I looked back at the pad of paper with its odd circles, lines, and even a few stick-figure people along the margins. Then I wrote at the bottom of the pages, something I was avoiding: Was a cop involved?
Chapter Forty-One
CHARLIE
Tuesday, 9:38 p.m.
Surprised to realize I’d spent an hour writing notes while sitting on the floor in the hallway, I climbed up from the floor, careful of my knee as I did so. The icepack had left a wet spot on my pant leg. I tucked the pen in my pocket, the pad of paper under my arm, then picked up the icepack and my empty dessert bowl. The bowl had been filled with a hot fudge brownie sundae which I’d devoured in seconds. Carrying my loot into Baker’s office, I set the icepack and bowl in the bar’s sink, then tore out the used pages in the notepad. I carried the sheets of paper to the shredder, and seconds later, an hour’s worth of thinking was split into thin strips, then crosscut into confetti.
“Paranoid, much?” Ryan asked from across the room.
“Best to be safe. Some of my theories are a little controversial.” I walked over to the couch. Throwing myself into the soft leather, I leaned my head back. “I need a nap.”
“Take one,” Wild Card said. “I’ll wake you when Owen Flint shows. Maggie’s already in position to play bait.”
I looked over and saw that an entire section of monitors had been moved. Wild Card sat in a cushioned chair positioned in front of the arranged monitors. They displayed various angles of The Parlor. Maggie was on one screen, sitting with a martini at the bar. Bridget and Bones were on another screen, pushing food around on plates, neither eating. Jackson, Trigger, and Spence sat at a table near the corner, drinking beer.
“Where’s Evie?” I asked, looking around.
“She’s in my suite,” Baker answered without looking up from his paperwork.
“I’m still not happy about the change,” Kelsey’s voice said from a laptop next to Wild Card.
“I don’t care,” I said loud enough for the mic to capture my voice. “We’re not risking Evie’s safety.”
“You should’ve called me so we could discuss it.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. Let it go, Kelsey.” I leaned my head back again. I really did need another nap, I thought as my eyes closed.
~*~*~
“Wake up,” Spence said, shoving my shoulder.
One eye opened, then the other. I blinked a few times, focusing on my surroundings. “What time is it?”
“Half past eleven,” Wild Card answered as he dragged a desk chair over. “Owen never showed.”
I sat forward on the couch, tossing the blanket covering me to the floor. I raked both hands through my hair, trying to pull my brain out of the fog. Spence nudged my shoulder again. Looking up, I took the cup of coffee he held out for me and wrapped both hands around the warm mug. I held it under my nose to smell the fresh brew while it cooled enough to drink. “How’d your meeting go?” I asked him.
“Interesting,” he answered with a slight smirk. “Mickey’s got balls. He called the mysterious suppliers who work with the Jameson crew. They import through Cuba, not Mexico. And they said they weren’t connected to the hit on Roseline.” Spence sat on the arm of the couch, one foot propped on the edge of the coffee table. “For what it’s worth, Mickey believed them. The suppliers said they don’t sweat their dealers getting arrested. And if they did feel intervention was necessary, they’d take out the dealers, not a witness.”
“That makes sense,” Maggie said from the chair next to me. “It’s easier to kill the dealers than a federally protected witness. And law enforcement doesn’t get as jumpy when the scumbags are knocked off.”
“But then where does that leave us?” Wild Card asked. “Who hired the hit, then?”
I looked over at Spence. He continued smirking, but didn’t say anything.
“Do we need to talk in private?”
“Not if you can read between the lines.” Spence reached down and picked up the blanket, folding it before placing it on the side table. “I asked Mickey about that other thing. His interest was immediately perked. He remembered the arrest. And the reason Mickey remembered it was because of the surprisingly low quantity of drugs reported with the arrest. The guy arrested handled restocking the street dealers, so he transported large quantities. But the evidence in his arrest was minimal. A few small baggies of marijuana, two vials of coke, and a few pill bottles.”
My brain caught up to what he was saying. “Flying under the radar for trafficking narcotics.”
“Exactly. The difference between a five-year sentence and a thirty-year sentence.”
I didn’t like the direction this case was turning. “I don’t know about you, but if I had to choose between keeping my mouth shut or serving an extra twenty-five years in prison, my lips would be glued together so tight you couldn’t pry them loose with a crowbar.”
“That would be my play.”
Maggie stood, crossing her arms over her chest. “At any point in the near future are either of you going to share with the group?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. You’d ask me how I got the lead, and I can’t divulge my source.” I reached over and grabbed my phone from the coffee table. I had three text messages from Quille and a voicemail from Kelsey.
I read Quille’s text messages. Message one: No other calls were received on the phone number we have for Roseline. Message two: My wife is pissed. Message Three: Are you going to answer me?
The fact that no other calls had come in on Roseline’s phone could be for two reasons. One, she had another phone we didn’t know about. This was a realistic possibility being she was in witness protection. Or reason number two, Sue Dodd, the manager at the truck stop, lied to me. The second reason couldn’t be ignored.
I texted back: Meet me at the mansion at midnight. Have a judge on speed dial and dress for a raid.
Next, I texted Uncle Hank: Wake up any cops still at mansion and be ready in 30. Dress in darks and carry your badge.
Uncle Hank replied seconds later: We’ll be ready.
I didn’t feel like listening to my voicemail, so instead I asked Wild Card, “What does Kelsey want?”
“To ask if you’re ready for the B&E tonight,” Wild Card answered. “And probably to grill you with a million questions to prove it.”
I looked at Garth, who nodded, letting me know the car had been acquired. I looked back at Wild Card. “Change in plans. I’m not going to the B&E.”
“Kelsey’s going to be pissed,” Ryan said with only a hint of a smirk.
“Tough. Kelsey can run the B&E remotely. She’s done it a hundred times. Bones, Bridget, and Trigger, you’ll take the dentist office job tonight. The car you need is parked on the second floor in the parking ramp. Keys are above the visor. And don’t tell Kelsey about the change in plans until you’re onsite and ready to roll. I don’t want her trying to rush to the scene just because I’m not there.” I used my hand to rub my eyes, mentally walking through their job. “You’ll need to dump the car after the job, so wear gloves. Garth can show you on a map the best places.”
“Got it,” Bridget said. “I’ll go change.”
Trigger followed Garth over to a desk as Baker pulled out a map.
I stood and stretched my arms over my head. “Everyone else—except Maggie—can call it a night. I’ll only be taking law enforcement with me.”
“You still need a bodyguard,” Bones said.
“Anyone who’s with me tonight will be officially on the record. That means subject to a subpoena to testify if deemed necessary. Anyone really want to take that on?”
Maggie, Bones, Jackson, and Ryan all pointed to Wild Card.
Wild Card shrugged. “Badge or not, you still need someone watching your six. And I don’t mind testifying.”
“He’s actually pretty good at it,” Maggie said, giggling. “Entertaining as hell.”
“Fine,” I said, not having enough energy to argue. “But that’s it. No
more bodyguards. I’ll need to keep a low profile tonight.”
“Take Beast, too,” Spence said. “He’d be happy to testify if needed. And he’s okay-ish at keeping a low profile.”
An image of Beast sitting in the witness chair flashed in my brain. “And if I don’t agree?”
Spence shrugged. “Then expect to see me in your rearview mirror.”
Wild Card’s head snapped in Spence’s direction. “That’s a good idea.”
“What?” I asked. “Taking Beast?”
“No, well yes, taking Beast is a good idea, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. Let’s have Spence hang back tonight and see if he catches anyone following you.”
“Wouldn’t work. This guy’s trained.”
“I’ve got a bag full of equipment,” Trigger said, turning back toward us. “We could put a tracker on your car. Spence can hang back a good mile or two if needed.”
“I can drive your truck, instead of mine,” Spence said. “He’s not likely to know about your Toyota.”
“I drove my rental,” Ryan said. “I’ll take turns with Spence approaching and falling back to see if we spot anyone. It beats heading back to the mansion and being bored.”
“And we—” Wild Card pointed between him and me “—can take my rental. It already smells like ode de la Beast.”
“I’m not ready to call it a night either,” Jackson said. “I’ll play lookout for the B&E.”
“Great. We have a plan,” Maggie said, slapping her hands together. “Now, as for clothes. I packed suits, swim suits, and designer wear. I didn’t plan on midnight escapades, so what am I going to wear?”
“Definitely not designer wear,” I told her. “We’ll be creeping around in the dark.”
“Maggie’s about the same size as Evie,” Baker said, walking toward his suite. “I’ll ask to borrow some clothes.” The way he hurried into the next room, I suspected he’d been waiting for an excuse to check on Evie.
I shook my head. “Those with me, we’ll regroup at the mansion. I’m going to change before I leave, so I’ll meet you there.”
“That’s too bad,” Spence said, eyeing my body. “I kind of like the romper.”
I started for the door, commenting over my shoulder, “If you catch Mr. Tricky for me tonight, maybe I’ll reward you by wearing it again sometime.”
Chapter Forty-Two
KELSEY
Wednesday, 12:05 a.m.
I fisted my hands as my anger sparked. “What do you mean, Charlie’s not coming?” I asked over my mic.
“She had another mission tonight,” Bridget answered. “We’re good, though. We have a three-man team—Trigger, Bones, and I—to enter the building. And as a bonus, Jackson’s parked down the street as lookout.”
“Yo,” Jackson said over his mic.
“Charlie should’ve called me so I could plan the job without her. This wasn’t the plan!”
“Get over it. Plans change,” Bones said. “We doing this or what?”
“I can’t believe she did this.”
“Hey, Boss,” Trigger said. “You know something we don’t about this job?”
Was there something different? I asked myself. On numerous occasions I’d sent Trigger and Bridget into buildings just like this one. The fact that the building was used to lure women into the world of sex trafficking was the only real difference. And Bones was with them. I trusted him to keep them safe. They were right, we didn’t need Charlie. But she’d agreed to do the job, and now she was off doing…
Ah, I thought. There’s the problem. I don’t know what she’s doing. She’s off my radar.
“Boss?” Trigger said.
“The job’s a go. But does anyone know where Charlie went?”
“She’s doing cop shit,” Bones answered. “She has at least five badges with her, plus Wild Card and Beast.”
“Okay. I’ll call her later, but you guys have a green light. Tech’s tapped into the city’s camera system, but none of the cameras are installed on your block. We’ll only be able to see cars entering from two blocks north of your location, and about three blocks out on the other three sides. Having Jackson play lookout was a good idea.”
Tech reached over and unmuted his headset. “Inventory check. Tasers?”
“Check,” Bridget and Trigger responded.
“Zip cuffs?”
“Check.”
“Surveillance equipment backpack?”
“Check.”
“B&E fanny packs?”
“Check.”
“What the hell’s a B&E fanny pack?” Bones asked.
Tech ignored him. “Body Cams turned on?”
Two monitors in front of Tech lit up—Bridget and Trigger’s cams. The third screen stayed dark.
“Bones,” I said, leaning against the post in the tiki lounge. “Turn your camera on or you’re off this op.”
“Told you,” Bridget said, giggling.
“How is wearing a body cam for a B&E a good idea?” Bones argued.
“It’s a secure connection,” Tech said. “No worries, man. The feed is encrypted to ensure I have full control over the data. But it comes in handy for us to be able to see shit on our end.”
Bones sighed, but the third monitor lit up.
“Sensor scan,” Tech ordered.
“Scan clear,” Trigger said, holding the heat scanner in front of his body cam so we could see that there wasn’t a significant heat signature coming from inside the building.
“You guys have a body heat scanner?” Bones asked.
Everyone ignored Bones.
“Ready?” I asked
“Ready to roll,” Bridget answered.
“Locked, loaded, and amped,” Trigger answered.
“This is ridiculous. Can we just go, already?” Bones asked.
“Watch for squatters in the building next door,” I said. “They’re not likely to call the police, but you never know. Eyes open. Team Kelsey is a go.”
Bones’ cam jetted up and down as he jogged down the sidewalk and snuck into the alley around the corner.
Bridget giggled as she and Trigger walked casually down the sidewalk before turning into the alley. Bones stood annoyed, with his hands perched on hips, as he waited for them.
Trigger walked over next to the dumpster and interlocked his fingers. Bridget placed her left foot in his hands and with his help, sprang upward, landing on top of the dumpster. By the time Trigger climbed on top, Bridget had the window open and he followed her inside. Bones’ body cam showed he was still standing in the alley as Bridget and Trigger’s cams split off into different rooms.
“You joining them, Bones?” I asked. “Or are you going to just hang out in the alley?”
“I’m starting to wonder if they even need me.”
“They don’t. But you standing in a dark alley staring at an open window looks suspicious, don’t you think?”
His cam showed him climbing onto the dumpster, then sliding through the window. I pulled a chair over next to Tech and watched all three monitors with him. Tech turned one of the far screens my way and pointed.
“Jackson,” I called. “Black and white just entered the neighborhood from the north. We can’t tell which direction he’ll go.”
“Got it. No headlights visible yet. Wait. I see them. Looks like they’re working a grid. They’re moving east now.”
“Tech?”
“On it.” Tech slid his chair back to reach for a nearby laptop, which he moved to his lap. After some fast keyboard work, he unmuted his headset, and said, “There’s a man with a beard running around my backyard. I think he’s nude! Can you send a police officer? I live at…”
I stopped listening. I knew from experience, the voice the 911 operator was hearing was being altered by voice alteration software. Tech usually picked the little old lady voice because it tended to get the quickest police response.
“I see blue lights and hear a siren,” Jackson said. “Sounds like they’re moving out
of the area.”
“Nice job, Tech,” I said. “Bridget and Trigger, am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”
“Yeah, Boss,” Bridget said. “We are several days too early for the party. Everything is still packed up or covered in plastic.”
“Do the best you can. We might not get another chance. Bones, you’ll need to help them dig through the mess and then restack everything.”
“What about the power booster for the waiting room camera?” Bridget asked. “Without the booster, the recorder battery only has a three-day shelf life. If we hook it up now, it’ll be dead by the time they’re open for business.”
“Damn,” I said, standing to pace. “Give me a minute.”
I turned to pace the other direction, but saw Whiskey standing next to me. He smiled as he sipped his coffee. He was wearing loud Bermuda shorts, a black tank top, and neon green flip flops.
“Were you listening?”
He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “You don’t need the booster if you hardwire your camera to a direct power source. Want me to walk Bridget through it?”
“How long will it take?”
“Twenty, maybe thirty, minutes.”
I walked over and grabbed another earpiece from the coffee table, handing it to Whiskey. “Bridget, Whiskey’s going to walk you through hardwiring our power.”
“Sweet,” Bridget said, giggling. “On the job training.”
“Bones,” Whiskey said over the mic. “Grab that small desk light in front of you on your right. Cut the cord off for Bridget.”
In Bones’ camera, we saw him reach out and grab the lamp. He looked over at Trigger’s body cam, then down at his own. “This is so weird,” Bones said to the camera before he cut the cord on the desk light and handed the remains to Trigger.
“Trigger,” I said, getting his attention. “Put the lamp by the exit window. You’ll need to take it with you. Best if its owner thinks it was lost during the remodel. Then hurry it up and get the rest of the equipment installed.”
Hunt and Prey (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 8) Page 29
