Under and Over Chapter 97
"OK, what do we know?" Kate asks as she meets with Ryan and Esposito in front of the murder board.
"You asked me to find out about Jackson Heights," Ryan replies. "More immigrants from Peru settled in New Jersey than in New York. They're mostly concentrated in Paterson and Passaic. Jackson Heights is number three. And Zycot culture is a very small part of that. It's hardly mentioned in articles about the area. And residents of the Zycot enclave haven't been implicated in much crime, mostly teenage stuff, petty theft, joyriding."
"Any drug use?" Kate asks.
"Pretty low compared to the rest of the city."
"How about Break-Net?"
"The company's what Chavez told us it is. Most of what they do is under NDA, but several companies admit that Break-Net helped them improve their cyber security. A couple even tout it as a selling point."
"Then so far, no inconsistencies to what Chavez claims," Kate sums up.
"But most of what he said, he claimed was hypothetical," Esposito interjects. "The man was covering his ass."
"Who doesn't?" Ryan responds. "So what did you two get?"
Kate grabs a red marker and starts to write, "Anguila."
"Eel," Esposito translates. "And he sounded like a slippery bastard."
"Do you recognize the name from when you worked in Narcotics, Ryan?" Kate inquires.
"No," Ryan admits. "But if he operated in Queens, he wouldn't have been a threat to the operation where I was embedded."
"And he might be a new player," Kate considers. "Check with your contacts, see if they've heard anything about him. And we can start checking drug arrest reports. If he was competing with Checker, his name must have come up sometime. OK, let's get to work."
Kate looks up from her computer screen at the sound of Ryan's approaching footsteps. "Got something on Anguila?"
"Maybe. A drug cop buddy of mine came up with a story from a uni who called the paramedics for a user in bad shape. While they were putting her in the ambulance she kept screaming about an eel. The uni thought she must have been hallucinating or something. But then my buddy heard about a couple more cases. How likely is it that they'd all hallucinate the same thing?"
'Not very," Kate figures. "The question is are this 'Eel' and 'Anguila' the same person? Do you know where those users were?"
"Two in Queens. One around the high one-fifties in Manhattan."
Kate nods. "Where Harlem becomes Washington Heights. That would make sense if Anguila was attempting to expand into Vulcan Simmons' old territory. So we're talking about the 30th and 32nd Precincts. Tell Espo we're going to concentrate on the reports from cops there, dealing with drug-involved incidents, and see if 'Eel' or 'Anguila' comes up."
"You've got it."
"Anguila or Eel," Rick repeats. "Wasn't 'The Eel' the lawyer on 'Chicago Hope?'"
"I doubt this one's a lawyer, or if he is, he probably makes more as a drug dealer," Kate replies, grabbing a raw carrot and dipping it in a bowl of hummus on the loft's kitchen counter.
"So if he does business in both Queens and Upper Manhattan, how are you going to find him, much less nail him for Checker's murder?" Rick queries.
"That's the question," Kate admits. "We have DNA from the murder scene, but no match for it. It could belong to Anguila. And if he is trying to expand into Simmons' old stomping grounds, he'd probably want to keep an eye on his efforts. He must have set up shop somewhere in Washington Heights. I've got a BOLO out to the cops up there, but it's a long shot. He's not going to be the only drug dealer trying to make inroads. But most of them are selling meth, heroin, or fentanyl. Anguila specializes in cocaine, the way Checker did. That's going to set him apart."
Rick grabs a triangle of pita to use as a scoop for the savory dip. "Cocaine is more the drug of choice for a certain upscale if not uptown crowd."
"What are you getting at, Castle?"
"If Anguila wants to expand, how about south instead of north? Cocaine is a favored treat among some denizens of Wall Street. Why not let it be known there might be room for a new supplier and set up a sting? Catch him in the act, get his DNA, and slam the prison door."
"Just like that, Castle?"
Rick waves a celery stick in the air. "Come on, Kate! You've used me to catch a crook in the financial dens of iniquity. Surely you can put out the word that opportunity awaits and have someone pose as a trader with the sniffles."
"It would be a complicated operation."
"So's a wedding. But all we need to keep it on track is some expert help. 1PP's got the department on tenterhooks waiting for you to find a killer that isn't Susan Cheeseborough. Propose the idea. What have you got to lose?"
"If the operation's a bust, I could end up on night shift until I leave the NYPD."
"Well, in that case, I'll just have to arrange some afternoon delight."
"So, are you sure you're all set?" Montgomery queries for the third time.
"Everything's in place," Kate assures him. "We have Steven Sacks from Forensic Accounting posing as our high-powered arbitrager. He used to work on Wall Street. It doesn't take much for him to play the part. He has a camera in his tie pin. We have two more in the room. Narcotics has had their CIs spreading the word there's a market on Wall Street, and they got two different tips that Anguila took the bait. I have Ryan and Esposito in a van down there right now, and I'm going to join them. We just have to wait for Anguila to show up. And the phenotype we got from CSU plus descriptions from CIs will be enough for Sacks to confirm the identity of our target." Kate checks her watch. "I should get going."
"Then get out of here, Beckett," Montgomery orders. "And bring back a killer."
"That's the plan, Sir."
Anguila can almost feel his mouth watering at the thought of his new clients: bankers and brokers with money they're willing to burn for the high of his white powder. He could forget the small-time buys in Queens and Washington heights. He can make more from one block down here. He just has to seal his first deal to get the referrals that will stuff his pockets with gold. He fingers the fine wool of the suit he bought for the occasion. His silk tie, also new, will be the perfect accent. He can walk into any of the buildings looking like he belongs. He will belong. He'll be better than his customers. All of his investments will pay off.
Ryan points at one of the monitors in the van. "That's him, on the feed from the lobby's security camera."
Kate checks the screen. "He fits the description. All right. We're on! The cop at the reception desk will give him a badge that will get him upstairs to see Sacks. He should be up there in about two minutes."
Steven Sacks rises from behind his temporary desk. "Mr. Oro, I'm Milton Sweeney. Welcome to Glabman Brothers. My colleagues and I are looking forward to doing business with you."