Hunting Grounds
Chapter 38
"Hi! No Royal?" Rick was already home and was in the kitchen boxing up what they didn't use.
"Um, no. Turns out Royal is a drug-sniffing dog. The US Customs is interested in him. It seems my victim was training drug-sniffing dogs and the Vasquez drug cartel out of Argentina killed him to stop him. According to the US Customs, Pilar was a genius at training dogs for the job.
"I haven't given up on him yet. I've got the US Customs talking to the man who will be my new captain to see if we can add Royal to their staff. You and I get to house him and I'll bring him into work with me each day. Then hand him off so he can do his job," Kate explained and finally walked into the kitchen to officially kiss him.
"Hmm. That might solve our problem as to how we get Royal to New Orleans," Rick said, thinking about it. "Get the US Customs do it for us."
"I hadn't thought about that. That's actually pretty good. I couldn't put Royal down in the cargo hold of our plane. I can't do that to him. Down in that dark, noisy, cargo hold even if it is heated. He'll be scared." Kate kissed him again for his idea.
"I'll talk to US Customs again tomorrow about getting them to send him. I'll just collect him from my new boss and bring him home." Kate was all smiles. "To our apartment that might last for two months." She made a We have another issue to solve face.
"I'll talk to Rosie. But we're going to need to find a place, and it has to be before we leave. I need an address so I can have the truck shipped. I talked to some shipping companies. Several of them can come and take everything and put it all into storage. That could be here or there," Rick told her. "They hold it while we work on buying the house."
"Hadn't thought about that. There's still so much to do, and we're running out of time." Kate was feeling overwhelmed.
"I need to buy you a ring. I need to find a dress. We need a venue that won't break the bank. Get all this packed. Get a car, an apartment, make sure Royal has a ride. Make sure Gates doesn't fire me." Kate suddenly found herself in Rick's arms and did her best to just melt into him.
"OH, and the idea worked! Royal recognized who had killed his owner and chased him down." Kate looked up at him. "Would you believe Gates didn't say a word?"
"Yeah, I believe it. She didn't think of it, so it was automatically a bad idea. Would you believe that word about Gates is getting around? It seems some of the people who made transfer requests have asked if they had been rejected. They haven't heard anything, and their requests have yet to be approved."
"That doesn't make sense. Per regulations Gates has seven days to either pass it on as approved or explain why she was rejecting it and send it to 1PP." Kate kept looking up at him.
"Especially interesting given we both know how much she loves regulations." Rick didn't get it, but it was interesting.
"I don't understand that woman." Kate tried to melt herself back into him and just let him hold her. "Dinner?" She hadn't brought anything home, and they both knew their kitchen was on the empty side.
Rick kissed her forehead. "Italian this time?"
"That will work. I'll get washed up and changed. We can work on boxing after dinner. You talk to Rosie. You know, you could sell your truck." Kate already knew the answer, but she suggested it anyway.
"But I love my truck, and we still might need it one day. You do have a new cushion," Rick reminded her.
"I know. It might be spending its life in the garage," she warned him. "I need access to my car each day which means parking it in the driveway."
"A pampered truck," Rick said with a smile, and Kate shook her head. She had lost and should just accept that they were keeping his truck.
[_] /\ [_]
The kitchen was boxed up for now. Kate was packing things from the bathroom while Rick was wrapping up some of her shoes before putting them in a box. The fancy high heel ones only, she had told him.
"So, when do you leave to get rid of it?" Kate inquired from the bathroom.
"Before the weekend and people show up for a weekend camping trip," he replied. "I don't need people getting in my way, and I'll know if I have a tail or not."
"Does your bug sweeper have a memory?" She had learned more about bugs on this case than she ever had before.
"Yes, why?"
"Just curious." She didn't have a real reason.
[_] /\ [_]
Kate was standing behind Rick while Rosie showed them some furnished apartments that accepted pets of Royal's size and weight.
"There aren't a lot of options. And none of them are all that close to work or the house." In fact, they were very close to the river that wound its way through New Orleans. "Well, let's see what she's found."
"Pet play area." Kate pointed past Rick's head. "Hope Royal likes elevators since that building is really tall. The kitchen is tiny, but it'll work. We don't plan to stay there."
Rick moved to the next one. "That one comes with a garage, babe. And a walk-up storage unit over the garage?" She hadn't seen anything like that before. "Kitchen is tiny again. Vet house call available!" Kate pointed at that line.
"Only three available, two on the second floor and one on the third." Rick looked at her.
"Call them. I like that one best. I won't have to run to my car in the rain. Your truck can park outside in the rain. It's Army. It's done it before, so it can do it again." Kate patted his shoulders. "Thank you, Rosie."
DH Holmes Apartments
Kate listened to Rick talk to them and watched him open his wallet and fish out his credit card to give them his number.
He glanced up at her while he slipped his credit card back into his wallet. "They had just one furnished. My deposit will hold it for ten days."
"That's cutting it kinda close." Her two weeks was going to end the day before. It was going to be tight. "Oh, and Kevin has his interview in five days. Good thoughts, please," Kate asked him.
Rick nodded. "All day long. By the way, I'm back to the 101st again tomorrow."
"I'll live. Maybe it'll keep Gates off my case." Kate leaned down and kissed his head. "Now you can arrange to ship your truck. Just make sure it's bug proof."
"No kidding." Rick knew that already. "Third floor, by the way. Unit 321. Completely turnkey, she assured me. It might need some cleaning supplies, and food, of course, but it supposedly has everything else, including in the kitchen."
[_] /\ [_]
Rick had arranged for his truck to be picked up and shipped. It meant meeting the truck on the street so that it could be placed inside the truck and shipped out. Since it was going to take them two weeks they would be there by then. It just meant one less thing to do. He just had to do it after getting rid of the ship.
[_] /\ [_]
"So our neighbors here heard a hellacious fight and then this guy flew out that 4th floor window." Espo uncovered the dead body that had landed on the top of a car.
"No ID, but he has lots of causes of death," Lanie said.
"Besides broken bones from landing on the car?" Kate was a bit confused.
"See that bullet wound." Lanie used a flashlight to show her since it was dark outside.
"So he was shot?" Kate queried.
"And stabbed," Lanie added.
"Shot and stabbed?" That was seriously overkill.
"Choked, too, and had this pencil jammed into the side of his neck." Lanie used her flashlight yet again. "And you and I are talking in my office later."
"We are?" She knew they would be talking when Lanie was done with the body, but this sounded like something else. It was just Lanie already knew everything.
"Espo! Blood trail. Cordon this area off and follow me." Kate was willing to do it alone, but she was following blood.
[_] /\ [_]
Kate walked with Lanie to her morgue. "The man doesn't exist as far as I can tell. His fingerprints aren't in the system. I thought sure he would be. Old gun shot wounds, calloused hands, almost more broken bones than Evel Knievel." Lanie opened the door to the Negative Temperature Morgue Fridge.
"Where's my body? WHERE THE HELL IS MY BODY? He was right here." Lanie stared at the empty tray where the body had been.
[_] /\ [_]
"Well?" Gates couldn't wait to hear this.
"As far as we could tell, our John Doe was squatting in the apartment," Ryan began to explain.
"I don't give a damn where he was. I want to know where he is now. I'm also really interested in how he got out of the holding cell on your watch and since you're off for two days starting tomorrow, Ryan, I'm talking to you, Detective Esposito." Gates stared angrily at him.
"He walked out the front door, not out the back. We have a photo of him doing just that." Ryan handed it to Gates.
"Where did this man get a uniform?" Gates was getting madder.
"He stole it," Ryan told her.
"FIND HIM! Review every video we have. I want to know every move he made. If he stole a lunch out of the breakroom refrigerator, I want to know that too," Gates thundered. "Now get out!"
"Yes, sir," Espo said, and they both left.
[_] /\ [_]
Kate went alone since Rick was at the 101st. She found that their guy had beat her here and killed her. He had a ten hour lead, so it was possible. But as Kate started to search the house, she heard a weapon being cocked at her ear. She raised her hands, and before she could do anything, a black bag was pulled over her head.
The next thing she knew, she heard someone say, "Hello, Detective. Welcome to the CIA." An attractive woman walked up to Kate. She had had her hood removed, but Kate's hands were still cuffed behind her back.
"Coffee?" She held up a cup of coffee and nodded at him to remove her cuffs.
Kate looked daggers at her. "You are holding me against my will."
"Actually, I'm not. This is a debriefing. You are free to call Ted McQuinn." She handed Kate's cell phone back to her.
"The Chief of Detectives?" Kate didn't understand what was going on.
"He assured me that you would cooperate fully and completely," she said smoothly. "I need to know everything you know about Thomas Gage."
Kate fought back. "Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here. The CIA doesn't have any legal standing in the states, so despite what McQuinn supposedly told you, I don't have to tell you shit."
[_] /\ [_]
"Thomas Gage. We recruited him out of SEAL Team 6. Smart, highly trained, fluent in eleven languages, he was our most effective asset."
"Was? So what went wrong?" Kate inquired.
"He went rogue. An NSA intercept suggests that he's attempting to create an event that will lead to a catastrophic event within the United States," she told Kate. It was then that everyone noticed that the elevator door opened and out walked two people.
One clearly had his hands behind his back and looked a little worse for wear, while the other had a weapon. "Rick!" Damn, but she was happy to see him. "Babe, do you know these people?" Kate asked him. It looked like he hadn't been brought here with a bag over his head. And it was obvious that his hands weren't cuffed behind his back.
"Nope, not a single one of them. Two men showed up while I was accompanying a detective from the 101st somewhere, and tried to take me. They lost. The other one is in the hospital, and this one," Rick pushed him toward the two standing near Kate, "got off lightly. He was kind enough to escort me here. You don't look any worse for wear." Rick looked her over. She appeared to be unharmed which was good or everyone in this room would be in big trouble.
"Nice of you to join us, Captain Rodgers. You know our man here." The woman pointed at the picture still on the wall.
"Thomas Gage, SEAL Team 6. I never actually met the man. Word is that he's good, very good. So who are you people?" They didn't look military to him.
"They claim to be CIA." Kate got a look from the woman that Kate ignored.
"Unless I'm mistaken, a SEAL team member isn't part of the CIA, and you sort of lack jurisdiction around here," Rick pointed out.
"We recruited him from the SEALs and made him CIA. As for us being here, this is a National Security issue, so we have all the jurisdiction we need," she said coolly. "However, we're down a man and we're already short-staffed, so we're asking Kate to help us find Gage."
"By asking, she means putting a bag over my head and cuffing my hands behind my back," Kate told him.
"Sounds like you have a problem. I. Do . Not. You kidnapped Kate, and you still dare to expect me to be okay with this?" Rick demanded.
She raised her chin. "I do. We need help, and we need to stop Gage. She's going to need your help."
Rick looked at Kate. "Do we stay or leave? Because we can leave. No one in this room can stop us together, let alone me." He ignored the looks those two were giving him. "I even know where we are, and I have his keys."
"Is he dangerous?" Kate held up her hand to keep the two of them quiet. This was a question for Rick.
"Thomas Gage? As far as I know, he can be." That was all Rick knew.
"It looks like he killed my dead body," Kate said. "Stabbed him, shot him, strangled him, shoved a pencil in his neck, and threw him out a 4th floor window. Neighbors said it was a big fight."
"He was our best man," the woman told him.
"And you are?" Rick had had it with not knowing who these people were.
"Sophia Turner, CIA."
"Not a pleasure." Rick looked at Kate for her answer.
"He escaped out of our lock-up, stole a uniform, and walked right out our front door after killing someone. I don't really have a choice, Rick." She hated it, but there was nothing else she could do.
Rick made the weapon safe. It wasn't his; he still had gun and put the other weapon behind his back. "So what are we doing?" Kate had said yes, and that was all he needed to know.
In less than an hour they were back at the 12th precinct.
"Detective Beckett, Rodgers. Good of you two to just drop by." Gates was still angry at it all and then Beckett had the nerve to go missing.
Gates looked at Kate. "Tell me about this special assignment of yours."
"I'm afraid I can't, sir." For now, she was following orders from the CIA.
"WHAT!? Do you want to be fired this instant?" Gates seethed.
"I suggest that you discuss this with the Chief of Detectives. He's the one issuing orders regarding the situation," Kate told her.
"We'll just see about that." Gates really wanted to fire Kate, but she had to have cause. So, she walked to her office.
[_] /\ [_]
Rick and Kate found themselves back where Kate had been abducted by the CIA. They were at the crime scene with the dead woman.
"Kate, keys for a Pontiac GTO that I didn't see out front. Maybe in the garage," Rick speculated which had Kate on her cell phone.
"Newark, New Jersey," Ryan told her. "They have an airport."
[_] /\ [_]
"One green GTO." Rick and Kate walked up to it. "The dust on this thing says it hasn't moved in a while." Kate walked around the back while Rick went around the front.
"Rick, handprints." Kate was at the trunk, so Rick joined her and watched her open the car's trunk. Inside was a case that opened up with ease.
"That, Kate, is a military-grade cell phone and a scrambler. You only get those when you're outfitting for a mission. I've used one of these many times," Rick said.
"Hands in the air, please," a voice behind them called out.
They both turned. Kate recognized him immediately. "Thomas Gage."
"Weapons and phones on the ground, please."
Kate noticed that he wasn't wearing a weapon. "I don't think so."
"How about we talk, Gage?" Rick proposed. "SEAL to SEAL, or one of us leaves in an ambulance."
Gage eyed him. "And you are?"
"Captain Richard Rodgers."
"Rodgers. SEAL team. Word has it that you're good." Gage wasn't afraid but perhaps, he was a little worried.
"Shall we talk, or do I let Kate shoot you while we dance?" Rick was ready for the fight of his life.
Gage raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. The CIA, or even better, a Sophia Turner of the KGB, told you I went rogue."
"KGB? Really?" Kate wasn't buying it for a minute.
"Really. She got wind of a method to destroy America, an event that would permanently destroy the US economy," Gage revealed. "The KGB may be gone, but she still believes and hates America."
"And you expect me to believe you?" Kate put a hand on her weapon.
Rick stopped her. "Don't, Kate. He'll just take it from you."
"Yet you're willing to believe a deep mole in the CIA so easily? I've been at this far longer than you have, Detective," Gage told her.
"So what's it going to be, Gage?" Rick stood ready to take him on. "I will defend Kate no matter how many broken bones either of us has. But you will not make it past this spot."
"We both want Doctor Nelson Blakely. You find him, and you'll have your answer. Just don't tell Sophia, or you'll both be dead next. Even you, Rodgers. SEAL to SEAL. Now, if you'll excuse me." Gage backed away till he finally turned and left.
"Rick!" Kate looked at him. Did he honestly think that he couldn't take him?
"He was a SEAL, Kate. We don't just up and go rogue. We're all too well-trained. For us, the United States comes first above everything else. I'm sorry, but until I know otherwise, he's still a SEAL and trustworthy."
"Great!" He had just muddled up this case to the point that it was nearly impossible to figure out.
"Say he's right, which I do believe. Do you know what this means?" Rick asked her. He was dead certain that he knew who the enemy was.
"That Sophia is the enemy here. So how do we prove it?" Kate asked. "How do we do it without telling Gates or even the boys what we know? Because just for a moment, say he's wrong, and she's right."