FStop Page 10

  “Jack Williams.” He indicated the man with him. “This is Pete Miller. Can someone tell us what the hell is going on?”

  Mike introduced everyone in his group and gave the two pilots a concise version of what he knew.

  “My sister is Mr. Wright’s assistant,” Kat added.

  Recognition lit Jack Williams’ eyes. “Mari Culhane is your sister? She’s one sharp lady.”

  “Thanks. I’m worried sick about her and what’s happened.”

  Mark began shepherding everyone into the building. “Let’s go inside and pick up the vehicle,” he said. “Then we need to meet the cop we spoke to.”

  “We could use some more coffee too,” Jack told them. “I think we need a lot of caffeine to wash away the residual effects of whatever they gave us.”

  “Okay. Let’s just get moving here.”

  The pilots repeated their story for him, not a complicated one. The initial stretch of road from the airport into town was fairly light on traffic. A van had pulled up next to them at the first stoplight, a man had jumped out, smashed the driver’s window with a gun and forced him to open the doors. That’s all they remembered until they woke up in the motel.

  “They needed to keep you out of the way long enough,” Mike mused. “I guess they gave you an extra dose of whatever it was just to be sure.”

  It took only a few minutes to sort things out. Mark called Detective Aaron Wagner who told them where to meet him.

  “We need to check out the plane, then find another motel,” Jack Williams told them. “Can we exchange cell numbers so we can keep in touch?”

  The process took scant minutes, then Mike hustled everyone into the silver SUV waiting for them and headed toward the city. Beside him, Kat was checking her cell phone again, scrolling through missed calls, deleting several. Who in the hell was making her so tense? What problem was she avoiding? Surely whoever it was could be dealt with in one call and be gotten out of the way.

  In the seat behind him he could hear Mark talking to Pelley, asking if he’d found out anything, then repeating the conversation with Ryan Post.

  “Nothing,” he told them all. “Pelley says he can’t reach anyone who’s heard from Wright and Ryan Post is trying too hard to make us think he cares.”

  “Didn’t Andy say there was bad blood between brother and sister?”

  “Yup. I told him to dig up more about it.”

  Before they’d gone another mile Mike’s cell phone rang.

  “It’s Andy,” he told everyone, reading the caller ID. “Maybe he’s got something for us already.”

  Mark reached over the back of the seat. “Here, let me take it. You’re driving.” He held the phone to his ear. “Okay, Dragonslayer. What have you got? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. No kidding. Yeah, keep on it. Okay.”

  “What’s up?” Mark asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Andy managed to hack into not only the business systems of the people we told him to but also their laptops. If they’re on the internet Andy can find them. Interesting news item. All three men—the brother, Pelley and Rand Prescott—just got a video email from an anonymous source. It’s encrypted but Andy says it’s a simple code and he should crack it in no time.”

  “Can he tell where it came from?”

  “Not yet,” Mike said. “Whoever’s doing this has a pretty sophisticated setup so it will take him some time. First he’s going to work on opening the email. He knows that’s highest priority.”

  “Interesting that all three of those men would get an email from the same source,” Mike commented. “Kind of makes me think I was right, that they’re all involved somehow.”

  “Or else someone wants us to think they are,” Kat pointed out.

  “More interesting that neither Post nor Pelley said a word to me about it when I called them just now. You know it had to have something to do with the disappearance.”

  “How long before Andy can find out what the message said?” Kat asked.

  “He’s working on it,” Mike assured her. “But we know something’s happening. We’re not standing still.” He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Let’s meet Detective Wagner and see what he has to say.”

  * * * * *

  Brent Fontaine jammed his cell phone back into his pocket and took his place in line at the airport gate. Damn that bitch anyway. Who the hell did Katherine Culhane think she was to avoid him that way?

  She should be damn grateful he took an interest in her. Spent as much time with her as he did. Telling him it was over infuriated him. Women didn’t walk away from Brent Fontaine. He walked away from them.

  Now he had to waste his time on this stupid business trip when he really should be tracking her down. Showing her what happened to women who pissed him off. And brushing him off at a party in front of his friends? That was a big mistake on her part. She’d pay for humiliating him that way.

  He’d just have to take care of business in San Diego as quickly as possible and get back to tracing her movements. He hadn’t yet hired a private agency but he would if he had to.

  No one got the best of him. Ever.

  * * * * *

  Rip played the video on his computer one more time before punching in the familiar phone number.

  “Okay, what’s next? If we’re going to call the FBI, we have to decide the appropriate person to do it.”

  “I think you know who that should be,” Nando said. “I leave it to you to guide the others in the proper direction. And if no one else mentions the FBI, then you bring it up. Remember, we want everyone to act as naturally as anyone would in this circumstance. And you want the call to go to the FBI’s San Antonio office.”

  “Not San Diego?”

  “No. Let the SA office call them and get them involved. That’s the last place the Wrights were seen, right?” he reminded him.

  “Yes, yes, yes. All right. I’ll let you know what happens.”

  “Tell the others to set their cell phones to vibrate. You do the same. There’s no telling where any of you will be when a call comes through.”

  Five minutes later the three men were on a conference call, deciding who should do what. It was easy enough to lead them in the direction he wanted. They were all very careful. If any outsider happened to overhear them, they’d have been convinced that every one of them was equally shocked and upset by the turn of events. If one of them had advance knowledge, it wasn’t in any way evident.

  The discussion about the FBI took less time than Rip expected. And deciding on who should make the call was a no-brainer. As Rip pointed out, there was really only one logical person.

  * * * * *

  Special Agent in Charge Anthony Delaware knew this call was one he had to handle himself. Eli Wright was an international figure. When something happened to him, it was global news. In less than thirty minutes he was sitting opposite Ron Pelley, expressing his concern and asking probing questions.

  Pelley spread his hands out. “What I told you is all I know, Agent Delaware. I got the cell phone call, then received the video email on my computer and called you immediately.”

  “And you had no idea anything was wrong?” Delaware persisted. “No clue of any kind? You weren’t concerned when you didn’t hear from your boss?”

  “I didn’t necessarily expect him to call last night. I knew he and his family and Miss Culhane would be busy getting settled in.” Pelley shrugged. “There wasn’t anything urgent demanding his attention.”

  “We need to make some arrangements right away,” Delaware told him. “They’ll contact you again and we have to be ready for that. I’ll want to get someone out here now to put a trap and trace on your cell and your computer.”

  Pelley raised his eyebrows. “Can you do that with a cell? I didn’t think it was possible.”

  “Yes, if we have the phone in our possession, which in this case we do.”

  “I can’t imagine who would do something like this.” Pelley jiggled a gold pen as he spoke and a nervous
tic had appeared at the corner of his left eye. “And why didn’t they ask for money in the first email, if that’s what they want?”

  Delaware wondered if the evidence of a developing case of nerves came from the impact of the kidnapping or if Pelley was holding something back from him.

  “That’s not unusual with kidnappers,” he told him. “Gets the family and friends on edge, anxious, stirred up, so when the request for ransom comes in no one wants to dally about doing it.”

  “There’s something else.” Pelley shifted in his chair. “Then this morning two men from something called the Phoenix Agency showed up with some crazy story.” He repeated what they’d told him. He frowned. “Do you think they could have something to do with this? That they were, you know, just testing me?”

  “Phoenix?” Delaware sat up straighter. This was a new wrinkle. “Absolutely not. But why would they show up here asking about this? Did they mention kidnapping?”

  “No. It seems one of the agency partners is involved with a woman named Katherine Culhane. Her sister is Eli’s executive assistant and she’s on the trip with them. They were concerned that they hadn’t heard from her and couldn’t contact her.” He picked up a paper clip and began unbending it. “I tried to tell them what I just told you—that they were all probably busy getting settled in.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “They indicated they were going to San Diego to see what they could find there.”

  Pelley frowned. “Do you think they’ll be a problem?”

  Delaware was thinking furiously. He was well aware of the Phoenix Agency. Some hated them, some swore by them but they always got the job done. He was one of the few people who knew the government also used them when a situation arose that official hands couldn’t touch. He hoped he didn’t bump heads with them over this.

  “I’m going to do my best to shortstop them.” Delaware shook his head. “Did they leave you phone numbers?”

  Pelley pulled a thin business card from the corner of his desk blotter and passed it across the desk. “Here’s what they gave me. They said to call them if I heard anything. Should I—”

  “No,” Delaware cut him off. He copied the numbers into a tiny notebook, then handed back the card. “Let’s wait and see what happens on this end. If they contact you again and pressure you, give them my number.”

  “Should I tell them about the video email? And my meeting with you?”

  Delaware shook his head. “I’ll take care of that when the time comes. If this crosses international lines, we need to handle this very delicately.”

  “I don’t want them to do anything to screw this up. I just want to pay the ransom, whatever they ask for, and get everyone back.”

  “About the ransom.” Anthony Delaware shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He’d have to give Pelley the bad news right at the start. “I’ll be honest, Mr. Pelley. There’s been a rash of kidnappings by drug cartels, taking the victims across the border to Mexico.”

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “Oh but I do. Narcoterrorists, they’re called. Narcotrafficantes. The income from their drug sales isn’t enough anymore. They use ransom money to buy arms, which they sell to terrorists and street gangs.”

  “Then why don’t you do something about it?” Pelley demanded.

  “Unfortunately, we’re hamstrung here. Our border leaks no matter how much we try to plug the holes. If Mr. Wright and his party have been taken to Mexico, the FBI will have a hell of a time getting them back. We always advise not paying the ransom but in this case that may be your only option. And our only way to locate the hostages.”

  Pelley leaned forward, a strained look on his face. “What do you mean? That they might not be returned? Can’t you just go in and get them?”

  He shook his head. “First of all, there are five major cartels in Mexico and all of them have been involved in kidnappings in the past year. We have to find a way to pinpoint which one we’re dealing with here. And that’s a lot harder than you might think.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “If—and I say if—they’ve actually been taken to Mexico, the Mexican government has not been as cooperative in situations like this as we’d like them to be. The cartels own the government in Mexico, so we get no help there. And Uncle Sam won’t want his fingerprints on any international situation.”

  “So what happens then? We let them call all the shots? I’m not going to just throw up my hands. If we pay this ransom, we’ve got to be sure we get them back.” He glared at Delaware. “And you’re telling me the FBI—and maybe no other agency of my government—can assure me of a safe return?”

  “I’m just saying that there may come a time in this process where the Phoenix Agency may be the only people who can help you out. But that is absolutely a last resort, as far as I’m concerned.” He tucked his notebook away. “We don’t even have any idea where the hostages are being held. I can probably figure it’s not in San Diego or anywhere around here. Otherwise they’d be more specific about where and when the hostages would be returned.”

  “Would they get into that so soon?” Pelley sounded skeptical. “Wouldn’t they want to make sure they had the money first?”

  “Of course they would, damn it,” Delaware snapped. “That’s a stupid question. But they aren’t handling this as if it’s all local. Meanwhile, I’m going to get some people out here to set up equipment on both your office and cell phones before the next call comes in and your computer. And I’m also going to bring in the San Diego office. Give them a heads-up. That’s the last known location so we may as well get them involved right away.”

  He stood up, took his cell phone from his pocket and pushed one number. As he gave instructions on what he wanted, he stood over by the huge window overlooking the interstate. He hoped against hope that this didn’t all turn to shit, the way so many of these Mexico deals had recently. He didn’t want to be the one with Eli Wright’s blood on his hands.

  “All right.” He sat down again and crossed his legs. “What about your secretary?”

  Pelley looked puzzled. “What about her?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring her in on this but if this goes on for more than a few hours, she’s going to wonder what the hell is going on in here.”

  “Joanne knows absolutely everything that goes on here,” he told them in a tight voice. “She’s not just my secretary she’s my gatekeeper. There’s no way she won’t find out what’s happening. And leaving her out could leave us vulnerable when we most need her.”

  Delaware stared at him a moment, then nodded. “As long as she understands that anything she sees or hears is strictly confidential. If she breaks that confidence I’d have to take her in.”

  “I’m telling you.” Pelley’s voice turned belligerent. “Joanne is the least of your problems.”

  “Fine. Now. Two men will be here in less than half an hour. Let’s hope your next call doesn’t come in before then. While we’re waiting, I’d like to go over this from the beginning again. From the moment Eli Wright made plans for this trip until this morning when the people from Phoenix showed up here. And you’ll need to copy that email to a disk for me.”

  * * * * *

  Kat thought she’d be sick when she saw the charred, twisted remains of the vehicles the Wrights and the security men had been using. The police had hauled them to an enclosed facility where crime scene techs were still going over them. While Mike talked to Detective Wagner and Mark took pictures of the cars with his phone, Kat stood at the side, taking in huge gulps of air, Faith’s steadying arm around her.

  “I know you feel badly about the security people,” Faith said, “but we can be grateful none of the Wrights or Mari were involved. And glad that young Len is going to recover.”

  “I know. But then where are they?” she cried. “I don’t sense them anywhere around here.”

  “I’m not completely sure how remote viewing works,” Faith told her. “Do you hav
e to have a specific location to focus on, or can you focus on the people and get their location?”

  Kat shrugged. “It depends. Usually I have a place to start with and project my mind to wherever that is. Get a picture of the site or sites. Describe what I see.”

  “Okay then. What about this? Wherever they were taken, they had to leave from here. So if you focus on San Diego again, maybe you can get a picture of what happened. Or something that will give you a hint.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She rubbed her forehead. “As soon as we’re through here, maybe we can find someplace quiet and I can try.”

  “I think the first thing we need to do is check into a hotel,” Mike said, coming up beside her. “We won’t be leaving here today and I think we could all use some lunch.” He put his arm around Kat. “And you need to rest.”

  “As if I could until everyone’s safely back with us.”

  “But you won’t be able to help them if you’re sick,” he pointed out. “Come on. We’re finished here. Mark’s going to Wagner’s office with him to get copies of the report and talk to the arson investigator. The cars were destroyed by a bomb and we want to see if the pieces they found will tell us anything.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. I’ll call him when we get checked in and he can take a cab there or Wagner can bring him back.” He looked at Faith. “That okay with you?”

  “Of course it is. Anything is fine. As long as we can make some progress.”

  “Come on, kitten.” Mike hugged Kat gently. “Time to get you away from this. I’ve got a favorite place I stay when I’m here,” he said as they pulled away from the impound yard where the bombed-out hulks of the cars were being held. “I like it because they have a full floor of suites. It means I don’t have to conduct business in my bedroom. And it has great room service.”

  “Oh Mike. I don’t think I could swallow a bite of food right now, I’m so worried and scared.”

  “Maybe some tea and toast then?”

  “Let’s get up to the room first. Then we can order something. I’d rather do that.”