by Diane Capri
“Did you go inside that apartment? Make sure Maria wasn’t there?”
“We asked for permission to enter. Edith’s name is on the lease and she said no. We can’t just go busting down doors. And we don’t have enough evidence to get a search warrant. Yet.”
“So you’re working on it, though?”
“Jordan Fox isn’t the only person in the world with brains in her head.”
“Of course. Sorry. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“If you worried as much about your own safety as you do these pet cases of yours, we’d all be a lot better off.”
Did she have a sign on her back that said Kick Me, I’m Down today or what?
“One more thing. Do you know if El Pulpo is involved in human trafficking?”
“Why?”
“Something a friend said to me. About how everything I’ve been working on seems to be connected to El Pulpo.”
“It’s a worldwide crime cartel, Jordan. If it’s criminal and they can make money, they do it. El Pulpo means octopus. Many arms. They reach out in every direction.”
“Do they microchip their workers?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. There would be both good and bad consequences to that practice.”
“They could easily find their workers. What’s the bad part?”
CHAPTER 24
“When we find one of their victims and take the chip out, it’d be pretty damning evidence, wouldn’t it?”
Indeed it would. Talk about evidence of a strong connection to El Pulpo. A microchip under the skin might be the best possible thing.
“Maybe we should examine Edith Lena.”
“Good luck getting a warrant for that.”
“What about Evan Groves and Hugo Diaz?”
“Maybe we could get the warrant, but it’ll take a while. They’ve got that shark lawyer. He’s not gonna just roll over because Jordan Fox wants something.”
“What about Pipo Sanchez? He died in his jail cell. Surely, there’s an autopsy, right? Wouldn’t the chip have been found?”
“I’ll ask. But, Jordan, I have a regular job. And I’ve got to get back to it. Please go back inside your building and stay there until your shift is over. I really don’t want to be searching for you again before the night is over.”
She called Agent Ryser next. Again, the call kicked over to voice mail. Where was she? On assignment, probably. But her big case right now was El Pulpo. Which meant Agent Ryser was tied up with something important that Jordan needed to know. The longer Agent Ryser was unavailable, the more nervous Jordan became.
Wait. She could find Agent Ryser right now. And she knew exactly how to do it.
Jordan slipped her phone into her pocket and hurried to Keith Simpson’s office. He leaned close to one of his computer screens while another screen showed a long search in progress.
“Any luck?”
“I’ve located three possible cell phones for Felix Marsh so far.” He didn’t look up.
Jordan pulled up Agent Ryser’s number on her phone and held it out to Keith. “Try this one.”
“Okay.” He typed it into his search engine.
Jordan looked around at the various screens running all sorts of fast data. “Is this stuff legal?” Patricia would have a cow if they did anything illegal tonight.
“Of course.” He shrugged. “Mostly.”
A loud ping rang out from the screen on Keith’s left. He glanced at it. “That’s your number. Looks like it’s at the port or the casino. No, wait. It’s across the street from the port. That new condo complex, The Grove. Do you know it?”
Jordan nodded. “Yeah. I know it. Wonder what she’s doing there?”
“I thought you said Maria didn’t have a cell phone?”
“FBI Agent Ryser. She’s working on the El Pulpo case. Why would she be down there?”
“Call her. Find out.”
“I’ve tried. She doesn’t answer.” Jordan looked at the map on the screen. She changed to satellite view and zoomed out. Agent Ryser’s phone was in the parking lot at The Grove. Sitting there. Not moving.
“That’s interesting,” Keith said. “One of the Felix Marsh cell phones is pinging off the same tower. Take a look.”
Keith pointed to a red dot in one of the condo buildings at The Grove almost directly across from Agent Ryser’s phone.
Theresa barreled into the small office, talking as she walked. “I found the van and an address for Felix Marsh. It’s at The Grove. You know where that is? Right across from the cruise ship docks. I think you’re right, Jordan. Felix probably has Maria ready to board a cruise ship tonight or tomorrow morning.”
Jordan didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go down there. Something is definitely going on. We may not find Maria, but there’s a story of some kind going on.”
“Sure. Why not?” Theresa grinned. “Let me get my equipment.”
If Jordan had tried to go on this story alone, Patricia would have stopped her for sure. But shadowing Theresa, she was golden. “I’ll get keys to a Jeep and meet you both in the front lobby,” Jordan said. “Bring The Fly, Keith. We may not be able to get close enough on our own.”
“You got it,” Keith replied. “Life with J. Fox is never boring.”
Ten minutes later, they were almost there. The Casino and the Port were only a few blocks away. She wasn’t sure if she was more intrigued to find out what Felix was up to, nervous about what they might find, or excited to be on a hot lead with Theresa and Keith again.
Was this the best job in the world, or what?
Jordan turned the Jeep into the parking lot at The Grove. “Anybody see anything that looks like an FBI vehicle?”
“Can’t we pinpoint Agent Ryser’s cell phone, Keith?” Theresa asked.
“Pull over into a corner of the parking lot, Jordan. The Fly can do the rest of our looking around,” Keith replied.
Jordan found a spot that left all the doors of the Jeep free. She flipped the ignition off and turned in her seat. “Did you get a unit number on Felix’s address?”
“Five-thirty-one,” Theresa said. “So that’s gonna be on the fifth floor. I pulled up the real estate web cams and building maps. That unit is on this side of the building.” She leaned to look out the windshield and pointed. “See that one with the light on and the balcony open? That’s it.”
“Okay,” Jordan said. “We know what we’re looking for. Is The Fly ready?”
The Fly was a quadcopter, not much larger than a Frisbee. Keith had built it himself, so it was pretty awesome. Painted a glow-in-the-dark shade of green with two indigo eyes made it resemble a house fly. The eyes were three-dimensional and convex because they contained video cameras. Keith said it was the best drone he could make without being in the military.
Theresa asked, “How does it work?”
“This is the transmitter. It’s got a screen on it because of The Fly’s cameras. So we can see whatever The Fly can see.”
“It records video, too?”
“Yep. Come on. Let’s get out and I’ll show you.”
Jordan said, “Keith, can The Fly give us a look inside Felix’s condo through the window? Maybe we can get a glimpse of Maria, if she’s in there.”
“Sure, and maybe one step better. I can send The Fly inside the condo through that open glass door if we can’t see her from outside.”
“Uh, guys,” Theresa said, “That’s more than a little illegal. We can’t send an intruder into Felix’s home, even if he’s a creep and the intruder is a machine.”
“So let’s send The Fly up there and maybe Felix will come out to see what’s outside.” Jordan suggested. “The Fly makes a loud buzzing noise. He should notice it.”
Keith sent The Fly directly to the open door on the fifth floor and looked inside. The camera captured a well-furnished contemporary kitchen. Felix and Maria were seated at the table. Maria was handcuffed. She had a black eye. Bruises on her face. Her hair was snarled. She wore a white tank top smeared
with grime.
Felix was shoveling food in his face and watching television.
“That’s her. That’s Maria.” Jordan pulled out her phone and dialed 911. They could get here in less than six minutes, faster than she could explain to Clayton. “Yes, this is an emergency. A crime in progress. There’s a missing girl named Maria Ortiz and I know where she is and she’s in trouble.” Jordan gave the dispatcher the address and apartment number.
Theresa had jogged to the Jeep to pull out the equipment they’d need to shoot the story for the station.
Jordan hung up with the 911 dispatcher. “Should I call Patricia? Have her send a crew?”
“We are a crew, aren’t we? They’ll hear it on the scanner and send someone with a truck. We’ll already have the early stuff before then.” Theresa handed Jordan the mic. “I’ll shoot, you talk.”
“But I’m a mess! I can’t go on camera looking like this!”
“I’m already rolling. Say something we can use. Like where we are.”
CHAPTER 25
Jordan straightened her posture and raised the mic. “Channel 12 is following a developing story at The Grove in Tampa tonight where a missing girl has been found in a luxury condo after a thirty-six-hour ordeal that began yesterday afternoon.”
Theresa was barely rolling when all hell broke loose.
Four black FBI SUVs zoomed in from nowhere and screeched to a halt, blocking the parking lot entrances.
“What the hell?” Jordan whipped her head around to see. Theresa kept rolling. Keith held The Fly outside Felix’s open door.
An FBI van sped from a further distance and pulled up behind the SUVs.
While armed agents poured out, with guns at the ready, two helicopters approached and held floodlights on the entire area.
“Hey! Be careful!” Keith yelled. He brought The Fly back to the Jeep and fussed over it like a cat with her kittens.
Across the parking lot, Agent Ryser and her partner, Special Agent Lincoln Hunt, hopped out of another SUV. They were fully armed and armored.
The armed agents, including Ryser and Hunt, rushed into The Grove’s attached parking garage. Jordan saw them running up the open stairs.
Theresa kept rolling. “Jordan! Say something!”
Jordan blinked. Right. She was still on video. This was her chance. But what should she say? She had no idea what was going on. This was way too much fire power for one missing girl. Not to mention the FBI arrived way too fast after her 911 call.
She began by simply telling the viewers what she saw. “FBI agents have arrived at The Grove...”
In less than three minutes, two Tampa P.D. cruisers pulled into the parking lot with blue lights flashing and sirens going. They screeched to a stop and four officers ran into the building.
“Tampa Police are now also on the scene...” Jordan continued to report and Theresa continued to roll as official vehicles from several local agencies arrived to surround the entire complex.
The video and her reports would be uploaded to Channel 12’s servers. She had to trust that whoever edited it for air would edit out the parts that made her look the most stupid.
Twenty minutes later, when the Channel 12 live truck pulled up, the morning photographer hopped out of the driver’s seat. And out of the passenger’s seat popped Drew Hodges.
Drew yelled to Jordan. “Hey, where’s your friend Clayton?”
She raised her palms in the air and shrugged.
Then she heard a voice across the way. “Jordan!” Clayton jogged over to the Jeep.
The first thing that popped into Jordan’s mind was the fear that Clayton would try to get too friendly with her. But that was nonsense—surely he wouldn’t flirt with her around his coworkers. He was there for work. Which meant he was in uniform. Which—is not important. Just a costume. She had way more important things to be thinking about right now, anyway.
Jordan stopped speaking and walked off camera while Theresa continued to roll. She waved Clayton to the side. “What’s going on here?”
“You don’t know?” Clayton frowned. “I thought that’s why you called 911.”
“I called because we found Maria. I haven’t been able to reach Ryser for two days.” Jordan shook her head. “Tell me. Quick.”
“Your guy Felix is a human trafficking scumbag. He’s been operating out of LFC for a few weeks. We’re not sure what the connection is there.” Jordan made a circular gesture with her hand that he should speed up to the essential parts right now. The rest could come later.
He scowled. “The FBI has been staked out here for two days. This is apparently a staging area where they hold the girls before they move them onto the cruise ships later tonight. There’s about thirty inside the building.”
Drew had pulled his phone from his pocket and started taking notes.
“Oh, sorry, man,” Clayton said. “I should’ve prefaced by saying this is off the record.”
“Oh.” Drew put his phone away. “Right on.”
“I was listening to my buddies radioing on the way over here.” Clayton shoved his hands in his pockets. “They’ve separated them. Felix and Maria. They’re both being interrogated.”
“And the other girls? What about them?”
“They’re in the process of securing them all.”
“They’ll try to get Maria to tell them as much as she can about Felix before they bring any victims down into the middle of the media circus.” Clayton glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve gotta go. But this is going to be a long night. We won’t be done here before morning. You’d better get more backup.”
Drew gestured across the parking lot. “Looks like media’s showing up and gathering over there. I’m gonna join in.”
He jogged off to a spot where it appeared officers would be bringing Maria and Felix out of the building. Eventually.
Jordan was still nervous. Agent Ryser and Agent Hunt might be furious about all of this, and Jordan would have to deal with the consequences. She had seriously messed up their sting with that 911 call, but she’d tried to call Agent Ryser several times. Maybe that would count for something.
And she’d saved Maria from becoming another tragic rabbit, as Theresa had called her. Which was what she’d wanted to do.
Theresa was still shooting video and Keith stood watching the scene unfold with his own two eyes. Like Clayton said, this was going to be a long night.
Jordan picked up the mic again and continued shooting her standup report. But she wasn’t officially assigned to this story. Drew was. Would they even use her material?
At least El Pulpo couldn’t touch her while she was reporting here all night.
FALSE TRUTH 10
A JORDAN FOX MYSTERY
BY DIANE CAPRI
WITH BETH DEXTER
CHAPTER 1
Friday Night. 11:30 p.m.
Alden Walker had seen the problem coming too late. All he could do now was watch, furious, impotent. He’d lost his edge. He was weak, no longer fit to lead. He could sense the laughing hyenas stalking him. One day, they would succeed.
Moments before the FBI raided his operation, Walker controlled his anger with equal parts tequila and force of will. His view from the front passenger seat of the black SUV was unobstructed. Parked near the port, his observation point was opposite the condo where the last few girls had been stashed awaiting transport.
As events unfolded, Walker’s temper mounted steadily until silent rage consumed his reason.
His team had hacked cameras installed around Tampa and other large cities for homeland security. What a joke. The cameras were as good as owned by El Pulpo and anyone else with hacking skills.
He saw Jordan Fox leave the television station and heard her phone conversations. She was headed straight toward his site.
“Call him. Tell him to get the hell out of the condo.” He waved toward the soldiers in the back seat. “Do it now.”
The warning was already too late.
He watched the v
ideo feed as the unmistakably well-marked Channel 12 Jeep approached. Fox arrived with two colleagues. He sat upright and leaned in closer.
Which was when he noticed the FBI already staked out around the condo. He knew how they worked. The operation was over.
Fox parked on the same side of the building as Felix’s place. She and her colleagues sent a drone up to Felix’s unit. They saw the girl inside. Fox called 911.
Walker’s face felt uncomfortably warm, which the driver and the two El Pulpo soldiers seated in the back couldn’t see. The interior of the SUV was as black as the starless night.
He gulped more tequila from a silver flask and waited for the fiery liquid to calm him.
Moments after Fox’s 911 call, FBI zoomed in from nowhere and screeched to a halt, blocking the parking lot entrances. A van and two helicopters had appeared. Floodlights and armed agents poured out as backup vehicles from other agencies swarmed until the controlled chaos was an overwhelming force.
Felix Marsh was done. No way he could escape. No way the operation could survive.
Walker ran both hands over his close cropped hair and released a long stream of tequila infused air. Employing the skills of a lifetime, he instantly assessed the situation and created a workable action plan.
First, cut the losses.
Too bad about Felix. He was no genius, but the trafficking operation didn’t demand superior intelligence from him. A non-threatening appearance, greedy nature and a stable of young contacts comprised the short list of job requirements.
Felix was smarmy. His teeth were the color of urine and his breath would gag a swine. But he’d handled the job well enough. Replacing him wouldn’t be fast or easy. Financial losses were inevitable.
Walker took another long swig from the flask before moving on to the next issue. He knew El Pulpo’s reign in Tampa would be cut short when he’d eliminated Caster unexpectedly. The two-year joint FBI and DEA investigation had been easy to evade, but the end result inevitable. Walker had prepared an orderly reallocation of resources and reduction in force. His plan had advanced well enough.