Brad absorbed the information. “That’s all good. Are your people running it down with CPS?”
“Yes. Both from the director’s end, and from my end. Jenny is going to try to get the information we need faster.”
The guard approached again. “They’re ready for you, Agent Donnelly.”
They followed the guard down a locked hall, were required to leave their weapons with another guard, then proceeded down yet another locked corridor until they reached the small interrogation room. Donnelly slipped into the narrow adjoining room where he could observe and listen.
Lucy walked into the interrogation room alone. Mirabelle’s attorney, Keith Glum, glared at her and said, “Where’s Agent Donnelly?”
“I’m Agent Lucy Kincaid from the FBI,” she said. “We met the other day.”
“What do you want? We were waiting for Donnelly.”
She sat down across from them. She looked directly at Mirabelle. “Donnelly is focused on finding your brother. I’m focused on finding your daughter. Kidnapping is under the FBI.”
“My client has nothing more to say.”
“Good. Then she can listen.” Lucy sat down and looked Mirabelle in the eye. The woman maintained eye contact, possibly trying to intimidate her, but it wouldn’t work.
“You’re not safe and neither are your daughters. Your brother took Bella as leverage. Over you, over someone else, I don’t know. But she’s in danger, and you know it.”
“Family does not betray family.”
“I agree. I have a large family and I would do anything for any one of them. I would die for them. I would kill for them, to save their lives. I know where you’re coming from. Jaime is your brother. But Jaime is in deep with the wrong people, and now he’s put Bella in harm’s way.”
Mirabelle snorted.
“You think it’s funny?”
“Jaime can handle himself.”
“The people he’s associating with killed George.”
“Your people killed George.”
“You don’t believe that.” Lucy shook her head. Donnelly was talking in her earpiece. Find a way to drop McAllen. Like a bomb.
“If you didn’t lock him up, George would be alive today.”
Lucy ignored that and continued. “If the people your brother is working for will kill George to keep him quiet, they’ll kill Jaime. And then where will Bella be? Where will your sweet, beautiful seven-year-old daughter be then? Stranded with violent predators? Sold to an old man who likes to screw little girls?”
“You’re sick!”
“They’re sick! Bella is in danger, and Jaime will not be able to protect her if he’s dead.” She paused. “Why did he take her in the first place? To make sure you wouldn’t talk? Or because she knows about the boys locked in the basement.”
A flicker in Mirabelle’s eyes, but her attorney said, “My client has already told the DEA and the AUSA that Michael Rodriguez was not locked in the basement, but was living there.”
“I spoke to Bella, and she told me the truth,” Lucy said, ignoring the lawyer.
Glum said, “You spoke to her without an advocate. She’s a seven-year-old child, hardly more than a baby. Nothing she said will hold up in court.”
“And now your brother took your little girl out of the city.” Again, something in her eyes alerted Lucy that she was going in the right direction. “We’ve confirmed they’re in McAllen.”
She shook her head. “He wouldn’t. He would never hurt Isabella. We’re family.”
“Right now, she’s safe with him, because he loves his family. That’s why he does all this, to give his family—you, your daughters, George—a better life. Food. Money. A house. I honestly believe that Jaime will protect Bella if he can.” Lucy didn’t know that for certain, but Mirabelle believed it, and Lucy had to work with that.
“But,” Lucy continued, “what happens when these people think he’s risking them? It’s a war out there, and Jaime is in the battlefield, which means that Bella is in the battlefield. What happens if he takes her across the border? Does she have a passport? Anything to help her get back?”
It was evident she didn’t, and Mirabelle paled.
“McAllen is minutes from the border. Once they cross, she’s gone forever.”
“Agent Kincaid,” Glum exclaimed. “Enough with the threats.”
“I’m not threatening anyone. I want to find a scared little girl who cried and begged not to be taken. A little girl who is in the middle of a dangerous situation, taken away from her family and home, on the run. Do you want her to be caught in the crossfire? Because that’s the kind of life Jaime leads, and you know it. Every cop and federal agent in southern Texas is looking for him. Is he going to give up willingly or go for the gun battle? And where will Bella be when he does?
“Help us find Bella and I’ll help you.”
Mirabelle was thinking. Lucy could practically see the gears in her brain turning. Yes, Mirabelle was selfish, a criminal, had no qualms about locking Michael up in the basement, but she did it for her family. She would use her daughters, but she didn’t want them hurt. Lucy finally understood this woman and what made her tick. What she would be willing to do for her family.
“You don’t understand,” Mirabelle said, but she’d lost some of the venom. “He wouldn’t. He knows that—he just wouldn’t.”
“He wouldn’t what?”
“Leave the country. He wouldn’t.”
“To save himself? Yes, he would.”
Now Mirabelle was visibly scared, her eyes wide and searching. She didn’t want to believe Lucy, but she did believe her. Because she knew something.
“Save Bella.”
“Jaime will protect her. That’s all. I’ll say nothing.”
“And what about CeCe? Why did he leave CeCe behind and only take Bella? CeCe wanted to go with him, but he didn’t take her.”
Mirabelle frowned, but didn’t speak.
“That’s enough,” Glum said. “You’re fishing. My client has nothing more to say. She doesn’t know where her brother is, or where he took her daughter.”
Lucy leaned forward, focused solely on Mirabelle. “You know where he’s going. You’re scared. For him, for Bella. You can save him, Mirabelle. More, you can save your daughter.”
“What do I get?” she asked quietly. “You’re still holding me here. You’re still going to keep me here.”
“If you cooperate, I will stand up for you in court.”
They stared at each other. Thinking. Plotting? Lucy waited.
* * *
Brad’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn’t want to answer it—Lucy was good, she had Mirabelle close to giving them intel—but when he glanced down he saw it was Ryan Quiroz. He wouldn’t call if it wasn’t urgent.
“What?” he answered.
“Our people were going over backgrounds on the Borez family,” Ryan said. “There’s something that doesn’t quite match up with the time line, and since you’re planning on interrogating her again, maybe this will help.”
“Kincaid is in with her now. What is it?”
“Isabella Borez was born in early February. The earliest she could have been conceived, even if she were a week or two late, would be May. Mirabelle’s husband was in prison from April sixteen until July thirty-first on a minor drug charge.”
“So? Maybe she was early by a few weeks.”
“It just seems slightly off.”
“Thanks.”
Donnelly hesitated. Lucy was going good, he didn’t want to mess with her rhythm, but Lucy and Mirabelle were at a standstill. They were staring at each other, and the lawyer was getting antsy. Maybe the info would help.
* * *
Mirabelle leaned back in her chair. “Your promises mean shit.”
“Let your daughter be raised in Mexico then,” Lucy said. “With drug dealers and killers.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Yes it is. Because Jaime is not going to be ab
le to get back into this country without being caught. You know it, I know it. Jaime sure as hell knows it. He took Bella for something specific, and you know why!”
Mirabelle just stared. The lawyer started blabbing, but Lucy kept eye contact with Mirabelle.
“Help me save Bella,” Lucy repeated.
“Jaime won’t hurt her. I have nothing to say.”
The lawyer started talking about the hearing tomorrow, and then Donnelly spoke in her earpiece.
Ask her about Bella’s father. Her real father. Ryan has a hunch it’s not Borez. He was in prison when she most likely conceived.
Lucy waited until the lawyer took a breath, then said to Mirabelle, “Tell me about Bella’s father.”
“He’s dead.”
“Her real father, not the name on her birth certificate.”
Mirabelle said nothing.
“Jaime knows who it is, doesn’t he?”
“No. No.” Mirabelle started crying. “Leave me alone!”
“You help us, we can help you. Help you so you can be with your daughters. So you and CeCe can be together tomorrow.”
“It’s too late. Damn you, bitch! It’s too late!”
Mirabelle made a lunge for Lucy. The guard pulled her back. Mirabelle was crying and swearing and cursing Lucy.
“Let’s get you back to your cell, wildcat,” the guard said.
“No,” Lucy said. “I’m okay. Mirabelle, calm down and tell me where your brother is.”
Sobbing, she half collapsed into her seat. “I don’t know. I swear, I don’t know.”
“But you know why he took Bella.”
“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t take her to Mexico. He knows what will happen.”
“What will happen in Mexico?”
She shook her head, tears falling freely down her gaunt cheeks.
“Anything you can give us will help. Anything, and I’ll talk to the judge for you. So you and CeCe can be together.”
Through the tears, she said, “Why would you help me?”
“Because I don’t want your girls to grow up without their mother.”
Mirabelle was wrestling with her divided loyalties, between her brother and her children.
The children won.
“I don’t know where he is, I swear,” she said. “But there’s one person in McAllen he would go to for help. Someone who would hide him. His ex-girlfriend, Benita Peña.”
“Where does she live?”
“I don’t know. But last I heard, she was working at Alberto’s. It’s a diner in McAllen. I think the owner is her cousin or something.” She looked Lucy in the eye. “I love my brother, but I want my daughter back.”
“I’ll get her back.” And Lucy prayed she could.
* * *
Donnelly was practically jumping for joy when she stepped into the room adjoining the interrogation room. He gave her a high five. “We’re going to get him. I already have my people tracking down Peña and the diner.”
“We need to be careful. If Peña sees cops, she’ll tip him off.”
“They’re good, Kincaid. First thing in the morning, we’re heading to McAllen. I want to be there when we take the bastard down.”
“We?”
“Casilla will let you go. I’m going after Jaime, you’re going after Bella—she’s going to need a familiar face. We don’t know what’s happened to her in the last two days.”
“Is it true that Borez isn’t Bella’s father?”
“It was an educated guess. He was in prison, but the timing’s iffy. Jaime knows who Bella’s real father is, and that’s why he took her.”
“From his own sister?”
“If there’s enough money involved, Jaime would sell his own mother.”
* * *
When Kincaid left for FBI headquarters, Brad went to talk to his boss. He knocked on her open door.
Sam waved him in, then finished her call. When she hung up, Brad said, “I was right about Kincaid. We got info from Mirabelle. Jaime Sanchez has an ex-girlfriend in McAllen. Benita Peña.”
“Why don’t we know about her?”
Brad shrugged. “She works at a diner and Mirabelle doesn’t know where she lives. There’s a ring of authenticity to it, I don’t think she’s bullshitting us, but I want to send Nicole to work with our people down there.”
Sam leaned back and visibly relaxed. “You’re delegating. Good.”
“I want to go tomorrow. Bring Kincaid and Quiroz. I’m sure Juan Casilla will clear them.”
“I guess I hoped for too much, that you’d let Nicole ride this out.”
“I need to be there. I know Sanchez better than anyone. I know the way he thinks. I know the way he operates. But I also recognize that sometimes, another set of eyes, a different way of looking at a situation is good. Nicole has proven herself, and we have a good team down there.”
“You don’t have to sell me. Fine, I’ll clear it, both Nicole and you. You deal with Casilla—if he balks, don’t push it. He’s already given us more time and manpower than he should have, and I’ve already been called twice by Naygrow. Superficial inquiries, but that tells me the higher-ups are also watching our alliance closely.”
Ritz Naygrow was the Special-Agent-in-Charge of the San Antonio FBI. He rarely got involved in the day-to-day management of his agents, delegating to the three Assistant SACs. If he was calling Sam, that meant someone in Washington had their eye on the situation. That alone made Brad uncomfortable. Not because he couldn’t justify everything he’d done, but because he didn’t trust bureaucrats.
“Understood,” he said. He started to leave, then glanced over his shoulder. Sam was staring at him. “And thanks.”
CHAPTER 19
Lucy didn’t get home until after nine, again. She foraged for leftovers while she called Sean. It was noisy where he was.
“A party?” she asked.
“Dinner and drinks with the company president, others.”
“Celebrating, I hope.”
“The job was a lot easier than I was led to believe. I’ll wrap it up in the morning and be home tomorrow before dark.”
“Good. I’ve been spoiled, coming home to you every night.”
“You certainly have,” he teased. “I miss you, too. How’s the case?”
“Baby steps.”
“No word about the little girl?”
“She may have been taken out of San Antonio to a border town.”
“Shit.”
Succinct and to the point.
“We have some leads. I may be going to McAllen tomorrow.”
“I’ll try to get back before you go.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Have you heard from Kane?” Stupid question. Of course he’d tell her if he had.
“He has your number. Don’t get your hopes up, Lucy. It’s a long shot. He’s not going to reach out just to tell you he doesn’t have anything. Honestly, he can be a jerk, but he’s my brother.”
“Family. It’s complicated.”
“Some more complicated than others. If he has intel, he’ll call you. I love you, princess. I’m going to head back to the hotel in a bit.”
“Love you, too.”
She hung up and looked around the big kitchen. Yes, she missed Sean more than she wanted to. She’d grown to depend on him, not just for comfort and sex and companionship, but to complete her. She was happier when he was around, more relaxed, safe. She looked at him and saw his love for her in his eyes, and it never failed to take her breath away. Before they moved in together, she missed him, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d grown spoiled having him to herself every night.
But the Dallas job was a good thing for him, and it was only for a couple of days. She had to keep telling herself that. She still hadn’t received confirmation from her boss that she was cleared to go to McAllen. She suspected she and Ryan would be sent because of Brad’s tip that Bella was down there, but Juan could decide to use agents from the McAllen field
office rather than sending a team from San Antonio.
Lucy rinsed her plate, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, and walked around the house making sure all the doors and windows were locked and the alarm set. Sean was a stickler for security, because it was his bread and butter. She was a stickler because she knew what could happen when you let your guard down. Even if you didn’t let your guard down.
Brad Donnelly called her while she was finishing her rounds. “I’m sorry to call so late,” he said, “but I thought you’d want to know. Agents in McAllen tracked down Benita Peña. We don’t have her address yet—the one in the motor vehicles database was a dud, she hasn’t been there in two years. But we found her place of employment and we have an undercover team on it.”
“That’s terrific.” One small step closer to finding Bella.
“I talked to Casilla and told him how instrumental you were in pulling the information out of Mirabelle, and how much I need you on this op. Bella trusts you, we don’t have a shrink in McAllen—no one in the DEA or the FBI resident agencies. Our best hostage negotiator is at a standoff up in Houston. Casilla said you have training in hostage negotiation, and cleared you and Quiroz to join us. We’re leaving at oh-eight-hundred. Prepare for at least one night, but expect two. I don’t know when it’ll wrap up.”
“I’m not a shrink,” she said, but realized that after the third time, Brad just didn’t want to hear what she said about it.
Still, he was right about one thing—she’d worked hostage negotiation, and she had experience. Being bilingual was another benefit. And she wanted to be there.
“And we have one more lead,” Brad said. “I sent Nicole to McAllen this afternoon, and she and the crew down there have identified a warehouse that associates of Sanchez have been using for storage, but there’s been chatter of a major deal going down there. Initially we were thinking drugs, but based on the weapons we uncovered in the hardware store, some of the team are thinking we’re looking at guns. If they’re bringing them in, that’s street warfare we’re ill prepared for. If they’re shipping them down to Mexico, we’ll have international diplomacy shit to deal with. But it’s the same kind of chatter I heard before the sweep, so my money is on drugs, guns on the side.”
Dead Heat Page 19