Recovery

Chapter 21

"How is she?" La Fiera demands.

"Señorita de la Cruz, the contractions were only Braxton-Hicks, nothing to worry about," Dr. Gomez replies.

Angela struggles against her restraints. "I don't know why you're bothering with a doctor if you're just going to kill me and the baby anyway. Isn't that what you want, revenge for Diego's death?"

"Hermana, I will have my revenge, but not by killing you. You tried to save Diego. I know that. And I have no wish to harm your child." La Fiera points at Jackson, tightly bound to a chair. "But him, I would have no difficulty harming. That's why I took him instead of killing him. He was your – what do you call your trainees – boot? And after all that time together, I would imagine you've grown quite attached. If you don't give me what I want, he is the one who will suffer."

"What do you want?" Angela demands.

La Fiera shrugs. "Depending on how oblivious your people are, perhaps nothing. But when the time comes, Hermana, we will see."


Silas points at the screen. "That's it, that's the van!"

"How can you tell?" Nolan asks. "The license plate is muddy, and you can only see part of the back bumper."

"It's the sticker on it," Silas explains, "That animal. I saw it when I noticed the logo was wrong. The sticker is wrong too. It's like the beast in Beauty and the Beast, the animated one, the good one. But the one on the sticker doesn't have the big teeth sticking up from the bottom. And it has longer hair."

"The beast," Nolan repeats. "La Fiera means the beast. The clue was right there. She was taunting us all the time. We need to trace where that van goes, as far as we can."

"You go ahead and do that," Smitty advises. "I'm going to hit the head."

Silas turns to Nolan. "Why would officer Smitty want to hit someone in the head?"

"He means he wants to go to the bathroom," Nolan explains. "And he may be a while. He might want a snack on the way back. Hey, I saw some doughnuts in the break room. Do you want one?"

"Are they plain glazed?" Silas asks. "I don't like sprinkles or little bits of anything. They feel funny in my mouth."

"I've never been crazy about sprinkles either," Nolan agrees. "Let's go check and see."


The man Angela recognizes despite his mask as La Fiera's lieutenant, strides into the room. "The arrangements are finished. Everything is in place."

"And what do we hear from our friend?" The cartel chief inquires.

"Every possible resource of the L.A.P.D. and cooperating agencies are engaged in an operation to retrieve Detective Lopez and – he inclines his head toward Jackson – that one. They have a location on this place. But they are holding back on an assault for fear of danger to the hostages. And they're worried about the baby."

La Fiera smiles. "Of course they are. It is exactly as I planned." She turns toward Angela. "It is time to take you to your first stop on your journey home. I'll be letting you go."

"It can't be that simple," Angela insists. "What are you planning? And what about Officer West?"

"If you behave yourself, your little boot can accompany you. And Dr. Gomez will watch over you to make sure you meet no harm while under my protection."

"Then why take us only to let us go?" Angela presses.

La Fiera strokes Angela's cheek. "That's for me to know, Hermana. If I were like the ridiculous characters in the movies who announce all their plans, then I could never let you go. Be grateful you don't know anything." She hears a plane overhead. "They are doing their reconnaissance. Good. Take her gently. If she or the baby suffer any damage, you will answer to me."

Journal of John Nolan

We should have known that La Fiera would be three steps ahead. She always has been. Angela and the baby are safe. Jackson was pretty bruised up and had two broken ribs, but he'll recover. However, as if she was a magician on the stage, La Fiera was a mistress of misdirection. And we fell for it. While all available forces in Southern California were called in for the operation to get our people back, we left La Fiera's actual targets unguarded. And she's disappeared. By the time the attack force breached, the plantation was deserted.

I suppose that in a twisted way, we could look at what La Fiera did as helping us in the war on drugs – if she hadn't ruthlessly murdered so many innocents. Every drug kitchen and gang-related facility in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties not allied with her cartel exploded in flames as incendiary devices went off almost simultaneously.

The fire departments scrambled as fast as they could to prevent the involvement of adjoining structures. But they were fighting losing battles. With the tinder box Southern California always is, Governor Newsome called out the National Guard. We're not even close to having a final tally of casualties, and multiple fires still burn out of control.

Of course, it's all hands on deck for the L.A.P.D. I have to be back on duty in a few hours. I'm only writing in a so-far vain effort to settle myself enough to grab some sleep.

Bailey's been called up as well to fight fires. I don't know when I'll see her again. I'm just praying for her safety. I guess I'm getting a small taste of how Henry feels when I'm on the job. I've been checking in as regularly as I can to let him know I'm all right. God knows he doesn't need any more stress slowing down his recovery.

Harper is kicking herself for not seeing La Fiera's actual plan. But how could she or Angela either? We all went to the wedding thinking that La Fiera was safely in custody. The L.A.P.D. has already started a probe to investigate how she escaped so easily. For one, Smitty's on the hot seat. But I can't see him involved with a scenario like that. If nothing else, it would take too much energy. I believe there is someone with much stronger ambitions involved. My eyes are still on Del Monte. But given my recent friction with him, no one will take my opinion on that score seriously – except Professor Ryan.

She's continuing to look into the "wobblers," suspects who teeter on the edge between misdemeanors and felonies. From what she's found out, Del Monte has pushed for a felony in almost all of his wobbler prosecutions. God knows how many lives he's ruined. A felony record can bar a person from so much, especially a decent job. That makes it even harder for anyone already in trouble to straighten out their lives. But the exceptions could be the most interesting thing to look into. She's only found a couple so far, and they both appeared to have some tie to La Fiera's cartel. But the connections were tenuous at best. Unfortunately, sooner or later, almost everyone in this city is touched in some way by the drug trade.

Still, when I put together La Fiera's too-easy escape with Del Monte's record, the hairs on the back of my neck go up. Ryan apparently feels the same way.

I can only hope that the investigation team looks in the right direction.