by K. J. Dahlen
“That’s okay, when Micah and I got here we found Jethro just leaving. Micah followed him and I broke in here. I told Micah to just follow him, not engage him. Davey Little Wolf died six months before these bastards murdered my wife and daughter. He was killed by this same group we’re hunting now.”
“How do you know that?”
“Micah saw the emblem and he told me Davey was collecting evidence against this group when he was murdered. Micah said there is evidence in Davey’s files.”
“Have you seen it?”
“No, not yet.”
“One step at a time,” Kenn said. “Gather whatever you can find there and see what it means. Where is Jethro now?”
“Let me call Micah and find out. I’ll call you right back.” A few minutes later, he returned his call and told him, “Micah followed him back to one of Jasmine’s houses. He said shortly after Jethro arrived, two more men arrived and then all three of them took off and went to a private residence on Independence Ave.”
“Does he know the other men?” Kenn asked.
“He sent a photo. It was Alex Daniels and Waylon Jefferies.”
“Okay, that ties both Jethro and Jasmine to the Viper Crew. Now we have to start tying up the rest of the loose ends. I gave the job of finding out if our players had taken any flights recently and you were right on the mark with that idea. Alex Daniels, Waylon Jefferies, Drew and Nick Carrington have all just returned from big cities. Jefferies and Nick have more trips in the next few days.”
Harper got on the line, “Carla is badly beaten but will recover. She’s resting right now.”
“That is wonderful news,” Michael replied to Harper then he had to ask Kenn, “Are there any more traitors working in your office?”
“God, I hope not.”
Michael’s hands clenched into fists. “I’m going to go back to the warehouse and find out what Davey knew about this group. We have to finish this ASAP.”
Kenn agreed. “I would feel better if you would start wearing a vest too. You need to be careful out there. They know you’re in town and they might be looking for you.”
“Good, let them come for me. The way I’m feeling right now, they don’t stand a chance.” Michael hung up
Chapter Thirteen
“What else does your program say about Jethro?” Kenn asked a short time later. He’d come over to get his information firsthand.
Michael turned back to the readout. “Not much, he’s very good about not letting out too much information. Even his warehouse was clean.”
“Well, let me know if you find him. Are you guys going to be okay here, alone?” Kenn asked.
Michael smiled. “We’re not alone. Micah is here.”
“I forgot about him. Good luck in your search. I hope you can find him in time.”
Michael turned to watch Kenn leave.
Micah was already back and joined Judson to look over the papers Michael brought back with him.
“When this is over I want you to tell me how Davey died,” Michael told him.
“I’ll tell you right now. It might give you the energy to end this group.” Micah put his arm around Michael’s shoulder. “The bastards cut my son fifty-seven times. They left him in the streets to die. They dumped him out of moving car and just drove away. I couldn’t get to him in time to even say goodbye. He bled out before I could get to him.”
Michael closed his eyes at the sound of pain in Micah’s voice. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Now was not the time to feel sorry for himself. Davey had been with him for years up until they time the Vipers killed his wife and daughter. He had too much work to do and couldn’t dwell on the rage this news caused in him. “Do you have the key to open these files?” he asked.
Micah reached for his neck and pulled a chain from under his shirt. On the chain was a small key. He passed it over to Michael.
Michael took it from him and opened the drawer closest to him. He began searching the files he found but there was nothing there he wanted. He opened another drawer and the first thing he saw was the file with the emblem of the Viper Crew. He pulled the file and took it over to the table, then sat down. Davey had done a good job collecting his evidence. As Michael read through the reports, he found what Davey left for him to find—photos of the group. Most of them he knew but there was one or two he didn’t know about. He took their photos out of the files and put them up on the wall with all the others. He stood back and viewed the boards.
Micah walked over to the table and glanced at the photos Davey had collected. He picked up one of the photos and brought it over to the board. Silently, he pinned the photo up with the others. “That is the man that murdered my son.”
“How do you know that?” Michael asked.
“I saw his face when he pushed Davey’s body out of the car.”
Michael glanced at Micah. Then he turned to look at the face of the man that murdered his friend. The man was a little older than the rest. His dark hair was combed back away from his forehead. His face was rugged and he had a scar below his left eye but it was his eyes that caught his attention. His eyes were grey almost silver and they left nothing to the imagination as they were stone cold. He found himself looking into the eyes of a man with no soul.
“Damn.” Judson shook his head. “This is one cold mother.”
Michael nodded and took his cell phone out, took a picture of the man and sent it to Kenn to see if he knew him. Then he went back to the file. Davey had collected page after page of weapon serial numbers. Michael didn’t know why but he knew they fit into the puzzle somehow.
Scanning the picture, he used the facial recognition software to enhance the man’s face. When he had cleaned it up as much as possible, he found himself looking into the eyes that belonged to the man he knew as Jethro. Michael could feel the rage grow inside him but he knew now was not the time to let it out. His phone rang before he could say anything. When he checked the caller ID, he saw it was Kenn. “Did you get the photo I sent you?”
“Yes, I did. Where did you get a photo of Tobias Plantant?”
“Who is he?” Judson asked as he too, listened to the call on speaker phone.
“At the moment, he’s head of the ATF.”
“Interesting,” Michael commented.
“How is Carla doing?” Judson asked Kenn.
“She’ll be okay in a few days. If we hadn’t found her, she would have died but she got the medical attention she needed in time,”
“That’s good. Now tell me about Tobias Plantant.”
“Tobias has held the position of Director of the ATF for the last four years. He rose in the ranks very quickly and under some speculation. When he was an agent, there were several shipments of weapons headed for disposal that went missing. They were hijacked but it was curious that they went missing on Tobias’ watch. They were never found and the serial numbers of the weapons disappeared from the files.”
Michael nodded. “I may have found a copy of the missing weapons.”
“Where?” Kenn asked. “We thought the numbers were gone forever.”
“Davey was investigating the disappearance of the weapons. He got a hold of the serial numbers and had it in a locked filing cabinet. Micah identified Tobias as the one who pushed Davey’s body out of the car in front of his house the night Davey was murdered.”
“Is this in any way connected to the terrorism we’re trying to uncover?” Kenn sounded stunned by the news
“We think it might be connected in a very big way,” Judson interjected
“How? I mean Davey Little Wolf’s death might be a totally separate issue.” He paused then added, “Wasn’t it?”
“I don’t think so,” Michael replied. “He had a file with the Viper Crew emblem in his files. That’s where I found Tobias’s photo and the weapon’s serial numbers.”
Kenn swore. “Dammit…How many people are involved in this mess?”
“I don’t know. We do need to run the numbers and see if
they match the missing guns.” Judson replied.
“I can do that,” Kenn said. “I can send them to Brody Dentin and have him run them down.”
“Just do it on the QT. I don’t want anyone knowing we have these numbers. I don’t want any heat brought down on Micah,” Michael said. “I don’t want anyone to know about him. I won’t put his life in danger.” He ended the call.
Micah came over and handed Michael a file. “I found this in Davey’s cabinets. I have no clue what it means but I think it’s important.”
Michael sat up again and opened the file. He looked up from the file to stare at Micah. “Where the hell did you find this?”
Judson stepped closer to look over Michael’s shoulder at the file.
“I was going through the files left in the cabinet,” Micha explained. “This file was stuck in the back of the files. I almost didn’t find it but the drawer wouldn’t close.”
Before they could look in the file, a shot rang out and all three men dropped to the floor.
A scream rang out echoing in the warehouse.
Michael looked over at Judson. “Where is Phoebe?”
“She was in the kitchen the last time I saw her.”
Michael nodded and took off toward the kitchen. He saw Judson go the other way and they came together just outside the kitchen door. Peeking in the doorway, Michael saw Phoebe kneeling beside the island. Then he noticed Jethro trying to sneak up behind her. He pointed his weapon and took the shot. Jethro fell against the wall and slid down leaving a wide streak of red against the painted surface.
Michael rushed into the room. He checked on Phoebe before he walked over to the man sitting against the wall. Jethro wasn’t moving, but Michael could hear he was breathing heavily.
The gun was still in his hand and as Michael got closer to him, Jethro tried to lift the gun but the weapon was too heavy.
Michael kicked it away from him and squatted down to his level. He could see the blood on Jethro…the blood from the chest wound he’d gotten was still bleeding.
“You bastard, you killed me,” Jethro spit at him. “I was supposed to kill you.”
“I need to ask you a question. Are you the bastard that murdered my wife and daughter five years ago?”
Jethro tried to smile. “Why should I tell you?”
“If you don’t, I’ll let you bleed to death.”
Jethro shook his head slowly. “You can’t do that. It’s your job to protect and serve, not murder and maim.”
Michael scratched his chin with his weapon and glared at Jethro. “You seem to be under a misimpression. I’m not a cop and I don’t belong to Homeland Security anymore. I’m just a regular guy off the streets now, and you were looking to kill me. I shot you in self-defense.”
Jethro’s eyes widened and he sneered, “You won’t let me die. All I have to do is call out and there will be any number of doctor and police in here in no time.”
“No one will come in here until I say so. Again, I’ll ask you, are you the bastard that murdered my wife and daughter five years ago?”
Jethro opened his mouth to call out but Michael put his hand over his mouth. Then he leaned closer to Jethro and whispered in his ear, “If you scream, I’ll put another bullet in you.”
Jethro tilted his head up and looked into Michael’s eyes. He nodded and waited until Michael withdrew his hand. “No, I didn’t kill your wife and kid,” he whispered.
“But you know who did.”
Jethro nodded. “Yeah, I know who did.”
“What’s his name?”
Jethro shook his head. “I can’t tell you his name. He’ll kill me if I tell you.”
“I’ll kill you if you don’t,” Michael warned.
“No, you won’t; besides I think he’s tougher than you are.” Jethro glanced down at his chest. “I need medical attention.”
“Tell me what I want to know and I’ll let a doctor in here.”
Jethro peered up at him. “You won’t stop it, you know. The Viper Crew is too big. They aren’t going to sit by and allow you to stop them. You are a wanted man and they will kill you.”
“Not if I kill them first,” Michael vowed.
Jethro shook his head. “You won’t get close to them.”
“Just tell me which one of them murdered my wife and daughter.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a name. The man that slit your wife and daughter’s throats was Nick. Nick Carrington. He showed his loyalty to the group by killing your family. Ali was impressed by his initiative.”
Michael felt a blow to his chest. At least he knew who murdered his wife and child. He stood and stumbled away from where Jethro was sitting.
A shot rang out.
Michael twirled around and saw the bullet hit Jethro in the head.
Jethro slumped back against the wall and with his eyes still open—he ceased to exist. A single drop of blood rolled down the middle of his face.
He finally noticed the small knife in the other man’s hand. Michael turned back to the door and saw it was pushed open. Harper and Kenn were standing in the portal. Harper still had her weapon in her hand.
“Are you okay?” Kenn asked.
“I’m fine,” Michael said. He turned to Harper. “Thanks, by the way.”
Harper holstered her gun. “You’re welcome. At least I got some measure of vengeance for Carla.”
“Did he tell you anything before he died?” Kenn asked.
“Oh yeah, he told me Nick Carrington murdered my wife and daughter, and that the Viper Crew is too big to be stopped.”
“Did he mean there were a larger amount of members or that their agenda was too big to be stopped?” Kenn asked.
“I don’t know.” Michael turned to look at Jethro one more time. “He didn’t live long enough to say.” He took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of Jethro. “I think it’s time to talk to Jasmine.”
Half an hour later, they were entering the offices of Homeland Security. As Kenn and Michael approached the interrogation room where Jasmine was being held, Michael noted the guard standing at the door.
When he opened the door, Michael found himself looking at a beautiful young black woman.
Her dark eyes snapped with impatience when she looked up at him. “Who the hell are you?”
“Oh, I think you know all too well who I am,” Michael said.
“All I see is a dead man walking,” she said as she turned her gaze to Kenn. “Why have I been arrested?”
“We’ve discover evidence that you are linked to a terrorist group called the Viper Crew,” Kenn answered.
Jasmine pushed her chair away from the table in disgust. “You have no such proof because the Viper Crew doesn’t exist. I demand to see a lawyer.”
“If we charge you with terrorism, the only thing you’ll get is a free ride to Gitmo, while we sort this out,” Kenn replied with steel in his eyes.
“Search my apartment, you won’t find anything there to link me to terrorism,” Jasmine defended.
“Which apartment would that be?” Michael asked. “The one on New York Avenue or the one on 23rd Street Northwest? Or maybe it’s the warehouse down by the bay?”
Jasmine’s eyes widened. “I have no clue what you are talking about. I live on K Street.”
“You may have an address on K Street but you don’t live there,” Kenn countered. “We checked with your neighbors. They haven’t seen you in more than three months.”
Jasmine stared at him. “You’ve been checking up on me? Why?”
“You are also being charged in the deaths of Glen Portman, Sean Courtney and the attempted murder of Carla Winesap,” Kenn informed her.
Jasmine shook her head. “I had nothing to do with any of that, and there is no proof I did.”
“That would be an egregious error on your part,” Kenn corrected her. “You were caught on tape entering this area and murdering Glen and Sean. Not only that but we have a statement from Carla that names you as her attacker. You
left her for dead in a closet at a safe house.”
“If she named me as her attacker how can I be charged with her murder?” Jasmine asked.
Michael reached for his phone and brought up the photo he took of Jethro. “You were lucky we found her when we did, she’ll live. Too bad about your boyfriend though, or should I say, I finally got that bastard. Not much of a loss as far as I’m concerned.”
Jasmine took the phone and viewed the photo. Tears began rolling down her face when she saw what was left of Jethro. She looked up at Michael. “What did you do to him?”
“I stopped him from ever killing again.”
Jasmine glared at him. “You mean you murdered him.”
Michael nodded. “Yes, I killed him.”
“I will find a way to get even with you for that,” Jasmine threatened.
“You can try,” Michael retorted. “Your friends can try. Hell, they might even succeed, but your plan will not happen.”
“You have no idea what the plan even is, or even IF there is a plan,” Jasmine scoffed.
“Oh, we know more than you think,” Michael said. “And guess what? There is no place for you in the new government.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jasmine sneered.
Michael sat down and laughed at her. “I know more than you may realize. Prince Ali isn’t going to allow you to be part of his glorious revolt. He’s aiming a little higher than a two bit killer like you.”
“Says you.” Jasmine shrugged.
“No, says Ali himself,” Michael informed her. “We have a list of Ali’s new government and your name is not on it. In fact, your name is on another list, a list of people to use and discard.”
“I don’t believe you.” Jasmine seemed shaken by the news.
“Oh, believe it, sweetheart,” Michael snarled as he leaned forward. “I’ll bet Ali even gave you a list of names he wanted eliminated before the new regime took over, a list of people that stood in his way. Jethro told me just before he died that we wouldn’t be able to stop the Viper Crew because it was too big, but I don’t believe that. Ali wouldn’t want too big a crew. He’d want people he could control and that tells me the group is small…very small and very select. He might have told people they would have a place in his new government but he has no intention of letting them in. He’ll kill them first.”