by C. M. Sutter
“You better hope so. What are you driving?”
“A newer charcoal-gray Accord.”
“Fine. Call me again when you get to Central City. I’ll tell you where to go then.”
After ending the call, Gary sucked in a deep breath. Everything would be okay—he felt it inside. He would have a new identity before long, earn a couple grand a week, and be satisfied with that.
Don’t forget what Willis said. No need to be greedy and take stupid chances. I’ll find a town to settle into within a few hours of Central City, get a nice apartment with a garage, and buy myself a cool car. Soon, everything is going to be perfect. I’ve seen the last of the idiots from my past. No more Claire, Hope, or Leon. No more screwups, and no more prison cells in my future.
He settled back, tapped the cruise control, and set the GPS on his phone to guide the way.
Chapter 48
Renz handed the cell phone to Tommy. “Maybe Tech can track down something for us by using the brand and the serial number on this phone. It’s all we have right now.”
Tommy tipped his head. “It’s worth a try. I’ll read it off to Taft, and she can pass it on.” Tommy gave Maureen the information from the phone and ended the call.
“So what has she found out about the three names Pete gave me?” I asked.
“The only one who had a prior police jacket was Charles, aka, Charlie Dunn. The other two are just run-of-the-mill weirdos, I guess.”
Renz rubbed his brow. “So, what and when were his offenses?”
“Drug sales and distribution across state lines, but that was fifteen years ago. He served two years behind bars and hasn’t been on anyone’s radar since. Now that weed is legal in Colorado, nobody has paid any attention to him in years.”
“I think it’s time to see what he’s been up to. We need eyes on, or a drone above, his place. Going from selling and distributing dope across state lines to doing the same with human beings isn’t that much of a stretch. Do we know the size of his property?” I asked.
Tommy huffed. “Big… he has seventy acres about five miles outside Central City.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and tapped out a text.
“What was that?” Renz asked.
“Pete and Ted are hunters. I bet they can scout around Mr. Dunn’s property without being seen, maybe take a few pictures of the buildings at least.”
Renz let out a long groan. “We can’t get civilians that involved, Jade. It’s too dangerous.”
I grinned. “They’re just two guys scouting out hunting locations. Maybe they’ll accidently see something fishy going on, or maybe they won’t want to hunt”—I air quoted the word hunt—“at all. I’ll see what Pete says when he texts me back.”
Tommy looked from me to Renz. “Okay, are we ready to head back out?”
“One more question,” I said.
“Yep.”
“What are we supposed to do with Ms. Entitled?”
“Taft said to have the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office toss her in a jail cell for the time being so we don’t have to deal with her. We’ll call them when we get closer. We still have a long way to go.”
We returned to the car, that time with Tommy behind the wheel, and continued on.
“I’m hungry, and I have to pee,” Claire said.
“You’ll have to wait until we reach Rangely. It isn’t like there’s a McDonald’s out here. Pee alongside the car, and eat some pine needles or wait for a half hour. I imagine we’ll need gas by then anyway.” I wasn’t about to have a twenty-one-year-old criminal tell me what to do, and it was doubtful that my colleagues would either. She would have to wait.
We exited Bonanza Highway and took Stanton Road east into Colorado then merged onto Highway 64. Minutes later, Tommy turned in at the first gas station and pulled up to a pump. As Tommy filled the tank, Fay and I escorted Claire into the building and to the ladies’ room. After walking out, I bought her a premade turkey bacon sandwich, a bag of corn chips, and a soda. I grabbed sandwiches for all of us and went to the cashier to pay while Fay took Claire back to the car.
We were on the road again ten minutes later with four and a half hours still to go. I ate my sandwich then rested my head against the window. I felt myself begin to drift off, but my vibrating cell phone brought me back to consciousness. After pulling it out, I saw the text was from Pete. I was wide awake and alert as I read it. He said that he and Ted would check out the Dunn ranch from the road to see if there was any way of getting close enough to view the buildings. He didn’t know if the ranch was fenced or not, but that would also factor in if it wasn’t. They could claim they were hunting and had no idea where the property lines were, especially if nothing was posted.
I shot off a reply, said we would be there in four hours, and told him to be extremely careful. I didn’t want anyone to be in harm’s way. Before sending the message, I told him to text me back with their findings.
Since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder, Claire was watching my every move. It was unavoidable. What she couldn’t see was who the text was from or how I responded to it. She had made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t telling us anything without a lawyer, but if she happened to say something on her own without me asking, then that was perfectly legal. I felt it was worth a try.
I dropped my phone back in my pocket. “Humph.”
Renz took the bait. “Humph, what?”
“Pete just texted me.”
“Yeah, what did he say?”
“That local law enforcement and FBI agents out of Denver are moving in on a resident who lives five miles outside Central City. His name is Charlie Dunn.”
Claire’s body stiffened like a lightning bolt had struck her. “What?”
I looked at her and frowned. “What’s wrong, Claire? Do you know Charlie Dunn, and why would you?”
She stared at her cuffed hands and didn’t utter another word, but that one word she’d said spoke volumes. That was my “gotcha” moment, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Tommy pulled off the road at his first opportunity. He shifted into Park, wagged his finger at me, and asked me to join him outside. I obliged. We stood a good thirty feet away with our backs turned toward the car.
“Let me see Pete’s text.”
I handed him my phone. “He and Ted are going to put eyeballs on the Dunn property. It’s better not to get law enforcement involved yet since we need Gary too. I’m sure none of the kidnappers talk to Charlie until it’s time to drop off the girls, for safety’s sake. If Charlie was already in custody and didn’t answer when Gary called, we could lose Gary for good.”
“True, but we need Mr. Dunn in custody as soon as possible. We can set up a trap right at Charlie’s compound, and by the way, that was a brilliant move on your part. You got Claire to confirm that Charlie is the man we’re looking for just by that one simple word. Way to go, Monroe.”
I grinned when Tommy patted my shoulder. “Now what? We need law enforcement to get there and take Dunn and whoever works with him by surprise and into custody before Gary arrives.”
Tommy glanced at his watch. “Damn Claire. If only we knew how much of a head start Gary had.”
“Let’s figure two hours max. That still gives the sheriff’s office time to move in on them.”
Tommy rubbed his forehead. “I know, but takedowns like that usually involve planning and a good amount of reconnaissance.”
I shrugged. “You’re a senior agent. Get Maureen’s opinion, but the longer we stand here, the closer Gary gets to Central City.”
“You’re right, plus Taft can get people to move in quickly with her connections. I’m sure the Denver FBI has access to choppers. They can have a dozen agents in Central City in less than a half hour. Let me call Maureen quick then alert the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office. A group effort will be our best chance to capture not only Gary but the local trafficking ring too.”
“And rescue Melanie in the process,” I said.
“Right.”
I climbed into the back seat while Tommy made the call. He gave us a thumbs-up when he returned to the car ten minutes later. I let out a silent sigh of relief and knew the local trafficking ring, as well as Gary and Claire, would be behind bars that very day.
I fired off a text to Pete to let him know the Feds were on their way. He replied with photos of outbuildings and six animal trailers, yet not a single cow or horse was seen anywhere on the property. He said what they saw through their rifle scopes was that the only fenced area was around the perimeter of the house and outbuildings. That in itself was a lot of help. I thanked him and said they should retreat. I would find him later to thank him in person. As soon as I sent that text, I forwarded Pete’s text to Maureen. The more information they had going in, the better.
All we could do was continue east and get there when we got there. We wouldn’t be part of the takedown, even as much as I wished we were, but getting those criminals in custody as soon as possible was far more important. We would likely receive updates from Maureen or the FBI team on the ground as the day progressed. I couldn’t wait to be eye to eye with Gary Rhodes or to deliver Claire to the local officials, which would probably be the Denver FBI.
Twenty minutes later I received a text from Maureen saying the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was en route and coordinating with the Gilpin County Sheriff, Cal Dorfman, and his deputies. They would have feet on the ground any second and would be at the Dunn ranch in fifteen minutes. Taft had passed the details and photos from Pete’s text onto the task force, and they’d said they appreciated the up-close surveillance. Maureen said the agent in charge of the task force was a fifteen-year veteran of the FBI named Matt Weston, and he would be our contact person going forward until Charlie Dunn and his associates were all in custody.
Chapter 49
The Dunn property was surrounded, and through binos, Matt Weston and his team had eyes on several people walking back and forth between the outbuildings and the animal trailers. They watched as one man opened the sliding barn-styled door of one building while another attached a horse trailer to the hitch on a truck and backed it into the building.
“Looks like they’re ready to load one trailer for sure, maybe more.” Matt adjusted the right diopter ring on his binoculars to get sharp focus of the man’s face who had just climbed into the truck. He glanced at the photo of Charles Dunn on his phone, and the faces were a match. “We need to get eyes inside that building to see what they’re loading. Pearson and Tyler, move in closer and find out what’s going on. You see one female being loaded in that trailer, and it’s go time. We’ll rush them, secure that building, then move in on the house. Sheriff Dorfman?”
“I’m here, Agent Weston.”
“On my go, you and your men will move on that second outbuilding and secure it.”
“Got it.”
“Pearson, let me know what you guys see the second you reach the building.”
“Roger that.”
Weston watched as the two agents scurried around trees and boulders as they closed in. They finally reached the rear of the building, where Matt lost visual of them. He waited for something to come across his radio and into his earpiece. Finally, whispers of what they were witnessing came into his ear. His men had eyes on the inside, and they saw at least seven females who were cuffed and blindfolded being taken out of horse stalls and led to the trailer. That was all he needed to hear. Through the radio, Matt told the rest of his men to rush the building, secure it and the men inside, then head to the house. He called out to the sheriff to have his deputies take the second outbuilding. Matt’s radio squawked seconds later.
“Boss, we have Dunn and the other guy disarmed and cuffed to the support beams in the first building. Tyler will stay behind with them. I’m ready to move in on the house.”
“Stay put until we reach you. We’re heading that way. We’ll move on the house together, surround it, then breach every door at the same time. Give us three minutes to get to the building you’re in.”
“Copy that.”
With hand signals, Matt alerted half his men to move to the outbuilding the deputies were clearing. They needed that barn to be completely secure as well before continuing to the house. With that done, and only finding two trucks inside, they all gathered behind the first building.
Matt addressed three of his men and two of the deputies. “Split up at the rear and the left side of the house. The rest of us will take the front and opposite side. Stay below the windows since they may have men looking out. On my go, we’ll breach the doors, with my men leading the way. Secure every person inside with cuffs. I don’t care if they’re men, women, or teenagers. Until we find out who everyone is, they’re all going to be restrained. Any questions?”
The two teams said they were ready to go. They moved ahead until everyone was in place.
Through his radio, Matt counted down from three to one then yelled, “Go!”
They kicked in the doors, guns drawn, and ordered people to the ground. In total, they had three more men and two women in custody. The women said they were hired help, but that would be confirmed later, and if they were aware of the crimes being committed, they would be held accountable too.
Matt high-fived everyone who helped in that successful takedown. Not a single bullet had to be fired, and taking the criminals by surprise had worked like a charm. He needed to address Charlie Dunn and find out when Gary Rhodes was expected to show up.
Matt and his men entered the building where Charlie and his gopher were cuffed to the beams. Sheriff Dorfman was addressing the people in the house and had called for a bus to take them to the county jail, where they would all be interrogated. The Feds would take it from there, and the people involved would be charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.
The girls had been moved to a different building for the time being. EMTs were called in from the fire department, and every girl would be checked for injuries and dehydration.
Matt jerked his head at Tyler then walked to the horse trailer. He held his gun on Charlie the entire time. “Bring Mr. Hotshit over here. I need a word with him.”
Tyler removed Charlie’s cuffs just long enough to allow him to walk that thirty-foot distance to the horse trailer.
“Sit your ass down, Mr. Dunn.”
Cursing under his breath, Charlie dropped to the floor of the trailer and sat.
“Cuff him again, Mike. Dirtbags like him aren’t to be trusted—ever.” Matt checked the time. It was pushing four o’clock. Gary Rhodes had to be close. “We need information, Charlie, and we need it now.”
“Go to hell, pig.”
“I’m not a pig. I’m a federal agent, and I can make life really bad for you. I have the ability to influence where you end up serving your life sentence. It can be in a normal prison, where people don’t get shanked daily or in a sweet place like USP ADX Florence. Hell, that’s right here in Colorado, so suggesting it will be an easy pitch to a judge. I’ll definitely make sure you and your pals end up in gen pop too. One of you will likely get the crap beat out of you on day one—like a frat boy initiation, you know?” Matt smiled and waited for a response.
Charlie growled. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
“When are you expecting Gary Rhodes to show up, and what is he driving?”
Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know what time it is.”
“It’s four o’clock.”
“Then he should arrive at the usual place in the next few minutes. I’ll make the call and tell him where we’ll meet.”
“Has he ever come directly to the ranch?”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, once.”
“Where is the usual place, and what is he driving?”
“He’ll wait outside the Gold Nugget Café in town, and he said he’s driving a charcoal-gray Accord.”
Matt tipped his head at one of his guys. “I guess you won’t mind if we take the blue truck from the other buil
ding into town so we can put eyeballs on him.”
“Why don’t you just pick him up there?”
“We need to catch him in the act of selling a female to you. That means you’re going to accept the sale and give him the cash. You vary from your role, and you’ll have hell to pay. Got it?”
Charlie glared at Matt.
“I asked if you understood the instructions.”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Now, where are the keys for that truck?”
Charlie tipped his head to the right. “In that cabinet. It’ll be the keyring with the happy face on it.”
Matt laughed out loud. “You just can’t make up this shit. Pearson and Tyler, go together and call me the minute you have eyes on that vehicle.”
“Roger that, Boss.”
Matt took a seat across from Charlie and stared him down. “Now we wait.”
Chapter 50
We were a half hour west of Central City and hadn’t heard anything yet. I fidgeted with anxiety. I wanted everything to go according to plan yet my phone remained as silent as a rock. I’d checked it a half dozen times to make sure I hadn’t missed a text or accidently turned it off. It was fine, but I wasn’t.
Gary had to be in Central City by then, but I could be wrong.
What if my entire gut feeling of him going there was off?
Just because Pete and Ted saw animal trailers at Charlie’s ranch, yet not a single animal other than a possible cat, didn’t mean that was the drop-off and pick-up spot for girls bought and sold in human trafficking.
My self-doubt was increasing—then my cell buzzed.
I let out a sigh of relief, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I had to read the text first. I pulled the phone from my pocket, tapped the message icon, and read what was sent. It wasn’t long, but it was to the point and told me exactly what I needed to know. The message came from Matt Weston, the task force leader, and he said the takedown had been a success. They found a half dozen captive girls and as many men who were holding them as merchandise for sale at the ranch. Charlie was in custody, and they were still waiting for Gary to arrive. Matt said his men were in position outside the Gold Nugget Café, where Gary was waiting in his car for instructions.