“I wasn’t able to record audio of what was said at this meeting, nor did I hear it myself, as I filmed the activity from outside through a window. What I can tell you is that I witnessed the most frightening occurrence that I have ever seen in my life. This footage has been edited for time.”
On the screen, Raphael lunged at Gabriel, and the seated people jumped to their feet and blocked the view of the brothers.
“I repeat that this footage is genuine. It is not a hoax.”
Mace got out of bed, his eyes glued to the screen. “Jesus Christ.”
Cheryl uttered a small cry at what happened next.
Carl’s triumphant face returned to the screen. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have now seen what I witnessed earlier tonight. A man who stood guard at the community center chased me to my car and broke one of its windows after I got into it. I barely escaped with my life, and because luck was on my side, I’m able to provide you with the truth: creatures formerly reserved for fairy tales and horror movies actually exist. They walk among us in human form, and our police force and federal authorities are aware of their existence. I believe the Manhattan Werewolf was one of them, and Rodrigo Gomez may be one as well. Was the Brotherhood of Torquemada a threat to our population, or were they heroes vilified by the law enforcement agencies and the media? I won’t rest until you know the full story.”
The camera cut to a two-shot of Carl and Michael O’Hear.
“Back to you, Michael,” Carl said.
A medium shot of Michael’s pale face filled the screen. “Thank you for that . . . tantalizing report, Carl. We’ll return after this break.”
Cheryl muted the volume on the TV and faced Tony. “He just outed everyone.”
Mace’s cell phone rang, and he answered it.
“You’ve got another long night ahead of you,” Jim said. “I’m stationing a patrol car outside that community center to keep people away. Assign your people to dig up the dirt on that place, and contact whoever runs it. I’ll leave it to you and Norton to visit that TV station.”
Jim hung up, and Mace called Landry. “Switch to Manhattan Minute News.”
“I’m already on it. I was about to call you.”
“Get the address on that community center, and send Candice out there to find out what she can.”
“Should I send Karol with her?”
Mace considered the question. “No, send Grant. I want you to record MMN for an hour. They’re bound to repeat the segment.”
“Got it.”
Mace hung up.
“I’ll make you a sandwich to go,” Cheryl said.
Rhonda couldn’t believe what she had just seen.
“Wow,” T-Bone said. “That was some serious shit.”
“Gabriel must be having a cow,” Daniel said. He turned to Rhonda. “What do you think?”
“I think nothing will ever be the same again,” Rhonda said. “And I think I’m in big trouble.”
Sitting on the living room sofa of the safe house on the Upper West Side with George and Bennett, Gabriel muted the volume on his television. Micah sat in an armchair next to the sofa.
“Now we know who saw us,” Bennett said.
“So does everyone else,” George said.
“So stupid,” Gabriel said. “After all these years . . .”
“It was Raphael’s fault,” George said.
“If we’d posted one more guard on the other side of the building . . .”
A cell phone chimed. George took out his phone, checked the display, and answered. “Go ahead.”
Gabriel stood. “Rice was always a thorn in our side. I underestimated how much damage he could do.”
“What could you have done?” Bennett said. “Ordered him killed?”
Gabriel said nothing.
George hung up. “That was Minjun Kim. He recognized Rice from earlier today. He came into his deli and ordered a sandwich like any other customer. Kim didn’t think anything of it. Rice must have followed him to the center.”
Micah stood as well. “But why was Rice watching the deli in the first place?”
“Karol went to the deli to tell Kim what was happening with the task force,” Gabriel said. “That’s why I called the council meeting. Rice must have been watching the police in Chinatown and followed her.” He turned to George. “Call Kim back. Tell him and his wife to pack their essentials. They have to leave the country tonight before the police trace Rice’s movements.”
“They have a daughter in NYU,” George said.
“She has to leave too. They’re to tell no one where they’re going.” He turned to Micah. “Take them to my sister’s in Canada. Anne was visible in that video as well. She and her family have to go. After that, every member of the council and every Wolf who was in that center. Rice drew a connection to Rhonda too.”
“You’re going, right?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I have to stay here to make sure everyone has what they need to escape.”
“That’s unwise,” Bennett said. “After that report, you’ll be wanted for more than questioning.”
Gabriel gestured at the walls. “I’ll be safe here or in one of our other safe houses.”
“If you’re going to coordinate things from closed walls, you can do that in Canada,” George said. “Bennett and I will be your liaisons.”
“You and Bennett are leaving, and long-distance communication is out of the question. It has to be me here.”
Micah moved forward. “What about Raphael? He knows the locations of all the safe houses. Will you be safe from him?”
Gabriel drew in a breath. “Raphael has other things to worry about. We all do.”
Gomez sat on the sofa in Savana Silvestri’s living room. His muscles still ached, but after several hours of sleeping he felt better. He picked up the remote and activated the wide-screen TV.
“Good evening, and welcome to Channel 2 News,” a handsome male news anchor said. “I’m Clifford Chancer. Tonight we lead with a story that’s causing an uproar in New York City.”
When the news story had finished, Gomez unleashed a wild roar and leapt over the coffee table. He seized the TV, raised it over his head, and hurled it to the floor, shattering its screen. Then he picked up the wreckage and threw it at the wall.
Twenty-Two
Snowflakes landed on the windshield of Mace’s SUV as he parked near the corner of West Broadway and Duane Street. He got out of the vehicle and took a quick reading on the apartment building: modern looking but unassuming. Anyone passing by would mistake it for just another collection of high-priced condominiums.
“Good evening, sir,” the doorman said as Mace entered the revolving door.
Inside the spacious lobby, the lights on a tall Christmas tree blinked on and off near a fireplace.
“May I help you?” the man behind the counter said.
“I’m here to see Kathy Norton.”
“Your name?”
“Tony Mace.”
The man picked up the house phone. After a moment he said, “Miss Norton, Mr. Mace is here.” He waited. “Very good.” The man disconnected. “Miss Norton says you can go on up, Mr. Mace. Unit 6D.”
“Thanks.” Mace crossed the lobby, ascended two steps, and boarded an elevator. On the sixth floor, he located the correct door and rang the bell.
The door opened, and Suzie Quarrel stood before him in a long button-down shirt. Mace tried to hide his surprise.
“Come on in.”
Mace followed her inside.
“Kathy will be right out. She’s fixing her hair.” Suzie picked up a pair of slacks and pulled them on. “Crazy shit, huh?”
“I’ll say.” Mace looked around the apartment. He knew the tasteful furniture came with it, and he wondered what view was beyond the closed curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Landry called. Me and Hector are on standby. No bodies to collect yet.”
Not yet, Mace thought. “You’d better sleep while you can.”
S
uzie gave him a perfunctory smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Norton exited the bathroom, dressed in a customary black suit, hair in a ponytail. “Welcome to Tara.”
“This is some place.”
“It’s a hotel for professionals. FBI has a whole bunch of units like this for visiting higher-ups and special Special Agents.” She went into the open kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and returned with a power drink. “Want one?”
“No thanks. I wolfed down a sandwich on the way over here.”
“Let me guess: roast beef?”
Mace smiled. “Rare.”
“You’ve got to change those eating habits now that you’re getting older.” Norton opened a closet door and took out her winter coat. “See you later, Suze.”
“Later.”
Mace and Norton exited the apartment together and walked to the elevator.
“Next thing I know, I’ll find out Landry and Candice are having an affair.”
Norton smiled. “Maybe they are.”
They boarded the elevator.
“Hollander’s on his way to meet with the governor,” Norton said. “He wants to know what’s going on, and we don’t want him coming to the city or doing anything else that might lend credence to Rice’s story.”
“Is Jim on board with that?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Let’s be honest. This thing just got too big for the shots to be called anywhere but D.C. We can play our roles, but the decisions are being made two hundred miles away.”
They exited the elevator and crossed the lobby.
“Do you think they’ll shut us down?” Mace said.
“No, that would also lend credibility to Rice’s story. Everything needs to appear status quo; any sudden waves will rock the boat. I’d say you have a short window to produce results before someone else becomes point man.”
“I don’t feel like I’m on point now. Why did I have to learn from you that Hollander is heading to Albany?”
“It’s my agency. You’re a cog in your machine. I’m a cog in mine.”
They passed through the revolving door, and Norton shivered.
“Did Suzie know before you told me?”
Norton frowned. “Of course not. Don’t overestimate my relationship with her. You and I are partners.”
“Are we?”
“That’s why you picked me up, right? So we can talk in private?”
“Face time is important.”
“You’re learning.”
“I have a good teacher.” Using his remote control, Mace unlocked the SUV’s door for Norton, who climbed inside. He circled the front of the vehicle and got in on the other side, then started the engine and pulled out.
“For better or worse, I put my entire career on the line when I went along with your version of what happened in Newark,” Norton said.
“I know. Hopefully current events will keep our bosses too busy to look any deeper into what went down.”
Mace’s phone rang, and he checked the display. “Speak of the devil.” He pressed the phone’s screen. “Go ahead, Jim. Kathy Norton is with me.”
“What are you, carpooling? Your budget isn’t that tight.”
“I thought we could save time by coordinating before we reached the station,” Mace said.
“I’m on my way to meet with the mayor’s people. This is every bit the shit storm you would expect. Our position is that this is all a hoax. Do you understand?”
“Roger that.”
“Hollander’s got a federal judge signing a warrant for that footage now. Do you want to wait for it before you go in?”
“I’ll take my chances with Colleen. We go back a ways.”
“Suit yourself. Just don’t leave without that footage. Do you have someone standing by to review it?”
“Landry’s heading to base now.”
“We can’t put an APB on the Dominis without it looking like we’re taking this seriously. It’s on you to bring them in. We want them alive.”
Mace gritted his teeth. “Understood.”
“Keep me in the loop.” Jim hung up.
Norton looked at Mace. “I hope Gabriel has the good sense to run.”
“He won’t.”
“What makes you think so?”
“He won’t abandon his people any more than I would mine. Besides, he knows that if he runs, he may get caught. He’s got to lie low.”
“Are you in communication with him?”
Mace shook his head. He trusted Norton—he had to—but he also felt the need to protect Gabriel. There was no telling what damage sharing too much information could cause. He could never forget Norton was a fed. “They’re nuts if they think they can cover this up.”
“They’re not going to cover it up; they’re going to discredit it,” Norton said. “There’s a big difference. Rice makes a pretty easy target.”
“I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard.”
“Why wouldn’t you? I read his books. He’s made you out to be a bona fide hero.”
“I never asked for that. I never wanted it.”
“I have got to see that TV movie.”
Mace chuckled. “Anyone who sits through that thing deserves a medal.” He paused. “Why are you doing this? Why go out on a limb?”
Norton stared straight ahead. “Why are you?”
“Because I know the truth about these people. All they want is to be left alone. And if Gabriel hadn’t helped us that night, Cheryl would be dead. I owe him too much.”
“I joined the bureau because I always wanted to be a cop, and being an FBI agent is being the ultimate cop. No offense.”
“None taken.”
“I made up my mind what I wanted to do after 9/11. There are people out there who want to destroy this country. There are people in this country who want to destroy it. Gabriel isn’t one of them. The Brotherhood of Torquemada was a genuine terrorist threat, and Shelly was killed by them. I have to believe my partner’s death was worth something.”
Mace couldn’t help but think of Patty and Willy. “We’re navigating a minefield.”
“There’s an elephant in this vehicle.”
“Karol.”
“We did what we could to protect her, but what now? She’s one of them, and she’s in the heart of this. As long as she knows what we’re doing, so does Gabriel.”
“I’m counting on that.”
“As long as we both know what’s going on here.”
“She’s a cop and a good one.”
“But she’s Class L too. You heard Mint: they want a Wolf alive. They don’t care who it is. If she’s exposed, we’re exposed. Maybe she needs to run and take Rhonda with her.”
Mace pulled over to the building that headquartered Manhattan Minute News. “I’ll make that suggestion to her, but she’s as committed to protecting the Wolves as Gabriel is.”
“All of this commitment spells trouble.”
Mace switched off the engine and reached for his cell phone when it rang again. He saw the phone number for the task force on the display and pressed the screen. “Go ahead, Ken.”
“Candice and I are at base,” Landry said. “I recorded the repeat of Rice’s segment so I can get started before you get here.”
“Good work.”
“The eleven o’clock broadcasts picked up the story, which has been uploaded to YouTube and Vimeo by multiple people. The clips are getting hits. This has gone viral. There’s no shutting it down.”
“We’ll see you soon.” Mace pocketed his phone and got out.
Norton joined him on the sidewalk, and they entered the building, where they showed their IDs to the attendant at the security station. Mace had seen the man many times before when he had visited Cheryl at work.
“We’re here to see Colleen Wanglund or anyone else in charge at MMN,” Mace said.
The attendant reached for a phone with a confused expression. “Yes, sir. Just one minute.”
“You can tell them we�
��re on our way up, but we don’t need their permission,” Norton said. “Let’s go, Tony.”
Colleen and Carl stood at the end of the bull pen as Mace and Norton entered the Manhattan Minute News office.
“Hello, Tony,” Colleen said.
“Colleen, this is Special Agent Norton.”
Colleen nodded to Norton, then looked back at Mace. “How’s Cheryl? We miss her.”
“We want the broadcast copy and Carl’s unedited footage.”
“You can’t have it. It belongs to Manhattan Minute News.”
“We have warrants on the way,” Norton said. “Are you going to make us use them, or are you going to cooperate?”
“I’m a firm believer in freedom of the press,” Colleen said. “It’s my lifeblood.”
“Do you care to comment on my report while you’re here?” Carl said. “Maybe we could do a live interview right now.”
“We want that footage,” Norton said. “And we expect you to answer questions about how you came by it.”
Carl smirked. “Sure, I’ll answer whatever questions you have, as long as we can shoot it.”
“That isn’t going to happen,” Mace said.
“Where shall we speak? At Mott Street?”
Mace’s phone rang. Landry again. “Excuse me.” He stepped away. “Go ahead.”
“We’ve got four fresh stiffs in a wrecking yard in the Bronx,” Landry said. “They were all torn apart. It looks like Gomez has landed. I called Hector and Suzie in to work their magic.”
“I want Karol there on point,” Mace said.
“Copy that.”
Mace returned to Norton’s side.
“Good news?” Carl said.
“Yes.” Mace gestured at a man with short hair walking over to them. “Our warrants are here.”
Twenty-Three
Karol awoke to the sound of her phone’s ringtone. The clock beside the lamp showed 11:26 pm. Dragging herself to an alert state, she sat up and answered the call without bothering to turn on the bedside lamp.
“It’s Ken. We’ve got a monsoon of activity.”
Any news was bad news these days. “I’m listening.”
The Frenzy Wolves Page 16