Chapter 30
I woke to the smell of coffee which surprised me seeing as it was only 0530 in the morning. Noticing that I was alone in the bed I assumed that it was Steph who was currently in the kitchen. Why she was up so early surprised me, especially as we'd kept each other awake well into the early hours of the morning. I dressed in gym gear quickly before going through to the kitchen and found Steph sat at the dining room table with her head bent down onto her arms. At first, I thought that maybe she'd fallen asleep until her head slowly came up and she yawned.
"Hi, sorry if I woke you, I couldn't sleep"
I would imagine with everything that had happened to her over the last few weeks and then what she'd learnt last night I wasn't surprised that she couldn't sleep. She'd have so many things whizzing around in her head that she felt she needed to sort through.
"You didn't. I'm going down to the gym, why don't you go back to bed?"
Thinking that was a good suggestion.
"Err, can I go down with you?"
I raised an eyebrow at hearing her suggest that she wanted, voluntarily, to go to the gym. Steph and exercise had never co-existed before. She hated to run and had always made excuses as to why she shouldn't exercise.
"I know. Not what you would expect me to ask but over the last few weeks Gabe had Millie and me doing some exercise and self defense moves. He reckoned we might need it and I suppose it passed the time"
I'd noticed that she seemed trimmer and more toned but had put that down to how she'd existed on the run with Gabe and Millie. I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see Steph in the gym so while I poured myself a coffee she quickly went and changed returning in yoga pants and a sleeveless T-shirt. Of course, as soon as I saw her my eyes scanned her body. Those clothes did nothing to conceal her figure and I knew if we didn't move then we'd both end up back in the bedroom. I was actually relieved that she pulled on a baggy T-shirt that went down to her hips because I didn't want any of my men ogling her through the cameras.
I'd taken for granted that the men knew that Steph was here so as soon as we entered the gym, she was inundated with them approaching her. I stepped to the side and walked over to a treadmill keeping my eyes on her allowing her the time to reacquaint herself. It seemed like an age before Steph was walking over to one of the mats and I watched fascinated as she went through a series of warm up exercises, a cross between dynamic and stretching warm ups. After she had finished, I was surprised when she came and stood next to me, expecting her to step up onto the treadmill.
"Err, do you have any skipping ropes?"
I slowed, then stopped the machine and went over to the cupboards that covered the back wall of the gym. This was where we kept a variety of smaller equipment that could be used, for example boxing gloves, strong elastics and smaller weights that Bobby might use for physiotherapy.
"One skipping rope"
Was all that I said as I handed it to her. I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of using a skipping rope, but I was fascinated with how easily she manipulated the rope. She was very nimble on her feet and well coordinated, working the rope to achieve what I suppose running could do, if not more. Jumping two footed, hopping on one leg along with the movements of her arms and shoulders. It was when she'd worked up a sweat and was breathing heavily that she stopped and came over to me where I was punching the bag.
"How about you show me the self defense moves that you've learnt?"
I suggested as I removed the gloves. Once the rope and gloves had been put away, I walked over to the center of the mats and pointed to where I wanted her to stand. Okay, she looked a bit nervous, so I knew to go easy on her. It was as I walked slowly toward her that she took me by surprise, and it was only as I lay on the mat on my back that I knew what she'd done.
"Gabe told us that our aim was always to be able to run away, so he gave us some tactics that we could use"
"Excellent advice. So what if someone comes up behind you?"
I stood up and turned her around so that her back was to me taking a stance that balanced my body weight in preparation for what she might do. As I reached for her, she literarily ducked, dived and rolled away from me ending up on her feet and stepping forward.
"Unconventional but effective. So Gabe never showed you how to actually fight someone off?"
"No. He said most men would be too strong and overpower us, so the best defense was to run like hell"
I liked his thinking and it seemed that his methods suited Steph well. Maybe I should have changed how training should have gone for Steph because after only a few weeks she seemed more capable of keeping herself safe.
"How about a shower and breakfast"
I suggested as I passed her a towel and a bottle of water. Her T-shirt went back on to cover herself for the ride back upstairs, but I had a feeling that there would be a crowd of men watching the screens. I'd totally forgotten to freeze the cameras that covered the gym. What I did next was probably egotistical on my part, I allowed the cameras in the elevator to function normally and spent the entire journey up to the seventh floor devouring Steph's mouth.
"Wow, that was better than in the alley. What's come over you?"
That she began to laugh confused me and it was only once we were inside the apartment that she managed to get control of herself.
"Babe?"
Okay only one word but she'd know what I was asking, what was so funny?
"You, marking your territory mister?"
Ah, she'd sussed me out, but I wasn't going to deny it.
"Yes, mine and I want everyone to know it"
She was smiling again as she walked away from me and into the bathroom, exactly where I wanted to be as well.
An hour later I was down on five having left Steph with my laptop and the search that I'd started on Justin Cavanagh. I hadn't had to ask her to stay in the building because she'd already told me that was what she intended to do. She had no desire for the moment to leave its safety. I was grateful not to have a confrontation with her but knew that it wouldn't take long before she would be going crazy with being inside.
Fortunately, I had no clients to meet with today, paperwork was minimal so on an impulse I opened up a search engine and started to input the names for the applicants for the financial assistant. The results came through quickly, probably because the people concerned had nothing to hide, well that was what the searches were saying. Fortunately, the core team had agreed on who to follow up on and that reduced the number to three. Having had Oslow here though I wasn't going to be taking any chances on who was employed. This person would be privy to the accounts for Rangeman, so I needed to be able to trust them. I saved the searches after reading through them for Steph do her magic with and if she agreed then I would want her in on the interviews. She had an uncanny way of sensing people which had always amazed me and was something that I held in high esteem.
I was surprised that I'd managed to be in my office without interruption for so long so wasn't surprised when there was a knock on my door. I knew from how soft the knock was that it was Steph, so was sat back in my chair as she came in.
"Hector called to say that Morelli was at Pinos and Myla had arrived"
At least something was going to plan but it would be interesting to be able to listen in on any conversation.
"Let's go down to Hector's and listen in"
For the first time ever, Steph was keen to take the stairs, maybe she was too impatient to wait for the elevator. Hector was waiting for as us as we approached his door into his office which resembled a workroom full of computers and servers. He pulled out a chair for Steph and handed her some earphones so that she could hear what was happening through the mic that Myla had on her. Picking some others up I stood next to Steph both listening and being aware of how Steph was reacting.
"Oh my, there's so much to choose from. Is there anything that you'd recommend?"
There was a moment of silence from Myla while I assumed she read through the menu. The constant buzz of conversations and plates moving coming through from the other occupants. Would Morelli take the bait?
"Hey, can I have a meatball sub, to take out?"
Came a voice that I recognized as Morelli, well at least he was at the counter next to her.
"Are those good?"
Came from Myla which meant that she'd recognized him and was making her move.
"Best in town. First time here?"
"Yes. I just relocated here so am trying to get to know the area"
"What do you think so far?"
A quieter voice from Morelli gave a hint of him flirting with Myla and the smile on Steph's face confirmed my thinking.
"Ooh, I think that I'm liking it"
Definitely a double meaning even though I was only hearing the way that Myla had said the words.
"How about I take you out to dinner then?"
"That would be nice"
I removed my earphones as I heard Morelli ask for Myla's address surprised at how quickly Morelli had moved on Myla. He really must think that he was irresistible to woman to be so forward with how he picked them up. As I thought that I did a mental head slap because wasn't that how I used to chat up woman for a one night stand, ensuring that the woman was well aware that was all it was. No names or phone numbers exchanged just the one night after which we would both go our separate ways. I watched as Steph removed her earphones and passed them to Hector, yeah, those days were in my past because she was the only woman that I was interested in, who completed me.
"We agreed that Myla would stay away from Rangeman, just in case, but that she'd be sure to have the mic switched on if she managed to secure a date with Morelli. Do you know that scumbag never once took me on a date out for dinner, it was pizza or meatball subs while we watched a game"
That was like giving information to the enemy, so I was already planning where to take Steph out for a meal with maybe some dancing.
"Lunch"
Was all that I said as led her from Hector's office knowing that Ella would have left Steph a favorite food for her.
"I can honestly say that was the best meatball sub that I've ever tasted. How did Ella know that listening to Myla in Pinos would have me yearning for one?"
I wasn't going to be answering that because it had been me who had suggested it knowing that having talked with Myla about Pinos that she'd feel a bit nostalgic about that food. Though I was in two minds if it had been a good idea. I loved how much she had enjoyed her lunch but hated how her moans of pleasure had made me uncomfortably hard, straining against the zipper of my cargos. I needed to remain seated for a few minutes and talking seemed to be the way for that to happen.
"Did you find out anything interesting on Justin Cavanagh?"
Knowing that she'd spent her morning researching him. A frown wasn't what I was expecting so I was waiting for a negative answer from her.
"Yeah, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I followed through by looking at his mother, just to get a feel for his parents. The father was just as you'd found but the mother, Marion, had an unusual family history. She was born in Washington at a private hospital, but her mother, Justin's grandmother, was actually from Colombia, though they somehow ended up staying here in the States. The mother was originally called Eymi Monroy but she changed it just before her daughter was born to Emily Munroe. There was no record of who the father was, or that she'd been married, so I couldn't work out where the money that Justin had inherited came from"
I wasn't sure where this was going but just the mention of Colombia had me thinking the worst. There were very few Colombians who could have afforded to send a pregnant woman to a private hospital in the States unless they were a government official or made their money illegally.
"Soo, I followed the money, thinking that maybe the father was responsible for it. Marian came by the money only five years ago, just before Justin was 21, at the death of her mother Emily. Poor Marian never had a chance to appreciate her own wealth before she was killed in a car accident. I admit that I made a call to Silvio for a bit of help, but between us we managed to trace the origin of Emily's wealth. It seems that Emily received payments over a period of time until seven years ago, which Silvio backtracked to an account under the name of Emmanuel Hernández"
Shit, surely Steph wasn't referring to the same man that we had taken out seven years ago, was she? In theory the pieces fit together and so did the timeline.
"How did the grandmother die, Babe?"
I waited as Steph stood up from the table and returned with some papers that she was quickly scanning through. She remained stood up as she continued to read and as she gave me her answer sat back down.
"According to what I found, and it's a bit sketchy, she died of an accident. Apparently, the electric went off in her home and she fell down the stairs"
Hearing what Steph had said was it possible that Hernández could have been siphoning money from his business in Colombia to the mother of his daughter. I had to admit that at the time of that mission we weren't aware of a wife, only that Hernández had several mistresses and no children. His finances weren't something that we would have been privy to, the only intel that we were given pertained to the elimination of Hernández and the destruction of his business.
"Did I do something wrong, I just felt that it might be important"
I hadn't realized how quiet I'd gone while I was thinking through the ramifications of Steph's research, so she surprised me when I suddenly heard her talking.
"Sorry, what you've just told me surprised me"
"I know it's not much help but I"
"Babe"
Interrupting her before she convinced herself that she'd done something wrong.
"That name, Hernández, well I came across that name seven years ago. This is difficult because what I'm about to tell you was part of a mission when I was an army ranger, so it's classified"
In true Steph fashion her eyes got big and her mouth opened and closed as she understood what I'd said. Her response though was ingenious as a way to get around me having to remain quiet.
"I get that. So how about I ask a question and you either nod or shake your head?"
I sat back in my chair and nodded my head. At least this way I couldn't be accused of betraying government secrets, well I didn't think so.
"Hernandez was from Colombia?"
Nod.
"He was a bad man?"
Nod.
"Is he still alive?"
I shook my head, not able to look at Steph because I was sure that she would realize exactly what I'd been involved with, the murder of Hernández and his men. Aware of her moving, I looked up expecting her to be walking away from me in disgust, but she wasn't. Instead, she came over to me and sat across my knee with her arms around my neck. Instinctively I held her around her waist almost dreading what she'd say next.
"I know that you've done things for the government, and I realize that you had no say, that you were doing what you were ordered. To most people those things were probably what we only imagine or see in films or read in books, but I know what you've done weighs heavily on you. It shouldn't, because you've done things to make this world a better place, to get rid of the bad guys so that us mere mortals can live safely"
I hugged my Babe close to me as I listened to what she'd said to me. I'd never told her where I was going when I went in the wind or the nature of what I was being told to do. Yet here she was, my intuitive woman, who had somehow worked it out with no blame or fear, no recriminations. It was as though a weight had been lifted from me, her light and goodness a balm on my darkened soul.
"If he had so much money then I assume that what he was doing was illegal, so taking a wild guess, he produced and sold drugs?"
I nodded hoping that Steph wouldn't be asking me anything more about that mission. I was young at the time, we all were, and so keen to prove ourselves. It hadn't been easy and at times we became disheartened especially when we came across the local men who were being used as slave labor. Why had they allowed that to happen, because Hernández threatened their women and children, only it wasn't just threats. The younger girls were abused by Hernández's men and the children were sold. It was a clusterfuck of epic proportions that fueled our intention to rid the world of Hernández and his men.
"That means that the money that Justin inherited was drug money. I wonder if he knew that or if he knew that his grandfather had been a drug cartel boss"
I was still trying to get my head around the information that Steph had told me and whether or not those names and dates fit together. If Steph's spidey sense had led her in that direction, then it must be important. With Steph still sat on my knee I leant forward and picked up the papers that she'd brought to the table.
"I know that Hernández was 57 when he died, 7 years ago"
Something that Steph might not discover through a search. Holding the papers in front of me allowed Steph to read her notes and she seemed to understand what I was looking at.
"Emily was only 19 years old when she gave birth to Marion, which would have made Hernández 31"
"Marion was 26 when she had Justin and was only 47 when she died"
The ages and dates all seemed to fit which meant that Steph had been correct following the lead that she had. This was the second occasion that we'd come across someone with a tie to Hernández and as I didn't believe in coincidences then that meant that it was related.
"When we were at some blast sites in the Ozarks, we overheard some men talking. The locals looked frightened as some foreigners spoke to them, and those men mentioned someone called Diego, José Diego. The name pricked at Lester's memory, so he pulled his files with his reports that we'd done on our jobs, something that we keep as insurance, just in case. Turns out that Diego was one of Hernández's men, low in the ranks, but we think that maybe he's set up shop in Mexico doing what he learnt from Hernández. Diego could well be very pissed off that he's lost a source of meth"
I just hoped that he had no idea that Steph was close by or that Gabe had been responsible for the destruction, though it was something that I needed to be prepared for.
"Gabe told me that he came to Trenton. Apparently, his grandmother heard the name being mentioned. Do you think that Diego is bringing the drugs here?"
It was certainly possible especially if you factored in what Steph had learnt about Darren Rosner and Terry Gilman. As I thought about it, what Mac had said about Lula came to me. She knew Rosner so was Lula now involved in moving the drugs. I looked at Steph as she was reading her information not knowing how to tell her about Lula, or even if I should.
"It's possible, I don't really know"
At least the question of why Gabe had stopped in Trenton before heading down south was answered. Why would he do that? What was he up to at the moment? Shit, there were so many unknowns to consider and people who we had no idea which side they were on. Morelli, Gabe and Oslow oh, and let's not forget why Ashworth had set us up to find Gabe.
Unconsciously I was stroking my hand down Steph's arm when I realized that she'd gone awfully quiet with her head leaning against my shoulder. She'd fallen asleep which wasn't surprising considering how early she'd got up. Very gently I lifted her in my arms and walked through to the bedroom where I lay her down on the bed. She never stirred, even as I pulled a cover over her.
Down on five I went straight to Tank's office and knocked on his closed door. At first I thought that maybe he wasn't there and was about to turn and walk down the hallway when I watched as the door knob turned and the door opened. Standing to the side I watched as Maggie walked out and quickly retreated over to the stairwell door. She looked different, more relaxed which was certainly better than I'd previously seen her. Tank was sat at his desk as I looked through the doorway and as I stepped inside it occurred to me who had put that look on her face, that just fucked look.
"Hope I didn't interrupt"
Came from me as I sat on the chair in front of Tank's desk knowing that the comment would either piss him off or embarrass him. Yeah, he was pissed off with my comment from the look that he gave me, but I was sure that I owed him for all of the times he'd insinuated what Steph and I had been up to. The shame of it was that we had never been up to anything. I wanted to get back on track for why I was here to talk to him and was sure that he'd welcome a change in the subject.
"Have you managed to get anything on José Diego?"
That had him sitting forward as though he was about to tell me something confidential, and maybe he was.
"I had a hell of a job because anyone I spoke to either had no idea who he was, or they told me that they hadn't heard anything of him"
"Stonewalled?"
I asked because there was no way that any of the agencies didn't know what Diego was doing, unless they were unaware of how far his reach was, which I doubted.
"Yeah, my thoughts as well, so I made a call to Edwina, you remember her, the woman who sometimes used to provide us with intel on our missions"
I remembered her, she was a difficult woman to get to know but for some reason she took a shine to Tank. Maybe because she was from Louisiana and felt a kindred spirit in him. I think that they were an item for a while, but we were deployed so often that any relationship was difficult to maintain. Then we heard that she'd got together with Wren, a man that she had a lot of contact with and was a handler for some of the teams. I was surprised that Tank had made that contact with her because it had been awkward between them after that.
"It was like old times talking to her, any embarrassment that had been between us just wasn't there. Anyway, she got back to me a couple of hours ago after making some enquiries of her own. Seems that Diego has drawn attention to himself but not at the level where someone like you would have been called in to deal with it"
Which to me implied that one of the other agencies had taken an interest in him. Though to what extent would be interesting to know.
"Edwina thinks that either the FBI or Homeland are dealing with him, because there's a lack of information out there"
That could happen if there was task force involved because anyone involved in that team had to maintain secrecy within the team to stop any leaks from getting out and forewarning the people that they were after. If that happened evidence had a way of disappearing, leads became irrelevant and the people concerned up and moved. The work of the task force was also kept within the team, or task force, under the leadership of a high ranking person, meaning that no agents within any other organization knew anything about it.
"A task force then"
Got a nod of agreement from Tank. That idea just made everything more complicated.
"Steph followed a lead this morning that was very enlightening. It seems that Justin Cavanagh inherited money that originated from his grandmother. Silvio helped Steph to backtrack its origin, Hernández was his grandfather"
That elicited a low whistle from Tank, so I waited for him to process the information. Tank was similar to me in that he didn't believe in coincidences. Of course, that timeline was going through my head, but now I was seeing a pattern.
"The grandmother was receiving money up until Hernández died, which was seven years ago, but she never spent it or did anything with it. Instead, she set up a trust for her daughter. Two years after Hernández died, she died, apparently from an accident, and then a year after, her daughter also died in a car accident leaving the money in a trust fund for Justin. Justin couldn't get his hands on the full amount until he was 25 but by then he'd amassed a hell of a lot of debt. Then he was murdered a year later"
Three deaths so soon after Hernández died looked suspicious to me.
"So what you're saying is that once they had the money they died? Sounds suspicious to me, as though someone was after the money. Could Justin have had anything to do with it?"
It was a valid argument but from the research that I'd done on Justin it didn't fit. He had the money and squandered it but was still murdered. Was that what the killer was after, the money?
"Diego would know that Hernández had siphoned money out of the country, maybe he saw that money as being rightfully his"
And that was why it was good to be talking to Tank, because he could always add in another perspective to the puzzle we were faced with. He was right to consider Diego being behind the deaths.
"Good call Tank, you're right because he would need money to set up his new operation. I'll ask Hector if can find us the information on the deaths of the two women and Justin"
It seemed we'd exhausted that sharing of information and I felt pleased with the outcome.
"I've read those searches on the applicants for a financial manager but seeing as Steph is here do you think that she could look them over and maybe be in on the interviews. I trust her intuition and opinion"
I nodded my head because I'd thought the exact same thing.
"Organize the interviews for the week after next. That should give Steph time to do her thing"
