Bloody Basin

by John R Cuneo

  The young man, lying on his bed, watched as Fena quickly put on her clothes and headed toward the apartment door. “What about me?” he yelled.

  Fena answered, “See you tomorrow, baby,” as she unlocked the door and stepped through. The young man looked down at his still-hard cock, reached down, and removed the elastic strap Fena had placed there. Throwing the strap across the room, he said to himself, “That’s a dirty deal.”

  Chapter 15

  Turns Heads And Takes Cash

  After enjoying a quiet dinner with Tom, Carolyn and I drove back to the ranch and looked forward to our first night of sleeping in the newly remodeled cabin. We were waiting until tomorrow morning to unload the truck and place the first boxes into the underground storage bunker. As we entered the cabin, we could feel that the newly installed furnace was working perfectly, and we felt the initial blast of warm air on our faces as we entered through the back door and made our way into the kitchen area. I turned on the lights.

  “Your remodelers did a beautiful job in here. It actually looks like a brand-new kitchen!” Carolyn commented. “It does look nice,” I told her as we made our way farther into the cabin. Then it dawned on me that with all the remodeling, the new windows, the new furnace, and, of course, the new kitchen, we had forgotten one thing: furniture.

  Carolyn rounded the corner and entered the master bedroom just ahead of me.

  “We don’t have any furniture. Where are we going to sleep?” she said.

  I looked at her and laughed. That was when she knew something was up, and I pointed up the staircase. “There’s a new bedroom already set up in one of the guest rooms,” I said. “Thank heavens,” she replied. “I was just about ready to suggest we go down and rent a hotel room for the night.”

  We were both too tired to say anything else, and after I locked the kitchen door, I joined Carolyn upstairs. Within moments, we were both fast asleep.

  In his office at the FBI facility in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, Special Agent Lank Tygard was just finishing a telephone conversation with his counterpart in Los Angeles, California. “Just to be clear,” said Agent Tygard, “our people are absolutely sure of what they found?” “Yes, we’re sure of our findings,” said the special agent from Los Angeles. “All we’re waiting for is the word from you on how you want to proceed with this guy.”

  “Let’s throw the book at him. Hit him with everything,” Agent Tygard said quickly.

  “Consider it done,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. “I’ll call you back later when we have this guy in custody. Thanks a lot for all your hard work. Please pass that along to the guys in the field. We greatly appreciate everything they do.”

  The phone call ended. Agent Tygard finished the cold coffee at the bottom of his cup, then called in his entire staff to a conference room where he would fill them in on what was going on in Los Angeles.

  As the last member of his team entered the conference room, Agent Tygard said, “Take a seat and settle down. I want to bring you up to speed on the situation. I just got off the phone with the special agent in charge of Los Angeles, where we reviewed all their findings regarding the José Vega case, and as we speak, agents from the LA office are obtaining warrants for our lawyers arrest and all documentation pertaining to falsification of documents, records, and titles.

  “As you can probably guess, as soon as our people approach the judge, word will get out that we are on the trail of José Vega. This might cause José to try and flee the country, so I want you to put a bulletin out restricting his access to all international flights from the United States. Also post his photograph and description at all U.S. border crossings. And remember to include in the documentation that this guy is probably armed and dangerous and not to be approached by any single agent or law enforcement personnel.”

  The team dispersed, knowing their individual jobs and what was to be done next. Returning to his office, Agent Tygard then telephoned Detective Gore to fill him in on the current situation and to again warn him to watch his back.

  The detective was busy looking for paperwork at his desk when his telephone rang.

  “This is Detective Gore. How may help you?” he said.

  “Adam, it’s me, Lank. I got some news for you. We should have José Vega’s attorney in custody within the next few hours, and I assume even now the word is spreading that the FBI is getting ready to crawl up José Vega’s ass.”

  Detective Gore, upon hearing the news, got up from his desk and closed the door to his office. “That’s good to hear,” he replied. “On another note, I’m pretty sure I’m being followed!” “Tell me everything,” said Agent Tygard. “Every detail. I need to hear them now!” “Over the last couple of days the wife has seen the same dark-green sedan following her. At first I thought she was just being paranoid, but I was followed by a dark-green sedan that I spotted in the rearview mirror.”

  “Listen to me very carefully,” said Agent Tygard. “I want you to call your wife and tell her that within the next thirty minutes, a female FBI agent will arrive at the hospital and stay with her until she is safely at home this evening, do you understand me?”

  “Yes, I understand,” said Detective Gore. “I want you to call your boss and have him assign a uniformed officer to be your assistant for the next few days.”

  “Better yet, I’ll go down to his office as soon as we’re done talking,” said the detective.

  “How have the last few weeks of training with your self-defense instructor been going?” Agent Tygard asked. “Except for getting a bloody nose and a bruised cheek, I think I’ve learned a lot,” the detective said.

  “That’s all the price of learning to take care of yourself,” replied Agent Tygard. “Have you been practicing close-quarters shooting?”

  “Yes, and my confidence level is considerably higher than before the training. It’s something I wish I’d had back in the academy.”

  “I’m glad you’re learning how to take care of yourself,” said Agent Tygard. “And remember, these people we’re up against will do and say anything to get to you, so keep your eyes open.” “I will,” said Detective Gore, “and thanks.”

  At exactly 10 a.m., Paul’s employee, Ivy came into the office, closing the door behind her.

  She twirled around and said, “So what do you think, boss? Do I fit the part of a female tourist?” Paul laughed at her and said, “I think you’ll fit the part perfectly.”

  They headed for the nearest Metro station. It was only a block away from their office, and Paul was surprised at the amount of foot traffic they encountered.

  “I guess the city is full of tourists,” he said. “I guess so,” replied Ivy.

  A few minutes later, they were on the Metro and heading toward Falls Church. Before they reached their first stop, Paul’s associate grabbed him by the arm.

  “I don’t believe it! That man sitting up front on the left side, wearing the $2,000 suit, is Delmo Estranho!” she said.

  Paul looked up and carefully examined the man as best he could. What are the chances of that? he thought. “Let’s just sit back and see what happens, and remember, no matter what, we will be exiting at Falls Church.” The woman nodded and continued to watch her target. Now, who says lightning never strikes in the same place twice? At the next Metro station, Fena LaStrange entered their car and sat next to Delmo. Paul and his associate looked at one another, both raising their eyebrows at what they were seeing. “Let’s stick to the plan and see where it takes us,” Paul said.

  About twenty-five minutes later, the Metro pulled into the Falls Church depot, where most of the passengers exited the car. Paul and Ivy made their way out of the station and up to an information kiosk, where they asked for a map of the local area and recommendations for places they might want to visit.

  As they did so, their targets Delmo and Fena made their way to the taxi stand and, in short or
der, drove away from the station. Paul’s associate noticed there was a local tour leaving in a few minutes, and according to the route outlined on their map, they would be driving around the lake Delmo lived on. They purchased tickets for the tour and waited to see how close they could get to Delmo’s home.

  It was starting to get hot in Phoenix. The temperature was on the rise, and summer was just around the corner. Detective Gore and his assistant, a young, uniformed DPS officer, were on their way to the scene of a break-in that had taken place in an abandoned building not far from the railroad tracks west of downtown Phoenix. All the entrances to the building were sealed with yellow crime scene placards and yellow tape, indicating it was a do-not-enter area.

  As the two men entered the building, they were surprised to see so much damage and destruction, which led the detective to think the perpetrators were perhaps juveniles. Then, looking out through a broken windowpane, the detective spotted a dark-green sedan parked just outside the abandoned building across the street. Two men were inside the car, and they both seemed nervous. They kept looking around, trying to decide if they should exit their vehicle or not.

  Seeing this, Detective Gore and the officer took up defensive positions on the second floor, where they could still look out a window and view the men in the sedan without being observed. “What do you want to do?” asked the officer.

  “Let’s wait and see what happens, but I want you to be ready to call for backup if I give you the order,” replied Detective Gore.

  Across the street, the two men exited the sedan, one of them clearly carrying a shotgun and the other, an AK-47 down along his leg. “Call for backup now,” said Detective Gore. The officer got on his radio. They heard footsteps downstairs as the two men quickly moved about, making noise as they stepped on broken glass and trash. There were several large cement columns that went up from the first floor through to the second. The officer and Detective Gore had their weapons drawn as they attempted to conceal themselves behind the columns that hopefully would provide enough protection for the two of them if shooting started.

  The two men made it to the second floor without making any sort of noise. The one closest to the officer was carrying a sawed-off pump shotgun; the other man, at the top of the stairs, had an AK-47 assault weapon. Detective Gore made eye contact with the officer and indicated that he was going to announce their presence. The officer nodded, understanding the message from Detective Gore.

  In his most authoritative voice, Detective Gore announced, “The DPS has you covered, and you should put your weapons on the floor!” The shotgun went off, with the pellets hitting the wall protecting the officer. Simultaneously, the man carrying the AK-47 shot randomly around the room. The officer returned fire, causing the man with the shotgun to run to his right. Detective Gore looked around his concrete pillar and had a clear shot at the running man. An instant later, Detective Gore fired his weapon twice, hitting the man both times and laying him out flat. The officer stepped out from behind his pillar, and the second man with the AK-47 fired several shots. One of the bullets grazed the officer on the left leg, which sent him down to the floor in pain.

  Detective Gore had the second man clearly in his sights and yelled again for the man to drop the weapon. The man swung to his left in the direction of Detective Gore. The detective had no choice but to squeeze off another round, which hit the man squarely in the chest. This action sent the AK-47 flying across the room and the second man to the floor, but to the detective’s surprise, the man was getting back onto his knees.

  Detective Gore ran as fast as he could toward the man, who was now reaching down to his ankle where he had a handgun concealed in a small ankle holster. The detective yelled to the man not to touch the weapon, which of course he did not do. Two more shots rang out from Detective Gore’s weapon, with both rounds hitting the man higher up above his chest. The action was so violent that the man tumbled backward down the stairs and landed in a heap on the first floor. In the distance, the detective could hear sirens getting closer to the abandoned building. Both men were dead. Detective Gore went to the officer and attended to his wounded leg.

  A few moments later, the building was filled with additional law enforcement officers. Detective Gore made sure to identify himself, holding up his badge to the lawmen as they swarmed into the building. Returning to the injured officer, Detective Gore helped him to his feet. “You did a great job,” he said.

  Then, with the help of two others, he assisted the officer down to the waiting ambulance. Out of the noise and confusion that ensued with all the police officers that had responded to the backup call, Detective Gore heard a voice.

  “This guy is wearing body armor!”

  Detective Gore walked over to see for himself. As the dead man’s coat was opened, it was easy to see why the first shot had merely knocked him down. It was a direct center of the chest hit to the bulletproof plating he wore, and luckily the detective had aimed slightly higher, causing the bullets to miss the armor and take down the gunman. News of the shooting spread quickly through the law enforcement community, and it wasn’t long before Special Agent Tygard arrived at the scene. “Are you okay?” he asked Detective Gore.

  “I’m fine,” said the detective. “I’m glad I took two weeks of firearms training with your friend. It definitely served me well today.”

  Detective Gore and Agent Tygard walked over to inspect the first of the two gunmen lying dead on the floor.

  “I know this guy,” said Agent Tygard. “He’s a hired hit man for the cartels, and we’ve been looking for him for a long time.”

  The second man was another hired gun for a gang that called Gallup, New Mexico, their home. “There’s a female FBI agent with your wife, and she’s fine,” Agent Tygard said.

  “That’s good to hear, Lank,” replied Detective Gore. Looking around the scene of the crime, the detective lamented how the procedure following a shooting placed the involved officers on two weeks paid leave while an internal investigation took place.

  “So, I guess, for the next two weeks, you can find me at home.”

  As they made their way around Falls Church, taking in the sights from their small tour vehicle, Paul and his associate keenly waited for the home of Delmo Estranho to come into view. “This is a great idea,” Paul told the woman, who sat beside him. “If we were going any slower, we’d be walking.”

  During the tour, the couple quickly noticed that if questions were asked, the bus would stop while the tour guide answered. So, when they reached the home of their target, Paul asked, “Is the lake restricted to the local homeowners, or can anyone access the water?” As he expected, as soon as he asked the question, the bus stopped directly in front of their target’s home, which gave them a perfect opportunity to view entry points to the two-story colonial house and become familiar with the wooded areas on either side. All that time, Paul’s associate snapped photographs of the home and the surrounding area. They would be used later in determining the best entry points hidden from view of the general public.

  The tour guide not only told them the lake access was restricted to homeowners with lakefront property but also that because all the homes were historically correct to the time period, no outside lighting was permitted except for the city-installed streetlights throughout the neighborhood.

  Even better, Paul thought, and the tour continued. They eventually arrived back at the Falls Church depot, where the tour guide recommended they try the cuisine of a small restaurant across the street. “I could do with some food. How about you?” asked Paul.

  “Yes, I’m actually very hungry,” said Ivy. “Well, it’s my treat, so let’s go get some lunch.” The two of them made their way to the restaurant. Over the next forty-five minutes or so, the couple enjoyed a scrumptious meal of clam chowder followed by roast turkey and a piece of blackberry pie.

  “We better get out of here,” said Paul, “or I’ll need to
take a nap.”

  The associate laughed, and they made their way back to the Metro station. As they waited for the Metro to arrive, Paul reviewed in his mind what he had seen of the target property repeatedly, thinking of ways to access the house without being seen. He knew he needed to get inside and search for evidence as soon as possible. It was highly likely Estranho was the person supplying the drug cartels with the stolen FBI field reports. He just needed to find the evidence. Paul came back to reality when his associate grabbed his left arm and gently shook him. “Look over there,” she told Paul.

  He gazed across the platform and looked up the staircase, where he saw the lovely Fena LaStrange descending the stairs as if she was modeling at a fashion show. Paul and his associate, trained in the art of observation and surveillance, both noted every male that viewed the young woman turned his head to watch her as she passed, and even the women took notice of Fena as she walked by.

  As the Metro entered the station, Paul and Ivy made sure to take seats behind Fena to better observe her and see if she had other contacts. The doors closed, and the Metro began to speed down the tracks.

  “Well,” said Paul’s associate.

  “I guess she turns heads and takes cash,” said Paul.