“Smith,” he replied.
Calderon looked to the other men and continued, “You take orders from me Smith now.” The remaining men were in no position to negotiate and frankly could care less who barked out orders as long as they got paid.
Calderon explained that four sheriff’s deputies were going to move the money from the warehouse to a bank in two days and he planned to take on the warehouse in thirty-four hours. It was a Saturday and he was hopeful less law enforcement members would be in the area. He escorted the men outside to show them the vehicles to be used in the mission. He also showed them other equipment and firearms they could use, should they feel it necessary.
He told the men to turn around and look at the warehouse they had just exited. “Gentlemen, look at this building. It’s an exact replica of the one we’re going to hit. My men have taken the time to add the surveillance equipment currently used to protect the warehouse. Figure out how to disable everything so the building will be easier to penetrate.”
Slowly the men broke off in smaller groups and began researching ways to breach the warehouse. While they were doing this, Calderon motioned Smith to move closer to him as he walked away from the group so they could speak privately.
Smith said to Calderon, “If the money moves in two days with only four guards protecting it, why don’t you take the money then?”
“Because based on the last few days, I’m positive there would be decoy cars and trailing vans full of SWAT operators. Knowing the money is at the warehouse makes this easier, and there’s no way they would even consider a real attack on the warehouse. Plus, having the HSI man on board gives me inside information,” replied Calderon smugly.
He nodded. “You’re probably right. We have the element of surprise and the diversion to help out as well.”
Calderon chit-chatted with his new associate awhile. He wanted to know what other abilities the man had and whether he’d make a good addition to his operations in San Diego. He learned the man had been a mercenary for hire for many years, and he spoke Spanish. Eventually, Calderon
decided the mercenary was superior to any he’d seen before. If this all worked out, Calderon was going to add him to the payroll.
Calderon looked around to ensure no one was near and said, “I’m impressed by your decision making and what you bring to the table. I’m prepared to make you a lucrative offer to join me after this job is over. However, I must warn you, you will need to be prepared to follow every order I give without questioning me.”
He raised an eyebrow and replied, “Let me guess, you want these guys wasted once they get your money back?”
“You’re quick,” replied Calderon wearing a devilish smile.
“So are you going to tell me the rest of the plan?”
“That depends on whether you feel the need to be expendable as well. I am preparing to offer you ten thousand dollars a month to join me, but I need to know you can be just as ruthless as I am.”
He grinned. “Absolutely.” He calculated various scenarios in his head considering how this would all go down. He considered, briefly, that there just may be an opportunity to walk away with thirty-million dollars. He determined Calderon was a man not to be played with, but thirty million dollars was thirty million dollars. It was definitely plenty enough money for him to disappear. I’ll play your games for now, he thought.
Calderon made plans to introduce him to the inner circle of his crew. He explained how he was always on the lookout for men he could groom. The new guy seemed to fit the bill. Nevertheless, Calderon would not hesitate to kill him should he feel threatened.
He joined back up with the men as they were strategizing. The consensus was to split the large team into two smaller teams and attack the warehouse from two points. Although the crew was assured there would be a diversion on the other side of town, they felt a secondary diversion would be needed to confuse the deputies and civilian staff. A well-timed diversion would also confuse the
responding officers once they realized the attack had commenced.
Each member of the team had a specific skill set. Some were good with weapons, others were good with explosive devices or forced breaching, and some were good at planning and tactics. The team leader was pleased with the plans. He suggested a walk through so the men would see it in action and become familiar with the nuances. He threw some curveballs at them. As the men trained and rehearsed, they provided him with a list of needed items. Once they looked good, he told them to dress down, get some food, and rest.
As the men ventured out to the streets of downtown San Diego, he jumped into a Range Rover with Calderon eager to learn where the night would take them.
Chapter 29
* * *
Sullivan burst into the conference room thinking the rest of the team would be there, but found it empty. She assumed they’d be back shortly. With the break in action, she got on a computer and started running leads she got from TFA Fakava.
Entering the name Sergio Rodriguez provided her with one hundred and thirty-three hits. Wow, that’s all, she thought condescendingly. She manipulated the ages, variations of first and last names, and limited the search to La Mesa. That trimmed the list down to a workable twenty three individuals. She grunted and assumed one of the names would connect to Jose Calderon. I’ve got nothing else to work with, she thought, this better work.
She entered each individual into various search engines and ran them for criminal history checks, previous bookings, utilities registered to them, and vehicles registered to them. Dix, Kovach, Romero, and Petersen filed into the conference room just as she was able to narrow the search down to four individuals. Not bad, she thought. She noticed the entire group looked like they were dragging. She suddenly felt exhausted too.
Kovach noticed Sullivan working feverishly on the computer. “So, did you get anything useful from the phone call earlier?” he asked.
“I sure did. I spoke to Task Force Agent Koti Fakava from the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force. He’s working a large scale narcotics case and believes the middle man up there has a source here in San Diego. Based on his investigation and phone records, he said we should be looking for a guy named Sergio Rodriguez.”
Romero interrupted Sullivan. “Oh that helps, there’s got to be several hundred men named Sergio Rodriguez here.”
Sullivan continued, “Yup. I found one hundred thirty-
three of them to be exact. While you guys were out, I was able to get the list down to four.” She was proud of herself, but didn’t need affirmation, especially from Romero, that she knew how to investigate a case. She truly enjoyed her work and it always showed.
Dix raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s pretty good. How does this Rodriguez guy fit into what we’re doing?”
“Based on what Fakava has learned, I think this guy Sergio is up high in Jose’s operation in northern California. I think if we can tie Sergio to Jose, we’d have a great chance of catching him.”
Romero interrupted. “And why is that?”
“Because if we have eyes on Sergio, he might take us right to Jose and connect the dots for us.”
Petersen, who’d previously just been listening and admiring her from behind, jumped in. “That sounds about right. I’d say she nailed this one. Jose is pretty smart. He’ll probably send Sergio and a bunch of men to retrieve the money. Once it’s secured, Jose will retrieve it and most likely deliver it to a big boss in Mexico.” Petersen could see a plan shaping up in his mind and was really hoping this case would end soon. He was thinking he’d ask Sullivan to get a coffee after this was over. The thought caused his stomach to flutter. Thinking of someone other than his ex-wife was all new to him, but he liked it.
While the team was discussing a plan, Dix noticed Kovach was on his phone and appeared to be in a heated argument with the person on the other end of the call. He finished the call and slapped the cell phone on the table in front of him. Dix was gnawing on his fingernails and wondered what the probl
em was now.
Kovach felt the stare of Dix. “Buddy, stop biting your nails and stop staring at me.”
“Sorry. I noticed you were in a heated conversation and I bite my nails when I’m stressed out.” Dix stopped biting his nails and looked patiently at Kovach.
Kovach did not like being under the microscope, especially when it was done by Bill Dix. He tried to change the focus of the conversation.
“So I just found out that Jose Calderon is having a benefit tomorrow night to raise money for a local school.” Kovach was hopeful the team members would run with this information. He was hopeful one of the team members might suggest the benefit would be a great time for Calderon to strike.
Romero grunted and said, “Well, I guess we can rule out tomorrow for the attempt on the warehouse then.”
Kovach shook his head, “You should never assume anything. The benefit is being held three blocks from the sheriff’s office warehouse. Jose could do the function and maintain contact with his men while they hit the warehouse.”
Romero turned slightly red and didn’t reply. Dix and Petersen looked at each other un-approvingly. Neither one of them would have tried to embarrass one of their men like Kovach had just done, but they both agreed with what he said.
Dix looked over the group. “I’m thinking we need to make a plan immediately because I think Calderon’s men will hit the warehouse during the event. It gives him an alibi if the job goes wrong and allows him to be close by to slip out a few minutes to get the cash should it be successful. If it were me, I’d secure the cash at the benefit then split town.”
Sullivan said, “I’ve talked to the warehouse deputies, the administration staff, and the other HSI agents in the area. We’re planning to all meet in three hours to game plan the warehouse situation. I’ll take Dix with me and we will use that time to hopefully locate and verify which Sergio Rodriguez may be involved with Calderon,” she looked at Romero and Petersen, “I figured you guys could finish the operations plan for the briefing in three hours and gather whatever equipment we’ll need.” Sullivan thought she sounded good giving out orders and could see on the faces of Dix and Petersen that they were impressed.
Dix said, “Well, you heard the agent, pound pavement. We meet back here in three hours. With a little luck, Sullivan and I will finish early so I can catch a cat nap. I’m getting too old for this nonsense.”
Petersen couldn’t resist. “What do you mean getting old? You are old.”
The team laughed together. They grabbed their gear and started to head out.
Kovach’s mind was working overtime and he realized he had missed most of the end of the conversation. He needed to know what was going on if he was to keep three or four steps ahead of them.
Kovach blurted, “I missed who’s doing what.”
Sullivan filled him in as to who was doing what as they walked down the hall to the elevators. He approved of the assignments and told them he would check on the surveillance units at El Diablo and Calderon’s home.
Kovach stopped short of the elevators to speak to the Resident Agent in Charge. He didn’t particularly care for his boss, but if he didn’t give him an update, he’d be calling him every five minutes asking for one.
As the doors shut to the elevator Kovach told his team, “Be careful out there, these guys are capable of anything. Keep your heads on a swivel.” He half chuckled to himself when he said the word head because he was thinking about the head rolling around the dirt lot and Jose Calderon’s reaction when he saw it. Jesus, I’m as sick as them, he thought.
Chapter 30
* * *
As the wrought-iron gate opened to the large driveway to Jose Calderon’s home he could see Smith was very impressed as his eyes lit up.
“Wait until you see inside. You can have similar luxuries if things work out,” Calderon said to Smith as they shared a grin.
Internally Smith was thinking Calderon had no idea who he really was. He smiled at Calderon while continually plotting.
The Range Rover made a bend in the driveway that opened to a large clearing. In front of the car stood a three story mansion including a swimming pool, basketball court, tennis court, and six garages. He thought the way Calderon lived was a bit flashy and thought it would bring unwanted attention by local law enforcement or worse, the IRS. He also noticed surveillance cameras, two Doberman Pinchers, and four armed men waiting near the massive double door entrance to the mansion.
The Range Rover parked near the front door and Calderon exited the vehicle last as the protection detail took positions to protect him. Smith exited the vehicle and joined Calderon as they entered the mansion. The armed men stayed outside as the doors shut behind them.
Inside the mansion was far more immaculate than the outside. Expensive paintings hung on the walls and the floor was imported Italian marble. No expense was sparred creating Calderon’s sanctuary.
Calderon poured two scotch drinks and handed one to him “So, what’s your real name?”
“John Smith. Call me John Smith,” he replied with a wry smile.
Calderon chuckled, “Let me guess, Mr. Smith, you’ve been very careful to remove your true identity.”
“Yup.”
“Mr. Smith it is then. We need to discuss what I need. The other team members will likely be dead when this is over.”
Smith slowly sipped the scotch while eyeing Calderon. The wheels in his mind were moving as he scanned the room for ways out, weaknesses, and any useful items to inflict pain or kill should the need arise. It was something he did every single time he was in a room with an unknown threat. And Calderon certainly was a threat in Smith’s eyes.
“I like what I’m seeing, but you’re going to have to sweeten the pot in order for me to stay on board and kill all the men back at the warehouse.” He was hoping to test the waters and gather intelligence by pushing Calderon some.
Calderon sensed he was very much like Smith. “I like your style and I think there’s much more to you than meets the eyes. I’ll give you fifty thousand for this job once I get the money, and I’ll bump you up to fifteen thousand a month to start with bonuses.” Calderon noticed Smith didn’t flinch as he discussed financial terms with him. He knew money was a powerful weapon against people, but he wasn’t sure it would work with Smith. He determined he would use Smith until he was no longer useful. Then, he’d kill him too.
Smith enjoyed the banter with Calderon, but he was bored now with his company and he was extremely tired.
Smith replied, “It sounds good to me. Let’s discuss this plan you have so I can be on my way.”
Calderon proceeded to show him diagrams, more blueprints, satellite imagery, and a miniature scaled replica of the warehouse. He had meticulously planned every move of every man working for him, including the HSI agent on his payroll. As Calderon spoke to Smith, Smith remained wary of him. He realized Calderon was intelligent and would not be as easy to fool as he’d thought.
The planning operation was completely reiterated twice. When Calderon was finished, he could see Smith was half awake.
Calderon threw car keys to him. “Take the Mercedes Benz out front and get some sleep. I’ll be over to my warehouse at noon. I’ll go over things one more time with you and the men, then head over to the benefit,” Calderon tossed him a cell phone and continued, “Only one contact in the phone, me. You see a problem or need something, call me and only me.”
Smith headed out the foyer of Calderon’s mansion. He noticed the men standing guard earlier were no longer in plain sight and were in defensive positions covering the home. Smith assumed they were similar to him…men who protected their country, came home to constant public ridicule, and needed money desperately to pay bills and to survive. They were misunderstood and not accepted by society. What were they suppose to do, Smith wondered.
He started the vehicle and listened to the twelve cylinder engine purr for a few seconds and noticed the glass was extremely thick. He assumed it was bullet-res
istant. He looked over his shoulder to wave good bye to Calderon, but he was gone. Hmmmmmmm, he thought, I need to find a place to plan how to keep the other guys alive, and then I really need to get some sleep. He left the compound and headed toward the sheriff’s office warehouse.
Chapter 31
* * *
Sullivan and Dix located the first address on their list for Sergio Rodriguez. There was a single Honda Accord with moderate front end damage in the driveway and numerous children’s toys in the front yard. The house had a tarp on the roof, suggesting it leaked. Sullivan called in the license plate of the Honda to the dispatch center and learned it was registered to a female named Rosaria Gonzales. She made a few phone calls and learned the utilities at the home were also registered to a female named Rosaria Gonzales.
Sullivan looked over at Dix, “So far it’s not looking good. Everything here points to a female named Rosaria Gonzales and I’m guessing a guy high up in Calderon’s group wouldn’t be living in this run down home or driving that Honda in the driveway.”
“I’d say you’re probably right. Let’s sit tight and see if anyone exits the house. We’ll stop them for the broken taillight we can see, and see if we identify Rosaria.”
Sullivan coordinated what they referred to as a ‘stop car,’ a pre-staged vehicle in the area capable of effecting a traffic stop so the agents don’t have to reveal their location or the vehicle they’re in. Ten minutes went by with no activity. As Sullivan was about to ask Dix about the personal life of Petersen, they noticed a Hispanic family of four exit the house and get into the Honda. Once the vehicle was several blocks from the residence, the stop car pulled it over and investigated. Five minutes later the officer who made the traffic stop called Sullivan with details.
He said, “The driver is Rosaria Gonzales with a valid California driver’s license. The two kids in the back are ages five and seven. The front passenger was identified with a California ID card. His name is Sergio Rodriguez-Gonzales. He didn’t speak English and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been in the United States very long.”
The Cartel Enforcers (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 2) Page 12