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

by Menard, Jayne

  Chapter 24

  With the electronic gear in place, the team was now receiving the traffic from the Fuentes cell tower. Communications between the brothers happened at least once a day. Cristo was the twin in communication with Eduardo and thus far, only Cristo. The conversations moved between English and Spanish. Steve set Fred up with a laptop at his safe house to translate them into all-English transcripts. Generally the calls were reporting collections and deliveries -- a summing up of stops by city. One particular conversation, which was the longest one, surprised him and the team:

  Eduardo: "Cristo, tell me about the negotiations today."

  Cristo: "Arrogant fuckers. These people are ready to slit my throat and take over. Now that the first meeting is finished, I'll use my phone from the yacht."

  Eduardo: "Good. I have lost one brother this year. I don’t want to lose you too."

  Cristo: "Losing Cruze was so hard. I miss him, Eduardo. He was my best half."

  Steve noticed that Cristo's voice sounded choked up when he spoke of Cruze, whereas before his voice had a harsh edge to it.

  Cristo: "To confirm, the deal is that they wire half the money to the account in Cuba. When that is verified, a courier takes them keys for the hangars, planes and yachts in Colombia, but not the locations."

  Eduardo: "Did they go for the $100 million?"

  Cristo: "No. Cheapskates. They laughed. I said that was the price or no deal. They want the financials."

  Eduardo: "Send them the portfolio I gave you. No names."

  Cristo: "Sending it to them electronically tomorrow."

  Eduardo: "Then they bite or we move on. It is a steal at $100 million. We will shut down and pull out rather than give it away. Stay cool, my brother."

  Cristo: "These dudes worry me. I think I should change locations."

  Eduardo: "Move the yacht up to Corpus Christi. Easier to escape then. Too dangerous so close to Mexico. Do it tonight."

  Cristo: "You have all the contacts, locations, pickup sites and drop sites organized?"

  Eduardo: "Four lists in your folder on the server – hold onto them until the second half of their payment is confirmed. Is the doppelganger out and about in Bogota?"

  Cristo: "Sure is -- regular flash party man, this one."

  Eduardo: "All the better. When this is over, we send him to party heaven."

  Cristo: "What are we doing about those fucking FBI vigilantes?"

  Eduardo: "I have thought about that, Cristo. We do nothing until after this sale is closed. Then we hit them hard, wipe out the house, the barns, and the fucking vines. All of it. All of them."

  Cristo: "And then we retire."

  Eduardo: "Maybe dabble with the banks. We will see. Soon it will be goodbye drug world. Hello CCE Ventures."

  Cristo sniggered.

  Steve sat back and thought. He found the way they spoke of their drug operations as a regular business with financials and portfolios to be ironic. Did they really envision themselves as a couple of entrepreneurs? Listening to the actual voices, Eduardo's was high pitched for a man. He sounded asthmatic too. Steve wondered if his voice box had been damaged when he was held captive all those years ago. Cristo's voice was more masculine with a little Spanish inflection in his speech. Steve had the team listen to this conversation as well as read the transcript. With hearing their voices, the Fuentes became more than mythical figures.

  Steve was interested that they wanted out of the drug business. He put his feet up on the worktable and leaned back. We will be happy to help them out of the drug business. In fact, we will help them out of all the businesses they have. He still wanted to find cash in those packages. That would be the proverbial nail in the coffin. He checked at his watch. Ten a.m. -- time for an update from Ivy and Brian on the exploration of the old mine tunnels.

  "Chief," Ivy said with that little glint she had in her eye whenever she called him 'Chief', as if she found it amusing to report to him on this case.

  "The geological team has progressed underground to the Fuentes property," she continued.

  Brian put up a diagram of the mines on the projector. "The red solid line shows their path. Where it is a dotted line, they had to clear rubble, shore the area up and continue. They have a probe that goes ahead of them -- a little robot with a flexible wheel base that can climb over uneven ground and small rubble."

  Steve nodded after tracing the line of the tunnel in the air with his forefinger, committing it to memory.

  "I had them send this photo of the robot. Here are some shots of the mine too. You can see that these tunnels are old and crude. The timbers shoring them up are not in the best of shape."

  After reviewing the photographs and the slow progress into the mines, Steve began to worry about the planned sting.

  "Yesterday they encountered a big cave in," Brian said when Ivy flipped up another photo of the tunnel. "After checking the area for potential hazards including noxious gases, they started to clear a hole through it. They shored up the ceiling of the tunnel and then moved the rubble along the sides of the mine to eliminate carting it up to the surface."

  Steve watched him nod over to Ivy and he realized they each had a look of suppressed excitement.

  "Early this morning, about a hundred feet after the big cave-in, they found this!" She flashed up a photo of a newly constructed steel and cement wall reinforced with steel beams. Both Ivy and Brian were smiling triumphantly. Steve stared at it, scarcely able to believe his eyes.

  "Bingo. Pay Dirt!" He grinned back at them, elated that their hunch on the tunnels and the bank was proving likely. The Fuentes escape tunnel or some underground chamber had to run behind that new wall.

  Mathew had been watching from his worktable, but now got up to stare more closely at the photograph on the screen. "What does the geo team do now? Cutting through that wall will set off alarms. The noise alone could do it."

  "Have they taken any soundings of the area?" asked Steve.

  "Yes. There is an empty space on the other side of the wall, but the metal may distort the waves, so the readings could be off. Here's what they have so far." She put up a diagram that showed the possible path of the tunnel on the other side of the wall. It was running northeast to southwest.

  "Put that original mine map back up."

  Steve studied it and quickly Ivy flipped up an overlay showing where the explored tunnel came in and where the soundings indicated the Fuentes tunnel might run, at least for a short distance.

  "I'll get the stealth team set for tonight. They will go on the Fuentes property from around here." He pointed to an area of back acreage. "They will search for security devices, cameras most likely, and figure out how to redirect them or avoid them. This will be recon only."

  "And our mine team?"

  "Let's not push our luck. Have them put in monitoring cameras. Then they should clear out and return to base camp in Albuquerque, but stay at the ready to go down that shaft on the Fuentes property. Likely that will be in good repair, although it will have tons of security."

  He stared at the mine map with the overlay and smiled at them. "Great findings! Give my appreciation to the geo team. It's all coming together! Now we need a few packages of dough."

  "Chief?" Brian asked.

  "Yeah?"

  "I think Moll or I should be there when the packages are opened. We have to be sure it is done right, photos taken and sealed back up so that each package appears undisturbed."

  "Not sure we can do that with the timing."

  "We can if we get the info when the package first enters the system. We can then be on location in the carrier's hub city. We intercept as it comes into the hub, inspect the package and send it off as scheduled. Using the hub city gives us time to get there and keeps us away from any potential local spies near the Fuentes."

  Steve nodded. "As long as it is easy to coordinate."

  "The fraud divisions for the carriers are all over this -- very cooperative. For packages that originate internationally, w
e'll get to the first U.S. city where it will hit."

  "Want a Bubird on standby in Portland?"

  "Really?" Brian's normally masculine voice squeaked he was so surprised. "You can do that?"

  Steve raised an eyebrow in response.

  "Dumb question. Of course you can. I meant you would do that for us? Much easier and faster. Then we can jet from hub to hub as the delivery info comes in. We may have to split up, but we'll work that out. Uh, how do I schedule the plane?"

  "You'll have a number to call to arrange the next flight. Give as much warning as you can in case a backup flight crew is required. Call me with any problems or if you need a second 'Bird."

  "Got it Chief!"

  Steve glanced over at Ivy. Then and as always when he let his mind wander from work, he felt a lurch of happiness at having her nearby. "How about spending Thanksgiving in Santa Fe?"

  "Sure," she said with a grim smile. "As long as we’re there to cook a couple of turkeys."

  Steve nodded. Since they would be holed up in a hotel or in a surveillance van, they would not see any action first hand. However he had to be there for the pre-sting preparations to ensure that the arrest operation went as smoothly as possible. Once it was over, he wanted to look the Fuentes in the eyes when they were taken off to be incarcerated and he wanted to see what Moll dubbed, "The First Consolidated Bank of the Fuentes."

  ***

  Steve reminded Ivy of a man doing a jigsaw puzzle, picking up pieces, finding where they fit, and then methodically completing the picture. He was systematic about it, tracking it all in his head. He also understood new information quickly and stored it away. After the short briefing Brian and Ivy gave him on exploring mineshafts and tunnels, he sounded like an expert. Hearing him on the phone that same day, discussing what type of team he wanted and relentlessly pursuing his timeframe, made Ivy sit back in awe. Seeing him in action, Ivy better appreciated that he was one of the greats in his business -- the FBI.

  As Thanksgiving neared, Ivy felt like a cat walking on a narrow ledge, unsure if she should have her claws out or not. Every nerve was taut. With the mineshaft exploration, she had made a real contribution to their case against the Fuentes. Their plan was to fly to Santa Fe on Tuesday. Ivy could see that Mathew was torn between being with them and protecting their home and his precious vines. While he opted to stay at Spook Hills, he would be in phone and/or video contact with Steve. This land and vineyard are his future -- this was where he needed to be.

  ***

  The recent team meeting left Steve satisfied with their pre-sting plans. He had his list to verify arrangements with all the teams. The best news had come in that evening. So far, Moll and Brian inspected four packages sent by FEDEX from Corpus Christi via the FEDEX hub in Fort Worth. Inside each one were two reams of paper. When they carefully removed the paper that sealed each ream, they discovered a few sheets of paper on top, then below those sheets was a stack of paper where the inside had been cut out, creating a hollow rectangular block. Inside that block were stacks of currency. Another few whole pages were on the bottom of the stack. From the outside, it looked like any other ream of paper. Two such reams fit into the UPS box side by side with a little space for packing paper. The packages weighed between 10 and 12 pounds. Three stacks of hundreds (U.S.) had been in each ream in three boxes. Three stacks of Mexican 500-peso bills in each ream were in a similar box. In total, ten such boxes had been dropped at five FEDEX and UPS locations in the city. The drops followed the receipt of large DHL boxes originating in Mexico at the warehouse address of a Fuentes company branch, also in Corpus Christi. The DHL boxes had been shipped from Mexico the same day as the phone conversation about the sale of the drug business they had picked up, right before Cristo left for Corpus Christi.

  Ivy's hunch was right about the masquerade mailers. Two of the boxes examined were the same size as the express delivery boxes, but were in plain brown cardboard, taped up with Amazon.com tape and had express delivery slips and stickers applied. While they would have to alert Amazon's fraud division, Steve decided to delay that until after the sting under the guise of the need for secrecy.

  If he stepped back to examine the evidence they had collected thus far, he believed they had more than enough to justify a search warrant and make the arrests. His next step was to review the evidence with the Chief. In his organized manner, he summarized their findings in a document that he would use to memorialize the conversation. Under each item, he detailed their proof and how they had obtained it. This information was in their regular files. Nevertheless he always pulled it together in one place when he went forward for arrest warrants. The sting had to be accomplished now and with no mistakes. He wanted zero potential that the perps could wiggle out of the charges. He tapped the desk a few times with his forefinger, confirming his opening statement to the Chief. It was time to make the call.

  Not until Tuesday morning at six west coast time was Steve able to reach the Chief. He approved the search and arrest warrants on one condition -- that Steve himself would be part of the arrest team. He could be surrounded by agents. He could have an advance SWAT team, he could be in an armored tank or whatever he required for his personal safety, but the Chief wanted him there because he trusted him to get the arrest done right. Steve knew he would have trouble getting this change past Ivy. Across their little trailer table, she passed him a mug of morning coffee. He thanked her and looked her in the eyes. He had to be straight with her.

  "Ivy, can we take a walk? I need some air."

  "In the rain and the dark?"

  "Yeah."

  She regarded him appraisingly and went to pull on some clothes. Steve had to smile when she tucked her silken nightie into her sweatpants and pulled a heavy fleece top on over it. Ivy was a mature, feminine woman, yet at times she could be cutely girlish too. He pulled out their rain jackets and a flashlight. They walked out of the trailer, letting the corgis run ahead of them and because it was their special place, they automatically turned to walk uphill to the grove of walnut trees. Both of them were silent as they trudged along in the dark.

  They were most of the way up when Ivy took his hand and said, "The Chief wants you to head up the team and make the arrests."

  "Yes."

  "Because he trusts you."

  "That's about it. He said I can have any number of agents around me, a SWAT team in front of me, even be in an armored tank, but he wants me there."

  "What if the land around the house is mined?"

  "The SWAT guys will sweep it as they go. I'll be behind them."

  "What if, don't laugh, but what if they have the house rigged to explode if they have intruders?"

  "The team will scan for that too."

  "So there is no risk to you?"

  "Ivy, there is always some risk. These are armed and dangerous perps."

  "Then I go too."

  "What? No way."

  "Steve, you have become my life. If you go, I go. If you get blown up, then I may as well go too because the world will be a dark place without you."

  Steve's heart melted hearing those words, but he had to be realistic too.

  "You could stay for Operation Spook Hills because it was totally my operation. This one will have regular FBI teams -- the SWAT team, a team of agents out of Albuquerque and the team who will take over the case after the arrest. We can't have a civi there."

  "Civi?"

  "Civilian -- non-agent citizen."

  "Steve, I am 63 years old. I could die on my next plane trip. I could get cancer and go in six months. You get clearance for me and we go together wearing all the protective gear we can."

  They reached the top of the hill and took shelter under a walnut tree that still had some of its leaves. Rain was coming down lightly but steadily. In the breaking gray dawn, their nearly completed house sat rather majestically in the dark mist below them. Mathew's old barns and little ramshackle house, partially blurred by rain, made a scenic picture in the dim light.

&nbs
p; "We should put a little gazebo or something up here," Ivy said, glancing around.

  "Treehouse. Give us a vantage point." Steve took her in his arms and held her, this woman of love, magic, intelligence and courage. His heart felt so full. They would have no real peace while the Fuentes were free. The minutes slipped by. Even with the partial foliage and their rain jackets, a wet chill was settling in. Still holding Ivy, Steve pushed back to look her in the eyes.

  "We live through this and I will build you a gazebo, treehouse, or whatever you want up here. At the sting, you can be outside in an armored assault vehicle with a trusted agent. You can have audio. Once the arrests are made and the house is swept for explosives, you and the agent can come in."

  She thought for a time. While she did not like this option, she had to respect Steve's judgment.

  "Deal," she said reaching up to kiss him.

  The kiss was long, slow and deep. Steve pulled back reluctantly. "Now we need to brief the guys."

  They walked down the hill quickly and headed to Mathew's trailer. Steve tracked down Brian and Moll en route to the airport in Indianapolis. With them conferenced in on speaker and Mathew listening live in his trailer, Steve went through the situation with them. For a full minute, the three former agents were silent, mulling over this change in plans.

  Mathew said quietly. "I'm in. We'll get agents from Operation Spook Hills to guard the house and vineyard. Lenny comes with us."

  "I'm coming too," Brian interjected. "We're a team."

  "Ah hell," Moll drawled, "Just don't dislocate my shoulder again."

  Ivy and Steve tried to discourage them. The three men were adamant that they would be part of Steve’s team. Steve was going in and he would have his top agents with him, with the love of his life nearby. Steve thought each of them wanted to be sure that this case would be truly finished and that they were all witnesses to it.

  "All for one and one for all," Ivy said quietly, using the oft-quoted Musketeers slogan.