Chapter Fifteen
Jack Emery looked around the crowded conference room and wondered how things had gotten to where they were in such a short time. It looked to him as if everyone in the world had suddenly descended on the BOLO Building. If the occupants weren’t talking, they were shouting, surly expressions on their faces. Cell phones were ringing right and left as the fax machine did double duty, spitting out sheet after sheet of paper.
As the chief greeter, Cyrus looked exhausted from running back and forth to the security door to usher in the different members who arrived within minutes of one another. He was now under the conference table, with a pile of chew bones for his efforts.
Jack felt a headache coming on. He whistled sharply, a high-pitched, keening sound that rewarded him with instant silence. “What the hell has gotten into you people? You all sound like a bunch of squabbling ten-year-olds. Everybody sit down, and let’s call this meeting to order.”
“I’ll tell you what the hell is going on here, Jack. We are like a bunch of chickens running around, chasing our tail feathers in the process. Read my lips. We do not have a plan. This is what happens when everyone goes off in a different direction. It’s obvious to me that a lot went down last night after we broke up and went home. We need to be brought up to date. Everyone is here. Let’s just go around the table and have everyone provide whatever it is they have in the way of information. Then we can form a plan,” Maggie said, a deep scowl on her face.
“Now, why didn’t I think of that?” Charles said, tongue in cheek. “Avery, it’s nice to see you so early in the morning. I got your text last evening and came in extra early to download everything on the flash drive that you left. Which, by the way, is pretty much nothing. Avery, you have the floor.”
Snowden leaned forward as he quickly and concisely explained what had happened in the supper-club parking lot and how he’d had Mia tail Pilar and her husband back to their condo before he ended up following Gabe Sanders to the airport, where Sanders booked a flight to Atlanta.
He immediately followed up with the morning’s events before anyone could start hammering him with questions. He ended up with, “Mia is now shadowing Zuma Delgado. I met her at a gas station, where we switched up vehicles. Toby is driving the Ferrari, and he followed me in this morning. Mia should be checking in shortly. Another operative, Hana, is on stakeout at Pilar Sanders’s condo building. Since she hasn’t checked in yet, I have to assume that Sanders is still inside. Doing what, aside from hitting the panic button, I have no clue.
“A friend who is a retired Navy SEAL and who I use from time to time on operations followed Gabe Sanders from Atlanta to the Bahamas. I’m sad to say he lost him. Sanders checked into the Emerald Bay and paid for three nights in cash. Thinking the guy was in for the night, my guy, Tom Fazio, hit the sheets for a few hours’ sleep, but not before he greased the night guy’s palm. When he went down to the lobby early, before the sun was even up, the night clerk told him that Sanders had left sometime during the night. He thinks it was probably around three in the morning, because that’s when the clerk went outside to smoke a cigarette and saw that Sanders’s rental car was gone.
“This guy has been on staff for only about sixteen months or so. When the day staff came on, they exchanged words, like what went on during the night hours, what the day staff should be aware of, that kind of thing. One of the day guys knows Sanders. Said he has been there quite a few times but always with his wife. Seems the Sanders guy is a good tipper, and that’s why he remembers him. Plus, are you all ready for this? He owns a private plane, which he keeps hangared there at a private airport.
“Tom headed to the airport and found the rental car, but the plane was already gone. I hesitate to say the work crew are stupid people, but they are. Either that, or Sanders paid them to be stupid. No one knows anything. There’s only one young kid there during the night, and he hasn’t shaved yet. He didn’t even know that Sanders’s plane was missing until Tom pointed it out. Plus, all his files from the office are gone, so I have to assume Sanders took them with him.
“The kid had one thing going for him—he’s good with numbers, and he knew the tail numbers of every plane hangared there. So that was all Tom had to go on. He contacted a navy pilot friend named Mike Bernstein, who owns a private airport in St. Louis, to see if he could track the plane down somehow. Tom is also a pilot. When he retired, he thought about going into business with Bernstein but decided he liked the water better than the air. I gave him the okay to buy a plane and go after the guy. The bill will show up on your statement soon. It’s probably there by now. It was an executive decision, people,” Snowden said tightly as he saw the expression on Jack’s face. “Look at it this way. Annie can add it to her fleet. She’s got a Gulfstream, a Little Bird, a Learjet, and now she will have a private two-seater. Tom said it was a steal at two hundred grand.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear that,” Charles said, his face expressionless.
“Wait. There’s more. Just as I arrived here, I got a text from Tom. The kid who is so good with numbers said the tail numbers on the Sanders plane are 216379Z. He said Bernstein couldn’t track it, because Sanders didn’t file a flight plan. But he did track a private plane with the tail number 246879Z. Tom said he thinks Sanders changed the numbers before he took off. He changed the one to a four and the three to an eight. Clever bastard. Looks like he’s headed for Tahiti. Tom is on his way. I don’t know exactly how he knows this, but if Tom said the guy is going to Tahiti, then that’s where he’s going.”
“You have to admit that’s pretty damn clever,” Ted Robinson said. “I’m impressed. My guess would be this was part of a plan should things ever get dicey and they had to take it on the lam. What is not computing is why the wife stayed behind. Is she stupid, or is she fearless? Which is it?”
“Probably a little of both. So what does all that mean?” Dennis said.
“I think it means that Mr. and Ms. Sanders have parted ways. Either he left her holding the bag or she wouldn’t go with him. I guess he’s the smarter of the two. He’s out from under whatever is going to go down. I don’t think there’s a thing we can do to him legally. We have no proof of anything. At least we know where he is, and Tom will sit on him until such time as we need him. Or not,” Snowden said.
Abner raised his hand. “Their brokerage account just took a big hit! It’s been cut in half. Guess the husband took his share. Looks like he wired his share to the Antilles. Having said that, Ms. Sanders will not be living in a tent anytime soon. The account is very robust. All the properties are mortgaged to the hilt. They took all the equity out of them about six months ago. Eighteen days ago, they took out the equity on the condo they live in. What that says to me is that the Sanderses planned to just walk away with the clothes on their backs and head to Tahiti. I think Ted is spot on. This was the plan. They could live like royalty until they die on the kind of money they had socked away.”
“What made them split up?” Harry asked.
“My guess would be cold feet on the husband’s part,” Fergus said. “He figures he’s out from under whatever it is that’s going to happen, whatever had Delgado show up in the District, when he is strictly LA and Miami.”
“He took his share and ran. I’ll bet it has something to do with the Mr. December contest coming up. The one the wife was calling off, according to Toby. I think they both got spooked, the husband more than the wife. She elected to stay, for whatever reason. And the fact that Delgado showed up at the condo this morning can’t be a coincidence,” Jack said. “Maybe she had no other choice, or she was plain old gut scared.”
“Can Mr. Sanders fly a small plane all the way to the South Pacific?” Dennis asked, his eyes wide as he tried to keep up with the steady flow of information emanating from those who had it.
“Of course he can. He just has to stop to refuel. Then again, maybe not. He might land somewhere, ditch the plane, and fly commercial. He’s on the run, so there are no rules. When people do what these two were doing, there is no doubt in my mind they went all the way and got new identities. That is not hard to do on the black market if you have the money to pay for it,” Jack Sparrow, who had managed to make it to the early morning meeting, the White House be damned, said thoughtfully.
“I’ve seen way too many cases like this to even try to figure it out. The guy has a plan, obviously one he thinks is foolproof. And it might well be. So far, he has pulled it off, so what does that tell you?” Sparrow asked.
“It might tell me my guy is screwed if he can’t keep up with Sanders,” Snowden said irritably.
“I don’t think so. Sanders doesn’t know he has a tail. The farther away he gets, the less vigilant he’ll be. He might actually be feeling pretty good about now. There is every possibility he might stay a day or so at one of his stops before heading to his final destination. To unwind, so to speak. That’s when your guy will catch up, and remember, he now has the new tail numbers to go by,” Sparrow said.
“I agree with you, Director,” Maggie said. “Now that we have Mr. Sanders nailed down, let’s move on to Ms. Sanders.”
“Bert just sent a text saying Ms. Sanders called him a short while ago and thanked him for his offer, but at this time she had to decline. Time-wise, the call was made right after Delgado left her apartment. We need to scratch that whole deal,” Charles said.
Toby Mason raised his hand, holding his cell phone in the air. “I just got not one but two texts from Pilar Sanders. She said the Mr. December contest is back on but will be held in Miami. She said she turned down the China offer. She wants to talk to me before our first performance tonight. The second text said I should be on my toes tonight because there will be some special people in the audience, watching the performance, people who could really help all the dancers’ careers, especially mine, since I will be Mr. December.”
“I would assume the special people will be Delgado and his muscle,” Maggie opined. “That means for sure you guys have to be there at a ringside table.”
Espinosa grinned. “I have everything ready for the transformation. It’s going to take every bit of the rest of the day for me to turn you guys into ladies. I pulled out Alexis’s red bag of tricks before I left home this morning. The special latex is softening up as we speak. I’m excited. I told you all before that Alexis practices on me, so I know exactly what to do and how to do it. I even have your outfits all picked out. Alexis really has good taste. We are going to shine tonight, boys!”
Harry bolted out of his chair like he was fired from a cannon. “You need to get unexcited right now. You are not practicing on me for anything!” he bellowed.
The room went silent. Harry never, as in never, raised his voice. He threatened only when he was prepared to follow through on the threat. And right now, he was so agitated, his eyes were virtually round.
To everyone’s surprise, Espinosa stood up to the number one martial-arts expert in the world and said, “You need to get over yourself, Harry. We’re a team. As a team, we work together, and tonight we have to work together. We are operating under cover this evening, and as such, we have to act and look the part. You are part of this team. So, as part of the team, you are going to be transformed just like the rest of us. So calm down and do not make me go to a higher authority.”
Everyone in the room knew who the higher authority was—Yoko. They all waited to see Harry’s reaction to Espinosa’s threat.
To Jack, it seemed like all the oxygen in the room had been sucked out. He felt the need for a breath of cold, fresh air. Jack nudged Cyrus with his foot. A second later, he was up and headed toward the kitchen and the door that would take him and Cyrus out to the alley. Once outside, he leaned against the building, struggling to take deep breaths. “Damn! And damn again!”
Cyrus whined at his feet, not understanding what was distressing his master.
“That was a first, Cyrus. Espinosa standing up to Harry. It wasn’t just that he threatened Harry, which he did, but he also threatened with the big gun, meaning Yoko. Harry is totally fearless. We both know he can incapacitate a person with a Q-tip. The only person walking this earth whom Harry fears is Yoko. And I am not even sure it’s fear, more like he doesn’t ever want to disappoint his lotus flower. He’s on board, so that’s all that matters. I have to tell you, big guy, I was a little worried there for a few minutes. Harry can be a wild card sometimes.”
Jack leaned down and scratched Cyrus in his sweet spot. “You don’t really give a good rat’s ass about this, do you? See, I was worried that you might decide to take matters into your own paws and go and bite his ass. Goddamn, now that’s one hell of a scary thought. The only thing missing right now is Cooper.”
Cyrus rubbed his snout up and down Jack’s leg in a show of love.
“I know you live for the day you get to bite someone’s ass. It’s gonna happen, but I don’t want it to be Harry’s ass you bite. We’re good on that, right?”
Cyrus barked once. He pushed his snout harder against Jack’s leg. Time to go back inside.
“What would I do without you?” Jack said as he waited for the hydraulics to lock into place. Cyrus headed to the counter, where the treat bowl was. Jack fished out two. “That’s your limit for the day. You hear me?” Cyrus wagged his tail. Translation: Understood. Sort of. Kind of.
“Can we get on with this meeting? I have to go to the White House again,” Jack Sparrow said through clenched teeth. “POTUS is not letting up. He wants me to have no more contact with Annie and her project. I have to make a decision. It’s no secret that POTUS and I do not see eye to eye on most things. I run a tight operation. I cleaned up the Bureau, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I cannot stand by and let our veterans get hung out to dry due to incompetence at the VA and this administration’s unwillingness to tackle the problem head-on.
“I wasn’t kidding when I asked if there was a paying job with benefits in this organization. I’m prepared to tender my resignation today. And my top aides will walk away with me. Annie called me last night and offered me a job setting up additional clinics. She said I could hire as many people as I want, and the health benefits are sterling. She also said the public has been sending in donations to help. She told me to do whatever it takes to make it all work. I want to do that. Having said that, I don’t want to leave you guys in the lurch. I can’t guarantee who will replace me. With me gone, the FBI won’t have your backs. Help me out here, boys, and Maggie.”
Maggie was the first to speak. “That’s a no-brainer, Director. You go with the veterans and Annie. We’ll muddle through. We have the Post to watch our backs, and Abner at the CIA to do the same. We’re good, so I think you should do what feels right. Let’s take a vote. Raise your hand if you agree with me.” Every hand shot into the air, even Toby Mason’s.
Sparrow reached inside his jacket and withdrew a crisp white envelope. “My resignation. I came prepared, hoping you guys would see it my way. I’ll be in touch.”
A lot of handshaking and backslapping went down before the soon-to-be ex-director headed to the exit. Mindful that there were no more treats forthcoming for the day, Cyrus stayed under the table.
“I saw that coming,” Ted said.
The others nodded.
“I see it as a good thing,” Charles said. “Myra and Annie were discussing the proposal with Fergus and me last night. Annie put it this way. ‘Setting up the clinics is the most rewarding thing Myra and I have ever done.’ End of quote. And who can argue with logic like that? And they plan to keep on doing it. The Post, thanks to Maggie and the gang, is covering it all full bore. Director Sparrow assured me that he has contacts and sources he will put at our disposal if and when they are needed. I see this as a win-win for all concerned.”
“I need to leave, too,” Avery said. “I have a lot of irons in the fire that need tending.”
“So where does all this leave us? What’s our plan of attack? Shouldn’t we be alerting the police, someone in authority, about Delgado’s appearance?” Abner asked, his fingers at rest over the laptop keyboard.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong that we can prove. He has every bit as much right to visit the nation’s capital as any other tourist, and that’s exactly what he would say if the police paid him a visit. You can’t accuse unless you have proof. He went to visit Pilar Sanders. So what? He can say he was visiting a friend, and if she backs up his story, you have nothing. People from out of town visit other people all the time,” Charles said.
“What about Pilar Sanders herself? How about one of us trying to talk to her? Like maybe tonight at the supper club or maybe even this afternoon, if she stays in. I’ll gladly volunteer for the job,” Maggie said. “If I tell her we know all about her husband and what he’s doing, she might break down, and then we would really have something to go on.”
“Won’t work,” Harry said. “We need to catch them in the act. We all need to wonder how he’s going to get his product from California to Miami. Plus, that’s a good six weeks away. It’s not even the end of October, even though it feels like the middle of January.”
“I have two of my people standing by, ready to spring into action the minute the Sanders woman leaves her condo. They’ll plant bugs in every room. We already have a GPS tracker on her car. I can have a bug installed under her dashboard in ten minutes, so if she talks or makes calls on her cell while in the car, we can pick it up in an instant. Get in touch if you need me,” Snowden said from his position in the open doorway.
Once again, mindful that his treat intake was all used up, Cyrus barked his good-bye but didn’t bother escorting Snowden to the door.
“Any other loose ends before we head out with Espinosa?” Jack asked.
“What do you want us to do in regard to Zack, my colleague, who got into town last night?” Ted asked.
“I’d say give him free rein to do whatever he thinks he can do. He knows where Delgado is. Just hope he doesn’t get in Snowden’s way or interfere with his operatives. Avery can get a little pissy when you step on his turf,” Jack said as he gathered up his files and papers to stuff into his briefcase.
“Do we want him to show up tonight at the supper club?” Dennis asked.
“Why not? Another set of eyes certainly can’t hurt,” Jack said.
“What about me?” Abner asked as he, too, closed his computer and stuffed it into his rucksack. “Do you want me at the supper club tonight as I am, a guy? Or do you want me to continue to track the finances for more hidden monies? I have a text from Philonias, asking me to call him. I told him to try to track Delgado and the drug monies. He’ll find out who the money managers are one way or the other. Finding laundered money is the guy’s specialty. I’m thinking we’re going to want to confiscate those funds to pay off that plane Snowden’s friend bought, with maybe a little bit left over.”
That brought a laugh from everyone in the room.
“Meet us at the supper club around seven thirty. We have a reserved table, thanks to Toby. Mia will be front and center, but on her own. We’ll all be there, so don’t act surprised. Just find us and join us for dinner. Snowden’s people will be watching Pilar and Delgado and his people,” Jack said. “And, Ted, I don’t think I’d tip off your colleague Zack just yet. If he shows up, it’s just one more set of eyes. Let’s just hope none of us give off bad vibes and spook them.”
Espinosa led the parade out to the exit door. He called over his shoulder to Jack and Harry, who would be the last to leave after they locked things down tight. “You all know where Alexis and I live. Let’s not dawdle, boys. This is not a Mickey Mouse operation I’m going to be conducting, but works of art on all of you.”
Jack thought Harry paled under his tawny skin at Espinosa’s words, and grinned.
“What about me? Where do you want me to go?” Toby asked.
“How about you and I go out to lunch?” Maggie said. “Then you can go back to your house and take a nap while I check in at the paper to make sure I still have a job.”
“Works for me,” Jack said as he turned off the kitchen light.
“Ah, Jack,” Harry whispered in his ear. “Do you really think I’ll turn out looking . . . you know . . . okay?”
Jack had to struggle not to laugh out loud. Somehow, he managed to lock his eyes on Harry and, with a straight face, said, “I think you will end up looking gorgeous. Take that to the bank.”
Cyrus barked.
“See? Even Cyrus agrees.”
The color came back into Harry’s face, and he actually grinned. “Espinosa is going to take pictures, isn’t he?”
This time Jack did laugh out loud. “Count on it!”