by G. K. Parks
The imposter kept quiet. He alternated his gaze from the tiny barred window to me and back again. He tried to remain cool, like this was no big deal, but he was starting to sweat. Eventually, he kept his eyes glued to me, not that I could blame him. He probably hadn’t seen a woman in quite some time, and after the switcheroo he and Steele pulled, any hope of an early release, or any other kind of release, just went out the window.
The guard returned with the handheld scanner, forced the prisoner’s fingertips against it, and waited for the results to display on the screen. “This can’t be right,” the guard said. He showed the results to his colleague, and the two stepped into the hallway. Lucca followed to see what was going on.
“Busted,” I said.
“Whatever.”
“The jigs up. Who are you, and where’s Steele? I won’t ask you again.”
“Fuck off.”
I gave him an evil grin. “Is that with two ‘f’s or a v? I want to make sure I have the correct spelling.”
The prisoner glared daggers at me. “You’re gonna die, bitch. And it ain’t gonna be pretty, and it sure as hell won’t be fast. You got a smart mouth. I’m sure we’ll find a better use for it before all is said and done.”
“If I had a dime.” I sat down and leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest as if I had all the time in the world. “So Fuckoff, where’s Steele? How long have you been pretending to be him?”
Unfortunately, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. So we stared at one another for five minutes. I couldn’t make him talk, though several creative attempts came to mind, most of which involved breaking his fingers or similar appendages. But the screaming would bring the guards, and that would interrupt the festivities.
“Parker,” Lucca said, “the warden wants to speak to us.”
“Funny, I want to have a word with him too.” I gave Fuckoff a final look, but he still wouldn’t crack. That probably had more to do with him already serving time rather than my ability to intimidate, or at least that’s what I told myself as we were buzzed through the sealed doors and met by a different prison guard who led us down a back hallway and up several sets of stairs until we reached the warden’s office.
“Warden Schuster’s on his way. Have a seat,” the guard said. From his tone, I wondered if he thought we were also inmates.
“Thanks,” Lucca said. The guard grunted and went out the door.
I leaned closer to Lucca, grasping the arm of his chair when mine teetered dangerously to the side and nearly toppled over. Balancing on the only two stable chair legs, I asked, “Do we know what’s going on? Do you know who’s impersonating Steele?”
“Luther Vega.”
“Vega,” I squinted, repeating the name, “he’s in the KXDs. I just ran across his name in one of the reports.”
“He got arrested prior to the raids. According to prison records, he was released two weeks ago. The guards can’t figure out why he’s still here.”
“He switched with Steele.” My voice rose to a higher pitch. “Son of a bitch.”
Lucca gestured with his palm that I lower my voice. “I know that. And you know that. What we need to figure out is how this happened.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I thought back. “Steele was on laundry detail. He probably changed uniforms with Vega. They both grew out their hair and beards so they’d look like cavemen, and once they switched clothes, I doubt the guards could tell them apart.”
“Or they paid the guards to look the other way,” Lucca said.
“Or that.” But I didn’t care how it happened. There was only one thing I cared about. “If Vega’s in here pretending to be Steele, that means Steele’s out there. He shot Mark. He killed Cooper. I have to find him.” I knew it. This wasn’t someone carrying out Steele’s orders. This was Francisco himself.
“He prepped Vega,” Lucca said. “Steele expected you to come here. Do you think he knows you’re no longer with the Bureau? Vega knows, but that might be because of the request you made or things he heard the guards say.”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter.” A sick thought entered my mind. “I have to go. We have to go. Steele’s out there while we’re in here. Who knows what he’ll do while we’re distracted?”
“All right,” Lucca said, grabbing my forearm before I could bolt from the chair, “just take it easy. We’ll listen to the warden, see what he can tell us, get a look at Steele’s cell and belongings, Vega’s too, and see if there are any clues. Then we’ll take it from there.”
“Kendall already requested all the information, so did the PD. Let’s just go. Someone else can sort out this clusterfuck of a prison.”
Lucca looked at me with kind eyes. “We’ll make this quick, I promise. One step at a time, remember? We go where the evidence leads.”
Fifteen
After speaking to the warden, searching Steele’s cell, and getting copies of the surveillance footage and details on Luther Vega’s release, we left the prison. Since Lucca had to turn all of this information over to Kendall, I didn’t have a lot of time to review it. The PD would want to examine it, as well. And as soon as they got authorization and copies, I’d have more time with it. Still, we were on a clock. Steele remained at large. It wouldn’t be long before he killed again. If there were any clues here, I had to find them now.
“I told Kendall and Moretti this was Steele’s doing, but they wouldn’t listen,” I said.
“According to prison records, Steele was locked up tight. They didn’t know.”
“I knew.”
Lucca kept his eyes on the road, but his Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re not an agent. What you say doesn’t carry the same weight it once did.”
“They should have gone down there and checked. Why didn’t any of them speak to Steele?”
“We beat them to it. Agent Davis had a meeting scheduled for ten a.m.” Uncomfortable, Lucca tugged on his collar.
“That’s why you wanted to get such an early start. You wanted to make sure I had a chance to speak to him. Rule breaker.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Jablonsky and the investigation. Steele called you. He wanted to speak to you. The best way to get more information out of Steele was to let you confront him.”
“Except I didn’t. Do you think Vega will contact Steele now that we know the truth?” I asked.
“Warden Schuster said Vega’s going into isolation until they determine what happened. He won’t have any phone or internet privileges and he’ll be denied non-essential visitors until he’s transferred into our custody and interrogated.”
“That will make it more difficult for him to contact Steele, but it’s not impossible. After all, he and Steele just pulled off the perfect prison break.” Contraband in prisons was common place, and smuggled cell phones were no exception. If Steele could engineer his own escape by walking out the front door with the warden’s blessing, I had to believe Vega possessed a cell phone to keep in contact with Steele. But we didn’t find a phone or any other contraband in either of their cells. Though, by now, Vega’s cell, the one Steele most recently had occupied, had been emptied, cleaned, and assigned to another inmate. It was impossible to figure out if anything in there even belonged to Steele.
“Why do you think Vega would voluntarily switch places?” Lucca asked. “This jeopardizes his future freedom. Two weeks ago, Luther Vega would have been a free man. Now he’s facing additional charges, and accessory to murder, especially under the circumstances, will get him years, possibly decades, more time in prison.”
“Steele probably didn’t give him much of a choice. Vega’s a KXD. From what I’ve seen, their loyalty runs deep.”
“On account of the alternative being death,” Lucca said. “That’s one way to ensure employee retention.”
“Do you think Vega will talk?” I asked, figuring he might be offered a plea deal if he provided us with material facts that would lead to Steele’s capture.
“Depends o
n the incentive.” Lucca pulled to a stop in front of the precinct where I asked him to drop me off. “It all depends on who Vega fears more, us or Steele. Keep in mind, we don’t even know how much Vega knows about Steele’s plan or who he wants to target. He might be willing to help us for a reduced sentence and protection, but he might not have anything valuable to offer in return. Steele’s careful. He just pulled off the perfect escape. Do you think he’d jeopardize his masterplan by telling some nobody henchman? This isn’t a cheesy movie with a dastardly, mustache-twirling villain. Steele’s smarter than that.”
“Steele is careful, smart, and ruthless, but he has a few personality quirks working against him. Hubris being one of them. His ego might not allow him to keep his perceived genius to himself.”
“I don’t know, Parker. I’m not sure Steele would share that information with anyone. He doesn’t trust easily. It took a lot of time and effort for you to convince him otherwise, and even then, I’m not sure he ever truly trusted you. He wouldn’t blab to some KXD foot soldier. They’re beneath him. The only person he might tell would be Bard, and as far as we know, they’ve had no contact.”
“True,” I conceded, “but if he’s holed up in some secret KXD drug den or lab, Vega might know which one. Have Davis speak to Bard. I doubt we’ll get much, but Bard prided himself on being all mighty. Something might slip out while he’s insulting our incompetence.”
“The interview’s already set up.”
I let out a growl. “Why don’t you just tell me everything Kendall has planned and save us both some time?”
“That’s all I know. According to Kendall, you suggested he do these things. I thought you knew what was going on.”
“Bullshit.” But Lucca was the only agent willing to go out on a limb for me, so I didn’t argue. I opened the car door. “You’re parked in a fire lane. It’s a good thing you’re not a cop. You’d have to write yourself a ticket.”
“Very funny.” Lucca leaned closer, peering out the windshield to make sure we weren’t being watched. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something. Will you do the same this time?”
“Yes. I’m sorry about that. Too much happened in such a short time span, it just slipped my mind.”
“I get it.”
“Hey, Eddie, I told Kendall we’re on the same side. The only thing that matters to me is stopping Steele. I know him better than most. Kendall’s ban on sharing intel with me is just slowing down the process. Do you think you can do something about that?”
“I’ll do my best to get him on board.”
“Thanks.” I closed the car door, but Lucca rolled down the window.
“No secrets between us from here on out. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Hey, Parker, be careful. We have no idea where Steele is, but he wants you dead.”
“Have you looked in the mirror lately? Watch your back and your front.” I turned and headed inside.
* * *
Lt. Moretti had transformed the major crimes unit into murder central. Every surface was covered with details on the case. Detective Thompson wheeled his chair across the floor to pin another photo to the corkboard.
I cleared my throat, but no one paid any attention. Apparently, that trick only worked for Lucien Cross. Instead, I rapped loudly against the closest desk. “I have an announcement.” All eyes turned to me, and I wondered if I should have gone to Moretti with this first. Oh well, too late now. “Francisco Steele escaped from prison. I believe he shot SSA Jablonsky and killed Steve Cooper.”
Moretti met my eyes. Thankfully, he believed me. “Does Kendall know?”
“Yes. The FBI’s in the process of confiscating prison records.”
“We already looked at the prison records. We have everything on Steele. According to Warden Schuster, Steele’s still there.”
“Steele switched places with Luther Vega.” Then I told Moretti everything I’d learned in the last few hours.
“All right, everyone, listen up. I know we already did this, but now I want everything we have on Luther Vega. He helped Steele escape, so let’s get workups on him, Steele, and the rest of the KXDs. We need BOLOs out on Steele. Parker said when he left the prison he looked like a homeless caveman, so we need security footage from the day Steele walked out a free man. Let’s get those images blown-up and passed around, along with his mugshot and a few additional renditions. Jacobs, get copies of everything and go talk to Jablonsky’s neighbors again. Report back and then rinse and repeat over at Steve Cooper’s place and the Stop N’ Shop. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will remember seeing him.”
“Yes, sir,” Jacobs said.
Moretti picked up the phone and told IT to rerun everything again as soon as the new comparisons were in their hands. “Did someone pick Steele up from prison?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t get a chance to look at the footage.”
Moretti grumbled to himself. “I’ll get on the horn with Kendall and expedite this thing. In the meantime, Thompson, call the DA’s office. Update them and make sure we have warrants and documentation for everything and anything. Jablonsky’s one of theirs, but this is our case.”
“On it, LT.” Thompson slid back to his desk and picked up his phone.
“Parker, you probably know Steele the best. Get started on tracking down his contacts. Someone must have seen him or heard from him. Let’s make sure we know about it. You also know where the KXDs operated. When you finish coming up with that list, speak to someone in gangs. Tell them I sent you. I want you to run through all the possible locations where Steele might be holed up. Vega’s place, crack houses, whatever. Find him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moretti barked out a few more commands, but I’d already been given my mission. I pulled out the list I had started the moment I recognized Steele’s voice and took a seat behind Nick’s desk. He and Heathcliff were conducting a follow-up with Renee to see if she knew anything that could help. That meant I had unfettered access to several databases. But given what happened this morning, I had little faith in the prison system. Still, I couldn’t exactly go visit twenty-something inmates and fingerprint them all, though that might be something Lucca could do. For now, I had to trust the information on the screen.
After I completed my list of Steele’s acquaintances, I called the office and updated Cross on the situation. Under any other circumstances, I wouldn’t read the private security firm in on an ongoing police investigation, but this was personal. And any hang-ups I might have went out the window the moment Steele shot Mark.
“I’ll let you know what I find,” Cross promised, “just don’t tell the cops where you got your intel.”
Then I went to speak to the detectives in the gangs unit, and we went over every detail on the KXDs for nearly an hour. But gangs didn’t possess any information I didn’t already know. Patrol units would check out their previous locations and hangouts again and squeeze whoever they found for information on Steele’s whereabouts, but I knew they wouldn’t find anything. Steele wouldn’t be stupid enough to repeat previous mistakes. He had this planned. Every step. Every location. Every hit. You know him better than anyone. Moretti’s words reverberated in my ears. I had to figure this out. I needed to build a profile and not just focus on potential future victims. I just hoped it wouldn’t be a waste of time.
Back in the major crimes unit, I found a small rolling white board and started with the first phone call, the things Steele said, what he’d done, and the limited number of clues he left behind. He followed the same pattern when it came to Cooper. He did it like that for a reason. He knew we wouldn’t be able to catch him. But the game had changed. I just didn’t know if Steele realized it.
After killing Cooper, Steele took extra precautions. He knew we were on to him. Federal agents and police officers who’d been involved in the drug raids and the busts were watching their backs. Some had protection. He couldn’t strike as easily. He should have saved Cooper fo
r last. No, Parker, he’s saving you for last, my inner voice reminded me.
“Dammit.” I’d gotten distracted again. I had to focus on where he’d hole up until he zeroed in on his next target. So where would he go? Where would he be safe?
I stared at the blank white space on the board. Steele had evaded arrest for weeks before we finally busted him. And he’d been out for almost two weeks before he attacked Mark. Steele wasn’t hiding; he was watching.
“Is anyone checking Steele’s old apartment building or Vega’s place?” I asked.
“Patrol’s on it,” Thompson said. “Do you believe he’d go home?”
“I don’t know where he’d go, but knowing Steele, after spending time in prison, he’d want to live like a king.”
“That shitty apartment isn’t exactly the Taj Mahal,” Thompson said. He clicked a few more keys. “I’ll run his financials and check for recent activity. The pittance the prisons give you when they kick you isn’t much of anything. So if Steele didn’t already have cash stashed somewhere, he’d have to do something to get some. I’ll follow the money.”
“Good thinking.” A thought shot like lightning through my brain. “Steele emptied Mark’s wallet and stole his credit cards. Plastic we can track, but cash we can’t. He might have repeated the process at Coop’s. Good catch, Thompson.”
The detective gave me a funny look. “You feeling okay?”
“Not really.”
“Figured,” he said and went back to work.
Steele knew about Mark’s key. He knew Cooper couldn’t leave the apartment. He must have been keeping tabs on them. But from where?
Reaching for the phone, I called Jacobs. He was still checking things out in Jablonsky’s neighborhood, so I grabbed my stuff and figured I’d head over to Cooper’s to look around. If Steele had been watching Cooper, I had to find out from where. He might have left something behind or some clue as to who else he planned to attack.
“Where are you going, Parker?” Moretti called.