Jael’s growl, one that would do justice by Mac’s jaguar, confirmed that.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Tanaka asked.
“The short version is, after she got Marie out of the room, Wysocki admitted she knew what her husband planned. She even got him the gun and helped him figure out the best way in and out of the neighborhood. She explained he had to do it because he’d been caught stealing from his supplier. It was kill me or be killed.”
“She helped him instead of turning him in or warning you?” Tanaka looked like she wanted to hit something.
“Yes.” Mac carefully shifted positions, wincing slightly in pain. Damned Wysocki. Between the blows the woman landed to Mac’s injured shoulder and the attempt to roll out of her way, Mac hurt like hell.
“What happened then?”
“As she talked, she pulled a syringe. Fortunately, Jael and Marie got to her before she could release its contents into the IV port.”
“Mrs. Duncan?” Tanaka glanced across the room to where Marie sat on the sofa, her fingers flying across her laptop’s keyboard.
“Let’s just say Marie comes prepared.” Mac grinned at her admin and winked.
“Mac,” Pat drawled.
“Jael got the syringe out of the IV port before whatever was in it could reach me. But that left Wysocki. What we didn’t know is Marie had stayed just outside the door. The moment she saw Jael move, so did she. She hit Wysocki with a Taser and took her down. Then, to make sure she stayed down until Jael could secure her, she hit her with a second Taser.”
Tanaka gave an almost wicked chuckle. “I hope the bitch is still twitching.” She glanced at Marie. “I’m going to need your statement, Mrs. Duncan.”
“I’m writing it for you right now, Detective.”
Mac smiled and mouthed a silent thank you.
“Did she say why, Captain?”
“Fear.”
Mac quickly explained what they knew so far about Wysocki’s motivation. When she mentioned the woman’s children, Tanaka cursed softly. Pat, on the other hand, looked thoughtful and Mac wondered what was on her former partner’s mind. Fearing it had to do with what they were, she held her questions. Pat would tell her soon enough.
She hoped.
“I need to talk to her, Cap.”
“And you’ll get to, but after we have secured her children and parents. That’s her one demand.” Mac saw frustration flash across Tanaka’s face. She understood. But it was necessary, on so many different levels.
“Shelly, I’m backing the captain on this,” Jael said. “Wysocki’s scared. Hell, she’s terrified. Whoever is behind this knows enough about her daily routine to have her thinking they’re watching her. So we’ve made arrangements to sneak her out of here without anyone knowing. She’ll be taken to a secure facility and held there until we get to the bottom of what’s going on.”
“I don’t like it, Sarge.” Tanaka paced the room several times before continuing. “Captain, this is my case. You are one of those who helped train me to be the detective I am today. So you know I’m not going to agree to letting her be carted off without having the chance to question her.”
“Shelly,” Pat warned.
“No, partner, she’s got every right to be pissed.” Mac waited until they both relaxed. “And you should know better, Shelly. You’re going to get your chance at her but after we get her moved. The only thing I’m asking—well, technically Jael is since I’m the victim here—is that you not reveal where the secure facility is and that you keep what she says as need-to-know until we have her kids and parents secured.”
Hopefully, by then, Mateo and his people would have found not only Caudell but the person pulling the strings.
For a moment, Tanaka said nothing. Then she nodded. “I need full statements from the three of you.” She looked from Mac to Jael and then to Marie. “I want first crack at Wysocki.” When Mac opened her mouth to protest, she shook her head, her expression mulish. “Captain, I’m no fool. I know you’re having her taken to a DHS or related alphabet agency location, possibly military. I want access to her before they talk with her.”
“All right, but with one caveat. No one is going to talk to her until after she’s been transported and we prove to her that we have her family safely stowed away from harm.”
“Captain, that’s not how it works. You know that.”
“Shelly, what’s more important? Being able to talk with Wysocki now, when she won’t cooperate, or later when she will and when she might just give us the information we need to break this case?” Jael asked.
“If I may?” Marie set aside her laptop and joined them standing around Mac’s bed. When Pat nodded, she continued. “Detective, no one wants answers more than Captain Santos. You should know her well enough by now to understand that. But there’s another factor that has to be taken into account—the children. I saw Julia Wysocki both when she explained to Captain Santos why she was about to kill her and then when the captain Mirandized her and asked her a few questions.”
“And?” Tanaka asked.
“She was scared. Not for herself but for her children. She’s not going to tell you anything until she’s convinced they’re safe.”
Tanaka blew out a breath. Then she nodded.
“All right. But I don’t like it one bit.” She turned her attention to Jael. “Is that your take?”
“It is.”
“So how do we handle this?” Tanaka asked.
“A team will be here soon to sneak us out,” Mac said. “They’re coming in as members of one of the janitorial services the hospital contracts with. We’ll be taken out in storage carts.”
“Should you be leaving the hospital?” Tanaka looked at her in concern. “Captain—Mac, I know you said you weren’t as badly injured as we’ve been told. But it’s obvious you were badly hurt. I know you want to see this case closed but you can’t risk your recovery doing so.”
Mac opened her mouth to protest and then closed it with a snap. Tanaka had a point. Or she would if Mac happened to be human. However, that distinction was one the detective didn’t know about and wouldn’t—ever—if Mac had her way.
“Shelly, I’ll admit that’s part of my motivation. Another part is fear. If whoever is behind all this has the means to turn a cop against one of her own, what else can he do? I’ll rest easier if no one but a very few know where I am.”
“Understood.”
Mac saw she did, even if the detective didn’t fully approve.
“Jael, why don’t you take Shelly next door and answer her questions?” She smiled at Tanaka. “Let her see the video of what happened when Wysocki got here and our initial interview with her.”
“Thanks, Cap.” For the first time since entering the room, Tanaka seemed to relax.
“When you’re done, head back to the station and brief the team. I leave it up to your discretion about how much to tell them,” Pat said.
“What about you, LT?”
“I’m going to make sure Mac gets settled and then I’m going to talk to my contacts in Narcotics to see if they know anything about Caudell that might help.”
“Come on, Shelly.” Jael moved to the door and waited for Tanaka to join her. “I promise, you’ll understand the need for all the precautions before you leave.”
Mac leaned back and closed her eyes as the two left her room. She sensed Marie moving to stand next to the bed. The woman’s hand was gentle as she lightly touched Mac’s forehead and then her cheek. Without opening her eyes, Mac smiled slightly. A memory of her mother checking for fever when she was young came and went. Left behind was pain, disbelief and anger.
“Now, what didn’t you tell Tanaka?” Pat asked.
Mac opened her eyes and sat up. As she did, she gasped softly. Pain tugged at her shoulder and side. Instantly, she felt the mental caress of her jaguar. Cait pressed against her control, urging her to take on some of the jungle cat’s strength.
Mackenzie needs to let me help, th
e jaguar said.
Mackenzie needs to shift but they won’t let me, Mac countered more than a little petulantly.
“Mac?” Pat’s concern broke into her thoughts.
“There’s not much I didn’t tell her and Jael will fully brief her.” She spoke without opening her eyes, suddenly exhausted. Maybe she should reconsider leaving the hospital.
“Marie?”
Mac heard her friend’s growing worry.
“She’s all right, Pat,” the woman assured her. “But she needs to rest. That bitch. . .”
Mac grinned to hear the vehemence in her admin’s voice.
“. . .got in a couple of good hits on her injured shoulder. Patek’s had a look and had to replace some of the stitches she broke open.”
“Damn it, Mac!” Pat didn’t say anything else. Judging from the sounds, she paced the length of the room. “Did she say anything to give us an ID on the bastard behind all this?”
“No.” Even though she didn’t want to, Mac opened her eyes and carefully sat up some. “But she gave us consent to search her phone as well as Caudell’s phone and laptop. She said he’s foolish enough to have incrimination information on them. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Do you want me to send someone to get Caudell’s electronics?”
“Sgt. Lee has her phone. He’s getting it to Mateo’s people to check. As for Caudell’s electronics, she says they’re at her house. We’re going to need to get someone to go in who won’t draw attention to themselves because Wysocki is convinced whoever is behind this is watching her and watching the house.”
“How about if I send in Timmons as the exterminator or something similar?” Pat asked after thinking about it for a moment.
Mac chuckled and then nodded. “I wondered if that reprobate managed to worm his way into the investigation.”
“He was in the bull pen, offering to help within an hour of you being shot.”
“Make sure he understands the need to not only get the electronics but to kill any cameras there in such a way it won’t raise suspicion if they do have the house under surveillance.”
“Nguyen can help him there.”
Mac nodded. Nguyen was the squad’s resident tech expert.
“What about Wysocki’s electronics at the station?”
“I’m handling that, Pat,” Marie said, surprising Mac. “Chief Culver gave me permission to do whatever I needed to in order to gain access. I’ve been working on it remotely to avoid calling attention to what I’m doing.”
Mac grinned at her admin, glad the woman was on their side. Then her expression grew serious as she turned her attention back to Pat.
“Find out what Narco can tell you about Bartholomew and Caudell. See if there are any common threads between them.” She glanced at Marie and made a decision. The woman already knew about what they were. Now she needed to see that Mac made no exceptions to the law where their kind was concerned. “Specifically, see if there is any intel they can give you that leads back to the local pack.”
For a moment, Pat stared at Mac in disbelief. Then she looked almost frantically in Marie’s direction. Mac smiled and held her right hand out to Marie, motioning the woman closer.
“Shut your mouth, partner,” she said with a grin. “Marie knows about us. Your husband read her in and General Flynn vouches for her.”
“H-how long have you known?”
“If you’re asking me how long I’ve known that she knows, Jael told me after I was shot. I’d had my suspicions before, however.”
“If you’re asking how long I’ve known,” Marie said and Pat nodded, her expression stunned. “About six years now.”
“You never said anything.”
“There was no reason to.” Marie smiled and shrugged.
“Just so you know, I’ve offered her the pride’s friendship, loyalty and protection. She’s given us the great honor of accepting.” Mac smiled and squeezed Marie’s hand in affection.
“I’m glad, on so many levels.” Pat pulled Marie into a hug. “You’ll find the pride is like family.”
“Pat, I need to know what you learn from your Narco contacts as soon as possible.”
“You need to rest and heal,” the blonde countered.
“Pat, it’s time to hunt. If they are involved, they have to be dealt with. You know that,” Mac said and waited until she nodded. “I’m going to be sprung from here shortly and will go straight to the safehouse. Marie’s coming with me. I’m trusting you and Jael, as well as the others, to finish this for me, before anyone else is hurt.”
She wished she could be part of the final take-down. But she knew the chances of that happening fell somewhere to the south of slim to none. Jackson and her grandmother, not to mention her mother and the twins, wanted to lock her in her room where they could keep her safe. Patek had made it clear she was in not to shift yet. Besides, she really needed to talk to her grandmother about being pregnant and shifting and whether she needed to lay in a stock of diapers or kitty litter.
Or maybe both.
28
“Thanks for meeting me, Buck.” Pat took her place opposite him in the back booth of Gina’s Café.
“Any time, Pat.” Detective Buck Stoker nodded in appreciation as one of the waitresses poured them both mugs of coffee. “You said it was important.”
“It is.” Now if she only knew how to convince him to tell her what he knew. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’ve heard about what happened to Captain Santos.”
He shook his head, anger flashing in his eyes. No cop liked it when a fellow brother or sister in blue was injured in the line of duty. Being ambushed only made it worse.
“What we discuss here involves the investigation and is off-the-record.”
“Understood.”
She looked at him over the rim of her mug and saw that he did. Not that it surprised her. She’d worked with him in Narcotics before she transferred to Homicide two years ago. When she decided Stoker might have information about Caudell and his connections, she’d reached out to him. She knew the possibility of him being unavailable was high. He had the reputation of being one of the department’s most successful undercover officers. Fortunately, he had just wrapped up a major case and was glad to see her—as long as food was included.
As she studied him, she saw the toll his latest assignment took. He was thinner than the last time they met. He no longer looking like the gym rat she knew so well. Instead, he seemed thinner, less muscular. His dark hair was longer too, although she liked it just as she liked the beard. His dark eyes looked faintly haunted and she worried something had gone wrong on the assignment. She’d seen that same look in her mirror too many times and understood. Undercover work was never easy. Doing it as a Narco made it worse.
“You okay?” she asked after they placed their orders. “You know I’m here if you need to talk.”
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I know, but you have enough on your plate right now. I know the brass must be breathing down your neck to solve find the bastard who shot Captain Santos.”
She nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for a friend.” She reached across the table and rested her hand on his. “Buck, you’ve been there for me too many times to count. Let me return the favor.”
“Tell you what. How about we grab a drink after you close this case down.”
“Sounds good.” She had a feeling she’d need to unwind after this was over.
“So what can I help you with, Pat?”
She sat back and considered for a moment. Then she pulled out her phone and called up the images she had of both Caudell and Bartholomew.
“Buck, have you heard anything from your sources about what happened to Mac?”
He shook his head, his brow furrowed. “No, not that I expected to. Far as I know, the captain’s never worked Narcotics. Why?”
“Before I answer, do you recognize either of these men?” She slid her phone across the table and watched
as he looked at one and then the other image. She knew the answer before he said anything.
“Before I answer, why are you asking?”
“Because this one.” She tapped Caudell’s photo. “Shot the captain. The other one rented the van he used to make his escape. The Feds have him in custody on unrelated charges.”
For a moment that seemed to stretch forever, Stoker said nothing. Then he picked up his mug and drained it. Pat had a feeling he’d have preferred whiskey and that worried her. He knew something. But what?
“Buck, I know Caudell’s been involved with drugs for a long time. His record’s clean because he’s had someone on the inside making sure they run interference for him.” She wouldn’t tell him anything more, not unless absolutely necessary. “But he’s up to his ears in this and in the drug trade taking place in our city. I need to know what you do. I’d prefer to keep this between us, as friends, but if I have to get Culver involved, I will.”
“You know about the fix?” He stared at her in surprise.
“Oh yeah.” She heard the bitter anger in her voice and knew he did as well.
He leaned back and she waited. She trusted him to tell her what he knew when he was ready.
“And the bastard behind keeping him on the streets?”
“Being dealt with as we speak. Again, this is need-to-know.”
He frowned and then nodded. “He’s been on the radar for a decade or more. Even before I transferred into the division, he was active. There’s been grumbling from time to time about how he’d managed to wiggle out of charges without there ever being an explanation given to the arresting officers. Or, worse, the officer would clam up and say he couldn’t speak about it. We all knew something was rotten but we didn’t know what. At least not for sure.”
Pat nodded.
“But he’s never been more than small time. He has the reputation of using as much of his product as he sales.”
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