Between HeVan and Hell

by Lucy Kelly

  The Captain shut the door and returned to his seat behind his desk. Jett and Ms. Carson took two of the visitors’ chairs.

  “Mr. Contadina, I’m curious. Why do you believe Anton Kadyrov ordered a hit on you?” she asked.

  “Must there be a reason?” he asked.

  “The only evidence we have that he ordered your death is the word of a convicted felon. The jury would have to believe him over the word of a man with no criminal background. He is suspected of many things, but suspicions aren’t admissible in court,” said Ms. Carson.

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you in learning the motivation for Anton Kadyrov’s behavior. Everything that transpired last night is there in the report,” said Jett.

  “You have an interesting accent, Mr. Contadina; where are you from?”

  “I’m from a small village in Northern Italy. My father was a linguist and taught all of us several ancient languages. The blending creates the accent you hear.”

  “I see. The report mentions that you are not an American citizen. How long are you planning on remaining in this country?” she asked.

  “Three months and then we’re going home. Of course, I’ll come back when you need me to testify. I’ll need six week’s notice; is that possible?”

  “It’s unusual to require so much time for travel; why is that?” asked Ms. Carson.

  “My brothers and I have a mobile business. We often travel long distances all over the world, even to remote locations. So we need the time to make our travel arrangements and get back here from wherever we may be,” said Jett.

  “What type of business has you traveling all over the world? I ask because your activities and those of your brother’s will also be deeply scrutinized. In this country, a man is innocent until proven guilty. Since the burden of proof lies with us, having reliable upstanding witnesses is important.”

  “Neither my brothers nor myself have ever been arrested. Not even a speeding ticket amongst us,” Jett added with a smile while he evaded her questions.

  Ms. Carson then turned back to the Captain. “I can take this to the Grand Jury, but I don’t think we have enough. I’ll charge him with the battery of Mrs. Levin. With a little work, we should be able to get him to agree to a line up. In that case, you’ll need to make arrangements for her to come in. I’ll speak to my boss about the other charges, but I’m not charging him with the order to kill just yet. You need more evidence,” she said. When she stood up, the Captain and Jett stood up also. She turned to shake Jett’s hand.

  “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Contadina. We’ll meet again, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to aid you in putting Anton Kadyrov in prison where he belongs,” said Jett vehemently.

  Jett and Captain Udaka watched as she left the office and strode out of the room. After she was gone, Jett turned back to the Captain.

  “What is the reason you didn’t want to tell the Assistant State’s Attorney about the listening devices we planted on the Kadyrovs? I’m sure if we checked the download, we have a recording of him ordering the attack on me,” said Jett.

  “The only ones that know about the listening devices are you and your brothers, Grace, me, and one police technician. And even the tech isn’t aware of exactly what you did. I want to keep this under wraps until we get as much evidence as we can. I hate to say it, but there is a leak somewhere. That’s why we haven’t been able to get a previous conviction.”

  “Key witnesses either recant their statements or evidence goes missing. Sometimes there are procedural errors, which cause the case to be thrown out of court. We have an advantage here that I don’t want to lose. And that reminds me. After we arrested Anton Kadyrov, he spent some time in conference with his lawyer. Those conversations are legally protected. We can’t listen in on them. I wrote down the times here on this paper. I’d like you to remove them from the download. We need to make sure that the resulting transcripts are completely legal to use in evidence.

  “And that brings me to another thing. Do you think we should separate the audio from the video? Just in case the video portion might be deemed as inadmissible so we don’t want to taint the audio portion,” said Captain Udaka.

  “You don’t have anything to worry about on that score. The downloaded information separates the data just as the brain separates the functions of speech and vision. So you’ll have separate files. You can replay them separately or together,” said Jett.

  “Good, I’m pretty sure that we’re okay with having both, I just don’t want to take chances on losing it all. So that’s one less thing to worry about. This morning I told Grace that in order to limit those who know about the fact that we succeeded in bugging the Kadyrovs, her new assignment will be to download and catalogue the information, with you and your brothers’ assistance, of course. The rest of the time, get her to show you around. Do some sight-seeing. She needs to act like a woman that’s just become engaged to a wealthy man and hasn’t a care in the world,” said the Captain.

  “I’ll do my best to see that she understands your requirements. I’m aware that she feels my brothers and I have taken over her assignment. And sightseeing seems more like a vacation when she feels she should be working. And now I better go. We’re meeting for a late luncheon.”

  Jett and the Captain shook hands and the Captain went back to work as Jett left the building.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sheila Carson got into her car to drive back to the office. Opening her purse, she unzipped the side pocket and pulled out her second cell phone; one that had been supplied to her and wasn’t under her own name. She pressed 1 on the speed dial and waited for an answer.

  “Olychka, you have news?” asked Vasily Kadyrov.

  “Yes, Uncle Vasya. I was able to convince him that he didn’t have enough evidence to charge Anton with ordering a murder. He will be charged with Battery against the jeweler, Mrs. Levin. I’m on my way to the courthouse now and won’t fight his attorney’s bail request. I can set it lower because of the lesser charge,” she said.

  “Good, that is good. Other than Ron, do we have any other mistakes to take care of?”

  “Jett Contadina recorded his own attack on his cell phone. That recording proves the case against his attackers, but without Ron’s sworn testimony, there’s no real case against Anton. Not enough to prosecute, anyway. I reviewed the recording Ron and myself makes inflammatory suggestions about what Anton wished him to do. Even with that, it boils down to his word against Anton’s.

  “Per Anton’s version of events, I recommend adding some notes to Ron’s employee file. The police are bound to request a copy. Make it appear that he has been disciplined several times in his work and you were considering firing him,” she said.

  “Yes, I will play the kindly boss, attempting to have given a last chance to this person and look how he betrays our kindness. It will be done immediately. What more were you able to find out about the Contadinas? Something about them is fishy,” he said.

  “I interviewed him today and he strikes me as a powerful man. I don’t mean just because he’s so large. He wasn’t nervous the way you’d expect a man who’d been attacked the night before to be. He wasn’t worried about his safety or testifying against Anton. The family reputation is well known and he showed no signs of fear or anxiety. The Kadyrov family has made a new enemy, and they may prove formidable. The only other thing I heard was the Captain telling Grace he would be opening a task force to look into the disappearances of women who associated with Anton.

  “He also told Grace to stick close to her men, that they would protect her. Even going so far as to tell her she should move in with them. Anton may have to postpone his latest project. If he takes her, the Contadinas will look for her, and I don’t think they will care who gets in their way,” she said.

  “They are two men. They will be dealt with, if only to send a message to others,” he said.

  “There was one other thing. Nothing specific was said, but two thing
s make me think that Grace is really a cop. And if she is, then it’s likely the Contadinas are, too,” she said.

  “What did you hear?”

  “The Captain said that ‘he was glad the plug’s been pulled on her job at Hell’ and ‘her assignment now was to act the besotted fiancé. He could have been alluding to an undercover assignment.”

  “I disagree. You said he was planning on calling Jett to come in and see you. Obviously, Grace stayed the night with her fiancé. It sounds as if he were reassuring her. I had her in my place for three days; we were suspicious only because Detective Anthony stopped her on the street. We have kept her under tight surveillance since then. She’s no cop. At the slightest show of disagreement last night, she was urging them to leave. You did not see her with her fiancé; the heat they have for each other is readily apparent. The other one, Jett, also has feelings for her. I could also see that he tries to hide it.

  "She even wore a dress she wanted us to use in the casino. Does that sound like the actions of an undercover cop? No, she would have kept her head down and not drawn notice to herself. Don’t worry, Olga, I’ll take care of the Contadina brothers, and then Anton can have Grace,” he said.

  Since he was calling her by her name and no longer using the diminutive, Olga Kadyrov knew she’d angered her Great Uncle by questioning Anton’s actions. Cousin Anton was the favorite and could do no wrong in her uncle’s eyes.

  “I apologize, Uncle, I meant no disrespect. I was only relaying what I heard and the possible connotations of the conversation. My conclusion is most likely wrong, as you say,” she said.

  “That’s alright, Olychka, you are forgiven. Get your cousin out of jail quickly and keep me informed,” finished Mr. Kadyrov before he hung up.

  Olga Kadyrov turned off the cell phone and put it back in her purse. She waved and smiled to the gate attendant as she left the parking lot reserved for City personnel and headed to the courthouse. She felt that her viewpoints were valid and wished that her uncle had more faith in her skills. A part of her hoped Anton would go to jail, because then perhaps she’d be allowed to take his place. That was a pipe dream; they’d gone to a great deal of trouble to get her to this position. Soon she would be ready to run for State’s Attorney, and then she’d be able to do even more.

  When he was leaving the police station, Jett called Jalen’s cell. He was going to meet them at Grace’s cover apartment. They used the brief meeting with Margie to let her know that Grace would be moving in with them. Now they would make a show of moving out her things. Waving his hand, he flagged down a cab.

  The cab pulled up in front of her building. After paying off the driver, he rang the buzzer for her apartment but there was no answer. He leaned against the wall of the building to wait. A few minutes later, he saw them walking down the block hand-in-hand. She was a beautiful woman and he couldn’t wait to show her their home back on HeVan.

  “We stopped for coffee and I ran into a couple of the dealers; the story is planted well and good now. I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” said Grace.

  “Not long at all. I’m glad you will be leaving this neighborhood. It’s a bit unsavory,” said Jett.

  “Nah, it’s okay. There are good people here,” she said. “Now remember, the place is bugged. Both audio and visual devices were here the last time I checked early yesterday. Wow, so much has happened since then, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a day.”

  “It has been the best day of our lives so far,” said Jalen, speaking for both brothers and Jett nodded.

  They went up the stairs and entered the apartment. Jalen looked around and then turned to Grace and said, “How long have you lived here, Grace? Somehow, this is not how I envisioned you living. I understand better why you always came over to my place.”

  “I’ve only lived here for six months. It’s a furnished apartment. My lease runs for another six months, so I’ll need to get another job soon,” said Grace.

  “I’m a wealthy man, baby. We’re getting married and leaving the country in three months. I’ll buy out this lease and if you feel you just have to work, you can come and work for me,” said Jalen.

  Jett’s phone started vibrating and he pulled it out.

  “Jalen, I’m detecting something. Hold on a sec, okay?” said Jett.

  Both Jalen and Grace stopped what they were doing as Jett began to walk around the apartment. They had decided to let Jett ‘find’ the bugs they suspected were planted by the Kadyrovs.

  Grace walked over to Jalen and took his arm. Looking up into his face she whispered, “What’s going on, Jalen? What’s he doing?”

  Jalen leaned over slightly and said, just barely loud enough for the hidden microphone next to him to hear, he said, “In our business, the competition does whatever they can to find out our sources. Jett developed a tracker that detects all kinds of electronics. It works especially well on audio and visual surveillance. Remind me later to tell you the story about the Millionaire and the Monet.”

  “You’re joking. That sounds like the name of a hokey crime novel,” she retorted.

  “True story, I promise. Now watch, he built it into his cell phone. It appears someone has bugged your apartment.”

  “What?” she shouted, then immediately lowered her voice, “I mean, what? Why would anyone want to listen in on me? I’m generally a very boring person.”

  “Jett suspects and I agree with him, that Anton Kadyrov is obsessed with you. He could easily afford to have someone monitor you.”

  “Eww, that’s just creepy. No more convincing. I am so moving in with you. You’re never getting rid of me now, Jalen,” said Grace.

  “Good thing we’re getting married, then,” he said with a wink while he held her close. Another minute later, Jett came back into the room.

  “I think we should call Captain Udaka. Grace has listening technology all throughout her apartment, both audio and visual.”

  While Jalen called the police, Grace went in to the bedroom to pack up her clothes. Jett followed her in when she motioned to him.

  She said in a loud whisper, “Would you make sure I don’t pack anything with a bug on it? Thinking about someone watching me and listening to me without my knowing, that’s just totally creeping me out. If you can’t be sure the clothes and stuff are okay, then I don’t want to take them.”

  “I don’t think they would bother to bug your clothing. The items I’ve found so far aren’t that sophisticated. My own devices are far superior.” Seeing the worry in her eyes, he went on to re-assure her, “But just to make sure, I’ll check everything over very carefully, even your suitcases. Okay?”

  “Okay, Jett. I’m glad you’re such a geek and keep inventing all this stuff for your brother,” she said, as she continued to pack.

  Captain Udaka arrived twenty minutes later. She was allowed to take her clothes, personal items, and some toiletries. She left everything else behind. She’d come back another time, she told him, after he cleared it. Knowing the bugs were still active, he advised Jalen to take her out of town for a few days.

  Grace, Jalen, and Jett left to go back to the condo. After making sure they weren’t followed, they stopped along the way to buy groceries. Justyn had said he would be making dinner—she was in the mood for steak.

  Late that afternoon, Anton Kadyrov strode into his Grandfather’s house. He was still seething over his arrest that morning. Passing through to the study, he barely noticed the fine carpets or furnishings in the rooms he went through. Finally reaching his destination, he walked in to find his grandfather sitting behind his large desk.

  Mr. Kadyrov picked up the phone and pushed one button. “Bring the meal I requested to my office,” he said, and hung up.

  “Sit and calm down. Have your meal and we will discuss what to do next.” When Anton continued to pace the room, he raised his voice, “Anton, sit down! What have I always told you? You need to have a cool head before making a decision. You have already shown me the result of your anger
without thinking. Let us improve upon those actions by using a little more intelligence with less heat!”

  Anton threw himself into a chair in front of the desk. “Sorry, Grandfather. But the Contadinas are interfering in my plans!”

  “I understand, and they will be dealt with. It is how they are dealt with that concern me. My suggestion is that the next time you make an order that your victim be made aware of exactly who ordered his pain and suffering, you also order that the information be given when he’s about to breathe his last breath.” Mr. Kadyrov stated in an angry voice.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Come.”

  A man entered carrying a tray. He placed it on the desk in front of Anton and then left, closing the door behind him.

  Anton looked up and spoke while he put his napkin in his lap. “What news of the old woman?”

  “Our men went by her shop. They were able to gain entry rather easily for a jeweler’s. They found the place stripped to the floorboards. Not a sign of her. There was a chair lift on the stairs, so she is handicapped in some way. Word from the neighboring businesses is that she has been reunited with a long-lost sister and left to move in with her,” said Vasily.

  “Have you started a background check?”

  “Yes, we’ll know where she is soon enough. She has to contact the State’s Attorney’s office to give a statement. If all else fails, Olga will bring her to us. You will agree to participate in a line-up and we’ll make sure she’s followed from the police station. She won’t live to testify. Olga was able to make sure you weren’t charged on the attempted murder so we have time to take care of Ron. He’s currently still in the hospital; I’m told his knee is broken.”

  “What about Grace’s men; have we been able to get anything on them? Even if they are connected, I’m still taking them down,” said Anton.

  “As is your right; they should not have interfered in your pleasures. Unfortunately, the tiny village they are from in Northern Italy was buried in an avalanche three years ago. They are not citizens of this country and have been here a very short time. I’m waiting to hear from the local Cosa Nostra; if they are connected, we’ll know by the end of the week. I’d like to avoid a war when you take her,” he said. Looking up at the anger in Anton’s eyes, he added, “Don’t worry, all we need is a thread and we will quickly unravel the story of their lives. Let us take care and plan something a little more elegant than thugs in an alley. They may have information we can use.”