Double Play (Bishop's Run Series Book 2)

by B. D. Gates

  "Maybe he's just storing it."

  We chewed on that for a minute. Tess was looking at the pictures.

  "Okay, so, this is all high-dollar women's fashion," she stated. "I would think that every piece would be wrapped and protected and certainly shipped in better condition than thrown in a cardboard shipping box with ten more."

  "Maybe it's not new. Maybe this was all bought used somewhere."

  "Even used, these purses are big money. I shopped in some consignment shops in Richmond and the prices were still out of my reach. I remember thinking that I'd be homeless in a month if I ever developed a shoe habit."

  "Omigod."

  We looked at Penny.

  "They're not stolen or used. They're counterfeit! They're knock-offs!"

  Now that made sense.

  "Okay, so the merchandise is fake. Fine. What's Charlie doing with it?"

  We were all pondering that when the cars started pulling up. I looked out the window over the sink, counting five vehicles and then the yard seemed to fill with women in shorts, sleeveless tees, tanks, and a few bikini tops.

  "Hey, is that Mookie?" I asked Penny, who was behind me at the kitchen island, stirring the potato salad. She moved in next to me and peered out.

  "Well, it sure as hell is! I guess she's on leave for the weekend. Cool! I know Biggs will be glad to see her!"

  "Biggs and Carole are coming?"

  "Yep."

  "Geez, Penny, did you send out invitations?"

  "Group text." Then she laughed. "This is gonna be a blast, y'all, we've got fireworks and everything!"

  "So, this is a pre-Fourth celebration?" Tess asked.

  "Yeah, since the holiday is Tuesday, it kinda messes up the workweek for a lot of people, one day isn't long enough to do much, no one is even going to try to drive anywhere so they end up staying home. Today, though, today, they're gonna party!"

  She walked around the island and opened the cabinet under the counter, pressing buttons on a rack set of stereo components. Southern rock began playing from the outside speakers and was met with several shouts of "Hell, yeah!," one "that's my jam!," and happy noise in general from the girls setting up around the fire pit and down at the dock.

  "I'm gonna go say hello," Penny informed us. "Hatch, Tess, you should come so I can introduce you."

  The two looked at each other and then nodded, following Penny out the door. I stayed behind, spooning some peanuts up from the water and blowing on them, watching the three from the window.

  Penny took Hatch and Tess from one group to the next, making introductions and, I think, on more than one occasion, letting it be known that they were law enforcement, especially Hatch, the reasons obvious.

  Tess and I were on the beach when Jacks arrived at three. She was in such a good mood and really glad to see Hatch. I smiled as the two of them set about tapping one of the two kegs sitting in ice on the porch, Jacks showing Hatch where Penny kept the tap "for future reference."

  Biggs and Carole got there and, after presenting Penny with a nice bottle of rum, staked a claim on the beach next to our tent. Once they'd set out their sand chairs and umbrella, Tess joined them. I smiled when I caught her watching me, a thoughtful look on her face as I fetched the key to the storage shed, took out the canoe and oars and carried them down to the water, then later as I prepped the grill for cooking over the fire pit.

  It's as if she suddenly realized I had lived a life here that didn't include her, it belonged to Penny, and I'm not sure how she felt about that.

  99

  Some of the girls had blown up some canvas rafts, then lashed them together and anchored them about thirty yards out from the dock, making a floating island for laying out and drinking on the water. An ice chest, stocked with ice and beer and suspended inside an inner tube, was tied to the flotilla for easy access.

  Jacks joined me at the fire pit as I laid in the charcoal and newspaper for starter.

  "So, I think Hatch is having a good time," she remarked. "How's Tess doing?"

  "She's okay. She seems comfortable for someone who hasn't done a whole lot of socializing, when I think about it. I mean, I don't want to overwhelm her, so it's probably good that she's with Biggs and Carole, they're pretty low-key compared to some of the others here today."

  Jacks nodded at that.

  By five-thirty, the party had picked up about ten more women, and Jacks was tending the fire pit, cooking up the burgers and dogs, sending them up to the table set up just outside the porch, the condiments and sides chilling in trays of ice. Tess and I were fixing our plates, Hatch and Penny joining us as we added the toppings to our burgers.

  "Bax, have you had anything to drink?" Penny asked.

  I shook my head. "Nope, not yet." I had planned on a beer with dinner but I waited to see what was coming next.

  "We're low on ice and could use more mixers," she explained.

  "And you need someone to go to the store."

  She nodded.

  Hatch looked over at me. "I'll go with you."

  I looked at Tess.

  "I'm fine, go," she smiled.

  "Okay, then," I said.

  Hatch nodded.

  And that's how we found ourselves in the Tenley Market at about six o'clock on a Saturday night.

  As a general rule, a holiday weekend evening is not the best time to be in a grocery, the crowds and the lines are terrible, but there we were, buying two-liter bottles of soda and bags of ice, emptying the commercial chest freezer of its last seven or eight bags.

  We loaded it all into the back seat of the Jeep and were about to pull out of the parking lot when a purple low-rider, a large white truck, and a black SUV passed by right in front of us.

  I looked at Hatch. She looked at me.

  We turned in behind them, keeping our distance.

  100

  We knew where they were going, so we turned into the restaurant parking lot and drove to the back of the building, pulling up into our usual parking slot.

  One man from the SUV entered the side door of Charlie's business and opened the garage doors for the waiting vehicles, all three pulling into the bays. The doors closed behind them.

  "What do you think?"

  "Extra shipment of whatever it is they're moving?"

  "Maybe. Honestly, I have no idea."

  We watched the building, unable to see anything going on inside, unable to hear since we didn't have the earpiece for the mic I'd placed yesterday evening.

  About fifteen minutes later, a second SUV pulled up at the side entrance. Four men exited the side door, got into the vehicle, which then turned north onto the highway and drove off.

  "I've never seen them do that before."

  "Damn, I'd love to get a look around in there," Hatch wished.

  "Well, the store doesn't close for another fifteen minutes." I paused, then, "Want to go shopping, Dear?"

  We just looked at each other, neither saying a word, then got out of the Jeep. Hatch said, "I don't think anyone will mess with it" as she looked at the bags of ice and drinks on the back seat.

  "It's not like we're gonna be gone that long anyway. In and out, right?"

  She nodded and we made our way through the hedges and down onto the store asphalt.

  101

  We entered the store and were nearly to the hallway when we were met by Charlie coming from his office.

  "Hey, yeah, remember me? I was looking for a cook pot?"

  Charlie looked at me, his face flat. "We're closed, I was just on my way to lock the door. Come back Monday."

  "Oh, yeah, well, I mean, we're here, and we really need it tonight, so if we could just have a quick look. Shouldn't take long with the two of us."

  Charlie seemed to realize Hatch was with me and he took a good look at her, and then, "Yeah, okay. Sure. Go right ahead."

  I led the way down the hall, Hatch behind me. Charlie must have gone to his office, he didn't follow us into the room this time.

  I pointed at
the boxes then took up a watch at the door as Hatch looked into the first box, flipping through the contents and taking pictures with her cell as she went. She nodded at me and we moved down the hall, Hatch using the live view on her phone on the edge of the door jamb of Charlie's office, trying to see if he was in it.

  He wasn't, so we moved on down the hallway. Hatch peered through the window of the garage door, then opened it and slipped through. I went right behind her, staying by the door to stall Charlie if he came looking for us.

  "You've got a proper warrant to search this truck, right?" I whispered.

  "Yeah, well, technically, I'm not going to look in the truck, you are," she replied.

  "Oh. Okay. So, no."

  I walked over to the back of the truck and flipped the big hook latch on the overhead door, then rolled it up about a foot to see inside.

  It was empty.

  I rolled it down as gently as I could but it banged a bit as it hit the bottom. I looked at Hatch with a silent apology, and was nearly to the hallway door when it was suddenly pushed open.

  "Hey, sorry, just looking for your restroom. It's not out here, is it? So, if you could...just...show...me..." the words dying in my mouth because that was when I saw the snub-nosed .38 in Charlie's hand.

  Hatch, standing off to the side, saw it, too, and her arm shot out, pushed Charlie in the chest, back through the doorway, then she slammed the door, catching Charlie's gun hand between it and the jamb.

  Hatch was leaning on the door and Charlie was cussing as I pulled the gun from his trapped hand, his wrist banged up pretty good. We headed for the side door, my hand on Hatch's shoulder as I looked back and pointed the gun at Charlie.

  Both of us moving fast now, through the door and into the parking lot, then suddenly Hatch came to a complete standstill. I nearly ran into her but managed to stop in time, looking up to see why we weren't halfway across the parking lot by now.

  There was a black SUV and three rather large men in our way.

  I grabbed Hatch's collar and started to pull her back toward the garage door, now pointing Charlie's gun at the three. The garage door swung open behind us and a fourth man stood in the doorway, his Glock on us.

  Darren Nichols.

  "That's quite enough, Miss Baxter," said the man, as he took the gun from me. "Come in, Agent Hatcher," he said, his tone cordial as he grinned at Hatch. "It's too hot to be talking out here."

  102

  He stepped back into the garage as the three men moved towards us, effectively herding us through the door. He had taken Charlie's gun from me and handed it off to the first man through. We were standing with our backs to the SUV that had been parked in the garage now, with no way out.

  "Agent Hatcher, I've been hoping I'd meet you, you've made a bit of a name for yourself. I'm sure the DEA and the Richmond Police Department will remember you in very fitting ways, perhaps with scholarships in your name."

  He chuckled at that. "First, though, we're going to take a little meeting, you and I, along with one or two of my men here, and you're going to educate me about what you've learned during your investigation into my business."

  He turned to me. "And for you, Miss Baxter, my name is Darren Nichols. I'm not really sure what your role here is, maybe you're a wannabe cop, or a law enforcement groupie, there's very little known about you, except that your closest friends work for the Tenley PD. Perhaps Karma will bless you and you'll get your wish to be in law enforcement in your next life. You're going to help me persuade your friend here into talking, in exchange for your well-being."

  Hatch's response to that was immediate. "Wait a minute, this is my fault, she's here because of me, there's no sense dragging her into this."

  The man smiled. "There, you see, you're already jumping to protect her. So, she will be of some use to me."

  Hatch looked down in dismay.

  "Now, you two have really screwed up my weekend, I'm supposed to be with my family. My wife is not happy, but, well, here we are. I think, though, that the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished, and I can get on with my holiday plans."

  He nodded at the three. One opened the gate of the SUV, removed and opened a small black bag, took out some zip ties. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled my arms together behind me, slipped the tie on and pulled it tight, then did the same to Hatch. The second fellow walked over to the large spindle of plastic sheeting hanging on the wall and began unrolling yards of the material.

  Hatch was shaking her head as the boys got busy.

  "Baxter, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

  "Hatch, it's not your fault. Really."

  She looked at me. "Tess is going to hate me for this."

  "Tess loves you, Hatch. And she's gonna be so pissed at Nichols. I sure wouldn't want to be him, to be honest, when she finds out about this."

  Hatch snickered, nodded her head at that.

  The third fellow kept his gun on us as the plastic was laid out on the floor of the truck box. They were obviously prepping for wet work. We were directed over to the truck.

  "At least you can see inside now," I commented to Hatch.

  The two men lifted us into the back and set us down on the plastic.

  "You guys have done this before, haven't you?" Hatch remarked.

  "They've really perfected the team lift," I acknowledged.

  Hatch laughed at that.

  Her phone buzzed.

  Penny.

  Wondering where we were.

  One of the men rolled Hatch over and took her phone out of her back pocket, then stomped it, shattering the glass and leaving it in pieces.

  He patted me down and pulled mine from the cargo pocket of my shorts, but when he saw that old phone, he just laughed before throwing it in the corner.

  "Hey, that was a present!"

  The men climbed down out of the truck and we were left alone.

  Hatch looked at me.

  This was all starting to look a little ominous.

  I sighed.

  Then Hatch sighed.

  "Penny for your thoughts," I said, immediately regretting even opening my mouth. "Aw, shit, man, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that through."

  She sighed again. "I love her, Baxter. And I'll never get to tell her."

  103

  Nichols was standing at the truck box door. We had to crane our necks to look at him. "Agent Hatcher, we're going to start with you while we're here, it's just a little taste of what you can expect when we reach our destination. Something for you to think about."

  Two of the burly boys climbed up into the box, one carrying a sledge hammer, the other carrying a cinder block. Hatch started kicking as soon as they got close, but the two of them grabbed her legs, then the bigger one laid across her knees, pinning her down. She struggled under his weight.

  I was kicking, trying to reach the bastards, but it was no use. I knew what they'd planned for Hatch. Any hope I had for us getting free and making a run for it evaporated in that moment.

  "For you, Miss Baxter, we want you to be as comfortable as possible."

  At that, the bearded man appeared and climbed into the truck. He was carrying a syringe.

  Apparently, comfortable meant sedated.

  Shit.

  I whispered "Do something!" at him. Paying no attention, he jabbed me with the syringe before rolling me over to check my zip tie.

  My phone was vibrating with an incoming call as the cinderblock was set between Hatch's ankles.

  Hatch was cussing as the man swung the sledge sideways in a wide arc, taking aim as if he was teeing off.

  Then everything went black.

  104

  "I don't like this, Tess." Penny was looking at her across the kitchen island. "They've been gone over an hour. Those two idiots have gotten into something."

  Tess had her phone to her ear. "It just goes straight to voicemail. I didn't even know her phone had voicemail."

  Penny nodded. "I had to set it up for her."

  Tes
s made another call, this time to Dispatch. "Hey, Sandra, this is Tess. I'm fine, no emergency, I'm just checking to see if any accident reports involving a Jeep have come in. No? Okay, look, would you give me a call if any do? And, please send out a BOLO to the traffic units for a red Jeep, no top, call me if you hear anything. Thanks, yeah, you have a good Fourth, too."

  Penny's brow was furrowed. "I don't like this," she said again.

  Tess stood staring, lost in thought. "I wish there was a way we could track them. Is there an app for that?"

  Penny's eyes widened at that. "Wait, I forgot about that."

  "What?"

  "I sorta...chipped Baxter."

  "Chipped."

  "Like a locator. On her phone. When I set up her voice mail."

  "Penny! Why?"

  "Mostly to see if it would work, not because of anything else. I just wanted to try it."

  "Well?"

  "Well, what?"

  "Did it work?"

  "Yeah, actually, it did. I was surprised, especially with Bax's phone, but the app is old, it probably hasn't been updated, I don't know if it even works anymore." She was looking through her phone, tapping screens and shaking her head. "Wait. Here."

  Tess came around the island and they both looked at the phone.

  "See, that can't be right. It shows them halfway to Richmond."

  105

  "What if it is? What if they really are halfway to Richmond? How can we confirm that?"

  Tess didn't say it, but she was thinking that the app was right, that Bishop and Hatch were in trouble, and they were getting farther away with every passing minute.

  "Kane. Kane would have a program for that," Penny answered.

  Neither woman had Kane's number, but Tess had Miz Maggie's landline.

  "Hello."

  "Miz Maggie, this is Tess..."

  "Oh, hello, dear, how are you?"

  "I'm fine, Miz Maggie, I need to speak to Kane."

  "Well, just a minute, he's outside, I'll get him for you." There was a clatter as she laid the phone down.