by Dan Kelly
“We’re closing in on them, Mickey, and they don’t have a clue. Besides, if they manage to pull off whatever they’re planning here we still have our Montreal gig. How’s that going by the way?”
“We’re almost ready for the show to begin. All of the actors know their roles and Vicki’s working with a friend of hers at an ad agency on getting the word out. Vicki’s friend says the publicity will be ready for launch in a couple of days.”
“Okay, Mickey, as an old hippie friend of my dad used to say, catch you on the back side.”
Two more days go by without anything significant happening. Max is able to find out that the other two men aren’t staying at the Park Hyatt but at another hotel on the other side of the city and the men tailing them have observed nothing out of the ordinary. Max has started to think that maybe they’ve changed their minds about whatever they are planning to do or maybe they’ve picked up on the tails and that’s scared them off.
His thoughts have been passed on to Chuck and Chuck isn’t buying it. He is adamant in his response to what Max is thinking. “These guys don’t do anything half-assed. Their past history proves that. They take every precaution they can think of and spend the time necessary to check things out and to anticipate any and all obstacles. Stay on these guys like corn on a cob. These guys are up to something. It’s something new for them, so they’re going to be extra careful, but mark my words, something very big is going down when they’re ready and I want to be in their back pockets when it does.”
Chapter 38
Chuck’s people have been hanging back and loosely tailing their assigned targets, but now they move in as close as they dare to ensure that they won’t be ditched. They needn’t have worried about being spotted as Jacob, Felix and Amos are so preoccupied with concentrating on what each has to do to successfully add the take from the bank robbery to their coffers they probably wouldn’t have noticed Chuck’s men if they were in the same room. As things unfold, however, there is another reason they needn’t have worried about being spotted, a much more frustrating one.
Today is the big day. All three of them have donned disguises that alter their appearance significantly, Felix and Amos before they left their hotel to drive over to the Park Hyatt to join up with Jacob in his room. When they arrive at Jacob’s room, a total stranger opens the door, that’s how good Jacob’s disguise is.
At exactly ten o’clock this morning, Jacob will enter the bank in his wheel chair with his oxygen tank between his legs and briefcase on his lap and head for the safe deposit box area which is a separate closed off room below the bank lobby. An elevator takes the bank’s customers down to the safe deposit box floor where their hand prints are scanned and passwords are entered on a key pad to gain access to the room. A guard is posted at the door to make sure no one slips in without following the procedure.
The hotel is only two blocks from the bank and Amos will be pushing him and waiting for him in the lobby while Jacob’s doing his thing with the safe deposit boxes. They are both wearing transceivers so Amos can warn Jacob if someone is taking the elevator down or something unanticipated occurs that might foul things up. Felix will be waiting in the bank parking lot in a rented car to be used only in the event it’s needed as a getaway car. If things go as planned, Amos will push Jacob back to the Park Hyatt and Felix will drive the car back to the Park Hyatt where he’ll pick up Amos and they will drive back to their hotel.
The preplanning for this job went a lot smoother than Jacob thought it would. Opening the checking account and safe deposit box presented no problems as the false ID aroused no suspicions and the process of opening the accounts and the subsequent guided tour of the facility gave him ample time to get a good look at the bank’s layout, the positioning of the security guards and the security system.
He was really surprised at the carelessness of Herr Durrenberger when it came to his safe deposit box keys. Jacob managed to get into his house unnoticed when Durrenberger went out somewhere. The locks on his front door are pathetic and in less than five minutes he was in and had located the keys on a key ring Durrenberger keeps in an unlocked top drawer of the desk in his home office. He copied the numbers and left, locking the door so Herr Durrenberger would never be the wiser.
It turns out that Durrenberger has four boxes and judging from the numbers on the keys they’re all next to each other. After this discovery, Jacob’s opinion of Herr Durrenberger immediately took a nose dive and he couldn’t help mumbling to himself. “You may be a whiz when it comes to embezzling, but you’re a dimwit when it comes to hiding what you’ve taken. You should have four boxes, but each one should be at a different bank under a different name.”
At ten minutes to ten, Jacob, pushed by Amos, leaves the hotel and heads for the bank. The sun is shining brightly, but the temperature is hovering in the low fifties so everyone is wearing an overcoat which pleases Jacob because it gives him more places to hide things.
Everything goes as planned and even better because Jacob only has to deal with the guard at the door and a woman at a desk in the safe deposit box area who has the bank key to the boxes which has to be used in conjunction with the box holders’ to gain access to their boxes. There are no other customers in the area. Before he puts on his gas mask and releases the gas, he disables the security cameras by freezing them so they are focused on an empty room except for the woman who is reading something, so the people monitoring them will think everything is normal.
The gas takes out the guard and the woman in seconds and Jacob goes to work on the boxes. Fifteen minutes later he has entered and emptied twenty-two boxes and concealed their contents in the pockets of the wheel chair, the false oxygen tank and the pockets of his overcoat. He has no more room to stow anything else and spending any more time in the area would definitely be pushing his luck. Two minutes later Amos is pushing Jacob out of the bank and back to the Park Hyatt.
When they arrive back at the hotel, three police cars go speeding by with roof lights flashing and sirens blaring. Jacob said, “The gas must have worn off or a customer found the two I gassed unconscious and alerted bank personnel. Let’s get a move on and get out of here.”
Max, who has been sitting in his car parked in a lot across the street from the entrance to Jacob’s hotel, instinctively knows that they have somehow dropped the ball when he sees the police cars fly by. He immediately calls in to his office and tells them about what he’s just seen and his hunch. “I don’t know how this guy got past me, but my gut is telling me that he did.”
When the office checks with the other tails, they say that their guys haven’t left their hotel either. No one wants to reveal themselves and go into the hotels to see if the men they’ve been following are still there. If Max’s hunch is wrong, they could be putting the objects of their tails on alert and they’d scrap their plans and split. End of ball game, bad guys zero, good guys zero. A decision is made to stay put and see what develops, an unfortunate decision. By the time they realize they’ve made a mistake and question the checkout desk personnel, the pigeons have flown the coop.
Four hours later Felix and Amos sans disguises are on a plane heading to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, not to JFK as originally planned, Jacob has rented a car and is well on his way to Paris and the bank robbery is all over the news in Zurich.
Jacob is an expert when it comes to precious gems, but when it comes to other valuable items such as negotiable securities, large amounts of currency of who knows how many countries and other documents that in the right hands could be worth a lot of money he’s completely in the dark and wouldn’t know where to begin to convert them into green backs without getting caught.
Felix and Amos have this knowledge and want to be there when Jacob arrives in Paris with the contents of the safe deposit boxes to examine what they’ve taken and work out arrangements with Pierre Lavelle to help them dispose of their newly acquired assets.
When Chuck gets word of what has happened he’s flabbergasted
. “It had to be them. It’s their MO down to the last detail, but how did they get by my men without being seen. If my men had seen these three guys in or near the bank at the same time, they would have immediately brought the police into play who would have moved in and positioned themselves to detain the suspected robbers at the appropriate time until things at the bank could be checked out.”
After much swearing, pacing and pulling on his hair, out of the blue the answer pops into his head. “Disguises! They had to be wearing disguises and damn good ones to fool my guys. Damn it! I should have thought of that possibility and had surveillance on their rooms, monitoring who went in and who came out.”
After Chuck cools down he starts to think about where the trio might be headed with their ill-gotten gain. “The two most likely places would be Manhattan and Paris. Paris makes the most sense because that’s where Pierre Lavelle is and it’s only a forty-five minute flight or a six hour drive from Zurich. They might split up, some flying some driving. It would make more sense to drive the loot to Paris than to fly it in, less chance of it being seen. Hmm. Maybe we still have a chance to nail this scum.”
He calls his Paris office and briefs them on what has happened. “I think there’s a good chance that these people are headed for Paris and will meet up with Pierre Lavelle. I want more eyes on that guy than you’ll find in a bushel of potatoes. We blew it in Zurich. I don’t want a repeat performance.”
Chuck then calls Mickey Morretti and gives him the bad news first and then softens the blow with what he thinks is going to happen in Paris and how he is preparing for that eventuality. “Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Chuck. Is there any word of what was taken in the robbery?”
“You know how the Swiss are when it comes to customer secrecy. The police are the only ones who are going to get the names of the box holders and their going to have to press extremely hard to accomplish that. As for getting truthful descriptions from the box holders of what was taken, that’s not likely to happen, especially if what was taken didn’t rightfully belong to them in the first place. There might be some exceptions and someone will open up as to the content of their boxes, but I wouldn’t hold your breath while waiting for that miracle.”
“Well then, I guess we’re back to playing the waiting game. At least we now have pictures of these three suspects and can show them around if we have the need to do so. What’s really frustrating me is that pictures of these men cannot be found in any data base here in the U. S. or abroad. A thorough search of DMV, military and law enforcement databases has turned up zip. “They must use disguises to create phony ID whenever they need it, like hopping a plane to Zurich. These guys are definitely not numb nuts. We’re going to have to stay up on our toes if we hope to catch them flat footed.”
“I don’t disagree with your assessment of their intelligence, but I’m no ballet dancer. I just want to high kick their asses all the way into a jail cell.”
“That would definitely make my day. Later.”
Chapter 39
By the time Jacob arrives in Paris, Felix and Amos are already ensconced in a beautiful up- scale Parisian hotel, not of the international hotel chain variety, and celebrating their success in Zurich over a sumptuous meal and some exquisite French wine. Soon after they had gotten to their suite, Felix called Pierre to let him know everything went as planned regarding their most recent business endeavor and where they were staying. “Jacob is driving from Zurich to Paris and should arrive here in a few hours. We’d like to get together with you sometime tomorrow to discuss the possibility of using your channels to expedite the sale of some new merchandise that has come into our possession. Would that be convenient for you?”
Understanding the need for discretion when talking about their business issues on the phone Pierre replies, “My calendar is clear for the entire day. Why don’t we plan to meet here at my chateau at noon and we can discuss what’s on your mind over lunch. That will enable Jacob to get a good night’s sleep so he will be fresh and ready to do his damndest to negotiate me into the poor house.”
Felix chuckles and says, “We’ll be knocking on your door at noon.”
Now, over an out of this world after dinner brandy, Felix confides in Amos. “You know, now that I’ve been in the field as they say in those spy novels and have had to play a more active role in one of our escapades, I’m surprised to find that I kind of like it. It’s kind of addictive.”
“Well, better late than never I guess. As for me, I was petrified the whole time and I’m glad this is our last hoorah. I’m looking forward to retirement and just living the good life.”
Now that Zurich is behind them, they’re in a festive mood and whatever stoicism they might possess is deeply buried in their psyche. But moods are amorphous things. They can change in a nanosecond. If Felix and Amos had known that Felix’s conversation with Pierre had been monitored, the change in theirs would have set a new world record.
As soon as Pierre hangs up, Chuck’s assistant manager in his Paris office gets him on the phone and plays back the conversation. After listening to it several times he says, “Andre, I agree with you. The mention of this Jacob driving to Paris from Zurich and the cautious way the purpose of the meeting was expressed certainly have my red flags waving. I wish we would have been able to plant some bugs throughout the chateau. It sure would be nice to be a fly on the wall when that luncheon takes place.”
This thought generates another and he adds, “Andre, give the man you’ve been liaising with at la Sûreté a call and fill him in. He may have some eaves dropping equipment like parabolic mikes, etc. he can employ to give us an invisible seat at that luncheon table. I told you where Vicki Valance and I had dinner with Pierre when we were in Paris. Chances are these people will eat in the same room. Like here in the U. S., he might have legal issues that will get in the way, but it’s worth a shot. If he can’t or won’t help you, put tails on everyone that attends that lunch and we’ll have to play it by ear.”
“I’m on it. Bye.”
Chuck calls Mickey and gives him a heads up and gets a surprise. “Chuck, I’m going to get on the next plane out of here to Paris even if I have to pay my own way. I’m sick and tired of being a couch potato while all the action is taking place elsewhere. Will you arrange for someone from your Paris office to meet me at the airport when I arrive? If you give me a number to call, I’ll call them when I have my flight information.”
“Will do, Mickey, but are you sure you want to do this? You have no authority to do anything in Paris and might wind up being more frustrated than you are right now.”
“That would be impossible. Besides, I think with what has gone down, we now have good reason to believe we’re on the right track to putting an end to this crime spree and locking these creeps up for the rest of their lives. I want to be there for the grand finale. I think I can convince Clancy to let me go and lend a helping hand. I’ve seen these guys up close and won’t be easily fooled by any disguises and I’m totally familiar with their methods of operation. Another thing in my favor when I make my pitch to Clancy for his nod on a flight to Paris is the sooner we put these guys out of business the sooner the higher ups and the media get off his back.”
“Okay, Mickey, go for it. As soon as you have clearance to go and have your flight info, call me and I’ll set things up with my Paris office.”
While Mickey is scurrying around making plane reservations, packing, if throwing things helter skelter into a suitcase can be considered packing, leaving messages for the detective bureau’s Gal Friday as to where he’s headed and why, trying numerous times to reach Captain Clancy without any luck and on the last attempt leaving a message as to what he’s up to, hoping he’ll get after the fact approval, and tapping his savings account for some traveling money, Jacob Kessner is pulling into a small town a couple hours outside of Paris to get some gas and a bite to eat. After he fills his tank, he rides around the town until he finds a small bistro that looks like it will have some d
ecent fare to offer.
While he’s eating his meal he glances out the window of the quaint restaurant and sees a couple of teenage punks messing with the driver’s door of his rental car. All of the take from the bank robbery is in the trunk and the thought that they might get away with not only boosting his car but the loot along with it has him flying out the door to confront them. One of the kids is a big bruiser, over six feet tall with a lot of muscle and isn’t afraid of the unimpressive looking Jacob and is preparing to take him on. Big mistake. Jacob’s temper balloons and in seconds Jacob draws his gun from the holster on his belt resting in the small of his back and shoots both of them in the head. They are dead before they hit the ground.