“Nope. And now the number is calling Marie’s phone.” Pierre watched the pen register while Dix looked out the car windshield, hopeful Marie would appear from the safe house.
Pierre continued, “Ok, looks like it went to voicemail. I’ve been working on the number calling Marie’s phone, and I have a search warrant for it. I’ll get it to the phone company and try to get the pen register and pings going for that phone as well.”
Dix smiled. “Damn buddy, you’re good. Excellent work. Let’s see where these phones take us. So far, we’ve got nothing out here. Did the cell towers indicate the phone was close to us?”
“Sure did, and the pings are up and I’m sending them to your cell phone through email. The first one is a six-meter ping at the house you guys are sitting on!” Pierre slapped his knee and smiled.
“Oh damn, that’s great!” Dix replied excitedly. “Keep me posted, Pierre.” He hung up and shared the update with Frazier and the surveillance team.
The units in the area found new energy based on Dix’s update. They had been a bit on edge because they all began to assume a notorious assassin was close by. None of the men on the team had ever investigated someone like Marie, but they were anxious to see her and hopefully apprehend her. They knew what she had done and what she was capable of doing. It was understood among the surveillance team that the Praying Mantis would never get close enough to harm Petersen. Actually ensuring this had more than a couple of them nervous as hell.
Frazier turned to Dix. “All right, what’s the game plan? She’s gotta be in the house and she’s not going to go down without a fight.”
Dix nodded. “I agree. She’s more than a handful. I think we have the best opportunity arresting her when she comes out and gets into one of the cars out front.” Dix would have normally liked to take a suspect who was in a house down inside the house to keep them contained. However, this was different. He assumed Marie would be inside and armed for a war. He thought she’d have the place booby-trapped, and he didn’t want to risk another injury—or death.
“I don’t know about that. She sees us, and she’s gonna flee. Then we’ll have a pursuit that could get bloody real quick,” replied Frazier.
“I know, but I think the house is booby-trapped and I’m guessing she’s got a ton of weapons in there. I think we have a better shot of taking her on out of her element.”
Frazier shook his head and rubbed his chin. “You’re probably right. Either way, we have a real shit sandwich on our hands. I don’t want to send our guys in blind, but I also don’t want to chase her all over town. She’s too good and I’m thinking she might get away again.” Frazier already had one run in with Marie and it didn’t go so well. It had left a foul taste in his mouth. He be damned if she did it again to him.
“I don’t feel good about it either, but I don’t see another option.” The two continued to stare out of their vehicle and tried to hash out some sort of game plan. They figured they needed Marie alive and it was best to let her come out of the house and then try to take her down—hopefully without killing her. Dix and Frazier updated the surveillance units of their plan.
One by one, each member carefully dressed in their raid gear and covered up with a plain shirt to try to conceal their identities. Feelings of stress and anxiety were obvious among the team members. It was close to show time and the team members were fixing for a shootout. They knew the objective was to apprehend the suspect, but every bone in their body told them she was going to shoot it out with them once they tried to apprehend her.
Dix was about to confirm everyone’s location and status on the radio when he noticed the front door of the target house open. His heart stopped and he motioned slowly toward the door to Frasier.
A person stepped out of the house wearing all black clothing and a backpack. Neither Dix nor Frazier could tell if it was a female, let alone if it was Marie.
Frazier opened his radio microphone and gave the update. His voice cracked. He was nervous as hell about what he thought might come next.
The person got into a blue Honda Civic in the driveway, the brake lights came on, and the car began to back up. Dix felt his pulse racing and noticed it was about time for another ping for the target telephone to come up on his cell phone. He texted the word “moving” to Pierre. The blue Honda rolled down the street and the surveillance team slowly began to follow the vehicle.
“Car made a southbound turn on La Mesa. Next unit up ID?” Dix said calmly into the radio.
“One Nora 51. I’ve got the vehicle, three for cover.”
Dix felt his stomach flutter. He told one unit to stay back at the house in case this person they were following wasn’t Marie. Within a minute, he received an alert on his cell phone for the GPS coordinates of the target telephone. The map coordinates indicated the target phone had moved, and it was a few blocks in front of Dix.
“Okay guys, keep it real loose and cool. Target telephone is in the blue Honda, I repeat, the target telephone is in the blue Honda. Once everyone is within a half block, we need to stop the car and detain whoever is in it.” Dix subconsciously assumed a shootout would be the outcome of a traffic stop. He didn’t want that to happen, but such things are inevitable, he thought.
Slowly the blue Honda was followed out of Las Vegas and headed toward Pahrump.
Dix and Frazier cringed as they recalled the incident with the dead brothers in Pahrump. Dix wasn’t sure if the driver was in fact Marie, but he couldn’t get too close to scaring her or alert her that she was being followed. The team drove for almost an hour on full alert.
There was no opportunity to box the car in and take down the subject inside. Dix caught himself biting his nails. He received a text from Pierre confirming he also believed the phone being used by Marie was nearing Pahrump.
Frazier drove past the sign for the city of Pahrump. The car pulled into a gas station.
“Okay guys, we’re gonna take the person down as they exit the gas station. Take up compass points and be ready. One Nora 51, 43, 45, and myself with Frazier will attempt to make the car stop.” Dix began to perspire and noticed his leg quickly bouncing up and down. His anxiety levels were higher than they had been in years.
The person exited the car and Dix watched as long hair fell out of the jacket hood. He almost yelled out loud that it was Marie.
“Driver is out, it’s a female. We have to assume this is the Praying Mantis. Make sure you guys are smart about this,” Dix relayed to his team.
The woman walked into the gas station store and disappeared out of sight.
Dix and Frazier positioned their vehicle directly in front of the subject’s vehicle, while two more surveillance units pulled up as if they were going to pump gas at the adjoining pumps. They’d effectively boxed in the blue Honda, but made it appear as if they were just getting gas.
Dix watched as the female subject exited the convenience store and walked back toward the blue Honda. He noticed the backpack was missing, but didn’t know what that meant. The woman seemed nonchalant and not aware that she had been surrounded by law enforcement. But then she stopped and began looking around.
Dix blurted out, “Uh oh, I think she made us.” He wanted to move in, but he wasn’t in the driver’s seat. He thought about jumping out and running the last thirty yards right at Marie. He did not think all of the people in the surveillance team or the bystanders were prepared for what he assumed would happen next.
The woman retrieved a firearm quicker than Dix had ever seen and started firing at the two agents pumping gas. One round hit one of the guys in the shoulder, dropping him to the ground. The other guy tried to grab cover behind his vehicle. The woman produced a second firearm and a smoke grenade. She lobbed the grenade and continued to fire toward the gas pumps.
Dix made eye contact with the woman and knew instantly she was the Praying Mantis. He thought she smiled at him then she began shooting toward him.
“All units move in!” he screamed into the radio.
“Follow the gunshots! She’s pushing out toward the hills.” Dix jumped out of the car just as Frazier skidded to a halt. He scanned the area desperately looking for Marie. He heard gunshots just to his right and he started running that way. As he cleared the corner of the convenience store a loud boom filled his ears and intense heat caught him from his backside. One of the cars near the gas tanks had ignited. Dix checked himself and pushed on. He was in a panic. He could not let Marie get away. Petersen was the only thing on his mind.
The wind shifted, pushing the smoke away from Dix. He noticed three of the surveillance team members to his right and left. They’d taken cover behind a trailer and an abandoned tractor. They had long rifles and were scanning the area for the suspect.
“We’ve got one man down, but he’ll survive. Medics are on their way, code three. Dix, you gotta get her!” Frazier said over the radio. He’d been able to get the two agents away from the pumps prior to the explosion.
Dix scanned the area and thought hard as to where he’d run if his life depended on it. A few spots looked pretty good. He motioned to his team to start moving forward. Dix relied on his combat training and the time he’d spent in wars to help drive him toward a known serious threat. It’s either her or Petersen, and I’ll be damned if it’s gonna be Steve.
“Dix, I’ve got a helicopter and the cavalry coming. Sit tight, we’ll get her, there’s nowhere to go out there,” Frazier reasoned over the radio.
“Copy that,” replied Dix.
His team stopped moving when they heard Dix reply. He looked at them and shook his head. His face was grim. He pushed forward and his team followed. He wanted to track her down and arrest her, but a constant nagging voice suggested he shoot her on sight. It was a reminder of how this case forced him to consider each moment how to remain professional. The surveillance team knew what they were in for, but they knew this was for Dix; a man they admired and knew would take a bullet for each one of them. It was time to repay what he’d done for all of them throughout his entire career.
The team came upon a series of abandoned buildings. They formed two small diamond-shaped groups and split up to search and clear the buildings. Dix posted up on a small wooden box and scanned the area with his AR-15. He looked back at the men and shook his head indicating he didn’t see anything. As he looked down at his rifle he saw blood on the box. He checked himself and noticed he was not bleeding. He chuckled.
In a whisper he said over the radio, “Suspect’s been hit. Be careful, she’s gonna fight this out and not go willingly.”
One by one the team members nodded their heads indicating they received the update. Slowly they searched each room, each corner, and each little hiding place.
As the team made it to the last building, Dix could see the door window had been broken. He stopped and motioned for everyone to surround the last trailer. Then he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. He needed Marie alive, but he was sure she’d kill herself before giving up. The melodic sound of helicopter blades could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from the last trailer.
“Someone’s in the last trailer. All units remain on perimeter, but tighten up and use cover. We’re gonna try to talk her out,” Dix said. He began to wonder why Marie would stop here, and why she wouldn’t press further into the hills. It wasn’t like her to stand her ground when she had an option to run. He could see his team was moving closer into position around the trailer and decided he should move up too.
As he came out from cover, he saw the large floodlight from the helicopter backlighting him and his heart jumped in his throat. His will to survive would not allow him to freeze in his tracks. He saw two shadows behind him, and knew the other one had to be Marie. In an instant, Dix spun to the ground and fired off two rounds at the figure lurking in the shadows.
The figure screamed out, “Fuck you, Dix!” In the same instant, the figure fired wildly back where he’d been a moment before; however, he’d already moved and was behind Marie. With agility and speed he jumped a boulder and wrapped his arms around Marie in an effort to place a carotid chokehold on her. It was difficult based on the large jacket hood and the fact she was thrashing about violently.
Marie ripped at Dix’s hair and head butted him backwards, but he refused to let go.
You can’t have me or my friend, he thought. His nose began to bleed and his left eye started to swell shut from the head butt blows. Eventually, the chokehold worked and Marie lost consciousness and fell limp. Dix quickly placed her in handcuffs and lay next to her in agonizing pain. He fumbled for his radio, but couldn’t find it.
The helicopter pilot had heard and seen the gunshots and highlighted Dix’s location with the spotlight.
The team rushed over to check on them.
Marie was just coming to, and had a pretty bad gunshot wound to her left leg. She got her bearings about herself, saw Dix, and spit at him.
“Marie, you’re the toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever met. You and I are gonna have a little talk, but for now, let’s get that leg looked at.” Dix winked at Marie. It was a sarcastic wink as he’d been flanked and nearly killed by her.
The rest of the surveillance team pinned Marie down as her face turned red from rage.
“Fuck you Dix, you cock sucker! I’ll kill you the first chance I get. I’m gonna do it, not him!” Marie instantly recognized that she’d slipped in her tirade, but at that very moment she didn’t care. Three men held her down and she knew she had been shot, but she felt like a caged animal and wrestled and writhed with them trying to break free. Eventually fatigue took over her body, and her muscles ached and burned. The medical personnel were finally able to strap her to a medical gurney for transport to a hospital.
Some of the team members laughed and scoffed at Marie while high-fiving each other for apprehending the assassin, but they knew she meant what she had said. None of them wished to be in Dix’s shoes.
The paramedic checked on Dix, but he refused medical attention. He was too busy trying to figure out who he was that Marie had been talking about.
Two agents were placed in the ambulance with Marie, and the rest of the team, including the helicopter, followed the ambulance to the hospital. The locals had apprehended the Praying Mantis, but instead of feeling happiness, they were terrified of what exactly to do with her next.
Chapter 29:
The safe house seemed business as usual to Blass. He drove around the area twice looking for anything that didn’t fit the neighborhood. He texted Marie, and again, no response. Blass noticed the cold-plated Honda Civic was gone and assumed Marie was out and about. She’s probably scouting the hospital where Dix’s partner is, he thought. Although he loved her tenacity, he was beginning to get upset that she wasn’t answering his texts or phone calls. He pulled over to dial her again and noticed a car that seemed out of place. It had tinted windows and was parked a little off the curb. He recognized the slanted position would allow a person in the car a much better view of the front of the safe house. What do we have here? he wondered.
Blass needed to know if this was just him overreacting, or if the safe house was no longer safe. He stepped out of his vehicle and walked along the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the suspicious car. He looped around a block away and made sure he could walk by the car with a clear view inside of it. If someone was inside, he’d note it, run the license plate through a friend of his, and decide what, if anything, needed to be done.
After he crossed the street, Blass’s angle better provided him a clear line of sight into the suspicious car. He pulled out his cell phone and prepared to take a picture as he walked by. Sometimes the human eye misses stuff in plain sight. He walked slowly, looked in the car as he strolled by, and snapped two photos with his smart phone. His palms
felt slightly clammy and he noticed his breathing became heavy as he got closer to the car. A subtle glance into the passenger side of the car revealed nothing useful. Blass continued to walk around the neighborhood and eventually hopped back into his car. He turned his attention back to Marie.
He was about to dismiss the car completely until he checked the photos in his cell phone. It almost looked like a person was in the backseat, covered up by a blanket. That’s strange, he thought. He peered at the photo trying to justify what he thought he was seeing. He examined the photo further and thought he saw a curly black cord running from the front passenger seat to the area near the blanket. Son of a bitch, that’s a radio microphone cord. Blass cursed out loud and realized the safe house’s cover was blown. He dialed a number to one of his nefarious suppliers.
“Is everything okay?” Blass asked the man.
“Yeah, why? I’ve got the things she asked for and I’m just waiting for a call,” replied the supplier who’d spoke to Marie earlier. He thought Blass sounded a bit nervous, which was completely unexpected because the guy has always been as cool as the other side of a pillow.
Blass relaxed some. “Okay, there’s at least one cop outside the safe house. I need the house to burn up sooner rather than later. Get it done by tonight, you got it?” Blass was back to barking orders and confident as ever.
“There’s a lot of good stuff in there. Are you sure—I could clean it out then torch it?” asked the supplier.
“Leave it and burn it all. Tonight.” Blass rolled his eyes and wondered who or what had led the police to the house. He hoped burning it down would cripple their investigation. It would also buy him more time to set up another house in the area.
He kept his eyes on the undercover police car, but turned his attention to Marie. He called her number and it went straight to voicemail. He texted her, “Stop fucking around M. We need to talk ASAP. Cops around THE house. Meet up in 30 minutes at location number two.” Blass was pretty sure telling Marie they needed to talk, meet up, and there were cops around the safe house would get her to respond. It was not like her not to respond. Then Blass wondered, did Marie fuck up and get herself killed? Or worse, captured? A chill traveled down his spine. Marie being caught would be very bad for him and the business. She wouldn’t talk, but eventually, she might get vindictive, and the gloves would come off then. Blass decided he needed to find Marie instead of flying back to Canada. He grumbled as he dialed the number to his private pilot. Deep down, he knew something had happened to Marie. His opinion about whether she would talk began to waver, and he felt his ulcer kick in. He rubbed his stomach, more nervous than he’d been in a long time.
Sin City Assassin (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 3) Page 11
