by D D Loomis
She gave me a hug, and a whispered “Thank you!” before sliding into the booth. Mike was back to his bland look, which made me nervous. Much rather see some emotion, so I knew where we stood with him.
“Lenny insisted I bring her along. Everyone outside the Bureau thinks she’s still in the hospital, on her death bed. The truth is she only has a couple dents in her head and a cracked rib.”
I caught her eye and smiled. “Y’know, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. What’s your last name?”
She smiled back. “Briggs. Lenora Briggs. But please call me Lenny.”
I turned towards Dave. “This is Dave Cutlip. He was a big help at Wildacres; saved several people from being killed. Ex-Army like me, by the way.”
Mike smiled as he shook Dave’s hand. “That’s what John Morrelli said. In fact, he praised both of you to the skies.”
I straightened, senses becoming more alert. “You know him?”
“Know of him might be the better choice of words,” Mike said. “He was an up-and-coming member of the California Highway Patrol until he discovered he could make a lot more money writing. Now, he not only writes and lectures, he’s a volunteer policeman in his home town.”
Dave and I exchanged startled glances. “Um, what else did he say?” I asked.
Mike’s face settled back into its professionally bland look. “Said to find out from you about the rest. All of them clammed up when asked about the guy who was tortured.”
I gave a fleeting look at Lenny, then back to Mike. “I’ll tell you, but the main reason I called was to get whatever information you had about Willie and his whereabouts.”
Dave set his coffee cup down with a loud clunk. “Before we get into that, have you heard anything about the people who were at the workshop? How many injured?”
Lenny nodded. “Twelve hurt, and one died at the hospital.”
My face heated up at that. “Who…”
“An older gentleman had a heart attack,” Lenny said. “Three others are critical, but all are expected to live.”
The stress dissolved when I closed my eyes a second. “Right. Okay, here’s what happened from our perspective…” For several minutes I talked.
“…When I had the hand-to-hand battle with their leader, he slipped and fell down the stairs. Cut his leg with his own knife.”
Mike sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, I’ll bite. How come there’s only blood in the office, and none on the stairs to the basement?”
Dave and I shrugged at the same time.
“Okay, okay. Since your story matches up with those at Wildacres, except everyone clammed up about how the guy in the office was killed, there’s not much else I can do. Unless we arrest all of you, and that wouldn’t go over very well, arresting several dozen people who were defending themselves.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Officially, we don’t condone torture or cold-blooded murder, no matter what the justification. So you’d better hope no one changes their story.”
I took a sip of coffee. “Any information concerning Willie, and where he’s gotten off to?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Lenny said, leaning back. “I’m not released for any work yet, so whatever you or I say to each other is strictly unofficial. You understand?”
I grinned. “Loud and clear, Ma’am. If you get any word about his whereabouts, could you pass it on to me?” We all paused while the waitress made a pass to fill our coffee cups.
“Give me your phone number; I’ll do it, long’s you keep me in the loop of things you find. That okay?”
“So far, all we got was where that van was crossing into Canada.”
Mike nodded. “Glad you called it in. We just heard an hour ago they’d been picked up with thirty kilos of cocaine. That’s another reason you’re not in jail.”
“We’ll gladly pass on information like that,” Dave said. “When our business is finished with Willie, we plan on going back to being normal citizens.” He glanced my way. “That right, Francis?”
I nodded vigorously.
“You might want to re-think that,” Mike said. “Willie’s boss is even worse than him.” He abruptly shut up, an embarrassed look on his face.
Lenny chuckled, wincing with pain as she did so. “Shame on you, Mike. Your vigilante streak is showing. And I’m not so sure about Willie. He might be just as bad, just more discreet about what he does.” She turned back to me. “All that said, Crosby is a bad person, Francis. In fact, Crosby’s a ‘she.’ Once you move on with what you have in mind, she’ll become involved.”
She hesitated, glancing at Mike before continuing. “She controls a large segment of the drug business in the state of Washington, and has for several years. No one’s been able to get anything on her, and most haven’t even heard of her. Any who’ve tried to get close enough to the organization to find out have died.”
Dave looked up from his now-empty coffee cup. “Sounds like you’re daring us, rather than warning us.”
“Might be a bit of both,” Mike said. “Willie seems to be down a chunk of money–somehow lost it from his bank accounts. Not sure how much, but it was enough to buy more than drugs this time. Looks like he’s trying to go into the business of counterfeit money.”
I managed to plaster a surprised look on my face. “Wow, I’d sure like to know. How much fake money we talking about?”
“The Secret Service got word at least two hundred million in counterfeit bills arrived in the U.S. from the North Koreans. That much would cost tens of millions, since we’re talking primo fake money.”
Lenny took an envelope from her purse. “Here’s everything we know about Crosby and Willie’s latest activities. Not sure she knows what Willie’s been doing, but if she finds out her subordinate expanded into something other than drugs and didn’t know about it beforehand, she’ll be pretty unhappy. Feels safer only working with drugs. At least that’s all she’s done for years.”
I took the envelope with a nod of thanks. “We’ll do our best, but only where it impacts our central concern. Removing the risk of reprisals from Willie, and now possibly from his boss.”
“Be careful when it comes to Willie,” Lenny said. “He’s vicious as Crosby when his back’s to the wall.”
Mike looked around the restaurant, which was now half-full. “Time to leave, I think.” As we were getting to our feet, he gripped my hand in a vise-like grip. “Stay safe, Francis.”
I nodded, catching his eye. “I’m not worried about me. It’s the others I’ve come into contact with since I got cross-wise with those punks who were beating up Lenny.”
“Not your fault,” he said, releasing my hand and striding for the door.
Lenny gave me another hug. “He’s right, Francis. It isn’t your fault. If you want to blame someone, blame Willie and Crosby.” With that she was gone, leaving Dave and me staring at each other.
“You sure tensed up when he mentioned the missing money. What’s up?”
I looked away from him, then back. “Yeh, guess I did forget to tell him how that happened.”
Dave chuckled, and started for the door. “Sounds like a good story to keep me entertained during a long drive.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
As promised, I was keeping Dave alert while he drove towards Wildacres. “…And when I found out what was on the thumb drive, I naturally called the Geek Squad in to help me suck the money out of Willie’s accounts. The forty mil was a bonus.”
Dave cast a glance of admiration towards me. “Jee-sus, man, you sure know how to fall into piles of money. You always get this kind of change dropped in your pocket?”
“Well–according to my partners back at T&M Security I’ve had more than my fair share of luck in that department. But it always seems to come with too many problems.”
“Like this time,” Dave said with a grimace. “Hey, was it E
xit 85 I’m supposed to take? Think it’s just ahead.”
I sat up and re-focused my attention. “Yeah, towards Marion. You want me to drive?”
“No, I’m fine. A cuppa coffee would be nice, though.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
It was a half-hour until dinner when we pulled into the parking lot at Wildacres, which was still two-thirds full of vehicles. “Looks like more than just John and his buddies stayed,” I said.
“You know how writers are, can’t pass up a good plot. And I’ll bet most of them have new stories from what’s happened.”
John strode through the lobby’s double doors, a smile on his face. “Welcome back. Sounds as if you two scored a few points on your trip.”
I managed not to wince at the force of his grip when we shook hands. “Good to be back. We in time for supper?”
He chuckled, guiding us back into the lobby. “Another twenty minutes. You feel up to telling everyone what happened on your trip? We’ve heard some of the story, but most was probably rumor. Cops have been known to stretch the truth on occasion.”
“Sure, be glad to.” My smile grew. “In fact, Dave’d be happy to tell the whole story. Wouldn’t you, Dave?”
Dave’s eyes widened. “Er–of course.”
By the time we’d gotten settled into easy chairs in front of the fire place that dominated the room, fifty people had trickled in and noisily seated themselves. I leaned over to Dave. “Just give ‘em a quick rundown of what happened at the house, and the drugs. No use burdening them with the rest,” I murmured.
He gave a quick nod, and stood. “Hi. For those who didn’t meet me before, I was in John’s class. When the assholes came here a few days ago looking for Francis, we were able to find out some information from one of the survivors…”
As he was winding down, the dinner bell rang. John stood, waving for everyone’s attention. “Okay, folks, let’s hold our questions until after we get these two starving wretches fed.”
It seemed but a minute passed and dinner was over. Ten of the students had joined Sammy’s staff to help clean up. John, Dave and I had the chore of taking the wine and beer from the back of my SUV, and relocating it to the break room in the basement of the building next to the lobby. Once finished, John crooked his finger at me.
“That was a good summary of what happened since you left. But what caused that crew to chase you up here?” He indicated some chairs in a corner of the room. “Everyone’ll be showing up in a minute. Want to relax a minute, get your thoughts in order?”
We settled in, and Dave gave me a questioning look. “I know a little about why they’re so pissed at you, but not everything.”
“You’re right,” I said, pausing to order my thoughts. I guess a good place to start is at the beginning of all this.”
* * *
Breakfast next morning was a slow affair, since everyone stopped by our table to wish us well. Even Sammy came out of the kitchen, a sack of sandwiches clutched in one hand.
“Thought y’might appreciate this in your travels, gentlemen. I expect to see you next year.” With that he was gone.
Dave looked after him, eyebrows rising. “I do believe Sammy’s going to miss us. Even after all the grief we brought down on this place.”
I was stuffing the last of my gear in a bag when John showed up, out of breath. “Glad I caught you. Just got off the phone with the local Sheriff’s office. They waylaid three men headed this way last night. They were well-armed, to include some illegal weapons.”
I felt my face tighten up. “Damn it! I should’ve thought…”
“Taken care of,” John said. “We’ve been having a couple of us pull security every night since you left. Even with the police on alert, thought it’d be a good idea. And before you ask, several of the men that come up here usually pack some type of weapon in their vehicle. I suspect some of the ladies do, too.”
He waved a hand in a throwing away gesture. “However, the main reason I told you this is because those three are going to be released at noon. Legal technicality, apparently.” He handed me a slip of paper. “Here’s the phone number of one of the deputies. I told him you’d call once you left here. Thought y’might want to follow those guys. Maybe lead you to who keeps trying to get their hands on you.”
Once finished packing, we were on our way. But now, instead of the airport, it was to the county lock-up in the town of Marion.
* * *
I pulled into the half filled parking lot next to the prison, a deputy’s vehicle close behind. “Hope that’s the deputy we just called,” I said.
Dave chuckled. “Getting a little paranoid, are we?”
By the time I’d stopped and rolled down my window, the deputy had swung his vehicle around and parked so he could talk without getting out of his vehicle. “You the gent that just called? Francis Baker?”
I nodded. “That’s me. We in time?”
“They should be out in a few minutes.” He pointed to his left. “You see that other lot, the one with the concertina wire on top of the fence? They’ll be goin’ in there to get their van. After that, they’re all yours.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You got any idea why they’re being released?”
He shrugged. “Nope. My boss thinks it’s kinda suspicious, though. Thought it was a good thing you guys’ll be keepin’ an eye on them for the FBI. All three got records, but not wanted for anything at the moment.” He pointed his chin towards the building. “Here they come now.” His radio squawked. “Wup, that’s for me. Gotta go.” He sped out of the parking lot, disappearing from sight in seconds.
I dug out my binoculars, and got a closer look. One skinny dude, two overweight. “Looks like they didn’t enjoy their stay,” I said, noting their wrinkled and dirty clothing. I passed the binoculars to Dave.
“Man, I wouldn’t want to be tossed in that jail. Probably not the cleanest place if their customers come out looking like that.”
Five minutes passed after they disappeared into the security parking lot before the gate once more rattled open and a grey van exited. I started the engine. “Here we go.”
Less than half-an-hour passed before the van slowed, taking the Black Mountain exit off the freeway. A minute later they stopped at the Quality Inn motel. I drove past, taking the next driveway. “Now what? Kind of early to get a room.”
“Backtrack to that lot across the street from the motel,” Dave said. “We can keep an eye on them from there.”
I swung into the storage warehouse parking. Once stopped and facing the motel, I speed dialed Lenny.
She answered on the first ring. “What’s up? Still got the perps in your sights?”
“Yeah, they’re stopping at the Quality Inn just across I-40 from Black Mountain. Kind of early, but they might be planning their next move or something.”
“I hope you don’t mind keeping an eye on them awhile longer. The ATF is looking into why they were released before they could step in. And the state police are reluctant to act for the same reason.”
A touch of disquiet made my stomach quiver. “Not sure how long we can keep doing this. You got a time frame before somebody makes up their minds?”
Her chuckle echoed from my phone. “Don’t blame you for getting antsy. Give us a couple more hours. They should’ve made up their minds by then.” The line went dead.
“What’d she say?” asked Dave, still watching the motel through the binoculars.
I shook my head and stuffed the phone away. “You remember that old Army saying? Hurry up and wait?”
He snorted laughter. “Yeah, usually it was tied in with SNAFU.” He handed the binoculars to me. “While you were on the phone, they went into the room third from the left on the second floor.”
I scanned the entire hotel, then concentrated on room 239. “Guess we just wait, now. Lenny said to
give her two hours to shake something loose with ATF. Then we’re on our own.” I handed the binoculars back.
“What’s with the FBI trusting you enough to do this kind of thing for them?” Dave asked, glancing at me before putting the binoculars back to his face.
“Remember my telling you how I might have been on the wrong side of the law for awhile? Well, back then even the FBI didn’t know about me. It wasn’t until we did some successful jobs together that they started trusting me enough to do their dirty work once in awhile. Even when it became known to them I really had been a successful crook right under their noses.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You mean you really were a crook?”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “Better than what I’d been before that. I was a sniper in the Army. Did a bunch of wet work in Central and South America with a black ops team. Got to me after awhile, and they politely asked me to get lost after I had an altercation with my boss.”
An hour passed, with vehicles starting to trickle in. Dave leaned forward, muttering under his breath. “I could’a swore…”
I cranked my seat back up, coming fully awake. “Something?”
He shook his head, lowering the binoculars. “Thought I saw the curtains puff inwards for a seond.”
“Relax awhile. My turn to watch.”
At least a dozen cars had trickled into the motel’s parking lot over the past hour by the time the jarring ring of my phone had me scrambling. God, what an annoying sound. Have to change that ring tone. “Francis here,” I said.
“Sorry to keep you so long,” Lenny said. “The state police are enroute to your location to pick them up. The ATF decided someone must be on the take to release those guys with the armament they had. We also found out one of the men works full-time for Franks, and we definitely want to talk to him.”
My pulse gained speed. “Any chance I can have a word with that scumbag before he’s arrested?”
“Not a chance. I will, however, furnish you with the information we get.”