Deadly Defiance, page 17
Chapter 18
Stakeout
Jodie was awakened by the telephone ringing. She had fallen asleep on her sofa while she was watching the ten o’clock news. She wondered who was calling her at such a late hour, praying it wasn’t more bad news.
“Jodie?”
“Yes.”
“This is Ricardo.”
“Oh, thank God,” she gasped. “I’m so glad you called. I was worried about you.”
“I’m okay,” he said. “Don’t ask me where I am. Your phones are probably tapped.”
Jodie held out the phone and looked at it warily. She put it back to her ear. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes. The people my father does business with are very sophisticated. They must keep up with the latest technology to stay one step ahead of the FBI and the DEA. A phone tap is nothing to them.”
“Can they trace your call? Maybe you shouldn’t be talking to me.”
“No. They’d need more than a phone tap to do that, but you’re right, I shouldn’t stay on the line too long, just in case.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing you’re safe. I owe you my life.”
“That’s right and don’t you forget it,” he said teasingly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t. Be safe.”
Jodie hung up, making a mental note to have the firm’s new PI come in and sweep her line for bugs. It infuriated her to think her phone might be tapped. She needed to be able to talk to Ricardo if she was going to convince him to talk to the FBI, but if her phone was bugged that could never happen.
Feeling a bit uplifted by Ricardo’s call, she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The hot water pouring over her body began to relax her tight muscles. She lingered, finally beginning to feel safe for the first time in several days. When she was done she examined the plastic surgeons work on her wrists. She’d gone to see him the next morning as directed, not wanting to risk permanent scaring. He’d done a miraculous job and she could barely see where the ropes had cut so deeply into her skin. Satisfied they would heal, she wrapped her wrists again as he had directed her to do and went to bed.
Being incredibly exhausted, she immediately fell asleep. She slept soundly for most of the night, but in the early morning hours began to dream. She saw Ricardo lying on a bed in a nondescript motel room. He was asleep on top of the covers, shirtless but still wearing his jeans. Suddenly there was pounding on the door and screams of thugs demanding to be let in. Ricardo sat up and looked worriedly toward the door just in time to see it burst open. Two men bolted in, pointing their revolvers at Ricardo’s bare chest.
Jodie woke up with a start. She sat up breathing heavily, tears running down her checks, and her heart racing. Feeling relief that it had only been a bad dream, she looked at the clock radio which indicated it was 5:03 a.m. Falling back on the bed, she tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. Finally she got up, got dressed, and went to the office. At 8:00 a.m. she called Agent Lot.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Just incredibly tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
She told him about Ricardo’s telephone call.
“He didn’t tell you where he was?”
“No. He just wanted me to know he was safe.”
“He’s really got a thing for you, hasn’t he?” Agent Lot said.
“Obviously, since he risked his life to save me.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I think it’s sweet. He’s a great guy and I don’t want to see him get hurt. It’s not his fault who his father is.”
“So, what can I do for you?”
She told him Stan’s theory and that he wanted her to go through the audit materials so she could put together a vendor and client list and possibly find Melendez through one of them.
“Well, that’s an interesting approach. I’ll assign someone to help you with it,” Agent Lot said. “We have resources for checking on that kind of thing that, I’m sure, you and Stan wouldn’t have.”
“That’s true. We’d have to do it the old-fashioned way . . . lots of phone calls and visits to each of the vendors.”
“You’ll still end up doing some of that, but we can probably eliminate a good number of the vendors and clients by running them through our databases.”
“Any help would be greatly appreciated,” Jodie acknowledged.
That afternoon she went to FBI headquarters and met with Agent Brenda Thomas who had been assigned to help her sort through the audit materials and come up with a vendor and client list. It took most of the afternoon to complete the lists. When they were done Brenda got on the computer and ran the names through the FBI databases. Of the forty-seven vendors, thirty-two were eliminated as being legitimate enterprises. That left fifteen to be checked out. As far as the customers went, there were ninety-four total and fifty-seven of them were eliminated by one criteria or another. That left twenty-seven that needed further investigation.
“How do you think we should approach this?” Jodie said.
“Well, we have surveillance photos of Icaro Melendez, his two sons, and the supervisors. I suggest we start with businesses that have done the most business with Alliance and stake them out. The first time we spot one of them we’ll know we’re at the right place.”
“Unless they’ve scattered and aren’t at just one location.”
“That’s possible, but either way if we find one of them, we’ll be on the right track.”
Jodie didn’t like Brenda’s idea as it seemed like it would take forever, but she couldn’t think of a better plan, so she didn’t say anything to sidetrack it.
“We should split up so we can cover more ground.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Brenda agreed. “Most of the vendors are in central Texas so we can work the same general areas. I think half a day surveillance per location will be enough. If we don’t see anybody in that time frame they’re probably not there.”
“How about three hours—just cover the rush hours. That way we can cover all the vendors in seven days.”
Brenda looked at Jodie. “You have no patience, girl. It’s going to take time to find Melendez.”
“In the meantime he might find Ricardo and kill him.”
“All right. Three hours per location—six to nine, eleven to two, and four to seven. That will give us time in between to switch locations.”
Jodie nodded. Brenda wrote down three names and addresses on a scratch pad and handed the sheet to Jodie.
“I’ll call you if I see anybody or, if not, at the end of each shift.”
“Sounds good,” Brenda said. “Get a good night’s sleep and bring plenty of food and water tomorrow. Sometimes it’s hard to stay awake and it can get hot in your car if you’re sitting in the sun.”
Jodie wondered if a good night’s sleep was possible. It had been a while since she’d had one. “Don’t worry. I’ll have my bodyguard with me. Stan won’t let me go anywhere without him.”
That night Jodie stayed up late hoping Ricardo would call again, but he didn’t. That made it almost impossible for her to sleep. When she did get to sleep she had the same dream of thugs breaking into Ricardo’s room and shooting him. If it wasn’t a dream about Ricardo it was the nightmarish memory of being tied up and locked in the delivery van. When the long night had finally ended, Jodie rolled out of bed and into the shower. Before she was dressed the doorbell rang. With a toothbrush in her mouth she went to the door and peered out the peep hole. It was Brandon, her bodyguard. She yelled through the door that she’d be out in a minute.
Ten minutes later she joined Brandon in his car. He had brought coffee and donuts which Jodie much appreciated as she was famished. She gave him the sheet of paper with their day’s work written on it and they headed for their first stakeout.
“Do you do many stakeouts, Brandon?” Jodie asked.
“No. Not really. Usually building security or directing traffic at the church on Sunday.”
Jodie gave Brandon a quick once-over. He was in his late twenties, a little overweight, and soft in the stomach. He didn’t look one bit intimidating, but he did carry a gun in a holster. She wondered if he’d ever used it.
“So, where did you get your training?”
“The United States Marine Corps. I was an MP.”
Jodie raised her eyebrows. “Really. How long were you in?”
“Six years. I enlisted when I was fresh out of high school and reenlisted for a second term.”
“So, why did you get out?”
“I went to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. I hated it over there, so when my tour was up, I got out.”
Jodie nodded. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a soldier in battle.”
“It’s pretty intense. The suicide rate was higher than the number who died in combat.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I came close to doing it myself a time or two. You just can’t imagine the stress you’re under over there.”
When they got to the office warehouse of Atlantic Printing and Labeling, Brandon slowly drove by. They turned around and parked across the street in a busy furniture store parking lot. From their vantage point they could see both main entrances to the building. Jodie got out her binoculars and surveyed the scene.
“Looks quiet,” she said.
Brandon opened an envelope and pulled out sixteen photographs. They were the surveillance photos of Melendez and five lieutenants plus ten photos of undocumented workers who had been employed at Alliance. Brandon studied them carefully then raised his own binoculars. Employees were starting to come and go as the shift began to change.
Jodie prayed she’d see someone familiar, but it wasn’t to be. Two hours later she was beginning to feel sleepy and began to nod off.
“Go ahead and take a nap,” Brandon said. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
Jodie sighed. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t been sleeping too well.”
“I understand. I’ll take a nap at lunch.”
Jodie laughed. “Okay. It’s a deal.”
Jodie slid down and leaned her head against the door. Within a minute she was fast asleep.
Brandon woke her at nine when it was time to move to their new location. She thanked him and called Brenda to tell her they’d come up empty.
“Send Brandon in to take a look around. He can ask them if they have any jobs available.”
“Okay.”
Jodie told Brandon to go into the offices and snoop around. “If anybody asks you what you’re doing, tell them you’re looking for a job.”
He nodded, walked across the street, and went inside. Ten minutes later he emerged from the building and came back to the car.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
They stopped at a Wendy’s drive-through and picked up some food for lunch along the way to their next stop. Right at eleven they rolled up in front of their next location, a paint manufacturer named Adam’s Paint Supply. Jodie was beginning to get a headache from being overtired and bored. She struggled to keep her focus. After eating a double cheeseburger she regained some of her strength and lifted her binoculars once more.
During their afternoon break Jodie made Brandon stop at a park where Jodie got out and stretched her legs. She couldn’t stand being cramped in the front seat of the car all day. A wave of pessimism came over her and she wondered if she wasn’t wasting her time. She couldn’t imagine six more days of this. She was glad she hadn’t joined the FBI. If she had to endure much more of this, she’d go crazy.
That night she went to the office to catch up on her mail and phone messages. Stan was still there, so she stopped by his office to brief him on the surveillance.
“Sorry, I know it’s tedious work, but it’s our best shot right now,” Stan said.
“I know. I’m not complaining. If I could only get some sleep, I’m sure I’d feel much better.”
“Why don’t you stay at the office tomorrow and let Brandon do the surveillance alone?”
“No. No. I’m all right. Brandon’s never seen Icaro or his sons. He may not recognize them.”
“He’s got photos.”
“I know, but people often look different in a photograph. I’d rather be with him.”
“Okay.”
“How’s Rebekah?” Jodie asked.
“I don’t know. There’s something wrong with her. I just wish we could figure it out. We tried to get her to go to a diagnostic group, but she refused. She has agreed to go see her internist. I’m taking her tomorrow.”
“I hope you figure it out. I know it must be weighing on your mind.”
“You got that right. I haven’t been sleeping well myself. I lie awake in the night listening to Rebekah breathe. I don’t even mind her snoring anymore. If I can hear her snoring then I figure she must be okay.”
“Maybe you should take a few days off and just be with her.”
“I wish I could, but I’ve got the Thompson probate hearing tomorrow. Andrew Thompson is trying to get appointed independent executor of his brother’s estate. I’ve got to prevent that or he’ll find out Maureen has already liquidated the company to pay her legal fees. If that happens the shit will hit the fan.”
“Will Paula get in trouble for that?”
“No. Maureen will be criticized, no doubt. But better a little criticism than having to accept appointed counsel when you’re on trial for murder.”
“Right. Good luck.”
Stan gave Jodie a ride home and when she stepped into her apartment she saw the light on her recorder flashing. She picked it up and punched in her code. She listened to a message from a friend and then the dry cleaners. She hit seven after each message so they’d be erased. The third message was from Ricardo.
“Look under the rug at the back door. Can’t wait to see you.”
Paula hung up the phone and went to the back door. She opened it, bent down, and found a note under the rug. She stood up and read it. It was the address of a restaurant where Ricardo wanted to meet her that evening at nine.
Without a moment’s hesitation she took a shower, picked out a suitable dress, and then fixed her hair and makeup as best she could in the short time she had to get ready. Then she wondered how she’d get to the restaurant without being followed. After taking a moment to think, she grabbed her purse and then slipped out the back door. Slowly opening the back gate she ran across the courtyard to her neighbor’s and knocked on the door. After a moment the door cracked open.
“Betty. Can I use your phone?”
“Paula?” Betty said, opening the door to let her in. “What’s wrong with your phone?”
“I don’t know. It’s not working. Can I use yours? I need to call a cab.”
“Your car won’t start?” Betty asked skeptically.
“Yeah,” Jodie laughed. “Something like that.”
Betty was a good friend and knew better than to ask questions. She nodded and Jodie went to the telephone and called a cab. She told him to pick her up in front of the elementary school two blocks away so anyone watching the apartment wouldn’t notice the pickup.
“Thanks, Betty. I’ll explain later.”
Jodie left and walked to the elementary school, cutting between apartment buildings and staying clear of the street so she wouldn’t be seen. The cab was waiting for her when she arrived at the elementary school. She got in and told the driver where she wanted to go.
Several times she turned and looked out the back window to make sure they weren’t being followed. She didn’t see anyone so she assumed she’d made a clean slip. Twenty minutes later the driver let her off at Texas Land and Cattle in North Dallas. She went inside and scanned the restaurant. The hostess asked if she could help her find someone. She nodded and said she was looking for Ricardo.
“Yes, right this way. He’s waiting for you.”
The woman led Jodie to a corner booth out of view of most of the patrons. Jodie sat down across from Ricardo and smiled.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Ricardo said.
“I’m glad you still feel that way.”
“Well, you’re the last person I should be having dinner with, but unfortunately I can’t control my heart.”
Jodie laughed. “Isn’t that funny how that works? In the end we have no control over our destiny. It’s all hormones, body chemistry, and forces we don’t understand that ultimately seal our fate.”
Ricardo sighed. “Isn’t that the truth.”
The waitress came and took their orders.
“So, how is your search coming?” Ricardo asked.
“Not so well,” Jodie admitted. “We’re staking out old vendors and customers hoping to spot your father or brothers. Stan thinks they may have gone to one of them to hold up for a while.”
“That’s possible. The cartel’s businesses are all intertwined. I’m sure they could have absorbed the Alliance workforce pretty easily.”
“Any other suggestions?” Jodie asked.
“I have an uncle who operates a handbag manufacturing plant in Waco, Premium Handbag. When I was a kid we would go visit him from time to time. Eduardo Melendez is my uncle’s name. He uses a lot of undocumented labor so I’d suggest you add his plant to your list.”
“We’ll do that,” Jodie said appreciatively, “Have you given any thought to cutting a deal with the FBI and going into witness protection?”
“Yes, but I can’t do that. It would kill my mother if I betrayed the family. All I’ve done so far is prevent a murder. She’ll forgive me for that, particularly when I tell her I was in love with you.”
Jodie swallowed hard. She couldn’t see their relationship going anywhere but up in flames. She wondered if there was any way out. Even if Ricardo gave in and accepted witness protection, she wouldn’t want to go with him. She was quite happy at Turner & Waters and her future was bright. She couldn’t imagine giving that up, but she was pulled to Ricardo as well. She could see herself with him and being happy.
The waitress showed up with their food and placed it all before them. Jodie was hungry as it had been a long time since they’d stopped at Wendy’s for lunch. There was a lull in the conversation while they ate and made small talk. Then the conversation got serious.
