Beyond the Cabin

by Dana Ridenour

  “This cappuccino is phenomenal. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place.”

  “I come here all the time.”

  The two finished breakfast and drove to the office. A little before 10:00, the two Columbia agents arrived. Zach buzzed them in the front door.

  “I’m Stuart Woods and this is my partner, Matt Oliver.”

  Neither of the two would be considered tall, but both agents appeared to be in excellent condition. Stuart was good-looking with wavy brown hair and stunning green eyes. Matt’s dark eyes and skin the color of weak tea revealed his Hispanic lineage. He sported a neatly trimmed goatee that accented his freshly shaved head.

  “I’m Zach Sheehan and this is Lexie Montgomery. Don West is in his office on a conference call with our supervisor and the SAC.”

  Being a small resident agency, the Myrtle Beach office did not have a supervisor stationed in the RA. Instead, the Myrtle Beach agents answered to a supervisor in Columbia who was responsible for a squad there as well. He had missed the search because his other squad was involved in an ongoing kidnapping matter.

  The agents all shook hands then took seats in the conference room.

  “Thank you for coming. I know you guys have been overworked in Columbia, so thank you for helping us out with this matter.”

  “Not a problem,” Matt said. “We’re happy to help.”

  Zach and Lexie presented Stuart and Matt with the facts and together they came up with a game plan. They would start by snatching up Tony’s source, Max LaBaron, while Tony was still out of town. It was time to see what he knew.

  ***

  Zach found LaBaron’s address in the confidential informant file. He had access to the file because FBI policy dictated each source be assigned a case agent and a co-case agent. Lexie thought Tony named Zach as the co-case because Tony figured he could coerce the less experienced agent. Zach ran LaBaron’s name through the DMV database and came up with the make, model, and license plate for the 2012 Porsche Boxster registered to Max LaBaron.

  Taking two cars, Stuart jumped in with Zach and Lexie rode with Matt. The four arrived at LaBaron’s house a little before noon. Zach approached the house alone and rang the doorbell. No one came to the door, so Zach returned to the car. The two Bureau vehicles were positioned so the agents could see when LaBaron returned home without drawing attention to themselves. Lexie assumed responsibility for radio transmissions, leaving Matt able to drive without distractions.

  “Rumor has it you’re a rogue undercover agent,” Matt said.

  “What? No. Where did you hear that story?”

  “Around the division.”

  “What exactly did you hear?”

  “Not much. You’re some kind of domestic terrorism expert who was brought in to investigate the tree-huggers who blew up that bridge. Supposedly you went a little crazy and started doing your own thing.”

  “The fucking Bureau grapevine. That’s not what happened.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

  “Okay. I guess that leaves me with the grapevine version.”

  “Oh, for shit’s sake. I’ll tell you.”

  Lexie gave Matt the short version of the story, leaving out some of the painful parts.

  “So, we think this guy LaBaron may have given information to the current subjects of this investigation?”

  “Yes.”

  “And,” Matt continued, “we think that the subjects used the information to find and trash your apartment, and maybe kill an innocent associate of yours?”

  Lexie nodded.

  For the first time since they had entered the vehicle, Matt remained silent. After a few moments, he looked over at Lexie.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much you’d been through.”

  “It’s okay. I knew the rumors would circulate. I just didn’t realize how preposterous the story would get.”

  “I figured most of it was bullshit. You know how the rumor mill goes.”

  “Tell me about you,” Lexie said, changing the topic. “Columbia is a hard office to land. Is it your first assignment?”

  “Yeah. I got lucky. Columbia requested a Spanish speaker, so I got the assignment right out of the academy. I’m sure I pissed off a lot of senior agents trying to get to South Carolina.”

  “Do you plan to stay?”

  “I love the assignment, but I want to do what you’re doing.”

  “Get beat up? Have your ribs broken? Get your pumpkin smashed?”

  Matt smiled.

  “No. Undercover work. I want to be an undercover agent.”

  “Well, you definitely have the gift of gab,” Lexie said.

  “I like talking to people. All people.”

  “That’s what it takes to be a good undercover. You need to be able to relate to people from all walks of life, from businessmen to prostitutes.”

  “I have the prostitute thing down.”

  Lexie arched her eyebrows. “Really?”

  “I worked human trafficking for two years.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “I burned out pretty quickly. Lots of long hours, getting called out of bed in the middle of the night, dealing with teenagers who didn’t want to be helped. It wasn’t a walk in the park.”

  “What are you working now?”

  “Gangs and drugs.”

  “That’s no walk in the park either.”

  “Nope, but I was a local cop before I entered the Bureau, so I feel comfortable working the streets and developing sources. Gotta have a good cache of sources to efficiently work dope.”

  “Where’s your family?”

  “Puerto Rico and Florida. I’m the only person in my family who has wandered this far north. What about you? Are you married?”

  “Nope. I’m single. My family lives in Mobile. New Orleans is my first assignment, too.”

  “You like it there?”

  “Yeah. It’s great. Lots to do and I have an amazing supervisor. He’s not too happy with me at the moment, but I’ll get back into his good graces. Eventually.”

  “You plan to stay there?”

  “Funny you should ask. I’m starting to feel the urge to move.”

  “To where?”

  Before Lexie could answer, Stuart’s voice came over the radio.

  “Target’s car is approaching the residence. Get ready to move.”

  The plan was for all four agents to converge on LaBaron before he had the chance to lower his garage door. The idea worked perfectly. Zach took the lead, since LaBaron would recognize him.

  LaBaron quickly lowered the garage door, so his neighbors wouldn’t see him in the company of four FBI agents.

  “What the fuck?” he said as he got out of the car.

  “We need to have a conversation,” Zach said.

  “Fuck you. Get the hell out of here before someone sees you. Where the hell is Tony? Does he know you’re here?”

  LaBaron kept his garage tidy. A lawnmower and a red gas can sat in the corner. A wall track system held a large push broom, a rake, and an orange extension cord.

  “Let’s go inside and sit down,” Zach said.

  “I’m not letting you inside my house.”

  “You really want to have this conversation in your garage? We can always put you in handcuffs and take you to our office.”

  “You can’t arrest me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “You’ve done plenty wrong. It’s whether or not you can right the wrong. I’m happy to arrest you and call it a day.”

  Zach’s bluff worked and LaBaron allowed the agents into his home. The four agents and LaBaron took a seat in the living room. It looked like a bachelor pad. From the mismatched lamps on the end tables to the too-large-for-the-room television. Components from a gaming system were scattered on the coffee table. Zach pulled out a notepad and a pen.

  “We have a lot to discuss, Max.”

  “I’m gonna call Tony.” />
  “We’re gonna talk first,” Zach said. “You’re in pretty deep shit, so you might want to listen to what I have to say. This is your only chance to save yourself. You’ll either talk or you’ll spend a significant number of years behind bars. I don’t give a shit which way you choose, but I’m going to give you the option.”

  Lexie knew a pretty good Conspiracy to Murder a Federal Agent case could be made against LaBaron if need be, but hoped Zach’s bravado would sway him to cooperate with them.

  LaBaron squinted his eyes and stared at Zach.

  “What’s so goddamned important that you and your pack felt the need to come to my home?”

  “Who’d you give Lexie’s information to?”

  “Who’s Lexie?”

  Zach stood, reached behind his back, and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

  “I’m not in the mood to fuck with you, asshole. Stand up.”

  “Okay. Relax, man. You’re too high strung. Sit down.”

  Zach reluctantly sat back down.

  “Talk.”

  “I knew she was a Fed, so I rolled up on her to say hello. I didn’t mean to scare her. I didn’t tell a soul about her.”

  “Who told you about her?” Zach asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Who told you that she was an FBI agent?”

  “Tony did.”

  “What exactly did he tell you?”

  “Look man, I don’t want to get Tony in trouble. He and I shoot the shit. You know, guy talk. He knows what he tells me stays private.”

  “I’m going to ask you one more time. What exactly did Tony tell you about Lexie?”

  “He said I needed to rent an apartment for some piece of ass coming in to help out with a case. He said she was some hotshot undercover agent who was supposed to investigate the bridge bombing. Tony made some comment about bringing in pussy to do a man’s job.”

  LaBaron glared at Lexie. Lexie met his stare as she fought the urge to reach across the table and punch the prick in the face.

  “I asked Tony what you were like after he met with you. He said you were good looking, but you were a mouthy bitch. I figured I’d check you out and see for myself.”

  Lexie balled up her fists.

  “Has Tony ever told you about any other FBI cases?” Zach asked.

  “No way, man.”

  “So, he told you, out of the blue, about a female FBI agent?”

  “He might have told me a few things in the past. I don’t remember.”

  “You better remember.”

  “What’s the big deal? He told me about your agent and I tried to hit on her. What’s the crime?”

  “You passed that information on to another party, Max. That’s the crime. You need to tell us about that transaction.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Zach leaned over so LaBaron wouldn’t miss a syllable of his next sentence.

  “I’m going to put you in prison and make sure every inmate knows you’re a dirty, rotten, snitch. You know how long you’ll last in prison with a snitch label? Not long.”

  “Tony won’t let you do that.”

  “Tony can’t protect you. The only person who can save your ass is you. What will it be? You want to tell us the truth, or you want to take your chances in prison?”

  “What happens to me if I give you what you want?”

  “I’ll let the Assistant United States Attorney know that you cooperated with us.”

  “Cut the shit. If I talk to you, does this all go away?”

  For the first time, Lexie heard fear in LaBaron’s voice.

  “I can’t make you any promises, but I’ll do my best to minimize your level of exposure.”

  “Mr. LaBaron, you don’t know me, but I’m Agent Woods. I’ve been brought in to help with this investigation. Tony put you in a bad position by telling you information that you didn’t need to know,” Stuart said.

  Here comes the good cop, Lexie thought.

  Stuart’s low, even voice offered to calm the situation.

  “You’re in this mess because of Tony. It’s not really your fault.”

  “Don’t you think I know what you’re doing? You’re trying to be the good cop, be all friendly with me so I give up Tony.”

  “I’m merely stating the facts. Is Tony worth going to prison for?”

  “No.”

  “Then tell us what happened. Who needed the information that Tony gave you?”

  LaBaron stared at the floor. Nearly a minute passed before he spoke. Lexie knew that sometimes the hardest part of an interview is remaining quiet to give the subject time to realize how bad his situation is.

  “I have a reputation on the street. People think that I have an FBI agent in my pocket. It’s street talk, but I don’t do anything to dispel the rumor. People come to me when they need information and I get it for them.”

  “How?” Zach asked.

  “How do you think?”

  “Tony?”

  LaBaron nodded.

  “An associate who I’ve dealt with in the past called and wanted to know if I could still get information from the FBI. He told me he had a client who was willing to pay big bucks for information about an ongoing FBI case.”

  “Who’s your associate and who’s his client?”

  “I can’t give up my associate and I don’t know his client.”

  “Full cooperation or nothing,” Zach said.

  LaBaron sighed.

  “My associate goes by the name Ace. I don’t know if that’s his first name or if it’s a nickname. I only know him by Ace. He wouldn’t tell me his client’s name. He said I had no need to know. Ace said his client would pay $5,000 for any information about the FBI bridge investigation. Ace would keep $2,000 as a finder’s fee and give me $3,000.”

  “What happened next?” Stuart asked.

  “I told Ace I had information for him. He was going to send a couple of guys to meet me, but I told him no. I told him that I would pass the information to him and only him. So, we agreed to meet at our usual spot.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “At the end of the pier on the MarshWalk in Murrell’s Inlet.”

  “When was this meeting?”

  “Sometime last week.”

  “I need a day,” Zach said.

  “Friday I think. No, Thursday. It was Thursday.”

  “What time of day?”

  “In the evening. We met around seven.”

  “What exactly did you tell him?”

  Avoiding eye contact with Zach, LaBaron twisted the expensive looking watch on his wrist.

  “I told him that the FBI brought in a female undercover agent to investigate the bridge bombing. I gave them a description of her, the car she was driving, and where she was staying.”

  “So you gave him her address?”

  “Yes, and a photo of her.”

  “A photo?”

  “Yeah, I used my cell phone to take a photo of the agent when she was leaving her condo. I printed out the photo and gave it to him.”

  “Do you still have the photo?”

  “Yeah. It’s still on my phone.”

  “Where’s your phone?” Zach asked

  “It’s on the counter next to my car keys.”

  Matt walked over and picked up the cell phone. “What’s your code?”

  “Fuck you. I’m not letting you into my phone.”

  “And you were doing so well,” Matt said sarcastically.

  “Either you’re in or out, Max,” Zach said. “Which is it?”

  “The code is two-four-two-six-two-eight.”

  Matt punched in the numbers and nodded.

  “Did Ace ask about any other people?” Zach continued.

  LaBaron seemed distracted by Matt sifting through the photos on his cell.

  “Max, pay attention. Did Ace ask about any other people?”

  “He asked about some guy, but I didn’t know the name.”

  �
��What guy?” Lexie asked.

  “Why does he have to go through my cell phone?”

  “You have a lot of nasty naked photos on this phone,” Matt said. “Are any of them underage?”

  “Fuck you, I don’t diddle kids. They’re all adults.”

  “What guy?” Lexie said in a louder voice.

  “I can’t remember.”

  “Try harder,” she said. “It’s important.”

  “It was a funny name. Like an actor or something.”

  “Could it be Liam?”

  “Yeah. That was it. Liam. Weird name.”

  Lexie shot a look to Zach.

  “To be clear,” Zach said, “you provided the person you know as Ace with Lexie’s name and address and verified that she was an undercover FBI agent.”

  LaBaron nodded.

  “I need an answer.”

  “Yes. That’s what I did.”

  “How do you contact Ace?”

  “I call or text him.”

  “What’s his phone number?”

  “I don’t have it memorized. He’s in my contacts.”

  “Under what name?”

  “Under Ace. I told you I don’t know his real name.”

  “Now let’s discuss all other information that you’ve obtained from Tony over the years.”

  At the end of the lengthy interview, LaBaron had agreed to wear a wire and meet with Tony. In the end, LaBaron was loyal to only one person—LaBaron. If wearing a wire would save his ass, then he would wear a wire. After all, what did he owe some FBI agent who, to his way of thinking, had put him in this spot?

  35

  The small exam room was clean with good lighting. A round stool sat in the corner. The counter contained the usual items: latex gloves, a glass container of tongue depressors, and hand soap.

  A quick knock and the door opened. A doctor and nurse entered the room.

  “Good morning, Ms. Montgomery. I’m Dr. Myers. How are you today?”

  “I’m good, doc. Looking forward to getting these sutures removed.”

  “I bet you are. Let’s have a look.”

  Dr. Myers snapped on a pair of latex gloves and adjusted the light above the bed. He removed the bandage and turned Lexie’s head for a better look.

  “The wound healed nicely. The sutures are ready to be removed.”

  The nurse opened the cabinet door and removed several instruments in protective packaging. She prepared a tray for the doctor and placed the tray on the side table beside the exam table. While the doctor picked at the stitches and removed them, he made small talk.