by F J messina
Robbie took in a breath and turned to Brad. “She may have a point there.”
Brad’s head was slowly shaking back and forth. Sonia knew he was scrambling to find the one thing that could shoot down all of Sonia’s reasons.
Sonia beat him to the punch. “And come to think of it.” She stuck her chin out. “Why didn’t you call Robbie in sooner?”
Brad didn’t answer.
“No, come on.” She walked toward Brad, almost belligerent. “Answer my question. Why did you wait to call Robbie in on this whole thing?”
Brad’s voice was quiet, small. “Well, I’d gotten him involved in something else earlier.” He stopped.
Sonia wouldn’t let it go. “And?”
Brad stood up taller, spoke stronger. “And it turned out that I was wrong. And that brought down a bunch of shit on him. Screwed him up good.”
Sonia was winning this argument and she knew it. She glanced at Jet, who had been silent but following the verbal battle closely. She turned back to Brad. “And how would it look, now that Robbie has brought in DEA resources, if it turns out that Dimitrov owns Allegro Imports and that’s it? He just owns Allegro Imports. And the blond guy I saw that day on the farm isn’t Dimitrov at all. Do you want to arrest this guy, only to find out that we’re wrong about all of this? That you’ve dragged Robbie down the dumper again?” She brushed that wisp of hair out of her face─with energy.
Brad walked back toward his desk. He turned and leaned against it. He spoke softly. “No. No. That can’t happen.” He turned to Robbie. “What do you think?”
Robbie shrugged. “I think she’s got us, partner. I sure as hell don’t want another bust to go south on me. And she’s right. Hell, we’re looking at a blond guy, while we’re chasing someone with a woman’s name. And, we’ve made a bit of a leap from one black Lincoln to another as well. I think we go in there together and make sure we’re taking down the right guy.”
“Okay.” Brad’s voice tightened. “But she’s not coming any closer to these guys than absolutely necessary. She gets to come along, but only as far as it takes for her to ID Dimitrov as the guy who was there on the farm that day.” He looked at Sonia. “And no guns, okay?”
Sonia was about to argue when she felt Jet lean subtly against her. She glanced quickly at Jet and then turned back to Robbie. “And Jet comes too.”
Robbie took a deep breath and sighed. “And why is that?”
Sonia stuck her chin out again. “Because you need me, and I’m not going anywhere without her.”
Brad and Robbie exchanged glances, then Robbie spoke, looking directly at Jet. “You do understand that you’re doing this of your own free will and that if, God forbid, anything bad happens, the agency is taking no responsibility what-so-ever.”
Jet gave all three of them her biggest, warmest smile. “Oh, Colonel. You needn’t worry about little ol’ me.”
Sonia rolled her eyes and watched Brad and Robbie exchange a glance. Damn it, girl. Drop it. Sonia’s chocolate-brown eyes flashed Jet a warning. Let that go.
A car horn sounded outside the offices of Semper Fi Investigations.
Robbie looked around the room. “Okay, then. Let’s roll.”
Sonia grabbed Jet’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. She reached for her purse.
Brad stopped and gave Sonia the look. “No. Guns. Robbie and I go in. Both of you stay in the car. Something goes south, the two of you just get the hell out of there.”
Sonia hesitated, but it was too late to argue. She reached into her purse. She pulled out the emails and stuffed them into her jeans, leaving the purse, heavy with her Glock, on the floor. Jet followed suit. Then all four of them filed out of Brad’s office and into a big, black suburban. It struck Sonia that for all the movies and TV shows she’d watched, she’d never actually seen the inside of one of these vehicles, especially one that could carry them to a possible confrontation with some very bad people.
52
By seven-forty, the black, DEA Suburban was sitting across the street from the castle. They were hoping to see a black Lincoln approach from the east and turn onto Pisgah Pike, headed for Dahlia Farm. Brad and Robbie sat in the front seats, Sonia and Jet in the back.
Just a few minutes after they had settled in, Sonia looked forward between the two men. “Wait a minute. Who’s that?”
Robbie spoke first. “What?”
“That pickup truck, the one that’s just coming down Pisgah Pike. I’m sure that’s Steve Hollings’ truck.”
Jet leaned over and looked between the men as well. “Are you sure? How can you tell? It’s so dark.”
“Trust me.” Sonia watched the truck turn left toward town. “I watched that farm for days, and there’s enough light here for me to know one thing. That’s Steve Hollings’ truck. It’s the one with the roll bars behind the cab.”
Brad turned his head to follow the truck as well. “I thought your messages told them to meet at Dahlia Farm. Why would he be leaving now?”
“No.” Sonia’s voice was stern. “My message said, ‘Meet me at my place.’ We’re the ones who assumed it would be at the farm.”
“Could be Hollings’ home,” said Jet. “Couldn’t it?”
“Well, we can’t just let him drive away.” Robbie started the Suburban. “We’re just going to have to trust that Sonia is right about everything and follow this guy.” He touched the transmitter in his ear. “DEA unit six. You guys still on Dimitrov?”
Sonia couldn’t hear the response, but she could sense that the plan was still in place.
Robbie spoke again. “Looks like this whole thing may be going down somewhere other than Dahlia Farm. Just keep me informed on your end.”
The Suburban took off and followed Steve Hollings as he drove down Route 60, into town. After a few zig-zag turns, he stopped his car on Second Street, near the intersection with Spruce. Hollings got out of his car, looked around, then crossed the street. He turned around the corner of a long, one-story building and disappeared.
Sonia looked to her left and saw that Jet was already on her phone, using her Google Maps application. Jet whispered to herself. “247 East Second Street. Got it. Whoa!”
Sonia was trying, with no luck, to read the phone upside down. “Whoa, what?”
Jet looked at Sonia, then at the two faces that were looking back at her over their shoulders. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is the County Coroner’s Office.”
Robbie turned forward while Brad put his hand on the Suburban’s hefty door handle. “Here we go. You ladies stay in the car.”
Sonia’s hand shot out and grabbed Brad’s shoulder. “And how do I make a positive ID from inside the car? I’m going in. I’ve got to go in.” She felt Jet’s elbow poke her in the ribs. “We’ve got to go in.”
Brad hesitated, then let out a quick breath. “Okay, but just long enough to make the ID. Just as soon as we know it’s the right guy, you’re out of there. Got it? You go back to the car.”
Sonia responded softly. “Okay.”
Brad spoke pointedly. “Right now, stay behind us. You stay behind us. Got it?”
Sonia exchanged a look with Jet. She was determined to be a part of this, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t apprehensive. She was glad to do what Brad was asking.
The four of them crossed the street and turned the same corner Hollings had. Robbie silently pointed to another Suburban sitting across the road on Spruce Street. Sonia got the message. Those were Robbie’s agents. Then Sonia grabbed Brad’s elbow, stopping him in his tracks. She, too, pointed, this time at a black Lincoln parked further down Spruce Street.
“Is that the car?” Brad whispered.
Sonia shook her head. “Same kind, but I don’t think it’s the same one. That one looks a little different. Maybe he has a bunch of them.”
They moved on and came to an area lighted by a small outdoor lamp. Below the lamp was a metal door which had been propped open. Robbie turned to the group and nodded his head toward the door.
Here we go.
The foursome slipped through the metal door and moved as slowly and quietly as possible down several halls, finally, passing through double doors marked, “Medical Examiner.” They heard the muffled sounds of a conversation. Following those sounds, they found themselves standing outside another door, this one marked, “Autopsy.” It was wood and glass, with a small curtain over the window portion.
Brad whispered to Robbie. “Sounds like two males and a female.”
“Agreed.” Robbie leaned closer to the door, straining to hear more.
Suddenly, the conversation ratcheted up to a full-blown argument. Robbie pulled his weapon and held it down along his side. Brad followed suit. Robbie gave Brad the “Are-you-ready,” look.
Brad turned toward the girls but looked directly at Sonia. “Stay here. Stay put. When we get in there, I’m going to push that curtain aside. If Dimitrov is in there, don’t do anything. Just let us take care of it. If he’s not, if everything seems normal in there, you come in and keep us from doing something we’ll all regret.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, Colonel, we─”
“Shut up!” Brad whispered. The level of his intensity made it clear that he’d had enough of Jet’s southern drawl.
Sonia had had enough as well. This wasn’t play acting. This was real. This was the third life or death situation in which Sonia had found herself in the last week. Jet, it appeared, didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the moment.
Robbie tapped Brad on the arm. “Time to roll, buddy.” Without waiting for Brad’s response, Robbie stepped into the room, his weapon drawn but held behind his thigh.
Brad’s eyes bored into Sonia’s and gave her a look that clearly said, “You stay here.” He quickly followed Robbie into the room. Even though he was no longer a federal agent of any kind, he had his handgun drawn and hidden as well.
Things were starting to spin out of control for Sonia. On the one hand, she had been glad to acquiesce to Brad’s instructions and stay behind him─safe. On the other hand, as things were developing right in front of her eyes, she knew that she wanted to be with him, right beside him, his partner, bringing down the people who had killed─murdered─John Abbot Hensley.
Sonia wished she had her Glock, but she remembered clearly all the instruction she had received when getting her Concealed Deadly Weapons License. She knew she could only use her weapon to protect herself or someone who was in imminent danger. She was quite certain that helping Federal agents arrest criminal suspects didn’t qualify. She was also very clear on what her task was that evening─identifying Alexi Dimitrov as the man who had shown up on Dahlia Farm just before John Hensley was murdered.
Sonia all but held her breath as she heard Robbie’s voice ring out. “Federal agent. DEA. Everyone stay where you are!” She had to know what was going on in that room. Fortunately for her, it was only a moment before Brad subtly pushed the curtain away from the door’s window, exposing the entire scene. She could see that the three people inside the room stood stunned by the intrusion.
The autopsy room was just as Sonia expected it would be─cold, sterile. The trio inside stared at Robbie and Brad. Sonia recognized each of them: Steve Hollings, the farm manager, Dr. Xin Li, the Medical Examiner, and the man with the blond, slicked-back hair and the goatee, whom she now was quite certain was Alexi Dimitrov.
Dr. Li stepped forward. “I am Dr. Xin Li, the Medical Examiner. What is the meaning of this?”
“DEA investigation,” said Robbie, with his official voice turned onto ‘INTIMIDATION.’ His eyes scanned the room. “We’re just wondering what has brought you three together this evening. It’s a little late for office hours, don’t you think?”
Both Dimitrov and Hollings seemed to be content to let Xin Li do all the talking, and she responded. “We’re just discussing the possibility of re-opening the file of some unfortunate person who recently died in an automobile accident.”
“Well,” said Robbie, “I’m not going to ask you to go through the trouble of trying to flesh out that lie on the spot. Let me just ask this question. Which one of you is Sofia?”
Sonia could see the looks of fear that shot back and forth between the eyes of the trio. She whispered to Jet. “Clearly, these are our guys, but what is Dr. Li doing here?” She watched as Dimitrov, Hollings and Dr. Li drifted slowly apart. Dimitrov and Hollings moved outward, while Dr. Li remained in the center, standing in front of one of the ominous-looking metal autopsy tables.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The Medical Examiner stood tall, indignant.
“Fine then.” Robbie looked directly at Dimitrov. “Perhaps you could identify yourself, sir.”
The blond spoke with a heavily accented, smoky voice. “My name is Alexi Dimitrov. I’m a friend of Mr. Hollings and I am just here to help him with this matter.”
Robbie turned to Hollings. “And you, sir, are Steve Hollings, the farm manager at Dahlia Farm?”
Hollings just nodded, running his fingers through his hair. Sonia noted it was the same the movement she had observed on that fateful day.
Robbie’s eyes bore down on Hollings. “Isn’t that where John Abbott Hensley recently took his own life?”
“Yes,” said Hollings. Even from the hallway, Sonia could tell his mouth was so dry the word hardly came out.
Xin Li took a step forward and spoke dismissively. “Gentlemen, I did the autopsy on Mr. Hensley myself, and if you are implying that something else happened to Mr. Hensley I would direct you to the report I filed with the Coroner’s Office. That report indicated there were absolutely no signs of any foul play as regards Mr. Hensley’s death.”
“Well, I hate to disappoint you all,” Robbie almost chuckled. Sonia could tell he was enjoying himself. “But it seems that we have reason to disagree. You see, we’re quite certain that Mr. Dimitrov, here, is a central figure in a huge drug operation, an operation that has a sophisticated email network that we’ve infiltrated. In that system, we believe Mr. Dimitrov uses the code name, Sofia.” He turned his attention to Hollings, who was sweating profusely. “We think that Mr. Hollings is in charge of the Lexington branch of this fine business endeavor. We’re quite certain that he uses the code name, Forty.” Sonia saw Hollings’ head whip around and look at Dr. Li.
Turning to Xin Li, Robbie said, “And you, Dr. Li. You’re a bit of a surprise to us. But now that I think about it, what better way to have a murder declared a suicide than to get the Medical Examiner in on the whole thing. I’ll bet they paid you a pretty penny to come on board at the last minute and help them out with this.”
Dr. Li took another step forward, her hands balled into fists at her side, her severe bangs and wireless glasses matching perfectly the intense pitch of her voice. “This is absolutely absurd.”
Fully aware that at any moment the tension inside might explode, Sonia swept the autopsy room with her eyes. Suddenly, she whispered to herself. “Oh, my God.”
Jet leaned closer. “What? What is it?”
“Look at her desk.” Sonia pointed through the window. “The nameplate on her desk. Dr. Xin Li. It’s her. She’s Forty.”
Jet craned her neck. “What?”
“Xin Li. She’s Forty. Someone’s got to tell Brad. She’s Forty.”
The conflicting forces crashing in Sonia’s heart and mind came together in one great crescendo. Torn between not wanting to hurt Brad by putting herself in danger, and not wanting to fail Brad by withholding the information he needed─torn between being the good little Italian girl the nuns had trained to obey instructions at all costs and exercising the new-found strength she had acquired from all she had experienced in the last few days and weeks─torn between real fear of the dangerous situation in the room and her desire to do the right thing─she opened the door and stepped in.
53
Every head in the room spun around. Their eyes landed on Sonia simultaneously. There were only two eyes that concerned Sonia, however, and they were bright blue.
They were also more than not pleased.
“Brad. Brad. Wait.” Her voice was full of energy. “You’ve got to know this.” Sonia pointed at the nameplate on Dr. Li’s desk. “Look. She’s Forty. It’s right there. She’s Forty.”
Brad and Robbie spoke almost simultaneously. “What?”
“Look. Xin Li. Her initials. They’re XL.”
Brad looked at her, his brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?” His voice cut with a sharp edge.
“Don’t you see, XL?”
“Forty.” The sound came from behind Sonia. “Forty, in Roman numerals.”
Sonia turned and realized that Jet had entered the room as well. She turned back and looked imploringly at Brad. “Xin Li. She’s Forty. She’s the one in charge here in town.” Then Sonia turned to Dr. Li. “You’re the one who used that code name, the one who received the emails.”
The Medical Examiner shook her head vehemently. “I have no idea about your email system. Or your so-called code names.” She held out her hands toward her colleagues. “Neither, I’m sure, do these men” She waved both hands in a dismissive gesture.” Leave my office immediately. I’m calling the police.”
“Go ahead.” Sonia stepped out in front of Robbie. “I just happen to have copies of those very emails right here.” Pulling the folded copies of the emails out of the back pocket of her jeans, she walked over to Dr. Li, wagging them in the Medical Examiner’s face.
