by C. M. Sutter
“But J.T. is my partner. I have to know if it’s him.”
“No you don’t. You’ll wait here with the rest of us.”
I walked back to our cruiser and leaned against the hood with my arms crossed over my chest. Val and Maria joined me.
“Take a breath, Jade,” Val said. “I’ve known J.T. a long time. If anyone can get out of hot water, it’s him.”
Headlights bounced behind us. We turned and saw a man get out of a car and run in our direction. We stopped him before he dipped under the police tape.
“Sir,” Val said, “you have to stay back, and we’d like to see some form of identification. Why are you here?”
He pointed toward the fire. “I own that building and the property beneath it.”
Val jerked her head at an officer standing ten feet away. “Officer, please get this man’s information and find out how he knew his building was ablaze. See if this property is insured and call the fire inspector too.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sir, come with me, please.”
We watched the doorway and waited for the firemen to bring out the only person they had found so far. Paramedics stood by with the gurney and oxygen.
“They’re coming out,” Hopkins whispered, his voice already raspy from the smoke engulfing the area.
After the victim was carried out, given oxygen, and loaded into the ambulance, the fire chief approached his men and talked with them. The chief looked over his shoulder then headed our way. I held my breath. My fingerprints were embedded in my forearms, and I was expecting the worst.
Spelling called out, “How is he?”
“He’ll make it, just a lot of smoke inhalation, but that man isn’t your agent. He said his name is Frank Wyatt and he was abducted several hours ago.”
“Oh my God, so J.T. and Julie are still inside?” I stared at the flames lapping every inch of the building that hadn’t been charred yet.
“No, ma’am. My men have cleared the building, and there’s nobody else inside. All that’s left to do is put out the flames. The fire inspector is on his way, and as soon as he can get in, he’ll do a thorough investigation.”
Spelling let out a sigh of relief. “I want everyone to go home and get some sleep. That’s an order, and I don’t want to hear a single word of protest.”
He stared directly at me when he spoke, so I closed my mouth and kept quiet.
“We’ve been on the clock for over forty hours. We’ll reconvene at nine a.m. with fresh eyes and clear minds. Now go home, everyone. SSA Hopkins and I will finish up here and take care of notifying Mrs. Wyatt. As soon as Frank is able, we’ll get his statement.”
There was nothing we could say. Spelling had made that perfectly clear. We climbed into our cruisers and left.
It was after two a.m. by the time I was back in my car and driving home to North Bend. Going home seemed useless to me. I knew my sleep would be fitful at best, and I had consumed enough caffeine to stay awake until Saturday. A hot shower and a comfortable bed did sound good, but my mind immediately went to J.T. and Julie, and what they must be going through. I wondered where they were and whether they’d been fed or even had a wink of sleep. We’d seen the video of Julie, already injured, but we had no idea of J.T.’s condition. I prayed that he was all right.
Chapter 38
“Veer left at the next dirt road. We’ll see three red reflectors nailed to a tree along the driveway we’re supposed to turn in to. The cabin is at the end of that driveway, according to the directions you wrote down. We’re going to need a flashlight to find the house key.”
Anthony tipped his head toward the glove box. “There’s a flashlight in there, boss.”
Carden pulled the handle and opened the van’s glove box. “Ah, there we go.” He pressed the button, and the light illuminated the dash. Then he turned in his seat and shined it at Julie’s face. She flinched. “So you are awake under that blindfold, eh? Listening to everything we’re saying, aren’t you?” He chuckled. “That’s right, your mouth is taped closed so you can’t respond. We’re almost to our destination, Julie, so I’m giving you fair warning. No misbehaving or your brother will be severely punished. Understand?”
Julie nodded, and a muffled sob sounded from behind the tape.
“Good.”
The van bounced down the rutted drive. Julie’s car followed close behind, and both sets of headlights lit the pine forest. The cabin was straight ahead.
“Humph,” Carden said, “the place looks surprisingly welcoming.” He pointed at the movement in the woods. “Did you see that deer? I guess we are in the wilderness, just the way I like it. This is the perfect hideout and much more inviting than an abandoned warehouse. I think you’ll feel right at home here, Julie, but I don’t know if I can say the same about your brother. He’s always so abrupt with us. Is that just his personality, or did I do something to offend him?” Carden let out a belly laugh. “I even surprise myself at the funny quips I come up with.” He punched Anthony’s shoulder. “I’m funny, right?”
“You sure are, boss, damn funny.”
“That’s right. Now hang out here until I open the overhead. We’ll get the vehicles secured in the garage and take the supplies inside. We’ll come out for the Fed and his sister after we stow the weapons.”
Antonio pulled up alongside the van and got out.
Carden held up his hand. “Stay put until I open the garage door, then you can give your brother a hand with the supplies. I have to find the key first.” He disappeared into the darkness. Only the flashlight bobbing up and down gave away his location. Minutes later, and with a few choice words, Carden found the key under the wooden bear. He rounded the garage to the right, found the side door, and unlocked it. With groans of protest, the heavy garage door lifted and the light went on. “Get those vehicles in here so we can shut it down. We don’t need anyone nosing around.”
“Where do you want the supplies, boss?”
Carden scratched his chin while he thought about his options. They could take the guns inside and risk the chance of the Fed or his sister breaking free and turning the weapons on them, or they could leave the supplies in the van and lock the doors. “Let’s leave everything where it is for now. We have to decide where to secure our guests. After they’re restrained, you boys can head to that grocery store we passed on the edge of town and pick up some food. I’m starving.”
Chapter 39
“Is that you, Jade?”
I heard Amber walking down the hall toward the kitchen. She knotted the belt on her robe as she rounded the corner and took a seat at the breakfast bar next to me.
“Sorry I woke you, hon. I was trying to sneak in.”
“Don’t ever try to sneak in. I might think you’re a burglar and shoot you.”
“True, but a burglar doesn’t know the code to the alarm.”
“Humph, you’re right. Give me a hug and tell me the latest. I haven’t seen you in almost two days.” Amber looked me up and down and wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah, I know, I smell smoky and I need a shower. I’m still wearing the same clothes I had on Wednesday morning when I left for work, for Pete’s sake.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “What’s the word on J.T. and his sister?”
I sighed and held my throbbing head. Lack of sleep guaranteed me a pounding headache. “We don’t have a damn thing other than knowing the Pirelli brothers are somehow involved.”
“They’re part of the Chicago mob, aren’t they?”
“Damn straight they are. Of course, nobody knows anything, so we got a warrant to have their phones tapped. So far, we’ve got zilch. I feel bad for Hopkins. He’s going on two days without sleep and he’s driving to Waukegan”—I glanced at the clock—“in about five hours to tell Curt’s mom that he’s dead. Curt was all the poor woman had.”
I got up and went to the cabinet that held the coffee cups, vitamins, and the bottle of ibuprofen. I shook four caplets into my hand, filled a water glass, and slugged the
m down. “I’m beat, Sis. I need a few hours of sleep.” I hugged Amber and kissed her cheek. “I love you, little sister. Say a prayer for J.T. and Julie. We need to get them home safely.”
“You know I will. Good night, Jade.”
“Night, hon.” I stumbled down the hallway with hopes that my headache would subside by the time I drifted off. Washed up and changed into my sleepwear, I climbed into bed, barely realizing how wonderful it felt, and set my alarm for seven a.m. If I was lucky, I’d get four blissful hours of sleep.
The repetitive knocking stirred me out of my slumber.
“Jade, are you getting up?” Amber yelled from the hallway.
“Huh? What?” I rolled over and looked at the clock—7:21. I hit the button on top of the clock to silence the blasting noise.
“So you’re awake? Your alarm has been screeching for—”
“Yeah, I know—twenty-one minutes. Thanks, hon, I’m up. Can you make—”
Amber opened the door and walked in. “Here, I already did.”
“Bless you my child.” I reached for the coffee mug and took a sip, kissed Amber’s cheek, and headed to the bathroom. I turned before closing the door. “Are you still going to be here when I come out?”
“What do you think? I bet you haven’t had breakfast since Tuesday. Scrambled eggs and bacon?”
“Yes, please. I love you, girl.”
I had thirty minutes to go from shower to breakfast to out the door. There would be no leisurely second cup of coffee that morning. I fed Polly and Porky, apologized for being such a lousy bird mom, chowed down my breakfast, and headed out the door.
“Wish me luck, Sis. Hopefully we’ll catch the bad guys and get J.T. and Julie home today.”
“Good luck, Jade, and keep me posted.”
The traffic gods were on my side, and I made it downtown in record time. I reached the parking structure at eight fifty and crossed the footbridge at eight fifty-four. I’d worry about that second cup of coffee later.
I walked into the conference room last but still before nine a.m. The obvious empty seats in the room tugged at my heart. J.T. always sat next to me, and that morning, SSA Hopkins was on his way to Waukegan, Illinois, to give Mrs. Belmont what was probably the worst news of her life.
Spelling sat at the head of the table, looking haggard, as if he hadn’t slept for two days—and he hadn’t. “Okay, people, I have some updates. First off, Frank Wyatt will be fine.”
We all breathed a sigh of relief.
“He’s still in the hospital but will be released after lunch. Cam, I want you to conduct a thorough interview with him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Val and Maria, I want you to join Bill at the burned-out warehouse. I’ve been told there are a few vehicles inside. The fire inspector has already cleared the building, but he insists nobody try to get to the second floor. The floorboards aren’t stable enough for that. Go over the vehicles and anything on the first level that might prove helpful and take plenty of pictures. Forensics will show up sometime today too, so make sure you don’t interfere with their work. The police have already interviewed the building’s owner and sent him on his way. He wasn’t involved with the fire.” Spelling took a sip of his coffee then turned to me. “Jade, I want you to check with Forensics before they head out. Get the report on the Mercedes. I want to see the entire list of things found in that car—I don’t care if it’s a gum wrapper. After that, check on the phone tap and see if there’s any chatter. I’m going to go over that map and street list again. We need to know what the connection is between the downtown location and Brookfield. Those streets were written in that notepad for a reason, and we need to find out what it is. None of the buildings in a three-block radius of those intersections are vacant.” Spelling pushed back his chair and stood. “Any questions?”
We muttered a “No, sir.”
“Good, then let’s go. I want everyone back here by noon with an update.”
We filed out of the conference room, each with our own task to complete. I headed out in my personal car to the county’s crime lab a few blocks away. I signed in at the front desk then continued on to the lab, where Leah and Terry normally worked the day shift. They both nodded when I entered.
“It looks like we’re all going without much sleep. Working a double?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’ll be here until the night shift comes in. We were told we’re on call until J.T. and his sister are found.” Leah let out a long yawn.
“That sounds about right.” I crossed the room to their small coffee station and poured myself a cup. “Are you done with the Mercedes?”
Leah answered for both of them. “Yep, it’s been gone through about as thoroughly as possible. We found a few prints but nothing that was in the system. Whoever drove that vehicle last night was definitely gloved.”
I smirked. “Figured as much. Nothing comes easy these days. Find anything of interest? Spelling wants the complete list, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”
“Sure, give me a sec,” Terry said. “I’ll print out a copy for you.”
“You have everything bagged and tagged already?”
“Sure do,” Leah said.
“Good. Hang on to that stuff for now but send the photo file to my email.”
Terry returned with the copy and handed it to me. “There wasn’t a lot, Jade, so the list is short. I think that map and notepad you found was the most significant. Everything else seemed to be a nonissue.”
“Okay. Appreciate it, guys. Don’t forget to email me the photo file.”
Leah took a seat at her computer station. “I’ll do it right now.”
With the evidence sheet tucked in my purse, I left the crime lab and returned to our downtown building. Inside, I ducked into the computer lab and took a seat. I woke up a computer and logged in to my FBI email account. As promised, the photo file Leah said she’d send was waiting in my in-box. I pulled out my notepad and checked that task off my to-do list. My phone rang just as I was about to make the call to our tech department. Joe was calling.
I chuckled when I answered. “That’s why my ears were burning. You were dialing me right when I was about to call you.”
“You may want to hear this, Jade. There’s been some activity on the wiretap.”
“Give me thirty seconds. I’m on my way.” I power walked down three hallways to the tech department and entered. Joe sat on the other side of the room and waved me over.
“I have everything set up. Here, give it a listen.”
I pulled out my notepad and pen then gave him a nod.
Joe pressed the play button, and a back-and-forth conversation began. I heard an outgoing phone call made by Anthony Pirelli to his uncle Freddy, one of the patriarchs in the Chicago area. Anthony was looking for a place to lie low for several days. The uncle offered up his brother-in-law’s cabin, hidden away on a five-acre wooded parcel between Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells.
“Come on. Give me a name,” I said as I wrote down everything I’d heard.
“It’s coming, Jade, in just a second.” Joe hit Pause at the two-minute mark. “Okay, he’s going to give the name right now.” He tapped Play again, and the uncle mentioned the brother-in-law’s name—Dante Leone.
“Bingo! That’s all I need. We can check the property tax bill under his name, and the location of the cabin should pop up.” I pushed back my chair and stood. “You’re amazing!”
Joe laughed. “It’s the wiretap that’s amazing. I just do the eavesdropping when an alert comes in.”
I returned to the computer lab and took my seat. With a quick jiggle of the mouse, the sleeping monitor sprang to life. I’d have to do a county-by-county property tax search since I didn’t have an exact address for that cabin. I typed in a search for southwest Wisconsin counties to see how many I’d have to call. I came up with six counties just to cover all possible areas. I made a call to Spelling’s cell phone to tell him my plan.
“Go ahead and get sta
rted on that. Did you get the inventory list for the Mercedes?”
“Yes, but I haven’t even opened the email from Leah yet. Just as I was going to, I got the call from Joe about the wiretap.”
“Give me that brother-in-law’s name. I’ll make those calls to the county courthouses and get the address. Go ahead and review the inventory from the Mercedes. If nothing pops, we can cross that off our list.”
“You got it, boss. I’ll let you know at lunchtime if I found anything.”
Chapter 40
Julie and J.T. had been bound in separate rooms. Blindfolded, gagged, and tied up, neither had seen or talked to the other in over twenty-four hours. The cabin was larger than Carden had imagined, and that gave him options. He liked the idea of keeping the Fed off balance. The thought of Agent Harper worrying about his sister’s welfare made the entire situation much more pleasurable to Carden, and the Fed wouldn’t be inclined to try the escape ploy again.
The three men sat at the table, drank coffee, and ate grocery store doughnuts as they reviewed the plans for Saturday morning. Nothing could be left to chance. Every detail needed to be ingrained in their minds to make the diamond theft go as slick as ice. They would all wear masks, including J.T., but under his mask, his mouth would be sealed with duct tape. He’d be armed like the others, yet he’d pose no real threat—his gun would be empty. He’d follow the instructions to the letter or Julie would die a slow, painful death.
J.T. would lead the ambush. If gunfire broke out, the Fed would die. He was expendable, and he’d feel the pain of a piercing hot bullet tearing through his skin, muscle, and bone. His organs would explode, and he’d bleed out, just as Sam did the day he was shot and killed by J.T. in 2014.
Carden tapped the laptop’s mouse, and the screen opened to a map he had been reviewing last night. “This is where you’ll sit in the U-Haul.” He pointed at a turnout, hidden in tree cover along a secondary road. “Have your phone handy and wear your Bluetooth. I’ll call you when the armored transport truck is several miles from your location. That’s when you’ll get the agent in place. The second I yell go, you’re going to gun it and T-bone the truck. The driver will likely be killed upon impact. The truck will be disabled, and I’ll be right behind them. We’ll all jump out of our vehicles and attack them while they’re knocked senseless. It worked in 2014, and it will work again.”
