Stealing the Moon & Stars

by Sally J. Smith

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that one.” Ann’s tone was so dry it made Jordan want to go get a drink of water.

  “So between Emmett and me, the money began to flow out of the foundation coffers. Ray set up a bank account for this fictitious company Lenncore Systems. He was smart about it too. After I did it once, it was easy to take more. I figured I could replace it before anyone noticed. Instead, I had more gambling losses and just got in deeper.”

  He coughed and winced at the jarring of his shoulder.

  Sharon held a glass of water to his lips so he could take a sip. She was quiet, but her eyes still glistened with tears.

  “Do you need a break?” Ann asked.

  He shook his head and took a few shallow breaths. “It was working real slick. We sent Lenncore invoices to accounts payable. They sent money to the Lenncore account. Tanner took it out of the account and paid Owen Shetland. I figured it was working okay. I was paying back my debt. Then things changed. Ray said they needed more, so we began to submit bigger invoices and took out more money. When Emmett saw what was going on, he wanted more too. It got out of hand. This prima donna, Karla Simpson, noticed the discrepancies, and it all unraveled.”

  Milo’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I found out Shetland was behind it all along. He kept asking for more and more. Pretty soon there was nothing left for Emmett. He got pissed off enough to squeal. Ray heard over the bug on Emmett’s phone he was going to blow the deal to you.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he gulped. “Tanner told me there was a contract out on Emmett. It’s the exact word he used, contract.”

  He stopped talking and closed his eyes.

  They waited.

  A big old crocodile tear rolled down his cheek. “Owen summoned me to his house. He told me he needed more money to take over the operation from some guy named Vercelli, and that it was time to hit the foundation accounts big time. Two and a half mil, three, more if he could get it. I said, ‘Oh my God. You can’t do that.’ He just looked at me, you know. Guys like him, they do whatever they damn well want and usually get away with it. Two days later, yesterday, Tanner bit the dust. That night, they mowed down Emmett like a bad patch of crab grass.”

  A sob snuck out.

  Sharon matched it with a sniffle.

  “Today I found out the foundation accounts were frozen. Shetland won’t be getting any more money, and me? I’m screwed. He called me and told me how Ray Tanner isn’t around because he was too stupid to live. He told me to keep my mouth shut or I’ll end up like Ray.” He lay back. “It doesn’t matter what I say or do. If he wants me dead, I’m going to end up dead.”

  Jordan shuddered. His remark landed close to home.

  “Let me see if I’ve got this straight.” Ann broke the silence. “You and Ray Tanner instigated an embezzlement scheme against the Moon and Stars Children’s Cancer Foundation at the behest of Owen Shetland then brought Emmett Sullivan into it. Emmett was going to rat you out, so Tanner and Shetland set him up to be road kill. Shetland began tying up loose ends in preparation for a multi-million dollar theft and had Tanner murdered. The caper fell apart. You landed here with a bullet hole. I assume you believe this trip to the hospital is also courtesy of Mr. Shetland.”

  “Got me coming out of the Indian casino.” Milo looked forlorn. “Any chance I can get immunity for testifying and we,” he glanced at Sharon, “could go into witness protection? Maybe he won’t find me. Maybe I can stay alive.” Milo tested a smile. It was pitiful.

  “Do you have firsthand knowledge or physical evidence implicating Owen Shetland in Tanner’s murder?”

  “No, not really.”

  Ann shook her head. “All you have to offer is admission of your guilt, along with a lot of hearsay.” She didn’t even look sympathetic. “It’s not up to me, but I’m guessing the answer is no, Milo. They don’t give immunity and a new identity for turning yourself in. Gotta come up with something better.”

  Sharon wailed like a hound baying at the moon.

  Milo dropped his chin onto his chest, which must have hurt because he winced and lifted it again. “Wait. What about the burglary?”

  “Burglary?”

  “Yeah. The lady detective here took my company laptop out of the office. I got scared she’d find something, so I went to see Shetland over at the Sunset Gentlemen’s Club and told him about it. He called over these two guys and told them to take me to her office and get it. I was with them when they broke in. That’s firsthand knowledge, isn’t it?”

  Ann looked dubious.

  He repeated, “Isn’t it?”

  Ann at least seemed interested. “Look, Wachowski, I’m not the DA, but this is getting more interesting. They might be willing to cut some kind of deal with you.” She looked at Jordan. “Anything else?”

  Jordan did have one question. “Who planted the bugs at my house?”

  “Tanner set up the monitor on Sullivan’s office, maybe the rest too. Not sure.” Milo looked miserable.

  “Who ordered the hit on Jordan?” Eddie kept his voice calm and low, probably trying not to scare the crap out of Milo.

  “I don’t know anything about that,” Milo whimpered. At the moment, he looked like little more than a skunk with his leg caught in a trap. “You gotta get me a deal with the DA. They’ll kill me if I don’t get some protection.”

  Jordan shrugged and looked at Eddie.

  Eddie shrugged. “Milo’s right. He’s already said they are tying up loose ends. Shetland will try again.” The hard look he gave Jordan told her he wasn’t just talking about Milo.

  “We’ll put a team on the door here.” Ann signaled a nearby cop, who reached for his phone and turned away. “When you’re released, we’ll see what can be done to protect you further. You’ll survive to go to trial, or if you make a deal, you’ll survive to testify. Haven’t lost anyone yet.”

  Eddie shook his head. “There’s always a first time.”

  Jordan elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Wait,” Milo said.

  They all turned back to him.

  “I don’t know if this helps, but Tanner said Shetland doesn’t trust banks, so he pigeon-holed the cash from the foundation in a safe at his house. His personal laptop is in that safe too. I know. I saw him take it out once. Plenty of evidence there. Software, emails, plans to execute his scheme—now that’s what I call firsthand knowledge.”

  Without another word, Ann, Jordan and Eddie walked out of the room.

  Milo called after them. “It’s good, right? Wait.”

  They stopped outside the door.

  “I’ll get a warrant for Shetland’s place and put a call in to the DA. He’ll want to oversee this. Shetland’s a known associate of Anthony Vercelli. Taking him down will earn lots of brownie points.” Ann walked away as she dialed her cellphone.

  Eddie lowered his voice. “Jordan, we can’t wait for a bunch of paperwork garbage. We have to go now.”

  “Why?”

  “We just do.”

  “What haven’t you told me?”

  He raked his hand along his stubbled jaw. “I went to see Vercelli last night before I came back to pick you up. We talked about Shetland. It’s possible he warned him. Shetland could rabbit. Hell, he may have already.”

  “Why would … I don’t understand.”

  It was as if she hadn’t spoken. “Shetland isn’t going to walk away from this. No way. Not after ….” Eddie’s eyes were hard, his expression grim. “Warrant and the DA. How long will it take Ann to get those things?”

  Jordan checked her watch. Three-thirty. “It’s the middle of the night as far as the courts are concerned. They won’t consider this life or death. The warrant will wait until the judges come in, after eight-thirty or nine, anyway.”

  “That’s too long. Are you with me?”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  CHAPTER 38

  Eddie and his crew wore black Lycra pants and long-sleeved black pullovers so tight they could have been spray-painte
d on.

  Jordan wore black too—knit pants and a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt. Her clothes weren’t quite as tight.

  Eddie had shown up at her house dressed and ready to go while she was still trying to find the most efficient clothing for the job at hand.

  When she asked his opinion, he patiently explained, “Dark, flexible, and close to the body, like mine.”

  Her eyes swept him. “How am I supposed to think straight with you looking like the ninja of my fantasies?”

  “You have ninja fantasies?” He whistled. “Wow. You’ll have to tell me about them sometime.”

  In the end she located suitable dark, flexible, close to the body clothing, and they left for the Shea office.

  Now all five gathered around the conference table, dominated by a set of blueprints to Owen Shetland’s big hacienda-style house in Paradise Valley. Each man offered a particular expertise for the plan.

  Tank said, “The security system is an XT Forty-four Zero, a cinch to disarm if you have the equipment. We have the equipment.”

  Diego said, “Three of us go in silent, use tranquilizer darts on Owen Shetland and any guards, crack the safe and get what we came for. Quick in. Quick out. Clean.”

  Muggs said, “The safe’s in the master bedroom. That’s where the evidence will be.”

  Around her the vibrations accelerated. It was like watching ball players psych each other up for the big game. She didn’t feel like an outsider. While she wasn’t one of the guys, she was one of the team.

  The men were armed for a major operation. Eddie slipped a wicked Bowie knife and his Glock into his belt.

  Jordan eyed the weapons with concern. “You won’t need those, will you?”

  “Nah.” Eddie shrugged. “I just always figured the Boy Scouts got it right.” His voice was casual, but something about the look passing between Eddie and the other three bothered her.

  Jordan checked the safety on the firearm holstered at her waist.

  Eddie pulled her aside. “You definitely won’t need yours. You’re staying with Tank, remember?”

  She pouted. “But, Eddie, I—”

  “Hey, none of that. I don’t want you anywhere near his house. Don’t push it, or I’ll leave you here. I mean it. I don’t like the way you look.”

  “Sweet talk, Eddie?”

  He squinted. “You sure you’re even up to riding along? Of course you’re sure you’re up to it, whether you are or not. What am I? Crazy?”

  “Sweetie, there isn’t time right now to debate your mental stability. Maybe later.”

  He didn’t smile.

  Truth was, she didn’t feel so hot. She’d skipped a pain pill to stay sharp, and she was as bone-tired and bruised as a post-battle gladiator.

  When Tank, Muggs, and Diego showed up at the office with the plans to Shetland’s place and intimate knowledge of his security, both electronic and human, it caught her by surprise.

  “When did they do all this?” she asked Eddie.

  “They’ve been gathering info since Thursday night.”

  Admittedly, it turned out to be a good idea, but … “Why?”

  “I asked them to. I needed it.” He picked up a couple of nylon duffels and walked out to his truck.

  The mood Eddie was in, Jordan considered herself lucky not to be handcuffed to a chair in the office. His stress level seemed uncharacteristically off the charts and he made it clear he didn’t want an “injured female” in the way. Sexism. Something else out of the norm.

  Jordan did as she was asked. She waited with Tank in Eddie’s monster truck, half a block away from Shetland’s place. The other three men were diving head first into a shark tank. The last thing Eddie needed tonight was a distraction.

  Thick rainclouds veiled the moon. A moist breeze chilled her, but the pseudo-ninja outfit kept her from being too cold.

  The guys would be warmer. They had stretch hoods and only the upper parts of their faces were exposed.

  The plan was simple.

  She checked the time again. Five forty-five a.m.—still dark, but it would be sunrise before long.

  Diego and Muggs would be making their way through the undisturbed desert area behind the Shetland estate. They’d go over the unalarmed back perimeter wall.

  Eddie would have taken cover to wait for a signal telling him that the alarm system was disabled.

  Guards in front and back would then be shot with darts, as would Owen.

  Eddie would crack the safe to make sure the computer and cash were available when the police arrived.

  Simple, right?

  “It shouldn’t take ’em long.” Tank probably thought she was nervous.

  She was.

  “The recon was real thorough,” he added.

  The plans on the conference table indicated a two-acre complex in the less ostentatious section of Paradise Valley. The residence behind the six-foot walls was older, but Diego said it had recently undergone a total renovation. Eddie knew what he was talking about when he said Vercelli paid his people well. Then again, they already knew Shetland to be a thief, even outside his job with Vercelli.

  Vercelli.

  Something Eddie said earlier still nagged at her: “I went to see Vercelli last night before I came back to pick you up. We talked about Shetland.”

  Why did Eddie need to see Vercelli about Shetland? Why would he have the crew gather plans and other information about Shetland’s place? Did he plan to visit Shetland even before Milo Wachowski confirmed Shetland’s involvement? It didn’t make sense, did it? Not unless …

  “Oh my God.”

  Revenge. Eddie was after revenge. He’d gone to see Vercelli to get permission to kill Shetland.

  Pop!

  Her head jerked up. Gunshot?

  Tank started the truck, threw it into gear, and smashed his foot on the accelerator. The truck shot forward.

  Diego’s voice came over the earbud she wore. “Tank. Get in here. Something’s wrong.”

  Tank stood on the brakes in front of the house. They threw open the truck doors and ran straight to the entrance.

  “Where y’all at?” Tank spoke into the mic clipped to his shirt.

  “Back,” Diego hissed.

  Tank and Jordan went into the house through the front door, drawn guns in constant sweep.

  It was dark, apart from the glow of art lighting and digital displays on various electronics. They entered into a foyer of some sort beyond which the house opened up into a great room with enormous windows. Tank went in that direction.

  Jordan took two steps to follow but stopped at the sound of low voices from the other direction.

  She turned and tiptoed down a long hallway. She hadn’t forgotten the gunshot.

  Light came through a pair of open double doors. She flattened herself against the wall.

  A male voice. “Imagine my surprise finding you here … and in such a compromising position. I could tie you up and leave you. Let the cops deal with all this. See how you like it on the inside.”

  Eddie’s voice was steady. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, Tony. That includes you. Knock yourself out.”

  LaSalle. Tony LaSalle was with Eddie. So Vercelli had warned Owen Shetland after all, even sent his number one man to protect him.

  “I don’t think so,” LaSalle went on. “That three year stretch I did for you? It really pissed me off, Marino. I’m not the forgiving sort. One of my many shortcomings. I think I’ll just shoot you after all.”

  “Vercelli won’t like it.”

  A few beats went by before LaSalle answered. “Who’s to say you didn’t get caught in the crossfire?”

  Jordan slid to a crouch and snuck a quick peek around the doorjamb.

  Eddie stood beside an enormous unmade bed, hands clasped behind his head as LaSalle pointed a gun at him.

  Between them, Owen Shetland was sprawled, motionless, on the plush white carpet, a stain of deep red spreading out beneath him.

  “Drop it, LaSalle!
” Jordan yelled and launched herself across the open space to the far side of the doors, staying low and moving fast.

  LaSalle fired and missed. He wasn’t even close.

  At the sound of the two men hitting the floor, Jordan moved into the room, gun poised.

  Eddie, who had LaSalle pinned, was pummeling him with his fists.

  LaSalle bucked, threw Eddie off and rolled to his side. The two were so tangled up, Jordan couldn’t draw a bead without risking Eddie.

  “Jordan? Eddie?” Muggs yelled from somewhere in the house.

  “Lights down the hall.” Diego’s voice was just as loud.

  LaSalle’s free hand found his gun beside him. He slammed it against the side of Eddie’s head then threw it at Jordan. She lurched back to avoid the flying pistol.

  LaSalle sprang to his feet and hurled himself through the open French doors on the far side of the room.

  Jordan dropped to her knees beside Eddie just as Tank, Muggs, and Diego barreled into the room. Tank knelt beside her. Muggs and Diego gave chase out the doors.

  Eddie was conscious but groggy. Jordan and Tank got him up and sat him on the bed.

  Jordan couldn’t take her eyes off Shetland. In the quiet aftermath, his heavy cologne assaulted her. “Is he dead?”

  Eddie nodded. “I checked for a pulse when I got here. Couldn’t find one.”

  His hands were smeared with blood.

  “Eddie, did you …?” She had trouble getting it out. “Did you kill Shetland?”

  He lifted his face to her. It was unreadable. “I wish I had.”

  CHAPTER 39

  Three one-man units from the Paradise Valley PD and a team of detectives showed up fifteen minutes after Jordan put in a call at six-thirty. The sky was just beginning to lighten over the Superstition Mountains.