Jinxed Chapter 11 – Hide and Seek
Mary was not a patient woman. Having her mother missing, being hit by a truck, shot at, assaulted, and almost kidnapped did nothing for her nerves. She paced the break room waiting for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to gather. The task force targets major drug-trafficking and money-laundering organizations, trying to eliminate the financial infrastructure of drug organizations, and investigates all the related parts of the organized crime and gangs. When a previous bank heist was added to the mix, a take down at the port was a no brainer.
Marshall had discovered that the U.S. Attorney's office had been looking for a reason to breach a gang/mob stronghold. ATF, DEA, ICE and even the Coast Guard would be involved. The Coasties would have ships in the water next to the container terminal. If any rats decided to swim for it, they would get them. All this took time. Too much time as far as Mary was concerned. Marshall watched her pace, wishing she would conserve her energy, wishing there was some way to calm her.
He threatened to entertain her with the history of the OCDETF and got her to sit, hunched over a cup of lukewarm coffee. Marshall had been checking on her in between planning the raid with the PD and Jersey marshals. Once the plans had jelled, he hit the vending machines again and went to the break room. He found Mary staring into space.
"Hey," he said softly, as he offered her chocolate. He might be a connoisseur of all things edible, but when it came to chocolate, he knew Mary wasn't picky. When she let the candy bar sit untouched, he asked "Whatcha thinking?"
Mary's head jerked up. She hadn't noticed him. Out in the field they were hyper aware of each other. They carefully tracked each other's location, made sure the bad guys did not have line of sight. They watched each other's backs. Even back at the office in Albuquerque Marshall wasn't used to being invisible.
She cleared her throat and murmured, "Just thinking."
Marshall waited. If she wanted to tell him she would. "We've got about an hour. Briefings scheduled for five." He put a sandwich and a drink in front of her.
Mary picked at the edges of the plastic wrapping and gave him a watery smile. "Thanks." She cleared her throat. "Been thinking about Jinx. I almost never call her mom. Jinx seems to fit better, y'know?" She turned to him, briefly surfacing from her memories. "I've mothered her more than she ever did me."
His heart ached at the thought of a mere child caring for an adult, an alcoholic adult, and a younger sibling. He suppressed a mental snicker. Mary was never a mere anything.
Her eyes were glossy as she asked "Why do I care about her? She spent years not caring for me."
"Mare, she's your mother. Humans are wired to respond to their parents, especially their mothers. Your mother carried you for nine months. You carry her cells in your body.
Mary moaned and rested her head on her crossed arms. Her voice was muffled, but Marshall heard. "Oh God, you mean I have alcoholic cells doomed to self destruct?" She stopped as she remembered living on soda crackers and peanut butter, cleaning up vomit, and making sure Brandi got her homework done. Turning her head, she confided, "She used to yell at us. She said we had ruined her dancing career. The only talent I saw was her ability to find the next bottle to crawl into."
"No child should have to do what you did, Mare. But look at all you've accomplished. You did it by sheer determination. I know you can't see it, but somewhere, you developed an indomitable will, an ability to focus on a goal and achieve it."
She didn't have to say "Are you nuts?" because her look said it for her.
"Okay, okay. On top of all that you are angry that you had to do it yourself. I get that." He paused to see if she was taking in what he had to say. "You rail against the injustice of your childhood and injustice in general. The system failed you, and Brandi. And yet here you are, part of the system. Anger fuels you, but it doesn't direct you," he whispered fiercely, trying to make his words penetrate. "You choose what you want to do. You chose law enforcement, and not just any law enforcement but the United States Marshals with jurisdiction in all fifty states. That's a lot of power. A lot of responsibility. You took that on."
Mary's eyes sought his. "Seriously?" Did Doofus really think so highly of her? It had been his idea to get her into WITSEC. He had shown her the ropes, and knew when a witness needed Mary's pointed advice. His approach –Mary called it killing them with kindness—worked for some, but not all. It was difficult to connect with a witness, know which buttons to push, without getting to know them. Know what made them tick, but not get personally invested. Marshall did it by sticking to the rules. Mary's defenses were so strong, almost no one got through. He doubted if he would have been allowed in. The dreams they had shared had carved a channel, a Marshall sized door into her heart.
"Parents set an example for their children. Some show their children what to do; others show them what not to do. You proved to everyone that you were not like your dad." Sensing she had more than enough to think about, he decided to give her some space. He wanted to give her time to think. To turn that spidey sense on her for once. To give her the opportunity to act, not just lash out.
"And where does my ability to screw up everything come from?
Her deprecating comment made Marshall think he might actually be crazy. Mary defied logic. There was no reasoning with her. He needed to take a different tack.
"Think of Jinx as a witness."
She rolled her head around, stretching the muscles of her neck. "I guess."
Marshall had seen how protective Mary was of her witnesses, even the ones with criminal records. If Mary could do for her mother what she was willing to do for a witness, things would work out. When it was over, maybe even her relationship with Jinx would work itself out.
"I'm gonna see how much longer till the task force is ready." He patted her hand, and left.
Marshall returned to find Mary in the same position. He had checked with the Chief, getting a quick rundown on the operation. This time she acknowledged him, and watched him sit down.
"Hmm?" he questioned. He wondered if she had come to some conclusions about herself, her career choice and her parents.
Mary cleared her throat. "You think I went into law enforcement because it was the opposite of my dad."
Marshall gave her a sidelong look. "Maybe. It probably wasn't as simple as that. There might have been a mentor that suggested it. Someone you admired, listened to. "
Marshall knew he was close to the truth when she muttered Karnack. "What does that have to do with Jinx?" she asked.
"What do you think?"
"No shrink talk. You're not my shrink."
"I'm speaking as a friend. A friend who wants the best for you. I can't tell you, because I don't know. You have to figure this out for yourself. No one else's answer will work."
He leaned back in the chair, putting his arm on the back of her chair, close but not touching. Letting her know he was here. Making it clear she could bounce ideas off him or cry on his shoulder. Whatever she needed, he'd be there. He never bothered saying it because he knew she would discount the words. He was going to prove it by being there, day after day, month after month, year after year.
Marshall's phone rang. He turned it so Mary could see Stan's name on the display.
"How's it going?"
"We got a lead, Stan. The AUSA jumped at the chance to raid a suspected drug location. The OCDETF is being assembled as we speak."
"Kinda late in the day for that sort of operation, isn't it?"
"Kidnap victim," Marshall replied succinctly. He could see Stan rubbing the top of his head. Darkness did not preclude a rescue attempt. Marshall hoped they could get to the container yard and check the containers before it got dark.
"Tell Mary I would be there if I could."
Mary grabbed the phone from Marshall's hand. "Just keep sitting on our witnesses Stan. You've got your hands full with Barton and the Wades." naming two of their problematic charges. Marshall took the phone back.
"We'll call you after," Marshall assured him.
"Thanks dad," Mary said loud enough for Stan to hear.
The ten pairs of marshals and officers were each given a list containers and a map of the container yard. The containers on each list met all the qualifications sorted out by Marshall's program. Everyone was suited in black- Kevlar vests and helmets, dark pants and jackets. Mary hated the helmets. They never fit right and the strap reduced her peripheral vision. At a time and place where she needed all her awareness, the helmet was a distraction.
When Marshall noticed she hadn't fastened the strap under her chin, he finished checking his Glock, and did it for her. Mary was annoyed, but the look in his eyes told her he was doing it for his peace of mind. She released a breath as he ran his finger under the strap, making sure it wasn't too tight. "There ya go."
She nodded accepting his attention which she would have called coddling from anyone else. Marshall wasn't done. He checked the fit of her vest, pulling the sides up and tightened the fasteners. She grunted as the vest forced air from her lungs. "Too tight?" Marshall asked. Mary stepped back, jumped up and down, settling her flesh inside the bullet proof shell.
What's sauce for the goose, she thought, checking the fasteners on his vest. She ran her finger under the strap of his helmet continuing around his ear. "Mare, not now." When she didn't stop fondling his ear he bent down looking in her eyes, "Please."
"Ok gorgeous George, you're good to go." Mary finished checking his equipment and smacked him on the ass. The potential of a hot encounter always got her hot and bothered. "I'll be sure to check out your equipment," she emphasized the last word, "When this is over."
"Enough letter agencies to make alphabet soup," Mary noted. Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement, Immigration and Customs. The Coasties were on the water already. The briefing covered who they were looking for, which bad guys they might find, what the bad guys might do. Mary and Marshall were relieved to see that Chief Varney was running the show. He warned them to be careful, and ended with "The kidnap victim is the mother of one of our own. This is personal. Make it good."
As the briefing broke up, the Kevlar clad marshals and officers headed for the garage and the black bus for the ride to the port. It looked like the party bus from hell. Mary and Marshall sat at the front near the Chief and other marshals. Mary nodded at the few she knew from FTF. She was glad to have competent door kickers along.
It was late afternoon with no promise of sun any time soon. Clouds scuttled across the sky promising snow. Mary felt as grey as the day. She was anxious to get moving, but nervous about what they would find. If they would find anything, anyone. Her knee bounced, a nerve jangled metronome. Marshall put his hand on her knee stilling the motion and gave her a reassuring look.
Mary was silent during the ride to the port. Marshall had his phone out, checking his email. He showed Mary the message he was sending Stan. Stan wanted to be part of the action which they all hoped would end with the rescue of Jinx.
Arriving at the port, the officers and marshals swarmed off the bus, gathering for final instructions. Two by two they stealthily left the assembly point to inspect their assigned containers.
Mary and Marshall sidled between containers making as little noise as possible. After a half hour checking numbers and locating containers they had the routine down. Marshall knew routine was dangerous. They needed to stay alert. After checking several containers, Mary was frustrated. She held up the map looking for their next container. Marshall kept watch, peering around corners, checking above them. It would be easy for a gang boy to climb to the roof of the container and get a bead on them.
He had caught Mary scanning the roofs of the warehouses and cargo ships that surrounded the port. "SWATs on this run," he reminded her. They're up in the cranes, keeping an eye on the entire area. Mary nodded her approval, but stayed focused on finding their next container. Four containers later, Mary announced, "This sucks."
"C'mon Mare. You know catching the bad guys is mostly grunt work, like this." Marshall's nerves were strained too. If this didn't pan out they didn't have a plan B. No one did. There were several large gaps in the suppositions that led them here. Marshall was surprised the judge had issued the warrant based on the evidence they had.
"God Marshall, they could be killing her right now." She shook with frustration. She stopped her loping trot, and cocked her head to the right.
"What?" Marshall whispered.
She motioned him to be quiet and then looked at him, a question on her face. "Hear that?" she whispered. Marshall heard a sound too. It sounded like someone throwing up their toe nails.
Mary grimaced, thinking it sounded a lot like Jinx. She had heard her often enough. She nodded at Marshall and he gestured to her phone. She sent a text to the team. While they waited they split up and walked around the container, checking the top and sides. Marshall checked the shipping container doors, and motioned to Mary to stand aside. He sprayed lubricant on the latches and metal rods of the door so they could open it quietly, without warning anyone inside, and began repeat performance on the door latches on the other end.
When she moved toward the door, Marshall grabbed her arm hard enough to spin her around. He motioned her to wait. Marshall kept an eye on her as he worked on the remaining latches. After slowly slipping the latch handles up, poised to open, they waited for the others to arrive.
When Chief Varney and a handful of marshals and officers appeared, Mary gestured impatiently toward the unlatched doors. The Chief put a hand on her arm, nodding in the negative. Mary gave him a questioning look. He jerked his chin in the direction of a black clad officer with what Mary was sure was a stethoscope. He placed it gingerly on the side wall of the container, repeating the process until he had done the same on every side.
Nodding in the affirmative, he pointed to the end opposite where they stood. Mary knew that meant someone was in there. She hoped it was Jinx. The officer wasn't done yet. He placed the device at the end of the container opposite the door and held up three fingers. At least three different people could be heard inside.