The Old Farts In Miami

by Richard F Hill

Chapter 5

  Back in their hotel, John got to work transferring copies of the photographs from both of their phones and put them on a thumb drive. Then he began compiling a list of the evidence found and what it could mean. The money in the cans had amounted to almost ten thousand dollars, the cocaine was about two kilos with a street value of over fifty grand. But the most telling evidence was found in Marissa’s correspondence with her family.

  “Marissa has a brother named Lorenzo Mendez and there’s also the names of some of her aunts and cousins with the Cuban addresses. I got a hit on NCIC on Marcello Mendez using the credentials Rob got for us from his buddy in the Miami Police Department. Mendez was an arms dealer here in Miami that was killed in a stakeout and takedown about 15 years ago. Our good buddy, Rob Andrew, was the one that shot Mendez.” John sat back and looked to McKenzie for a reaction.

  “Hmm, okay, well, that can mean that the son is on some sort of revenge scheme or that in some crazy coincidence, Rob’s boy got messed up with the same crime family that Rob shut down.”

  “Hard to say, regardless, but Bobby is in some bad stuff if he’s got coke, guns, and money hidden away. Even if it was a revenge thing, Bobby met them halfway with crap like that.”

  “Yeah, I think we need to put all the cards we have on the table for Rob. He knows any police activity with drug smugglers and gun runners is going to end in violence, but he may have more insight with his old case notes. At least I hope he does.”

  McKenzie rubbed the short hairs on his head in a sign that John recognized as frustration. They knew it would be one thing if it was an all-out plot against Rob, but Bobby’s suspicious involvement complicated the whole situation. McKenzie shook his head as if to clear it before calling up Rob. John grabbed the thumb drive and his notes as McKenzie finished the call and the left to meet with Rob.

  On the way to the condo, they stopped at a Walgreens and in about 15 minutes John had printed all the photographs.

  “How’d you do that so fast, John?”

  “The marvels of modern technology, kind Holmes, something called a photo printer. And here’s the bill for the pictures.”