The Deadly Dog Show (Roger and Suzanne South American Mystery Series Book 6)

by Jerold Last

  The waitress passed our table and put a bucket of peanuts on it. The Sheriff picked up a handful of the nuts and started to shell them and pop the nuts into his mouth while he thought about what he was going to tell me next. "They were sitting in a jail cell here in town a few hours later when a couple of suits showed up in a government issue Ford. The suits were obviously feds and pretty darn sure of themselves. Their ID said DEA and they said they owned the Schaefers and we couldn't have them. It seemed like the Schaefers’ crooked lawyer had made a deal with the DEA to swap information for immunity. I said ‘no’. Then they waved a piece of paper in front of me signed by a Federal Judge that said ‘yes’. That piece of paper said I had to release the Schaefers into their custody or be in contempt of court. There wasn't a whole lot I could do about it. There still isn't. My guess is both the local DEA and the judge who signed the writ were all being paid off by the drug cartel, but there's no way to prove it. Now, here we are a dozen years later and nothing has changed.”

  After another momentary break to shell and eat a few more of the peanuts, he continued. "The whole deal stank to me. The Schaefers were back in business down here within a matter of days, figuratively thumbing their noses at us. The DEA, who we had never gotten any help from before, was suddenly making headlines with all of their drug raids and seizures. This all went on during the big gang war between the Sinoloa and Gulf cartels in Mexico. The Gulf cartel was the larger and stronger gang. After a while the pattern became obvious. All of the drug interdictions and arrests in the United States seemed to target the Gulf Cartel members. Meanwhile, the Schafers were working with the rival gang, the Sinoloa Cartel. The Gulf Cartel were able to kill most of the leaders of the Sinoloa cartel that didn’t end up in Mexican jails, but the gang war made them lose their power in Chihuahua State and became a smaller cartel based further east. The Gulf cartel finally won the battle, but lost the war. The Zetas took over the vacuum left after the Sinoloa leadership was killed or jailed, and the Schaefers became Zetas."

  The last of the beer in the pitcher disappeared into our glasses as the story came to an end. "That sounds pretty much exactly like what I expected. Claro. I'd like to help. What would you like to see me do at this point?" asked Vincent.

  Harkins emptied his glass in two big gulps. "I thought y’all'd never ask," replied Sheriff Harkins. "I think y’all 'll like my idea. There're some things y’all can do as a stranger hereabouts that would cost me my job as Sheriff if I ever tried to do them myself. The DEA agents have as much as told me that a few times, whenever I was tempted to arrest the Schaefers again. I'm not quite ready to retire, but maybe you could make some things happen that I can’t. "

  Vincent finished his beer to keep pace. "What do you have in mind, Sheriff?"

  The Sheriff scratched his mustache to remove a bit of peanut debris. "I know a young, ambitious, and fairly honest reporter who works for a good-sized paper in El Paso, as well as writing stuff for our local weekly paper here in San Francisco. How would y’all like to give him an interview on your way home tomorrow morning? The story I have in mind is the one where y’all leak to this particular reporter about the DEA being an accessory to multiple drug dealing felonies and several murders via the Shaefers. Y’all can tell him to quote you as an anonymous source and say anything y’all want to imagine, out loud, including how they’re making, manufacturing, and selling drugs, plus killing the competition. The article can focus on morality versus situational ethics, for a big Federal agency, and can skip most of the actual details. That should stir the pot. It might even get some of the DEA bosses back in Washington to take a good long look at our local DEA operation. I don't think they'll like what they see. They certainly won’t like all of the bad publicity they'll be getting in the media."

  Vincent smiled sardonically. He especially appreciated the “on your way home tomorrow morning” line. That was a very cute way of saying he’d worn out his welcome in West Texas. "Claro. It's very kind and thoughtful of you to let me have the chance to do this, Sheriff. That way, if there's any fallout from a very pissed off and powerful federal law enforcement agency, it's on my head, not yours, right? I assume you've been waiting patiently for a potential sucker like me to roll into town for the past twelve years or so, haven't you?"

  Sheriff Harkins smiled back. "I wouldn't call y’all a sucker, Mr. Romero. I prefer to kinda think of y’all as a public spirited citizen."

  Vincent did some mental calculations of time and his window of vulnerability. "Set the interview up for the El Paso airport, tomorrow morning just before my mid-morning flight back to Los Angeles. And make sure there aren't any leaks. If I can get out of Texas without meeting your DEA friends, I should be pretty safe from reprisals. I have some old friends in Washington who should be able to discourage the temptation for any retaliation, once I'm back home in California."

  The Sheriff nodded. "So you have some powerful friends in the Nation's Capital. What did you say y’all were doing while y’all were in Chile?"

  "I was just a simple college teacher," replied Vincent, humbly and insincerely.

  They shook hands and said their good-byes. Later that night, back at his motel, Vincent called Roger on his cell phone to bring him up to date on what was happening. Roger listened attentively without interruption until Vincent had finished.

  "What do you think I should do now?" Vincent asked. "Or should I say y’all while I'm down here?"

  Roger was silent for about half a minute while he thought things through. "I assume you've already paid for the motel in San Francisco de Texas with a credit card. I'd sneak out of the motel and drive to El Paso right now to spend the night anonymously. No credit cards. You need to pay cash and to use a phony name when you find a motel somewhere near the airport. Just in case, return the rental car tonight at the airport so the local DEA agents can't ambush you at the rental place tomorrow. I would assume there could be some leaks. You don't want to bring the DEA into this if it can be avoided, particularly while you're on their turf. Check with the airline whether you can get an earlier flight out tomorrow morning, or better yet, a late flight tonight, at least as far as Las Vegas. You can stand the reporter up tomorrow morning; it won't be the first or the last time its happened to him. After the Schaefers have been arrested and charged with murder, you can do an interview, if you think that's a good idea. But let's not do anything to spook them before the case is airtight in California. I’m not 100 percent sure how secure your phone line is down there. I’ll fill you in on what’s happening here when you get back to the office tomorrow."

  "Claro," replied Vincent.

  The trip to El Paso was quick and uneventful. Rather than testing the system to see what would happen if he missed the scheduled meeting with the reporter at The El Paso Airport, Vincent caught a late night flight to Las Vegas, connecting with a flight to LAX arriving very early the next morning. He spent a lot of time en route thinking about all he had seen and heard that day. He concluded, inevitably, that the odds were about 5:1, maybe as bad as 10:1, he'd have been met by at least two or three cartel killers with Uzis if he’d shown up for the appointment Deputy Hawks had arranged for him. The switch in flights he made might be traceable, especially with help from the local DEA agents. But the power of the various drug cartels or the Zetas was a lot less to worry about in California than on their own turf along the Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona borders or in Northern Mexico itself.

  Vincent's previous training as a CIA agent kicked in, especially the lesson that you get your sleep whenever you can while you’re on a case. He got some sleep on both legs of the flights west.

  Chapter23.Back in California

  Vincent returned safely to Los Angeles with no further incidents and was at the office to greet me when I came in, shortly after eight. Over coffee and croissants, catered by yours truly, the senior partner, I updated Vincent on what happened while he was gone.

  I leaned back in my chair with my feet on the desk and my hands interlocked behind
my head, looking directly at Vincent. "I should probably explain where the stuff I told you yesterday came from. Part of the reason I got so conservative with my advice to you last night was a phone call I got from Steve Callahan, just before we spoke to each other yesterday afternoon. That morning, Steve got a visit from the local agent-in-charge of the DEA in San Francisco de California. The DEA guy, who was a real schmuck and starting throwing his weight around, told him that the Schaefers were strictly off limits on grounds of "National Security". The agent-in-charge, a dork named Napelli, blustered about putting Steve in jail if he didn't cooperate. Callahan must have seen a couple of Clint Eastwood movies since we worked with him in Vallejo. He put Napelli in handcuffs, threw him into a cell, and charged him with being an accessory after the fact to murder. I’d have enjoyed seeing that; maybe there’s a tape somewhere we can get a look at.”

  Vincent and I both had a good laugh as we replayed the scene in our heads. "A few hours later, Steve let him out of his cell just long enough to remind him the SFPD was the law in San Francisco. The federal authorities have no jurisdiction in a local murder case. The agent in charge, who was a very pissed off dork by that time, borrowed his phone and called his superior in Washington to explain what had happened to him. Steve thinks he may have expected to get an Air Force flyover and a Special Forces battalion to help him restore his authority. It was a very one-sided conversation, with Napelli mostly listening and quite obviously being reamed out by long distance phone. He was a very changed man when he got off the phone. It looks like the DEA may be ready to throw the Schaefers to the wolves, at least in California. Our friend Detective Callahan is very pissed off and ready to go after Albert and Sadie with everything he's got. The last I heard yesterday, he was just waiting for warrants to serve and cooperation from the local cops.”

  Vincent got up and refilled his coffee cup at the pot. He gestured to ask whether I wanted a refill, which I didn’t want or need. I nodded no. He came back to sit down while I continued, "We need to call Steve Callahan and bring him up to date on all you found out in our sister city of San Francisco de Texas. It paints a very nasty picture of Krause, Guerrero, and the Schaefers, as well as the DEA down by the border and whoever their supervisors are. What's your best guess, are Sheriff Hawkins and Deputy Hawks dirty, or just stupid and incompetent?"

  Vincent had obviously thought about this and answered immediately. "Those two have got to be dirty. It's a very, very small town in San Francisco de Texas, where there aren't any secrets. Sheriff Hawkins and his deputy have to know everything that’s gone down. They’ve covered it up and let it happen. No se. Whoops, I mean I don’t know. It could be greed or fear of the cartels or fear of the DEA, or all three things, keeping them from arresting known murderers and drug dealers. They’ve got to be making quite a few dollars or pesos while they’re looking the other way. Damn, I was in a Spanish speaking town for just a day and I’m already thinking in a mix of Spanish and English."

  There was a croissant beckoning me from the paper plate where I’d left them. It practically jumped from the plate to my hand, and from my hand to my mouth. Mom would have chewed me out for talking with my mouth full, but it tasted pretty good.

  I had of course reached exactly the same conclusions as Vincent, just sooner. "That's one of the biggest reasons I wanted you out of there and safely back in L.A.. I didn't buy the story you were actually going to meet a reporter in complete safety at the El Paso airport. Especially the part where you’d get to discuss the DEA cover-up, when they’d only just met you and didn’t have enough time to check you out thoroughly. My guess is you’d have met a couple of killers from the Zeta Cartel instead, and you might not have won that particular battle. Those guys use machine guns in the middle of crowds and couldn't care less about the collateral damage. I wasn't ready to lose my new partner this soon.”

  Swallowing the last bite of croissant, I continued, "I think we should call Steve Callahan to update him on what you know. I don't know when or where, but I assume he was getting ready to arrest the Schaefers more or less immediately. I also don't know whether he's ready to take on the DEA singlehanded. Remember, we're talking about some serious crimes getting committed under their supervision, if not direct orders. They have a lot more motive for a cover-up than a big PR disaster. The DEA may need some guidance to develop the motivation to do the right thing in this situation. It might be worth our checking with Callahan to see if he knows a friendly reporter out here to whom you could give your story.”

  Vincent nodded in agreement as I went on. “Why don't we call him as soon as you get back to your desk and have your notes organized? You take the lead, but it's probably a good idea if I listen in, without mentioning I’m there. Then you’ll have a witness in case he suddenly decides to switch over to the wrong side."

  Vincent introduced himself to Steve Callahan over the phone, and made small talk to break the ice for a minute or two. After he described the vast emptiness that is West Texas and the amusing name of our California San Francisco's little brother Pancho, they got to the point. Vincent repeated everything he had told me, pretty much the same way he told the story the first time.

  Callahan had a question. "Why do you think they told you so much of the truth, Vincent? I’m thinking just about everything they told you is true, except the part where they claim to be innocent bystanders, who didn’t take part in any of the crimes being committed."

  Vincent thought for a short moment. "I asked myself the same question several times while I was flying back home. The only logical answer is, they didn't expect me to live long enough to tell anybody what I'd heard."

  Steve asked, "Are you listening in on the line too, Roger?"

  So much for my clever strategy of not taping the call so I didn't break any laws. "Yes, I'm here".

  Callahan's voice came back on the line. "Good. That way I'll only have to say all this once. We arrested the Schaefers at 4 AM this morning at an RV Park in the Kern County Fairgrounds, where they were staying for a local dog show. CSI-Bakersfield is going over the RV to look for evidence. Our murder case is still pretty thin. We could use some forensic evidence that connects the two victims with the RV. The Schaefers are on their way back to San Francisco via a very slow and bureaucratic route. They won't have a chance to lawyer up for another 10 or 12 hours, maybe longer. That should give us plenty of time for the CSI crew to completely examine the RV.

  “Former DEA Agent-in-Charge, Napelli, is on his way back to Washington, DC. A couple of federal marshals are escorting him so he doesn’t get lost during the trip. He's technically not under arrest until he gets to the jurisdiction where they want to charge him. He’ll either be arrested or an unemployed civilian by this time tomorrow. The FBI is urgently putting together a task force out of El Paso to investigate charges of municipal and federal law enforcement agency corruption in West Texas. They'll have boots on the ground later this afternoon. Harkins and Hawks are under surveillance. Neither of them is going anywhere before the FBI gets there. If they try to run, the orders are to use whatever force is necessary to restrain them. The FBI isn’t fooling around here.”

  There was another short pause on the line. "Things seem to be under control here, at least for the moment. The short-term, worst-case scenario is the DEA chickens out and decides to cover up the whole mess. Do you have any suggestions about how to make sure they can't, Roger?"

  I sat up straighter and tried to sound more confident than I felt. This case seemed to be coming into the home stretch, and Vincent’s quick trip to Texas was going to play a big part in its solution. "As a matter of fact, we do. We like Sheriff Harkins' and Deputy Hawk's idea of turning up the heat under DEA Washington. However, we’d rather use a real reporter and a real newspaper. Vincent can freely share the results of his investigations in West Texas and the DEA’s role in murder and drug dealing down there. The arrests of Sheriff Harkins and his deputy will confirm Vincent's story for the reporter. I imagine they would run with it, especiall
y if they get Vincent’s interview near the late afternoon deadline. What do you think, Steve? Do you know a good crusading reporter who would write this story based on a telephone interview with a private detective using a phony name?"

  There was another short pause from Callahan’s end of the line. "I think I do. Give me the headlines and please make sure Vincent is at the telephone from 2 PM on. Use a burner cell phone, if you want to be untraceable, and give me that number when you get it."

  "Let me get this part, Vincent," I volunteered.

  "The headlines will be:

  (1) Vincent can tell him about Orval Krause's Dobies being the pick guard dogs for all of the meth lab proprietors in that part of West Texas and along the border there in Mexico. That should imply a motive for one of the murders.

  (2) He can talk about who were high school classmates from the Yearbooks, including both murder victims and the accused killers, and about who was a known drug dealer back in those days.

  (3) About how other drug-related murders have been tied to Albert Schaefer, but the investigations were squashed by DEA.

  (4) About the Schaefers being known as DEA informants."

  "That's kind of circumstantial, isn't it Roger? As you well know, you couldn't get a D.A to go to court with that alone. Why do you want to hold back the real evidence?"