Deadly Defiance, page 25
“That’s a pretty interesting theory. I’ll go take a look straightaway and let you know.”
“Thanks. I’m getting desperate. Randy Rhymes didn’t have any financial records when he died; Bob Brown is dead and apparently he shredded all his records before he died. We’re trying to track down the policies through one of Stan’s friends but that’s just a crapshoot. The policies should be in Doc Mellon’s records. I hope you find them.”
“If they’re there, I’ll find them,” Besch assured her. “I’ll call you in a few hours.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”
Paula hung up and then sat back in her chair. She was starting to feel the panic that invariably set in when a trial date was getting close. No matter how diligent she was there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to properly prepare for trial. She needed to nail down her evidence soon, so she could have some time to plan her presentation to the judge and jury. While she was waiting to hear back from Besch, she started working on her trial outline. As the prosecutor, Stuart Rawlins would put on his case first. That would mean the jury would hear all the evidence against Maureen Thompson before Paula could open her mouth. This was a tremendous advantage as many jurists made up their minds on the defendant’s innocence or guilt within the first few hours. She could give an opening statement right after Rawlins, but that usually wasn’t a great idea because the jury wouldn’t hear from her again for several days. She usually liked to wait and give her full presentation at one time, after the prosecution was done. During her voir dire she’d ask the jury to listen carefully to the evidence and not to draw any conclusions until the trial was over. She hoped they’d listen and take her advice. Finally, late in the afternoon, Besch called her back.
“I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“What’s the good news?” Paula asked.
“I found a file on Robert Brown. Mellon loaned him and Rhymes $200,000, but there was no mention of an insurance policy.”
Paula felt a surge of hope wash over her. That was the critical connection she needed to link the two murders. The fact that there wasn’t any mention of an insurance policy was disappointing, but not fatal. She may not be able to fully explain what went down, but she sure could stir up a lot of doubt as to Maureen’s guilt.
“What about the general accounting records—any premium payments to insurance companies?”
“We don’t have those records. An accountant named Ronnie Moses has them and we haven’t been able to locate him yet. He’s on vacation or something.”
“That’s the same accountant who got Rodney in trouble with the IRS. I wonder how much they paid him to get lost.”
“I don’t know that there was time to warn him. I think we took Doc Mellon by surprise.”
“Unless he had standing orders in the event of an arrest,” Paula suggested.
“It’s possible, I guess,” Besch admitted.
“What about his insurance agent? Whoever handles their insurance would have a copy of the policy and know who was insured.”
“Apparently Rich Ralston had an insurance license and handled all of the company’s insurance.”
“So, did you search his home?”
“Yes, but there were no business records there.”
Paula thought about that. She wondered where they would keep sensitive records like that—a safety deposit box, perhaps? That would be logical but probably a little too obvious. She remembered one of Stan’s old clients who kept a stash of money in a private safety deposit box so no one would ever find it.
“Can you see if he had a safety deposit box at his bank?”
“Sure, I’ll have someone check it out.”
“I wonder if he rents out safety deposit boxes at any of his pawnshops. If so, he might keep all his sensitive documents there.”
“Good idea,” Besch agreed. “I’ll see if there are any boxes and if so, get a warrant to search them.”
“You’re a pretty handy guy to have around, Detective,” Paula teased.
“Well, I want the asshole put away as much as you do. Plus, we wouldn’t even have a case against him had it not been for you. So, it’s the least I could do.”
Paula hung up and leaned back in her chair. She was tired and hungry. It was time to go home. Unfortunately, when she looked out the window she saw it was raining hard. She hated to drive in bad weather. The traffic was a nightmare and nobody in Texas knew how to drive in inclement weather. She’d be lucky if she made it home alive. She called Bart and asked what he wanted to do for dinner. He said he’d pick up a pizza and a bottle of wine on the way home. She told him she’d be needing a massage, too. He told her if there was a big tip in it for him, it was no problem. She smiled in anticipation of the evening ahead.
Chapter 27
Bar Hopping
Jodie had cried for hours after Brandon dropped her off at home. She blamed herself for Ricardo’s death. She cursed herself for using him to get information on his father. Over the weeks her feelings for him had grown despite her attempts to keep herself aloof. He was a kind and gentle man who had fallen in love with her the first day they had met. She wished she’d taken Stan’s advice and not seen him again, but realized now impossible that would have been since she too had fallen in love.
For several days she was incapacitated. She had no appetite and it was difficult to even get out of bed each day. Fortunately, Stan and Agent Thomas had called her and asked her if she was up to going to El Paso. She wanted to tell them no, but her grief was beginning to turn to anger. Anger toward Icaro Melendez. How could a father put out a hit on his own flesh and blood? No. She wouldn’t be sitting around feeling sorry for herself. She’d be doing everything in her power to put Icaro Melendez and his gang of thugs six feet under!
On Thursday Jodie flew to El Paso and the FBI put her up in a Holiday Inn near downtown. The motel was adjacent to a strip club called the Regency Club. Rico had mentioned that the guys from the cartel often hung out there in the evenings. He suggested it would be a place they could make contact with him before the meeting. The meeting was scheduled for the following day at noon at an undisclosed location. Brenda met Jodie at the motel bar late Thursday afternoon to brief her on the operation and discuss their strategy.
“We’ve got one problem,” Brenda advised.
“What’s that?” Jodie asked.
“Since Rico checked in we haven’t been able to get him the tracking device. We were expecting him to show up at the strip club next door last night, but he didn’t make it. If he doesn’t show up tonight, we’ll have a problem.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll do everything humanly possible to come tonight.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what we’ll do if he doesn’t show.”
“Are there other clubs in town? His crew may have decided to go somewhere else. Rico wouldn’t have been able to object too strenuously about it without calling attention to himself.”
“Unfortunately, there are about six clubs in town similar to this one. We don’t have the manpower to cover them all.”
“I know what Rico looks like. Perhaps I could go clubbing tonight. I might get lucky and spot him. Do you have a spare tracking device?”
“Sure, we’ve got several of them with us, but Helio Melendez knows you and Rudy may have seen photos of you. If you ran into one of them it would be a disaster.”
“Helio only met me once. He may not recognize me, particularly if I change my hair color and wear colored contacts.”
“That might work, but it’s still very dangerous. You’ve already nearly been killed twice.”
“I’m not going to be doing anything other than sitting at the bar and flirting with a few guys. If I see Rico I’ll make sure I catch him alone.”
“Still, a lot of things could go wrong.”
“Well, it’s up to you. I’m just trying to help out.”
Brenda nodded. “I know. I’ll run it by Agent Lot and see what he says.”
Brenda left, indicating she’d be back in an hour or so. Jodie was excited about the idea of doing some undercover work. She had always enjoyed her undercover jobs for Turner & Waters. As a child she had wanted to be an actress and had taken as much drama in school as she could get. Unfortunately, her acting career had never gotten off the ground for one reason or another—mainly due to money issues and the need to work. When Stan and Paula began giving her undercover assignments for Turner & Waters it allowed her to utilize her dramatic talents which delighted her to no end.
After Brenda left, Jodie went down the street to Walgreens and bought what she needed to disguise her appearance, including a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. She hadn’t brought proper clothing for barhopping, so she stopped at a small dress shop and purchased a modest cocktail dress and high heels. It wasn’t her usual look, but she didn’t want to attract too much attention or she’d be fighting off men all night.
A little after six Brenda stopped by Jodie’s room. She had gotten the go-ahead on Jodie’s undercover gig and had brought the tracking device. She showed Jodie how it worked just for her own edification as Rico would already know what to do with it. They discussed various approaches for Jodie to deliver the package to Rico depending on the situation. Jodie assured her she’d have no trouble.
“Listen. If anything doesn’t look right or you don’t think you can isolate Rico enough to deliver the package, just forget about it, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t worry. I don’t have a death wish. I’ll be careful.”
“You’ve got my number. If you see him, call me. There’ll be someone less than ten minutes away from you at all times. Wait for them to get there before you make a move if you can.”
“All right. Where will you be?”
“I’m going to be here at the Regency. That’s where Rico’s supposed to be.”
“Do you have a list of the other clubs?”
“Yes,” Brenda said as she dug into her purse. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Jodie. “We’re covering the first three clubs. They are the closest to this location. If you would go to the others—spend maybe thirty minutes at each one and then move on. If we haven’t located him by then you can go back and start over.”
After Brenda had left, Jodie spent an hour changing her hair color, putting on her new contacts, and applying makeup. When she was done she got dressed, put on her glasses, and looked in the mirror. A smile came over her face as she barely recognized herself. She looked at her watch and saw it was 7:15 p.m. It was time to go, so she called the front desk and asked them to call her a cab. Ten minutes later she was on her way to Platinum Show Girls.
The cab pulled up the driveway of the single-story white stucco building. A big neon sign with pink letters spelling Nude illuminated the entryway. Jodie paid the driver and got out of the cab. As the cab pulled away she programmed the cab’s telephone number into her cell phone so she’d have it when it was time for her to move on.
As she approached the front door a young man opened it for her. She smiled and walked into a small crowded reception area. Music spilled out of two black leather doors as customers entered the club. Jodie walked through the door and observed a square grey bar with pink soda-fountain seats straight ahead. To her left there was a large stage with a silver pole running from the floor up to the ceiling. A girl in a pink bikini and white cowboy boots was just beginning to dance. Jodie went to the bar and took a seat at the far end. A topless barmaid came over and she ordered a gin and tonic.
From her vantage point she could see both sides of the bar and the front door. The barmaid deposited her drink and Jodie dropped a five-dollar bill on the counter. As she sipped her drink she scanned the room but didn’t see Rico or any other familiar faces. The girl in the pink bikini slipped off her top to the delight of the men who surrounded her.
Much to Jodie’s chagrin a middle-aged man came over and sat next to her. She ignored him as best she could until he got the hint and went away. A dancer came by and offered her a lap dance. Jodie politely declined but slipped a five-dollar bill in the girl’s bikini bottom just to be a good sport and keep the management happy. After thirty minutes she pulled out her cell phone and called a cab. It was waiting for her when she stepped outside.
The next club on her list was the Chit Chat Club. It was laid out like a theater with a stage at one end, two bars on each wall, and tables in the middle. Colored lights cast an erotic red glow over the club. Rather than single dancers they had a troop of girls do a routine and then mingle with the crowd at its conclusion. There were doors on each side that led to private areas for more intimate encounters or private parties. Jodie took a seat at a table in the corner of the room. It wasn’t a great vantage point but it was the best that was available the way the club was laid out. Almost immediately a young man took the seat next to her. He wasn’t bad-looking so Jodie smiled.
“Do you mind?” he asked.
“No. Have a seat.”
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“Sure. Gin and tonic,” Jodie replied distantly.
Jodie figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a drink or two with the man. It would make her less conspicuous and she could talk while she kept an eye on the door and watched the club.
“So, you from El Paso?”
“No. Just passing through on my way home to Dallas. How about you?”
“Oh. I’m from Houston. I’m here on business.”
“What do you do?”
They talked for a half hour then Jodie excused herself to go to the bathroom. From the bathroom she called a cab and then slipped out of the club. The next one on her list was the Blue Diamond Club. The cab drove up and she disappeared inside and took a seat. After telling the cabbie where to go, she let out a big sigh. Her undercover work hadn’t been as much fun as she had imagined it would be, and she wished she could go back to her motel and crash. Before she got to the Blue Diamond Club she called Brenda to report in.
“Any luck?” Brenda asked.
“No. How about you?”
“Nothing. There are a lot of college kids from UT coming and going but very few Mexicans. I’m starting to get discouraged.”
“So, what will we do if Rico doesn’t show up?”
“Pack it up and go home, I guess, until we hear from him again.”
“What if something happened to him? What if his cover was blown?”
“Let’s hope that hasn’t happened, but if it did he’s probably dead by now.”
Jodie hung up as the cab approached a huge blue diamond ten feet high rotating above a white brick building that appeared to have once been a warehouse. The interior had been gutted and reconstructed in a modern, almost space-age decor. As Jodie walked inside she headed for a strategic place near the door and ordered a gin and tonic. Again she was plagued with suitors and dancers vying for her attention.
After another forty-five grueling minutes had passed and she hadn’t seen anybody who remotely resembled Rico, her eyes fell upon a familiar face. She didn’t know his name, but she had seen him on TV in Dallas. He was some kind of a public official. What was odd about the man was his company—two burly Mexicans who appeared to be his bodyguards. Jodie wondered who this mysterious man was and if he was in town for the big cartel meeting. She decided to find out.
He was in the middle of a lap dance so she waited until the dancer moved on, then she walked in his direction and stopped abruptly in front on him.
“You look familiar. Have we met?” she asked.
The two bodyguards shifted in their seats and gazed at Jodie warily. The man looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t think so . . . but we can certainly remedy that.”
Jodie gave him a pensive look and then burst out, “On TV. Haven’t I seen you on TV? Dallas. You live in Dallas, right?”
“Yes, I do and occasionally I’m interviewed by the media. I’m Lee Long, Assistant District Attorney.”
“Oh, Virginia Lee. Pleased to meet you,” she lied.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked politely.
“Oh, thank you. You’re so kind, but I was just about to call it a night. I’m leaving in the morning to go back to Dallas. I’ve been watching you for thirty minutes wondering where I’d seen you and I just couldn’t go home until I figured it out.”
“Well, I’m glad you came over and introduced yourself. It’s nice to run into a friendly neighbor when you’re out on the road.” Lee stuck his hand in his pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it to Jodie. “Call me sometime when you get back home. I’d love to buy you a drink.”
Jodie set down her purse precariously on the table and studied the card. She smiled broadly. “Wonderful. I’ll do that,” she said as she reached for her purse, clumsily knocking it to the ground. The contents spilled onto the floor. She bent down and grabbed her wallet. The two bodyguards helped her pick up her lipstick, eyeliner, Kleenex, cell phone, and lip balm. She apologized for her clumsiness and left.
When she got outside she called a cab and then dialed Brenda’s number.
“Hello.”
“Any luck?” Jodie asked.
“No. It’s almost eleven and there’s still no sign of him.”
“Well, I may have stumbled across something.”
Brenda perked up. “What’s that?”
“I spotted someone who looked familiar—someone I’d seen on TV in Dallas. It turns out he’s an assistant DA. What I found odd was the company he was keeping—two Mexican bodyguard types. I’m just wondering if he isn’t here for the big meeting.”
“Well, that is interesting. What’s his name?”
“Lee Long.”
“Did you ask him what he was doing in town?”
“No. I didn’t want to hang around too long and make him suspicious. I just said a quick hello and got out of there.”
“Well, nothing’s going on here, so I’m on my way. What club are you at?”
“The Blue Diamond.”
