With Friends Like These....Part XIV

[Robbie C.]

“And there were no civilian casualties?”

Stan looked up from the file he’d gotten from Metro-Dade. “Aside from some cuts and bruises when people ran into doors? No.”

“Good.” Castillo looked around the table. “The AUSA will want to talk to people once this is over, but we should have no issues. Switek has my green light order on tape, along with Blair and Mather describing what they saw. And with no collateral damage no one can really complain.”

Sonny scratched his chin, feeling the stubble. Jenny had been quiet but happy when he got home, and he could tell she was totally absorbed in the planning for Caitlin’s House. Good to see her focusing on something instead of that damned girl. “Something didn’t feel right about last night.”

Rico looked across the table. “I know what you mean.” He turned to Lester and Mindy. “What did you two see?”

“Not enough.” Lester shook his head. “It was a lot faster in there than it sounds on the radios.”

“Don’t worry about it, man.” Rico smiled. “You did fine. The first firefight’s always hard, and when it’s your first undercover gig on top of it…”

Sonny nodded. “Yeah. You did great, Lester.”

“Thanks, guys. Maybe I just ain’t cut out to be a bad-ass like Stan.”

Stan chuckled. “I heard the whole thing in the Roach Coach. You did great, buddy. Kept the reports comin’ in and covered their backs. That’s your job in places like that.”

Mindy nodded. “No complaints from me. But I did notice one thing. The Hitler Youth didn’t seem surprised at all when the shooting started. They were armed, right?”

“I don’t know. But they never made a move for any weapons or tried to get to cover…” Rico slapped the table with his hand. “And they would have if the attack was a surprise.” He looked over at Sonny. “I did see Hoffmann lookin’ around after the shooting stopped, though. Almost like he was checking for more of Soldado’s guys.”

Dave cleared his throat. “They wouldn’t know I’d taken out the two who were supposed to come through the front door.”

Trudy nodded. “Yeah. If they knew how many men Soldado had, they’d be looking for the other two. And that car they had…that just screams ‘tail me’ like, say, a white Ferrari.”

“Very funny.” Sonny grinned.

“What do we know?” Castillo’s low question cut through all the chatter.

“We know Soldado and his three compadres are DOA.” Trudy ticked through the points. “Two outside the club and the man and another inside. We know we accounted for all hostiles. We also know the Hitler Youth took no active part in the shooting, even though one of their men was killed.” She turned to Castillo. “You were right, captain. He came back as a former member of one of Bolivia’s ranger regiments.”

Sonny let the facts settle through his head. “What can we assume or suspect?”

Trudy smiled. “We can assume she’s gonna call Burnett tonight. She took the card and didn’t seem to shy away from the aftermath of the fight. We can assume they view their men as disposable, or at least some of them. And I think you’re right. We can suspect that they arranged the whole thing.”

Stan looked around. “Any sign they’ve tried to rat out Biggs and Patch?”

“No.” Castillo shook his head. “But they might be afraid of wrecking the bigger deal with Cooper and Burnett. And since you established Burnett and Biggs know each other…”

“They’d be fools to try to get Biggs out of the way.” Sonny nodded. “And so far they’ve shown they are not fools.”

“Do you think they have the drugs on hand?”

“I’d say there’s a strong possibility, captain. Either that or they’re close offshore.” Sonny turned to Trudy. “Do we have any kind of picture of the assets of these families?”

“Not much, Sonny. They’re both wealthy, his more than hers, so they could have freighters, private planes, you name it. They’ve managed to stay off just about everyone’s radar, so there’s nothing out there. I think the captain’s source is the only one who’s kept tabs on them. Except maybe the Israelis, and we can’t access their files.”

“I did see her flinch when it looked like I was heading for one of the yacht clubs, so I’d say they’re either in port now or were until this morning.” Sonny shook his head, seeing the flaw in his own reasoning. “Not that it matters, though, They could use her boat for the smuggling and have a bigger or smaller one they use for things like stopping into port to meet dealers. He might have one for all we know.”

“Did Customs or DEA ever link him to a particular boat?”

Trudy flipped through her files and shook her head. “No, captain. He was always a generic ‘person of interest’ or just on the edge of something. A few rental sail boats out of Bermuda, but that’s it.”

Sonny nodded, staring at the two pictures tacked beside the map. “The face. Using disposable props. It’s a good way to stay off the radar. If he’s got his own boat it’s gonna be buried deep.”

“Yeah, but it’ll be flash.” Rico grinned. “Cat like that ain’t gonna slum on no thirty foot sailboat. He’s gonna have one of those big motor yachts.”

“The kind big enough to hold all the guys they need and serve as a mother ship for her boat.” Sonny looked at Rico and smiled. “Big enough to hang out in international waters as long as they need, then roll in from time to time to restock and refuel. Just another playboy with his toy. No one’s gonna look twice, especially if he keeps clean.”

Castillo looked at Mindy and Trudy. “Is there any way we can check port and entry records for a motor yacht over eighty feet with Argentinian registry?”

Trudy nodded. “We can try. And that makes sense. The Jankows might still have some ties there.”

“And they’d need a port to move the product north. Airplane’s too risky and you can’t carry enough to make it pay.” Sonny looked at the map. “Not on the scale they seem to be aiming for, at least.”

“See what you can find. But we’ll have to be fluid tonight. When they call we have to be ready to move.” He got up from the table. “Crockett, Tubbs. My office in ten minutes.”

Sonny looked at the wall clock. “Just enough time for another cup of Stan’s kick-ass coffee.”

Rico grinned, watching the others file off to their offices. “How do you wanna play tonight?”

“That might be what Marty wants to talk about.” Sonny poured coffee from the pot into his stained white mug. Taking a sip, he turned back to the map. “Hard to believe. All that work and we’re shooting in the dark again.”

“It’s what happens when folks call from out of town.” Rico got up. “And we’d better head in now.”

Castillo was sitting at his desk, hanging up the phone when the two detectives walked in. “Have a seat. I just got off the phone with Chief Deputy Washington. He’s not sure if they’re going to make him take the promotion or not, so our future is still up in the air. But this operation is critical. Even if we’re the only ones who know that. What’s your plan for tonight?”

“A buy this big has to be wire transfers.” Rico adjusted his Versace jacket. “The duffle bag of cash is so last year.” He grinned. “But it also gives us a way to track the money.”

Sonny scratched his knee through his linen pants. “You think they’ll go for that?”

“I won’t give ‘em a choice.” He looked at Castillo. “Do we still have the setup in place we used when we went after Moncado?”

“Yes. Two phone calls and it’s ready to go.”

“If you can get that ready before they call, we’ll have them on the hook and their offshore bank and maybe daddies’ money too.”

“I’d take some flash cash just to be sure.” Sonny pursed his lips, trying to focus his racing thoughts. “I don’t know how common wire transfer are with art smugglers.”

“Think about it, man. Some of those paintings are worth millions. It’s the only way they could handle that much cash.”

“What’s your transportation plan?”

Sonny snapped back to business, his brain going into Burnett mode. “I can handle up to one hundred and twenty keys on the Scarab. So if they stick with the hundred Rico mentioned we’re good to go. After last night’s commotion they’ll expect me to show up with manpower, so I can take Dave. They’d recognize Stan and Randy, and I don’t think Lester’s quite ready for this kind of fun.”

“How would you feel about Tiny and Brick? Chief Deputy Washington is sending their warrant team as backup.”

“Those two would fit Burnett’s image perfectly. Plus it frees up Dave and Randy for other things. Like watching the meet from shore or on the water somewhere. But I wouldn’t put another boat out there. Hers is likely to have good radar, and if he’s got one of the bigger yachts he will for sure.”

“I’ll have Switek put a signal booster on the Scarab. We’ll need everything recorded.”

“Maybe a backup recorder or two on the boat itself.” Sonny nodded at the thought. “Yeah, we want everything taped.”

“Do we try to take them down at sea? I know I ain’t no great shakes for sea legs, and we can’t really have a  SWAT team standing by on a submarine close by. This ain’t a James Bond movie.”

“Is there any chance of getting them on shore?”

“I can try, but I doubt it. Their MO seems to be sea-based deals. We can still arrest them so long as we don’t get into international waters, but she seems to like to keep her boat in close so the shore clutter messes with Coast Guard radar.” Sonny closed his eyes, visualizing the coastal charts in his head. “And we gotta try to take them tonight.”

Rico nodded his agreement. “Yeah. We don’t know how much cash they need or what they’re doin’ with it. We might be closing up shop for them with one last big score and not even know it.”

Castillo reached for the phone. “I’ll coordinate with the Coast Guard for a helicopter and one of their response teams. They should be able to hold one or two boats on station until the cutters arrive. Crockett, have the team get ready.”

Back in the conference room, Sonny called the team together. “Brick and his team will be joining us tonight, people. They should be here in an hour or so. Brick and Tiny will be with us on the Scarab, and the rest will split as needed. Stan, you plan for Team Elvis’s activities and take anyone you need. We’ll be coordinating with the Coast Guard, and Trudy and Mindy will be with the captain wherever he decides to set up the command post. We’ll need a signal booster on the Scarab, and a couple of recorders, too.” He looked around the room. “We don’t know what these two have planned. But we can be sure they’ll be dangerous as hell when they’re cornered.”

Rico nodded. “I wish we had more time, but this might be their last deal. We don’t know their timeline. The captain’s coordinating with the Coast Guard for a helicopter and one of their tactical teams, and they’ll be the first response.”

Castillo came out of his office. “I’ll control from the Roach Coach. The Coast Guard will have a helicopter on station, but their tactical teams are tasked.”

Dave looked at Randy. “Hell, we’re helo-qualified. So’s Brick’s team. We can fill in for the Coasties.”

Castillo nodded. “Do it. I’ll let them know we’ll provide the people.”

Dave grinned. “Come on, Randy. Let’s break out the old CARs and get to it.”

“Shit. You know I hate fallin’ out of a perfectly good chopper. And that’s all you do on that damned rope…fall out of the thing.”

Stan started for the door. “I’m gonna go rig the Scarab. Shouldn’t take too long, and then we can drop the guys off at the Coast Guard station on the way to set up.”

Sonny got to his feet. “I’ll go with you, Stan. I need to grab something from the boat. Rico, the car line’s patched up here. Grab it if she calls before I get back.”

They were barely out of the parking lot before Stan started talking. “So…I hear Pete might be moving on.”

“Man, are there no secrets in that place?”

“The walls have ears…” Stan laughed. “No, it came over on the marshal grapevine. Amazing what you learn when two of your team are marshals. You think they’ll leave us alone?”

“I don’t know, Stan. I wish to hell I did. We’ve got a damned fine team back there.”

“Yeah. I never would have gotten this far back with Metro-Dade.” He paused. “If they disband the Task Force I’m dropping my papers. I can’t go back there, Sonny. No way.”

“I get it, man. I’ve been thinking the same thing. They’d slap me behind a desk so fast your head would spin. At least you’d still be in the field.”

“Yeah, but after this it’s like playing in the World Series and then being sent down to Little League. And they’d all just look at me and see fat old Switek.” Stan looked straight ahead, but Sonny could see his knuckles going white on the steering wheel. “And after I punched a couple of them out I’d be off the force anyhow, so better to do it on my terms.”

“They’d be wrong, you know.” Sonny looked over at Stan. “You’re a damned fine cop, Stan. But I know what you mean about not wanting to go back there. I used to say I didn’t know what the hell else I’d do, but now…”

“Yeah. A good lady changes your perspective a bit. I know Gina did mine.”

They made the rest of the drive in what Sonny considered companionable silence. He could tell from the look on his face Stan was running through what signal booster to use, where to hide it, and what recorders he’d stash God knows where on the speedboat. Sonny didn’t mind. It gave him time to gather his own thoughts.

When they got to the marina, he turned to Stan. “Do what ya gotta do, big guy. I’m gonna change into Burnett and grab my Detonics.” The lie slid easy off his tongue. “Forgot to strap the damned thing on this morning.”

Stan nodded, already digging through the supply stash in the back of the van. “I’ll honk if you’re still below when I’m done.”

He found Jenny on the foredeck, sprawled in a folding chair reading what looked like another business plan. She smiled when she saw him coming up the gangplank. “Are you done for the day?”

“No. I need to get changed into the basic black.” He smiled and tipped his sunglasses down on his nose. “But I wanted to say hello.”

She got up, the fluid motion making her breasts move in ways that gave him ideas he didn’t have time for. “I’ll come down with you.” Then her voice changed. “You’re meeting them again tonight aren’t you?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna try for an arrest.” He raised his hand. “I know she’s nasty, baby. She’s nastier than you knew. I’ll tell you about it once we have the two of them in cuffs.” He pulled off his light blue blazer and dug through the after stateroom wardrobe for a black silk shirt and matching tie. “But have you seen anyone watching the boat?”

“Aside from Mr. Rosenblatt when I’m wearing my white t-shirt?” She gave a forced giggle. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Be careful. She’s got people with her now. They’ll be Bolivian and look military. Short haircuts. Standing straight when they don’t need to. They’re hard to miss once you start looking.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “I don’t think she’d know you were here, but she might be trying to keep tabs on me…I mean Burnett.”

She smiled, lifting her shirt so he could see the MatchMaster tucked into the waistband of her cutoffs. Then she lifted the shirt more and giggled. “That’s for telling me what’s going on.” She let the shirt fall in a loose wave of white cotton. “I’ll be careful, Sonny. I don’t think she’d know where I am, but she might have traced Vellamo here. Boat people like to talk, and she is rare.”

“Yeah.” He tightened the tie and slipped on a black blazer. “That reminds me. Did you ever see her with a guy who owned a bigger motor yacht?”

“Sure. They’re all over the place in Bermuda and the Bahamas. I know that’s no help.”

“Any guy in particular she palled around with?”

“No.” She smiled. “I’m no help at all.”

“No, it’s not that. She’s just damned careful.” Leaning forward, Sonny took her in his arms and kissed her. “I’ll be back tonight or early this morning. Be careful, darlin’.”

“I will.” She grabbed him and kissed him back, pressing her firm body against him in a promise without words.

“Now I gotta go.” He swatted her backside and grinned as she gave out a combination squeal and giggle. “Don’t want to make Stan wait.” Reaching down, he checked the Detonics to make sure it was secure in its holster.

Stan was just jumping down from the Scarab when Sonny came above deck. “It’s all ready,” he said as they walked toward the Roach Coach. “I’ve got them all hooked to the boat’s electronics, so as soon as you fire her up everything goes live. Nothing to track, nothing to fuss with. The recorders won’t get much beyond twenty feet, though.” He shrugged. “Just how it is with those mics. There’s some new stuff in the works, but we don’t have it yet.”

“It’ll do fine, Stan. We’ll make it work.” Sonny settled into the passenger seat and buckled up for the ride back to the office. “Disappointed you’re not going on this one?”

“Yes and no.” Stan kept his eyes on the road, but Sonny could see he was thinking. Weighing his words. “I do get the rush you guys get from going in on bust. No question. But it’s also cool as hell sitting back here and knowing it’s all happening because of something I did. Running the radios. Getting all the taps to line up and go when you need them. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a hell of a rush on its own.”

“And you’re damned good at it. I get it, Stan. Just curious which one you like better.”

“Both. That’s what’s cool about Team Elvis. I get hitters and thinkers. And once in a while I get to put on the colors and be Biggs.”

When they got back to the office the warrant team was just settling in around the conference room. Sonny nodded to the men, recognizing all of them from the Delgado takedown and Tiny and Brick from one of the attempts on Trudy’s life. After exchanging greetings he got down to business. “I don’t know how much Pete told you about the operation, but we’re going after some drug dealers who might be involved in some kind of coup plot in Bolivia. We don’t know how many men they have, but we can assume they’re all former Bolivian military, probably rangers or paratroopers.”

Brick shook his head. “So you don’t know shit.”

Sonny laughed. “More or less. We know the smugglers are using a sixty foot two-mast sailboat and we suspect they have a larger motor yacht somewhere close by. We might not get it, but we want the sailboat. Both of the targets should be on it, although at least one might be on a Zodiac or our Scarab.” He pointed to the pictures. “Those are the targets. Francisco Hoffmann and Monaele Jankow.”

Trudy came out of her office. “I’ve got target folders for you. Everything we know about these two.” She gave a quick rundown of the history. “The biggest thing is she’s nastier than she looks. Some serious training in her background.”

Tiny chuckled. “We’ll be careful. No question. At least we don’t gotta worry about finding pit bulls behind the door. I always hate that.”

“You’ll be with us on the Scarab. The rest of your team, with Dave and Randy, will be waiting at the Coast Guard station with their chopper. They’ll likely scramble just after we make contact for the deal, but it could be before that.” Sonny looked at Castillo, who nodded. “It’s their show until the ropes drop, but they want these guys as much as we do so I don’t think they’ll drag their feet. You’ll most likely rope in on her boat. We’re pretty sure it’s a Moorings 60.”

Trudy spoke up. “There’s a sketch map in the folders. That ship’s got two masts, so roping down might be a challenge. She can fit upwards of ten people on that thing, more if need be.”

“They had at least three additional bodies at the first deal.” Sonny walked over to the map. “One of them died in Rumours, but they wouldn’t have hung him out as a target unless they had guns to spare. And they had UZIs at the first deal.”

Brick nodded. “We’ll go heavy. MP-5s and shotguns. Except for your guys, who I’m sure will have CARs or something bigger. Just because.” He chuckled. “Damn Marines and their rifles. It won’t take them long to rope down, and we’ll secure the boat like we would a house.”

Castillo spoke up. “Technically it’s the Coast Guard’s show, but your team will have tactical control as soon as the ropes touch the deck. If there’s a second ship in the area the helicopter will interdict and try to hold it in place until the cutters arrive.”

“Shouldn’t be a big deal if they bring a door gun or two along,” Tiny said as he flipped through the fold. “Man, we’re goin’ after Nazis. That’ll make my grandad proud. He was part of Patton’s Third Army. And with me an’ Brick with you two I might get to see ‘em up close.”

Sonny was about to comment when the phone rang, the lit line indicating it was the number he’d given Monaele. Raising a finger for silence he picked up. “Burnett.”

“We have the product in the amount you require.” Her voice sounded thin, and he guessed she was using a radio phone from her boat. “We will do the deal as before. Can you write coordinates?”

“Let me pull over.” Sonny gestured for a pen and paper, and Rico handed them over. “Go ahead.”

She read off a series of numbers and letters. “Be there in your boat at eleven. I will have my boat close by.”

“Cooper wants to know if you can do wire transfers. He’s not comfortable carrying that much cash around.”

“Of course. I was going to insist, but it seems Mr. Cooper is professional.”

“I don’t deal with amateurs, lady. Not on a regular basis. It’s how I stay in business.”

“Good. We will see you then.” The connection broke, and the buzz of the dial tone filled Sonny’s ear.

“She’s hooked. Eleven tonight at the coordinates on the pad. Going off memory it’s not international waters, but she’s keeping close to them in case she has to run. And it sounds like the same profile for the deal. And she’s good with wire transfers. Means she’s got some serious communication gear on that boat of hers.”

Rico nodded. “Solid.”

From the back of the room Randy spoke up. “Lock and load, boys. Get ready to rock and roll.”

Sonny nodded, turning to Castillo and Rico. “We need to figure out where you’ll be in relation to the deal location, Marty. It sucks being out of support range, but it’s what we were dealt.”

“It will work.” Castillo stared at the map, his eyes intent. “We’ll set up here.” He jabbed a finger on the map. “Switek, will we have good reception at that location?”

“Sure.” Stan looked at the map with an experienced eye. “We should be able to monitor Sonny and Rico and communicate with the Coast Guard with no problem. Nothing nearby to jam the signals, and it’s a clear shot from there to the water and the Coast Guard station.” He shook his head. “I’d feel better if some of us were out there, though.”

“Brick’s team, augmented with Blair and Mather, take up the whole helicopter. I won’t displace shooters so I can hover overhead.” Castillo’s voice was firm.

“Captain?” Trudy spoke up, her voice strong but with a hitch Sonny thought he recognized. “Mindy and I could go on the boat. Provide some eye candy.”

Sonny shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, Trudy, but this isn’t that kind of deal. She sounded keyed up, and so far Burnett’s been all business with them. It would look damned strange for him to bring his lady on a deal with two of his heavy hitters.”

“I know. Just wanted to offer.”

“And it’s appreciated.” Smiling, Sonny, turned to Brick. “You guys gonna be packing heavy?”

Brick nodded. “I’ll have one of the MP-5s, and Tiny’s grown right partial to that SPAS shotgun of his. We’re already wearing black, so we’ll fit right in.”

Sonny chuckled. “You’ve busted enough shooters to know the look. I play Burnett as a serious hard-ass, so his people would loom much and talk little.” He shivered, feeling little spiders dancing up and down his spine. Looking up, he saw Dave nod. “You got ‘em, too?”

“Yep. Just like old times. We’ll have your back, boss.”

They spent the next couple of hours going through drills and equipment checks. Then Randy looked at his watch and announced, “Time. Let’s roll, gents. We’ll wait for your signal.”

Castillo nodded. “We’ll head out, too. I want to be in position before you leave the marina, Crockett.” He looked around, and Sonny thought he saw a certain melancholy in his old friend’s eyes. “Good luck, Task Force.”

Dave thumped the table. “O-fuckin’-rah! Let’s do this!”

Sonny pretended not to notice Mindy giving Rico a quick kiss as she passed by on her way out the door. Then it was just the four of them in the dark conference room. Brick looked around. “Don’t feel like a normal bust, does it?”

Sonny shook his head, knowing the big man had only put into words what he’d been thinking. “No, not really. And I don’t know why.”

Rico nodded. “Maybe it’s because we ain’t never really stopped a coup before.”

“Could be.” But Sonny knew what was bothering him. Memories of another case years ago, but a man instead of a woman. He’d screwed up then and turned Hackman loose on the world. The bastard had killed the woman he loved, and snuffed out the life of a son he’d never know. He couldn’t…no, he wouldn’t…make that mistake again. Something was off about the meeting. He didn’t know what. But he did know that if anything went south, and if she tried to get away, he wouldn’t make the same mistake he’d made with Hackman. Jenny was afraid of Monaele Jankow, and he’d protect her.

He almost jumped when Rico touched his arm. “You good, partner?”

The voice that answered was the flat monotone of Sonny Burnett. “Never better. Let’s get this shit done.”

[mjcmmv]

Here we go! Lots of ominous clues with this one. The whole team seems to sense something crazy is going to happen.

Enjoyed this a lot, and looking forward to the next one!

[Kladdagh]

Hooked like always 

[Robbie C.]

Glad you’re both enjoying it!

[Matt5]

1 hour ago, Robbie C. said:

Glad you’re both enjoying it!

Excellent.

[Sea-light]

That's really cool. I like good MV fiction

[Robbie C.]

5 hours ago, Sea-light said:

That's really cool. I like good MV fiction

@Sea-light hope you enjoy them all, then. Been a busy couple of writing months.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Robbie C.

[Glades]

14 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

Been a busy couple of writing months.

I believe this! Where do you get that much time for your writing?

[Robbie C.]

1 hour ago, Glades said:

I believe this! Where do you get that much time for your writing?

I write fast. If I’ve got one going I can do at least 2-3 thousand words after work. I think my high was around 11 thousand one Saturday. It all depends on how well the plot is coming into place in my head. 

Edited October 16, 2019 by Robbie C.

[Matt5]

15 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

I write fast. If I’ve got one going I can do at least 2-3 thousand words after work. I think my high was around 11 thousand one Saturday. It all depends on how well the plot is coming into place in my head. 

Really enjoying the work Robbie.