Hollow Point

by Mike Ryan

  “Oh. Because you just love to play Suzy Matchmaker now? You’re just an old-fashioned romantic at heart and want all your friends to be healthy and happily in love for the rest of their lives?”

  Recker couldn’t help but let out a smile at the reference. He was sure he’d never be called Suzy Matchmaker again. But it was kind of amusing. “Uhh, yeah, something like that. I figured if I’m gonna be lucky enough to find the woman I’d like to spend the rest of my life with, why shouldn’t everyone else?”

  This time, it was Mia with the smile. “Good save. You know, you’re becoming much more of a smooth talker.”

  Recker didn’t really have a comeback and just shrugged. “Honest. It’s exactly the way it happened.”

  Mia slowly marched over to him, trying to keep her mad face plastered on, though she was having a tough time accomplishing it. Once she reached the couch, she leaned over and planted a kiss on Recker’s lips.

  “Of course I believe you. Looked like you were starting to sweat there for a second, though,” she said with a smile.

  “Ehh, not really. I would hope that you know it would take a lot more than some girl in a bar to take me away from you.”

  Mia faked another offended look. “A lot more? It better be darn near impossible.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to get too comfortable,” Recker joked.

  Mia raised her eyebrows and looked at him sternly, still playing around with him. “You wanna say that again?”

  “Maybe I should just quit while I’m ahead.”

  Mia nodded. “That might be a good idea.”

  Mia leaned in and put her hands on the back of Recker’s head, giving him a kiss on the forehead, then another kiss on the lips. “I love you,” she said.

  “I love you too,” Recker replied.

  Mia then stood straight and looked at the napkin for a moment. “So, what should I do with this? Put it back in your pocket? Give it to Chris? Throw it out?”

  “Might as well just throw it out.”

  “Why? Don’t you think Chris will want it?”

  “Well, considering that woman seemed to be going to just about every guy there who looked like he was alone, I don’t think she’d be his type.”

  Mia gave him a disappointed look. “Mike, don’t assume she’s that type of girl. Maybe she was just lonely and looking for someone. Doesn’t mean she was ready to go home with every man she came into contact with.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t assume.”

  “Was she pushy or anything?”

  Recker shook his head. “No, not really. Ahh, just throw it out. Chris can get his own girls. I did.”

  Mia walked into the kitchen and tossed the napkin into the trash can.

  “I think I’ll just get ready for bed,” she said, walking past him and into their bedroom.

  Recker sighed. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”

  After just a couple minutes, she opened the door and stood within the framework, wearing nothing but a baseball jersey that just barely covered all her essentials.

  “Would you care to join me?” she seductively asked.

  “Yeah, I think I would.”

  “Unless you’re too tired or something.”

  Recker got up and hurried into the bedroom. “Not that tired.”

  5

  Recker, Jones, and Haley met up in the office just after eight. They had a quick breakfast before they started discussing business and making plans for the day. They all sat at the desk as Jones started going over their next case.

  “You have things nailed down yet?” Recker asked.

  Jones sighed and looked at the computer screen, usually a sign there was something he didn’t like in what he was about to say. “Not totally. And unfortunately, we’re going to have to roll without having the full plan in play.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I know the players involved. I know the general basics of the scheme. I just don’t know how it will all unfold.”

  “What’s going on?” Haley asked.

  Jones gave each of the Silencers a folder with all the particulars, each getting the same exact information. It was easier that way, instead of them passing papers around back and forth.

  “As you can see, this may get very deeply involved,” Jones said.

  As Recker looked at the information, his eyes shifted around, and a deeply concerned look fell over his face. “The victim’s a six-month-old baby girl?”

  “Well, Kathrynn Rocco is the target. I believe she is not what this group of kidnappers is really after though.”

  “Not a ransom attempt?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Her mother is Judge Sandra Rocco?” Haley said.

  “Yes,” Jones said, pointing at him. “And that’s where it gets interesting. Judge Rocco is about to preside over a high-profile trial involving a criminal defense attorney who was arrested over some shady dealings he had.”

  “When’s this trial start?” Recker asked.

  “Three days from now.”

  “So, they’re gonna kidnap the child in hopes of swaying her decisions?”

  “I would think that’s the play.”

  “So, they’re just gonna hold this kid until the trial’s over?” Haley asked.

  “It looks like that’s the plan,” Jones replied.

  “So how are they gonna do it?”

  “Well, Judge Rocco has a nanny that cares for the child during the day. From what I can gather, she takes the baby for a walk every day unless it rains.”

  “And on a set schedule,” Recker said, looking disturbed.

  “Almost like clockwork. She takes the baby to Rittenhouse Square Park at one o’clock every day.”

  “Why not just put a sign on the kid that says kidnap me?”

  Jones could understand his friend’s frustration, though he tried to limit it. “Mike, not everyone is as alert to these things as we are. You can’t always blame people for not thinking like us.”

  Recker nodded. “I know. I just . . . it just bothers me when a kid is involved.”

  “I know. And we’ll do everything we can to protect her.”

  “The nanny isn’t in on it, is she?”

  “No. She’s a twenty-five-year-old that’s apparently known the judge for six years, since she was in college. There doesn’t appear to be any connection.”

  Haley scratched the top of his head as he read the information in the folder. “If there’s been any threats, why isn’t the judge and her family under protection? U.S. Marshals should be involved, shouldn’t they?”

  “They would be if there was a threat levied,” Jones replied. “The problem is, there hasn’t been any.”

  “They haven’t made any threats against the judge?”

  “None whatsoever. The good judge has no idea what they’re planning or even that there’s any kind of threat at all.”

  “So how many people are involved in this?” Recker asked.

  “That’s a little tougher to determine right now. I know three definitely, but I suspect there’s more.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Some of the messages they’ve sent each other indicated there was at least one or two more,” Jones said. “Now, perhaps they were speaking in code, or just being cautious, but several emails I intercepted seemed to suggest another man that they reported to.”

  “So, what exactly is their plan?” Haley asked. “I mean, they have to have something other than just snatching the kid in broad daylight.”

  “Chris is right,” Recker said. “Rittenhouse Park isn’t exactly an off the beaten path area. There’s a good number of people there. If they just take the kid out in the open, they’re gonna draw a lot of attention to themselves.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s all the information I have right now. I don’t yet know how they’re going to do it. I just know that they will,” Jones said.

  The trio fell silent for a minute, all of whom were thinking about the situat
ion. “They’re going to need an elaborate setup,” Recker said.

  “They’re probably gonna have a car already running nearby that they can jump into,” Haley said.

  “So, assuming they’re not just gonna walk up to the nanny and take the kid from her and run, they’re going to have some sort of distraction.”

  “That would seem to be the most likely scenario,” Jones said. “But that also leads us up to problem number two.”

  “Which is?”

  “I still haven’t pinned down the date this is happening.”

  “You mean you still don’t know?” Recker asked. “I was under the impression this was going down today.”

  “It very well could be today.”

  “Or not?”

  “Or not,” Jones replied. “Either they’re using code phrases to disguise the date, or they just have not set a timetable yet.”

  “Or there’s a third option.”

  “Which is?”

  “That they have set a date and you just haven’t gotten it yet,” Recker said.

  “Yes, it is possible that they may have met off channel.”

  “So, what are we gonna do?” Haley asked.

  Recker sighed, not really liking the only choice available, though he knew there was nothing else they could do. “Looks like we’re gonna be taking a walk in the park.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until someone shows up,” Recker replied.

  “How positive are we that it’s actually gonna go down in the park?”

  “I’m quite certain, why do you ask? Do you have another idea?” Jones said.

  “Well, knowing that it might be busy in the park, could it happen somewhere else? Maybe on the street walking to the park or on the way back?”

  “The judge lives within walking distance of the park so I guess it is theoretically possible it could happen on the way there. But all the information that I could piece together indicated that it would be done in the park.”

  “Probably would be a good idea if one of us had eyes on the kid as soon as they leave the judge’s house,” Recker said.

  “As long as you keep your distance.”

  “Why?”

  “If you’re too close, and the kidnapper’s also have their eyes on the nanny from the moment she leaves the house, then it’s quite possible they’ll spot and notice you,” Jones said. “Could blow your cover sky-high.”

  “Might be a chance we have to take. Even if we’re spotted, might be enough to scare them off”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we now know that these people are targeting the judge,” Jones said. “We know what they’re planning and can act accordingly. If we play this right, we can foil the plot, and disable the perpetrators.”

  “Alive?”

  “That is my hope. If they’re alive and arrested, they can be questioned, then perhaps it will be learned how far up the chain it goes and whether it was in fact ordered by our shady lawyer friend. But if we spoil the plan too soon, then there’s no telling whether they’ll try to strike again, whether they’ll abandon this plan and try something different, or whether we’ll even learn of the new plan at all. That is a lot to leave up to chance, don’t you think?”

  Recker nodded, agreeing with the professor’s thoughts. “That is a lot to leave up to chance. All right, we’ll just have to stake the park out every day until the thing goes down.”

  “What about the police problem?” Haley asked.

  Recker looked at Jones, deferring the question to him.

  “I will begin to look into it today,” Jones said. “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to uncover, though. I’m much better at discovering problems before they happen than after the fact. Besides that, it’s not like we have much to work with. We don’t really have much in the way of information or evidence that would point us in any specific direction.”

  “Maybe we need some extra eyes and ears in the field,” Recker said.

  “And by that you mean?”

  “Tyrell.”

  “Mike, as good as Tyrell is, and he is quite good at finding and getting information, don’t you think the police have their own contacts on the street? I mean, I’m sure they have their own Tyrell’s.”

  “Maybe so. But I would put money on ours over theirs.”

  “As you wish.”

  Recker took out his phone and called Tyrell’s number. In the time since Jeremiah was killed, Tyrell had not been as active on the streets. He still did some occasional jobs for Vincent, as well as whenever Recker needed something, but his other activities had been cut down. He was still making as much money, if not more, than he was with Jeremiah. Recker usually had need for him at least a couple of times every month and he always made sure Tyrell was well compensated.

  Recker probably gave Tyrell more money than was necessary, but he wanted to make sure Tyrell wasn’t short on what he needed. Mostly because he didn’t want Tyrell branching off and trying other things that were more dangerous and risk the possibility of getting arrested. Part of it was because they were friends. The other part was because they’d spent the last several years cultivating a relationship that ran like a finely tuned vintage car. If Tyrell got himself jammed up, then Recker would be left without a guy on the street who could get the information that he did. Either that, or he’d have to try to find someone new. And Recker wasn’t much interested in that scenario. It took time for Recker to trust new people. He already knew what Tyrell could do, he knew he could be trusted.

  “Yo, what’s up?” Tyrell greeted.

  “Hey, have some work for you.”

  “Whatcha got?”

  “You know anything about those police shootings?” Recker asked.

  “Nah, not really.”

  “Do you know about them though?”

  “I heard a cop got shot this morning. That’s about it though.”

  “Well, it goes a little deeper than that.”

  “Usually does.”

  “I want you to start digging your nose into it and see what you can find out. There’s been one uniformed officer shot, one undercover cop, a drug dealer, and what appears to be a possible witness.”

  “All right, I’ll see what I can do,” Tyrell said. “What kind of time frame are you looking at?”

  “As soon as possible. No telling when the shooter will strike again.”

  “OK, no sweat. Why you involved with this, though? Not really your MO.”

  “Let’s just say someone on the inside is concerned and wants as much help as possible to put an end to this quickly.”

  “All right, you got it, man. I’ll start now. Send me an email with as much as you got on it.”

  “I will. I’ll have David do it in a few minutes. I’m on my way to something else right now.”

  After they hung up, Recker instructed Jones to send the email to Tyrell as he asked. They still had some time before they had to go to the park, so they spent every bit of it going over the layout of the park and where each of them would be.

  “Let’s go over the people we know are involved in this,” Recker said.

  They started studying the sheets of information that Jones had compiled on the people he had identified as being a part of the caper. As they began going over it, Recker’s phone rang.

  “You sure are popular this morning,” Jones said.

  Recker pulled out his phone again, surprised that Malloy would be calling him.

  “Yeah?” Recker answered.

  “You free to talk for a few minutes?” Malloy asked.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Good. Boss wants to talk to you, hold on.”

  “Mike, how are you?” Vincent asked.

  “OK. You?”

  “Not too bad considering.”

  “So, what’s up?” Recker asked.

  “Just wondering how your meeting with our mutual friend went last night?”

  “It went fine.” />
  “Good. I take it everything was on the up and up like I said. That’s part of why I called, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t made a liar out of.”

  “No, everything went down without a hitch.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “Do you plan on giving our friend a hand?” Vincent asked.

  “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not making any promises. I’ve got other stuff I need to work on, but if I learn anything, I’ll pass it along.”

  “That’s fine. It helps you in the long run, anyway.”

  “How’s that?” Recker asked.

  “The more people you know in places of authority, the more chances are that you’ll get help when you need it the most.”

  “I don’t do things with the expectation of someone owing me a favor later.”

  “Of course not,” Vincent said. “But it doesn’t hurt to know people. Especially people such as us who aren’t exactly known for being on the right side of the law.”

  “I suppose not. I take it that since he came to me for assistance that you don’t have any ideas yourself as to who’s behind it?”

  “I do not. If I did, I’d serve the shooter up on a silver platter myself. This kind of behavior is bad for business.”

  “I guess this type of stuff is bad for everyone, huh?”

  “Yes, it is. Brings too much heat, too much scrutiny, too much publicity and public pressure. Bad for all of us.”

  “I guess that means it’s fairly safe to assume that it’s nobody involved in your organization?” Recker said.

  “Nobody involved in my organization would dare do something like that. Even if they’re only occasionally employed by me. Something like that would have to be authorized by me personally. If someone did that without my knowledge and consent, they would be dealt with severely.”

  The two men continued talking for a few more minutes, neither saying anything more than what was already said. As far as Recker could tell, Vincent’s main concern seemed to be that no nefarious behavior went down. Though many people had differing opinions of the crime boss, and most of them would probably be accurate, Vincent did strive to be a man of his word, especially to those people he respected or worked with. And Recker qualified on both counts.