Old Growth & Ivy (The Spook Hills Trilogy Book 1)

by Menard, Jayne

  "So $130,000 to nearly a million a month," Mathew quickly calculated. "Not big dollars for drug profit, but on top of what is likely still laundered through banks or stashed elsewhere, not a bad cash reserve. Shipments of cash would give credence to Ivy's theory that they have constructed an underground bank in those mineshafts."

  Steve noticed that Ivy was frowning at the data. That puckered brow meant she was thinking. "Ivy what are you scowling at?"

  "For the transactions you eliminated, have you matched the source delivery addresses with actual company addresses where they have operations?" she asked Brian.

  "What do you mean?

  "This may be farfetched, but these guys are devious. Could they have set up a company, or several for that matter, that appears to be a retailer, even say something like Amazon.com, and pretend to run a distribution center using that company's logo, packaging look-alikes, and so on, but are actually sending money to themselves?"

  Mathew started nodding. "That would make it much easier to ship money, have it appear to be books or whatever and go undetected."

  Moll picked it up. "Possibly more money back to the First Consolidated Bank of Fuentes? We'll get right on it."

  "I'll request data on international shipments to those four companies and all shipments by FEDEX, UPS and DHL from any of the suspected Fuentes companies," Steve said. "If the international information pans out, we should have grounds to get the legal authority to inspect packages as they appear in the delivery companies’ systems. If not, then we have to figure out how the money is moved into the U.S. With such a tight network as the Fuentes run, I am guessing they wouldn’t trust the cash to underworld carriers. Moll, you see any packages in the Fuentes mail in Santa Fe?"

  "Small ones, like bubble wrap brown or white ones. Maybe a half dozen. I do wonder, though if those boxes I saw in the van contained more moolah-roo."

  "They must inventory the shipments between each other by phone or using the shipper email alerts." Ivy said. "We should check that out."

  "Right," Steve said. "Now we have enough basis to gain authority for a stealth cell phone interception device that we can have moved into the hills nearby.

  "It intercepts how?" Ivy asked, her expression curious.

  "It puts out a stronger signal than the local cell tower and the calls go to it first. It will grab the calls, record and transmit them to us while it also sends the call on to the local tower."

  "Devious. I like it. No land line wire taps?"

  "We haven't found any evidence that they have a landline."

  "Can we get text, email and Internet access, as well as voice?"

  Steve nodded.

  "Why haven't we already done it?"

  "Very sensitive legal area -- invasion of privacy," Mathew interjected. "That's why we have to show probable cause and get the legal authority."

  "Jeez, it's a wonder the FBI ever gets a case solved."

  "Frustrating at times, however we do get them solved. Believe me, we would rather move more quickly but we have to adhere to due process," Mathew said, using his attorney voice. "We are part of the Department of Justice."

  Ivy made a face at him. Steve continued with her train of thought.

  "Everything about the Fuentes operation points to their management of the logistics of the drug trade. They are moving the drugs between countries and cutting down bulk shipments in bales into boxes of packets for street distribution through middlemen. That’s what we saw during the raid in Mexico. That would mean they are paid in big dollars for each sale of drugs. Likely the twins handle collections, or now maybe just one twin. They may do some of the transport of the cash using hidden compartments on the yachts."

  "Maybe they moved in when Pablo Escobar was gunned down in Colombia back in 1993. Didn't he and his gang handle the so-called logistics?" Moll wondered aloud.

  "Who?" Ivy asked .

  "Major drug lord," Steve responded. "Had most of the government and police forces in Colombia on the take. A special task force hunted him for years, finally running him to ground in his home stomping ground of Medellin, Colombia. Yeah Moll, I think that is highly likely. The Fuentes stepped into a vacuum, used the Escobar business model, grabbed as much as they could handle and then expanded from there. Likely they are not quite as big or all-powerful as Escobar, but they are keeping a major part of the Colombian drug trade organized."

  "By the way," Brian said, "The pattern of where the packages came from changed right after you raided the drug repackaging plant in Mexico City."

  "How so?"

  "Fewer packages. More use of Miami and Corpus Christi."

  "Bingo. Could mean that we killed a Fuentes twin in that raid and not an actor." A cold smile of satisfaction spread over Steve's face.

  "Let's get busy," he said. "I'll call to get the international data. Moll, you and Mathew research those retailer packages. Ivy, brief me this afternoon on geological soundings and the use of robotics in mineshafts. Brian, listen in and then review the maps of the known mine tunnels on the property. I want to sound knowledgeable when asking for a surveillance team to go exploring -- stealth mode, of course."

  Ivy smiled at Steve and scooted her chair back to her desk leaving a lingering scent of her perfume in the air. He inhaled, taking a sensory snapshot of the scent. They had set a tentative date of the second Saturday of December for the wedding, getting a caterer scheduled and invitations designed for the celebratory party. Steve wanted all that to happen on schedule and then they could move on with their relationship as husband and wife. He had a need to make that commitment and he thought Ivy felt the same way. Given his stubborn nature and her sometimes hot temper, they would have their squabbles, but he knew that this relationship of theirs was one that would last.

  ***

  Mathew worked with Moll and Brian to review the data in their database, analyzing it with the dashboard they built. He found their software to be even slicker than he originally thought. He could see that once they had a couple of banking clients under their belts, their business was going to take off. Mathew considered asking to be an investor. With that notion, he realized he was thinking like his Dad and maybe that was okay, as long as he made time for a strong personal life and family.

  He noticed that the relationship between Ivy and Steve was changing and deepening. He wondered what caused the change. Maybe it was because they were mostly recovered from the shootings. Whatever the cause, Steve now regarded Ivy with even more love than before. He acted as if he could not get enough of watching her. Their separation last summer and then the tragic shooting at their reunion had brought them closer. He could almost see the invisible strands that bound their hearts together.

  Mathew forced his thoughts back to the case against Astuto. Ivy's conjecture might be right about the bogus fulfillment companies. They found what Moll called an Amazon.com twinner company in Corpus Christi. The agent that Steve sent to check out the site found a small office suite, which only contained empty cartons and tape with the Amazon.com, cases of blank white paper and a funky sort of drill press. The office was unmanned. As Steve would say, "Bingo." They added shipments from that warehouse location to their suspect shipper list.

  The data on international shipments was due to arrive the next day from DHL, quickly to be followed by UPS and FEDEX. Brain and Moll were eagerly anticipating getting their hands on the international shipment data. Since their prospective first client had postponed their startup until January, this data analysis for Steve was a good filler project for them. Until this case Mathew had never appreciated what great data hounds those two were, much less understood their hidden talents for analytical software design and programming. He enjoyed watching them transitioning from FBI agents into businessmen. The tool they developed appeared readily adaptable to many types of transactions. After this was over, they needed to sit down with Ivy and Steve, brainstorm uses for it and broaden their horizons on marketing.

  Working with a designated group of legats in D
.C, Steve verified that all the required paperwork was prepared to obtain the necessary legal authorization for the package inspection, the cell traffic interception and the mine shaft exploration. As soon as they had the analysis of the international shipment data, he would move to get the necessary search warrants and court orders. Mathew noticed a change in how Steve was working. He acted more trusting of each person's ability and he delegated more. This approach let the team perform around him while he pulled the threads together and handled the critical work with the FBI Legats. His mind was just as sharp, but Mathew could see that he was sharing the responsibility for results more with each team member.

  They continued to track the twin's movements in and out of the United States under as many false identities as they knew about. Eduardo appeared to stay at what they dubbed "The Bunker" in New Mexico. The delivery trucks rolled up the driveway a few times a week. Other than that, it was as if no one lived there. Yet someone must. This was the toughest time on a case, when they were close, but not close enough to act. They had to follow the sage advice from Virgil: Durate et Vosmet Rebus Servate Secundis, Carry on and Preserve Yourselves for Better Times.

  ***

  Finally by the second week of November, Ivy was relieved that Steve judged they were positioned to obtain the legal authority they needed to advance their case against the Fuentes. The international delivery data arrived in three drops to the secure server they had setup. Moll and Brian attacked it with all the single-minded intensity of two wolves after their quarry. They worked all night, waking Steve, Ivy and Mathew at five in the morning to share the results.

  All five of them were jubilant! The international data showed regular shipments from various Astuto businesses that they identified in Colombia and Mexico. They matched the timing of those packages to the locations of the twin(s), based on their alias passport data, as he or they moved in and out of the United States. Mathew, Steve and Ivy verified the data and the findings to be certain their facts were right. Once they confirmed that all was in order, Steve authorized the legats in D.C. to take forward the requests for intercepting packages to the Bunker, for setting up the cell phone traffic monitoring and for exploring the mines on the Fuentes properties. Once they had the judge’s approval, they could proceed with each initiative.

  A couple of days later, upon obtaining the legal authority and with Ivy and Brian on the line, Steve called for the team of FBI agents and federal geologists he had lined up to mobilize for exploration of the mines. One of the shafts to the tunnels went to the surface on property adjacent to the land owned by CCE Mining. Fortunately that mine entrance was out of sight of the Bunker behind a series of land undulations. The cover story for the exploration team was a reported gas leak in the area. New Mexico has the third largest natural gas reserves in the nation, making it a plausible cover story. While most of the reserves are located northwest of the Santa Fe area in a region called the San Juan Basin and in the southwest corner of New Mexico in the Permian Basin, the cover story was at least plausible.

  Now that she was part of the investigation, Ivy found herself as energized by the thrill of the chase as Steve was. He designated her as the coordinator for the mine exploration work, which meant she was on call 24/7 as the team worked in shifts round the clock stealthily exploring the mine tunnels, staying wary of security devices as they edged underground onto the Fuentes land. Ivy had been cautioned that if they encountered a major cave-in, they might have to call the operation off. The team could deal with small ones by making their way over and around rubble and shoring up the roof or top of the tunnel as they went. It sounded dangerous to her, but the team leader was confident in their precautionary measures.

  Steve found himself walking back and forth outside of the barn. Even though it was raining lightly, the moist air was welcome after the dry summer and fall. At last the case was moving forward! He loved it when the pace accelerated on a case. They were now in the chase. Once the phones and video calls quieted down the day before, he called the team together for a meeting over dinner. Mathew and Moll had driven out to pick up meals like they did when they celebrated their break-through on finding the Fuentes in Florida. This time they camped out in the nearly-finished house with the comfort of the furnace running.

  He was so proud of Ivy. She functioned now like any other agent, participating in the meetings on equal footing. She teamed up well with the former agents, but took ownership of her task on the mine exploration. Steve watched how she worked with the three former agents, trying to learn from her team-player style.

  Steve had a hunch that the traveling twin would return to see Eduardo for Thanksgiving weekend, keeping up some semblance of family traditions. If his hunch was wrong, he would keep adjusting the timeframe until they could pounce. He would not move in until at least two brothers were together in the Bunker. That evening, they laid out the schedule for the sting. Ivy asked if they were traveling to New Mexico. They tossed that around for a while and agreed that Ivy, Brian and Steve would go to a hotel in Santa Fe if all proceeded as they expected, with their rogue agent Lenny joining them. Steve would need to be close to the action, but he did not want to leave Ivy. Mathew would stay at Spook Hills with Moll and two trusted agents from Operation Spook Hills to defend their property, just in case another strike was scheduled. However they would be in phone and video contact with the Santa Fe team. They now had a wooden gate reinforced with bars of titanium installed on the driveway. Although the perps could crash through it with an armored vehicle or they could go around it, at least the gate would present a deterrent.

  Every day brought new updates. The cell phone authorization was signed that morning. Steve had the equipment lined up and a team out of Los Angeles ready to put it in place that night. All wireless traffic to and from the Bunker would be picked up by a surveillance van hidden off the road. When they did the installation that night, Steve would have audio to the team leader and receive camera shots of the setup. The team installing the equipment would give him access to the recordings when they were intercepted going in and out of the Bunker.

  They hoped to have the search warrant to inspect the Fuentes FEDEX, UPS and DHL packages the next day. All they needed was one package containing large amounts of cash, but Steve wanted to have several inspected packages from different carriers so that they could establish a pattern. The teams inspecting the packages would be local FBI agents briefed to make certain each package appeared untouched after their inspection.

  Provided they could obtain these additional forms of evidence, they would then have stealth teams sweep the Fuentes properties undercover at night to devise a strategy for bypassing security detection devices. Once those plans were in place, he, Ivy and Brian, would fly to Santa Fe, to meet up with Lenny and an FBI SWAT team assembled from the Albuquerque and Los Angeles offices. With all of Steve's requests going through the Chief, he was getting all the cooperation required, and he knew he could be darn demanding.

  Today the Chief privately told him that his secret probe had identified two FBI men and one woman as potential moles. In an unusual move, he had brought in undercover CIA operatives skilled in computer systems analysis to identify any moles. The CIA operatives were reputed to be performing an information security audit on Sentinel. The suspects included Steve's old boss, an information security guru and a supervisor in charge of interdepartmental data requests. This info on the moles was so top secret, Steve could not even tell Mathew or Ivy about it. Inwardly he felt justified in the contempt he had for his old boss. The evidence the CIA found was in their unusual computer access authorities, some of which were later over-written, but caught in the simultaneous off-site backup of the security tables and audit trails.

  The CIA was now tapping into the suspected moles’ bank accounts, their tax filings, and other personal financial information, seeking evidence of excess funds. It would be a sorry day for the FBI if there were three turncoats, but it was essential to identify and arrest the moles. Apparently the
DEA would come under similar scrutiny in the coming weeks. Since the arrests were not yet made, the activities of the Spook Hills gang had to remain covert.

  That night Mathew was working in his room in the new house, setting up a docking station for his laptop, adding speakers, a large screen monitor and gaming gear. He was torn between wanting to be with Steve and Ivy in Santa Fe for the sting on the Fuentes and defending Spook Hills on a contingency basis. Steve had guaranteed that he, Ivy and Brian would be well away from the actual sting when it went down, but Mathew found it hard to imagine Steve sitting on the sidelines. He suspected that Steve would be in a Bu-Van fully equipped with audio and video so he could monitor the team and ensure that the Fuentes were brought to justice.

  Once the Fuentes were in custody, the operation and files would transition from the Spook Hills gang to a regular FBI team out of the D.C. office that would, in Steve's lingo, do the mopping up. They would seize the assets, comb the records and computer equipment, shut down operations internationally and prepare the case for prosecution. While it was probable that the Spook Hills gang would have their depositions taken and perhaps be called upon to testify, for the most part they would be out of any case follow-up.

  Mathew thought about his FBI career. He would miss the intellectual challenge along with the assurance that he was serving his nation. He would miss the teams, even though with having Steve, Brian and Moll close by, he would still have the best of the best. However that part of his life would be over. He would have the memories, a slightly bum leg as a reminder and most importantly, great friends as he moved on with his life.

  The waiting on the Fuentes case made him tense. He felt as if he were suspended in a pool of viscous liquid, where no matter how hard he struggled, a strong current within the pool kept him away from the shore where his future lay. He could see it there in front of him. He could close his eyes and visualize the future he wanted in his mind's eye but the Fuentes brothers’ devious minds and drug cartel stymied his progress.