by A. C. Fuller
Warren shifted the van into gear and turned right, allowing it to drift out over the center line. “They’re up there. Maybe five cars ahead. ”
“The hell?” Cole said. “I mean, you’re a cop. What the hell is going on?”
Warren opened his eyes wide. Steering with his knee, he pressed both hands into his face and let out a long breath. Cole had seen him do this before. It was his pressure release valve, his way of getting his emotions under control. Surely his mind was racing with the possibilities, as hers was. All he said was, “Cell signal?”
“One bar.” She tried calling 9-1-1, but it wouldn’t connect.
“Gas station attendant probably called 9-1-1. There were enough people there that I’m sure someone called. You did the right thing telling me to stay in the car. Instinct was to run at the guy who fired. Without a weapon, he’d have taken me down. What the hell was I thinking?” He sighed. “When you get the bars, call Gabby.”
“Why?”
“Just call her.”
They passed another gas station, then a series of signs for locations in southwest Florida, and finally a sign thanking them for visiting the park. The bars on Cole’s phone moved from one to two. She dialed Gabriella Rojas, Warren’s former training officer who worked for the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City. Though they’d never met, Cole trusted her. Mostly because Warren trusted her, but also because of their shared loathing of Joey “The Stallion” Mazzalano.
“Put it on speaker,” Warren said as it rang.
“Hello.” Gabby answered right away, but sounded out of breath.
Cole held the phone between them.
Warren tilted his head, eyes still on the road. “Gabby, it’s War Dog.”
“Hey...I’m jogging...what’s up?”
“This morning, The Truffle Pig killed Ana Diaz. A few minutes ago, he was gunned down at a gas station in the Everglades. We’re on the tail of the killers. I need your help. Fast.”
Rojas breathed heavily into the phone, then said, “Rob, seriously, what the hell are you doing?”
“Please, Gabby.”
For a few moments, all Cole heard on the line was Gabby’s breathing. When Gabby spoke at last, her voice was back to normal. “I heard about Diaz right before I left for my run. What can I do?”
“That was hours ago.”
“I go on long runs.”
“The dude who shot The Truffle Pig looked like a professional. Plates on the SUV were Georgia.” He let the car drift left again, squinting to see the license plate number. “Hold on.” Waiting for a gap in traffic, he pulled out and passed two cars, then changed lanes so the airport shuttle was now two cars behind the SUV. “Got a pen?”
“Told you, I’m running, but I’ll remember it.”
“Georgia plates.” Warren gave her the plate number. “Get back to me ASAP, okay?”
“I’m two miles from my house. It’ll be twelve minutes.”
“You can run two miles in twelve minutes?” Cole asked.
“Ten minutes, but it’ll take me an extra two to get upstairs.”
When they hung up, Cole dialed 9-1-1 and reported what they’d seen, recited the plate number, and ensured the woman on the phone they weren’t putting themselves at any risk by following it.
They merged onto Interstate 75, heading north up the west coast of Florida. After a few miles, a black sedan overtook them, then pulled in front of them, still two cars back from the SUV. “Local police,” Warren said. “Undercover.”
“How can you tell?” Cole asked.
He pointed at the rear window. “See the bars between the front and back seats? And the two disc things that look like hockey pucks on the roof? Antennas.”
Through the window, Cole saw heavy-duty crossbars that separated the front and back seats. She never would have noticed the black antennas had Warren not pointed them out. “Why aren’t they pulling them over?”
“Waiting for backup, probably. Likely got three calls in five minutes. They know these guys are armed and dangerous. Can’t exactly blame them.”
Cole grew uncomfortable as they rode in silence for what felt like an hour. It was probably five minutes. As a crime reporter, she’d spent most of her time either in the courthouse watching trials or trying to get police, witnesses, and suspects to talk, often by text or Twitter messages. A week ago she’d yearned for excitement—anything to pull her from her routine and off Twitter. But now she was genuinely terrified. As ridiculous as it was, she kept imagining the SUV pulling over and the man hopping out and shooting her.
They passed an exit dotted with fast-food restaurants, and Cole broke the silence. “I’m hungry.” She hadn’t eaten a bite since the half bag of microwave popcorn at 2 a.m. in Little Havana.
Warren said nothing.
Cole’s phone rang. “It’s Gabby.” She held it to Warren as she accepted the call.
“Rob, Cole, you want the good news first, or the bad?”
“The good news,” Cole said quickly. She needed something positive.
“Local police and FBI are all over the car. I don’t know the details, but, apparently, the FBI was already on the SUV.”
“Wait,” Warren said. “If they were already on them, why’d they let them kill The Truffle Pig in broad daylight? That doesn’t make any sense.”
The line was quiet for a long moment. “That I’m not sure about,” Gabby said. “Could be...well...could be a lot of things. But let me finish. FBI is on them, and now local police are, too.”
“Black sedan is tailing them,” Warren said.
“That was the good news?” Cole asked, impatiently.
“Means you’re off the hook,” Gabby said. “Back away slowly from this thing, Rob. You too, Cole. Let the professionals handle it.”
Warren sighed. “Which brings you to the bad news?”
“Right. Plates were registered to a woman in Atlanta named Wendy Bluth. She’s the aunt of Peter Bluth of Las Vegas, who runs Club Blue and some other nightspots.”
Warren let his foot off the gas slowly, as though all the energy had drained from his foot. A line of cars changed lanes and pulled around him.
“What’s Club Blue?” Cole asked.
“One of the hottest off-strip clubs in Vegas. And it’s owned by Sunny Lee.” Gabby paused, allowing the name to hang in the air as though it should mean something to Cole. It didn’t. “Either they’re NVM or they stole a car from an NVM member’s aunt. Would be a helluva coincidence.”
“Sunny Lee?” Warren asked. His face held an odd expression. Eyes wide, lips pursed, jaw tight. Cole couldn’t tell if he was shocked, confused, or afraid. Maybe it was all three.
“What’s NVM?” Cole asked. “And who’s Sunny Lee?”
“I gotta go,” Gabby said, “but get the hell away from this thing, Rob. I’m serious. I had to press a friend in the Florida FBI to get the info, and...anyway, I gotta go.”
The call ended.
Warren’s face went blank.
He was only going forty miles an hour. Car after car passed them on the left side of the two-lane highway.
“Who’s Sunny Lee?” Cole asked. “And what the hell is NVM?”
—Continue Reading—
Author Notes, October 2019
Thanks for reading Episodes 1-3 of The Crime Beat!
Response to this series has been excellent, and I’m eager to get the rest of it to you. That’s why I’m locked away every morning, writing like a man possessed.
I’m working with a consultant on this series, a man named Gary Collins. I met Gary at the 20Books Writing Conference in November of 2018, and we hit it off right away. For The Crime Beat, Gary is providing important insights into weaponry, military life, and police work. He’s also a consistent sounding board and story fixer. Many of the coolest little nuggets in this series were his idea. In addition to having a military and law enforcement background I don’t have, Gary is the author of seven non-fiction books. Find out more about them, and about
Gary, by flipping a few pages.
Now, some thanks…
Special thanks to everyone in the A.C. Fuller Fiction Fans Group on Facebook. Your interest in my work—plus your constant support and encouragement—keeps me going.
Thanks to the good people at Rocking Book Covers, who designed the art for all the books in The Crime Beat series.
Thanks to Chet Sandberg, who edited these books, to Noah Brand, who also edited 1-2, and to Jennifer Karchmer, who proofread episode 2. And thanks to Kay Vreeland and Nancy Swanton, who caught some typos at the last minute.
Thanks to my wife Amanda, who read multiple versions of these books and improved them in so many ways.
And to the readers who enjoy my books, thank you so much!
Over the next few months, The Crime Beat will be taking me all around the world. I hope you’ll come along for the ride!
A.C. Fuller
The Crime Beat: Complete Series List
Episode 1: New York
Episode 2: Washington, D.C
Episode 3: Miami
Episode 4: Las Vegas
Episode 5: London
Episode 6: Paris
Episode 7: Tokyo (Coming Soon)
Episode 8: San Francisco (Coming Soon)
Episode 9: Los Angeles (Coming Soon)
About the Author
Once a journalist in New York, A.C. Fuller now writes stories at the intersection of media, politics, and technology. He also teaches writing workshops around the country and internationally.
Before he began writing full time, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU and an English teacher at Northwest Indian College.
He now lives with his wife, two children, and two dogs near Seattle. For a free copy of one of A.C.'s books, check out: www.acfuller.com/readerclub.
You can find out more at www.acfuller.com
Other Books By A.C. Fuller
THE ALEX VANE MEDIA THRILLERS
Follow journalist Alex Vane from 9/11 into the social media age in the breakout thriller series from A.C. Fuller.
The Cutline
(An Alex Vane Prequel Novella)—Available free, and only though my website
The Anonymous Source
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 1)
The Inverted Pyramid
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 2)
The Mockingbird Drive
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 3)
The Shadow File
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 4)
The Last Journalist
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 5)
AMERITOCRACY
The two-party system was broken, so Mia Rhodes created an alternative. Welcome to Ameritocracy, the new political series readers are calling "The West Wing meets Survivor" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for the social media age."
Open Primary
(Ameritocracy, Book 1)
Off Message
(Ameritocracy, Book 2)
Echo Chamber
(Ameritocracy, Book 3)
PRAISE FOR A.C. FULLER’S BOOKS:
"A talented new writer sure to do damage to the best-seller lists."
-Robert Dugoni, #1 Amazon and New York Times Bestselling Author of My Sister's Grave
"Elite Indie Reads anticipates that Fuller will soon be a household name."
-Elite Indie Reads
"An ode to American news served just the way I like it--fast, bloody, and utterly righteous."
-Roger Hobbs, New York Times Bestselling Author of Ghostman
About Gary Collins, Consultant on THE CRIME BEAT
Gary Collins has a unique background that includes military intelligence, Special Agent for the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Gary’s background and expertise bring a much-needed perspective to the topics of simple living, health, nutrition, entrepreneurship, self-help and self-reliance. He holds an AS degree in Exercise Science, a BS in Criminal Justice, and an MS in Forensic Science.
His website, www.thesimplelifenow.com, and The Simple Life book series (his total lifestyle reboot), blow the lid off of conventional life and wellness expectations, and are essential for every person seeking a simpler and happier life.
You can find all his books on Amazon here.
The Simple Life Guide To Financial Freedom: Free Yourself from the Chains of Debt and Find Financial Peace
The Simple Life Guide To Decluttering Your Life: The How-To Book of Doing More With Less and Focusing on the Things That Matter
The Simple Life Guide To RV Living: The Road to Freedom and the Mobile Lifestyle Revolution
The Simple Life Guide To Optimal Health: How to Get Healthy and Feel Better Than Ever
Living Off The Grid: What To Expect While Living the Life of Ultimate Freedom and Tranquility
Going Off The Grid: The How-To Book of Simple Living and Happiness
The Beginner’s Guide To Living Off The Grid: The DIY Workbook for Living the Life You Want
