by Bill Sage
“If it’s done with the defendant’s consent, there are no constitutional issues,” Roth reminded him.
“Well, to end this,” the attorney said, “I’m indicating to the court that the defendant’s not gonna agree to it.”
“All right, jurors can draw their own conclusions,” Roth said.
Smiling, the DA turned back to the defendant. “I want to dig a little deeper into your story. Can you hang in there with me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You testified that the undercover officer told you he was a roofer. Is that correct?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Did he mention the name of the company?”
“I think he said it was Perkins. Perkins Roofing.”
“So, you remembered the name.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you ask him if there were any jobs there?”
“I would have, but I don’t like heights.”
“Okay. I have an important question to ask you. Can you give me an honest answer?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How much do you really want to stop selling heroin?”
At that moment, Roth heard Judy answer the phone, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Meanwhile, the defense attorney objected again.
“Overruled,” Roth said. “He’s asking a relevant question.”
After Judy hung up, she put a message on the bench. He reached over, picked it up, read it.
He quickly glanced at Judy, who had no idea what it was about. Turning back to the attorneys, Roth felt his face getting hot, his stomach tightening.
I got to get the hell out of here.
“Gentlemen, please approach the bench.”
When both attorneys came forward, Roth said, “I have an emergency at home. Is it okay if we stop here and put the trial over until tomorrow morning? I’ll give you top priority over all other cases.”
Both attorneys agreed.
Roth knew the defense attorney would go for it. It gave him time to work on the defendant’s answers for tomorrow. Obviously, the DA wasn’t too happy—he knew what the defense attorney would be up to.
Judge Roth continued the case to the following morning.
Fueled by a renewed energy, he rushed to his chambers. Diane’s message was what he’d hoped for. Although he was more than ready to launch his plan, there was still one small piece of the puzzle he needed to nail down before he made it a “go.”
He reached for the phone and called Lopez.
“Remember when you followed Miller to the paving company?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“You saw Miller go to the front door?”
“Yeah.”
“Before he entered, did you see a light on in what would be the back room?”
“There’s a window back there. It looks out at the building next to it. And, yeah, I could see light shining through.”
“What about in the front, where the office door is. Any light there?
“No, just coming from the back window.”
“So, all the lights were off except for the back office?”
“Right.”
“Okay, let’s analyze this. If Miller knew he was gonna go home and then return to the office to do some work, and let’s assume he wanted to leave a light on, he’d leave the light in the reception area on. That’s where the entrance to the building is.”
“That’s what I think most people would do.”
“But he didn’t.” Al paused a moment. “Now, when you saw him leave the office and go back home again, did he leave the inner office light on?”
“Yes.”
“But he went home and never returned to the office. He packed it in for the night.”
“That’s right.”
“So why leave the light on? Unless…”
“Yeah. Unless there’s someone in there.”
“Yeah, and I wonder who that could be…?”
Lopez didn’t answer for a few moments. Then he asked, “Whaddaya thinking?”
“I got something. A way of saving Ash and striking back at those animals. But first, listen to this.”
Lopez waited a couple of seconds before asking, “What?”
“You know where they told Sands to go to pick up the Toyota?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about that. Why?”
“On Boyd Street.”
“Is that what Sands told Ben?”
“Yes.”
“It’s conclusive. I mean, what more could you want?”
“That’s what I think.”
Neither one spoke for a few moments. Al held back saying anything about Miller doing work for Asher. He wanted to wait and tell him and Jake at the same time.
“I’m leaving court now. Jake’s at my house. Come over for burgers at 5:30. We’re getting to the beginning of the end.”
34
AL WAS ON THE patio, grilling sliced onions and three half-pounders. Jake and Lopez were in the den drinking Scotch.
A short while later, Linda came home. She went out to the patio to check on Al. He gave her a hug and kissed her.
Smiling, she said, “I stopped by the office. Just to check. Stayed a couple of hours. Everything’s fine.”
“Good.”
“Looks like you’re up to something. Jake, Carlos…”
“We’re working out some ideas for getting the kidnappers to give us proof of life.”
“Tell the boys hello. I’m going upstairs.”
“I’m making burgers. Want one?”
“I’m not thinking of food right now. Check with me later, okay?” Then she went up to the bedroom.
Watching her go up the stairs, Al sighed.
I’m glad we’re coming to the end of this nightmare.
He went back to the grill, took a sip of his Scotch, and flipped the burgers. A few moments later, Jake came out.
“I just wanted to tell you that Ben and Hack are all pumped up, ready to roll. They’re itching to kick some ass.”
Laughing, Al said, “Soon, you’ll get your chance to put your inherent abilities to work.”
“It’s not that. It’s more about Linda and Ash.”
Nodding, Al said, “Before you know it, you and I will be at my house, drinking Scotch with Ash, talking football and broads.”
Jake gave him a brief nod. “So how you coming on the plan? Ready to give us a preview?”
“In a few minutes I’m gonna run it by you and Lopez. See what you think.”
“Okay.” Then Jake went back to the den.
Al threw a burger on the grill for Linda. A few minutes later, he went upstairs.
“I have a burger for you.”
“Thanks. I am starting to get hungry.”
“You wanna come down, eat with Jake and Carlos?”
“I think it’d be better if I just stayed up here.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Want a Coke?”
“A Coke would be fine.”
Returning to the patio, Al finished grilling the burgers. He put two slices of thick cheddar on three of them and closed the lid.
Linda loved cheese, but she was trying to cut down on eating fat.
A minute later, he toasted the buns and brought the burgers into the den.
“I’ll be right back.” Then he went upstairs again.
He gave Linda her burger and a Coke.
“Sure, you don’t wanna eat with us?”
“I just wanna…you know, be up here.”
“Okay, honey.”
She gave him a weak smile.
Seeing the pain behind her smile, Al said, “We’re gonna get him back.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Things are happening.”
Linda sighed. Then, gripping his hand, she said, “Having you and Jake working together is a mixed blessing. You guys are a good team, get results. But you do things outside of the law. You know that.”
“Not this time.”
Linda shot him a skeptical gla
nce.
He went down to the den. Drained the last of his Scotch and got a beer.
“Carlos, want a Heineken?”
“Yeah, better than a Bud,” Lopez said in an obvious dig at Jake.
“I’ll have an American beer,” Jake responded, glaring at Lopez. Jake only drank American beers. “Only ‘pussies’ drink foreign beers.” Then looking at Al, he said, “You’re a perfect example of what I’m talking about.”
“I’m trying,” Al said, smiling.
Then Jake quickly added, “Give one of those pansy-ass beers to Carlos.”
Lopez flipped him off.
Al got the beers. Then they dove into their burgers.
“These are good, Al,” Jake said.
“The key is 80/20. Always juicy.”
After taking a few bites, Lopez said, “So what’s going on?”
“Like both of you know,” Al began, “the facts lead to one conclusion. They’re holding Ash at All States.”
“Yeah, that’s gotta be it,” Lopez said, nodding. “They had to take him to a new place after we snatched Sands. That spooked ’em.”
Jake didn’t want to stop eating. He just eyed Al for a moment. But after washing down a mouthful of beef with his Bud, he couldn’t resist ribbing Al.
“I know you,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “You’re just dying to lay out all the circumstantial evidence that supports your conclusion. Just want one of us to ask.”
Laughing, Al said, “For a guy who looks like Luca Brasi, you’re pretty perceptive.”
Jake shot him a menacing stare but then smiled.
After a moment of silence, Lopez said, “I know that Sands got the Toyota off Boyd Street. So, there’s more? Go ahead, I wanna hear it.”
“I don’t think I need to. But just in case, this is directed at Mr. Wiseass over there.”
Before updating them on anything new, Al recapped all the known evidence showing that Miller was one of the kidnappers.
As soon as he finished, Jake said, “What the fuck? We already know all that shit.”
Shooting him a disgusted look, Al said, “Hey, just relax and listen.” He paused a second. “Here’s the new thing. Miller did a paving job at Ash’s office building.”
Jake swallowed quickly. “From one wiseass to another, that cinches it for me.”
“Jeez, Al,” Lopez said, “there’s a mountain of circumstantial evidence. I think there’d even be enough to get a search warrant in a criminal matter.”
Al nodded. “Yeah, could be.”
After a few seconds, Jake said, “Okay, I’ll bite. Now you gonna let us hear your plan?”
“That’s the reason for this meeting,” Al said with a laugh. Then directing his next words at Jake, he said, “It’s not just a plan to get Ash back. We’re gonna nail Miller’s ass.”
That got Jake’s attention. “I hope you’re talking about more than cutting off a few fingers.”
“It’ll make all your dreams come true.”
Lopez laughed.
“Okay, I want to get your reactions and suggestions,” Al continued. “There are three prongs to it. The first is the trap, the second is the delivery, and the third is the execution.”
Then he gave them the details of each part.
After listening, Jake said, “It’s right up there with setting up Goldman and taking out Gerard.”
“I like it,” Lopez said. “And I’m glad you’re letting me in on some of the minor action.”
Al caught Lopez’s gibe. “Don’t forget, you were in on the hippie fiasco.”
Frowning, Lopez shook his head.
“You know the reason, Carlos.”
Lopez had been trying to convince Al to let him in on the kinetic action, not just stakeouts and preliminary operations. But Al didn’t want him around when there could be gunfire. Which, when you think about it, was counterintuitive. Lopez was the best shot and had tons of experience facing down and controlling bad guys.
But because Lopez was an ex-cop with access to LAPD records and information, Al didn’t want to risk putting him out there too far.
“We need you on the inside.”
Lopez nodded.
“Now that you know the whole plan, tell me if you think I’ve missed anything.”
Jake and Lopez looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Jake asked, “What about Ben and Hack? Are they up to speed?”
“Yeah, they’re ready. I just need to hear what you guys think before I give them the okay.”
“Al, it’s good,” Lopez said.
Arching his brows, Al droned, “Jake?”
Jake took a swig of beer. “I’ll tell you one thing you missed.”
Grimacing, Al asked, “What?”
“French fries.”
35
The Trap
NEXT MORNING, Hack drove to Irvine in his black Mercedes 4-door sedan. He pulled into the shopping center on Harvard and Main and parked in a space near the coffee shop. Wearing a dark blue suit with an open white shirt, he went inside and ordered the coffee of the day. Then he sat at a table close to the front.
A few minutes later, Miller came in. Stopping near the door, he looked around.
“Miller?” Hack called out, waving his arm.
Miller stepped over to the table. “Mr. Todd?”
“It’s Tote. Have a seat.”
“Sorry.”
They engaged in small talk at first, mainly about the economy and President Reagan.
“He was a better actor than president,” Miller said, laughing.
“Yeah, I guess he loves this country too much,” Hack responded, mocking Miller’s statement. He liked Reagan but didn’t want to talk politics with strangers.
But not talking about politics wasn’t Hack’s main problem. He had to stay leaned back in his chair to avoid smelling Miller’s nauseating breath. Sometimes he held his coffee cup up to his lips, hoping that would block out some of the garlic-wine odor.
It didn’t work.
After a few minutes, Miller asked Hack, “Hey, you’re in the business, what do you think about the new Honda office building going up on Von Karman?”
Hack, of course, didn’t know anything about it. “We’ll have to wait until they get it done.” Then shrugging, he said, “It could be fine.”
Miller nodded, saying, “Yeah.”
Then Hack changed the subject, telling Miller about his paving job. “For you, it’s probably just a routine job.” Then he gave Miller a general idea of what he wanted done.
When he finished, Miller said, “No problem. That’s the kind of stuff we specialize in. Done thousands of jobs.”
Nodding, Hack said, “Good.”
Miller looked at Hack for a second. Then as he ran his hand across his mouth, he asked, “When did you buy this property? I thought the Irvine Company owned it.”
“We bought it about a year and half ago.”
“What’s the name of your company?”
“Dew & Tote. We’re out of San Diego.” Al told Hack to use that name. It wasn’t the correct spelling, but it means “you” and “dead” in German.
“Just curious. How did you hear about me?”
“My partner.”
“What’s his name?”
“Dick Schmeckle.”
“Hmm, can’t place the name.”
“He’s a little weird. Wears his hair in the shape of a German helmet.”
“A history buff?”
“He’s read hundreds of books on World War II. But I don’t know…”
Shaking his head, Miller said, “No, I don’t think I know him.”
“Let’s take a look around,” Hack said. “I’ll show you what we have, you can tell me what you think.”
They left the coffee shop and went to the front of Ralphs supermarket. Then they slowly walked through the parking lot, heading in the direction of CVS Pharmacy.
“We need to do something about all these cracks in the parking lot,” Hack said. �
�See that one near that BMW?”
“Yeah. We can take care of that. No problem.”
“I’m just pointing out stuff as we go along. Most of the work is in the back.”
“Sure.”
Pointing to his left, Hack said, “If you ever want good Chinese food, that’s the place to go.”
“I’ll have to try it.”
“Let me know and I’ll get you set up.”
“Thanks, Mr. Tote.”
When they got to the other end of the shopping center, Hack said, “Let’s walk through here, head over to the loading area. Major repairs needed back there.”
They walked around the edge of the building and went to the service road behind the stores. After a couple of minutes, they stopped in back of Ralphs.
“Here’s an example of what I’m talking about,” Hack said, stepping over to the loading dock. “See where it meets the pavement?”
Looking down at a thin crack running from the dock, Miller said, “Well, to be perfectly honest with you, that’s not too bad.”
Just then, Lopez, who was wearing tan workmen’s clothes, came charging over to them. “Mr. Tote…Mr. Tote. Please, may I have a word with you, sir?”
Hack turned to Miller. “He’s my maintenance supervisor.”
Miller nodded.
Jake was with Lopez but lagging 15 feet behind. He was in tan work clothes too and wearing Hack’s LA Rams cap.
“Sorry to bother you, sir,” Lopez said, a worried look on his face. “But there’s a water leak at the Chinese restaurant.”
“Oh, my god!” Hack said, frowning.
While Lopez and Hack discussed the “leak,” Jake quietly stepped up to where they were standing. Stopping a half foot behind and to the right of Lopez, he stood still for a couple of seconds, listening.
Miller glanced over at Jake, giving him a quick once-over, then turned back to looking at Hack.
Jake didn’t like Miller checking him out like that. He took it as a “who the hell are you” look. His blood boiling, he shot Miller a death stare, so fierce, even Hack felt uneasy.
Roth was aware of Jake’s feelings about Miller. He knew Jake thought he was garbage and didn’t deserve to live. That’s why Roth didn’t want Jake to be out front with Lopez.
“We should hold you back,” Roth explained to him in private. “Wait until we have him at the safe house.”
But Jake insisted and said he’d control himself. Even though Roth didn’t think he’d keep his promise, he reluctantly agreed.