by Mike Ryan
“Because quite honestly I wasn’t looking for it. So far, my entire morning was spent digging into any further action against Judge Rocco.”
Recker nodded. “Well, I guess me and Chris can dig through the police records of the two officers and see what we can find if you wanna stay on top of the Rocco stuff.”
“Maybe one of us should sit on her home for a while,” Haley said, mindful of the latest threat against the judge and wary of leaving her without the protection of one of them.
Recker agreed, though he wasn’t sure they needed to sit on it all day. He looked at the time before replying. “Well if she’s in court all day, she’s not likely to get home until what? Six, seven, eight, something like that?”
Jones looked at him, unsure who he was asking the question to. It didn’t sound like Recker was talking to anyone in particular. “Are you by chance asking me to check on her itinerary?”
Recker smiled. “Crossed my mind.”
Jones rolled his eyes before swiveling back to the computer. “Very well. Since you asked so nicely.”
Recker laughed to himself as Jones began checking Judge Rocco’s court log. While he was doing that, Haley was still a bit uncomfortable with the situation. He thought they should have been on the judge more. Maybe even tail her as she left the courtroom.
“What if they try to knock her off or something on her way home?” Haley asked.
Recker shook his head, sure of his answer before he even said it. “They’re not gonna try to kill her. Like we said, killing her does them no good. They’ll just assign another judge. Can’t kill all of them.”
Jones was still listening even as he was doing his computer work. “Besides that, U.S. Marshals are providing protection for her on the way home.”
“No, they don’t want to hurt her,” Recker said. “They wanna scare her, intimidate her. That’s what they wanted to do by kidnapping her child. Let her know they could get to her, get to her family.”
“So maybe they’ll go after the kid again,” Haley said.
“No, the messages I intercepted specifically made mention to the judge,” Jones replied. “Nothing was said about the child. I believe the incident at the park has made them wary of that again. They probably believe the child already has security nearby when they go outside. It’d be a worthless effort to try that again.”
“Well if the Marshals are going to be outside her house, what else could they try?” Haley asked. “And if they’re stationed there, what good would we do? They’ve already got it staked out.
“No, they are not being stationed there. The judge has only requested security to and from the courtroom. They will not be outside her door all night.”
“I’m assuming she has some type of alarm system?”
Jones nodded. “That would be correct. But we all know that’s no real deterrent to a professional who knows what he’s doing.”
Recker sought to put his friend’s mind at ease. He knew how frustrating these things could be at times. He felt it too from time to time and probably more often. “Don’t worry. Whatever they’re planning, we’ll put a stop to it,” he said, nodding at Haley. “We’ll be there.”
10
Recker and Haley had been watching Judge Rocco’s house for over an hour. They weren’t only waiting for the judge to get home, but also to see if she had any strange visitors come to the house. Haley was stationed near the front of the house, while Recker was in the back. Since the back yard of the house backed up to the property of a house behind it, there wasn’t many places for Recker to hide out and wait. He had to get into the back yard. There was a very small storage shed he had broken into as he watched the house.
“Getting anything out there yet?” Recker asked.
“No, all clear. You know, why doesn’t she just invest in a personal bodyguard? Seems like it’d be a good idea.”
“I don’t know. I guess some people just feel like it’s an intrusion or they don’t need it.”
“Well, after what happened the other day with her daughter I’d say it’s necessary,” Haley said.
“Well she’s got protection now and she’s using it. That’s why I think whatever’s going down is gonna happen inside that house. They’ve gotta know she’s got marshals protecting her now on the outside.”
About ten minutes later, the judge arrived at her home, escorted by members of the U.S. Marshal’s service. Haley alerted Recker to their presence so he’d know. They accompanied her to the door and one man went inside the house with her. Once she was safely inside, the rest of the men went back to their car. They waited a few minutes just to make sure there were no problems then left once the coast seemed clear.
Haley immediately notified Recker, letting him know a man went inside with her. “Who do you think it is?”
“I dunno. Either one of the marshals or she’s now got a personal security guard,” Recker answered.
“I thought she thought it wasn’t necessary.”
“Maybe she changed her mind.”
“Well it seems she’s got things covered now.”
“We’ll see.”
“Seeing as she’s got someone in there with her, think we should pull out?” Haley asked.
“Nah. We’re already here. Might as well see it through.”
A little over a half hour after Judge Rocco returned home, the nanny then left. Once again, Haley gave his partner the heads up. Recker figured whatever might happen would take a while. He assumed it would be pitch black out before someone tried to sneak into the house. He periodically checked in with Jones to keep him informed of what was happening on their end, as well as seeing if he had learned anything new. Even as the two Silencers were outside the house, Jones was still feverishly checking to gain any new knowledge of the plot he’d uncovered.
As the night wore on, they didn’t see any signs of danger. Nobody even came close to approaching the house, in either the front or the back. But there was a nagging feeling that kept tugging at Recker as he watched the house. There were still several lights on in the house, which seemed unusual to him. He knew from what Jones told him she had a full court schedule tomorrow. Recker figured she would have gone to bed as soon as possible with that schedule in mind. He watched the house for another half hour before calling Jones to tell him of his suspicions.
“David, what time did you say the judge usually leaves in the morning?”
“From what I can gather she is usually out of the house by seven-thirty,” Jones answered. “Why do you ask?”
Recker hesitated for a moment, not even sure in his own mind what was bothering him. “I don’t know. Something seems weird here.”
“Such as?”
Recker let out a deep and audible sigh, indicating his uncertainty. “I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. Something just seems off.”
Jones stopped what he was doing to fully concentrate on Recker’s issue. “You are going to have to expand on that slightly, Mike. What exactly are you seeing or hearing?”
“Well, there’s still several lights on in the house.”
Jones didn’t immediately reply, taking a few seconds to think. “And why is that a problem?”
“I dunno. Just seems like a judge who’s got a full schedule tomorrow, with a baby in tow, would be going to sleep by now. But there’s still at least three lights on that I can see.”
Jones took a few more seconds to think, trying to analyze what he’d just been told. “Well let’s look at it logically. She has a six-month-old baby. It could be that she’s not asleep because the baby’s not asleep.”
“Possibly,” Recker said.
“And she is a judge with a full plate tomorrow, as you said. It could be that she’s staying up late to review the upcoming cases she has. Perhaps she is just studying. I know you always try to find the darker side of everything, but sometimes things are exactly what they appear to be.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Jones then remembered that a man went insi
de with the judge when she came home. “Didn’t you also state that a guard was with her?”
“Well, I didn’t state it, but yeah.”
“Maybe he’s making his rounds,” Jones said. “Maybe he doesn’t want the house to be dark. Maybe he’s just being extra cautious.”
“Or maybe something’s wrong.”
This time it was Jones’ turn to sigh. He knew no matter what he said, or could say, nothing was going to satisfy his friend. He was always going to think the worst. It was just Recker’s nature.
“Can I just ask why you assume none of what I said is the case?” Jones asked. “Why does your mind automatically turn to the worst-case scenario?”
“Because it usually is.”
“What do you propose to do?”
“I dunno. You know what else is bothering me?”
“I’m sure you’ll explain.”
“With some of those lights being on, I haven’t seen anyone pass by,” Recker said. “Not even a shadow.”
“And so, I’ll ask again, what do you propose to do?”
“I think I wanna go in.”
Jones squirmed in his seat, envisioning a whole lot of ways that could go wrong. Dozens of thoughts went through his mind, all of which ended up badly for his team. Though he was hesitant to agree right away with Recker and give his blessing for them to enter the house, Jones did trust his instincts. No matter what the situation, Recker wasn’t often wrong. Even when he didn’t have much to go on, Recker’s intuition was usually right on the money. Especially when he was the one in the field. It was tough for Jones to gauge sometimes how bad a situation was sitting from his chair. He wanted to get Haley’s opinion before anything was officially decided, not that it necessarily guaranteed anything, as Recker could decide to go in no matter what anyone else said. Even so, Jones liked to gather all the facts from as many sources as possible before anything happened.
“Chris, have you been listening to what Mike and I have been discussing?”
“Yep.”
“And what is your take on it? Have you noticed anything suspicious on your end?” Jones asked.
“Uhh, I dunno. I mean, what Mike says makes sense. But then again, what you say makes sense too.”
“What’re you, playing Switzerland?” Recker asked.
Haley laughed. “I could see both scenario’s being right.”
“And how do you plan on getting in there?” Jones asked, expecting some type of elaborate plan.
Recker had a much simpler answer, though. “There’s a back door.”
“Oh, yes, how foolish of me to expect something else.”
Just as they were about to agree on Recker and Haley moving in to check out the house, Jones thought of a different plan. He thought it was a much easier and simpler idea.
“Hold up on storming the house,” Jones said.
“Why?” Recker asked.
“I’ve got a better way. I’ve got the judge’s phone number right here. I’ll just give her a call. If she answers, we’ll know she’s fine. If not, then maybe something’s up.”
Recker wasn’t as impressed with the idea. “I’ve got a couple of comebacks on that.”
“Go on.”
“What if she is one of those people who doesn’t answer the phone if she doesn’t know the number calling?”
“I guess that’s a thought.”
“Or what if she answers and somebody actually is there and makes her answer in a way that makes it seem as though everything is fine.”
Jones could see that his simpler and easier idea was about to go by the wayside. “You’ve made your point.”
“Or what if she actually is sleeping and just forgot to turn out the lights?”
“I said you made your point.”
“I was just throwing out a few retorts,” Recker said.
“Yes, yes, I get the gist of it.”
“So, no matter what happens with that phone call of yours, it might not really mean or change anything.”
“I understand that. I hear what you’re saying.”
“If someone is in there, though, it might give them a warning. They might think she was expecting a call and put them on high alert.”
“I’m taking it that you think we should just bypass the phone call?”
“I think we’d be better off.”
After a few more minutes of discussion, it was agreed upon that Recker and Haley would stay put for a little while longer to see if anything changed. Once midnight struck, they were given the go-ahead to move in. The time moved by quickly, and without seeing any type of movement inside the house, Recker was ready to go. Before moving, he coordinated plans with Haley.
“I’ll go in first through the back,” Recker said.
“Where do you want me to go?”
“Just sit tight for a minute until I give you the word. If there’s nothing wrong, then I don’t want both of us struggling to get out of there. If I come across anything, I’ll let you know and you come in.”
“Right,” Haley replied.
Recker exited the small shed he was stationed in and approached the back door of the house, running over to it as fast as he could. Once there, he picked the lock and had the door open in under a minute. As he walked inside the house, he withdrew his gun, ready to fire if necessary. He walked through a dark area which appeared to be some type of storage room. He cleared a couple other rooms, letting Jones and Haley know his findings up to that point. Recker then found some steps that led up to a door and what he assumed was the main part of the house.
Recker gently turned the knob on the door and slowly opened it, peeking at what was on the other side. One of the lights was on and as Recker closed the door behind him, observed that it was the main living area. To the left of him was the kitchen, and Recker retreated to it to make sure nobody could come up behind him. Once he knew it to be empty, he went back to the living room, keeping his guard up the entire time. He peeked into the room to make sure no one was around the corner then cautiously walked into the middle of the room. To his far right were steps that led up to the bedrooms. He didn’t need to see anything else, though, to know that something was definitely wrong.
At the bottom of the steps was a man lying on the floor face down, his wrists tied together against the staircase. Recker assumed he wasn’t dead, or he wouldn’t have needed to be tied up, but went over to him just to make sure. The man was still breathing, but he had a nasty bump on his head, and some blood on the back of his skull thanks to a nice-sized gash. Recker looked up the stairs but didn’t see or hear anything coming from that direction. Still, he knew something had to be up there. They had both entrances covered and nobody had left. Before going ahead, he let the others know what he encountered.
“Is it the security guard?” Jones asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see him. I’ll take a picture of his face and send it to Chris.”
Recker quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the man’s face and sent it to Haley for confirmation. If it was the security guard, it was a clear sign the judge was in trouble. If it turned out not to be the guard, then it led to the possibility it was an intruder the guard took care of and had the judge in a more secure location. If that was the case, they didn’t have long to wait as it was likely the police would have been notified by now. If that was true, they risked staying there and getting trapped.
Luckily, Haley recognized the face instantly. “That’s the guard,” he said.
“All right, get in here,” Recker replied.
Haley got out of his car and ran across the street. Like Recker, he got through the door in less than a minute. He quickly found Recker in the living room. They agreed that once they got up the stairs, they’d split up and take different rooms. When they got to the top of the steps, Recker went to his left as Haley took the right. Recker’s first room was what looked like a spare bedroom. It was very neat and orderly, and looked like it hadn’t been used much. As he was checking
, Haley’s door opened into to the baby’s room. He quickly cleared it, then walked over to the crib to see if the baby was inside. She was sleeping.
“Baby’s in her crib,” Haley said.
“She OK?” Recker asked.
“Yep. Sleeping like a baby.”
“Ha,” Jones said, appreciating the humor. “How apropos.”
After exiting his room, Recker went down the hall to the next door. He thought he heard something and put his ear against the door to listen. He heard a man talking. It didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation, as the man’s voice kept raising; he wasn’t happy about something. As Haley was checking out another room, Recker started turning the handle on the door, ready to burst in on the discussion.
Recker forcefully pushed the door open and immediately saw the judge sitting in a chair tied up with a gag in her mouth. He then noticed a man standing to her right with a gun in his hand. As soon as the man saw the stranger come into the room, he pulled his gun up to fire. Recker, though, beat him to the punch and raised his own weapon. Recker pointed at the man and immediately fired, pulling the trigger twice. Both shots lodged into the man’s chest, knocking him onto the floor. Recker quickly scanned the rest of the room to see if the man had a partner, but there was no one else in sight.
“I got one down,” Recker said. “Keep checking the rest of the house.”
“I’m on it,” Haley replied.
Recker walked over to the fallen man and stood over top of his lifeless body. With the amount of blood coming out of his shirt, and the range he was shot at, Recker figured he was dead. He reached down to check his pulse just to make sure. The man was dead. Recker took a careful look at his face and recognized him as the third member of the gang they were looking for. Then Recker looked back at the judge and walked over to her, removing her restraints. After she was untied, and the gag removed from her mouth, she felt and rubbed her wrists.
The judge looked up at the man who she assumed was a police officer, appreciative of his efforts. “Thank you.”
“Glad I could help.”
