Chapter 34 Predators
Jacov Wolinski aka Jason Weller relaxed in the television room, watching the 13 Hours News of CBS TV Four and waiting for his favourite daytime soap 'The Bold and the Beautiful' to start.
Free access to the telly was one of the privileges well-behaved prisoners could obtain in BunkerHill and Jason with his 18 months sentence for 'Grievous bodily harm resulting in death but without the intention to kill' was not only considered well-behaved, but also inoffensive.
He smiled and opened a can of Coke, bought at the Prison Commissary with the pocket money his employer –The Aegean Fighting Club – deposed regularly on his account. Together with the excellent attorney Ivan's enterprise had paid for him, the comfortable weekly allocation of money, regular book and magazine parcels through Barnes & Nobles and Saturday afternoon goodies from 'Babushka' Danilenko made his sejourn in BunkerHill rather acceptable.
"Today, Miami has emerged as the key centre of Russian organised crime in the Caribbean region. MDPD counts a dozen or so gangs operating here. South Florida is the place to meet with Colombian drug cartels and to organise the purchase of banks, firms and properties throughout the region. Sources within the Miami Dade Law Enforcement confirmed that a meeting in 1993 between four top Russian crime syndicates divided up the spoils of the area. One of those in attendance was Oleg Ivanov. He was arrested in Switzerland in 1996 but was released in December of the same year, acquitted of charges of belonging to a criminal organisation and falsifying documents. Ivanov successfully denied the accusation and insisted that he was a legitimate businessman and his case collapsed because of lack of evidence. The Swiss prosecution alleged that Ivanov was the head of the Ismaiylovskaya criminal organisation, one of the largest and most notorious Russian mafia groups founded in Moscow. Today we know that Swiss Law Enforcers were right and that Oleg Ivanov is indeed the 'vozhd' of the Ismaiylovskaya Bratstvo. The gang is linked to money-laundering, illegal gambling, smuggling, racketeering and arms traffic. MDPD officials, who refuse to be named, confirmed that Ivanov successfully build up a solid empire in the Sunshine State and installed one of his key lieutenants at the head of this empire. CBS TV4 pushed its own investigation and found out, that a Russian, naturalised in 1995 and who is actually serving a prison term of 13 months on felony gambling charges of horse race fixing might be Oleg Ivanov's Miami Commander. Unfortunately law enforcement authorities so far were unable to prove this man's belonging to the infamous Ismaiylovskaya Bratstvo and MDPD is complaining that they had insufficient resources to conduct the case."
The running commentary stopped and Erica Sykes, reappeared on the television screen.
Jacov Wolinski liked the chick. She was damn hot and his favourite lunch time anchor. Today she wore a light grey linen jacket with matching trousers and a tight burgundy silk top…..and no bra underneath.
Jacov thought that she had nice tits and a very sexy bum in those well cut trousers. Female company and regular sex were the two things he missed most in his confinement. But he preferred nonetheless his fantasies over the CBS TV4 chick and her dark haired Latino colleague on WSVN 7News, who did the weather forecasts and had the longest legs, he'd ever seen over the more down to earth approach of many of his co-detainees to this problem. It was simply not an option for a soldier of the 'Bratstvo' to acquire for money or obtain by force the services of another male; next to discussing organisational issues of the 'Bratstvo' with a representative of law enforcement over tea or completely messing up a mission, relieving one's basic physical needs with another man – consenting or not – was about the easiest way to get oneself executed by Ivan Sarnoff in person.
Wolinski sipped his cool Coke and moved his left hand over his bald head. Hell, she was hot today. With her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun, that underlined the concerned expression on her face and the seriousness of the subject, the TV4 anchor looked most inviting. He listened with one ear to her explanations and imagined, what it would be to tear of these clothes and ravage her right against a wall.
"The Russian Mafia is bar none, the most powerful, organized crime syndicate in existence today in Florida." Sykes continued. Her voice gave him shivers. It was grave. He liked this type of voice in females! She'd look great if, she'd let her hair down. He loved long silky hair and here was a natural blonde, not a chick that plunged her head regularly in a paint pot….
Ivan Sarnoff, another prisoner with TV privileges seemed less enchanted with the good looks of the CBS Lunchtime anchor and much more interested in the things the young woman had to say.
In the background a series of archive images showed bloody run ins with police forces, men with 'Bratstvo' tattoos slammed against walls and handcuffed and some shoot out scenes that looked as if they'd been taken straight from a Bruce Willis movie.
"The majority of these people are extremely well trained, some by Russian special forces and intelligence, most by the Army and educated. Especially the members of the Mogilevich and Ismaiylovskya clans have above average education and frequently even university degrees.. Central American, Haitian and Cuban organized crime is really amateur hour criminal enterprise compared to the Russian 'Bratstvos' in Miami!" Sykes concluded and while Sarnoff did not approve of that news chick putting her noose in business that was none of hers, he had to agree concerning the appreciation of their professionalism and above average level of education. He did not recruit, if a man had not at least a graduation diploma, preferably a vocational technically or economy oriented baccalaureate. For unqualified labour such as brutal and brainless killings, day-to-day racket or traditional intimidation he preferred to employ the ravaging beasts of the M-13, who had been born and bred in the civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala.
.
Ending her Special on Russian Crime in Florida and promising the spectators a second part of 25 minutes for the next day and which would cover the money laundering operations of the Russian mob through casinos, on horse and greyhound tracks and via other gambling opportunities, Sykes disappeared behind the first images of the news flashes.
Ivan smiled, when he saw the face of a Latino Miami-born Florida congressman appear next to the happy faces of a delegation of Spanish and Portuguese MPs. They had joined him apparently in some social event and they inaugurated a Museum of archaeological relics from remainders of 16th century Conquistador ships. They had been found off shores Miami by underwater archaeologists two years ago. The news comment explained that both Portugal and Spain had agreed to support the scientific work on the treasures and were sending out some crack scientists on an exchange program.
Ivan made a mental note to visit the Museum, as soon as he was out of this rat hole….preferably with Ramona and the boys. He loved archaeology and owned a small, but valuable collection of prehistoric mammoth ivory carvings from his Siberian home land.
The Special on the 'Bratstvo' interest in Florida as a base for operations in the Carribeans had been very honest journalists work but nothing extraordinary had been revealed. The Sykes woman was good. On a strictly professional level, he was tempted to send her an e-mail, congratulating her on a job well done. But she'd have to do better, if her intention was to really upset his organisation and stir up the hornet's nest. Well, Mrs. Sykes was still young and had potential….in a few years time perhaps, he'd be obliged to send her a straight forward message…..perhaps Jacov Wolinski, who seemed to fancy the pretty, little news chick!
The Congressman and his parliamentarian friends from Europe were replaced by a battered and badly bruised face. Ivan literally jumped, when he recognised the man and immediately forgot about Sykes and the Special.
Jacov Wolinski suddenly sat straight like a ramrod in his chair, his half empty can of Coke had slipped from his hand and fallen to the ground, leaving a dark red pool.
"……American citizen Timothy Belkin was killed yesterday evening on the banks of the river Seine in Paris, close to Notre Dame and the tourist highlights of the French capital in front of a shocked and frightened group of innocent bystanders. French officials underlined, that his killer was in a state of justified self-defence, having been violently assaulted by Belkin…." A rather bad photograph of a man, Ivan recognised immediately, notwithstanding his hazel brown beard appeared in a small window on the right upper part of the TV screen.
"Tshort pobery!" – "Hell!" The boss of the Miami branch of the Ismaiylovskaiya cursed under his breath, while the news anchor continued her explanations. Instead of getting himself killed by Timofeij, Ryan Wolfe had not only managed to exterminate his hunter in a rather violent manner. He had also managed to get both of them right onto the news!
**
The cup of coffee slipped from Delko's hand and fell to the floor, leaving a pattern of brownish stains on his cream coloured linen trousers. Maxine Valera who took her lunch break together with Travers in the Cafeteria next to Erica clapped her hand over her mouth and shock her head in denial.
"That's impossible!" Travers moaned. "That's Ryan!"
Suddenly the bearded and tired looking face disappeared and Rick Stetler – uncommonly determined and with a hard look on his face, appeared in front of the cameras.
He literally barked at the journalist who had dared asked him to comment and explain.
No, they had not sent their officer abroad to apprehend a criminal. He was absent without authorized leave and under a false pretence! Yes, Tim Belkin was indeed the younger brother of the criminal Dimitrij Belkin who'd been shot almost two weeks ago during a police action that included a homicide, the kidnapping of a child and illegal gambling! No, he would not comment on this case! Yes, the man, Dimitrij Belkin was indeed a member of the Miami Russian mob! Yes, he had been involved in other criminal activity! No, they would not comment on the ongoing IAB investigation on Officer Wolfe! No, he would not comment on Wolfe's involvement in the rather weird death of another Russian mobster in relation with horse race fixing and illegal betting! Yes they had already filled a request for extradition from France! No, the French did not considered Wolfe's killing of Tim Belkin homicide or manslaughter, but a justified act of self defence and were only holding charges for the illegal possession of a firearm and assuming a false identity against the CSI!
Horatio Caine stood right behind Stetler. Sunglasses firmly clasped in his left, the right stemmed into his hip and ashen faced, the boss of the Crime Lab Day Shift looked bone weary, like a man after a troublesome and sleepless night. The cameras shifted from the apparently angry Stetler to a slender, well dressed woman with cold eyes and a hard look on her face. CBS gave her name as Commander Regine Marais, Legal Attachée at the French Consulate General at Miami.
Delko felt immediately a surge of negative emotions rise. This Marais woman was tough as nails when she explained in excellent English with only the slightest French accent that she had accepted the request for extradition, but that she would not comment!
The issue of the extradition of a foreign national was a question to be handled by the highest authorities of her country. The French charges against were not important, while the charges that Florida desired to press against him were considerable. Furthermore, the IAB officer had just mentionned the fact that they had an investigation against their officer ongoing and which concerned the death of a man. She would need more information in this respect, including – bien sure – proof. Everything could come down to a question of Human Rights …….
Occasionally the Marais woman shot Stetler and Horatio hateful glance and rambled on concerning the legal practice in Florida, the death penalty and excessive sentences for relatively minor charges.
Delko shook his head, brushed the coffee stains with a handkerchief from his trousers and left. Who did this arrogant legal attaché think she was, to try and lecture them on their own legal system on their very own soil? If she did not like it, she could pick up her luggage and play diplomat somewhere else! The low voice chit chat between Valera and Travers, who both doubted that Wolfe was capable of doing something so awful and who expressed both the opinion that something must have gone terrible wrong for their colleague and that perhaps everything would turn out a giant error in the end was unbearable.
Delko knew instantly that Travers and Valera were barking up the wrong tree. But he did not expect anything else from two lab rats who never went out into the field and who always had been extraordinarily chummy with that little sneak Wolfe.
Already years ago, Calleigh had told him under a cloak of secrecy that Wolfe had played the notorious Death Pool 100 and that he had participated in off shore gambling, even paying her once with a fake 'super note'…and all that long before Stetler even thought about firing the rat from their Lab,
Immediately after Calleigh's revelation, Eric had started to have a funny about Wolfe, too and the little bit of trust and good will that had existed for Speedle's unworthy replacement had literally evaporated within the minute.
The news humbug around Natalia BoaVista's sister Anya caused by Wolfe's pet journalist Erica Sykes had added to Eric's resentment and the straw that had finally broken the donkey's back had been his re-integration as a CSI thanks to Horatio's good graces.
Eric had always known that something was terribly wrong with Wolfe and that he was dangerous for the Lab. And here they had it. Right in front of their eyes. He admitted that it would not surprise him, the IAB investigation turned out that Wolfe was entangled with the Russian mob in one way or another.
Already the fact that all of a sudden Wolfe had swapped –so to say overnight – his lousy student's disguise of mismatched sweaters and badly cut jackets for very expensive European designer stuff, some of it apparently made to measure, had been suspicious. Eric had a certain idea about the price of high end male fashion and also a certain idea concerning Wolfe's exact monthly income from legal work as a CSI….and it simply did not fit! Then came the whole affair around that cocaine addict track vet Marc Gantry. This too had been highly suspicious, even more so, since Horatio had kept all details on a very low flame and never ever told him or Calleigh what really had happened.
When Wolfe's had finally completely sabotaged his interrogation of Jim Colton in the Ian Warner homicide hardly two weeks ago, by mentioning Colton's job at a sporting good store as a possible explanation for how his DNA had got on the parachute, it should have become crystal clear…..Wolfe had even pressed on, when Eric became angry with him, suggesting they had nothing substantial on Colton and needed to release the man. And the little sneak had won….Eric was willing to wager six months of pay that Wolfewas in league with the Russians and Sarnoff, probably had been for a long time… which would also explain, why it had been impossible to reach him on his cell that night, after he'd pretended to go after Cameron West the paparazzi who worked for Sarnoff's. He had probably gone for West…..to tell him to keep a low profil for a while and stay of radars, because Horatio was after him.
And then….the next day Wolfe had immediately started to mess up a case involving his Russian buddies; making evidence disappear, helping the murderer to get off, setting up an innocent man etc….
Delko went in search of Calleigh Dusquene. He wanted to talk with her immediately. They had things to discuss. He did not like Rick Stetler and had no tender feelings for the IAB, but it was perhaps an excellent idea to inform him concerning all these strange events from two weeks earlier. Horatio had been excessively tight lipped about his shooting of this Dimitrij Belkin, the story with the child of that track vet Gantry, Wolfe's overall involvement in the whole mess and….Wolfe's mysterious absence for "health reasons" starting literally the day after a curious accumulation of coincidences!
***
ASA Derek Powell gave Sergeant Frank Tripp a nod. They were watching the CBS news cast on Ryan and Belkin in Paris together with a third man.
Horatio had brought ATF Special Agent Evan Caldwell discreetly into the whole business. Caldwell was completely trustworthy and would be a great asset with the seizure of the cargo 'Sherazade', especially since the French had managed to get their agent on board and wanted him back with the utmost discretion. The guy naturally had a false ID including visas from rock states, that would make Homeland Security go immediately over the edge!
The ship had left Dakhla two days earlier and Paris had communicated the entire unofficial shipping list. They wanted only their stuff marked with their trackers back unopened together with their agent 'unquestioned' and gracefully offered ATF the rest of the bounty of the 'Sherazade'.
Caldwell had gone all dewy, when he'd been allowed to read the telex: 5000 Albanian-made, brand new Kalashnikov assault rifles including ammunition and ….surprise, surprise….900 Czech Scorpion automatic pistols in calibre 32 ACP.
The French 'agent' had even been able to sleuth out for this special container part-load was….. "La Mara Salvatrucha", more commonly known as the MS-13 and which was considered by the FBI to be one of most dangerous gangs operating in the US.
This information was invaluable, because it confirmed what Caldwell and his colleagues suspected already for a while…only they had had nothing to prove it: The Russians were providing the M-13 with large quantities of assault rifles and automatic pistols and in exchange, the M-13 would do certain dirty jobs for the 'Bratstvo'.
He had once helped to pull through a dangerous set up together with Ryan Wolfe, when they had staged Caine's death to confound Ron Saris and Juan Ortega. It had been a successful operation and they had put a definitive stop to the trafficking of highly dangerous fused alloy bullets to gangs in Florida. H. had come to him with this French bounty not only because he trusted him, but also to pay him back for his invaluable help with Ron Saris, even if rumor wanted it, that the creep was still alive and had not blown himself to pieces on his yacht.
"That's clever!" Caldwell was impressed with the smooth cooperation between IAB, Caine and the French. For the viewing public it looked, as if there was a serious conflict situation over Wolfe's extradition, buying them time to wait for the cargo, seize it and create a Catch-22 situation for Ivan Sarnoff. "If these three ever get tired of their jobs, they could always do a successful sitcom together."
"We are playing an extremely dangerous game, Evan!" Frank Tripp replied thoughtful. At this very moment, the clock had started to tick for Ryan: He still had a temporary reprieve of about two weeks, but then he would go straight into the Lion's Den.
He would be obliged to run the gauntlet with the entire MDPD scandalised and angry. Several of Ryan's colleagues would not hesitate to throw mud and publicly berate him. And courtesy Erica Sykes, the media would have a field day with the young CSI……
Caldwell put his hand on Tripp's shoulder. "He'll do fine, Frank! Wolfe's cold-blooded and keeps his emotions in check…I've seen him in action, when I 'killed' H. Kept his poker face all along, even when Delko and Dusquene gave him hell…..and there is nothing more difficult then to lie to your closest colleagues in a credible manner!"
Frank Tripp doubted that Calleigh or Eric were Ryan's "closest colleagues", but he saw no need to say so to Caldwell. He too wanted to believe that Ryan would pull it off and come back to them in one piece and unharmed!
But still…Tripp had rarely seen three people who worked constantly together being so remote and untrusting among themselves as were Calleigh, Eric and Ryan. Between Calleigh and Ryan it was something like indifference on Calleigh's side and a feeling of isolation on Ryan's. Between him and Delko….well, even if you were as blind as a mole, it was difficult to miss out Eric's contempt for Ryan and Ryan's aloofness with Delko that would turn into dark and rather aggressive sarcasm, when Eric became excessively tough or snide.
If you felt nothing beyond an average level of professional respect for someone, it was habitually excessively easy to beguile or ensnare such a person and tell her or him straight faced the most hilarious lies! Frank was not surprised that Ryan had managed to beguile Eric and Calleigh so easily, when H. had set up his own demise. He was also not surprised that chosen Ryan over Delko as his partner-in-crime…but that was another chapter and rather sad!
Powell gave a little sigh. "It's not so much keeping a stiff upper lip in public, Caldwell. I am sure, Wolfe'll manage unflinching. I am more preoccupied about inside BunkerHill….Horatio cannot negotiate with inmates, as he's done before, when his son Kyle was send to the facility. None of them is trustworthy and whatever privileges we promise….even if we offer to commute one sentence or another in exchange for insider backup for Wolfe, should there be trouble….it's impossible. This is so hot that we cannot trust any inmate."
"The guards?" Caldwell accepted Powell's argument. He knew exactly how dangerous it was when a police officer went undercover into a prison. But this case was worse: They'd send Wolfe in claiming vociferously that he was a police officer…..a police officer turned rogue!
Powell shrugged his shoulders. "Not an option either! Not all of them are angels and some of them should not guard the inmates but share cells with them. Who do you think provides cell phones and other strictly forbidden communication tools to the inmates? But it is most of the time very hard to prove and so the rotten apples stay on….I doubt that by now Ivan Sarnoff has not found an ally with the guards. Money can buy everything inside prison walls!"