“Let me find out if Coop’s men are on their way.”
His call was answered on the first ring. “Thought you’d be shooting me a message, Tuck,” said Stuart. “Good job. We’ve got a ton of stringers out already and logged in nearly a dozen connections to phones on our target list.”
“Good. I was wondering if I was too far away.”
“You were just right. I’ve got some solid tracks going on now. We’ll be busy tonight.”
“Are Coop and the guys on their way down?”
“Gibson nixed that. You seven are on your own.”
“Okay, we’ll text when we leave. Just wanted to check.”
“You did good.”
Tucker was going to suggest they head into the lobby and pick up the other squad when, all of a sudden, their two visitors from the Capri walked past, forcing them to duck into the shadows of the alleyway. The men stopped at a sedan parked on the opposite side of the street, opened up the trunk and took out a large suitcase. After searching both ways on the street, they entered the hotel, wheeling the suitcase behind them.
“Call him back and tell him to get the net on,” he said to T.J.
He didn’t want to risk being detected so waited against the cool bricks. The noise from the edge of the busy city echoed off the walls, exaggerating the sounds of trucks, bulldozers, heavy equipment, scooters, and the sounds of horns blasting at the harbor. There was nothing familiar to him. He breathed in and out slowly and waited for his body to calm down—so his head could think despite all the noise. He closed his eyes and pretended he was watering Brandy’s garden. Or nuzzling the baby in bed.
He’d made a miracle, and yet he’d chosen to put his ass all the way over here. But he was doing it to help protect someone else’s innocent women and children. He hoped that, if the situation were reversed, someone would do the same—protect his wife and baby.
T.J. leaned over, “You okay?”
“I was just thinking—don’t get me wrong now.”
“Uh oh. Not one of those conversations.” T.J. picked up a rock and threw it.
“Kyle told me you held him. Held Frankie.”
“T.J. sorted the rubble at his feet, looking for another rock, and then picked up several.
“Yeah, I did.”
“And he made you promise.”
T.J. nodded.
“You’re a good man. And now you’re raising Frankie’s daughter.”
“Yup, I got a little piece of Frankie with me always. And she’s my daughter now, Tucker.”
“You’re right. That’s the way it should be, too.”
“Yup.”
“It must have been hard.”
“Frankie wasn’t going to make it. I would have promised him anything just to keep him alive. It wasn’t going to happen.”
Tucker was hesitant to continue. They sat in silence. Then Tucker had to speak. “Would you do the same for me?”
“Hell no.”
“Why?” Tucker felt the tiny flame of anger growing inside.
“’Cause I’d go to jail, and I’d never do that to Shannon.”
Tucker grinned. He hadn’t even thought about Shannon. Of course, he wouldn’t take on another wife.
“It’s not funny, Tucker. That’s a damn serious thing.”
Sven was listening, his arms crossed, stifling a smile.
“I didn’t mean marry her. What do you take me for? I meant help get her set up. With another Team Guy. Somebody good.”
“Listen to you, Tuck. I never expected to hear those words come out of your mouth.”
“But would you do it?”
“Well, let me ask you, would you?”
Tucker nodded again. “Yes. Yes, I would.”
“Well then, there you have your answer.”
The two men clasped hands to the sounds of Sven chuckling in the background.
Chapter 16
Geri and Bryce arrived an hour later. Keira was thrilled to see them, yanking on Geri’s arm to show her the playhouse. She ran inside and out, opened the windows and doors and got Geri to bend down and join her.
Bryce was stiff and, as he’d said over the phone, was not making eye contact with Brandy. But he did look at the baby in her arms and finally said, “She’s a cutie. God, I remember those days. Some of the best of my life.”
Brandy smiled, but inside, she felt the pain this man was feeling. “They grow up quick, don’t they?”
He did return her gaze this time. He had that same look about him as Tucker did, not shying from going to the heart of the problem. He showed no weakness, not even a little weepy-eyed tear. He was on a mission. His handsome face a total mask of what must be churning inside.
“Make the most of every day. None of us know what can happen in the future. And don’t assume anything.” He cleared his throat and watched his wife and child outside.
“I’m sure there’s no way you—”
He interrupted her. “I’m not going there until we find this guy. There’s always something we can do.” He put his huge hand on top of Kimberly’s head with a tenderness that made her knees weak. “Goes to show how one little lapse in attention can cause things to derail.” He smiled at Kimberly and then raised his eyes to Brandy. “I had a hunch, and I didn’t act on it. That’s on me.”
Brandy knew better than to argue with him. She felt he was being far too hard on himself. But Tucker would feel the same.
“It’s a good lesson for all of us.” She saw the police car pull up to the front of the house. “I think your friend is here.”
Bryce greeted the uniformed officer at Brandy’s front door, as well as the social worker sent from the Department.
“Brandy, this is Kent Porter. He and I go way back to when he tried out for the Teams.”
The handsome dark-haired officer extended his hand. “Brandy, just so you know, we don’t talk about that much, and if Bryce is lucky, he won’t bring it up again.”
She liked him and felt reassured by his firm handshake.
“This is Mary Weck. She’s one of our social workers we contract when we’re interviewing kids. One of the best.”
“Nice to meet you, Brandy. Thank you for reporting the incident right away. That gives us some ammunition to go on.”
“You’re welcome. So how does this work?”
The social worker began. “We’ll interview her here, and I think I’ll have her mom with her. Bryce, perhaps not you. I think you and Kent should go outside for a bit, go get a coffee or something, but be on hand in case we need you.”
“Fine,” he said. “Got my cell.”
“Brandy, I think it would be good for you to be here as well, because she felt it was safe to tell you about it in the first place. And she will know what she told you, instead of trying to cover it up or deny it. But she may do that anyway.”
“Okay. I may have to get up and down with the baby.”
“I think that’s good. Normal life here. We’re in a friend’s house. Her parents are here. Less scary than going downtown or in my strange office.” She smiled. “Although I do have some pretty nice toys.”
Brandy chuckled. “I have some books in the little chest over there, if you need anything like that. I read a couple of them to her earlier today.”
“Perfect. Shall we get started, Bryce?”
The two men left in the patrol car.
Brandy went to the back door and motioned for Geri to come inside. Holding hands, they both walked inside. Keira’s eyes got wide when she saw the woman sitting on Brandy’s couch.
“Keira, this is Mrs. Weck. She’s a nice lady who wants to talk to you for a few minutes, okay?”
Keira clutched Geri’s skirt like she’d first done when she arrived earlier.
“Here, Mommy will sit next to you, right here, okay?”
The six-year-old climbed into her mother’s lap and buried her face in Geri’s neck and chest. Her eyes fixated on Brandy, standing to the side, as if she had some idea what this was a
ll about.
“I understand your sister has a boyfriend,” Mary began.
Keira’s face wrinkled in pain as she shot Brandy a harsh look.
“Can you answer Mrs. Weck?” murmured Geri to the top of her head.
Keira kept her face turned away from the social worker and didn’t move.
Mary Weck started again, “Keira, you’re not in any trouble, but we wanted to ask you about your sister’s boyfriend. What can you tell me about him?”
“I don’t know anything,” she said into her mother’s chest. Brandy could see she’d begun to cry. Geri continued to rub her daughter’s back in soothing, long motions.
Mary’s voice was patient and slow, but she continued to pry for information. “How do you know she has a boyfriend? Have you seen him?”
“No,” she mumbled.
“Keira, we understand you may have seen a picture of him on your sister’s cell phone. Is that correct?”
That got her to sit up and face the room. “I didn’t see his face, just his pee pee.”
Geri’s eyes closed, a single tear tracing down her right cheek.
“Thank you for that, Keira. That’s very good,” said Mary. She refrained from touching the child. “When did you see his picture?”
“I forgot.”
“Was it yesterday or the day before?”
“I don’t remember.”
“How did you see it?”
“He sends her text messages. And he sent her the picture. I saw it before she put the phone away. She asked me if I saw it, and I told her no.”
“What else?”
“She made me promise not to tell Mommy and Daddy. Made me keep it our secret.” She looked up at her mother. “I didn’t want to keep a secret.”
“I know, sweetheart,” Geri said as she hugged her.
“Don’t tell Dad. He’ll be really mad.”
Mary looked between Geri and her daughter, then said, “Honey, he already knows. And he’s not mad at you at all. Your mother’s spoken to him.”
Keira stared back into Geri’s face. “Really?”
“Yes, honey. Nobody’s mad.”
“Well, Lynn will be. She’s going to smash up all my dolls. I know she will.”
Mary paused, waiting for her to finish and then spoke softly. “We’re here to help Lynn, because we need to find that boyfriend quickly before he sends any more pictures to her, or to anybody else. Do you understand?”
Keira nodded.
“You wouldn’t want to get pictures like that, would you?”
“No. They’re yucky.”
“Yes, they are. And have you ever seen any other pictures? Or has Lynn told you she received others?”
“She didn’t tell me. I just saw one.”
“Okay, so is this boyfriend someone she’s known a long time or just a short time?”
Keira shrugged.
“Someone from school?”
She shrugged again. “He wants to meet her, so I think he goes to another school.”
“So, she hasn’t met him yet?”
Keira shook her head.
“Now Keira, I’m going to ask you a very important question, and it might be difficult to answer, okay?”
Keira nodded.
“Can you tell me, how did you know it was a picture of his pee pee?”
She frowned, puzzled. “I know what a boy looks like. I’ve seen my Daddy naked before—by accident.”
“How by accident?”
“I’ve seen him getting dressed, on accident. I didn’t mean to!” She stared up at her mother. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Keira,” said Geri.
“So tell me more about what it looked like,” Mary pressed.
“It was pink and fuzzy with hair all over it. It looked disgusting.”
Geri gasped for air, and then softened, hugging Keira tightly, but she could not stifle the tears. Mary Weck sat straight and nodded to herself.
“Okay, I think we’re done,” she said.
Chapter 17
Tucker’s cell rang.
“Fredo and the gang are done. You ready to head back?” barked Gibson.
“They picked up the target?”
“They did. We got a lot of information to digest. We’ll see you back up here in a few.”
“Roger that.”
“We done here?” asked T.J.
Tucker spotted his four Teammates exiting the building. “Sven, go tell Fredo to put a mark on that car. I’ll meet you back at the Jeep, okay?”
“I’m on it,” Sven said as he emerged from the shadows to meet the other squad.
Tucker and T.J. waited until the tracker was placed, counted another five minutes to make sure no one had seen them place the mark, and then carefully emerged from the shadows. Sven was waiting for them at the Jeep.
The sun hung lower in the horizon as a golden bronze covered everything, softening some of the harshness of the bright colors they’d seen earlier on. It also smoothed over the contrast between the lush gardens that popped up on the shore side, behind guarded gates, and the highway and villages where most the population lived. It was like the population was divided into two groups, and it had nothing to do with nationality. There were the working people, families and children, shopkeepers and the rescuers and civil servants trying to help them function in all the chaos. Then there were the other people who worked very hard to separate themselves from that general population.
So what group do I belong to?
He decided he didn’t belong in any group. Not above or below, but separate, operating in the shadows and free from the routine of everyday life. At least that’s what it was like here. At home, well, in a way, he lived in the shadows too, since so much of what he did for a living was a total secret. They had their own world, and in that world, there was security, family, love, and a future.
“So those two are staying at the hotel, then?” Tucker asked Sven.
“Yes. The guys took some pictures of them checking in and heading upstairs.”
“Did they meet up with anyone?” T.J. asked.
“They didn’t say.”
“So we kinda made Diego think we were coming back tonight, Tuck. We going to do that?”
“Let’s wait to see what Gibson says. Maybe we should give one of the other squads a chance.”
“I’m game for whatever,” added Sven.
The crush of traffic grew more intense until they got through to the other side of Las Palmas, and then a steady stream of gravel trucks and bulldozers on trailers filed past them coming down the hill from the site of the fires. They turned up to finish the stretch to their motel.
A roadblock had been set up where a bus had overturned in front of them. Flares and lights flashed everywhere. It was difficult to see who was directing traffic, so everything just stopped. An ambulance passed them going up the oncoming lane and then a fire truck. Several groups of locals had gathered, watching the mess.
“Geez, hope Fredo got through,” said T.J.
“No kidding.” Tucker called the house and got Gibson. “We’re stuck behind an overturned bus. Should we offer to help?”
“That’s a negative, Tucker. We’re not to get involved.”
So they waited. He turned off the Jeep.
At last, as darkness approached, they were directed to skirt the accident. Tucker had to dodge curious onlookers—even a boy on horseback and half a dozen food carts. Faces of all colors shouted in languages he couldn’t understand. Women wrapped in colorful drapes with baskets and children in tow were illuminated by the red and blue flashing lights. The whole scene looked like one of the many carnival parades he’d seen.
Compared to the snarled traffic jam, the rest of the drive home was uneventful.
The house was eating dinner when they arrived. Tucker wanted to get the grit and grime of the day off him but was too starved to wait. An enormous spread had been laid out for them with several local dishes, fresh fruits, and some barbeque chicken,
which was heavenly. He stuffed himself.
They were to have an evening briefing, so he ran upstairs to make a quick call to Brandy and perhaps get a quick shower in. He found Sven just getting out.
“I feel human again,” he said.
“That’s right where I’m headed.” As he slipped off his shoes, he asked his Norwegian friend a question. “How much time did you say you spent here? And when was that, Sven?”
“Oh God, twenty, yeah, twenty years ago. Just before I joined the forces.”
Tucker had stripped off everything except his shorts. “What brought you here?”
“I did a lot of traveling. We do a lot of that in Europe. Kids used to travel all over the place, all over the world in their teens.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“I’d never been to the Canaries. Someone said it had nice beaches.”
“We never saw any of that before, did we? Haven’t seen any this time, either.”
“Nope. Not what we’re here for. We’ve been in the seedier parts, the old harbor. Downtown has wide streets and cathedrals, very different than here. All the islands are different. But, yes, I had a good time.”
“So she was an art student. How’d you live? Were you working?”
“Tended a little bar. That’s how I met her. And then we had a place on Tenerife. Came here for a weekend. It was a lovely hotel.”
“What happened?” Tucker asked.
“Life happened. Her parents demanded she return home. Said they didn’t want to finance her Norwegian fling any longer.” He laughed. “I think I made her drop out of school.”
“I’d have thought you would have inspired her art.”
Sven shrugged. “It was what it was.”
The shower was heavenly. With fresh clothes, he flew downstairs and sat just as their meeting was beginning. Then he remembered he’d not called Brandy.
Lt. Commander Gibson began their briefing with, “We’re off to a good start, gents. The hairnets are giving Stuart and his team fits. They’ve got so much information. Stuart told me we’re going to have some very specific locations to kick some serious butt coming up here.”
Tucker was relieved.
“Fredo’s got a trace on a car we hope will help locate some of the players who aren’t quite so public. We’ve identified one of the six names on our list, Javier Rodriguez, who we believe is staying at the Tradewinds. I think Tucker and T.J. and Sven have started something at the Capri, but we’ve definitely got a tight fix on Rodriguez, and that’s huge for our first day out.”
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