by Nancy Mehl
After replacing the book, she was starting back toward the living room when she remembered the reason she’d come here in the first place. She turned around and grabbed the purse she’d tossed onto the bed. Then she carried it out to where the men waited.
“What took you so long?” Mark asked when she came over and sat down.
“I went through the purse myself,” she lied. “There’s nothing there. No flash drive.” She dropped the purse on the coffee table. “You can look if you want.”
While she didn’t really expect anyone to take her up on her offer, Jess snatched the purse up, opened it, and dumped out the contents. There wasn’t much there. A small wallet with her driver’s license, badge, and credit cards. Her brush and lipstick, a pack of breath mints, some tissues, her pain pills, and her keys. Mercy didn’t carry much with her when she worked. She had a larger purse she used when she was off duty, but it was at home.
She realized that Jess was carefully checking the lining of the purse. “Don’t tear that, please,” she said. “There’s nothing in the lining.”
After looking it over one more time, Jess put all the contents back in the purse and handed it to Mercy. “I just don’t get it,” he said.
“Did anyone else come into the restaurant that day?” Mark asked. “Someone your father knew? Someone he could have passed it to?”
Mercy pretended to consider the question. Finally, she shook her head. “No. As I already told you, when he noticed the men outside, he cut our lunch short. He went out the back door and that’s the last time I saw him alive.” She looked at Mark. “Why didn’t he just tell me the truth? We could have left together. Or at least I could have turned in the flash drive if he thought he was in danger.”
“Because he knew you well enough to know you’d never let him walk into a dangerous situation without backup. I’m sure he was afraid you’d get hurt, Mercy. He gave you the evidence, but then he led the bad guys away from you.”
Mercy’s heart dropped. Her father did the only thing he could to protect her at that moment. He’d never intended to put her in danger.
“Well, we know for certain that whoever grabbed him didn’t find the flash drive,” Tally said, “or we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Your father would still be dead, Mercy, but the plan the cartel created would be in full swing, and they wouldn’t be looking for you. They believe you know where it is, and they’re determined to make you give it to them.”
Mercy tried to ignore the rush of fear that washed over her. She knew the cartel would do whatever it took to get the information they wanted. No matter what, she couldn’t allow them to capture her. First they’d torture her—and then they’d kill her. When she didn’t have what they wanted, her choices were simple. But now that she did, things were much more complicated. Three other lives were now at stake because of her.
“We’re missing something,” Mark said, “and I can’t figure out what it is.”
Mercy felt guilty for not telling him what she’d found. Yet many years on the police force had given Mercy a sixth sense—a feeling that she wouldn’t ignore. That feeling had saved her life more than once. Those in law enforcement listened to their inner instinct. They respected it. And her instinct was shouting for her to keep quiet.
“Are you absolutely certain Nick had the flash drive?” Jess asked.
“He had it,” Mark said. “According to our man undercover, our CI definitely downloaded the video of the shooting and gave it to him. Then he watched Nick walk away with the flash drive in his pocket.”
“He should have gone straight to the station,” Mercy said. “Having lunch with me first was a stupid move.”
“Maybe he knew he was in danger and wanted to see you before something happened,” Mark said.
“Or maybe he got lazy,” Mercy said. “Something we can’t afford to do in this business. What if Johnson had recovered the flash drive? This so-called plan the cartel cooked up would be putting lives at risk. Including cops. Having lunch with your daughter isn’t a good enough excuse to jeopardize lives and ruin careers.”
The men sat silently and stared at her. Finally, Tally said, “Merce, we’ll never know what he was thinking. But he’s gone now, so why not let him off the hook?”
Tally was right. Her feelings about her father weren’t important right now. She needed to concentrate on doing her job. “Sorry. We need to deal with what is. Not what should have been.”
Tally waited a few seconds and then said, “Let’s go over it one more time. Nick has the flash drive. He has lunch with Mercy. Then he doesn’t have the flash drive. It’s not at the restaurant, not outside the restaurant, and Mercy doesn’t have it.” He shook his head. “It’s not possible. Unless the stupid thing became invisible and hid itself, it has to be somewhere.”
“What about his car?” Mercy asked.
Mark shook his head. “We searched it. Besides, he never made it back to his car after lunch. The gang grabbed him outside in the alley and took him away.”
“When did you check the restaurant?” Jess asked. “How long was it after Nick’s death before you found out about the flash drive?”
“Two days,” Mark said.
“So it could have been taken by someone else?”
“We don’t think so. First of all, the manager of the restaurant told us some guys came by saying they were with the police. They went through the place thoroughly. If it had been there, they would have found it.”
“But they weren’t really the police,” Tally added.
“No, they weren’t,” Mark said. “They must have been Darius’s men. They obviously didn’t discover anything. Then we thoroughly went over everything again. Nothing.”
“Maybe my father hid it and someone else found it,” Mercy said. “Someone who didn’t know what it was.”
“Doubtful. Darius’s men were there before anyone else had a chance to stumble across it. I mean, it’s not impossible, but to be honest I can’t see your dad tossing it where it could be picked up by just anyone. He knew how important it was, and he knew his life was at stake. He would have been very careful.”
“You’re right,” Mercy said. She then remembered something her father had said before he left the restaurant: “I’ll call you later, Mercy. Keep your phone handy.” At the time she’d didn’t think much about it. He probably planned to call her and tell her about the flash drive. Unfortunately he never got the chance.
Tally got up and walked over to the sliding glass door that led to the deck. He carefully pulled the blinds open a little so he could see outside. “So here we are, stuck in Piedmont, completely cut off from our backup, possibly being watched by the Vargas cartel, and we don’t know where the flash drive is.” He turned and looked at the group still on the couch. “What do we do now?”
Mark stood and said, “We do another perimeter check.” He turned to Jess. “Shouldn’t we check the barn?”
Jess shook his head. “Like I said, it’s fine.”
“We might want to turn the inside lights off. I don’t want to give anyone ideas.” Mark frowned. “Are there keys to the thing?”
“Yeah, on the key ring in the kitchen. My idea was to leave the lights on so we could see the barn. In the dark, it would be easier for someone to get in without our knowing about it.”
Mark stared at him for a moment. “You might be right about that, but we also need to make sure the barn is still secure. We have to be certain Vargas’s men aren’t hiding out in there.”
“I see your point,” Jess said. “Listen, Mark, let Tally and I do the next check. We need to take turns and stay rested. Getting worn out won’t help you . . . or any of us, including Mercy.”
Mercy assumed Mark would argue with him, but he didn’t.
“Okay,” he said. “If you’re sure. I’d appreciate that.”
Jess grabbed his holster from the kitchen counter and strapped it on. Tally was already wearing his. He and Mercy kept their weapons near them at all times. It w
as like a part of their bodies.
After Jess was ready, the two men began gathering winter coats, hats, and gloves. Mark got them each a flashlight and walked them to the front door.
“Are we taking the snowmobile?” Tally asked.
Mark shook his head. “Too risky. The noise and the lights would make you easy targets. We just can’t take the chance. We’re lucky we got here from our car.”
“We have to walk to the barn?” Tally said, his eyes wide. “You know how cold it is and how much snow is on the ground?”
“I know,” Mark said. “Keep low. Be invisible.”
“Thanks,” Tally said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “It’s going to take a while. The snow is deep and there’s a thick layer of ice underneath.”
“Yeah, treacherous. If it’s too much, you’ll just have to come back. I’m sorry about the snowmobile, but until we know if anyone’s out there, it’s too dangerous.”
Tally looked at Jess. “I don’t suppose you found any snowshoes or skis anywhere?”
“Sorry. Nothing like that. I was thrilled to find the snowmobile. My car is stuck out in a drift. It might be spring before I can thaw it out.”
“Just make sure you don’t get lost,” Mercy said. “It’s freezing out there, and the wind’s blowing hard.”
“The thermometer on the deck says ten degrees with the wind chill,” Tally said, his tone solemn. “I have a feeling I’m gonna feel like a Fudgsicle by the time we get back.”
Mercy knew he wouldn’t admit to his childhood fear of the cold in front of Mark. She thought about offering to go instead of him, but she couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t embarrass him.
“Be careful,” Mark said. “And if something looks . . . wrong, get back right away.”
“I don’t think anyone’s out there,” Jess said. “Yet. But now it’s a race. Who will get through the weather first? The bad guys or the good guys?”
“Maybe the cartel was better at forecasting the weather than we were and waited it out in St. Louis,” Mercy said dryly.
“I honestly don’t know,” Mark replied. “If they sent anyone, it won’t be more than two or three of their own people. They don’t like to get their hands dirty. Especially if they have gang members doing their bidding. The cartels use them because they’re brutal and willing to kill.”
“True, but most of them are pretty undisciplined,” Mercy said. “Would Vargas really trust them with something this important? I just can’t see it.”
“Maybe the gangs do the killing, but someone from the cartel oversees them,” Tally said.
“Possibly,” Mark said slowly. “They’re extremely unreliable. I’m sure someone’s controlling them. Either way, it’s bad news. Both groups are full of bloodthirsty murderers.”
No one responded to his remark. It was a fact. Cartels had slaughtered thousands of people as they tried to establish themselves and strengthen their foothold in America. They were ruthless and unfeeling. Mercy had once called them animals, but Tally corrected her. “Animals don’t kill just to kill, Mercy,” he’d said.
The image of Tally’s dog popped into her head. A year ago he’d rescued a small black-and-white fox terrier from inside a drug house in north St. Louis. His family already had a golden retriever, and although the dogs liked each other, two adults, two children, and two dogs made for rather crowded conditions. One day Tally announced to Mercy that Pippin, the name his son had picked for the dog, was now Mercy’s. She’d refused to take Pippin in, though now everyone in Tally’s family referred to Pippin as “Mercy’s dog.”
“You’re afraid of falling in love with Pippin,” Tally had scolded her, “so you push him away. Just like you do people.”
Mercy argued with him, citing the time she spent away from home as the real reason she couldn’t take the dog, but Tally wouldn’t accept it. “We told you we’d watch Pippin while you’re at work. We already love him, so it’s no problem.”
The truth was, Mercy felt drawn to the little dog. But loving him would mean that someday she’d have to say good-bye. She wasn’t sure her heart could take any more good-byes, so she’d firmly but respectfully declined. She realized she’d drifted away and turned her attention back to the current situation.
“My money’s on our people,” Mark was saying. “They’ll do everything they can to protect us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jess said. He cocked his head toward Tally. “Are you ready?”
He nodded. “As soon as we get outside, douse the lights, okay? Hopefully no one’s watching, but if they are I don’t want them to know we’re outside.”
“We’ll take care of it.” Mark grunted. “Wish we had walkie-talkies. I don’t like being out of contact.”
“Nothing we can do about that now,” Jess said. “If we get in trouble, we’ll wave our flashlights. At least we can communicate that way.”
Mark nodded as he said, “Great idea if you want the guys with guns to see where you are.”
“I’m talking about the kind of trouble where that no longer matters.”
The serious tone in Jess’s voice got Mercy’s attention. She caught Tally’s eye. “You be careful,” she said, searching his face. “If something happened to you, your family would never forgive me.”
Tally grinned and rolled his eyes. “Well, I see you have your priorities straight. You’re more concerned about making Annie angry than my safety.”
Mercy forced a laugh. “Hey, Annie can be pretty scary. Especially when it comes to making sure you come home in one piece.”
She kept a smile pasted on her face as the two men slipped out the front door, even though she didn’t really see any humor in their situation.
Chapter
Seventeen
As soon as the men were outside, Mark turned off the exterior lights. “I really hate not being able to talk to them. If they get in trouble, how will we know?”
“I feel the same way, but they’re smart and well-trained. They’ll be fine.”
Mark sighed deeply. “I need some coffee. How about you?”
“I could use a shot of caffeine.” Mercy glanced at her watch. “It’s almost midnight.”
“When they get back we’ll set up shifts. While one person keeps watch, the rest of us can get some sleep. We can’t function if we’re exhausted.”
“Do you really think anyone’s out there?”
Mark shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Could someone working undercover with the cartel have gotten word out that we might be in danger?”
“According to Batterson, the main guy is so deep undercover it’s really hard for him to make contact. He’s actually there to help shut down the entire operation. He just happened to hear about this new plan to move drugs into the city. That’s about all he could leak. The FBI won’t risk his real assignment for any reason. Even for us. Right now all the support we have is coming from St. Louis.”
“And LA,” Mercy said.
“Yeah, but Batterson’s in charge of the operation since he’s closer.”
Mercy wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn’t cold, but somehow it made her feel better. “So Batterson planned to send some agents after us? Seems to me it would have been smart to send them ahead of us. If we’d had people already in place, we’d be in a much better position.”
“He might have, Mercy, but the truth is he didn’t have much time. First we got information from our CI—then we heard from LA. At that point, we needed to move fast. The cartel was ready to make a major move against you. They planned to kidnap you, then force you to turn over the flash drive. We did the only thing we could do. Get you someplace where we could watch you 24/7. The idea about drawing out the cartel was secondary. If we’d had more time, this entire operation would be much smoother.”
“You could have simply told me the truth and put me in protective custody,” Mercy said.
“Look,” Mark said, “we can go over this again if you want, but it i
s what it is. We made the best decision we could under the circumstances. I guess we could have offered to put you in WITSEC.”
“You know better than that.”
“Yes, I do.” Mark studied her for a minute. “That’s why we didn’t do it. Believe me, I wanted to let you in on it from the beginning. So did Tally. It was Batterson’s decision. Maybe I should have told you anyway, I don’t know.”
“No, you did the right thing,” she said grudgingly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t keep giving you such a hard time. I realize Batterson’s in charge and what he says goes. You were only obeying orders. I would probably have done the same thing.”
It was hard to admit that she would have followed the same path Mark had chosen, but following orders was something Marshals took seriously. Besides, there wasn’t any sense in arguing about it now.
“I should have known something was up when Batterson assigned Tally to go with us,” she said.
“Why? He works with the gang unit.”
“Because Batterson doesn’t like putting people together who have emotional connections. He says it makes them weak. He knows Tally and I are friends.”
Mark stared at her, making her decidedly uncomfortable. “Then why do you think he put us together?”
She didn’t respond because she couldn’t answer his question.
Mark rose and went back to the kitchen, allowing his comment to hang in the air unaddressed.
Mercy followed him. “Okay, I give up. Why did he put us together?”
Mark pulled two clean coffee cups out of the cabinet and put them down next to the coffeemaker. “Batterson says we’re better together. That for some reason we strengthen each other. And that it’s the only time since he’s been chief that he felt that strongly about two deputies.”
Mercy hadn’t worked for Batterson as long as Mark, yet she couldn’t help being surprised. The chief was a by-the-book director and didn’t seem willing to break protocol in any situation. It was true that she and Mark had done some good work together. Their last assignment was especially successful.