“You’re right of course. Listen, Chaz, your wife might have unusual abilities but you have incredible instincts of your own. I’ve always trusted your judgment. Don’t forget that.” There was more rustling. “I have to go, but I really appreciate you asking for my input. Being side-lined is driving me crazy.”
“So, it would be all right if I need to check in with you again?” Chaz hoped Steve could hear the smile in his voice.
“I’d welcome that. Talk to you later.”
Chaz had a lot to think about after his conversation with Steve. How much should he tell his wife? He didn’t want her to freak out about Paul Watkins, but if she had a dream that identified him, she wouldn’t appreciate having been kept in the dark. Maybe he could do what Steve suggested and drop hints that would remind her of who they were dealing with. He had to decide quickly. It was almost her lunch time, which meant that his phone would alert him to a Skype call coming in at any minute.
He smiled thinking about how frequently Stephanie used that communications technology when she hadn’t paid attention to any of it a year ago. But then, she hadn’t known him a year ago, or moved away from her best friends, or needed to see the man she loved when they didn’t know how long they’d be apart. He thought about the fact that they were going to have a child—that he definitely wanted to be a girl—and how the situation that he was in at that moment isn’t what he wanted to continue doing.
The phone chimed repeatedly. Stephanie was calling.
“Hey, baby.” He answered with a smile.
“Hi.” Her smile was huge. “First, I want to say that I love and miss you, even though you already know that and expected to hear it. Then, I want you to tell me whatever you can about last night. And last, I have a lot to say about a conversation between me, Karen, and Victor that directly relates to what you’re doing. Do you want to go in that order?” She laughed at the twinkle in her husband’s eyes and remembered that he was still often caught off guard by the way her gift gave her confidence.
“Wow.” Chaz returned her laughter. “I guess there’s no need to ask how you’re feeling, whether you slept well, whether you were nauseous this morning, or remind you that you have a doctor’s appointment at 2:30.”
“Oh no! I did forget about that appointment. You know me so well! And to answer your questions: I slept fine after meditating for half an hour and drinking another cup of tea, there was no nausea, and I’m feeling excited this morning. Now, don’t stall.”
“All right, I won’t.” His smile faded. “The vibes you picked up on could have two sources. One is based on not knowing whether I can trust my team. The other is that I saw someone from the case in Erie, and that unsettled me.” He waited for the revelation to sink in. “If there is anything you can add to this case, I would appreciate the help. You’ve never been wrong and you’ve never misled me.”
Stephanie stared at her husband for a long time before softly asking, “Who is it, Chaz?”
“Baby, I can’t tell you any names. All I can say is that he’s scary.”
She nodded, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to center herself. He didn’t need to say anything more. She knew who it was and, interestingly enough, she wasn’t afraid. Actually she was very aware of not even being surprised.
“That makes what I have to say even more important.” As succinctly as possible, she explained Karen’s emotions from the night before and the conversation they’d had earlier. Phailin agreed to come over for dinner in a few days and they would talk about everything. She wanted the woman to teach her anything she could about being calm enough to dig deep into the dreams she was suppressing along with asking for help with keeping her system clean and balanced. “I know you didn’t want to take this assignment or drag me into it, but apparently the universe has other plans. We’re all going to have to work on this together. Karen can’t escape her attachment to me any more than I can escape my attachment to you. We all have a role to play.” She hesitated before looking him directly in the eyes and saying, “Déjà vu, Chaz.”
He shifted so that his head was resting fully on the back of the seat. His free hand scrubbed across his face before scratching his head.
“There’s no way around it, but I don’t feel good about pulling everyone else into this situation. I trust each of them wholeheartedly—you know that—but I wish there was some way to do this without impacting so many other people.”
“That’s not your choice to make,” his wife said quietly. “None of us can prevent destiny and we all accept that. My focus is you. Their focus is me. They will know as little as possible about whatever you tell me, but we’re a team.”
“Okay.” He told her what he’d decided about tracking her input. “I’m sure the bits and pieces will add together in the long run,” he said. “Keeping a journal will give me a way of going back over them to reinterpret based on new supporting information. Always text me as soon as you get those pieces of dreams or feel off. The word ‘dream’ if that’s the case and the word ‘off’ when you can’t pinpoint what’s wrong. Yesterday, there was a distinct correlation between what I was dealing with and what you were feeling. You might very well help me to not overlook something that we’ll later realize was significant. If I can text you back, I will—but don’t worry if you don’t hear from me. Things don’t happen on any type of schedule, so where I might be totally bored at 9:00 one night, I might be knee deep in trying to contain something that blew up the next. All right?” Chaz wasn’t sure he liked sounding like he was talking to one of his undercover agents. It wasn’t the way he’d ever spoken to his wife.
“All right,” she agreed. Then, she laughed and asked, “Would you like me to tell you what I’m going to do the next time I see the man who is the other half of my soul?”
Chaz laughed. “Somehow, I get the impression that you’re going to tell me anyway, and I’ll be walking around distracted for the rest of the day.”
“Well, yeah, there’s always that possibility. What’s wrong, Mr. Big FBI Agent? Scared to live a little dangerously?”
“Bring it on, baby! Just know that I will make you deliver on every word.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” She blew him a kiss, made sure her office door was closed, and started a whole new conversation that could have gotten both of them arrested.
CHAPTER 6
“What does it mean when you say the project is behind schedule?” Chaz leaned forward so that his palms were resting on the counter and he could more easily look directly into Austin’s eyes.
“It means Damien isn’t happy with the way we arranged some of the rooms upstairs. He doesn’t think there’s enough space set aside for body guards to be able to stay out of view but still intervene quickly. We have to make some adjustments within the next three days. Apparently, there is someone he wants to impress who came around a day or so ago, and nothing can be less than perfect.” He sipped the coffee in front of him.
Chaz took him in: determination in his cobalt blue eyes, scruffy facial hair, and brown hair long enough to hang over his shirt collar and cover most of his forehead if it fell into his face. The blue jeans and big-buckle belt fit right in with the slight southern country drawl. Yep, he was inconspicuous enough. But there was something indefinable about his expression. Meeting him face-to-face did nothing to help the team leader determine whether he was trustworthy. Austin didn’t flinch under the scrutiny.
“Is Granger pushing back the grand opening of the club?”
“Naw. Everything downstairs is in place. He’s not giving us much time to fix things upstairs, so the rooms will only be a week late in opening.”
Chaz nodded and looked away, his expression pensive as he pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and crossed the sitting area to stand behind the bank of monitors on the dining table.
“Tell me about the woman you took upstairs yesterday,” he said without turning back to face the undercover police officer.
“I’m not sure a
bout her. At first she seemed like any of the other girls that have floated in and out of the offices at the back of the building. But, then I caught her being extra curious about the elevators. I figured that if I took her upstairs you might get a clear enough photo of her to figure out who she is and what she really wants.” He paused. “Do you want to know my impression of her?”
“Go ahead.”
“She’s either a really fresh cop or she’s a spy from someone who’s very interested in knowing how the operation is going to work. It took seeing her more than once, but I can definitely tell you that she doesn’t carry herself the same as the other women.”
Chaz turned to him with a frown on his face. “In what way?”
“She’s gritty but also a little cocky. Miss Vanessa was adamant that the women seem refined. This one—her name is Jolette—doesn’t fit that description, but no one seems to notice. It doesn’t add up.”
Chaz nodded his head. She probably works for Paul Watkins, he thought. Still, Austin had given him the perfect set-up to establish an escape plan for Vanessa.
“I’m going to do some checking to see whether there is other law enforcement involvement, not that I expect anyone to tell me. If she is a cop, we can at least not leave her hanging if she’s in over her head. I’ll let whoever I talk to know that she, or anyone else who gets in trouble, should get to you and use the codeword Little Bo Peep. Do whatever you can to either protect her or get her away.”
“What about the mission?” Suspicion laced the words.
“You’re entrenched enough that you should be able to get her out without being compromised.” He looked the officer in the eyes. “If she comes to you, make sure she’s safe. Don’t involve Chris; take care of it yourself.”
“Sure.”
Chaz broke eye contact and turned back to the monitors. “Are we clear on the protocol for contacting me?”
“Yeah. I’m to check in every three days at location A. Other than that, I’m supposed to assume you’re watching me on the cameras. If there is an emergency, you’ll text the word ‘go’ and I’m to get to location B as soon as possible and bring Chris with me.”
“And if you need to see me urgently?”
“I’ll text the word ‘yellow’ and meet you at location B.”
“Good. In that situation, if you don’t show within 30 minutes, I’m sending the police in after you. Understood?” Austin nodded. “Thanks. You’d better get back now.” Chaz still kept his back to the officer. It was a power statement: Chaz was the one in charge and the Kentucky State Police would report to him. Austin would do his job without questions. Their next meeting would be less strained, but for now, Chaz was going on instinct that said Austin Marks/Parker needed to have no doubt about the team leader’s commitment to the mission.
“That was intense.” Brian gave a nervous chuckle and stared at the other FBI agent. He wasn’t sure what to make of Special Agent Chaz Bryson or why he wasn’t using his real name with the members of his team. It hadn’t taken the computer tech long to log into the personnel records for the man he’d indefinitely be working under and discover that Chaz Bryson doesn’t exist.
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all.” Brian stood, stretched, and walked to the refrigerator to grab a yogurt. It was nearly midnight and his shift, as normal, had started at 9:00.
“I’m headed up,” Chaz announced as he turned towards the stairs. His personal phone chimed for a text message as he reached the first step. He paused only slightly as he opened the message and saw the word OFF coming from his wife. Actually, it didn’t surprise him.
Now, he needed to figure out whether her impression applied to Austin or the computer tech.
While the loft area couldn’t be seen from the first floor, it wasn’t totally private. A three-quarter wall was left open at the top so that the person upstairs could communicate with others in the suite if he chose to do so. Even though his voice would carry to the lower level, the set-up still worked well for Chaz. He would be able to keep an eye on Brian, or the other technician, Sydney, even though he didn’t get mixed vibes from her. The upper room did, however, have a door that locked.
Chaz closed the door behind him, rolled his neck, and took his gun from its belt holster. He set it on top of the nightstand before changing into lightweight sweat pants and a t-shirt. When on assignments, he never remained unclothed enough where he couldn’t go out at a moment’s notice. After a quick routine in the bathroom, he stretched out on the bed and sent a message to Stephanie.
Chaz: Tell me
Stephanie: Started about 15 minutes ago. Tension in my neck. Nausea. Hard breathing. Sensed distrust, anger, curiosity.
Chaz: Thanks. Helps me to narrow suspicions. How are you now?
Stephanie: Calm. Tired.
Chaz: Get some rest. Talk at lunchtime tomorrow?
Stephanie: Sure. If you can handle it.
Chaz: Very funny
Stephanie: Goodnight
Chaz: Sleep well
Chaz’s mind was filled with possible reasons for Stephanie’s feelings as he pulled a small notepad from beneath the bottom nightstand drawer. He recorded the time and details of his conversation with Stephanie as well as notes about what had transpired before her text. Then, he erased all messages from his phone and returned the log to its hiding place. Tomorrow, he’d make the technicians change shifts so that he didn’t have to worry about needing to sleep while Brian was in the suite. He’d take his chances with Sydney, the daytime tech, during the night.
Before he fell asleep, Chaz’s mind contemplated ways to set a trap to discover whether his suspicions about the surveillance specialist were correct. Of course they were: Stephanie’s timing clarified that. He simply needed to know what to do about it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chaz sent an encrypted email to Roy that next morning giving him status on the assignment, attaching a photo of the mystery woman Austin had seen and requesting an inquiry into her identity, and discussing the possibility of Brian Pleasant not being the best match for this case. He immediately got a text from his supervisor saying: Get to secure location. Call me.
By secure, Roy meant get to a location far enough away where Chaz could talk without the call being overheard or monitored electronically by Brian. They weren’t concerned with the general security of the phone because of government encryption software that extended to laptops and cell phones. The tech would need possession of Chaz’s phone to learn anything he couldn’t physically overhear—and that was not going to happen.
Roy Gifford listened carefully as Chaz outlined his suspicions and the steps he was taking. He concurred that if his team leader felt uncomfortable that he would unquestionably trust Chaz’s assessment. Roy would personally check into Brian’s work history and personnel notations as well as speak with the man’s current supervisor to find out as much as he could about his personality.
“Hopefully, it’s nothing, but it’s best to be safe. You won’t be meeting with your team at the safe house, right?”
“Right. We’re set to check in at a remote location. Brian overheard the conversation, but I’ll text Austin and change the place and time. About the woman, I’ll need to know whether she’s associated with Paul Watkins. I have Brian working on it, but having corroboration might tell me whether I can trust him. If he’s somehow feeding information to Watkins’ people, he probably will try to redirect me.”
“Watkins, huh?” Chaz could almost see Roy squinting and tapping a finger on his desk. “Be careful. Anything else?”
“You might want to check out the other tech while you’re at it. Sydney Mills. I don’t have a clear read on her yet. She seems honest, but, like you said, it’s better to be safe.”
“That all?”
“For now. I’m headed to Radio Shack to pick up a cheap camera so we can watch to see whether Brian does anything unusual with the information coming from the surveillance feeds that Chris set up.” With so many electronics a
lready in a confined area, the extra wireless signal will most likely go undetected.
“Good idea. Keep in touch.” As was Roy’s habit, he ended the call the moment he determined the conversation was over.
Three days later, Chaz was sitting at the monitors, taking notes while Sydney took a break. He saw what he had been dreading. Damien Granger was giving Paul Watkins a personal tour of all floors in the converted office building. Obviously, Watkins was the person Granger wanted to impress. Had he been ordered by his bosses in the Travis family to accommodate Watkins or was this going to be another of Watkins’ hostile takeover efforts? Vanessa had said Granger had a lot going on in Louisville; was he intending to turn over the brothel to Watkins all along? Either way, the man was a long way from Chicago. How could he oversee a business so far from his territory? And why was he suddenly interested in prostitution when none of the FBI offices had connected him with it previously?
The last thing Chaz wanted was to once again be in a position where the decision must be made whether to deepen the investigation to add Watkins as a target. He didn’t want to get wrapped up in a more complex case. He only wanted to document the establishing of the brothel, close it down, file federal charges, and go home to his wife.
He sighed and stared at the monitors. He still wasn’t sure about Austin’s reliability. It would be interesting to see how he explained this meeting between the two crime bosses.
That next morning, Chaz spoke with Stephanie before she left for work. They talked about the pregnancy and a project she was working on. He needed that moment of normal to ground him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Phailin listened carefully to her friend, observing what she said and the way her body and spirit engaged in the discussion. Karen had been right in saying that Stephanie’s auras had changed. Even since their recent dinner together, the green field surrounding her had, indeed, become more dominant, but only slightly. The blues and violets were still strong. Yet, instead of being mostly spiritual, she was fairly evenly divided in her personality traits. Like her husband, whose most prominent aura color was green, the beautiful brunette was now more inclined toward creating order and maintaining harmony.
Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 Page 6