Cold Call: A Cold Poker Gang Mystery

by Smith, Dean Wesley

  “Agent Munn nodded. “I think you are right. Logical.”

  She quickly got two of the FBI boats to converge on the other side of the Williams’ property. “Come in dark and quiet,” she ordered them.

  She nodded and turned to Lott and Julia and Annie and the other two agents. Then she waved over another agent on duty on the door.

  “We might have our suspect trapped in a hidden building on the property,” Agent Munn said.

  She showed them Annie’s pad and the image. She pointed to a place on the road that went past the property. Then she turned to two agents. “You two go up on the road and get hidden there in case he comes out of the brush that way.”

  They both nodded.

  Lott liked how Agent Munn was thinking. And she wasn’t calling for more help, which might tip off Williams if he was listening in.

  Agent Munn turned to the agent who had been on the door. “Take one of the agents who is down on the dock and both of you move around the lake shore slowly. Make no sounds and stay out of sight.”

  The other agent nodded.

  “No contact. We can’t tip Williams off in any way.”

  All three agents nodded.

  Then she turned to Lott and Julia and Annie. “Detectives, the four of us are going over the ridge by land and going to come in on the building from there.”

  Lott nodded, as did Julia and Annie beside him.

  Lott again felt his stomach twist at the fear and the excitement of actually being back on the job once again.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  May 16, 2015

  6:45 P.M.

  McCall, Idaho

  Lott, gun in hand, moved as silently as he could along the trail through the tall pine trees. The night was pitch black and the air had a cold, crisp bite to it.

  He had a small flashlight that gave off just enough light so that he could see the ground in front of him. Someone had kept this part of the forest cleared of any deep underbrush, but everything was covered with pine needles and small branches that seemed to crack or rustle with every step.

  A trial led from the porch into the trees and toward the small ridge that ran down the center of the property down to the lake. Agent Munn was on that trail, moving slowly.

  All of them were moving slowly, checking for any kind of alarm or trap that might have been set.

  Julia was to his left, Agent Munn on the trail to his right, and Annie on the other side of Agent Munn.

  “In place,” the two agents up on the road said.

  Otherwise all the chatter was coming from agents in different areas around the lake, at roadblocks, and so on. Fleet had taken Lott and Julia and Annie off just the private links with him and hooked them back into the major FBI link system.

  Lot had to admit, the FBI were doing an amazing job of locking down the small town in a very short time, from what he heard.

  As they crested the small ridge, Lott could see the faint glimmering of the black surface of the lake down a gentle slope through the trees. The night was unbelievably still and he wanted to hold his breath to try not to make any sounds.

  And could swear his old heart was going to beat right out of his chest with every step.

  “In place,” a different agent said. Lott figured that was from the boats on the lake.

  If they were wrong about Williams being in this building, then they had wasted a lot of critical time.

  All four of them moved down closer to the dark building, mostly dug into the side of the hillside between two large trees. It was amazing Annie had seen anything at all here, and brush had been allowed to grow up between the building and the lake edge, so it couldn’t be seen from the lake at all.

  As Lott got closer, he could tell the building was made of cement blocks and painted brown to match the surrounding forest. And it was much larger than it seemed from the glimpse in the picture.

  Since the back of the building was dug into the hillside, there was no back entrance at all, or side entrances.

  Agent Munn moved along the edge of the building and looked around front. No front windows, just one metal door that looked more like it belonged on a utility shed or pump house than anything else.

  Could they have been wrong? Was this a well house or something else like that?

  Annie and Julia and Lott fanned out around the front of the building entrance, guns drawn and covering it. Lott took a position just to a side of a large pine tree so he could duck for cover if he needed.

  Agent Munn glanced around, nodded, then went up from the side, turned the handle and pushed the door open.

  Nothing.

  She eased forward, without poking her head around the corner and shone her light into the room.

  Pumps and other machines sat in there from what Lott could see.

  But that didn’t mean that Williams wasn’t still hiding in there.

  Lott came up to the door quickly, followed by Julia and Annie.

  Without a word, Agent Munn went inside, going one way, gun drawn, Lott went in going the other, Annie and Julia followed.

  It took them only a few seconds to clear the large pump house.

  Williams was not here.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  May 16, 2015

  7:05 P.M.

  McCall, Idaho

  Julia could not believe that they had been wrong. She had been so convinced that Williams would have been in here, finding only pump and well equipment stunned her.

  There just was nothing but some basic ground equipment and tools and supplies. No sign at all that Williams had even set foot in this building ever.

  They had all four holstered their weapons and were standing near the door sort of in stunned silence when something in the upper corner of the back wall caught her eye.

  She instantly recognized it and turned away.

  “Well, we were wrong about this one,” Julia said, easing Lott toward the door. “We’re wasting time here. Let’s head back to the house and decide where to go next.”

  Agent Munn nodded and led the way out of the building. Julia followed her quickly outside and before Agent Munn could give the call for the other agents to stand down, Julia grabbed her arm and shook her head. She indicated they should all be quiet.

  Lott was about to pull the door closed and Julia, out of any camera angle, waved that he not do that.

  Lott acted instantly, bent down to pretend to pick up something, and then left with the door standing open.

  They moved back flat against the concrete wall.

  “Cameras,” Julia whispered.

  Instantly all four of them were searching the edge of the eaves on the building, the trees, anything for any sign of cameras.

  Nothing that they could see.

  “Camera inside upper corner on the left,” Julia whispered. “My gut sense tells me there’s a hidden bunker behind that back wall.”

  “Nice spot, Detective,” Agent Munn whispered.

  Lott squeezed her hand gently and smiled.

  “There is no need to whisper, Agent Munn,” a man’s voice said.

  Julia glanced around, but could not see where the voice was coming from, but Lott, Agent Munn, and Annie instantly froze into guns drawn position.

  It was clearly Williams and he was clearly watching them and listening to them.

  “All agents,” Agent Munn said, “Converge on my position.”

  Julia just hoped that would be fast enough.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  May 16, 2015

  7:10 P.M.

  McCall, Idaho

  Lott couldn’t believe that Williams was taunting them at this point. He had to know he was trapped like an animal in a hole.

  But just the sound of the man’s voice sent chills down Lott’s back. And made him angry. The images of that dead woman sitting in the car floated back like a ghost and he shook it away.

  As Williams had spoken, all four of them had eased away from the wall and farther apart, each seeking some cover in the
trees.

  “Detective Lott, you two are sure a long ways from home. What brings you out of Glitter Gulch to the beautiful mountains of Idaho?”

  “Tracking you down,” Lott said, his voice angry as he motioned for everyone to ease back farther from the building.

  “And who is the detective with you with the sharp eye?” Williams asked. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”

  “Detective Julia Rogers,” Julia said into the air. “Your goons killed my best friend Trish.”

  “I have never had the pleasure to meet a Trish,” Williams said.

  “We know,” Lott said as Agent Munn indicated they should keep him talking and all of them should keep easing back to find cover. From what Lott could tell, more than a dozen agents would be here in minutes.

  “Sheriff Blake and Andrews killed her because she saw the last body dump,” Julia said. “She was living in the home on the lake where you stashed all your victims.”

  There was silence. Finally Williams said, “So you have the killers. Why are you hounding me?”

  “Because we have tracked all the mortuary trucks you used to transport your victims,” Lott said. “The last poor woman was rescued in Seattle before you left the city. She can identify you easily.”

  There was again silence.

  Lott glanced at Agent Munn who nodded and indicated help would come pouring in within two minutes.

  “Come on, Williams,” Lott said. “You know you want to let us in there to show us your trophies.”

  Williams laughed. “No one but me will ever see these wonderful prizes I have accumulated over my lifetime. They are my intimate moments with women of my dreams.”

  “That’s just sick,” Julia said.

  Williams laughed. “Detective, each person has their own ways of finding love in the world. Too bad you didn’t know about your husband for so long?”

  Julia’s eyes went wide and she glanced at Lott.

  Lott was stunned. Clearly Williams had known about what they were doing for some time.

  What the hell was happening here?

  They hadn’t been trapping Williams, he had been trapping them, cleaning up his messes as he went along. More than likely that entire building was rigged to explode.

  Lott waved Agent Munn and Julia and Annie back and pointed to the lake. Then he mouthed the word, “Run!”

  “And you know what, Detective Lott?

  “What?” Lott asked, backing up slowly as Agent Munn, Annie, and Julia turned and ran for the lake edge down the shallow slope.

  “No one will ever know for sure if I was killed here or not,” Williams said. “Isn’t that just ironic? No real trace will ever be found.”

  “It doesn’t have to end this way,” Lott said, still backing slowly up.

  Williams laughed, the pure evil sound echoing through the dark trees. “Detective, it was always meant to end this way. You detectives just don’t ever see the long game, do you? You are all the same.”

  “Williams…” Lott started to say, but was cut off.

  “Detective,” Williams said. “You bore me. Goodbye.”

  Lott turned and sprinted to the edge of the lake as Julia, Annie, and Agent Munn went into the water and ducked under.

  The explosion smashed Lott in the back and he flew down into the water and the blackness that cold brought with it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  May 16, 2015

  7:15 P.M.

  McCall, Idaho

  Lott came around quickly as Julia and Annie pulled him from the freezing cold lake water and up onto the shore. He tried to blink the water from his eyes, but everything was bright golden from the huge fire.

  “Dad!” Annie said, leaning over him. “Are you all right?”

  Annie’s face was close on the left, Julia’s on the right.

  “With my two favorite women on the planet this close, how could I not be all right?”

  They both laughed and Julia kissed him on the cheek. “Can you stand?”

  “Getting tougher with every year,” Lott said, smiling, “but I think so.” He had no doubt he was going to have a very sore back, and one knee felt like he scraped it on some rock or something, but otherwise he seemed to be all right. Damned lucky. At his age he didn’t bounce when he fell.

  They helped him up as the water drained from his clothes. He leaned on Julia as they turned around and looked back up at the burning building and the trees around it, some of which were burning as well. The crackling and popping echoed through the night and beyond that sirens were wailing.

  He knew he had to be numb and in some shock, because he couldn’t really feel the cold.

  “He wasn’t in there,” Lott said as they stared at the fire that seemed to be burning hotter by the moment.

  “What do you mean?” Agent Munn asked, standing beside them on the edge of the water. She was as wet as he was, her hair plastered to her face, her FBI jacket hanging soaked on her shoulders.

  “He so much as told me so,” Lott said. “He said we never play the long game. He said we would never find his remains in there.”

  Agent Munn nodded. “From the way it’s burning, he may have been right.”

  “This was planned ahead,” Munn said.

  “How did he know me?” Julia asked. “Shocked me down to my poor soaked feet.”

  “He set up Trish to be found,” Lott said, looking at Julia, the woman he loved. “And for Sheriff Blake and Andrews to take the fall for him. He wanted this to end now so he could move on. The challenge of beating us again and again was over.”

  “There is no way he would kill himself in there,” Annie said. “I agree.”

  “So where is he?” Agent Munn asked.

  “He’s close,” Lott said. “More than likely in a car near the edge of town. He was talking with us. And I think after we get into some dry clothes and get something hot to drink, I’ll bet Fleet and his people can help us find out where exactly he is.”

  “Did I hear my name taken in vain?” Fleet asked as he and Doc and Ben ran along the beach to them.

  They all looked worried and were moving as fast as they could. Around the fire other FBI agents were swarming the area now.

  “You all right?” Doc asked, moving quickly to Annie.

  “Thanks to Dad,” Annie said, giving Doc a very wet hug. “We got out of there in time.”

  Lott turned to Ben. “Glad to see you’re all right.”

  “Thank you all for believing in me and saving my family,” Ben said. Lott could see the pain in his eyes. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You’re going to have to answer some questions and face some consequences you know,” Agent Munn said, patting Ben on the shoulder.

  “I know. And I will face them. I’m just glad you got him.”

  “We didn’t get him,” Lott said. “This was just to let him think we did.”

  “What?” Fleet and Ben both asked at the same time.

  Lott was now starting to really feel the cold and Julia was shivering.

  “He set all this up,” Lott said, “including Trish’s death and we went right along with it. He led us to the bodies, everything.”

  “How do you know?” Fleet asked.

  Lott turned to Ben. “I assume this is the only time he has threatened you in the slightest. Right?”

  Ben nodded slowly. “I wanted to get the bastard as much as you all did. I was in Vegas when one of the women went missing there, remember. I hated how that bastard taunted us. But I had no choice when he sent pictures of my wife and kids tied up and a man standing there with a gun at their heads.”

  “You were needed to make us think he had been warned away. He was never on that boat.”

  Ben nodded. “So this all was his exit strategy. Everything?”

  “Everything,” Lott said, agreeing.

  Lott pointed to all the FBI agents watching the fire. “And we played right into his plan as he knew we would.”

  “Damn it all to h
ell,” Agent Munn said, shaking her head and heading up the hill to some other agents there.

  “He taunted me right before the explosion, said we never play the long game,” Lott said. “So now it’s time we figure out his long game and surprise him. But first we need some dry clothes and something very warm to drink.”

  “Oh, yes, please,” Julia said.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  May 16, 2015

  7:30 P.M.

  McCall, Idaho

  Julia couldn’t believe how cold she had gotten in the night air while wet from the icy lake water. She and Lott, walking arm-in-arm had taken only a few minutes to get back to the cars in front of Williams’ house and into Doc’s big Cadillac SUV, but by the time they got there, they were both staggering slightly.

  Julia could feel her energy draining away because of the cold. They all would be in serious trouble if they didn’t get warm quickly.

  Agent Munn had come along after reassigning agents back to watching the roads and other agents with the fire department that was arriving to put out the fire.

  Doc had the car going and the heat up quickly, but even the warm air filling the car didn’t take off the chill. She had to get out of the wet clothes and quickly.

  “Let’s get to Shore Lodge,” Doc said. “We’ll get a couple suites there and get you all into warm showers. Ben and Fleet can head toward Cascade to get fresh clothes for everyone.”

  “I think Ben needs to stay here for the time being,” Agent Munn said, her teeth chattering slightly.

  “I agree,” Ben said. “I need to stick close so I can be questioned and detained for my actions.”

  “When the time comes,” Agent Munn said. “Right now we need all hands on deck, but I don’t want to be getting too loose about it.”

  “Thank you,” Ben said, nodding. “I’ll help where I can. I’m just glad my family is safe.”