? Some of this information leads right back to Denver and beyond,” she said. “So we have to make sure that this material stays in the right hands.”
“Well, that would be us. That was the whole point of us coming out here personally,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the vehicles.
“Yes, and maybe no,” she said, looking over at Bonaparte. “You want to keep him here for a few minutes.” He nodded, and she walked back inside. He didn’t know what she was doing but assumed she was probably checking to see where the hell Stone was. When the men started toward him, he held up a hand and said, “Uh-uh-uh.”
“Look. We came here to do this job,” he said. “If you want, we can call in our own bosses.”
“Oh, absolutely,” he said, “please do.” One of the men stepped off to the side, pulled out his phone, and made a call.
Bonaparte just waited because, of course, there would be a lot of official red tape and people who were really pissed off to get through to finally get anywhere.
“I don’t get it,” one of the other techs said. “Didn’t you call us?”
“Well, not necessarily,” Bonaparte said. “Somebody did. We just have to figure out who’s pulling the strings here.” As he watched the horizon, a cloud of dust rose, heading their way. He relaxed slightly, thinking it was Stone. But, as it got closer, he looked grim. No way that black smoky vehicle would be his guys. At least he didn’t think so, although it did have a government look to it. As it pulled up, a stranger hopped out.
“What’s going on?” asked the guy in the suit, eyeing six forensic techs standing idly on the front lawn.
“You know what’s going on,” Bonaparte said. “You’re not taking anything from this house.”
“No, that’s not quite true. I don’t know who you are,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “You may well be some big muscle-bound idiot,” he said, “but, in the end, you’re just a deputy. You have no authority here.”
At that, Angela stepped out from inside the living room. “No need to insult my deputy,” she said. “I’m the sheriff here, and this is my jurisdiction. Shall we discuss just what it is you’re trying to pull right now by showing up here?”
“You know exactly what I’m trying to pull,” he sneered.
She shook her head. “I really wouldn’t go there if I were you. You see? I’m looking to identify just who is crooked in Denver and participating in this scheme.”
At that, the techs stopped, looked at each other, and visibly stepped back, as if not wanting to get in the crosshairs.
The man glared at her. “You’re stepping into very big boots right now.”
“My boots are plenty big,” she said. “I’ve been on the job for a long time, and I’ve seen an awful lot of politicians come and go.”
He stood there, his hands on his hips, and said, “I can order you to stand down.”
“Well, you could,” she said, “except you’re not my boss.”
“You’re out of your jurisdiction.”
“No, this is very much my jurisdiction. And you’re not coming in this house until you are properly vetted and then cleared,” she said, her arms over her chest, as she stood at Bonaparte’s side.
“And who do you think you are to stop me?” he said. He looked over at the techs and said, “Get in there, and get your job done.”
The techs looked at each other, looked at Angela, then shook their heads. “No, sir, we don’t have her permission to enter.”
“You don’t need her permission.”
“Well, actually they do,” she said. “I have a legal and proper warrant for this property. Do you?”
He looked at her and said, “You do know we’re on the same side, do you not?”
“That hasn’t been determined yet. So get your own warrant,” she said smoothly. Glaring at her, he took a few steps to the side and pulled out his phone. He had a conversation that nobody could hear, but they saw his frustration, evident as he stormed around in a circle, waving his hands, as he tried to get the answers he wanted.
Bonaparte looked at her and said, “Wow, I never realized being a deputy was this much fun.”
She grinned. “Stick around, buddy,” she said. “I could show you all kinds of fun times.”
He stopped and looked at her. “Now, if only you meant that.”
She looked up at him and said, “Hey, you’re the one who promised me barbecued ribs and didn’t deliver.”
He groaned. “My poor ribs.”
“Will they be okay?” she asked, a bit worried.
“They’ll only get better,” he said.
“Good,” she said. “I doubt we’ll get out of here any time soon.”
“No, probably not,” he said, “and we could have Stone wanting ribs now.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” she said, “then we definitely don’t have enough. I know what that’s like. Stone eats everything, including the kitchen sink.”
Bonaparte burst out laughing at that, and all the techs stared at him sideways.
“We’ve got them flummoxed. You know that, right?” she murmured.
“Absolutely,” he said, “but you’re in the power of right.”
“Well, I hope so,” she said, “but I could lose that position very quickly.”
“Got it,” he said. “Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”
She pointed at a plume of dust down the road. “From the speed that vehicle is traveling,” she said, “what do you want to bet that’s Stone?”
“Moving that fast, it’s got to either be Stone or a h
elicopter,” he said. “Hey, maybe Levi flew in a team.”
“Nope, not a helicopter. Too bad,” she said. “I’m due for a visit with all those guys.”
“Hey, you could always come back with me afterward.”
“That might be a good deal too,” she said. “But when exactly is afterward?”
“When we get out of here,” he said, smiling.
“Not sure that’ll ever happen,” she said.
“For you, you mean? Don’t you get vacations?”
“Sure, I do. If I can take them,” she said. “But, right now, I don’t have anybody I can trust.”
“What about your hospital security guard?” he asked.
“Well, he’ll come on board as a deputy maybe,” she said. “I was just doing a security check on him and getting some details, before I stepped ahead with that one, before all hell broke loose around here. Clearly he wouldn’t be working as a security guard if he didn’t have a decent background behind him, but I just hadn’t quite gone that far.”
“Any hesitation?” he asked.
She thought about it and shook her head. “No,” she said, “he’s a good person.”
“And he’s not involved in any of this mess?”
“Well, not to my knowledge,” she said, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” he said, happy that the plume of dust approached at an even faster clip.
She smiled and said, “I’ll bet that’s Stone, and he just caught sight of people being here, and he’s trying to get here in time to lead the charge.”
Bonaparte laughed. “He does like being out front.”
“It’s not often that he goes in the field now,” she said. “Especially with his beautiful partner.”
“Yeah, that’s true enough too. Most of the guys are starting to be lazy asses, preferring to stay at home with their ladyloves.”
“I bet they’re not really lazy though,” she said, looking at him in mock horror.
“No, that doesn’t go down too well at the compound.”
“Of course not,” she said. “I know enough about Ice to understand there’s no room for lazy on any ship she is running.”
“That’s true, though things are very different now that she has a baby,” he said, but then he stopped and shook his head. “No, you know what? They’re really not different at all. She’s just as organized and on top of things as she always was. But there’s a certain softness to her that wasn’t there before.”
