Chapter 12
It had been a long and fruitless five days. Once the initial rush of finding David and Carrie wore off, Deeks and Callen had found nothing to lead them to the people taking the children. Chet had been with them every day, looking for the men he'd been suspicious of, but so far, nothing. They hadn't shown up again. At least they could take solace in the fact that no one had reported another child missing, yet.
There had been some highlights, starting with the afternoon they'd found the Parkinson's and handed them off to Jim Franklin. They'd managed to give Chet the slip and check in with OSP. Jim had been on hand and had filled them in on the joyful reunion. Hetty had also informed them that she had given Daniel the name of a doctor who worked with returning veterans and was having good success with alternative treatment that didn't involve the drugs that so many felt did more harm than good. That was the only positive note from that check in as no one else had found anything new to help either.
Another highlight was that both men were getting to know each other better as the days wore on. Deeks finally understood and sympathized with Sam over Callen's nocturnal habits. How the man functioned on so little sleep was beyond him. Callen had discovered that Kensi was right, Deeks talked in his sleep. Not talked to people who weren't there but would have entire conversations with you while completely asleep. The first time it happened was the second night they were down here. He'd been awake, sitting indian style and quietly practicing his Arabic, when Deeks had rolled over and propped his head on his fist, just like the first night.
"G?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you ever think this was where you would end up?"
"What do you mean? Down here or at NCIS?"
"NCIS. I mean, is this what you wanted to be when you were a kid? What you wanted to be when you grew up?"
"I never really thought about it. All I wanted was to get to the age where I could be responsible for myself and out of the foster care system. But to answer your question, no, this is not where I thought I would end up. If you had told me I'd be in law enforcement when I was younger, I would have thought you were deranged."
"What changed?"
Callen had a one word answer to that. "Hetty."
"Hetty?"
"Hetty. She saw something in me that no one else did. She saved me from ending up in jail one day when I stole a cop car. The cop who caught me couldn't figure it out either, told her she was making a big mistake. She told me she thought I had great potential."
"Well, she was obviously correct!"
"I like to think so. You know, she sees the same thing in you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Why do you think she brought you in?"
"Because you needed to work better with the LAPD?"
Callen snorted. "Yeah, and you have such a great relationship with your fellow officers!"
"Hey! It's better than it was!"
"Yeah, I know. I also know she offered you the paperwork to become an NCIS agent and that you turned her down, saying you felt that being a cop was who you were, not just what you do. Still feel that way?" Callen was hoping to figure out exactly what was keeping Deeks from taking that final step. This was a perfect opportunity to further 'Operation Agent Deeks'.
"I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, with everything that happened with McGonagle, it was mostly you guys that got me out and saved my life. I doubt the LAPD would have put as much effort into it."
Callen had to be honest. "I wouldn't go that far Artie. I know Bates would have."
"Yeah, we go way back, Bates and me. Sometimes I think he hates me, other times I think he actually cares."
"He does. I saw it up close and personal while you were unconscious in the hospital. He was furious about it and really worried about you. So, what about you?"
"Huh?"
"Come on Artie, you started this thing! Did you always want to be a lawyer or a cop?"
"No, I planned on being a world famous surfer like Mike Lamm or Herbie Fletcher. Oh, and I wanted to be in rock band that sold millions of records and had adoring fans all over the world!"
"So, law enforcement wasn't on the radar?"
"Hell no. Yet, here I am."
"Here we both are. Now get some sleep, we need to be on the move again first thing in the morning."
"K, night G." Deeks laid back down and was immediately asleep. Or so Callen thought. It wasn't until he brought up the conversation the next morning and saw the confusion on Deeks's face that he realized the detective had never been awake to start with and had no idea what he was talking about. Callen decided not to push it, hoping that more night time revelations might be forthcoming. So far nothing he hadn't already known about had been discussed the next two times it happened.
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On the fifth full day, Callen started to see Deeks acting a little weird when they were around Chet. Twitchy and short tempered. He wasn't sure what was going on and was surprised when Deeks came up to him early in the afternoon and handed him Monty's rope leash.
"Greg, I gotta go run an errand. Will you watch Monty for me?"
"What? Where are you going? There's still daylight left! We should keep looking!"
"Greg! Just do it, okay? I'll be back."
He turned and walked away. Callen started after him but Chet stopped him. "Let him go Greg. I'm surprised he's lasted as long as he has."
"What do you mean?"
"He's starting to jones for another fix. Like I said, I'm surprised he's lasted this long."
Callen thought fast. "Yeah, he had a little something with him when we got here. I didn't realize he would be out this quick."
"Drugs are an evil mistress."
"I need to watch out for him, will you take care of Monty?" Callen handed Chet the leash.
"Of course I will. You're a good friend Greg."
"I try to be."
Callen headed in the direction he'd last seen Deeks walking. He hurried and finally caught sight of him a few hundred yards ahead of him. He slowed so that he wouldn't be seen. He knew Deeks wasn't going to meet a drug dealer and he was curious about what this errand was all about. He followed behind as Deeks slowly made his way back towards the area they had come through by the mural at San Julian Street. Once out of the 'city limits', Deeks again took on the persona Callen had seen that first day. Shuffling along the street, he stopped at every trash can and dumpster, opening them and rooting around in the trash, mumbling to himself, sometimes singing off key. He eventually reached the warehouse they'd use as a staging area and shuffled inside.
Callen went as far as he dared and then crouched down behind a dumpster sitting to the left of the door Deeks had disappeared through. He could hear the sounds of voices but not what they were saying. One definitely sounded feminine and, when he heard a kind of snort-laugh he instantly recognized, he knew who Deeks was meeting. Kensi. He wondered why he hadn't just said so. The voices silenced and he waited, figuring that Deeks would be out shortly. He wasn't mistaken. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he shoved himself further behind the dumpster and waited. He saw Deeks shuffle out of the building and cross the street. He began to head back to the Row on the opposite side of the street, following the same pattern of rummaging through the trash and garbage.
When Callen judged Deeks was far enough away, he left his hiding place, crossed the street and started tailing him again. He hurried a little when his quarry turned a corner and disappeared from sight. He rounded the same corner and came to a skidding halt when he found Deeks leaning against the building, his arms crossed, obviously waiting for him. Damn it, he'd been careful! Deeks should never have been able to tell he was being followed.
"Callen."
"Deeks."
"Want to explain yourself?"
"What?"
Deeks sighed. "Why have you been following me since I left the Row? I asked you to wait with Monty. I assume you handed him off to Chet?"
"How did you…? Never mind. I was worried, okay?"
Deeks eyebrows rose. "Worried? About me?"
"Yeah, you were acting strange and then suddenly you have an 'errand' to run. I wanted to know what was going on."
Deeks pushed off the wall and chuckled. "I knew Chet would be suspicious if I didn't look like I needed a fix. So I started acting like I was jonesing and figured it would be a good chance to see Kensi and lay in some more supplies. I arranged to meet her here today when we had our check in last night." Each night, after check in, everyone allowed the two of them some alone time. "Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"I wanted you to act naturally around Chet. I know you're still suspicious of him because you think he's familiar to you in some way."
Callen scratched his head. "Yeah, I wish I could put my finger on it. There's just something about him that sets off these warnings bells, you know?"
"I do, but I have to tell you, in all the time I've known Chet, he's never been anything but kind and good to me."
"I know. Same with me. I just feel like he's hiding something."
"Aren't we all?"
Callen opened his mouth to respond and realized it was true, he just hoped Deeks's faith in Chet wasn't misplaced. "Let's head back."
The two men turned to go back onto San Julian Street when Deeks pushed Callen back and hissed at him to keep quiet. Peeking around Deeks, he saw a Mercedes Benz sedan stopped across the street and four men were getting out. The driver was a woman in her mid to late forties, well dressed and loaded down with jewelry. The men matched the description Chet had given them.
"Crap!"
"What's the matter Deeks?"
"The woman? That's Rachel Seavers."
"Who?"
"High priced madam. Think Leona Helmsley on steroids. Very well connected. We've been trying to take her down for years but she has too many politicians and wealthy business men on her client list, not to mention, rumor has it, some high ranking officials in law enforcement. Hell, half the time our investigations get shut down before they even start!"
"Would she know you? Could she blow your cover?"
"No, I've never actually met her. We should be good."
They continued to watch the car and could hear Seavers issuing instructions to the four men. "You know what product our client wants. Female, blonde, under ten, pretty and with good teeth. He's willing to pay top dollar. When you find her, let Maggie know. She'll take care of it like always and get the girl to Riley. You can pick her up later from there."
The men nodded and Callen had to restrain Deeks when they heard her refer to a child as 'the product'. The men stepped away from the car and Seavers drove away. They began to walk towards the Row, oblivious to the audience they'd just had, talking amongst themselves. Callen listened intently.
The one who seemed to be the youngest of the four spoke first. "Димитрий, мне не нравится это. Это дети, о которых мы говорим! Это продолжается слишком долго!" Dimitri, I don't like it. These are children we are talking about! This has been going on too long!
The one whose name was apparently Dimitri replied. "Держите рот на замке и делать то, что вы сказали! Мы делаем хорошие деньги от этого. Кто заботится о нескольких детей в любом случае?" Keep your mouth shut and do what you're told! We're making good money off this. Who cares about a few kids anyway?
The other two men kept their mouths shut as the younger one dropped his head and followed Dimitri down the street. Callen turned and looked at Deeks who was pale under the dirt on his face. Quietly he asked. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Seavers mentioned a Maggie who was helping them. If it's who I think it is, this will devastate Christy."
"Why? Who is she?"
"She's one of Christy's right hand people. Why would she do this?"
The two men looked at each other and said at the same time. "Money."
"Do you know who Riley is?"
"No, I've never heard that name in connection with anyone out here."
Turning, they followed the four at a safe distance. Once they passed into the Row, the four of them split up and Callen motioned for Deeks to follow the dissenter. He followed Dimitri who appeared to be the leader. The strongest link and the weakest. The other two men disappeared down the street. As Deeks followed the younger man, he spotted Dodger. Motioning him over, he whispered in his ear. "Tell Chet the four men are back and he was right, they're behind this. We may need reinforcements. I'm following one, Greg is following the other. There're two more but we lost them by now. Tell him where we are." Here he paused. "Also, warn him that Maggie may be involved as well as someone by the name of Riley. He has to be sure to tell Christy about Maggie. If he doesn't, she's sure to include Maggie in any plans we make and she could tip these guys off." Other than a momentary look of shock, Dodger said nothing. He just nodded and melted into the crowds.
Reaching up under his cap, Deeks turned on his earwig. "Eric? You there?"
"Yes! Deeks I'm glad you turned on your comms. We saw the men and that woman on video and we're running facial rec on them now."
"Good! Listen, do me a favor will you? Call Bates and tell him Rachel Seavers is involved in this? She's the woman the camera caught."
"Sure. Um, who's Rachel Seavers?"
"High priced madam who has apparently decided to branch out into human trafficking. It sounds like she's taking specific orders from customers and pulling kids off the street who match the request. The four Russian men are working for her."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm following one, G is following another. We overheard that they have people inside the Row who're helping them. We have names for both of them but one I don't recognize. Are you guys on standby?" He paused and said something he'd hoped he wouldn't have to. "We may have to let them take a kid to make sure we get everyone involved. We need to get all of them or this could just continue with new players. We need as many people available as possible to make sure no harm comes to any innocents."
"I understand. We'll be there! I'll let Hetty and Granger know right now."
"Thanks man!"
"You bet. Keep your comms on so we can update you."
"K."
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Callen continued to follow his guy as the man seemed to aimlessly wander the streets. If he hadn't known what the Russian was looking for, he wouldn't have paid any attention to him. But knowing what he did, he was aware that the man was thoroughly scanning the people he passed. He'd paused once when he saw a blonde child but then kept going. When Callen passed the same child, he noticed her eyes were brown. A small fact but one that might just have saved her from getting caught up in this. He wondered how Deeks was doing.
Deeks was also following his guy through the streets. Like Callen's quarry, the man seemed in no hurry and didn't appear to pay particular attention to anyone or anything. About fifteen minutes into his tail, Dodger caught up with him and said quietly. "Artie, Chet's been updated. He sent word to Trip, Christy, Abbot, Trinity and Jordan. They're going to meet up at Alameda and try to find the other two. I told him about Maggie. He didn't want to tell Christy but he knew he had to. You know how close those two are. He sent her a warning to not tell Maggie anything, that he'd explain when she got here. He also didn't recognize the name Riley. He wants me to stick with you as a runner in case we find anything that needs to get back to the group. He sent Petey to hook up with Greg. Everyone will have runners ready to go where needed."
Deeks sighed and nodded. The idea that someone who worked with the Protectors was involved in this was heartbreaking. The efficiency and speed with which Chet set up a communications relay network was impressive. Maybe today would be the day that they ended this. The two continued to walk, talking softly about nothing, splitting up and then coming back together again, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The man never noticed he'd picked up two followers.
Across the Row, Callen realized that he'd picked up a tail as well. He worried that they'd been made until he recognized the teenager following him. He'd seen him around Chet's shelter, always wanting to play with Rondo and Monty, but didn't know his name. He couldn't set a trap for him, worried that he would lose sight of the man he was following. Instead, he slowed down and let the boy catch up with him. "What do you want? I'm kind of busy right now."
"Chet sent me. I'm your runner. People call me Petey."
"My what?"
"Your runner. I'm fast and can get messages to anyone you need me to. Chet sent one to Artie as well. Dodger volunteered before I could."
Callen paused, one eye on the boy and one on the Russian slowly moving away from them. "So, you're part of a..sort of…relay network?"
"Yup! No cell phones or radios down here so we have to keep each other informed the old fashioned way. At least that's what Chet says."
Callen had to smile at the adoration in the boy's voice. He obviously idolized Chet. "Okay then Petey, I'm Greg. The man I'm following can't know we're here. Can you make sure he doesn't see you?"
"Of course! I'm pretty skilled at tailing people!"
Callen decided not to inform the boy that he'd picked up on the fact that he was being tailed immediately. He was trained to do so, he hoped the man they were following was not. They followed their target for the rest of the afternoon, watching as he paused now and again when a child caught his attention. One bothered Callen as it appeared the little girl met the criteria. She was blonde, blue eyed and looked to be about eight years old. Yet the man kept going. Eventually they realized the man was heading back to Alameda. Shortly before reaching the area they'd come in through, he was joined by a woman. Callen heard Petey hiss. Quietly he said. "That's Maggie! I didn't want to believe it! I really thought it was a mistake when we heard she might be helping these guys!"
Callen pushed Petey behind him. If Petey knew her, she knew Petey. She didn't know him. He watched as the two talked, once again wishing he could read lips. He could follow enough to know that the man had given this Maggie a general idea of where the little girl he'd seen had been. The woman nodded and melted into a side street. Callen debated. Should he follow the woman and let Petey take the man? Or should he let her go? Making a split second decision, he turned to Petey and whispered. "Keep following him and don't let him out of your sight. When you see Artie or can send another runner, you tell him what we saw. Tell him where the blonde girl was. Let him know I'm following Maggie."
"I will. How will we find you?"
"Just tell Artie. He'll figure it out."
The boy nodded and watched the man he knew as Greg disappear down the same side street as Maggie. He looked back up his street and saw that the man he was to tail was getting further away. He picked up his pace until he was a comfortable distance and followed him back to Alameda where he met up with the other three men of his group. They didn't say much, just nodded and headed back out of the 'city limits'. Petey wondered if he should keep following them when he saw Artie approaching. He breathed a sigh of relief. Artie would know what to do.
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