“Because Braden is ripe for a takeover, and the cartel knows it. They had major tornado damage there earlier this month, and the place is a mess with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the various insurance companies fighting over who’ll pay what. We’re seeing a lot of new home construction and repair happening, and rumor has it there’s a new winery opening as well. A big ethanol plant is being built about twenty miles away. Zachary Pork is extending its reach by buying up a lot of the small mom and pop farms in the area, and those hardest hit by the storm are giving in and giving up. Some are leaving town and apparently, the principal of the district school has to hire new teachers for the coming year…” He paused to let this sink in.
Emily waited patiently for him to finish as she shifted again in the hard chair.
“…We hadn’t considered the Chef could be a teacher, but anything’s possible. We all agree the man comes and goes as he pleases, and with all the itinerant jobs available in the area right now, it’s good cover for him. He’d blend right in. There are probably as many strangers in town as there are regular citizens. Plus, Braden’s on two or three of the Iowa’s top ten bike ride routes, so even after FEMA packs up, that will continue to bring strangers to town on a regular basis each summer, providing him with an easy means to move his product. It isn’t that far off the beaten path, so distribution to Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and maybe even Canada wouldn’t be that hard.”
Alex’s last notation flitted through her mind. “Do we have any clues as to his identity?” That was the hardest part about catching the invisible man as Alex had dubbed him. No one inside the cartel could describe him and anyone on the outside who might be able to, didn’t live long enough to do it. But why would her husband think he was someone on the inside? It wouldn’t be the first time a dirty cop was involved with the drug trade, but she hadn’t been able to find anything else in his notes to back up his supposition.
“No,” Kyle replied bringing her back from her reverie. “My gut tells me Alex stumbled onto something important, something that jeopardized the Chef’s anonymity, and that’s why the bastard set that trap for him, for you, that night. He phoned me just a few hours before, and since I was in a meeting and couldn’t come to the phone, he left a message saying he had him, and I wouldn’t believe who it was.”
“I agree. I’m sure Alex knew who the Chef was, but you know him and his sense of drama. He wanted me to be as surprised as everyone else. I’ve been going through his notes at home. At the end, it’s as if he was convinced that the Chef might not be just one man. The last thing he wrote in the file was, ‘Is he one of us?’ I couldn’t find anything to support his claim, but Kyle, I have to ask. Is there any way someone on the inside could be dirty?”
Kyle shook his head.
She had the distinct impression from the set of his mouth and the stiffness of his shoulders that this was a topic he didn’t want to discuss. Then, by God, we will talk about it. Not wanting to do so, means he’s hiding something.
“Alex was obsessed with the Chef, Emily,” Kyle replied in a tone that could only be described as patronizing. “He was convinced the man was getting inside information, and the only way to do that was to have a man on the take. I told him he was crazy, but to placate him, I did a thorough search on each member of the El Paso DEA. He still wasn’t satisfied. Alex was the best friend I ever had, but when it came to the Chef, everything, including you and the baby, went on the back burner. Finding that monster consumed him. Don’t let the same thing happen to you.”
“I won’t. Alex wasn’t perfect, but he was driven, and finding the Chef was his Holy Grail. He believed the man was a chameleon, a master of disguise, who could hide in plain sight because of it. We’ve been looking for someone who comes and goes at will and focused on the itinerant workforce, but he doesn’t need to work. He could be coming and going as a tourist, visiting an area, staying as long as he needs to, and then moving on. The man has to have more money than I can shake a stick at.”
Kyle nodded. “You may be right, but I think the job’s a cover. People are more likely to trust a working man, rather than a man of leisure. With the way our economy has been going, people change jobs often, and no one seems to care. For my money, I think he’s some sort of professional because white collar jobs often seem more respectable, even though we both know that’s a wrong assumption.”
“Possibly, but you’re hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is. You haven’t told me why Alex suspected there was a mole. Someone knew we were coming that night, Kyle. I know it here.” She pointed to her heart. “All these months, I thought I’d imagined it, but when I saw that note, I keep wondering if he was right.”
“He was, but it wasn’t what he thought,” Kyle answered.
She heard the self-loathing in his voice. “What the hell do you mean? Did someone sell us out or not?” Anger filled her.
“Not. It’s complicated, and I blame myself. After the dust settled, I realized Alex had to be right, and we had a mole in the investigation, so I had the place swept for bugs. The whole damn place was wired …mini cameras, microphones, phone taps. We went through the surveillance tapes. The Chef planted them himself. He was inside my damn office and throughout the whole floor posing as a phone technician. Since Alex and I stood in this very room planning that raid one step at a time, he knew exactly where to plant his bombs, so that they’d have the biggest impact. The only reason I’m even considering letting you do this is because you’ve changed enough not to be recognized. We’ve gone over every frame of that tape, but it’s as if he knew exactly where all of our cameras were. There’s a gloved hand here, a back of the shirt there, the top of a cap, but not a single facial shot—not even enough to give us body type or race. I’m sorry, Emily. I would’ve spared you this, but you pushed.”
Emily shuddered, momentarily reliving the agony of the metal fragments ripping through skin, muscle, and bone. The doctors had done an incredible job of putting her back together and repairing her face, and with therapy, she’d come to appreciate how lucky she’d been. At times, she felt a bit like Humpty-Dumpty. “So Alex fed the Chef the information himself. How ironic.”
She’d been visiting her parents the last few days before the raid, and Alex had briefed her at home. She’d asked to be excluded from the bust because she didn’t feel up to it, but Alex wouldn’t listen. He saw this as his way to prove himself to her. He had been determined to bring down the bastard no matter what. Instead, three men and their unborn child had been killed, and she’d been left scarred for life. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away.
“We will get him this time,” Kyle vowed, his voice filled with compassion. “He isn’t up and running yet, but the brass is convinced he’ll make Braden his main base of operation. It’ll take time to set up a facility that size, and that’s what we’re counting on. You know exactly what he needs to open a kitchen. Right now, there’s a lot going on in the area, and that makes it ideal for him as well. No one notices one new man in town when there are thirty, forty, or more.” Kyle walked around the desk, closed the thick manila folder on it, and reluctantly slid it over to her. “Em, it’s not too late to pass on this. I’ve got to ask you again. Are you sure, you want to do this? I know you want him, but…”
“Yes, I am. I know you’re worried about me, Kyle, and I appreciate it, but I have to do this.” Straightening in the chair once more, she smothered a groan. “I’ve sold the house and most of the furniture and appliances to Alex’s cousin. He’d have wanted the place to stay in the family. Living there wasn’t helping me. I don’t need a four-bedroom home, especially one with two flights of stairs, filled with nothing but dreams as shattered as my body was.” She couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice.
Kyle paused at her tone and raised a brow.
“Leaving El Paso is a step in the right direction,” she stated, not sure whether the determination in her voice was meant to convince Kyle or herself. “I�
��ll miss everyone here, but I have to learn to live without him—without both of them. When I thought the Chef was dead, I knew that eventually I’d have to pull the pieces of my life back together, but things felt unfinished as if he’d gotten off too easily. I felt cheated. I wanted him sitting in jail, waiting to be executed. Once he’s behind bars, I’ll be able to move on, but right now, I’m in limbo.”
Pushing her hair off her face, she regretted the fact she hadn’t been able to build up the nerve to get it cut. For months now, she’d been existing, but she needed to start living again. Alex would want her to find that inner strength he always said she had, and move on.
Kyle nodded and smiled sadly. “You amaze me. Alex always maintained you had steel in your backbone, but I never realized just how much of it there was. Losing everything like you did, would’ve broken most people. There isn’t a day goes by when I don’t think of him, too. Alex was not only my partner…he was my best friend. You can be damn sure, I’ll be right beside you when his killer breathes his last.”
“Is it wrong to say I’m glad killing a federal agent still carries the death penalty?”
“I don’t think it’s wrong,” he answered.
The anger and hatred on his face frightened her. “So, how am I going to blend in?”
Sitting on the edge of his desk, Kyle smiled humorlessly. “We worked out an interesting cover for you, one the Chicago office thinks we can use for some time to come if you opt to stay in the Midwest.”
“I thought I was being assigned to the St. Louis Division.”
“You are, but since Chicago’s closer to the actual location, they’ll be running point on this. When the job is over, you can choose where you want to stay. If you want to go elsewhere, let me know, and I’ll put in the word. Of course, if you decide to come back here, the door’s always open.”
“Thanks, Kyle. That’s good to know. Now, tell me about this super cover.”
“I actually think you’re going to enjoy this as much as you’ll love catching the Chef. Since I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to talk you out of this, we decided to put your science degree to work for you. You’re going in as a nutritionist to help implement a pilot program called the Healthy Living Initiative at the district K to 12 school.”
“Seriously?” Emily bit her lip, and counted to ten. Working with kids, especially those little rugrats in kindergarten would open up barely healed scabs. It was true that seven years ago before her brother’s death and joining the DEA, she’d hoped to put her science degree with a concentration in nutrition to work for her in exactly that way, but after losing her husband and the baby, being around children all day was the last thing she wanted.
Kyle didn’t notice her less than enthusiastic response. “Before you ask, no one is losing a job to accommodate you, and I’m not expecting you to make and serve the meals. You’ll be there as a resource to help implement the program. The information’s all in there.” He tapped the folder. “With everything going on in town, your arrival shouldn’t even be a blip on the Chef’s radar.”
Nodding, she reached for the heavy file. “I’m assuming I’ve got some kind of backup in place?”
“You do. Rick Connors will provide assistance to you out of the Chicago office. Just because we don’t expect some Nosy Nellie to look into you, it doesn’t mean someone won’t. There’s an undercover FBI agent, Mike Reynolds, entrenched at the new ethanol plant being built in Riveredge. He’s working another case, but he’s there if you need him. We’ve also let the sheriff in on this, but we’re keeping the circle of who knows small.”
“Makes sense,” Emily said. “The Chef is an opportunist, and it sounds like Braden’s a golden opportunity for him. The fewer people know who I really am, the better.”
Kyle nodded. “I don’t have to remind you that the Chef uses locals, so if someone’s suddenly flush with money that alone could be worthwhile pursuing, but remember … there’s going to be a fair amount of insurance money floating around, too. Before you blow your cover and accuse someone, make sure you’ve got all the facts.” He ran his hands through his thinning hair. “For God’s sake Em, don’t do anything stupid. Don’t try to take him down alone.”
Emily nodded once more. “I won’t. You’ve got my word on that. When do I leave and where will I stay?”
“Connors has taken care of everything out of Chicago, pretending to represent the FDA. He’s arranged a furnished apartment for you in the Sunset Apartments at the west end of town.”
“I’ve kept a few antique pieces that were mine originally and stuff like dishes, lamps, photographs, and other memorabilia. I’ll pack them up for transport before the end of the week. Of course. I’ll need my crutches, cane, and wheelchair, too, but they’ll have to travel with me.” She felt her eyes filling with tears, and swallowed. “Leaving you, leaving here, won’t be easy, you know that, but it has to be done. Alex would expect me to do this. Am I driving up?”
“No. Not only would the drive be hard on you, it would link you to this office, which we’re trying desperately not to do. You’ll fly to Chicago in three days’ time. You need to meet with Connors, get a cellphone and an Illinois driver’s license, which is being fast tracked as we speak. He’ll provide you with a vehicle there with the proper plates. The placement in Braden is for the school year, which starts in less than a month. Everything you need to know is in the file.”
She stood, grateful to het out of the damn chair. “I’ll familiarize myself with the contents and call if I have any questions. Where do I report and when?”
“We’ve notified J.J. Harris, the school principal, you’ll be arriving in a week or so and will be available to meet with him on the Friday before school starts. The teachers are in the school for pre-first day of school meetings so it should give you a chance to get settled, scope out the area and learn what you can before the students get there. Harris has been in charge there for about five years, and the school’s done well under him. He was born in Boise, but moved to Braden when he was eight and his parents were killed. He seems to be clean, but you and I both know how much money the cartel has at its disposal. Don’t trust anyone until you’re sure they’re in the clear.”
“Well, I guess that’s it.” She tried not to wince when she stepped toward him, praying the stiff hip joint wouldn’t give her trouble. “Thanks for trusting me with this. I won’t let you down.”
“There was never any concern about that. Be safe. I’ll have someone drop off your airline ticket later this week.” He met her part way and pulled her into his arms. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” She turned, careful not to pivot on her left hip, and left his office, her limp scarcely noticeable, tears spilling down her cheeks. There was no going back now. She would be sore tonight, but she’d won the first battle in getting her life and her independence back.
Chapter Two
Jackson Harris stood staring out the window, staring at the dark clouds massing on the horizon, praying they wouldn’t bring another tornado. If they could get through the next couple of months without catastrophic weather, they would be home free, and people would have houses again before winter. They’d been damn lucky Reese’s dad had been the only casualty.
FEMA was helping, and it looked like the feds would come through with disaster relief funds, but a lot of people in town were really strapped for money, especially those without insurance. Morale amongst the townspeople was low, lower than he could remember despite the failing economy and poor crop prices of the last few years. Some had packed up and left already, others were on the verge of doing so.
The twister had carved a huge swatch of destruction, and it would take years for some people to get back on their feet, if they decided to even try. Mark Preston had sold what was left of his hog farm to Zachary Pork, and had gotten a job at the new ethanol plant. It paid regular wages and he wanted to be able to help his son, Peter, go to MIT next year, but all of the family’s savings and most
of what they gotten for the farm had gone to cover the cost of relocating to Riveredge. The boy was smart, and if the school could get the right science teacher, Peter might have a shot at a scholarship, but only if everything came together.
Glancing down at the letter in his left hand, Jackson realized what a boon this program would be for the community, and those families hit hardest by the tornado’s damage, but because of it, he had a problem. Problem? That was putting it mildly. He had the makings of World War III on his hands, and if he didn’t go about this carefully, things could go to hell in a handbasket very quickly. While he and the school board had applied to be considered for the National School Lunch Program, he hadn’t expected them to qualify for anything else, nor had he realized how this program would affect Mabel.
The letter from the Food and Drug Administration announcing the school had been selected for the Healthy Living Initiative, which would cover breakfast and snacks as well as lunches, drug education, and healthy living seminars, was a Godsend. Like it or not, drug use was on the rise in the area. He’d caught kids smoking up under the bleachers last year, and while he’d suspended them for a week, he didn’t think it would stop them from doing it again or worse.
Also, it wouldn’t be just the kids. Sadly, something needed to be done before people ruined their lives. He had heard drug use increased after natural disasters when people were feeling down about life, but it amazed him people would waste their hard earned money on that crap. Drugs weren’t the only things they were spending money on. He’d taken to eating most of his meals in town, and he’d seen the increase in sales in the town’s bars. People might not want to admit it, but alcohol was probably the world’s most abused drug, but at least it was legal.
It took someone barely above the scum of the earth to use and abuse people the way drug dealers did. Losing a home and possibly loved ones was bad enough, but to get people hooked on something like meth, crack, or prescription drugs like Fentanyl or oxycodone that destroyed them as individuals from the inside out, was abominable.
Secrets and Lies (Hearts Of Braden Book 4) Page 2