by Mike Ryan
“She’s gone under?”
“Gone are the days of her setting up shop in comfy hotel suites.”
“Any ideas?”
Vincent shrugged, still basically stumped. “I’ve got guys out, going through the city, trying to pick things up. So far it hasn’t turned up anything relevant.”
“Can you even narrow it down to an area?” Recker asked.
“Not at this time. We’ve gotten a few leads that looked promising, then when we investigated further, turned into nothing.”
“What about her lieutenants? I know they’re out there setting up deals, talking to people.”
“They’re operating very strategically and stealthily, because we haven’t been able to pick up their trail. Their scent is evaporating long before we get there.”
The two men sat there silently for a minute or two, both thinking about any other options they could suggest. It really all came down to just finding where Nowak was operating from these days. Until they found that, nothing could be done. Before finishing up their business and going their separate ways for the time being, Recker wanted to bring up Tyrell’s situation.
“You heard about what happened to Tyrell?”
By the look on Vincent’s face, it was clear he had not. He scrunched his eyebrows together and had a hazy kind of look in his eyes. “I have not. What about him?”
“He was shot. Several times.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. When did this happen?”
“Apparently happened last night.”
“That’s terrible. Is he OK?”
“Looks like he’s gonna make it but he’ll be out of commission for a little while.”
“Any idea who was responsible for the attack?”
“It was Nowak,” Recker replied.
“Why? Why target him?”
“I believe she was using him to get to me.”
“So, is that your reason for getting involved?”
“No, it goes deeper than that. Even if it hadn’t happened, I would still be here having this conversation with you. But it does give me a little extra motivation.”
“Understood. So, if I pick up anything on where Nowak might be, I’ll fill you in, and I would expect you would do the same?”
“I will.”
“Good. There’s no need for either of us to do this alone. Together we can be a powerful force the likes of which she has never seen.”
Recker wasn’t sure about all that bravado, but he didn’t really want to argue the point either. All he cared about was getting the job done. They sat and talked a few more minutes before finally going their separate ways.
Once out of the diner, Recker got back in his car and drove off. He pulled over a few minutes later, once he was well out of sight from the diner and pulled out his phone to call Jones.
“I take it you had a nice breakfast,” Jones said.
“Don’t get cute.”
“Did you break eggs together and sing chummy songs?”
“Since when did you get this sarcastic streak in you?”
Jones laughed. “Why should I let you have all the fun?”
“Uh huh. Anyway, I just finished up.”
“And how did it go?”
“Just like we assumed it would,” Recker said. “He’s not gonna turn down help from us. If either of us get something on Nowak, we’ll let the other one know.”
“Did he have any new information for us?”
“Nope. Doesn’t have a clue where she is.”
“Has he been even trying?”
“Yeah, he’s gotten some leads, checked them out, they’ve all come up empty. He’s got people out on the street checking, they just haven’t turned up anything yet.”
“I assume it’s going to fall on us then.”
“Doesn’t it always?” Recker asked.
“Unfortunately. it seems that way.”
“Hey, would you want it any other way?”
“I have a feeling my answer will differ from yours.”
Recker laughed. “Once again, doesn’t it always?”
15
They spent the next few days checking what leads they could find, which was admittedly not many. What made it more difficult was that they didn’t have Tyrell’s eyes and ears on the street. He was as good as there was at finding little nuggets of information. Not having him out there was a big loss for the team. Recker and Jones were in the office, using the computers to try and find a digital trace of any known associate of Nowak’s. Haley was hitting the streets, trying to fill Tyrell’s void, though he obviously didn’t have the same amount of connections. And it showed since he wasn’t coming up with anything either.
“I think in the future it might be beneficial to try and create some more contacts on the level of Tyrell, so we’re not caught flat-footed again,” Jones said.
“Tyrell’s on a level all his own. We’re not getting anyone else on his level.”
“OK. Let me rephrase that. How about, finding anyone, on any level, who can do the things he does, so we’re not caught flat-footed again?”
“Problem is if you have too many guys running around doing that, then it’s too many and they start running into each other and start fighting with each other for the scoop.”
“I’m not talking about having a legion of informants on the street you know, I’m only talking about having one or two more guys.”
Recker stopped typing and looked over at his partner strangely. “Weren’t you always the guy who wanted to rely less on people and more on your computers? When we started this thing, didn’t you try to tell me not to go out on the street and talk as much to cultivate contacts? Wasn’t that you?”
Jones rolled his eyes, not liking his words being thrown back at him all these years later, even though they were true. “OK, I may have said that at one time…”
“Actually, I think it was several times.”
“I may have thought and said that at numerous points in time, but I have obviously come around to your way of thinking and realized that sometimes you just need eyes and ears on the street. Does that make you feel better?”
“Actually, it does, yeah, just a little.”
They continued jabbing at each other for a few more minutes, but after a while, Recker realized that Jones wasn’t really paying much attention to him. At first, he just shrugged it off and figured it was just Jones getting wrapped up in his work and not listening anymore. But after listening to Jones mumble to himself, Recker thought he might have come up with something.
“You all right?” Recker asked.
“Wait a minute,” Jones said hopefully, just speaking out loud. He didn’t even hear Recker’s question. “Just wait a minute.”
“OK.” Recker didn’t realize his friend wasn’t actually talking to him. After a minute, he got tired of waiting. “What? What is it?”
“Just wait a minute,” Jones said, this time hearing Recker speak, though he wasn’t listening to his words.
“You already said that. What’s the problem?”
Jones finally heard Recker’s words this time and snapped his head toward him. “Hmm? Oh, what?”
“Should I just send you an email?”
“What? Why?”
Recker shook his head. “Never mind. Have you come up with something?”
Jones turned back to his computer as he continued reading the information. “I’m not sure.”
“Well you must have gotten something. Sounds like you discovered something, unless you were just looking at your family tree or something.”
“Uhh, I’m not sure yet.”
“David, will you stop speaking cryptically and just tell me what you’re looking at?”
“Oh. Well, I’m looking at this one property that’s been vacant for three or four years now. It’s down by the stadiums.”
“OK,” Recker said. “What about it?”
“Well it’s been vacant, like I said, there’s a bunch of buildings in there, completely f
enced, you know, those high chain-link voltage fences…”
“Yes, I know.”
“There’s a few buildings in there… none of them connected, you know, their own separate space. I think there’s a couple of warehouse type buildings that trucks can back up to for loading purposes, and a few smaller office type buildings… I think four or five buildings in total, set back a distance from the street.”
Recker sighed and looked up, frustrated that Jones just spent a few minutes talking without telling him anything. “I know the area, I know the spot you’re talking about. What about it?”
“Oh, well, the property was just purchased about three weeks ago.”
“So?”
“Well what’s odd is the company that purchased it is virtually unknown.”
“New companies form all the time,” Recker said.
“But I can’t find anything about this company that dates back farther than two months ago when it was formed. I can’t find anything else about them. Strange that their first known transaction is a property like that.”
“I dunno. Doesn’t seem strange to me. If you want to operate a business, you need a place to do it in.”
“That’s not the only odd thing though,” Jones said. “It appears the owners don’t have much of a history either. I can’t seem to find anything about them prior to them forming the company.”
Recker moved his seat closer to Jones so he could take a look for himself. Even if Jones was correct in his suspicions that something was amiss, it didn’t mean it had anything to do with Nowak. And it might not have been anything at all. Sometimes people who were well known would buy things under a different company name to disguise who was the true owner for competitive reasons and to get a leg up on their competition.
“So, what are you thinking?” Recker asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I can’t find anything related to the building after the sale since then. You would think that new owners, if they plan on using the facilities, usually want to renovate the property to suit them and their business needs. But I can’t find any other business accounts that are in their name. Supplies, materials, nothing.”
“Could be they’re still taking their time.”
“Perhaps.”
Recker and Jones continued checking the backgrounds on the new owners of record of the property near the sports stadiums. They were still digging an hour later when Haley returned to the office. Jones had gotten him a new vehicle, the exact same as the last one. Same color, make, and style. Haley had gotten used to it and liked it, so he didn’t want to move on to something else. He saw his partners working on their computers, but didn’t think much of it, and grabbed a drink out of the refrigerator. He sat down on the couch and started drinking, Jones getting a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye.
“How’s the new car working out?” Jones asked.
“Good. But it’s the same as the last one so there’s really nothing new to get used to. New model, few new gadgets, basically the same though.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As Haley continued sipping on his soda bottle, he took a harder look at Recker and Jones. Both of whom seemed to have a little more purpose in their efforts compared to the last time he saw them a few hours ago. They both seemed to be intently looking at things.
“Is there something going on?” Haley asked.
“What do you mean?” Jones replied.
“It just seems like you guys are more… focused on something. Like, a lot more than you were before.”
Whenever Recker had his face stuck looking at the computer screen and didn’t bother to pick his head up and talk to him, that was usually a good sign for Haley that he was on to something. Otherwise, Recker usually had time for some small talk or joking around with him.
“Oh, well, yes, it looks like we have discovered something,” Jones said. “What that is exactly we’re not sure yet.”
“Well, what is it?”
Recker and Jones alternated in describing what they’d found so far.
“So, you think Nowak’s using this place as a base?” Haley asked.
“Very well might be,” Jones answered.
Recker was still a bit more skeptical. “We’ll see.”
“Well, there’s only going to be one sure way to find out.”
“Sit on it,” Haley said, guessing what Jones was inferring.
“Our favorite thing to do,” Recker replied.
“When?”
“Might as well do it now.”
Recker went over to the gun cabinet and opened it, then closed it quickly without grabbing anything. Jones looked at him strangely and wondered if something was wrong with him.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, why?” Recker replied.
“You’re not taking extra guns with you? That’s very unusual for you. Not that I’m complaining, you understand. Just saying it’s unlike you.”
Recker smirked, hating to disappoint his friend by doing something against the norm. “Nah, I just remembered I still got a bag of stuff in my car.”
Jones rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes, I should’ve guessed. I don’t know what I was thinking. Why on earth would you not have a bag of weapons already in your car?”
Recker laughed. “That’s what I said.”
Recker and Haley left the office to go down to the property in question, located in South Philadelphia. They took separate vehicles so Recker could keep an eye on the front, while Haley was set up in the back. There was a dedicated entrance in both directions. Each parked along the street, staying back as far as they could so they wouldn’t attract attention from anybody going in or out of the property.
“You in?” Recker asked, adjusting his ear piece.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Anything interesting back there?”
“Nope. You?”
“Negative.”
“You really think this is Nowak setting up shop here?” Haley asked.
“I dunno. I have my doubts. But one thing’s for sure, isn’t it?”
“What’s that?”
“She’s gotta be setting up shop somewhere.”
“Yeah, I’m just not sure this is it.”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Recker said.
“You get the feeling this is gonna be a long night?”
“These days… they all feel like long nights.”
16
Recker and Haley sat in their respective spots for three days in a row. They had yet to see any type of movement in or around the property they were staking out. Not a single body went in or out. They were starting to think it was a waste of time.
“How long we gonna keep doing this?” Haley asked.
“I dunno. I guess until we get a better lead to check on.”
“Feels like we could be doing more if we were doing something other than just sitting here.”
“I hear ya, but there’s really not a whole lot else we can do right now,” Recker said.
“I suppose not.”
Recker could hear the frustration in his partner’s voice, and he shared the same concerns, but they really didn’t have anything else to work on. Luckily, they didn’t have any other cases come up that they’d have to work on and split their time with, because they couldn’t just sit there if there were people out there that needed their help. It wasn’t until a little after ten o’clock at night that they finally got something. Along the back gate, a car pulled up. A man got out of the passenger side to unlock it.
“Hey, Mike, I got something back here,” Haley said, clearly more excitement in his voice.
“What’s up?”
“Don’t know. Car just pulled up and a man got out to unlock the gate.”
“They go in?”
“Not yet. Guy’s just kind of standing around with the gate open.”
“He’s waiting for somebody I bet,” Recker said.
Recker was right on the money. Only a few seconds later
, two more cars pulled up, driving right through the opened gates without stopping. As soon as the cars drove through, the other car did as well, and the man waiting by the gate closed it again. He remained standing by it on the inside, though he sat on a nearby chair, near what used to be a guard house, trying to remain invisible as he blended in with the darkness.
“Two more calls pulled in,” Haley said.
“Recognize anybody?”
“Nah, they were moving too fast and the windows were tinted. Couldn’t really get a good look inside. Nobody got out other than the guy that unlocked the gate and he’s too far away to make out too good.”
“You able to move in closer?”
Haley squinted his eyes, looking at the front gate, noticing that the man hadn’t left his spot.
“Uhh, I don’t think so. At least not back here. They left a guy by the gate. Maybe I can swing around to the side.”
“Just hold your spot for now,” Recker replied.
Since all the action seemed to be happening at the back gate, Recker didn’t want Haley to move from his position and potentially miss anything else happening back there. Recker looked at the front gate to see if anyone came down to guard it as well. He waited a few minutes but didn’t see anyone approach it. Of course, with it being as dark as it was, it didn’t mean someone wasn’t watching it.
“I’m gonna see if I can get in there,” Recker said.
“What are you gonna do?”
“Gonna get out my bolt cutters and get in through the side.”
“Anybody by the gate?” Haley asked.
“Can’t tell. Don’t wanna take any chances.”
Recker turned his car on without putting on his headlights and turned down a side street. There was no curb, so he pulled onto a grassy area, just beyond a clump of trees to keep himself hidden. Before getting out, Recker reached into his black bag and removed a pair of small bolt cutters. He got out of his car and hurried over to the fence, not wanting to take too long to get in there.
Recker knelt on one knee and started snipping the bottom of the fence. He cut in a rectangular pattern along the bottom, just big enough that he could slither his way through it. Once he was on the inside, he got back to one knee again, and took out his gun. He took a quick look around, then started running for the nearest building, which was some type of storage unit, while still crouching down to remain unseen. Standing at the back of the building, Recker clung to the wall as he made his way to the side. Once he got around to the front of the building, he peeked around the side, noticing the cars were parked a good distance away.