Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm (20 page)

Fiddling with his pen, Tony looked up and locked his eyes onto Delta’s. “So you want to know if I’m with you. Is that it?”

Nodding, Delta tore her eyes from his and stared out the window. “I know it’s asking a lot. You’re just a rookie and you have a lot to lose.”

Drawing circles with his pen, Tony did not respond.

“I might be able to do this on my own time, but that reduces the amount of time I have to work on it. I’ll understand if you don’t want to have any part in it. Hell, I’ll even help you get transfered to another FTO if you want.”

Inhaling slowly, Tony stared out the window as well. “I didn’t become a cop to sit on the sidelines while someone else played my position. If you want help with this, Delta, then count me in.”

Looking back at Tony, Delta shook her head. “You’re taking a big, big risk by doing this. If we’re caught nosing around, I’m history and you’re...well, I don’t really know what they’d do, but it wouldn’t be good.”

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know either, but anything’s better than just sitting on our hands. I trust your instincts, Delta. And if you think we have a shot at nailing these bastards, then let’s go for it.”

The pressure in Delta’s chest eased a bit as she pulled back into the thin traffic of the night. “I promised Miles I’d make the corner of the world his children lived in a safer place. Well, that corner ’s being violated, Carducci, and I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something about it. Sometimes principals overrule practicality.”

Tony smiled. “I’ll remember that.”

“Good. And while you’re at it, remember that when all is said and done, it doesn’t really matter how you catch a criminal as long as you get the job done.”

“I will, boss.” Smiling his big toothy grin, Tony turned the radio back up. Glancing over at him, Delta wondered if including him was the right thing to do.

“Carducci?”

“Yeah?”

“If this leaves this car, both our careers are ruined.”

Tony turned and offered her a smile she hadn’t seen on his face before.

“Delta, you may think I’m a jerk and that I’m young and a bit stupid, but there’s one thing I want to do more than anything else in the world.”

“And that is?”

“To solve a major case with you. If we do that, I can write my own ticket anywhere I want. That’s what I really want and if you’re gonna let me in on this, then let’s do it.”

Delta opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t really know what to say. She had her copilot, she had her map, and she had Connie.The race was on and Delta knew where her first pit stop would be.

 “Storm, you’re playing with fire. You know that, don’t you?”

Swinging the chair around so she could sit backwards, Delta grinned. “I like it hot.”

Punching a few buttons on the keyboard, Connie called up some files. “That’s what worries me. Including Tony in this scares the hell out of me. But I know better than to try to stop you. What’s done is done.”

“Good. What do you have so far?”

“Apparently, our suspects have traveled through the southern half of the U.S. on their way here. There have been snatchings from Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well. We’ve been able to tie those kidnappings together by witnesses who say the kids were snatched by the same tall, skinny guy. His MO is he steals a car first, cruises around playground and park areas, does a drive by, and then makes the grab.”

“Not very elaborate.”

Connie shook her head. “Doesn’t need to be. Once they make the snatch, we figure they meet up with another car, probably a van, hide the kid, dump the stolen vehicle, and then they’re long gone.”

“Any pattern to the kinds of cars they steal?”

Working the computer like a massage therapist, Connie called up more information. “Great question. I wondered that myself a few hours ago.” Studying the file, Connie nodded. “Our thin man has a prediliction for Camaros and Mustangs. Oh, and one Trans Am. Three were red, but the Trans Am was yellow.”

“Easy to hot wire.”

“Yep.”

“What else?”

“Eddie’s having a hard time getting into the fed’s system. What we’ve gotten so far comes from a favor I called in and from my own research.”

Delta wrote down a few notes and waited for Connie’s fingers to stop flying over the keyboard. “The fed’s little task force believes that the guy who does the snatching is just a flunkie. They think the video man is an ex-con who was in for kidnapping or child molestation, or something of that nature. They’re going back the last ten years in their files to cross index every felon who’s out on parole.”

“That’s a lot of work.”

“A lot of useless footwork.” Turning from the computer, Connie rubbed her red eyes. “There are two keys to catching these guys before they leave town. One is in the stolen vehicle pattern, and the other is infiltration of the ring.”

Delta considered this for a moment. “That’s an interesting angle. Do we have enough information to be able to do that?”

Connie nodded. “Just about.”

“And what about the stolen vehicles?”

“The cars are the only tangible pattern we’ve come up with. Our thin man likes fast, red ones. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s carved out a pattern for himself. It’s one of those simple things that usually gets crooks arrested.”

Delta nodded and watched Connie work on the computer. “I like the idea of getting someone on the inside. Do you think the feds have anyone in there?”

Connie laughed and started punching more info into the computer. “I hardly think so. I saw two of them talking to the captain earlier and they’re just chasing their tails. The problem I see with the feds is that they all look like agents. Like someone cut them with a cookie cutter; there isn’t one of them who wouldn’t be spotted before they could even get out of the car.”

Delta nodded. They did all have that Clint Eastwood look about them. Even in the nineties, few women held top government positions, and the FBI was no exception. It was, unfortunately, still a `good old boys’ organization.

“Besides, even if they did manage to slide someone in, they’re hunting a different animal than we are.”

“Because they aren’t satisfied with catching the thin man.”

Connie shook her head. “Nope, they’re not. They want Mr. Big.”

Delta’s eyes sparkled. “If they’re not gonna go after him, then—”

“We are. And I think the best way to do it is a two-pronged approach.”

Her adrenaline surging, Delta leaned closer. She knew Connie would formulate a plan. It was only a matter of time. “Prong number one?”

Connie smiled. “We have a beautiful Camaro in the compound— cherry red, fast. And Smith says we can have it for a week.”

Delta’s eyes lit up. “It’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”

Another cop strode past them and Connie pushed a button for the screen saver to appear.

“I can rig the computer to say that Officer so-and-so needs to inspect the vehicle for a couple of days. Do you think one is enough?”

“Got any others?”

Returning to the screen, Connie pulled up a menu of cars held in the compound. “We have a blue ’65 Mustang, but nothing else that compares to that red Camaro.”

“Then skip it. How long can you get it for?”

“A week, tops.”

Delta shrugged. “Can you get a bug for it?”

Nodding, Connie picked up the phone.

Delta checked her watch. It was after two in the morning. “Isn’t it a bit late to call someone?”

“Nah. Electronic wizards rarely ever sleep. Putting her mouth on the receiver, Connie spoke into it. “Sal? It’s Connie Rivera. How’s our project coming along?” Connie made her hand like a duck and moved it in a talking motion. “Yeah, I need that wireless tap we spoke about earlier. No, I need a stronger one than that. Let’s say with a range of up to ten miles with a motion detector. You can? Great. No, I’ll be over later this morning to pick it up. I’ll also pick up that business card.” Connie listened for a moment. “It’s hooked up just to the machine, right? Excellent. You’re a gem. I’ll tell her you send your love, yes. Thanks a bunch, Sal.” Hanging up the phone, Connie turned to Delta and smiled. “Done. Sal’s a great connection. The tap will act as a homing device with a range of up to ten miles. It will begin beeping as soon as there’s movement. I’ll get you the radio receiver and a transmitter as well.”

“What will it do?”

“When the Camaro starts to move, the beeper sounds. When your vehicle starts moving, you look at the little picture and it will show you a green flashing dot, which is the stolen vehicle, and a red flashing dot, which is your vehicle. That way, you know where you are in relation to the stolen vehicle. It’s all laid out in a grid system. Sal showed it to me once. Pretty incredible stuff.”

Delta shook her head. She was constantly amazed at technological advances. “Wow.”

Connie nodded and grinned. “It’s a better way of tailing a suspect minimizing the chance of being spotted. The feds have something like it, but Sal’s is mostly military stuff.”

Delta held up a hand to stop her. “I don’t want to know.”

“Oh, yeah. Anyway, I’ll get it from Sal. You’ll just keep the receiver with you at all times and you’ll know when the car is grabbed.”

“Okay. Prong number two.”

Connie pushed the screen saver button before scooting closer to Delta. “What we’re dealing with here are pedophiles. Last night, I read Krueger’s
Analysis of the Behavioural Patterns and Conditions of Pedophilia.
”

“Certainly not the best bedtime reading,” Delta said coldly.

“No, but I learned a great deal. Pedophiles enjoy correspondence and contact with other people like themselves. As if their sickness is some kind of a social club. What we need to do is become part of the local club.”

Delta shuddered. “That’s such a gross thought.”

“Yes, it is. But it’s also our best strategy. I’ve located the name of a fellow who organizes the local meetings and get-togethers.”

“Get-togethers? These people actually meet?”

“Yep. They even have their own newsletter. Believe it or not, the

guy who runs the meetings out of Kempt’s Porn Palace is the vice president of the River Valley Baseball Program.” Connie grinned. “I got that little gem from one of the guys working the kiddie-crime unit.”

“Okay, so the VPof the baseball program may be our first contact.”

“Right. The feds are watching him closely, but they don’t think he knows anything. He’s just the head of the Rene Guyon Society.”

Delta hadn’t heard the name before. “Rene Guyon?”

Connie paused while a clerk set a file on her desk. “It’s a group for pedophiles who like to engage in sex with younger children. Their motto is `sex before eight or else it’s too late.’”

Delta’s stomach heaved slightly. “Sick.”

“No kidding. They have a newsletter outlining upcoming events. There’s a membership of more than 1,000 people countrywide, and the Los Angeles and surrounding communities crowd meets tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night? Can we be ready by tomorrow night?”

“We have to be. Apparently, this meeting wasn’t on the agenda or in the newsletter, so it could be a meeting to inquire about investors.” Connie shuffled through some three-by-five cards and plucked one from the deck. “My source thinks they may even be previewing one of the videos.”

“Where?”

“That was the only thing he didn’t know. It’s the secrecy that makes me think we’re onto something big. That, and the fact that this meeting was called in such a hurry.”

“So now what? This doesn’t do us any good if we don’t know where they’re going to be.”

“I’ve covered that as well. What you need to do is go undercover to Kempt’s and ask for Fibber.”

“Fibber?”

Connie sighed. “Yeah. As in Fibber McGee and Molly. Pedophiles also tend to use nicknames from children’s shows.”

“Okay, I go to Kempt’s and ask for Fibber. What’s going to make him tell me?”

“Oh, ye of little faith. Hand Fibber a $100 bill folded around your membership card and ask him what’s shaking.”

“You’re kidding.”

Connie’s eyes narrowed. “Do I look like I’m kidding? Del, these people have to be extremely careful. Do you have any idea what inmates do to pedophiles in jail?”

Chills ran down Delta’s arms. “Where do I get my membership card?”

“One’s being made as we speak. It has a seal of some sort, so it’s taking a little while to duplicate one, but you’ll have it before you go. It says you’re from out of state, in case Fibber or anyone else wants to know why they haven’t seen you at any of the local meetings.”

Delta inhaled a deep breath. “Thomas Jefferson would commit suicide if he were alive to see how we use his constitution.”

Connie smirked. “Indeed.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. When you get to the place where the meeting is being held, you knock on the door and say that you hear they have some good pie.”