Evidently he agreed, because he nodded. “Sounds interesting.”
Pouring the steaming liquid into both mugs, she handed him one before taking a slow sip of her own.
Mmmm. Almost as good as ordering from her favorite shop back home.
She had yet to find the right roast here.
Dak looked at the cup with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
She chuckled. “It’s not going to bite you, mate.”
“It’s awfully pale. You sure there’s coffee in this thing?” He picked up the mug and sniffed.
“It’s called flat white for a reason. And yes, there’s coffee in there.”
He took a sip, paused, then took another before setting the mug aside. “Not bad, but I’ll stick with my blend. Stronger.”
She put her nose in the air in an exaggerated movement and spoke in her haughtiest tone. “You, sir, are clearly not a man of refined tastes.”
A low chuckle responded. “Maybe not, but I do like my triple shot mochas.”
Kevyn settled behind her desk, pulled out her phone, and plugged it into the computer. It was time to get to work.
A yawn snuck up on her, evidencing the broken sleep from the last few nights.
Maybe she needed that triple shot mocha Dak had mentioned.
“When you get those images uploaded, how about sending me half? We can compile a list of makes, models, and numbers to distribute across the teams later. If we each take five or six, we should be able to identify our weakest suspects by mid-morning.”
Which would give them plenty of time to bring the suspects in for questioning.
With any luck, they’d get enough evidence to obtain a warrant and raid the place that night.
She was ready for this to be over. For the unsub to get what was coming to him. Maybe then her nerves would settle enough to get a good night’s sleep once again.
₪ ₪ ₪
Ava stared at the door, willing it to open.
This place was so boring. She wanted to go home.
How long had she been here? Was her daddy and Nana and Papa still looking for her? They wouldn’t give up on her, would they?
She’d run out of tears days ago.
Music came from the cartoon on the TV. One of the dozen DVDs they’d given her to watch. She’d watched all of them, many times over. Read the four books they’d left her. Played with the six dolls.
But it wasn’t much fun alone.
Miss Ebony visited her sometimes and was nice. She didn’t like Mr. Jax much. He was weird.
Miss Wendy seemed nice too, from the little they’d talked to each other at meals. And Mr. Oliver was okay, but he didn’t say much.
He’d also started that fight at dinner the other night and Mr. Jax had been scary.
A quiver rocked her legs at the memory.
She’d thought Mr. Jax was gonna hurt Mr. Oliver. Maybe all of them.
But Miss Ebony had brought her back to her room and told her everything was okay. Then she’d seen Mr. Oliver at dinner the next night so maybe it was fine.
Would they ever take her home? Would she ever see her family again?
₪ ₪ ₪
“Okay, what’ve we got?” Dak looked at the group around the conference room table.
His team, plus two analysts, filled the small conference room. Each of them had been assigned five plates to research. He and Kevyn had worked the additional three plates early on, before the rest of the team arrived for the day. They’d also eliminated the night shift manager. The likelihood of him talking was slim.
One of the analysts spoke up first. “My five are all known gang members.”
He went on to give a brief description of the men, including their lengthy criminal records.
Dak shook his head. “They’re not going to give us anything. Next?”
The rest of the team went through their findings and by the end of the briefing, they’d identified four potential targets.
Dak wrote the four names on the white board, followed by a few bullet points of data that had been collected.
One was a repeat offender in his forties, but was looking at his third strike. His wife recently gave birth to twin boys and between that and the three strikes law, he might be motivated to talk to avoid a life sentence if this thing blew up like Dak thought it would.
The next was a nineteen-year-old kid, a high school dropout. He’d done a stint in rehab for opioid addiction, but hadn’t been picked up since. He was green enough that they may be able to turn him.
The next was the kid’s father, who’d probably gotten the kid the job at the factory. The guy was hardly father of the year, but maybe would be willing to talk in order to keep his son out of trouble.
The final option was a grandfather in his sixties. The guy was a leftover hippie who’d been arrested a dozen times in his youth for anti-war and anti-government protests, but hadn’t done anything to warrant prison. Given his age, four children, and nine grandchildren, the man had plenty of reasons to cooperate with the investigation.
He assessed each one, then turned back to the group.
His gut said to go big. “We’re bringing them all in. Sid and Felicia, you’ve got suspect number one. Kev, JD, you’re with me to get suspects two and three. I’ll have the SAC send two other agents to bring in our fourth suspect.”
He glanced at his watch. A little after ten a.m.
“Let’s move. I’d like to get that warrant and execute it today.”
Eighteen
Kevyn smiled at the young man across the table, the one who seemed slightly smitten with her in spite of the fact that she’d brought him in for questioning.
This could work in their favor, if she played her cards right. He hadn’t even blinked when he’d been read his rights.
“G’day, Lance. Is it okay if I call you Lance?”
Lance bobbed his head as red heat climbed up his neck.
Crikey! This was gonna be easy. “I’m Kev.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Kev? That short for somethin’?”
She offered a light, feminine laugh. “Kevilynn. Crazy, isn’t it? I think my dad wanted a boy.”
His eyes traced her hand as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Huh.”
“Are you and your dad pretty close?”
The mention of his dad sobered Lance almost instantly. “Uh, not really. I dunno.”
“Well, I’m sorry we had to bring you both in. You’re not in trouble, at least I don’t think so. We’re trying to figure out what’s going on at that warehouse.”
In spite of her casual, conversational tone, the kid’s color dropped from crimson to white. “Uh. It’s a fish plant. We, uh, we pack fish. You know.”
She planted her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fisted hand. Leaning in, she dropped her voice as if sharing a secret. “That’s not what I heard. I heard that you guys process drugs. Kexatreme.”
Lance laughed, a forced, shrilly sound that hurt her ears. “Someone’s tellin’ you stories. Ain’t nothin’ like that goin’ on there.”
“I’m disappointed, Lance.” She shook her head softly. “You’re lying to me.”
“Nah. Nope. I’m not lyin’.”
“I have a witness who says otherwise.”
She studied him closely. His pupils dilated as his gaze darted toward the door. Wiping his hands down the legs of his jeans, he pulled in quick breaths.
“Lance. I want to help you. I don’t think you’re a bad guy.” Her voice lowered an octave. “If you tell me what you know, I can make sure you get leniency for any part you may have had in this.”
“But I-I don’t know anything!”
“I think you do.” She paused for effect. “I also think that if the three other guys from your crew talk first, you won’t have as much leverage. You might go down for this.”
The only sound in the room was his ragged breathing and his foot tap-tap-tapping the floor.
She waited.
The ten
sion rolled off him like foam off the ocean.
He’d spill. Sooner rather than later. Silence made most people uncomfortable and she was willing to bet he was like most people.
He dragged his gaze back to her. “They’ll kill me. Me and my dad. Dead.”
The whispered words barely carried across the table. She stretched out and touched his fingers, which were like ice. “We can protect you. We’ll keep your name out of it, make sure they never know it was you that told us.”
He stared at her, eyes wide. “You promise?”
She nodded. “Tell me. Is it Kexatreme?”
“Yeah. I heard my manager sayin’ we’re the biggest supplier in all of Seattle.”
Like that was something to be proud of? That Kexatreme had killed one woman! It had almost ruined her own life! She stamped down the anger building inside and forced her muscles to relax. “How long have they been making it?”
Lance shrugged. “Kexatreme? A few months. ‘Fore that, it was Special K, a strong blend. They were makin’ that ‘fore I started. ‘Fore my dad started, too, and he’s been there ‘bout three years now.”
Supported Dak’s theory that the drug business might have started around the recession. “Does Mays know?”
Lance snorted. “Better believe it! He hired me.”
Yes! This had to be enough to get the warrant to raid the place and arrest Mays.
She gently squeezed Lance’s fingers. “Thank you, Lance. I really appreciate you telling me this.”
He swallowed hard. “You’ll protect us, right? Me and my dad?”
“Yes. You sit tight and I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” She pulled her hand back and rose. “Can I get you anything? Soda or food or something?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I could really go for a root beer and some chips.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back with those.”
She strode toward the door, which opened as she reached it, and stepped into the hall where Dak waited.
Dak grinned as the door latched behind her. “Awesome job.”
“He was easy. We getting anything from any of the others?” Sure, Lance’s testimony was good, but corroborating testimonies would be even better.
“The grandfather is talking, but so far he’s the only one. The first guy lawyered up and Lance’s dad is hedging.”
Not surprising. The bigger surprise was that they got half of them to talk rather than none of them at all. “Maybe if Lance’s dad hears that Lance is talking, he’ll be more willing to say something.”
Dak nodded. “It’s worth a try. I’ll tell Sid. And then I’ll get started on those warrants. We’ll execute them tonight.”
While Dak’s enthusiasm was contagious, she still felt the weight of the missing persons holding her down.
Busting a big drug operation like this was a huge win, but it didn’t guarantee they’d bring Ava and the others home alive.
₪ ₪ ₪
Kevlar stunk. But being killed would stink worse.
Kevyn shifted slightly as an itch developed on her side, but the vest didn’t give any relief.
Tension laced the night air.
Her team surrounded her, each of them in similar attire, as well as an additional four FBI agents she hadn’t yet met. With the suspected presence of drugs, two DEA agents were also present, as were six members of Seattle PD SWAT.
“Let’s go.” The words channeled through her com and into her ear.
The group surged forward.
In spite of this being their discovery, somehow she and her team ended up toward the back of the group.
Four SWAT officers broke off, two heading to the main entrance and two to the emergency exit on the far side of the building, just in case anyone inside tried to make a break for it.
Her team and the DEA agents remained with the SWAT officers who would breach the building.
“On my count. Three, two, one.”
From where she stood, she barely saw the door burst open, but heard the pandemonium erupting. Shouts of “Police!” and “SWAT” mingled with “Hands in the air!” and “Down, down!”
The group surged in like a tidal wave, scattering as they entered the harshly lit warehouse.
Most of the men in the room froze. Two sprinted toward the emergency exit.
“On the floor! Face down!” The lead SWAT commander shouted.
After only the briefest hesitation, most men complied.
Movement in her peripheral drew her attention. A scrawny guy in baggy jeans and a graphic tee three sizes two big had a hand under his shirt.
She swung her Colt M4 Carbine toward the man. “Hands where I can see them!”
He hesitated.
“Don’t do it!”
Beside her, she sensed JD turning toward the man, too.
The man slowly withdrew his hand and held both hands up.
“On the floor.”
He eased himself down, never taking his narrowed eyes off her and JD.
While she trained her weapon on him, JD cuffed him and relieved him of the handgun tucked in his waistband.
At the far door, the two men who’d tried to get away were being shoved back inside by the SWAT agents stationed outside. Around the room, men were being cuffed and taken into custody.
No shots fired. No injuries. No fatalities.
Definitely a success.
Conveyer belts, that usually carried fish during the day, now had boxes of vials. She’d bet her badge that those vials contained Kexatreme, just like Lance had said. She didn’t see any of the usual drug manufacturing equipment like jugs, bottles, strainers, or funnels but those items had to be close by.
The question that remained was: where was the lab?
The DEA agents were already scouring the place, evidently trusting FBI and SWAT to handle the arrests.
As much as she wanted to find the lab where those drugs were being produced, they needed to get all these people in custody.
It was after eleven when they loaded the last suspect into the police van. Only the night shift manager remained behind.
Man, was she beat. The exhaustion stretched into every part of her body.
She couldn’t wait to go home and get some sleep.
Hanging back, she observed as the DEA agents questioned the supervisor, who glared at them from beneath thin gray eyebrows. The tight press to his lips convinced her they were unlikely to get anything from him.
She sidled up beside Dak. “Did we get Mays?”
He nodded. “They got him. I guess he was very vocal and has already lawyered up, but he’s in custody.”
A warrant for Mays’ arrest had been issued and executed simultaneously to the raid on the fish packing plant. “Has his attorney arrived so we can question him?”
Dak shook his head. “We’re gonna let him sit in a cell until after the holiday, then we’ll hit him up on Friday.”
They were taking Thanksgiving Day off? “I expected we’d work tomorrow. At least for a little while.”
“There’s no indication that there is imminent danger to any of our victims and it’s a national holiday.” He shifted. “I don’t like that we didn’t bring our victims home before the holiday hit, but our team deserves the time with their families.”
Their victims deserved time with their loved ones, too. She kept the thought inside.
The night supervisor watched the agents combing through the warehouse, ignoring the DEA agents questioning him.
“He’s not going to tell them anything. But he’s concerned.” In fact, she suspected he was more concerned about them finding something they hadn’t yet found, rather than the drugs they were currently cataloguing as evidence.
“The lab.” Dak’s assessment was spot on. “It’s possible that the lab is elsewhere and the drugs are being brought in, but I doubt it. I think it’s here somewhere.”
She agreed. “We didn’t arrest nearly enough people. Thirty-eight cars in the lot last night, remember?”
&nb
sp; “I know.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “There are a lot of people unaccounted for.”
“Does this place have a basement?”
Dak arched an eyebrow. “You know there’s water beneath us, right?”
“You know they build structures underwater, right?” She gestured toward the front of the building. “Besides, that part of the building is on dry ground. There could be another level below that.”
They stared at each other for a moment.
“There was nothing on the blueprints.” Dak studied the part of the building that contained the offices. “But this is an old building in an old part of town. What if part of the underground city extends beneath here?”
The weariness that she’d fought earlier fell away.
The guy who’d almost gone for his gun flashed through her mind. He hadn’t been working the line like most people, and he was one of the half dozen or so that had been armed.
Maybe he was their version of a security guard. “You know, that one bloke seemed to be guarding something over there.”
Dak’s eyes sharpened. “Let’s check it out.”
She navigated her way to where she’d first noticed the man.
No sign of any stairs, especially not any leading down. About three meters to her left, a door led to the office portion of the building. Another door, unmarked, was about the same distance straight ahead.
It was as good a place to start as any.
She knew someone had already looked inside there, but that person hadn’t been looking for a hidden entrance to the old underground city.
Pushing the door open, she flipped on the light and found herself in a large warehouse. Roll-up receiving doors graced the opposite wall. Crates and boxes stacked in neat rows stretched between her and the loading bay doors.
Dak pointed to her left. “You take that side, I’ll take this one, and we’ll meet on the other end. Look for any sign of a hidden door on the wall or floor. If you find something, come get me. Do not check it out on your own, got it?”
She offered a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “I’m serious, Kevyn. No more lone-wolfing it. I don’t want a repeat of that incident on the boat.”
Nameless (Sinister Secrets Book 1) Page 22
