by David Archer
“That depends on what you say,” Snake said. “If it’s good enough, you don’t have to go. Start talking.”
Panther put his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. “It was like I told you, he called me and said he needed a ride and wanted me to meet him at the gas station. I did, and I followed him to the park like I said, and then I took him out to the mall.” He swallowed hard. “Then he told me to follow him again, and we went out to Edgewater. He’s got some people out there, like Middle Eastern and Chinese people, and they live in this old warehouse. Somebody built a bunch of rooms inside it, just like walls with no ceiling, and a lot of them stay in those. They got some trucks in there, too, though, the kind that delivers stuff, and they use those when they want to take any of them somewhere else. He put that girl in one of them and locked it up, and then he told me to watch her while he went to go buy some food and stuff for her.”
Snake looked at him for another moment, then turned to Sam. “Any of that make any sense to you?”
Sam nodded gravely. “I’m afraid it does,” he said. “One of the things Digger was suspected of is bringing people into the country illegally.” He turned to Panther. “Did you actually get inside that warehouse?”
Panther nodded. “Yeah, but only for a few minutes. I think he just wanted me to see how big it was, like it makes him powerful or something.”
“Probably. How many people did you see inside it?”
“Maybe twenty, twenty-five. I didn’t exactly count them.”
Sam looked at Snake. “I think he might be telling us straight.”
Snake turned back to Panther. “So, where is this warehouse? You tell me the truth, buddy, because right now your life depends on it.”
“It’s on Fourteenth Street, just a little way off Lamar. A big brown building, used to be some kind of trucking company or something.” Panther’s voice sounded resigned, as if he was simply waiting for the ax to fall.
Snake turned to Sam. “What do we do now?” he asked. “Not much chance you and me can go take a place like that.”
“We don’t have to,” Sam said with a grin. He took out his phone and dialed Harry Winslow’s number. It rang twice before the old man answered.
“Sam, boy? Tell me you got something good.”
“I think I do,” Sam said. “Remember you said the undercover agent never found out where the people were being taken? I think I’ve got the location.” He proceeded to tell Harry about the warehouse and the people Panther claimed to have seen, then explained about Melinda’s disappearance. “My source says she’s hidden there in the warehouse, locked inside an old delivery truck. I need to get her out of there safely.”
“Let me make a couple of calls, son,” Harry said. “There is a team in place and waiting for this information. Just be ready when this is over, because you’re probably going to be called in on it. I’ll be in touch, or someone will.” The line went dead.
“We’re going to let Uncle Sam handle this part of it,” Sam said. “What we’ve got to do now is figure out what we’re doing with this guy. We can’t turn him loose, and I’m not ready to turn him over to the police. I’m fairly sure Samara has connections with one of the detectives on the force. If they get hold of Panther, here, he’d probably find out about it and let Samara know. We can’t risk that until the feds do their thing.”
Snake grinned. “That’s not a problem,” he said. He got to his feet and held out a hand to Panther. “Come on, buddy,” he said. “Let’s go downstairs, and if you get any wild ideas about trying to take me out, just remember my friend Dick has a big gun. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind shooting you just on principle, so if you give him a reason…”
Panther looked at Sam and scowled, then allowed Snake to help him to his feet. The two men walked out the door, and Sam followed, tucking his pistol inside the pocket of his jacket. They made their way down the stairs, then through a doorway that led to another flight going down into the basement.
When they got to the basement, Snake opened a large heavy door. Panther looked into the room behind it for a moment, then shook his head and walked in without argument. Snake shut the door and then took a padlock that was hanging near it and secured the hasp.
“Every once in a while,” he said to Sam, “I gotta dry somebody out, get them off meth or something. There’s a mattress in there on the floor, he’ll be nice and comfortable till we want to let him out.”
Sam pointed at the padlock. “Who else has a key?”
Snake pulled a key ring out of his pocket and shook it in the air. “Only me, Dick. Only me.”
Sam looked at him for a moment. “Do you just have something against my real name?”
“Nope. I just like calling you Dick.” He started back up the stairs and Sam followed, but Snake didn’t go back up to Nikki’s apartment. Instead, he walked out the front door of the building and sat on the wide concrete banister. Sam took a seat on the opposite side and took out his phone again. He dialed officer Wilson’s number and waited.
“Officer Wilson,” came the answer.
“Sam Prichard,” Sam said. “Wondered if you’d heard anything.”
“Not a lot,” Wilson said. “I heard you found another dead body, that right?”
“I hope not,” Sam said. “He wasn’t dead when I found him, anyway. The paramedics seemed to think he had a good chance to make it.”
“Hang on a minute,” Wilson said. Sam heard him speaking in muffled tones to someone else, and then he came back. “I just asked one of the other guys if he heard anything, but he hasn’t. So who was this guy?”
Sam started to tell him about Melinda, but then stopped. “I’m not a hundred percent sure,” he said. “I was looking for somebody else when I stumbled across him.”
“Yeah, you always do have that kind of luck, don’t you?”
“I guess so,” Sam said. “Okay, I just thought I’d check in with you. I’ll give you a call again later, or maybe tomorrow.”
“That’s cool. And don’t worry, I’ll call you if I run across this bastard.”
Sam disconnected and sat there in thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure why he had held back from telling Wilson about Melinda, but he always trusted his gut. Something told him not to give up too much information, so he listened.
He called Indie next. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said. “Can you check through Herman and see how Tom Davis is doing at the hospital? I’m pretty sure they won’t give out any information about him over the phone.”
“Yeah, babe,” she said. Sam heard her groan as she moved to reach her computer, but then she was tapping on the keyboard again. “Um, looks like he’s gonna be okay. They’ve got him admitted and in a room, but he’s apparently still suffering the effects of some kind of drug. Doesn’t say what it is, but he’s under observation for the next twenty hours or so. Apparently he’s also under guard, just like the other guy. Mr. Pilsner, by the way, has been downgraded from critical condition to serious condition. He’s also expected to survive, and he’s also still under guard.”
“Good. With Snake’s help, I think I’ve found out what Samara has been up to, the stuff the FBI was looking into. I just talked to Harry a bit ago, and he’s handling it. The tricky part is that Melinda is probably at the same location, so they have to try to get her out safely in the process. With any luck, this will all be over pretty soon. If we get Samara, I’d say there’s a real good chance we can hang the killing on him and get Karen out of jail.”
“I hope so,” Indie said. “She doesn’t deserve to be in there, and she needs to be out with her kids.”
They exchanged words of affection for a few seconds, then got off the phone. Sam sat there and looked at Snake, who grinned at him.
“So, what are we waiting for?” Snake asked.
“The feds are probably about to raid that warehouse now,” Sam said. “Once they get that under control, they’ll call me to come and pick up the girl, and probably Samara in the bargain. If everythin
g goes well, we should be able to get Karen out sometime tomorrow.”
14
Snake nodded. “That’d be good,” he said. “Those feds, they trust you a lot, don’t they?”
Sam chuckled. “Yeah, I kind of fell into that. My very first case, I blundered right into an undercover federal operation working on stopping terrorists from getting their hands on a biological weapon that could have wiped out the city. There were good guys and bad guys, and I was stuck in the middle trying to figure out who was who. I guess the way I handled it was the right way, because they’ve used me a few other times since then.”
“Yeah,” Snake said. “I read about how you stopped that guy from throwing a nuke into Lake Mead. That was pretty awesome. Do you have an actual security clearance?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “A friend of mine joked earlier that my clearance is high enough for just about anything.”
“Yeah, Harry’s a pretty good old boy,” Snake said, his eyes on Sam’s.
Sam caught it instantly, and looked closely at the outlaw. “Oh, crap,” he said. “Are you gonna tell me…”
“You can keep a secret, right? You know they call me Snake, right? That’s because my real name is too damned embarrassing. Thaddeus Montclair the third, that’s me. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I spent three of those years working as an independent contractor for the CIA. Eight years ago, Harry was one of my supervisors. I did three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.”
“And now you run a street gang?” Sam asked, incredulously.
“Remember that first case of yours? As I recall, there was some sort of an undercover drug operation involved, right?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, there was.”
“When Harry was tapped to come down here and set that up, he got to pick a handful of people he wanted down here working the street. I had already let my contract expire, but he talked me into coming aboard. After you managed to kill that entire operation, he rigged it so I could stay on and keep a finger on the pulse, you might say.”
“Wait a minute,” Sam said. “Karen said she busted you back when she was in juvenile division, that that was how she got to know you.”
“And it’s absolutely true,” he said. “I was a seventeen-year-old punk, back then, a spoiled brat rich kid who thought he could get away with anything. She cut me some slack and I was smart enough to straighten out a bit. I joined the Army, which is where the CIA found me, and right after I had finished up my contract with them, Harry called me up and asked me to come sell dope for him. That’s when I hooked back up with Karen. She doesn’t know all this, but she likes having me out here where I can let her know about things. When the other gangs are killing each other or pushing the really hard stuff, I make sure she hears about it. It’s a pretty good deal for both of us.”
Sam shook his head. “So, what are you? Homeland Security?”
“Nope. I’m all on my own, now. Sometimes I run across something big enough to send up to Uncle Sam, but mostly it’s just the kind of stuff I give to Karen. The thing is, and this is the part very few people know, I do this because I know what cocaine and meth and heroin can do to people. The Devils are not allowed to use or sell any of that shit, or they answer to me. If somebody gets messed up on it and wants help, the word is out on the street they can come to me and I’ll help. I don’t do any of that easy rehab crap, though. You want to get off that shit, I’ll take you down the long road, cold turkey. That’s the only way, man.”
Sam looked at the outlaw for a few seconds, then smiled. “You’re an interesting fellow, Thaddeus,” he said.
Snake grinned. “Okay, remember about that security clearance? My name is something you keep secret, got that?”
“No problem,” Sam said. “I’m just curious, though, you said you were a rich kid? How do your parents feel about what you’re doing?”
“They know what’s really going on,” Snake said. “They moved to Florida while I was in the Army, and I manage to go visit them every now and then. It all seems to be working out pretty good.”
Sam started to say something else, but his phone rang. He still had it in his hand, so he looked and saw that it was Harry calling.
“Yeah, Harry,” he said.
“I have good news and bad news, Sam,” Harry said. “The good news is that a special task force that has been stationed in Denver for the last nine months has just rounded up a number of suspected terrorists from a warehouse in Edgewater. The bad news is that the young woman you’re looking for and her father were not there.”
“Oh, crap,” Sam said. “Is there any kind of lead on where they might’ve gone?”
“Nothing, I’m afraid. On the other hand, we were able to identify several of the upper echelon in a rebel faction of the Greek Mafia that has been involved in this operation. A computer and several cell phones were recovered that contained emails and recorded phone calls. Other agencies are currently rounding up those individuals, so you have come to Uncle Sam’s rescue once again. Your country thanks you, Sam. They might even send you a sweater.”
Sam chuckled. “Well, as long as I get something out of the deal,” he said. “Is there any chance I can get some help on locating Samara?”
“Sam, I wish I could say there was, but I’m afraid it isn’t likely. The only thing I can tell you is that when you find him, the government will certainly have a number of additional charges to lay against him.”
Sam nodded into the phone. “Okay, Harry,” he said, “thanks anyway. Give Kathy my best.”
“And our love to Indie and little Kenzie. Ouch! Oh, yes. Kathy wants me to ask you how soon the baby is coming?”
“Well, he’s due in about two weeks, but Indie says that’s not soon enough. I’ll be sure to call you when it happens, don’t worry.”
“You’d better,” Harry said. “I think Kathy wants to play grandma.”
The line went dead, as it always did when Harry was done speaking.
Sam let out a sigh and looked at Snake. “Well, the warehouse was raided and everyone rounded up,” he said, “but there was no sign of Samara or Melinda. They were already gone, and nobody has any idea where.”
“Man, that sucks. What are you gonna do now?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said, shaking his head. “I’m just about out of options at the moment.” He hooked a thumb toward the front door. “Want me to have the police take Panther off your hands?”
Snake scowled. “Not just yet,” he said. “Let me work on him a bit. He might know things he doesn’t even realize he knows. If I get anything, I’ll give you a call.”
“You do that, and I don’t care what time it is. The only thing Melinda has going for her at the moment is the fact that she’s pregnant. If Samara has hopes of getting his hands on that baby, then he’ll probably keep her alive and healthy for now. If he starts to feel trapped, though, I’m pretty sure he’d get rid of her in a heartbeat.”
“I agree. What I’m hoping for is that he’ll show up here, maybe looking for Panther. If that happens, I’ll find some way to take him down and hold him. Then I will call you.”
Sam nodded and got up off the banister, then hobbled down the stairs and out to the Corvette. He got into the car and started it up, then tapped the horn once as he drove away.
It was already after four, and the sun was getting low in the winter sky. Even in the mile-high city, the days grew shorter when Christmas was drawing near. Sam took out his phone and called Carol Spencer as he drove.
“Carol, it’s Sam,” he said. “Any new developments on your end?”
“Nothing to get ecstatic about,” she replied. “Will Burton says there’s a potential witness that might help in the hospital, but nobody will get to talk to him before tomorrow. Are you having any luck?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I’m not. Remember Karen telling you about Melinda Davis? The one who came forward about seeing Digger Samara murder her mother and sister?”
“Yes, of course.”
Suddenly, Beauregard’s last message flashed across Sam’s memory. Three sisters, Sam thought. One is already dead, one wants to live and one may choose to die. Of course, that’s it! If Melinda thinks her father is going to get hold of that baby, she would probably choose to die before she let that happen.
“Carol, I’ve got to go. I just had a thought that might possibly help me accomplish something.”
“Okay, let me know if you get anything good.”
They said goodbye and ended the call, and Sam started thinking. Melinda is a prisoner. She’s terrified of her father for herself, but even more so for her baby. That means she’s going to risk anything she possibly can to get away, even if it means she could get killed. He pressed down on the gas pedal as he headed for home. There was one person he needed to talk to, the only one who might be able to see into Melinda’s mind at that moment.
He hurried into the house when he got home, and found Indie kicked back in his recliner. “Hey, babe,” she said. “We are mostly childless for the moment. The grandmas decided to take Kenzie out to the mall to see a movie.”
“She’ll love that,” Sam said. He sat down on the couch beside her and the look on his face must have told her that something was wrong.
“Sam? What’s the matter?”
“Harry called in the feds and they raided the warehouse, but Melinda and her father were already gone, nobody knows where. Remember what Beauregard said, that last time? About the three sisters? I had it wrong, I thought Samantha was the one who might choose to die, but it’s Melinda. Her father has her, and he says he wants to keep her until the baby is born. I’m pretty sure she’d rather die than let him get his hands on that child, but I can’t think like a pregnant woman. Can you put yourself into her position enough to think about how you would handle it?”