Chapter 10

Callen's hand shot up, grabbed the shirt, and yanked the man wearing it to the sidewalk, and in less than five seconds, Callen was staring into the face of a complete stranger.

"That, Mr. Matti, was impressive," the man said as Callen clenched his shirt.

"How do you know my name?" Callen asked without loosening his grip.

"I have a friend who volunteers at the men's shelter. He gave me your name."

"Why?"

The man shifted uncomfortably on the sidewalk, feeling the pressure of Callen's weight behind his clenched fist. "I will explain everything if you'll let me stand up." Callen hesitated. "I'm not here to harm you, Mr. Matti. I'm here to offer you an opportunity to make some money for completing a very simple task."

Callen waited a few moments and then opened his fist and released the shirt. The man stood up slowly and waited for Callen to join him.

"What opportunity?" Callen asked with obvious skepticism.

The man glanced at the surrounding sleepers and took a step away, "Let's not disturb your neighbors."

Callen, the hand in his pocket fingering the mace canister, followed the man as he walked past the snoring sleeper at the end of the queue. Across the street, Deeks had easily moved from a prone to a sitting position, his back resting against a wall, as he watched Callen and the man move a few paces past the queue down the sidewalk. When Callen was about twenty feet from the end of the queue, he stopped, "This is far enough. Unless you're going to yell, we won't disturb anyone as long as we keep our voices down."

The man stopped and looked past Callen back at the line of sleeping men, "Okay."

"Now," said Callen, "what do you mean by opportunity?"

"You seem like a straight-up guy, Mr. Matti. Can I call you Jim?"

"Sure."

"Okay then," he said with a smile. "I have some friends who need someone reliable to make a delivery for them."

"Why don't they hire a delivery service?"

"They could, but they prefer to give jobs to veterans who need work."

"Why?"

"They're in the service themselves. And the delivery itself is very simple."

"I don't need a car?" Callen asked.

"No. The delivery is possible using public transportation."

Callen was silent for a moment, studying the man. "And what would I be delivering?"

"You'd be delivering some items for resale."

"So, it wouldn't be anything illegal," Callen said just for clarification.

"No."

"So, again, why don't they hire a delivery service?"

The man laughed a little and looked down at the sidewalk. Then he looked at Callen and smiled, "What you'd be delivering isn't illegal." Callen waited for him to continue. "As I said, my friends are in the military, and having served yourself, Jim, you know that the salaries aren't always adequate compensation." Callen looked at him but said nothing, so he continued. "They have a very small business on the side to help augment their regular salary, but this business is 'off the books,' so they prefer to have no records of transactions related to it."

"Hmm," was all Callen said as he listened to this explanation.

"One of the men has relatives in Mexico who rely on him for income, and the other has a niece who has a serious medical condition that requires expensive treatment and her family's medical coverage is limited," he offered as additional details. "They're not in this business for personal gain." He paused and realized that he needed to provide a little more information. "It's not a regular job. They collect small items—mostly toys—when they go to Mexico and they have friends who, when they've collected enough, take them to weekend swap meets." He waited a few beats and then said, "I've told you more than you need to know."

"That's your opinion," Callen said and continued, "but I get it. I've been in spots where I needed extra money. Like now." Callen finally took his hand out of his pocket. "Let's say I agree to complete this delivery. When do they need it done, and what will they pay me?"

The man seemed satisfied that Callen had accepted the story he'd been told as well as the delivery job. "You'll need to make the delivery Friday, so you'll need to stay in the area until then. A delivery Friday means the vendors will have the items in time for the swap meet."

"And the pay if I make the delivery?" Callen asked.

"The men are generous. They would pay you two hundred dollars, cash."

"Two hundred? That seems like a lot to deliver a bunch of toys. Are you sure there's nothing illegal in the delivery?"

"Nothing illegal. These men are members of the military. The only thing they're doing that's a little questionable is selling the items and pocketing the money, but I've explained their reasons." He watched Callen who studied him and then offered his hand. The man took it and smiled. "So, you'll make the delivery, Jim?"

"For two hundred dollars," Callen said, "I'd deliver more than toys for fellow . . . ." Suddenly, he stopped, pulled his hand away, and looked closely at the guy. "What service do these guys belong to?"

"The Navy," the man said with a questioning glance.

"Okay. If you'd said the Army," Callen said with a touch of sarcasm, "they'd have had to pay me double. I don't really get along with Army guys," he explained with a shrug. "It's a long story."

Now that their conversation had ended, Callen really wanted to get back to sleep. He turned and started back to his sleeping spot and the man followed. Just before he settled down, he turned back to the man. "Where do I pick up the toys?"

The man stopped. "The men will be stopping by with the toys in the early evening. There's an alley between Ceres and Gladys off 5th. Be there on Friday no later than 4:00 pm and wait for the delivery."

"They'll recognize me?"

"They will."

"How will I recognize them?"

"You won't need to, but they'll be in an SUV."

Callen shrugged and then settled back down on the sidewalk. The man left and walked back the way he came. Across the street Deeks pulled away from the wall and returned to his former position on the sidewalk, pulling his coat closer around him. Sam watched as the man crossed back in front of the Challenger but stayed where he was.

"Eric, can you run facial rec of the guy who's approaching my location?"

Eric was checking out the image on his computer screen. "The image is too dark. Plus he's wearing a hat."

"Okay. Is there a camera at the alley off 5th between Ceres and Gladys?" was Sam's next question.

Eric, having drunk several cups of coffee, checked on the camera presence for that location and informed Sam of his findings, "There are no cameras at either end of that alley. There's a camera at Gladys Park and one at Towne and 5th. Those are the closest cameras."

"Okay, thanks, Eric. You and Nell get some sleep. Things look like they'll be pretty quiet for the rest of the night," Sam said as he waited for Kensi to arrive.

Eric glanced over at Nell with exasperation, "I wish he'd told me that before I'd had that last cup of coffee."