“What did he say it was for?”
“The arcade. He said it was a token for the arcade.”
“What arcade?”
“I don’t know. Is there an arcade here?”
“Let’s find out.” He handed the coin back to Peyton and they headed for the lobby. Miguel was not working the desk.
Bass went up to the young man Peyton had seen the previous night when she and Miguel went on their date. “¿Dónde está la sala de juegos?” Where’s the game room?
“En el segundo piso,” said the desk clerk.
“Gracias.”
“De nada.”
“Second floor,” said Bass, putting a hand in the small of Peyton’s back and directing her toward the elevators.
They hurried down the hallway and Bass pressed the button for the elevator. The doors opened and a couple stepped out, giving them polite smiles, then Bass and Peyton stepped inside. Bass pressed the button for the second floor and the elevator doors closed.
“Okay, so let me work this out. Somehow these kids figure out Miguel has drugs.”
“Right,” said Peyton, watching the numbers above the door.
“How do they figure that out?”
“Word of mouth? How does anyone ever figure out where to get drugs? Social media?”
“Yeah, Federico said these drug dealers operate in the dark web. Maybe that’s how the kids exchange the information too.” The elevator bumped to a stop and the doors opened. They stepped out and Bass looked at a sign on the wall. He pointed to the left. “This way.”
They hurried down the tiled hallway.
“So they go to Miguel and they ask to exchange money, being very careful to ask for coins too.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
They came to a door labeled sala de juego. Game room.
“That would be a pretty clever way of distributing the drugs,” said Bass, opening the door.
Bells and cartoonish music filled the room, along with black boxes sporting scantily dressed women on the outside and flashing neon lights. A number of pre-teens were at the machines, playing without even looking up to acknowledge the newcomers.
Both Peyton and Bass looked around, then Bass located a machine affixed to one wall. A sign above it read token de juego. Bass removed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a bill, then he fed the bill into the machine. Four round golden coins dropped into the dispenser and Bass picked them up, spacing them out on the palm of his left hand.
Peyton picked up a coin and turned it over. The words Hotele Excelencia was written in script on one side, while the back sported a picture of the hotel. It was definitely not the coin that Peyton had taken from Trevor.
She and Bass exchanged a look.
“So how do they get from the coins to the drugs?”
Peyton shrugged. “Someone else must take the coin then. First contact is Miguel, who exchanges money minus the amount for the drugs, right? And it’s American money, so in a sense he’s laundered it.”
“I’m thinking yeah, good point.”
“He gives them the coin with their change.”
“Then who gets the coin?”
“Damned if I know. Have you noticed anything else since you’ve been down here? You picked up on the parasailing hut. Any other strange exchanges?”
Bass scratched the back of his neck in frustration. “No, I can’t think of anything.”
“Peyton,” came Tank’s voice in her ear.
She lifted the com to her mouth. “Here, Tank. What’s up?”
“Just picked up an emergency relay. Two American college students have been picked up from Playa del Carmen on their way to the hospital. They were coming in from a party boat.”
Peyton relayed the information to Bass.
“Shit. What happened?” Bass demanded.
“Tank, do you have any information about their condition?”
“Suspected drug overdoses,” said Tank.
“I need the name of the hospital,” demanded Bass, pulling out his cell phone.
“Bass wants the name of the hospital where they’re transporting the kids.”
“I’ll text it to him.”
Bass stepped away, speaking Spanish rapidly into the phone. He was speaking too fast for Peyton to follow, but he hung up a moment later and came back to Peyton. “Federico’s coming to pick me up. We’ll go over to the hospital to find the kids.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, stay here and see if you can track this coin thing with Bambi.”
Peyton nodded.
“Peyton?” came Tank’s voice once more.”
“Yes, Tank,” she said into her com.
“One of the boys had identification on him.”
“And?”
“His name is Brett Enticott.”
Peyton closed her eyes. Brett Enticott, the kid Bambi had been playing volleyball with for the past two days.
CHAPTER 20
Rosa sat on her balcony, her tablet positioned on her knee as she smiled at Adrian. “And what did Jennifer say then?”
“She told me she only answers to you. I said she could either do what I said or she could take an unpaid vacation at home until your return. She gave me a long lecture on how I was wasting her talents by asking her to babysit a teenager.”
“The Japanese Prime Minister’s daughter isn’t just any teenager.”
“That’s what I told her, but she said the girl was just going to look at some paintings at the MoMA and the Secret Service could provide the protection then.”
“So what did you do?”
“I gave the job to Daryl, her partner.”
Rosa laughed. “I bet that pissed her off.”
“It gets better,” said Adrian, giving her a wicked grin. “I asked Darren, your assistant, if he had any filing for Jennifer to do. He said he didn’t, but that Myron Hammersmith in Evidence always needed someone to dust boxes.”
Rosa laughed again. “Brilliant. Myron will make her wish she was looking at paintings in a kindergarten class.”
Adrian smiled in return. “I miss you.”
She hesitated, surprised at how easily he’d said the words. Then she couldn’t help the smile that blazed across her own face. “I miss you too.” She shifted to make herself more comfortable. A prickle of sweat had started on the back of her neck and she realized she was afraid. Afraid he’d reject her, afraid he wasn’t in the same place, afraid he wouldn’t feel the way she did. “Adrian, what if we made this a little more permanent?”
He didn’t respond for a moment, then another smile lighted his face. “Seriously? As in you come to Virginia?”
“If that’s what you want.” She realized she meant it. She would put in for a transfer to Quantico if he wanted her to do that.
“Or, what if I came to San Francisco?”
“Would you consider becoming an agent again?”
He shook his head. “What if I did something else? What if I quit the FBI?”
“What? Are you serious?” He’d give up his career for her.
“I can’t go back to being an agent, Rosa.” He’d never told her why and she hadn’t pried, but she knew something had happened to make him ask for a job that didn’t put him in the field. “I’ve done the training to death and I hate being SAC. What if it’s time to do something new?”
“Like what?” she said, trying to tamp down on the excitement she felt.
“What if I opened a martial arts studio or something? I’ve got some money saved up. I could take some time off and figure it out.”
Before she could answer, a knock sounded at her door. She felt torn between duty and her personal life and right now, her personal life had gotten a whole lot more exciting.
“Go ahead and get it. We’ll talk later. Just think about it,” he said. “I promise, we’ll talk about all of this soon, Rosa.” And he was gone.
She sat for a moment more, staring at the blank screen, then she
climbed to her feet and laid the tablet on the side table as she walked back into the room and pulled the door open. “What!” she demanded, feeling more put out than she meant to.
Bass started back, but Radar just pushed into the room, followed by the rest of his team. Brooks came last and gave her a sympathetic look. “How’s Stryker?” she asked as if she knew Rosa had been talking to him.
“Fine. What’s going on?” She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Radar.
Radar motioned to Bass. “I’ll let him explain.”
Bass went on to tell her about the previous night – how feeling guilty, he’d called Tank and found that Peyton and Bambi were in the club, so he’d gone there, how he and Peyton had gone to the arcade to see if the coin they found was really a token, and then how he’d been called to the hospital on a potential drug overdose.
“Brett Enticott and his college roommate Chad Renton were the victims.”
“The same guys Bambi spent two days playing volleyball with? The same guys Bambi got the fentanyl pill from?
“Right.”
“How are they?”
“Renton’s dead.”
Rosa’s expression sobered. “And Enticott?”
“Barely clinging to life. He’s on life support. His parents are on their way from New Jersey. The doctors don’t expect him to live.”
“What about his friends? Did you question any of them?”
“Federico interrogated them. Two lawyered up and the others swore they never knew where Enticott got the pills. He wouldn’t tell them.”
“He wouldn’t tell me either,” said Bambi, “no matter how much I begged or flirted.”
Bass shifted weight. “They found three of the coins on him.”
“The coins? The ones Brooks and Bambi found?” she asked.
“The same ones.”
“So the coins are the way they alert someone to give them the pills.”
“It looks that way,” said Tank. “When I pulled up evidence for two other deaths from fentanyl that happened in the last three months, I found a record of the coins being listed under things confiscated at the scene.”
“So if they purchase the coin from Miguel when they exchange money, who do they give the coin to in order to receive the pill?”
“Someone getting a tip. Someone very specific so it won’t wind up in the wrong hands,” offered Radar.
“But who?”
No one seemed to know.
“Who do you give a tip?”
“Waiters?” said Bambi.
“Bartenders? Who knows? So much money exchanges hands. It could be anyone,” said Bass. “Masseuses, hair stylists, nail stylists.”
Rosa rubbed her hand on her chin. “Let’s pull this Trevor kid in and demand some answers.”
“And if he gets scared, we blow our cover,” protested Bass. “What if he demands a lawyer?”
“We gotta make him not demand one,” said Rosa.
Radar looked over at Peyton. “Bring the kid in and turn Sparky loose on him. No one can resist Sparky during interrogation.”
Peyton stuck her tongue out at him, but Rosa nodded. “Good. I like this plan. Bass, can you and Federico bring this kid in for questioning?”
“I guess, but I still think it’s premature,” said Bass.
“What else do we have? We’re running out of time on a murder investigation. We can’t keep pussyfooting around, Kaz,” she said.
“All right,” he answered reluctantly. “I’ll call Federico.”
After he left the room, Peyton made a face. “Why can’t Bambi question him? She made a connection with him last night.”
“Then we’ll leave Bambi in reserves. Right now, we need to figure out the distribution racket and you’re our man, Brooks.”
Peyton glared at Radar. “I’ll get back at you, old man.”
“Of course you will,” he said, but he didn’t look worried in the least.
* * *
Joyce positioned his hands on the parallel bars. “Since you’ve already taken your first step, it’s silly for me to pretend that you aren’t ready.”
He looked down at her as she adjusted his hands again. “What did the x-ray show?”
“You didn’t do any damage, so I got clearance from Dr. Chamberlain to move to the next level of your rehabilitation. When I tell you, lift yourself out of the chair. I want you to walk to the end of the bars, but whatever you do, do not let go. If you feel like you might fall, I want you to stop until I can get a chair behind you. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
She moved in front of him, placing her arms at the ready to catch him if he started to fall. Marco would have thought it was amusing, if it wasn’t so ridiculous. He made two of her and he’d crush her if he fell on her.
“Okay, go.”
He levered himself to his feet by the power of his arms and shoulders, bracing most of the weight on his right side instinctively.
“Balance yourself,” she commanded. “Let’s see how much your left side can take.”
He blew out air and then shifted, letting his weight come to rest on his left leg.
“Do not take your hands off the parallel bars.”
He had no intention of doing that, so he didn’t know why she kept telling him.
“Now, keeping hold of the bars, I want you to walk to the end. I’ll be here to catch you if your leg gives out.”
He barked out a laugh at that, but she glared at him, so he sobered. Gritting his teeth, he eased his left leg forward, surprised when it responded for him. Then he shifted his weight forward. He could feel the muscles in the left leg shake as he put weight on it, but it held as he brought his right leg to match it. For a moment, he stared at his feet.
He’d always taken his size and his power for granted. It had always been his to command, but now he was having to learn to walk all over again. This was bullshit, but it didn’t do any good to keep dwelling on that. At least the pain was gone and he seemed to have some control over it.
He took another step and Joyce stepped back. Before he realized it, he’d made it to the end of the bars and Joyce was instructing him on how to turn around. It was then his phone rang. He’d left it in his bag on a chair across the room, but he looked up at it and nearly fell, catching himself with his arms.
“I told you to turn the ringer off,” Joyce scolded. “That’s the rules.”
He knew he should ignore it, but he couldn’t. “We’re working a homicide case right now. I need to see who’s calling. Besides that, my girlfriend’s working a case in Mexico. I need to talk to her if she’s on the line.”
Joyce gave him an annoyed look, but Marco wasn’t missing a call from Peyton for anything. With a grumble about the rules, Joyce retrieved his gym bag and carried it over to him. He fished the phone out of the bag, resting all his weight on his right leg, and glanced at the display.
Cho.
He thumbed it on and held it to his ear. “What’s going on, Nate?”
“They just released Chicago to us. We’ll get our first crack at interrogating him in about an hour. Javier just got him printed and booked and his mug shot taken. He’s wanted in a convenience store robbery off Market last year. A clerk died in that robbery.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there. Put in a call to Devan and have him stop by to watch the interrogation. Wait for me to get there.”
“Sure thing, Captain,” said Cho and disconnected the call.
Marco gave Joyce a sheepish look. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Block out twice as much time for me tomorrow,” she said. “We’re getting a full workout in, I’m telling you.”
“Got it,” Marco said and reached for the crutches as she passed them to him, his thoughts already preoccupied with Chicago’s interrogation.
* * *
When Marco got back to the office, Tag and Holmes were waiting for him. Tag pulled open the half-door and held it for him as he crutched inside.
Lee,
sitting at his desk, gave him a half-smile. “ADA Adams is in your office, waiting for you,” he said. “You want some coffee?”
“Sure,” Marco said, glancing between Tag and Holmes. “What’s up?”
“Sugar Bear made contact on the gay dating site last night,” said Tag. “I finally got a judge to agree to give us a warrant for his online activities, then had Stan set up an alert if he made a post.”
“And he did?”
“He’s looking for his next hookup,” said Holmes. “He spent over an hour talking to…” He pulled his little notebook out of his pocket. “…a guy named Puerto Rican Lambchop.”
“Seriously?” Marco couldn’t believe it. Damn Harlan Osborn. Couldn’t he give it a rest while they solved the last murder?
“What do you want us to do?” asked Tag. “We could bring Osborn in for questioning.”
“On what? On wanting to hook up with a guy who goes by the handle Puerto Rican Lambchop?” He sighed. He was sick to death of Harlan Osborn and his indiscretions. “Okay, what if we warn Lambchop off the mayor?”
“There’s the whole innocent until proven guilty thing,” said Devan, appearing in the doorway. “What are you going to tell this guy? You suspect the mayor of killing his last boyfriend? You have no jurisdiction to do that. The warrant for his online profile lets you see who he contacts, not interfere with them. You’re lucky you even got a judge to agree to that.” Devan crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides that, do you really think Osborn’s the killer?”
“Everyone’s a suspect until they’re not,” Marco told Tag and Holmes, ignoring Devan, “but he’s right. I don’t think he killed anyone. I want you to look into Victor Maziar and Norris Barber. Have Stan get any information he can about either of them. I did an initial search on Barber, but it didn’t turn up anything, not even a traffic violation. Tell Stan to go deeper.”
Devan put his fingers in his ears. “I’m not hearing this. La! La! La! La! La!”
However, Tag and Holmes both nodded and started to turn away, but Marco called them back. “And tell Stan to keep monitoring Osborn’s dating site too. I wanna know if Osborn and Lambchop plan a meet and greet.”
Mayan Gods in the Yucatan (Peyton Brooks, FBI Book 5) Page 35