CHAPTER 3
After finishing up at the Waffle Hut, Matt and Hoyt found their way to the address that they had found for Richie Collins. There was no answer when they knocked on the door and Hoyt kept a look out while Matt picked the lock and got them into the apartment. Both men were wearing gloves once again and as they went through the apartment, they found more pictures of the couple. Matt also found a note that Jessica had written that was apparently her reply to the one that they had found in her nightstand. Unwilling to stay in the apartment any longer than necessary, Matt once again took a picture of the document and replaced it. "I don't think this guy has been here for a little while." The private investigator had the refrigerator open and was looking at pretty much nothing.
"Houston, if you'll recall your single days, there wasn't much in your refrigerator either." Hoyt looked at the man.
"Nope, but there was always beer in my fridge." He closed the door and looked at the garbage can in the living room next to the computer. There were several wadded up pieces of paper in it, and Matt started pulling them out one by one. "Hmm, they're chemistry formulas." He studied a little more. "I stunk at chemistry. How about you?"
"Never took it. Thank God." He continued looking around the room but was coming up empty handed.
"I'm taking these, Hoyt. If Shoemake was any good he would have already been here anyway." He thought back to what Roy had told him about the cop possibly being on the take. It was at that moment that he heard the detective's voice outside the apartment. Picking up an empty file folder, Matt put the papers into it and then grabbed Hoyt's arm. He mouthed the name "Shoemake" to the detective and pulled him toward the bedroom. He took a quick glance outside and then opened the sliding glass door and went out on the balcony. They were only on the second floor, so Matt stepped over the railing and slid down the bars as far as he could before turning loose and dropping onto the grass below. Hoyt, looking somewhat uncomfortable, followed suit and both men carefully made their way back to the street where Matt had parked the truck. They climbed inside; Matt fired up the engine and casually pulled away from the curb and took a left at the next intersection.
The private investigator had a big grin on his face and started laughing. "What's so funny?" Hoyt looked at him, almost afraid of what the answer was going to be.
"I swear Hoyt; you should have seen your face back there when I went over the rail." Matt was beet red from laughing so hard.
"What about it?"
"You looked like a kid getting nicked in a candy store for sampling the merchandise." Matt continued to laugh. "Welcome to the world of the private investigator."
"Oh shut up." Hoyt looked out the window. "So much for finding the papers."
"They're fine." Matt reached behind his back and pulled the file folder out of the waistband of his jeans, causing Hoyt to smile.
"I've gotta ask you: how many times did you do something like that to me before we started getting along?"
The smirk on Matt's face said a lot. "You probably don't want to know, Lieutenant." He cracked up again. "You know, that's one of the best parts of this job – doing stuff like that. Kinda reminds me of when I was a teenager."
"As bad as you are now, I can only imagine how bad you were then." He couldn't help but laugh. "How did your dad manage to put up with you?"
Matt smiled as he thought about Bill Houston. "He had the patience of a saint, that's how." He looked at the clock on the dash of the truck. "9:00. Let's find a place we can pull over and look at this stuff without a lot of company." They were coming to a park and Matt pulled into the parking lot. After turning off the engine, he pulled out his phone and blew up the picture of the note they had just found in Collin's apartment.
Richie,
I understand the problems you're having but working for those people is not the answer. They can only bring you trouble. I love you, but I can't condone what you're doing. Please don't use me as a reason for doing it.
Goodbye,
Jessica
The two men exchanged a look. "Uncle Roy can probably figure out the formulas – he was pretty good at that kind of thing." They looked through the papers, but couldn't figure out what they were. "But you know, we're still no closer to finding Jessica than we were when we got down here this morning." Matt sat and watched a couple of kids playing on the slide. "I would really like to talk to the roommate. She might know a little something that could lead us to Richie. I've just got a feeling that he's the key to this whole thing."
"Yeah I think you're right. I'm going to call Austin and see if he knows what her cell phone number is – maybe she could at least point us in the right direction. And since she and Jessica went to high school together, her family probably lives somewhere close by. Maybe we could contact her there." He pulled out his phone and made the call. "Austin, it's Michael. Have you heard anything yet?" He shook his head no at Matt. "Look, we would really like to talk to Kirsten Bloomdale. Do you have any idea how we might be able to reach her?" Matt couldn't hear the reply. "Okay, tell you what: you call her cell and give her my number – if I try calling her and she doesn't recognize the number she might not answer. But let me have it just in case." He wrote it down on the folder. "Okay, what about her folks? Do they live around there close by? Uh huh. Got it. Alright, thanks a lot. Yeah, I'll call you if we find anything. 'Bye." He hung up.
"Good idea - having her call us. After what's happened she might not be too thrilled with getting phone calls from an unknown number." Matt sat and watched the kids playing and was thinking about Catey Rose.
"What?" Hoyt knew the private investigator was chewing on something.
"Huh? Oh, nothing really – just thinking about…" He stopped. Hoyt knew a little bit about what had happened to Matt as a child but not the entire thing. "I was thinking about when I was kidnapped. As bad as it was for me to deal with, I've never really given much thought to what Daddy went through, you know?" He looked down at the steering wheel. "If anything ever happened to Catey…" He shook his head.
"I know I told you a little about what happened to me when I was kidnapped, Michael, but not the whole thing. There were two guys involved in it. They broke into our house in the middle of the night, chloroformed me, tied me up, and put me in the trunk of their car." Matt took a deep breath. "But me being me, I woke up before I was supposed to – and naturally, freaked out when I discovered where I was. They pulled over on the side of the road and one of them – the one with the shaved head – came back, opened up the trunk, and beat the crap out of me - knocked me out cold." He looked across the playground to the duck pond. After another deep breath he continued. "Next time I woke up I was in a big barn. Really big barn filled almost to the rafters with junk. The only windows in the thing were way up high at the very back – and there was no way to get to them. I was still tied up and laying on the dirt floor. There was a padlock on the door. The bald headed guy loved to torment me. He would take all the bullets out of his revolver – except for one. He'd spin the cylinder, put the gun to my head and pull the trigger." Matt stopped again and took another deep breath. "But after a few times that wasn't good enough for him anymore. So, he…" Matt looked down at his hands. "He molested me. Every – single – day. For the rest of the time that I was there."
Hoyt was shocked; shocked that it had happened to Matt and even more so that he was actually telling him that it had happened. He didn't know what to do, so he put a hand on the private investigator's shoulder.
"But you know what?" Matt smiled even though he looked like he was ready to cry. "I got away from the bastards." He grinned. "That's when I learned how to untie knots so well. And I learned how to pay attention to details – like how every night they would get drunk and pass out. You know, you can learn a lot by playing possum. That's what I would do, make 'em think that I was asleep and I would watch and listen to everything they said and did. And I learned how to plan things – like how to escape."
He took another deep breath and smiled again. "I waited until they got drunk again and passed out, then I untied the ropes and hid up close to the door. There was so much junk in there that was the easy part. When they came to and couldn't find me they thought maybe I had gotten to the windows somehow and jumped out. And that was exactly what I was hoping they would think. They unlocked the padlock on the door and ran around to the other end of the barn. When they ran toward the back, I took off running down the road." Matt laughed. "I finally found a farm house about three miles away. It was almost four in the morning when I got somebody to come to the door. They called my dad and the sheriff. Everybody had figured I was dead." He was still smiling. "I took them – my dad and the sheriff - back to the barn but by the time we got there, they had figured out I had scammed them. They were long gone." He wasn't smiling now.
"All the way to the hospital, Daddy held onto me. You know that's the only time I remember ever seeing him cry? And all the way there I told him over and over again: when I grow up I'm going to find them and kill them. All the way there I told him that. And you've always wondered why I hate doctors and hospitals so bad? That's why. The guy messed me up real bad – I had to have surgery. I've been shot and it didn't hurt as bad as that." He stopped and didn't say anything for a minute.
"You know, that's part of the reason CJ and I were so close as kids. She's the one who helped me learn how to sleep without a light on again." He looked over at Hoyt and smiled. "We used to camp out a lot when we were kids – just the two of us. We'd catch some fish, build us a fire, pitch our tent, cook the fish and sit and watch the stars. I had a lantern and used to buy fresh batteries every single week. Except for one." He laughed. "I forgot it one time. We were eleven then. See, I would leave that lantern on all night long. Told CJ it was so she wouldn't get scared." He smiled and shook his head. "But it was for me. After those guys kidnapped me I couldn't stand to be in the dark. So anyway, we got out there and decided to go to bed. We climbed into our sleeping bags and I was almost asleep – when the batteries in the lantern went dead. Poor CJ was already asleep and I scared the living daylights out of her. She thought I'd been bitten by a rattlesnake or something. I screamed and wouldn't quit screaming. All she could understand me say was "It's dark! It's dark!" When the lantern wouldn't come on, she went out and threw wood on the fire until it was almost as bright as day. She pulled me out of the tent and over by the fire and you know, she rocked me in her arms like a baby. Whenever the fire would start to die down, she would throw on more wood. We stayed like that until dawn. And I told her everything. I had never told anybody else. Hell, I never told anybody until Vince and I became such good friends. And now you." He stopped for a minute. "God, who would have thought we would be friends, huh?" They both laughed.
"Matt, I …I don't know what to say, except that I feel honored that you trust me enough to tell me." Hoyt was nearly speechless. "You told Kathy, too - didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did. I wasn't sure if I should but after what she went through, I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone." Matt was looking back out toward the pond again. "Even after something like that is over with, it's always there just kind of hiding in the back of your mind. I wanted Kathy to understand that she could still live and be happy – because if she wasn't – then the bad guys would win."
"I knew that you two had talked, but she wouldn't tell me what you said to her. I'd like to thank you for what you did. She's who she is today partly because of you." Hoyt patted Matt on the shoulder. "And now I also understand a little bit more about you and CJ."
"She knows every single thing that there is to know about me, Michael. And she still loves me." Matt shook his head. "Poor girl." They both laughed again.
"When I was facing those bribery charges and we were watching the video feed at the ranch? Roy told me about what happened when you two were fifteen – with her uncle's friends?"
Matt nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't about to stand by and let them do that to her – not after what I had been through and everything she did for me. Not to mention the fact that I was in love with her – and too stupid to speak up."
"So that's why you became a private investigator. It makes sense now." Hoyt watched as two small children fed crackers to the ducks at the pond. He looked at his watch. It was almost 9:30 and Kirsten hadn't called them back yet. "I wonder if she's in class – Kirsten."
"I was just wondering that, too."
Hoyt's cell phone rang. "Bingo. Hello?" He looked at Matt and nodded. "Yes Kirsten, thanks for calling me. We were wondering if maybe you could tell us a little bit about Jessica's boyfriend Richie Collins. Uh huh, that's what her dad told us. Do you know why they broke up?" He looked at Matt and nodded again. "Uh huh, we were wondering if that's what it was. Do you have any idea who those people were and where we might be able to find them?" He listened and looked at Matt. "Okay, I'm not real familiar with this area; could you tell me where it is? Uh huh, got it. Well I certainly do appreciate you calling. Is there a way that we can reach you if we have any more questions? Great. Thanks again. Goodbye." He hung up the phone. "We guessed right: he was going to work for some Mexican drug lord as a chemist. She said that Richie had Jessica drop him off at some warehouses when he first got hooked up with them. I've got an address." He held up the piece of paper.
"Good. Now let's try to find it on a map." He pulled out the computer and punched in the address. "Here we go – Via de la Amistad. Damn, it's right on the border. Look – if you spit out the back door you can hit Mexico." Matt turned the computer so Michael could see the screen better.
"I'll be – I bet that makes it a lot easier to get stuff back and forth across the border – but then, it would still have to go through customs and all." They both got quiet for a minute.
Matt opened his mouth and started to say something, stopped, then started to speak. "Maybe not."
"Maybe not what?" Hoyt was confused.
"Maybe they wouldn't have to deal with customs." He pulled up the map on the computer again and switched it to the Terra setting which showed actual pictures of the warehouse along with streets that were labeled. "Look how close that is – and look here…" Matt scrolled down slightly showing the Mexican side of the border. "Those are warehouses, too. If they had a tunnel under there connecting the two…" He and Hoyt exchanged a look. "And they could move more through those tunnels than just drugs – they could move people."
"Oh boy." Hoyt sat back in the seat. "Okay, we know for a fact that there are drug folks around that warehouse – and possibly more."
"Roper." Matt looked over at Hoyt. "The DEA guy that we led to Brannigan when you were up on the bribery charges."
"Oh, you mean when you tried to steal a DEA helicopter?" Hoyt knew full well who Matt was talking about – but it was fun to be able to tease the man about something.
"Yeah, that one." Matt grinned. "Maybe this would make up for that?"
"I better call him – he might not want to talk to you." Hoyt pulled out his phone and found the number. "Carl, this is Michael Hoyt. Pretty good. But I might be better." He began explaining to the DEA agent about the kidnapping case and then told him what Matt thought he might have figured out. "Yeah, that's him." He looked at Matt and grinned. "Alright, we'll be there as quick as we can." He hung up the phone. "Guess who's in San Diego at the DEA office here? There is something to be said for timing."
"Where is the office?" Matt started the truck as Hoyt pulled up the map and gave him directions. "Tell you what: call Uncle Roy and let him know to meet us there instead of the saloon." He took off for the DEA office and was there in less than fifteen minutes. Roy pulled in right behind them.
"Mornin' Uncle Roy." Matt got out of the truck grinning.
"You aren't planning on trying to steal anymore of these folks' toys, are you Matt?" Roy had heard what had happened with the DEA's Blackhawk chopper that Matt had taken without permission when he was helping with Hoyt's bribery case.
"No, wasn't planning on it. But you know what they say: never say never." He patted his uncle on the back as they got to the door of the building.
Carl Roper was waiting for them just inside and gave them visitor passes. As he was about to hand one to Matt, he stopped and pulled it back away from the private investigator. "We're going to search you before you leave to make sure you don't try to take another chopper – or an ink pen for that matter." He smiled.
"Fair enough." Matt grinned and clipped the pass onto his shirt and they were escorted into a conference room.
Carl Roper introduced the other agents in the room and then Hoyt, Matt, and Roy. "Houston, explain what you think is going on."
Matt started from the beginning: the kidnapping, the notes that were found, the chemical formulas, what they had found out from the roommate, and then what they had seen on the map. "Now let me say this: I don't know for sure that they have something like that. It's just an idea."
"Do you have the formulas with you?" Roper was surprised at what they had come up with in just a few hours of being on the case. Matt handed the papers over and Roper along with a couple of other agents took a look. "This one here," he held up the sheet that had been on top, "is for a version of Ecstasy. And this other one is for meth. But I have absolutely no idea about this one. Maybe it's something new that they want to try."
One of the other agents in the room, Carla Moreno looked up at Matt. "Actually, this is not the first time that we've had the tunnel theory presented to us – we actually have an agent undercover in that warehouse and he has suspected the same thing." She got up and walked to the front of the room. "Here," she pulled up some pictures of the inside of the warehouse, "is where our agent thinks it might be." It was a picture of a restroom.
One of the other agents piped up. "So you think they're going through the john, or what?" A few snickers were heard.
"Actually we don't know. But we believe it is in the restroom. Nowhere else in the warehouse has panned out when our insider has tried to figure it out. But he's relatively sure that there is a tunnel connecting the two sides of the border."
Matt studied the pictures and walked closer to the screen that they were being projected on. "Ms. Moreno, these pictures are pretty well showing the whole bathroom, but the only place that I see that looks likely is here." He pointed to the vanity. "Right here, under the sink." Matt studied it for a minute. "Granted it would be a tight squeeze, but that would be a great place to hide something like that. You know, that whole thing might slide out of the way…" He studied the pictures some more. "Has anyone looked?"
"Not yet. We're trying to get a message in to our agent but we haven't been able to make contact with him today." She looked a little worried.
Houston looked at the other agents and at Hoyt and Roy. "Anybody here know how to drive a forklift?" No one responded. "Well I do." He looked at Carl Roper. "Whatcha think?"
"Are you gonna steal the forklift, too?" Roper grinned.