-14-

Bayport Police Department

Detective Division

Detective Juan Hernandez sat behind his desk, doing his best to catch up on reports that required filing. It was late afternoon and he had put in a full day dealing with three different cases, one being the kidnapping of Callie Morton.

A sharp rap on the office door was followed by the entrance of a portly elder officer with a silver lock of short hair peeking out from under his cap. Hernandez did a double take when he became aware the officer who entered was none other than Chief Ezra Collig. He could tell his chief had serious news based on his expression. "Hey, Chief. I would ask if you had some news, but that much seems obvious."

Collig walked in briskly and nodded as he took a seat in front of his detective's desk. "Aye, news indeed me boy."

Collig's thick Irish brogue had a sound of clear distress to Hernandez. He put down his pen and gave his chief his full attention. "What you got, chief?"

The chief looked at his senior detective with concern. "I got a call from forensics a short time ago. They had been taking that car apart that we got at the airport. You know, the one used in the Callie Morton abduction."

Hernandez nodded affirmatively. "Right. So, they found something?"

Collig nodded tensely. "Indeed, they did, me boy. They pulled a thumb print off the side of the driver's seat. Well, it was 80% of a print since she was wearing that epoxy coating on her fingers. But it was enough to make a positive ID on her. And it was definitely her because there was residue of that epoxy on the print itself."

Detective Hernandez's eyes lit up. "So, we have a make?"

Collig nodded. "Yes, we do. There is just one problem."

"And that is?"

"She is already dead. Has been for three years…IF you are to believe what her jacket says." Collig gestured towards the computer. "Check out the classified section of the case file. You will see what I mean."

Hernandez tapped on his mouse to wake up his computer and began clicking. His eyes widened as he read the file. "So, Crane is not her real last name. Her real name is Lila St. Clair."

Collig nodded. "So, it says. She was apparently an unofficial employee of our own federal government once upon a time."

"And perhaps one or two other governments if you believe what this says." Hernandez observed as he read. "Damn. Looks like a lot of black bag stuff when you read between the lines."

"Yes. This one seemed as if she was knee deep in black ops. Training in Serbia. And has sold her services several times to the highest bidder. What is most troubling though…"

"I see it." Hernandez interrupted Collig and glanced over to him. "This jacket indicates that she is responsible for over fifty kills! That she has little conscience and can easily kill at the drop of a hat. She had been a troubleshooter for organized crime interest in Europe, the Ukraine and South America. But was supposedly killed in an embassy explosion in Casablanca over three years ago."

Chief Collig grunted. "News of her demise seems to have been premature. Wouldn't you say? If you check out her victims, you can see that her methods of killing are particularly unpleasant. So, I would say removing the eyes of an elderly woman is a strong indicator that Ms. Lila is still walking amongst us."

"She must have paid well to have her jacket reflect her own death." Hernandez grunted.

For sure, me boy." Collig said solemnly. "I want you to get in touch with Frank if at all possible and advise him that he is playing with someone especially unpleasant. Not that this Reese character is any lightweight. But it would seem he may have hired Mr. St. Clair as a bit of a troubleshooter. We can only pray that Callie Morton is still alive. I feel that she is. Otherwise, why would Mr. Reese have sent for her? He could have paid Mr. St. Clair to just whack her here in Bayport." He looked down to the floor thoughtfully. "No, he has plans for Callie."

"And her daughter I'm afraid." Hernandez finished.

Collig's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Hernandez shook his head and took a drink of his coffee. "Well, Frank called me a short while ago. It seems that when He, Joe and Mr. Morton flew down to Brazil yesterday to start the hunt for Callie, they were unaware that they had a couple stowaways on their private plane."

Chief Collig placed his hand to his temple and closed his eyes. "Dear God, no!" He grunted with dismay. He took a breath, then looked back at his detective. "Continue." He requested.

"Well, it seems Maddie Morton and her friend, Jamie Lynn Baylor both stowed away in Mr. Morton's rather sizable private plane. As you might have surmised, they youngsters do not have proper credentials for visiting Brazil." Hernandez gave a weary half smile. "For that matter, neither do Frank, Joe, and Mr. Morton. Brazil being a country which requires a travel visa."

Collig offered a brief nod. "So, of course they can't send the two youth back here on a commercial flight as they wouldn't be able to pass through outbound customs. But hopefully one of the Hardys can bring them back on Chet's plane."

Hernandez looked up with a resigned expression. "Ideally, that would be the case, and was their intention when they discovered they had extra passengers on board. Unfortunately, Mr. Morton's plane developed some kind of engine issue and while they were able to land safely, future use would be unsafe until repairs are made. Frank said they are looking at likely 2 weeks to get the right parts to fix the plane. And there are no other safe alternatives for getting two alien minors back home without hiring persons of dubious reputation."

"That is just the trouble they need down there!" Collig cursed. "Damn fool kids."

Hernandez nodded his agreement. "For sure. Frank wanted me to smooth things over with the Baylor family. Since the youth did stowaway and is pushing 18, Mr. Morton doesn't face any legal issues for transporting. But I am sure when I drop by their home after my shift, they will be giving me an earful."

"I am sure they will, my boy." Collig grunted. "Not that I can blame them at all. You are lucky to recover your kidnapped child once. Having them back out in harm's way all over again will surely not settle well. But please give them our assurance that we will monitor things with the Hardy's. They are in safe hands with Frank and Joe. But I do hope they can get them back here before they find any real danger. With a known kidnapper in the mix and knowing we are dealing with a most deadly one, this is no place for children."

"I will give them our full cooperation, chief."

Collig nodded then looked seriously at his detective. "You also call Frank and give him a heads up on our getting a positive ID on Miss. St. Clair and remind them of what she has done in the past."

"I will take care of it, Chief." Henandez promised. "No doubt they have a good indication already given the manner of death suffered by the late Ms. Daniels."

"Well, now you can fill in some of the gaps. Be sure and send him all those photos from Ms. St. Clair's jacket. I am going to see if I can't reach Fenton and let him know what his sons are up against."

Iola sat at the Morton farmhouse kitchen table offering her friend a deadpan expression. She wasn't believing what she had just heard and shook her head profusely. "Aimee Lynn, let me put it this way… No Fucking Way, girl!"

Aimee tossed her arms up in frustration. "Oh, please! Give me a good reason why we shouldn't go."

Iola touched her forehead and took on an incredulous look. "Just one good reason?! I can give you about a hundred good reasons why we shouldn't go off halfcocked and travel to the Brazilian rain forest. First… we have no business going down there!"

Aimee returned an equally dismayed expression. "What do you mean no business? Everyone I care for is down there. Callie is in the hands of a psycho! If she had sat on her hands when I was taken, I would now be dead!"

"The key difference here is that Callie was somewhat qualified to go after you. She has law enforcement training and has been in some pretty tight spots. What are you going to do when you go down there? Make the killers a latte?"

Aimee looked at Iola contemptuously and shook her head. "I think I was pretty useful down in Virginia."

Iola's eyebrows raised and her head tilted to the side as she fathomed the statement which she had deemed to be outrageous. "Useful? You went down there and cosplayed as a trollop, and you got pregnant!"

Aimee seethed with anger but remained composed. "I see." She murmured.

Iola hadn't meant to be that harsh. But the idea of going down to Brazil to assist her brother and the Hardy's recover Callie just seemed unreal to her. "Look, it's bad enough that Maddie and Jaime slipped into the plane and now cannot come back because they don't have the proper documentation. Their plane needs service and there is no safe way to get them back here. And you want us to go down and join the party? And I assure you it is anything but a party. Callie is in the hands of a psycho who has a score to settle with her. As much as I'd love to deal myself into this hand, I have no business down there." She paused and looked down. "Honestly, I love Cal with all my heart. But going down there to search in a rain forest in the Amazon is way beyond my ability. I also must consider my son, and the fact he already has one parent down there. We have no business going there."

Aimee, still very much upset inside over Iola's words rose from the table. She looked down at Iola, doing her best to hold back tears. "Alright then. I think I will go stay at Cal's place for a while." She said quietly, then turned, and left the kitchen.

Iola knew she had been hard on Aimee. And she regretted taking the cheap shot. It went against the very words she had told her friend when her pregnancy came to light. That she would be there and supportive. Iola had been anything but that.

Callie's abduction had been hard on everyone. Iola wanted to be down there and helping, so she knew why Aimee wanted to be there. It was only natural. But she knew that despite her own impulsive desire, she had no business even thinking about traveling to such a remote and dangerous place.

Frank, Joe and Chet followed their guide down a narrow passageway leading to one of the private aircraft hangars.

"Antonio, are you certain the plane we are going to look at is the same one Callie was brought here in?" Joe asked, not believe their luck when Antonio came to them and told them he had tracked down the private aircraft that had brought Callie into Manaus.

Antonio nodded and looked over his shoulder as his companions followed. "Sim, Senhor Hardy. The plane matches the photo that Senhor Frank supplied me. I am also told that this aircraft was not correctly checked out of service by the pilot after the flight. They just seemed to leave it. Airport personnel were instructed to move it to the auxiliary hangar."

"Makes sense." Chet reasoned. "After all, it was a stolen plane."

The group followed their guide into a massive hangar that housed several small private planes. Antonio led them down a pathway marked with yellow tape along the cement floor. They finally stopped before a small jet.

Frank nodded as he looked down at his phone to verify the plane in the photo sent by the Bayport PD. "Yeah, Bombardier challenger 350 with tail number N48229J. This is the plane taken from Bayport."

Joe looked at Antonio. "Can we check out the inside?" He asked anxiously.

Antonio smiled and gestured around him, and the distinct absence of security personnel. "Yes, Senhor Joe." He assured him. "I have made arrangements for the person who guards this hangar to have an extended meal at Senhor Morton's expense."

Joe gave Chet a grin. "Yes, I am sure Senor Morton was most generous."

Chet returned the smile and nodded. "Always am, Joe." He glanced over at their guide. "How long do we have?"

"You bought about an hour Senhor Chet."

Frank's eyebrows perked with concern. "We better not waste time then, gentlemen. An hour is hardly enough time to run full forensics on a plane in a dark hangar. Let's go!"

Antonio and Joe quickly found a boarding ladder and rolled it over to the plane's door. They quickly scurried up and Frank opened the side cabin door. "Lucky break for us it's unlocked."

The four made their way inside. Joe pointed towards the cockpit door. "Chet why don't you and Antonio check out the cockpit. Frank and I will look over the cabin."

Chet nodded. "Sound like a plan. Come on, Antonio."

"Muito bem, Senhor Chet."

After the pair went into the cockpit Frank and Joe walked into the main cabin. There were six large leather seats in this section of the cabin. Joe bent down and picked up a drinking glass that still contained a small amount of liquid. He drew the glass to his nose and smelled. "Well, unless I miss my guess Callie had drink service on this flight. I wish we could pull prints from the glass though."

Frank shrugged. "True, but I think we can assume she has been in this plane. With the photos I was sent from the video, there is no doubt this is the same plane." They looked around further but could find no evidence the clearly indicated who was in the plane or where their ultimate destination would be.

"Even if we know Cal was on the plane, I'd still love to get the prints for that woman who took her. Chances are she may have taken that stuff off her fingers once she was out of the country."

Frank nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice to know who she is for sure. But it's not like I have anything with us to lift a set of prints anyway."

"We can always have the local police do forensics on the plane." He grunted offering his brother a sideways look suggesting he was being sarcastic.

"Yeah, right, bro. I am sure they will get right on that. Better chances of this plane just disappearing and getting a fresh paint job and being registered to some local politician."

"It's a nice plane." Joe observed. "If anything we will let the owner know where it went."

"Right." Frank said as he sat down to flip through a small stack of magazines.

Joe got down on his knees and took his phone out and switched on its flashlight. "Guess I will do a quick sweep of the floor. Maybe she dropped an earring or some other evidence."

Frank looked down through the dim hue of the auxiliary lighting. "Guess we could tell Chet to switch on the main battery so we could turn on some real lighting in here. But I also don't want to draw anyone's attention by turning on bright lights that could be seen from the outside. It's possible Antonio didn't account for additional guards who may not have been given funding to take a long dinner."

Before Joe could raise his head to give his opinion the cockpit door opened. Chet and Antonio quickly entered the cabin. The Hardy's noted a look of excitement on their chum's face. "You find something?" Joe prodded him.

Chet nodded and held up a crumpled paper. "You bet! I found this discarded paper, and Antonio tells me that it is a ferry schedule."

Frank and Joe instantly rose, and Frank took the paper from Chet. He raised his eyebrows as the document appeared to be a schedule of times. Frank could not make out much beyond the listed times since it was written in Portuguese. He looked sternly at then. "You found this in the cockpit?"

"Sim, Senhor Frank!" Antonio confirmed. "It was tossed to the floor. He pointed to the document. "It appears to be for the Manaus ferry. There is a notation made next to the city of Anama."

Joe looked down at the paper and could see a pencil marking next to the word Anama. "This is a city somewhere close?"

Antonio tilted his head thoughtfully. "Anama, maybe 150 kilometers down the river, Senhor Joe."

Joe looked at Frank and raised an eyebrow then looked back to Antonio. "Is this ferry one which you can put an automobile?"

Their guide nodded affirmatively. "Sim, Senhor Joe. Because there are so few roads it is necessary to use the ferry for anyone who lives away and might work in Manaus."

Frank took a deep breath and looked at his friends. "Well, if they were in a car, they could have tossed Cal back into a trunk and no one would be the wiser."

Joe nodded. "True. So, was this all you guys found?" He asked Chet.

"Yeah. Other than a couple soda cans that was it. I think we need to get on that ferry!"

Frank looked at Joe. Both knew there were several possibilities that could explain finding the document. He placed his hand on his chum's arm. "I think we need to take a step back and think about this first, pal."

Chet looked at him with an aggravated expression. "Why wait? This was a break!"

"It's possible." Joe held out a hand gesturing cautiously. "There are several things possible here."

Frank nodded his agreement. "Not the least of which being that this could be a big fat red herring." He exclaimed holding the paper up.

"It could also be an invitation, Senhors." Antonio reasoned.

Chet looked at their guide. "Invitation?"

Antonio nodded. "Yes, Senhor Chet. Maybe this man wants you to find him."

The three chums looked at each other uneasily as they considered more sinister possibilities.

Frank looked at his watch and took a deep breath. "I agree with Antonio. I think we should get back to the hotel and formulate a plan."