by C. M. Sutter
Anthony rubbed the two-day stubble on his chin then gave his cheek a scratch. “But your brother was killed, boss.”
“Not during the robbery, idiot. It was months later. We aren’t going to make that mistake twice. Once we split up the diamonds, we’ll part ways and disappear. Sam and his friends stuck around too long enjoying their spoils. I was the only person with enough sense to become scarce.” Carden jabbed his head with his index finger. “There’s a brain inside that skull of yours, and sometimes you have to use it.”
The sound of furniture scraping along the wooden floor alerted them. Carden jerked his head at Antonio. “Go shut that Fed up. Where the hell does he think he’s going, anyway, when he’s cuffed and tied to the bunk bed?”
Chapter 41
I propped my head against my closed fist while my elbow rested on the desk. I tried my best to fight the urge to shut my eyes, even for a minute. I knew if I did, I would be sound asleep in seconds. I reviewed the inventory list from the Mercedes a half dozen times and still couldn’t remember a single thing I had read.
That’s it. I need to move around for a minute.
I pushed back my chair and left the computer lab. A quick walk through the hallways might wake me up enough to concentrate on my work. Ending up in the lunchroom, I went straight for the coffee machine and dug through my pocket for change. After I plugged three quarters into the machine, a cardboard cup dropped and hot coffee poured into it.
I was overtired and cranky. I just wanted my partner returned to the fold, safe and sound. I walked back to the computer lab, pulled out my chair, and sat. Then I gave my eyes a thorough rub and dug back in. This would be the seventh time I looked at the photographs Leah sent with the list. With my index finger on the mouse, I clicked on each picture, gave it a few seconds of attention, then moved on to the next. I clicked on photograph number nine, continued on, and a memory popped into my mind. I scrolled back and enlarged the image. I was certain I was looking at a drawing torn from the notepad I took out of the center console of the Mercedes. Everything about that sheet of paper matched the notepad used by the suspect, and something about that drawing seemed very familiar. With my fingertips pressed against my forehead, I tried to rub away the brain fog.
That’s it! The image is the same as the tattoo Samuel Dunbar had on the back of his hand. Two entwined ovals with a large V over the center of them.
The image I was staring at on the computer screen was drawn with a black pen and didn’t have the bright red V, but the V was there nonetheless. Other than the color, the drawing was an exact match to the tattoo worn by the armored truck thief J.T. had shot and killed in 2014. There was a connection, and it involved that robbery, J.T., and the man who kidnapped him and Julie. I hit the print icon for ten copies and pushed back my chair, then powered down the computer, picked up the copies, and raced to the office Spelling had been using for the last two days.
I knocked impatiently and turned the knob before I heard him say to come in.
“Boss?”
Spelling pulled off his reading glasses and looked up. “Where’s the fire, Jade?” He shook his head. “Sorry, that was in bad taste. I’m overly tired. What’s going on?”
“I have something, I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“Okay, you have my attention. Tell me what you’ve learned.”
I passed one of the copies across his desk. “This drawing is from the evidence list of items from the Mercedes. I haven’t asked where it was found yet, but it wasn’t in the glove box or the center console because I searched those areas.”
“It looks like it was torn from the same notepad the addresses were on.” Spelling picked up his phone and called the tech department. “Joe, do you have that notepad handy? Yeah, we need to check something on it. Thanks.” Spelling hung up. “Joe will be right here with it. Call Leah quick and ask where they found it.”
“I’m on it, sir.” I dialed the forensic lab, and Terry answered. “Hey, Terry, it’s Jade. Do you remember where that slip of paper with the design on it was found?”
“Hang on, I’ll ask Leah.”
I waited for a few seconds, then Leah came to the phone. “Hi, Jade. Are you asking about that piece of notepad paper?”
“Yes, with the drawing on it.”
“Sure. It was between the driver’s seat and the console by the seat belt clasp. It was pretty far down where nobody’s hand would fit. I used the long tweezers to pull it out when I saw it with my flashlight.”
“Perfect. Thanks for the info.”
“One more thing before you hang up, Jade. Hal wanted me to tell you that there weren’t any usable prints on the body bag Curt was found in.”
I let out a deep breath, thanked her, and hung up. I told Spelling about the body bag and where Leah said the slip of paper had been found.
Joe knocked and entered the office, the notepad in hand. “Is there something I can help you guys with?”
“Take a look at this photo. See where the edge was torn away from the notepad coils? There may still be pieces of paper stuck where that page was torn out. Let’s take a look.”
Joe carefully turned each page until he found an area with small shreds of paper stuck in the coils. “Look where the chads, so to speak, remain in the coils. It’s exactly where that page was ripped out. We definitively know that drawing came from the fifth page of this notepad.”
“Yeah, and the suspect was doodling that image, but why? The only way he would have known about it was because he saw it at some point on Samuel Dunbar’s hand.”
Joe raised his brows. “Do you know what it means?”
“No, but it must have been important enough to be turned into a tattoo. I need to read J.T.’s file again from that armored truck robbery. At least three witnesses had described that pattern. When Sam was shot by J.T., we confirmed Sam’s connection to the robbery because of that very tattoo on his hand.”
Joe paced. “How are you doing with those two questionable addresses?”
“There are a number of retail spaces on Wisconsin near Plankinton. I don’t know which one has relevance in the mind of our suspect.”
“And the Brookfield location?”
“There’s a large strip mall on that block and a freestanding store that looks like it’s in the process of being built.”
“Google Images are never current. Let me see what I can find in real time. If I can’t get anything online, I’ll drive out there.”
Spelling gave him a thank-you nod, and Joe closed the door at his back.
I turned toward the door too. “I’m going to grab that file again, sir.”
“It’s almost noon. Bring it into the conference room. We’ll reconvene with the rest of the team and brainstorm this new discovery.”
I grabbed the file folder containing J.T. and Curt’s cases from 2014 and headed for the conference room. My teammates were on their way in too.
“I think we may be on to something,” I said to Val and Maria as we walked the hallway together.
“Good, because we need all the help we can get,” Maria said.
We took our seats around the table and waited for Spelling to arrive. He entered with Joe at his side.
“Okay, people, we have a lot of puzzle pieces to put together. Our hope is that J.T. and Julie are still alive and will be found as soon as possible. We aren’t leaving this building until we figure something out. Everyone on board?”
We pulled out our notepads and were ready to dig in.
Spelling sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, everyone was sent out with a task to complete. Let’s see what we have.” He turned to Maria, Val, and Bill Lewis. “Was there anything in the burned warehouse that can help us?”
Bill spoke up. “There wasn’t a lot in the building, sir, just because it had already been abandoned. What we did find is telling us a story, though.”
Spelling nodded. “Go ahead, Agent Lewis.”
“First off, we can confirm J.T.’s car was among the
rubble, as well as Frank Wyatt’s vehicle. Both cars were burned badly but identifiable. The VINs were still legible. Of course, we popped the trunks, and they were both empty. The room Frank was found in contained a cot, a metal table, and several metal chairs. Two other rooms were set up in a similar fashion. That’s telling us the warehouse was prepared in advance of the kidnappings. We believe the suspects were staying there as well. We found remnants of two chain-link holding cells, I guess one would call them. Each had a melted padlock fused to the gate. We believe that’s where J.T. and Curt were held. Julie may have been kept in one of the rooms with a cot, but there’s no way to confirm any of it. It’s only our best guess. According to the statement the building’s owner gave the PD, he had no idea anyone was taking up residence there. He said the building had been empty for nearly ten years, and he only kept it because the land was valuable. He raced to the scene when he heard the fire report on his scanner and knew the location was somewhere in the area of his building.”
Spelling jotted notes on the whiteboard behind him. “Cam, what did you get from Frank Wyatt?”
“I want to ease everyone’s mind by saying Frank will make a full recovery. His throat and lungs are sore, and he speaks in a raspy voice, but according to the doctor, he’ll be back to normal within a week’s time.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted was for the death count to rise.
“I did get some valuable information from him, though. I showed Frank photos of the Pirelli brothers, and he identified both of them. He said it was Antonio who ditched the Mercedes and hijacked his car. Frank was taken to the warehouse where Antonio called somebody and addressed him as ‘boss’ and said he needed Anthony to let them in. Frank said he heard the man on the line yelling at Antonio.”
“Obviously, that was our mystery man.”
“I agree, Jade. Frank said he was taken to a room, the same one the firemen rescued him from, and locked inside. He never saw anyone again but did hear people talking on the other side of the door. He couldn’t make out their words, though.”
Maria spoke up. “So he never saw anyone except Antonio and Anthony? He had no idea if J.T. or Julie were even there?”
“Guess not.”
“Okay, Jade, tell us what you know so far.”
“Thanks, boss. Right now I’m trying to figure out the connection between our mystery suspect and the death of Samuel Dunbar back in 2014. We need to know what that is to understand why this man had it out for Curt and J.T. We’ve already seen Curt’s fate, and I’m sure J.T. is running on borrowed time. I’m going to need help from all of you. I have too many fires burning”—I rolled my eyes—“sorry, bad analogy. There was chatter on the wiretap about a cabin somewhere between Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells. The owner is a Dante Leone, and he’s the brother-in-law of one of the Pirelli uncles. I’d bet my bottom dollar that’s where they’re holed up, and it’s imperative that we find that cabin immediately.”
“I’ve contacted the Dane and Sauk County Courthouses, and there’s no record of property owned by that man,” Spelling said. “Joe, can you take on that task? We still need to check with Iowa, Columbia, Richland, and Adams Counties. If nothing pops, expand the search.”
“You got it, sir. Just one bit of news before I go. I have information on that building in Brookfield. Believe it or not, it’s the new store for Rosemond Diamonds. I took it upon myself to contact Mr. Rosemond directly. He said all of their inventory is being moved from their old store on Wisconsin Avenue to the new Brookfield location tomorrow.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Holy shit, they’re going to attempt a jewelry heist, and J.T. is going to be in the middle of it. We need to know where that cabin is now!”
Chapter 42
“Go together to check on Agent Harper. Give him some food and water. He gets one free hand to eat, drink, and piss in a bucket, then he gets cuffed again. Later, we’ll let him in on the plan. He has only one option and that’s to cooperate and be the man who will take one for the team.” Carden chuckled. “No loss there, and you know how the saying goes.”
Antonio smirked and elbowed Anthony. “Tell us, boss.”
“Karma is a bitch, and then you die. Looks like Agent Harper’s number is up. He’ll block any bullets that may come our way with his body. Unfortunately, we only have three vests, so sorry, Fed. It sucks to be you.” Carden jerked his head toward the door of the room J.T. was in. “Take care of him. He’s beginning to irritate me with his noise.”
“What about the sister?”
“Give her a bathroom break and some food, then she gets tied up again too. I have to review the route and the map once more. Keep them quiet. I don’t want to be disturbed until later. At dinnertime, you boys can go into town and get a few pizzas to bring back here. Lights out at ten o’clock tonight. Tomorrow will come soon enough, and I want everyone to be well rested. We need to be alert and on our game for the big score.” Carden rubbed his hands together. “We’re leaving here at seven a.m.”
Chapter 43
I paged through J.T.’s file slowly and deliberately. I didn’t want to miss anything. There could be clues that I hadn’t realized the first time I read through it. I flipped to the tab with the agent investigation report conducted by Internal Affairs. I read it again. According to the witness statements, Sam Dunbar seemed to be the leader of that armored truck robbery. Now, our fictitious C.V. Loomis was in charge, and somehow the two men were connected. I stared at the page, and then it hit me. Dunbar was the name of an armored vehicle service, and so was Loomis. They made a joke of the names and decided their fate would be tied to robbing armored trucks for cash and now diamonds.
But C.V. Loomis isn’t a real name. We’ve already established that. And actually Dunbar wasn’t Sam’s real name, either. He was adopted.
“Sir?”
“Yes, Jade.”
“Is there a way we can get access to Samuel Dunbar’s adoption files?”
“With a court order or subpoena, probably. Why?”
“I think I’m on to something. Dunbar and Loomis are both names of armored vehicle companies. They’re mocking the system, or at least they were until Sam was shot by J.T. I want to know what Sam’s birth name was, but we need those records now.” I grabbed my notepad and drew the tattoo from memory. “Two entwined ovals with a large V over the top of them. Why a V?”
“Victory, maybe?” Maria grimaced. “Or possibly victims.”
“How about a real last name? What if Sam and our mystery man were related, and the entwined oval means they’re connected, or linked, and the V stands for their real last name? There has to be a reason C.V. Loomis used that as his fake name. This abduction could be all about retaliation.”
Spelling nodded at Cam. “Get ahold of that information now.”
Joe burst through the door. “I have it! I found out there are property tax records in Columbia County for a D. Leone. It has to be the same person.”
“The location would fit,” I said, “and it’s between Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells.”
“I checked with the online plat book for Columbia County and found that name attached to a five-acre parcel near Portage. The property is going to be tough to find given that most of the roads around there are just logging trails or fire lanes.”
“The locals know that area better. Bill, make a call to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department. Tell them to get out there now. There’s a chance that a federal agent and his sister are being held hostage by three suspects. They need to go in quietly and cautiously. If these men are actually planning to rob an armored truck tomorrow, then they’re armed to the teeth. Right now, our main concern is getting J.T. and Julie out of there. Get somebody else to work on the connection between Dunbar and Loomis.” Spelling turned to me. “Find out how far we’re talking. With any luck, we can take the Escalade and a cruiser and be there before dark.”
“Got it, sir. Joe, show me where the parcel is in the plat book.”
> Spelling added, “We’ll let the sheriff’s department make the initial move on the cabin. They need to surveil the situation and see if the suspects are actually there before closing in on them. If they feel they can apprehend the suspects and get J.T. and Julie to safety, then we’ll let them take lead, but be ready to move out, either way.”
Bill hung up from the call and let out what sounded like a sigh of uncertainty. He explained the conversation he had with the sheriff’s department. “Their county law enforcement consists of four deputies, two detectives, and the sheriff. That area is a mixed bag. Cabins in the woods, farmland, state parks, and land owned by logging companies make up most of Columbia County. They don’t come across crime of any real significance. The sheriff said there’s a neighborhood watch unit that patrols around the vacation cabins to make sure there aren’t any vandals or suspicious looking people milling about.” Bill checked Spelling’s expression before continuing. “He said he’d borrow the patrol vehicle and act like he was making a routine pass to see if he notices any activity at the cabin. I warned against it, sir, but he insisted. He said it was the only safe way to know for sure. If somebody is actually at the property, he’ll knock, find out who they are, and leave, then come back with the entire department and move in on them.”
“J.T. and Julie could be used as human shields. That sheriff could be opening a can of worms. It’s far too risky for all of them.”
“I told him that, boss, but he said he was only five minutes from the property. He’ll update us after he passes by.”
Spelling dropped down in his seat. “Are his deputies standing by in case the shit hits the fan?”
