Chapter 29
Washington, D.C.
Angelo waited in the quiet of his auto parts warehouse, the only sound the rumble of traffic from outside the loading dock roll-up doors. Soft light filtered through a row of high, grimy windows, providing some dim illumination of the industrial space. One of his men had brought him a cup of strong coffee from an old-fashioned neighborhood café that featured Illy Italian espresso – his favorite. He sipped at it, savoring the rich brew, his expression pensive.
A door at the back of the warehouse opened and footsteps approached. Two of his lieutenants arrived with Maggie, the madame of the Number Seven bordello, who appeared petrified. Angelo offered a smile to soften the awkward situation and indicated a chair on the opposite side of the table. Maggie took a seat and eyed him in fear. Angelo sat forward and waved his lieutenants away and, once they had retreated to the office area, spoke in a reserved voice.
“We have a situation, Maggie.”
“What is it, Angelo? Why did you have those goons bring me to this place?”
“The footage you took of the girl being strangled. It’s being used to blackmail the man in the film. A very bad idea. Do you know anything about that?” he asked.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Of course not. I downloaded it myself and then erased it from the hard disk. And I brought it to you.”
“Was it ever out of your sight?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Is it possible that someone could have retrieved the erased file?”
“They’d have to have gotten access to the server, which isn’t connected to the internet. So no, I don’t think so.”
“I’m in a very difficult position, Maggie. The man is powerful and is helping me with some business. Someone is blackmailing him for half a million dollars.”
“Could it be from your end?”
Angelo shook his head. “We already checked that out. It isn’t. Which leaves…you.”
Maggie frowned. “Damn. The two technicians who were working the camera room quit the next day. It’s got to be them. I didn’t think that much of it, just figured they couldn’t handle the job after seeing what happened…but one of them must have copied it before I made it to the server room.”
Angelo’s expression hardened. “Who are they?”
“They’ve worked for me for over a year. They were recommended by the company that set up the system – the company you recommended,” she said, the accusation clear. “If they’re doing something bad, it isn’t on me, Angelo. That wouldn’t be right, to blame me. I got nothing to do with it. I swear.”
“We’ve known each other a long time, Maggie. Lot of water under the bridge. I got no beef with you. It has to be them. You got names and addresses?”
“Yeah, sure. Of course. Ron and Lenny. I don’t remember their last names offhand, but I got them on file. I can call you with the info when I get back to the place.”
Angelo took a long sip of coffee. “Could they have anything else on you?”
“I would have said no, but after this…”
“Probably a good idea to assume they might have other incriminating footage. For all we know, they’ve blackmailed other customers.”
Maggie shook her head. “Nobody’s said a word, and nobody suddenly stopped coming. My bet is this is a one-off. They got some bright idea about winning the lottery, placed the guy’s face, and decided to make a big score.”
“Bad bet,” Angelo said.
“No question. But that’s the only answer. And it explains why they quit.”
Angelo sat in silence for several moments. A truck drove by on the street outside, the roar of its exhaust echoing through the brick building. Silence descended over the area again after it passed.
“Anyone else I’d put through the wringer, Maggie. But we have a history. I believe you.”
She exhaled in relief. “I got no reason to lie to you, Angelo. You been good to me. I’d never do anything to screw you over.”
“I know that. Tell you what. I’ll have the boys take you back to Number Seven, and you call me with the information. Then forget we ever discussed this. I’ll take it from there.”
“You’re not angry I didn’t catch this?”
“You had no way of knowing, Maggie. Can’t be everywhere at once. This isn’t on you. It just happened, that’s all. Don’t sweat it.”
Maggie took Angelo’s hands in hers from across the table. “Thank you, Angelo. And…thank you for doing this the easy way.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Maggie. We’re both getting too old for that kind of thing. Besides, if I can’t trust you, who can I trust?”
“I appreciate that. I’ll never let you down. Not ever.”
Angelo pulled his hands free and slapped one down on the table, sending a shudder through it. “Good. Then it’s settled.” He angled his head toward the office. “Boys? Take Maggie back, will you?”
The lieutenants joined them a half minute later, and Angelo rose to embrace Maggie. After a hug, he nodded to the taller of the pair, and they escorted her back to their vehicle, leaving Angelo alone to brood in the gloom. He felt for his cigar and sniffed it, and then slid it back into his breast pocket, mulling over how to proceed.
Angelo was still sitting like that when Maggie’s call came in a half hour later. He scribbled down the names and addresses, and then thanked her before asking to talk to one of his lieutenants. When the man came on the line, Angelo spoke softly.
“I changed my mind. Don’t do anything,” he said, and then hung up.
When the lieutenants returned, he handed them Ron and Lenny’s address – the pair lived together. “Find them and bring them to me.”
“You got it, boss.”
The day wore on, and Angelo took calls from his various capos, deciding how to handle the problems that arose when operating a criminal syndicate. He only left the building for lunch at a soul food restaurant a block and a half away, one of his favorites, the owner a longtime acquaintance whose business he’d helped fund. Angelo had no fear in the rough neighborhood, where his reputation was well known among the local gangs, to whom he supplied weapons and narcotics. He was as safe as in his living room in one of the most dangerous areas of the city, and the thought always made him smile on the walk to the restaurant.
Hours passed, and the sky slowly darkened from steel gray to plum. When twilight had faded to night, the lieutenants returned with glum expressions. Angelo invited them to sit, and they filled him in.
“No sign of them, boss. We asked around the neighborhood joints, too. Nothing. They ain’t been around for days, according to the lady who runs the corner market.” The lieutenant paused. “We got into the apartment. Looks like they lit out and took everything. No clothes left, nothing but some broken dope pipes and a few sodas in the fridge.”
Angelo considered for a moment. “Tomorrow’s the deadline for the drop. Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll take them. These are amateurs. They won’t be expecting us, just the mark. Put together a team. Figure three lookouts, a guy to make the drop – older, so he looks like our man – and a snatch group. We need them alive. We have to get their copy of the video, or this could start all over again…or worse.”
The lieutenants nodded and stood. Angelo looked them over and grunted. “I’m staying in town to supervise. I don’t want any mistakes. We have a lot riding on doing this right, so get the best. And have someone at the phone company get us their cells for the local flatfoots to run.” Maggie had given him their contact information at the apartment, but didn’t have their cell numbers. Angelo figured there was no way two entrepreneurial young fellows wouldn’t have phones. It would take some time to get the information, but a few hundred dollars could shake almost anything loose.
“You got it, boss. We’ll fly in whoever we need.”
“Whole nine yards. Night vision gear, stun guns, snipers.”
One of the lieutenants grinned, revealing crooked yellow teeth. �
��I’m on it. They don’t stand a chance.”
“See that they don’t. Now go. I’ll close up.”
He watched the men leave and tossed his empty cups in the garbage, thinking through the logistics of intercepting the blackmailers at the drop. If it were his play, he’d wait until only an hour before the drop to call the congressman and give him instructions on where to leave the money.
Winters was smart, and Angelo would coach him on demanding how he could be assured that he would get the original of the video if he cooperated. The blackmailers probably hadn’t thought that through, so it might buy Angelo’s team more time. Even if it didn’t, they’d be prepared for anything. He had access to the best: ex-cops, former commandos, hit men who’d killed more than he’d met in a lifetime.
One way or another, he would put the situation to bed the following evening.
He smiled to himself as he pulled the steel warehouse door closed and locked the deadbolt. His rental car was parked on the street, unmolested in a slum where every surface but the warehouse was tagged with graffiti, his unblemished building further testament to his power.
Tomorrow would be a bad day for Ron and Lenny, he thought.
Chapter 30
Emeryville, California
Adam was waiting for Leah in the company parking lot on Saturday morning with two polystyrene cups of coffee in hand. She parked beside his Audi and climbed out of the CR-V, the morning sun warming her skin on the cloudless day.
“Hope you like it with some cream and a couple of sugars,” Adam said, handing her one of the cups.
“I’ll manage to choke it down,” Leah said. “Thanks. Which car are we taking?”
“We can go in mine,” Adam said, indicating the sedan.
He moved to the passenger door and held it open for her and, once she was seated, rounded the front and slipped behind the wheel. The powerful engine started with a roar and then settled into a purr as he backed out of the spot and piloted it onto the street.
The trip across the Bay Bridge took half the time it had taken Leah on a weekday, and soon they were rolling toward the Marina district.
“So what’s the story on this guy?” Leah asked.
“Bernard Clemmons. Sixty-seven, graduate of MIT, formerly with DEC and IBM before starting several marginally successful start-ups, and finally, Terra Megatrends – his last company. Now retired. Never married. Originally from Connecticut.”
“So a wire head,” Leah said, and then remembered who she was talking to. “No offense.”
Adam smiled. “None taken. I’m a proud nerd, not a self-hating one.”
She snuck a glance at Adam, who looked as little like a nerd as she could imagine. “That’s very enlightened of you.”
“I’ve embraced my inner geek,” he said. They laughed, and she checked the time on her phone.
“We’re early.”
“We can always kill twenty minutes at a coffee shop or something. Rather be early than late.”
“You should do the talking, establish rapport, that kind of thing, since you both speak tech,” she said. “I’ll jump in if I have specific questions.”
“That’ll work. Although I’m not a trained interrogator like you.”
“Which is why I’m with you. Just probe for as much background as you can get. Like maybe what Terra Megatrends actually does.”
“I figured that would be a good place to start.” He looked over at Leah. “What’s our cover story, anyway? We’re doing a feature on…what?”
“Might as well tell the truth. We’re doing a feature on Valley VC funds, and Richard’s is one of them. Thought we would talk to some of the success stories. That sort of thing.”
“That sounds believable. What if he asks what other funds we’re spotlighting?”
“Name a couple of the big ones you know. That should satisfy his curiosity.”
“Let’s hope so, anyway. If I start to stumble, step in.”
“I got your back.”
They burned much of their early arrival looking for a parking place, and eventually found one three blocks away from Clemmons’s address. They walked along the Marina Green, where children were flying colorful kites in a spirited breeze, the bay sparkling blue on the far side of the verdant expanse.
“This is gorgeous,” Leah said. “I’ve never been out here before.”
“It’s some of the most expensive real estate in the city,” Adam said. “This and Pacific Heights.”
“I can see why.”
Clemmons’s home turned out to be a newly constructed contemporary affair, all angles and steel and glass. Adam rang the bell, and the frantic barking of a small dog answered before falling silent. The door opened and a white-haired man wearing a dark blue sailor’s sweater and dun-colored pants smiled at them, a miniature dachshund in his arms.
“Bernard Clemmons?” Adam asked.
“The one and only,” he replied. “And this is Corky. Watch out or she’ll bloody your ankles if you make a threatening move.”
Leah chuckled, and Adam introduced her. Clemmons shook her hand briefly over the dog and then stepped aside. “Come in. I was just making tea. You want some? It’s quite good.”
Adam shook his head. “No, thanks, Mr. Clemmons. Leah?”
“Sure. I’d love some.”
“Let me show you to the living room, and I’ll bring you a cup,” Clemmons said.
The house was thoughtfully furnished in décor that matched the architecture. Leah and Adam took a seat on a contemporary caramel leather sofa, and Clemmons set Corky on the floor.
“Watch them,” he said to the dog. “They get out of line, you know what to do.”
Corky took tentative steps toward Leah, sniffed twice, and then rubbed her head against Leah’s leg, her tail fanning the air. Leah reached down and scratched her behind the ears. It was love at first touch for Corky, who plopped down beside Leah’s foot with a contented sigh as Leah petted her.
Clemmons reappeared with a cup in each hand and set one on the glass coffee table in front of them before settling into a black leather easy chair and fixing Corky with a disapproving stare. “Some guard dog you are.”
“She’s adorable,” Leah protested.
“She’s a little slut,” Clemmons corrected. “Give her attention and she’s eating out of your hand.”
“Thank you for seeing us,” Adam interjected.
“My pleasure. Although for the life of me I can’t imagine what about Terra Megatrends is newsworthy.”
“We’re doing a feature on VC-funded companies, and it was a success story for one of the funds.”
“Anything to sell papers, eh? Although I don’t imagine anyone prints news on paper anymore. I’m dating myself.”
“It’s an area of interest for our readers,” Adam said.
“Would you mind terribly if I record this?” Leah asked. “It’s more efficient than taking notes.”
“Sure. Although as I said on the phone, there isn’t a lot I can tell you.”
“You founded the company…six years ago?” Adam asked.
“That’s right. Used my own money. It started out as a four-man shop out of my garage. By the time I left, we had forty-seven employees. Wild how fast it grew.”
“What does the company do?” Adam asked.
“There’s a limit to what I can discuss. I’ve signed nondisclosure agreements that are still in effect.”
“That’s fine. Don’t say anything you don’t feel comfortable with,” Adam said.
Clemmons frowned and thought for a moment. “Terra Megatrends is involved in security software and hardware. It develops solutions for a wide variety of groups, both public and private.” He stopped. “That’s about the extent of what I can share. I’m sorry. I know it’s just one step above saying that it does ‘stuff,’ but I have to be careful.”
“Security software and hardware. Like encryption? Virus protection? Malware scanning?”
“All of the above, although the encrypti
on side never was particularly viable, as far as I could see. But with hacking a very real threat, and so many servers subject to penetration, I can understand why it’s still in that business.”
“Can you tell us some of the clients?”
Clemmons shook his head. “Afraid not. That’s confidential.”
“Products?” Adam tried.
“Can’t go into detail beyond what I said.”
“And you left the company a year and a half ago?”
“That’s correct. I had a health issue, and after I recovered, I realized it was time to smell the roses instead of living under fluorescent lights the rest of my life.” He rolled his eyes. “Lord knows I wasted enough of it doing that.”
“So you sold your stake and you’re now completely out,” Adam stated.
“And never happier.”
They discussed the company in general terms, and Clemmons continued to politely stonewall any of Adam’s attempts at specificity in terms of who was buying what Terra Megatrends was selling, or even who the management team at the company was. When it became obvious that he wouldn’t share anything more than his nebulous product description and target audience, Leah gave the questioning a shot, with similar results.
They were wrapping it up when Adam circled back to the encryption side of their business. “Would you say that they’re doing important work in that area?”
Clemmons laughed. “Not in my mind. Too much of this stuff is hackable, and with all the government agencies asking for back doors and the like, it’s not an area I’d have recommended investing many resources in. But it’s not my problem anymore. I did what I could to steer the company in the right direction, and now I prefer gardening and walking along the water to bureaucracy and board meetings.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us before we finish?” Leah asked.
“Not really. I don’t keep in touch with any of the team there any longer. Too many new faces, and the industry changes too fast for me to keep up.”
They thanked him for his time again, and Leah gave Corky a final belly rub before shutting off the recorder and slipping it into her purse. Outside, as they walked back to the car, Adam made a face and snorted.
A Girl Betrayed (A Leah Mason suspense thriller Book 2) Page 16