by Bob Blink
"We can cover those two," Jake said. "Any more will exceed our ability. If Shaun can give us anything that might suggest one or the other, or if he finds something that points to another plane, someone needs to call us."
"He will be set up to contact you directly," Susan agreed. "It won't be much longer until Norm and I will be leaving. Make certain that someone is there to watch us. That's probably our best hope of seeing who is watching our maneuvering."
"Will do," Jake agreed.
Chapter 39
Late Friday Afternoon, May 20
"Nate, Jim, and I will take the plane coming into Concord," Jake said. Shaun's call a few minutes earlier had revealed nothing new, and he still believed those were the most likely candidates for their quarry to be aboard. "It's the first one in, and Shaun thinks it's the poorer choice of the two. It will give Nate and me more time to be at San Francisco International to meet Susan and Norm, and I'd rather Tony and Eric meet the plane Martin and the Rineri's are likely to be on. They are both unknowns to them, which is an advantage."
"Even if they are on the Livermore plane, we'll have plenty of time to get to the airport before the Washington flight gets in," Tony said. "We have to assume that's where they'll be headed as well."
"True, but it is better if you are tailing them, and Nate and I are either watching the arrival gate before they get to the airport, or I make an appearance to gain their interest. It'll all depend on what we find on the planes when they land."
Jake's group headed off first. Their assigned plane would be landing in an hour and a half, which meant they needed to get moving if they were to find the airport and get into position before it arrived. Tony and Eric would leave a bit later.
Rather than fight the city traffic and try to cross the Bay Bridge this time of day, Jake directed Nate to follow the 92 highway to the San Mateo Bridge. It would take them across the bay, and if they continued inland to the 680 freeway, which they would take north to Concord and Buchanan Field, they would miss most of the congestion.
"There was no one we're interested in onboard," Jake reported to Tony some time later. Tony and Eric were waiting in Livermore for the arrival of the second of the two aircraft Shaun had selected to be monitored, their drive having gone smoothly and without delays.
"Are you certain it was the correct flight?" Tony asked.
"We confirmed the plane's tail number with Shaun. It's the right plane, but the passengers were some rich kids and their dates. They have nothing to do with Martin and his friends."
"Maybe we'll have better luck," Tony replied. "Our plane is due in just under an hour. What are your plans now?"
"We are going back to the safe house, then we'll head to the airport in time to meet Susan and Norm. Keep us informed on what happens out there at Livermore."
Tony slipped the phone into his pocket and walked back into Beeks Sports Bar and Grill where he and Eric would wait for the flight to arrive. Waiting in the terminal was simply not an option. It was small, and unlike a large commercial airport, there weren't throngs of people waiting to greet arrivals. They'd be noticed in a heartbeat. The bar was located on the edge of the Las Positas Golf Course, and while the focus of the facility was on the golf course and those who had come to play a round or two, the windows in the place had an acceptable view of the runways as well as the golfing greens. Most importantly, they could watch the skies for approaching aircraft. Being inside with other patrons also made them less conspicuous. They had already checked out the Five Rivers Aviation FBO where the charter flight would be directed. Conveniently, the business jets were assigned spaces closest to the facility where they waited, with the smaller private planes farther down the runway.
The parking just outside allowed them quick access to Clubhouse Drive, and a short drive would allow them to move over to Terminal Circle where there were multiple parking spots with views of both the parking area and the exits from the terminals. It was unclear whether their targets had a car waiting, would take a taxi, or whether someone would be meeting them.
After ordering their drinks and settling into a comfortable booth near the back of the bar, Tony withdrew the phone and activated one of the special commercial Apps and entered the tail number of the plane they were interested in. The tracking software provided by the FAA showed the current location of the plane against a map of the United States and the estimated time of arrival at Livermore.
"Just over forty minutes," Tony told Eric, who nodded and stared out the window.
There were a lot of questions Eric would have liked to ask, but this wasn't the place, and he held his silence as he contemplated what Jake had told them back at the safe house. He and Tony had scouted the land around the house, and had chosen three acceptable sites where a sniper might be positioned. It was very obvious that Tony had done this kind of thing before, and Eric couldn't help wondering just what his normal career activities involved. They had chosen the most likely spot an enemy would select if he wanted to set up for shots toward the house, then selected two sites that provided a workable counter position to that threat. Just under three hundred and fifty yards, the closest also provided good coverage of the entire area. The other option was closer to five hundred yards out, but still within reasonable sniping range for either of the skilled riflemen. One of the two of them would man that spot whenever their adversaries were present around the house.
Although neither were particularly hungry, they ordered a couple of hamburgers and pretended to be interested in the game prominently displayed on all of the flat screens located about the room. Both were relieved when the plane finally arrived.
"It's on approach," Tony said softly, showing Eric the App which indicated the plane was about to land. "Let's go."
Tony dropped several bills on the table which more than covered their burgers and beers, and they headed outside to the Pathfinder. Once inside, Tony handed Eric the camera with a large telephoto from the back seat while he started the Nissan and drove down the heavily treed street, turning onto Terminal Circle. While the Sports Bar had had an adequate view of the runway, the tree-lined roadway blocked it too much to meet their needs. Moments later he pulled into a shaded parking slot down the block from the terminal, which offered a good view where the plane would park in its assigned space. They'd also be in a position to see where the people went when they exited the terminal.
"There it is," Tony said, seeing the plane coming in for a landing.
"The tail number is right," Eric replied. "Now let's see who's aboard.
It took several minutes for the plane to touch down and roll to taxi speed, but then it turned and headed back toward the parking spot next to the FBO. Less than a minute passed from the time the plane came to a halt until the door opened, and people started to pile out.
"Your girlfriend Miss Rineri was aboard," Eric said as he continued to watch the group assembling at the base of the stairs from the jet. "There's her brother, and Paul Martin. He's calling someone and pointing toward the terminal. I'll bet someone is waiting for them."
"Any others?" Tony asked.
"Two more. One a large guy that sort of matches Jake's verbal description, and a tall, thin guy that doesn't look like anyone you've talked about. Five total."
While Eric continued to watch the group, Tony made a quick call to Jake.
"We have them," he said. "Five total. Four of those who were in Brooklyn, and a fifth we haven't encountered before."
"Do you think the new person might be their Back-Tracker?" Jake asked. "I was hoping it would just be people we'd encountered up to now."
"You would know more about that than me," Tony said. "I'll call you back once we see where they are going."
"They have a ride," Eric said as Tony hung up the phone.
Tony had already noted the two vehicles that were pulling up to the front doors of the terminal, a large Mercedes and a more utilitarian Ford Expedition.
"That means they have help on this end," Tony mused. "We hoped th
ey might have had less support, but it appears that won't be the case."
As he spoke, the front doors to the terminal opened, and the group Eric had spotted getting off the plane hurried toward the two vehicles. A tall, powerful looking man met Martin and shook his hand. Muscle, Tony guessed. The bags were all loaded into the Expedition, and then the two Rineris and Martin climbed into the Mercedes, while the rest slid into the rear seats of the Ford. When the cars pulled away from the curb and started toward the main road, Tony slid out onto Terminal Circle and followed from a discrete distance. He didn't know if they'd be watching, but until they reached a more heavily traveled road, they were too exposed.
Fortunately the airport was adjacent to the freeway, and the two vehicles made a direct path, getting on to the 580 Freeway headed west, back toward the coast. Tony was able to follow five cars back, moving into the flow of traffic which now made them far less obvious to anyone who might be watching.
The cars retraced the route that Tony and Eric had taken to get to Livermore, crossing over the San Mateo Bridge, then turning north on 101 toward San Francisco. They bypassed the airport, which made certain sense as it was a number of hours before Susan and Norm were to land. Even if Martin had discovered that they were coming, which Tony had no doubt was the case, there was no point in hanging out at the airport that long. They would probably get settled first, having a meal before going to meet the plane. That worked in Tony's favor, because they'd have a chance to see where the group would be staying.
The two vehicles exited near the Mission Bay area, an upscale part of the city. After making a number of turns as they negotiated the streets of the expensive neighborhood, they turned into a walled and gated estate. The gates were opening as the vehicles approached, and they barely needed to slow as they turned in. Tony made a left turn at the block before the estate so they wouldn't have to drive by the front of house where it appeared Martin and friends would be staying. Once out of sight of the estate, he made a quick U-turn, returning to the intersection and parking just short of it in a spot where he and Eric could watch the gate for any vehicles departing.
"They certainly do have friends," Eric noted sarcastically.
"Yes they do. Wealthy ones at that," Tony agreed. "Given the size and location of the place, I'd hazard a guess it belongs to a Mob big-shot of some kind. That means they'll have access to lots of manpower, something we hoped might not be the case."
"Does that change your plans?"
"We'll have to see. We didn't have a definite plan beyond wanting to get a shot at Natalie Rineri, or whoever else they brought who might be the person with Jake's ability. That's the link we need to verify. Once that happens, we'll know how to act, although it'll probably be some time that Jake loops back to."
"Are you going to update Jake?"
Tony nodded.
"We might as well give him the good news."
"An estate in the city?" Jake asked. "Did you get any pictures of the group?"
"Even with the telephoto they aren't very good," Tony admitted, "but I'll send you what we got."
"Good. I'll have Jim forward them to Shaun. Maybe he can run his magic and come up with names and relationships. He can also see who owns that estate. I assume you're staying put until they hopefully head to the airport?"
"And to see if anyone else shows up. I have a suspicion that not everyone will be going to the airport. It would be good if we had another car and Eric could remain here to see what happens later."
"I'll have Nate drop me where I can rent another, and he'll come and join you. He can watch the house when you and Eric follow whomever heads to the airport. I'll go alone to the airport, and Jim will keep watch at the safe house. It was a mistake not to have additional cars."
"We need a couple of sets of wheels the other side is unaware of. Anything they see going in or out of the safe house will become known to them. Since we have time, you and Jim should each rent another car. I'm sure there's a place in Half Moon Bay. One of the two should be hidden on the back road near where Eric and I might want to make our way in or out unseen. The other you can use to go to the airport. If they haven't already arranged for a car, have Norm and Susan get one when they arrive at the airport. That will give us five vehicles for the seven of us, which will be enough."
"Agreed," Jake replied. "We should have planned this better in the beginning." He briefly wondered what other holes might exist in their loosely thought out plan.
"Maybe it would be better if both you and Jim go to meet Susan and Norm," Tony suggested. "By going there together, Martin will see the four of you at the airport arrival gate. Later, maybe when Eric and I relieve Nate, he can show up at the safe house, and Martin and his friends will wonder if he's the unidentified man from Brooklyn. It will also fix our number at five in their mind, and hopefully they won't think there might be more of us."
"I like it," Jake agreed. "We'll do it your way."
Several hours later they were all in position. Nate had met up with Tony and Eric, and both Jake and Jim Laney were headed toward the airport. Jake would have preferred that Susan ride back with him, and Norm with Jim, but he was aware that Norm would be feeling protective, and not wish to be separated from Susan.
"We have activity here," Eric said when Jake answered his phone. "A pair of vehicles are leaving the estate.
"Can you tell who is in the vehicles?" Jake asked.
"It's too dark, and the side windows are all tinted. There's no way of telling."
The use of two cars was unfortunate. They might be traveling together, or they might have different destinations. Jake wondered if the stop at the estate was a temporary thing, and their adversaries might have plans to stay elsewhere.
Jim Laney's voice came over the conference call. "I'd advise that you follow both of them. We can't know if they'll stay together."
"Tony already directed Nate to follow along with us," Eric explained. "If the cars split up, Nate will follow one, and we'll follow the other."
Jake nodded to himself, relieved that everyone viewed the situation similarly.
"Alert us if that happens," Jake said as he signaled in preparation for taking the airport exit.
Jake and Laney had parked and were on their way into the terminal when the phone rang again.
"They are both clearly heading to the airport," Eric said when he answered. "They are approaching the off ramp now. Nate is going back to the estate to keep an eye on things there. He'll stay until we advise him differently, or he is relieved."
"Acknowledged," Jake said. "Jim and I are approaching the arrival area now. Let me know who you see getting out of the two vehicles."
Eric hung up and watched as Nate made a loop at the exit in preparation for heading back toward San Francisco. Tony was driving carefully, keeping half a dozen cars between them and the two SUV's they were following. It was easier for them because of the darkness. Theirs would only be another pair of headlights from the perspective of the two vehicles ahead. The vehicles they were tailing were making an effort to stay together, which helped make them stand out from the other traffic.
When they entered the parking garage it was easy enough to find a parking spot several rows over from where the two SUVs parked. This time of night the garage was not crowded, but there were enough cars coming in and leaving so they didn't stand out. Tony and Eric waited until the occupants of the other vehicles climbed out and then started for the terminal.
"Paul Martin and Jeff Rineri," Tony said, recognizing the two men.
They had both exited from the passenger side of the two vehicles, which meant at least the two drivers remained inside the cars. It was still impossible to determine if anyone was in the rear seats.
"I'll follow," Tony said. "You stay and see if anyone else gets out after I'm gone." He reached up and disabled the dome light so there would be no light when he opened the door.
Eric nodded. It made sense for Tony to be the one going. He was familiar with the two suspects, a
nd by climbing out of the driver's side, anyone watching would assume he was the only passenger in the car. Eric checked the Glock in its holster, and watched as Tony walked off, heading a different direction from the two suspects, but one that would converge once they approached the terminal. While he waited, he kept his eyes on the two vehicles five rows over, and called Jake to update him on the status.
When Susan and Norm stepped into the open waiting area from the security area restricted to arriving passengers, Jim and Jake were there to greet them. Tony had already informed him that Paul Martin and Jeff Rineri had taken up monitoring positions well back from the gates. Martin waited inside a small bookstore and Rineri waited in a Starbucks where the arriving passengers could be watched as they exited, yet the two men could remain out of sight.
"They've spotted you," Tony said as he saw Paul Martin tense and focus more intently on the arriving passengers. Both Jake and Jim were listening via the encrypted Bluetooth earbuds they had in place. Tony watched as the man made a quick call to Rineri. From his position he could see the other man answer his phone and nod at the brief exchange.
Then the procession started back toward the parking area. Jake led the group of FBI agents toward their parked cars, a considerable distance from where Eric waited with the two vehicles that had brought Martin and Rineri. They were followed by Martin and Rineri, who were skilled enough to stay separated and follow the group independently. Finally, Tony brought up the rear. His job was the easiest, since he was unknown to the two suspects, and they didn't expect to be followed.
There was little chance of violence at this point, although the possibility couldn't be eliminated altogether. It was a time when all four of the people Paul Martin and Jeff Rineri wanted eliminated were clustered together. Bringing firearms into the airport would have been risky, even if they weren't planning on entering a secure area, so it was likely they were unarmed. If they were to call the support vehicles, Eric would alert them the cars were coming. Tony was armed, although just with his handgun. He could have flashed his documentation which authorized him to carry anywhere, including airports if needed, and he didn't want to be without a weapon at this time.