Chapter 11

"The drug shipment is scheduled to cross the Canadian border at Champlain, on Thursday 29th, August arriving in Miami on the 3Oth, or Thursday, September 5th arriving in Miami on the drugs will be coming over in a furniture removal truck, with 'Wright's Furniture Removals' emblazoned on the side of the truck. It will be loaded with some furniture to make it look bona fide in case it is checked at the border, but the truck will have a false back, flooring and roof, which will hide a whole load of narcotics."

"Why - the two different dates John?"

"We think they are just being cautious Michael. At this time, I cannot tell you for definite which date it will be. It could well be a late hour decision."

"Why do you think they are crossing at Champlain? I thought the Canadians had tightened up border controls there, after that lot coming across last year. All right they had a customs officer taking bribes, but I understood they were going to tighten up generally after that."

"Apparently, the border officers, are more interested in checking people entering Canada, rather than those leaving, so they are still pretty lax about that, so in the circumstances my informant says this is still a preferred way of crossing the border, as the water port authorities are very tight on checks these days.""

"Okay John, so do we know what route they will be taking from the border down to us?"

"Yeah, they will be crossing the border at approx midday, and will virtually follow the same route as that lot did last year. They will be traveling down the 87 Interstate, crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge, and continuing down the New York Thruway section of the 87 Interstate into the Bronx, reaching the Harlem Waterfront, Costello Warehouse, at around 9:00 pm."

"The driver will be accompanied by Nathan King, a Cuban Canadian, who is to collect payment for the drugs, in cash, from Ron Saris. They will have a car standing by in the warehouse ready for King and the driver to make their way back to Canada."

"Then two new drivers, it was going to be one driver, but there was a change of plan, will board the truck, and will share the driving for the 20-hour trip down to Miami. Ron Saris will be with them."

"And Michael, my informant will be one of the drivers on the route to Miami."

"Ah, so he is working on the inside then. Do you still trust him John?"

"Yes, with my life."

"Look Michael, he is a good man, he has been close to the criminal underworld for years, and he knows how to merge in with them. He has the looks and knows how to talk with them. We go back to my early days with the NYPD; he was mostly an undercover cop and was good at it, and he continued in that role long after I left. He retired from the force a couple of years ago, at 50, and then his life was shattered. His 25-year-old son died from over use of drugs, he had tried to help him get over his drug addiction but to no avail, and his wife was grieving so much, that she committed suicide soon after. His life's aim now, is to help pull down as many drug suppliers and dealers as he can, which is why he contacted me straight away, when I put a few feelers out to my contacts. He was already on the inside and wanted to help us. In fact, he would have gone to Trevor Carson direct, but he came through to me when he heard I was interested in Ron Saris. He hates Saris, says he is a slimy, evil piece of shit, and does not trust him. He reckons Saris would kill his own mother. He really wants to see Saris taken down."

"He has been learning all these details as Saris, seems to trust him, but then as I said he is a natural in melding in with these drug outfits. And apparently Saris is so cocksure of himself, he lets things slip."

"And I have in my roaming about the last few days, seen Ron Saris from a distance, and to be honest Michael he gives me the creeps. He is an evil looking bastard, in a sort of sardonic way. He has the appearance of mocking everyone around him. He has a permanent smirk on his face and one that I would love to remove."

Michael gave a small grin, and thought that although he did not really know him, Saris was already getting under John's skin, god only knows how much he had gotten under Horatio's skin with all he had had to put up with from him.

"If you talk to Trevor Carson, you will find that my informant has already helped them put away a few drug dealers this last year. He will know whom you mean Michael if you just mention COBRA."

"Does he know anything about the Miami side of things? Horatio, and James, gave me an update last Thursday regarding information they now have to hand. It seems like Horatio has learned that one Ramon Escalade is the big player their end. It is a long story though, so to keep it simple for now they had a similar situation down there in that someone was able to provide some information in exchange for a deal. We therefore have the name of the person running things their end and we also have the address of the warehouse where the drug shipment is due to be delivered."

"Michael, as far as Cobra knows at the moment, they will be taking the Interstate 78 to start with, and then pick up the Interstate 95 which they will follow all the way down the Atlantic Coast. Then going over to a map that John had on his office wall he trailed his finger down the route that was going to be the most likely, New Jersey, through Philadelphia, Baltimore, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and finally into Florida and down to Miami."

"Michael what is the name of the warehouse in Miami? Cobra doesn't know yet, well not as we speak"

"We don't have a name John we just know it is a private warehouse on North West 54th street."

Turning away from the map John continued, "I have actually done some surveillance on the Costello Warehouse. It is not a large warehouse, but plenty big enough for a large truck to be tucked away for a while as they make the cash exchange. Not an over amount of room though if we raid the place. But there is one warehouse next to it that is empty, at the moment anyway."

"Okay John, I will go and see Trevor next. Depending on what he says, we may need to set up a conference call quickly between the relevant parties here in New York, and with James and Horatio in Miami. It is the 26th today, so if they make a move on the 29th Trevor will need to get things organised post haste. A lot is going to depend on whether Jordan King wants Trevor to set up a complete sting this end or, whether he will be happy to share the honours with Miami, and allow the drugs to move on to their intended destination."

"John, thank you for all your help, and your informants, Trevor will be well pleased with what you have discovered. I'll give him a call now to tell him I need to see him with urgency this afternoon."

Meanwhile, Sharon who had been getting more concerned by the minute, listening to what John had been saying, moved across to him, and wrapping her arms around his waist, she said, "John, please be careful out there, you sound like you are getting real close to the inside yourself now. And I know you won't hesitate to go in closer if you deem it necessary."

"Sharon I will not do anything stupid. I promise you," said John as he cupped her face in his hands, then gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth, and added. "With you in my life, I am not about to be reckless."

Michael overhearing the conversation, as he finished his call, butted in saying, "Sharon is right John. Take no chances out there my friend."

"I would say stand down now, except it would be useful if you could hang around a bit longer in hope that you can find out the actual date of the shipment, and that might mean you hang around until the last minute," Michael said with a frown on his face.

"It's okay Michael, no problem for me."

"John, do you know how Saris became involved in something like this so quickly here in New York? We know he came out of Miami police protection here about 3 weeks ago now, but it doesn't seem long enough to me for him to get involved in something and to seemingly be running things here."

"Not exactly Michael, my informant said he appeared on the scene more or less out of the blue, but he seemed to know a few people and knew his way about. His guess is that as I was able to tell him that Saris had been into drugs at one time in Miami, he is working for the main player in Miami who we now know seems to be this Ramon Escalade. He knows Saris was in Miami recently as I told you last week, but he has not heard of him going to Canada. So Saris's connection all seems to point in the Miami direction, with Ramon Escalade running the show that end and Nathan King in Canada. I am now assuming Escalade is a Cuban as well, with a name like that."

Pausing for a moment in thought, John then added, "My guess would also be that the Cuban connection is why the drugs are going all the way down to Miami, instead of a buyer here in New York."

"You are probably right John."

Sharon made them another coffee, and thirty minutes later after a quick look in his own office, and seeing nothing needing immediate attention Michael left and made his way to his meeting with Trevor Carson at the District Attorney's office.


Meanwhile in Miami, Monday morning started quietly at the lab just run of the mill stuff as far as caseload was concerned, but Horatio was getting anxious, Eric had not come in yet and it was now 11.30 am.

He kept looking at his watch muttering, "Where are you Eric?" He was getting more worried by the minute. Eric had not called in sick, and had not been scheduled to go anywhere before coming in this morning, and was not answering his phone, so where was he? Eventually he left him a message to call in a.s.a.p. He knew of course, that Eric was deliberately clubbing at night to see if he could pick up any loose talk regarding the possible drug shipment, so he was beginning to wonder if he had met some trouble and had not been able to call him for back up.

Ten minutes later and just as Horatio had decided go over to Eric's place, Eric called in to apologise for not being in yet, but was on his way in now.

"Come straight to my office when you arrive Eric, I want a full explanation."

Eric muttered "Shit," at the tone of Horatio's voice. He had had one hell of a night, but to be fair Horatio had no idea about that yet.

Forty minutes later, Horatio was relieved to see Eric strolling in, but dismayed to notice that it looked like he had been in a fight. He was sporting a black eye and a badly cut lip.

"Eric, what on earth happened to you - and where have you been? And why haven't you been answering your damned phone?"

"Don't worry H, I told someone to make it look good, and they did," said Eric chuckling as he tenderly touched the side of his mouth.

Eric could see that Horatio was not at all amused though.

"Sorry I am late in H, I got involved in something last night, and I forgot to take my cell phone out with me, so I couldn't let you know."

"Careless Eric...especially now, when I need to know where you are in case you need back up."

"But why are you so late in? If you could not make it earlier, you could have phoned in, or have you been out all night?

Eric realised Horatio was pissed off with him, and understood why and he knew he should have phoned in earlier. He had just simply overslept after the business of the previous night.

"Horatio let me explain."

"Sit down Eric, I am listening..."

Sitting down Eric said, "I was at the Blanca Nova club last night, in Little Havana, a bit down as it happens, because I hadn't picked up any loose talk prior to last night and was beginning to think I wasn't going to. However, I was sitting on a stool at the bar when two Cuban guys wandered in, and sat at the bar next to me. They had a couple of drinks and started talking about a friend of theirs; someone called Juan, being a fool for working for Ramon Escalade. My ears pricked up instantly, but before they said anything further, another Cuban guy came into the club, and sidled over to the two of them and whispered, but still loud enough for me to hear, "Juan Castillo has been beaten up really bad and left for dead. However, he is still alive, just about, and wants to talk to the police. We cannot get the fucking police down here, but he says it is important the police know what Escalade is up to...What can we do? Juan is very agitated."

Horatio leaned back in his chair appearing to be relaxed but was very alert, "So what did you do Eric?"

"Well I had to step in H; I couldn't stand back on hearing that. Being part Cuban I hoped they would accept me stepping in. I therefore interrupted and quietly told them I had overheard their conversation and that I was a CSI and Cuban ethnic the same as them, and if they cared to take me to their friend, I would see what I could do. Luckily, I had my identity tag with me in my trouser pocket in case it was needed."

"They seemed relieved, most of the Cubans in Little Havana are good people, but they don't like the police in their midst as you well know Horatio. They like to deal with their own problems."

"Anyway, they agreed to take me and we left straight away, but as soon as we were outside and walking down an alley one of them said, "Sorry you look too smart and pretty for where we are going, and swung a hefty punch at me hitting me in the eye."

"I said you better make it look really good then, and he swung another punch, hitting me in the mouth, just a bit too good."

"I had jeans and a black t-shirt on, so was dressed casual, but they still thought I was too posh. So I ruffled the shirt up a bit and smeared some ground dust over my clothes and then they were happy."

"I understood what they meant later. We roamed through many alleys, where I would have stood out like a sore thumb. It was definitely an area where looking down and out was best. We eventually reached the most decrepit place. Juan was lying down in an old dump of a rundown building, and was in a bad way Horatio. He had taken one hell of a beating. The others told him who I was, and then I helped him as he struggled to sit up, and with his back resting in my arm he gave me a glimmer of a smile. He knew who I was, and said, "Thank you for coming, you need to tell your Lieutenant Caine something."

"I looked at him surprised when he mentioned your name, and he explained that he remembered us when we helped Senor Lopez out a few years ago, and the good people down there never forgot a kindness".

"He had to stop now and again to gather some strength, but gradually told me that he had been working as a gardener for Escalade, and while he was ashamed of working for the likes of him, he needed to earn wages, to keep his family from starving, and jobs were so scarce. Yesterday evening though, working a little later than usual, clearing a flowerbed behind a bush, he overheard Escalade talking to two of his men saying the shipment he was expecting any day was going to include a shipment of guns as well as drugs, and some dealers would be arriving at his place soon. And then Escalade discovered he was there, he happened to look over the bush towards the house, and saw him and realised he had heard the conversation, and Escalade immediately had two of his heavies' work him over, telling him to keep his mouth shut, or he was a dead man. Then they drove him to Little Havana and dumped him in rough ground not far from where I saw him. A couple of his friends came across him soon after and helped him get to the run down building, one had stayed with him while the other one came to the club to fetch his friends."

"Then he stopped talking for a while obviously close to the end and then in his final moments he found the strength to ask his friends to help his wife and children, and to tell his wife he loved her and was sorry. A few minutes later, he died Horatio and his last words to me were, "Get the bastards Senor Delko, we don't want that rubbish here in Little Havana, we have enough problems as it is."

"I promised him we would."

"We said a prayer for him, and then his friends told me to go, they would sort out what had to be done for Juan's body and his family. He had two young sons Horatio. They begged me not to send anyone else in there as it would cause too much trouble for everyone. They thought that with Juan passing valuable information to me, they had helped us as much as they could, and it was now down to us to get Escalade without any bother in little Havana, and that no one in Little Havana would want Escalade charged with murder, as life would become hell for the whole community if he was."

"One of the friends showed me the way back and being as the club was still open I could get to my car still sitting there safely in the car park. Then I drove around for a while, feeling so bloody angry, because I know we cannot do anything to avenge his death now, because we have bigger things at stake. That sucks Horatio."

"Then I went home - couldn't sleep, for ages, and when I finally did, I ended up oversleeping. Sorry, I just did not hear the phone Horatio, I had left it in the kitchen and only realised how many times you had phoned when I finally picked it up and saw your message.

"You okay now Eric, are you fit to work?"

"I'm fine Horatio, just sad thinking about Juan's poor wife and his kids. Christ they didn't have to beat the man to death, he would have been too scared to have spoken out with just a threat, with a family to think of."

"You did great Eric; at least the poor man got his wish of talking to a police officer. Moreover, it is good that as a CSI it was you as it happens, because he trusted you. You were in the right place at the right time but for a bad reason."

"I know how you feel Eric, but we will get the bastards, in the meantime we will respect his friend's wishes."

"Sorry I was a bit short earlier, but I had been worrying about you brother in law. I was starting to imagine the worst."

Eric smiled - when Horatio called him brother in law, he knew he had been concerned about him as family as well as a colleague, and he liked the feeling that gave him.

Horatio stood up then, "Come on Eric, we need to go and report to James Burton, but let's go and grab a quick lunch first."

On the way out, they met Frank and Ryan coming towards them and seeing Eric, Ryan said, "Wow - what hit you Eric? I hope she was worth it."

Horatio sternly said, "Cool it Ryan - Eric was doing something work related for me last night and picked his injuries up in the process."

"Sorry Eric. You know I was only teasing anyway."

"No problem Ryan," said Eric over his shoulder as Horatio and he walked away. He was chuckling to himself though. Ryan's face had been a picture when Horatio had stepped in defending him.

As they walked away, Ryan scratched his head, and said, "What is going on with those two Frank? They have been in each others pockets the last couple of days."

"Guess we will know soon enough Ryan."

TBC