She handed it to me, and I dialed my father’s house. A dozen or so rings later, the call went to their answering machine. I tried his cell phone, followed by my stepmother, Sandy’s. Both went to voice mail.
“Shit.”
“What?” Melissa asked.
I handed her the phone back. “I tried calling Dad. No answer on any of their phones. The cell phones are turned off. They’re going straight to voice mail.”
“They could be out and about or something. Dad’s not the best with remembering to take his cell phone.”
I said nothing. She was right, but it was doing nothing to ease my mind. If they’d found her address, they could just as easily have found my father’s.
“You’re going to have to expand on this hit-squad stuff, Carl,” Cooper said.
I let out a breath. “It’s a long story, Coop. Blowback from a case is the easiest way to describe it.”
“You have to give us more than that.”
Over the course of the next twenty minutes, I laid out the highlights of the story for him.
The door of the conference room opened, and a woman in uniform stood in the doorway.
“Yeah, Deb? What’s up?” Cooper asked.
“Cooke and Frain just reported back. There are no bodies at the scene. There is blood and drag marks however.”
“The third one must have taken them,” I said. “No signs of a black sedan? I think it was a newer Malibu.”
“They said there was no one there.”
“Thanks, Deb,” Cooper said.
She closed the door.
“Um.” McIntyre tapped a pen on a sheet of paper. “How am I supposed to write this up?”
“I’ll get it taken care of,” Cooper said. “Let me go have a talk with my captain. I’ll be right back with you guys.”
Cooper and McIntyre left the conference room.
“Mel, let me see your phone again,” I said.
She handed it to me. I tried my father’s house again, then the cell phones for my father and Sandy—still no answer at any number. I handed it back to Melissa.
“What are we going to do?” Callie asked.
“We need to go back to the house while the police are still there and get our stuff.” I looked to my sister. “Mel, I want you to call Jeff. Have him get Tommy and meet us. Do you have anywhere you guys can lay low at for a few days? I don’t want you going back to the house until I figure this out.”
Melissa looked down and shook her head. “Well, I guess we could stay at Jeff’s parents’ house.”
“No. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but they had your address. Wherever you go needs to be somewhere not connected to our family in any way.”
“I got nothing, Carl.”
“I’ll make a call to a couple friends. We’ll figure something out. Just have Jeff get Tommy and meet us here.”
Melissa made the call.
Cooper walked back in a couple minutes later. “Cap just wants you three to give us a written statement of what happened.”
He handed us our sheets to fill out. We were done within minutes.
“Coop, can we get back out there and get a few things while the officers are still there?” I asked.
“Yeah, McIntyre and I were just going to head out. I’ll grab a couple of jackets for the girls.”
We left the station. I drove the 4Runner back to the property. Callie and Melissa rode along with the officers in the squad car ahead of me. As we neared Melissa’s house, a wrecker was towing the sedan from the ditch. Cooper made a left into the driveway. I stopped on the side of the street behind the tow truck and got out. I walked to the man operating the winch. He stopped what he was doing when he saw me heading toward him. He wore a thick winter jacket with a stocking cap on his head. Stained work gloves covered his hands.
“Is the owner of the car around?” I asked.
“He got picked up about ten minutes ago.”
“Is there a way you could get my information to him? I was the reason that car is where it is now.”
“So you’re the guy who ran him off of the road and fled the scene?”
“I was getting shot at.”
He scrunched his face, cocked his head, and stared at me.
“Just give him my information.” I pulled a business card from my wallet and handed it to him.
He looked at the card. “Sorry, officer. I’ll make sure the guy gets it.”
“Thanks.” I walked back to the 4Runner, fired it up, and drove across the street into Melissa’s driveway.
Four squad cars parked, single file, next to the house. A group of three officers stood next to the garage, looking down at the blood in the snow. Steam came from their mouths as they talked. I pulled close to the front door, shut off the truck, and stepped out.
Chapter 18 - Ramon
Ramon drove the black rental Chevy toward the freeway. The bodies of Alexander and Alejandro were in the trunk. He dialed Rodrigo.
“Hello,” Rodrigo answered.
“Where do you have them?”
“In their cabin.”
“How did it go?”
“We came in while they were asleep. The woman went easy. The man gave us a little trouble, but we have them both secured now.”
“Define a little trouble.”
“He busted up Daniel pretty good.”
“How?”
“I was dealing with the wife when the guy made a move for the gun cabinet. Daniel went after him, and they got into it. I had to put the old guy down with the butt of my rifle.”
“How bad is he?”
“Daniel or the old man?”
“Daniel. I don’t care about the guy.”
“A few missing teeth, broken nose, busted-up eye.” Rodrigo said. “The old man was no joke.”
“Is Daniel still able to be effective in helping us complete our job?” Ramon asked.
“Probably. Like I said, he’s just a little banged up.”
“Did you disable their cell phones?”
“Yes. What are we doing with these two? Are you guys done?”
Ramon rested the cell phone on his shoulder and reached for the coffee he’d just picked up from a gas station. “It didn’t go as planned. I’m on my way up there.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you when I get there.” Ramon set his coffee back in the cup holder and looked at his GPS. “I’ll be there in three hours.”
“Okay.” Rodrigo clicked off.
Ramon dialed Yury. He answered within a couple rings.
“Is it done?” Yury asked.
“No. What’s the secondary plan?”
“What happened?”
“Does it matter? The guys didn’t complete the mission down here. We’re moving on to the secondary plan.”
“It matters. Tell me how it went down.”
Ramon let out a puff of air in frustration. “We got to the house before dawn. I left our vehicle on the side of a back road about a quarter mile away. We took positions at the north, east, and west sides of the property. At about seven a.m., a man and young boy left. I had the scope on him and confirmed that it was not the target. An hour later, Alexander confirmed a visual on the cop in the kitchen. We waited until the woman target was present as well. She came into view around eight fifteen. When Alexander confirmed both targets, I gave him the go ahead to take the shot while I went to retrieve the car.”
“He missed?”
“Yes. I got a call on my radio that he missed the target. I only received two updates after that. The first was that they were getting return fire. The second was one of my men had been shot. By the time I got back with the car, both of my guys were down.”
“And what did you do?”
Ramon turned right onto the freeway entrance heading north. “I blocked the driveway and tried to get a shot myself as the targets were fleeing. All I had was a pistol. I never had a clean look.”
“They saw you?”
“Yes, but wearing a mask. They won’t be able to identify me.”
“The bodies?”
The cruise control was set. Ramon’s destination was one hundred sixty-eight miles away, or so his navigation said. “I retrieved them prior to leaving the scene.”
“Good.”
“What do you want us to do with the parents?”
“You have them as instructed?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they being kept?”
“Their residence.”
“Find another place close by. I don’t want them there.”
“And then?”
“Wait.”
“Wait? You don’t want us to call him and try to lure him in? A ransom attempt or something?”
“No. Do nothing of the sort.”
“So, sit and wait?” Ramon’s voice rang with annoyance.
“You wouldn’t have to if your guys could have got it done right in the first place. I thought you said these guys were capable of completing this?”
“They are, and they will.”
“They better. I’ll be in touch.” Yury hung up.
Ramon dialed Rodrigo back.
“Yes?” Rodrigo answered.
“You should find an alternate location to keep them.”
“Okay. There was a place that looked empty up the street about a mile. Will that work?”
“That’s fine.”
“What is the plan?”
“Wait for further instructions.”
“That’s it?”
“Just get them moved.”
“Understood.”
Ramon clicked off and continued north.
Chapter 19 - Kane
In an hour, I’d gone through the scene with the officers investigating. We went through each shot fired at us and my return fire. The amount of blood left in the snow suggested kills of both shooters. The officers got in contact with the driver of the car I’d run off the road. The man claimed the black sedan left the driveway heading east within five minutes of Melissa, Callie, and I escaping. He also confirmed what I’d guessed—the car was a late-model Chevy Malibu. The local police department was on the lookout, and they put word out to the sheriffs covering the county.
I sat in my sister’s kitchen, waiting on a call back from my old partner at the Milwaukee PD, Jim Gase. I dialed my father again, and he didn’t answer again. That wasn’t normal. I dialed information and had them put me through to the sheriff in Oconto County, where my parents lived.
“Oconto County Sheriff’s Department non-emergency line. How can I help you?”
“Hi. My name is Carl Kane. I’m a Tampa, Florida homicide lieutenant. I have parents that live in the county up there. I’m starting to suspect that something is off. I was wondering if you could send a cruiser by to check on them.”
“What is the reason for the concern?”
“Call it an officer’s gut feeling. I’m heading up there now but would feel better if a cruiser could just pop in and get back to me.”
“Sure, Lieutenant. I’ll send a car by. Let me get the address up there and your information.”
I gave it to her and hung up. She didn’t need to know the real reason I was worried. If I told her the truth, she would probably think I was crazy and wouldn’t have sent a car out. I hoped an officer would be calling me within a half hour to let me know my father and Sandy were fine.
Callie walked toward me in the kitchen. Behind her, in the living room, Jeff and Tommy were busy packing up toys with my sister.
“Where are we going to go?” Callie asked.
I shook my head. I didn’t know.
Callie grabbed my hand and sat down on my knee. “Carl, should I be worried about my parents?”
It had never crossed my mind, but there was a chance that they knew our travel plans. My cell phone rang, and I slipped it out of my pocket. Jim was calling back.
“Go call them, Cal.” I showed her my cell phone. “This is Jim calling. I need to take it. Have your parents stay someplace for a few days. I don’t want to take any chances.”
She nodded.
I clicked Talk. “Hello.”
“Hey, Kane. I just got your message. It sounded serious,” Jim said.
“It is.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Do you guys still have the place up north?”
“Yeah, we still have it. It doesn’t get much use now, though. I only take the kids up there a couple times a year. What’s going on?”
“I need a place to stash some family for a few days. They’re in danger.”
“Danger? Hell, of course you can use the place. The key is in the same spot it’s always been.”
“Under the porch, off to the left of the stairs, in front?”
“Yup. Can you tell me what’s going on? Can I help somehow?”
I laid out the story for him. He reminded me that he was only a phone call away and that I could call if I needed anything.
Callie walked back into the kitchen. “I talked to my parents. They are going to stay with some friends for a few days.”
“Good. Jim is going to let us use his lake house. It’s about a half hour from my dad’s place up north.”
“Did you get a hold of your dad yet?”
“No.”
“Are you going to go check on him?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I want to get going, too. Are you ready?”
“I am. I think Jeff and Melissa are about ready to go, too. Carl, how the hell did these guys find us up here? How did they know where we would be?”
“I don’t know, Cal.” I stood from my chair. “Let me go see if Cooper needs anything from us before we leave.” I headed for the front door, to find him outside. Callie’s question bounced around in my head. There was only one logical conclusion—one of our phones. I stopped and turned back to Callie. “Babe, turn off your phone. Take out the battery.”
“Do you think that’s how they know where we are?”
“It makes the most sense.”
“Okay.” She took her phone from her pants pocket and popped off the back cover.
I went to Cooper outside at the garage. A bad feeling rumbled in my gut. If they were tracking the location of one of our phones, they also could have been listening. They could have heard everything I said on every call I’d made. They might have had everything they needed to try again. I tried to bury the thought.
“Are we okay to leave, Coop?” I asked.
“I don’t think we need you guys for anything. What are you going to do?”
“I want to get these guys safe. After that, I’m going to check on my dad.”
“You haven’t got a hold of him?”
I shook my head.
“Call up there to the sheriff’s department. Have them send someone over there.
“I already did.”
“What are we doing about whoever tried to do this?” Cooper asked.
“I need to make some calls—back to my precinct and another call to the feds. I’ll get some people on finding out something.”
“Do you think this was a single attempt?”
I shook my head. “No way of knowing, but I’m watching now.”
“I’ll call you if we get any updates on our end. I’m going to need to be in contact with you. We’re square with what happened here with the captain, but I can’t be certain that the brass higher up won’t want to have a talk.”
“I’m going to make a stop on our way up north and grab a couple prepaid phones. I’ll call you as soon as I do,” I said.
“Do you think these guys are on to your phone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not taking any chances.”
The topic of the phones being tracked—and possibly listened in on—worried me.
“Hey, Coop. You think I could use your phone quick, to make a call?”
“Sure.” He slipped out his cell and handed it to me.
I dialed the Milwaukee PD’s number from memory and asked for
Jim.
“Jim Gase.”
“Hey, it’s Kane calling back. Is the cabin up north in your name?”
“No. It’s actually in my aunt’s. My parents split the purchase with my aunt and uncle back in the eighties. For some reason, it was only put in my aunt’s name. My aunt and parents are getting too old to go up there, and my cousins never use the place. I’ll probably end up just buying them out. Why do you ask?”
“I’m probably just being paranoid. I think someone was tracking my phone, maybe listening as well. If the cabin can be directly traced back to you, I might have to look elsewhere.”
“I’m guessing there would be some serious footwork involved to trace it to me. My aunt has been remarried twice since my uncle passed. You would be digging through a couple different last names just with her. Then you would have to connect her to my father and then on to me.”
“Okay. Just double checking. Thanks again, Jim. I’ll be in touch.”
“Sure. Again, if you need anything, call.”
“I will.” I clicked off and handed the phone back to Cooper. “Thanks.”
“No problem, Carl.” He shook my hand. “Be safe.”
“I will.”
I walked back inside the house. Callie sat with Melissa, Jeff, and Tommy in the kitchen.
Tommy made siren noises and pushed a toy cop car around the kitchen island. I assumed the idea sprouted in his head from seeing the cars, and police, outside.
“Are we going on vacation?” Tommy asked.
I flashed him a smile and knelt before him. “Kind of, buddy. Are you ready?”
“Mom and Dad packed a bunch of my toys.”
“Good.” I rubbed his hair and used the kitchen island to pull myself to my feet.
“Are we set?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Jeff said. He snugged a winter hat over his short strawberry-blond hair. He adjusted his glasses. Jeff scooped a backpack from the floor and pulled it over his maroon zip-up sweatshirt. “Where are we going, and for how long?”
“My old partner has a place up north. As far as how long, I can’t tell you right now. It could be a day. It could be longer. I don’t know.”
“I have to work, Carl. I can get the rest of the week off, but it’s going to become a problem after that.”
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