“Yes, but, money laundering? Come on. That’s the kind of stuff that only happens on television or the movies,” Mama Ann said with a half laugh.
Anita shook her head. “Astute, but oh so naïve,” she thought to herself.
“Mama Ann. Think about everything you said you’ve seen; everything that didn’t make sense. You may not want to believe it but it fits.”
“Mom, Detective Woods told me that there is a cartel that operates primarily out of Winbush. They wanted to expand their operations and what was the next logical place? Why Lambert of course. The distance from Winbush to Lambert is only about thirty miles. All they needed was a few willing cops to look the other way and one small business owner willing to be the last stop in the laundering process. Well, Detective Woods was the cop who was willing to look the other way and dad was the small business owner. We don’t know who the other cops are on their payroll.”
“But why? Why would your father get involved in such a thing?”
“We may never know for sure but maybe he saw it as a way to secure your future. Maybe he was afraid to say no; maybe both. I don’t know for sure.”
Anita chimed in. “Mama Ann, guys like these are ruthless. If they approach you and make an offer, as bad as it is to accept, it can be worse to say no. If Papa Gary had refused, there’s no telling what they might have done.”
Kayla nodded her head in the affirmative.
Mama Ann looked devastated and baffled at the same time.
“Anyway, they recruited Detective Woods and paid him handsomely for his services. He also said he just recently found out that there are others from the department being paid also.”
“But I thought he was an honest cop.”
“Once upon a time he was. When he first came to Lambert County he was as honest as they come. He told me that eventually the lack of excitement started to get to him and he was thinking about making another move. He said the opportunities here were so limited that he considered transferring to Winbush.
While he was exploring the possibilities, he was approached by someone from the cartel. At first he balked at the idea; he was no dirty cop, but then greed set in as he realized that dealing with the cartel would provide him with more money than he could ever make on the force. If he played his cards right, he would make more than enough money to retire early and quite comfortably before anybody had a chance to suspect anything. All he had to do was stay in Lambert and keep an eye on things. When the cartel was taking care of business, his job was to throw anybody off track that started sniffing around their trail.”
“But your father?”
“Detective Woods said he was the one who initially approached him. At first daddy told him he was out of his mind, that he was a legitimate businessman and there was no way he was getting involved with some lowlife drug dealers. Detective Woods told him that the cartel didn’t like to take no for an answer. He told him that sometimes bad things happen to people who tell them no.”
“So he scared him into it?”
“Possibly. He also told him that he didn’t want to see anything happen to him or his business or his family. Besides the threat of violence, Woods told him that they were willing to pay quite well for any inconvenience. He strongly suggested that daddy reconsider his position.”
“He told me that eventually one of the members of the cartel went to see daddy personally. Shortly after that visit, daddy agreed. His full reasons for doing so went with him to the grave.”
Kayla paused and looked at her mother intently. She gave Anita a quick glance. Anita didn’t make a sound and it seemed as though Mama Ann had lost her voice.
“When the cartel money was mixed in with the money from the store, it appears that daddy was skimming off the top. For whatever reason, it took the cartel a while to realize that money was missing. When they did, they approached daddy several times. He promised to pay them back but never did, at least not the whole amount. Detective Woods thinks that he took out the second mortgages on the house and store in an effort to pay them back but it just didn’t work.”
“But if your father had all that money that he had taken from them, why didn’t he just give it back instead of taking out new loans?”
“We don’t know. Only daddy knows for sure. That’s something else he took to the grave.”
Anita spoke up. “I know how this story goes from here. The night he was killed was his final deadline to pay back all the money. He was told to be at the warehouse by a particular time and when he showed up without the cash, they weren’t in the mood to offer any more extensions so they killed him. Am I close?”
Kayla looked at Anita wondering how badly this was affecting her. Her brother’s fate and
Kayla’s father’s weren’t that far removed from each other. The only difference was Anita’s brother was actually dealing drugs while Kayla’s father laundered the cash that resulted from the drug sales. She knew she was hurting; she just wasn’t sure how much.
“Yeah, so close you could have been there yourself. Detective Woods told me that he received a call before and after.”
“So he knew what they were going to do and he knew when it was done?” Her mother asked.
“Right mom. When we first went to the precinct to report dad missing, Detective Woods knew he was already dead and knew exactly where to find him. In fact, he was the one that suggested they check the warehouse and the river.”
Because the warehouse had been abandoned for quite a while and no one ever really went there, it wasn’t exactly the first place the police looked. Instead they started canvassing the neighborhood just to see if anyone had seen Papa Gary or his car. Detective Woods knew that at the rate they were going and the way procedures were set up, finding the body would take a while. To speed up the process, he suggested that they check everywhere including the old warehouse. He also suggested that they check another abandoned construction site a little further out of town. He didn’t want it to seem as though he had pointed his finger at the exact spot; he didn’t want to draw any unnecessary or unwanted attention to himself.
“If he has all this information then shouldn’t they be able to arrest all of them?”
“It’s not that simple mom. These aren’t purse snatchers or common thieves. This is a drug cartel. Before anything can be done, they’re going to have to get the DEA involved. Lambert’s police department is not equipped to handle a takedown of this magnitude.”
Kayla’s mother looked more confused than ever. “He knows everything, he has everything. Why can’t they just get the men responsible for my husband’s death?”
“Mom, daddy’s gone and nothing can be done about it. Right now, we’re the ones who are in danger.”
“Us? Us? Why what have we done?
Kayla’s voice was unexpectedly harsh as she responded with an attitude and tone that clearly displayed her total annoyance with her mother. “Mom, you spent over $450,000 of their money! These people don’t take that kind of thing lightly!”
Seeing the anger written all over Kayla’s face and the way Mama Ann drew back from her, Anita decided to step in. She held her hand up to Kayla just as she was about to say something else and turned to Mama Ann. As she held Mama Ann’s gaze, she deliberately lowered her voice and asked gently, “Mama Ann, didn’t we discuss this in the kitchen already?”
Mama Ann’s eyes were glazed and unfocused. It was as though she could no longer handle the conversation and had mentally checked out.
Anita called her name a couple of times, “Mama Ann. Mama Ann.”
It was only after she received no response, that Anita raised her voice, “Mama Ann!” she shouted.
After a few moments, she swung her head slowly in Anita’s direction.
“What?”
“Mama Ann, do you remember that we discussed this in the kitchen the other day? Didn’t we already establish that this is exactly what could happen?”
Mama Ann looked lost. “What have I done? This is all my fa
ult.”
Seeing how lost and disoriented her mother was, Kayla felt a huge pang of guilt for getting so angry with her. Her mother was grappling with so many emotions and so much new information that her grip on reality had fragmented. Kayla remembered how she had felt when her mother had told her the truth about her father’s infidelity and her suspicions. She too had felt briefly shattered but her mother never once made her feel like her feelings were wrong. Kayla’s guilt grew as she walked over and put her arm around her mother.
“No mom it’s not your fault. This isn’t about blame. We’re in this together and we’re going to make it through together. We just all have to be more careful until this thing is resolved. Hopefully, Detective Woods will call soon after he speaks to the Chief.”
Chapter 12
The Chief leaned back in his chair and adjusted the glasses on his nose as he glared at Detective Woods. Never in all his years of being on the force had he encountered a situation like this. His chief detective had just told him directly that he was a dirty cop who had been working for a drug cartel in Winbush. Not only that, he had conspired to conceal evidence and was for all intents and purposes an accessory to the murder of Gary Richards.
The Chief didn’t know Gary Richards personally but from his few encounters with him thought he was a pretty nice guy. Until his murder, he had never heard anything negative about him or his family. He still didn’t quite understand what would make someone who had so much going for him get involved in something as messy and treacherous as money laundering for a drug cartel. He figured he would never know. Right now, he had bigger fish to fry.
Detective Woods waited patiently for the Chief to speak. He knew he was finished in law enforcement; what he didn’t know is whether or not the Chief was seriously considering his offer to help take down the cartel or if he was just trying to figure out whether or not he should lock him up right then and there.
“As much as it offends me to refer to you as Detective I will for the sake of this conversation. Detective Woods, were you aware that the DEA had been watching and working on building a solid case against The Montenegro Cartel for quite some time?
Detective Woods looked surprised. Not only had he not known, if he had, he would have never gotten involved with them.
“No sir.”
“Right now as we speak, they have a couple of undercover agents who have managed to successfully infiltrate the cartel. Up to now, none of them have been able to get close enough to the top man to produce the type of results the DEA has been looking for. You on the other hand seem to have an ‘in’ that they don’t. Let me talk to the DEA. They might be able to use you.”
“Yes sir.”
“Now get out of my office.”
Detective Woods got up to leave.
“Detective Woods?”
He turned back to the Chief. “Yes sir.”
“Don’t think for one minute that your little attack of conscience is going to get you off the hook. If the DEA agrees to utilize whatever information and services you can provide and if it results in the takedown of the cartel, you will be next on my ‘To Do’ List. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir.”
Detective Woods turned to leave again, then paused for a moment and turned back.
“Sir?”
“What is it?” the Chief asked brusquely.
“What about Ann and Kayla Richards? Will they have protection until this is over?”
The Chief looked at Detective Woods through narrowed eyes.
“I’ll see what I can do. There’s been enough bloodshed and we don’t need any more. ”
The Chief called Lieutenant Wilson, who was his liaison with the DEA, into his office. He told him about Detective Woods and what he had just revealed to him. Then he asked him to notify the contact at the DEA to see just how they wanted to proceed.
At the Warehouse
“What’s going on now boss?”
“We have a traitor in the midst.”
“Just say the word boss, and we’ll take care of them.”
“I know you will but that’s not what I want right now.”
“Who is it?”
“Our dear friend Detective Woods. I warned him that he was not indispensable. I also told him that he was not the only one I had in my pocket. You would think he would be smarter than to approach anyone in the precinct. I have ears everywhere. I chose Lambert for a reason and that reason was discretion. It might seem to be a county that’s above reproach but really it isn’t. For the right price, good help can be found just about anywhere.”
“Boss, what do you want us to do about that girl and her mother?
“Nothing yet.”
“No disrespect boss, but the clock is ticking.”
“Yes it is, but time is only running out for some people, not for us.”
“Who’d he talk to?”
“The Chief.”
“Are we going to have to do him too?”
“Maybe, but for the time being I don’t want Woods to know that we know what he did. That way, when we come for him, it’ll be a complete surprise.”
“Good thinking boss.”
“I know.”
***
Detective Woods went back to his desk to call Kayla and give her the update.
“So that’s it? We just sit around and wait while they decide what to do?”
“That’s about the size of it. Just be careful, that’s all.” Detective Woods told her.
Kayla shook her head in disbelief. She had really thought that there would have been a greater sense of urgency. Obviously, they were more concerned with taking down this cartel than protecting her or her mother.
“Fine. Whatever,” she replied and abruptly hung up.
Detective Woods looked at the phone a moment before he too hung up. “She had every right to be mad. If it were me, I’d be mad too,” he thought. “I’ve got to do something.” Then he picked up the phone to make just one more call.
Kayla told her mother and Anita what Detective Woods had said. Her mother was visibly shaken, Anita not so much.
“Kayla, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Anita looked at Mama Ann. “In private?” she gestured toward the living room with her head.
“We need to get her out of here.”
“Where is she going to go?”
“I have an aunt who owns a farm out in Roseport. She can stay with her until things blow over.”
“Sounds great except for one thing.”
“What?”
“If they’re watching us and they probably are…”
Anita started to object.
Kayla was adamant. “Hold on Anita. We can’t be too careful here. How are we going to get her to Roseport without being seen?
“Kayla, trust me on this one. My family has learned a few tricks after what happened to my brother. I’ve got this. You tell Mama Ann and I’ll go make the phone calls.”
When Kayla saw the look of determination on Anita’s face, she relented. “Okay. I’ll help her get some things together.” She went back to the kitchen to explain to her mother what was going to happen. Mama Ann didn’t even try to put up a fight.
“When am I leaving?” she asked as she looked around her home like it would be her last time.
“Anita’s on the phone now making the arrangements.”
Mama Ann nodded, silently resigning herself to the situation.
Kayla waited for Anita to get off the phone. When she finally did, she looked at Kayla and said “All done.”
“Details please,” Kayla asked as they head toward the kitchen.
“My aunt will be here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. to pick up Mama Ann. On the way back to Roseport, she’s going to bypass Winbush and take the backroads to Castle Rock. Once sure they haven’t been followed, at a predetermined location my aunt will then transfer Mama Ann to a car driven by my cousin Lawrence. He’ll take her the rest of the way to my aun
t’s farm in Roseport.”
“Where will your aunt be?”
“Just to be on the safe side, she’s going to double-back and go to Fayetteville to her sister’s house. Once there, she’ll stay overnight and then head to Roseport.”
Kayla looked at her in amazement. “All that just to get one person from one town to another?”
“Sure. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Now, that we’ve got a plan in place for Mama Ann, go pack your bag.”
Kayla looked puzzled, “What for?”
“You’re going to stay with me. I doubt very seriously that I am very high up on their list, if at all, but I’m sure you are. If you really believe they’ve been watching you, then here may not be the best place for you to be.”
“You’re probably right,” Kayla conceded.
“Not necessarily. Right now we really don’t know anything for sure but I’m willing to wager that it’s more likely than not if they really are watching, that they’ve got eyes on your house and not mine.”
“I’ll go pack some things, Kayla said and head up the stairs. Halfway to the top she stopped and looked down at Anita, “This really sucks you know.”
“I know. Now git.”
After a while, Kayla came downstairs with an overnight bag and a small suitcase. The expression on her face was as resigned as her mother’s though not quite as sad.
“What do we do now?”
“We go about our business as usual. After my aunt and Mama Ann leave in the morning, we head off to work,” said Anita.
Chapter 13
“Detective Woods. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“We need to talk.”
“Oh do we now?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, be at the warehouse tonight around midnight.”
“I’ll be there.”
Detective Woods knew that he should wait for the DEA to make a decision about how to proceed but he didn’t feel like they had that kind of time. He knew these guys. They had waited three years to find out what happened to the money that Gary Richards had taken, but given the news that the money had been found and Mrs. Richards had used $450,000, they may not be as patient. Since he was the one who had pretty much hand-fed Kayla and her mother to these guys, he felt extremely guilty. Maybe by midnight he could come up with something that would buy them just a little more time.
MY FATHER'S KILLER: Kayla's Story Page 8
