Yankee
“C ameron Woods is really killing it on the Digital Team,” Garcia told Wilson. “So far, he’s a good hire.”
Wilson was surprised. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll admit I was on the fence about him.”
“I know you were. He was like a dog with a bone when we needed to find that SUV. He worked twelve hours straight with no break and he worked all night going through flight manifests to find what flight Adams and Henning took. They flew under the names Pete and Cynthia Dougherty, their five-year-old daughter, Lilly, not making the flight.”
“I know the Digital Team is still working on where they went after arriving in Newark,” Wilson said. “It’s a big city.”
“Well, first off, Newark airport has hundreds of security cameras. They’re still poring over footage to track their movements when they got off the plane. And Newark has lots of traffic cameras,” Garcia said. “These fuckers aren’t going to get away.”
They reported to their onsite command center, a storefront in a nearly vacant strip mall, set up by the Marshals. Wilson was surprised to find that Agent St. Vincent was on site. “Appreciate your help on this,” St. Vincent said, shaking the team members’ hands as they arrived. “As I told Shepherd, we just don’t have the staff to chase down every potential lead that may come in, especially if Adams and Henning separate. We have assets chasing down the Smiths in Iowa whose house they were staying in that you raided the other night. And yes, Smith is their last name. They’re known associates of Henning and Adams from the case five years ago. And before you ask, there was not enough evidence for them to be arrested back then.”
“That’s not the case now,” Cooper said. “Those fuckers aided and abetted fugitives, assaulted our team with deadly weapons, and were running a stolen identity clearing house from their basement.”
St. Vincent raised his hands in surrender. “Choir, preaching. Arrest warrants have been issued on them both, and we have a team in Iowa searching under every rock for them. By the way, your man that got cold-cocked by Jennifer Smith, is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Cooper reported.
“Okay, let’s get to work,” St. Vincent said, motioning to the computer banks and maps of the area they had set up on two six-foot work tables.
***
Reina enjoyed the low-key day with Lilly. She didn’t put Lilly down for a nap, planning an early bedtime for them both. They did walk to the corner convenience store as planned, the perfect distance to get fresh air and exercise, but not too far for Lilly’s little legs. Jimmy text messaged when they arrived in Newark, New Jersey. The crimes and arrests originally took place in New Jersey, though a lot of it was centered in Atlantic City.
After making an easy dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, Reina brought Lilly into the bathroom to take a bath that she desperately needed. Reina was sure she hadn’t had one in days, maybe a week. She helped Lilly undress. She’d been teaching Lilly to pull her own pants on and off when using the bathroom all day. She understood why helping Lilly in the bathroom had been so uncomfortable for Jimmy earlier that morning. That thought still made her smile.
When Lilly pulled her shoes off, the liner of one of the sneakers pulled out, revealing an Apple AirTag beneath it. Reina immediately grabbed it, panic setting in. She checked beneath the liner of the other shoe. There was no AirTag there. She tried to hide her alarm from Lilly by forcing a smile. “Okay, let’s get the rest of your clothes off and get you in the tub.” The water was almost filled to the depth Reina wanted it to be. The bubble bath powder she’d bought at the store the night before and sprinkled in had created a high foam that smelled of strawberries. Lilly looked excited to get in.
Reina handed her the plastic takeout food containers to play with that she’d found in the kitchen cabinets. “I’m going to leave the door cracked and step into the hallway. I have to make a phone call,” she told Lilly. “Stay sitting on your bum-bum in the tub, okay, sweetie?”
Lilly was happily dumping water from one container to the other and didn’t answer.
Once in the hallway, Reina dialed Jimmy. The call went right to his voicemail. “Jimmy, I found an AirTag in Lilly’s shoe. I’m really freaked out right now.” Then she remembered both Garcia and Jimmy had told her if she ever needed anything and could not reach him to call Ops. “I’m going to call that Ops number, but call me when you can, okay?”
She ended the call and then immediately brought the phonebook back up. She tapped Ops. It rang only once.
“Ops, Reina, is everything okay?” a woman’s voice asked.
“I don’t know,” Reina said. “Is this Madison?”
“Yes, this is Madison. What’s up, Reina?” her calm voice asked.
“I, um, I found an AirTag in Lilly’s shoe. I don’t know if her mom put it there or that man, but it means someone can find her.” Her heart pounded in her chest as she said those words aloud. Lilly was in danger.
“Where are you right now?” Madison asked. She opened up the program that recorded each team member’s location from their tracker to see who was close by. She knew neither Reina nor Lilly had trackers, yet. She’d have to talk to Wilson about out, maybe even before he got back.
“At Jimmy’s condo,” Reina answered.
“Are the doors locked?” Madison asked.
“Yes,” Reina answered. That she did know.
“Okay, good. Are you and Lilly together?”
“She’s in the bathtub and I’m in the hall. I can see her. I was getting her ready for bed.”
“Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Get her out of the tub and dress her in warm pajamas, but put on her socks and shoes. Keep the AirTag in your pocket. Pack a backpack with a few days’ worth of clothes for you both. We’ll relocate you somewhere safe. I’m going to send Delta Team to you, the men that were in Iowa with you. Hand over the AirTag to one of them. They’ll take it from there.”
“Will you stay on the phone with me until they get here?”
“Yes, and I’ll let you know when our people have arrived. I won’t have you open the door if I’m not one hundred percent sure it’s our team on the other side of the door.”
Madison sent an urgent alert to scramble all four members of Delta Team. Their instructions were for two of them to escort Reina and Lilly to HQ and for two of them to take the AirTag to set a trap for whoever may be monitoring it or even closing in on its location.
Madison’s voice was so confident and calm, Reina felt her pulse go back into the normal range. “Okay, I’m going to put you on speaker so I can get Lilly out of the tub and dressed.”
“Okay. Reina, you’re safe. We’ve got you. The odds anyone is closing in on you right now are very slim. Just keep the doors locked and stay on the line with me until the team gets there.”
Reina slid the phone into her bra so her hands would be free. She went back into the bathroom, where Lilly happily played in the bathtub. She hated to cut the bath short. Being the compliant child she was, Lilly, though disappointed she had to get out, didn’t argue.
“I know this is a fun tub,” Reina said. “I promise your next bath can be longer.” Reina dried her off, put her pajamas on her, and then the shoes and socks while sitting on the living room couch.
“Why shoes?” Lilly asked.
Oh boy, Reina hated to lie to her. “We’re going to go on a little adventure before bed.” She wondered if that was what her mom had said to her when she’d turned Lilly’s world upside down.
It was only a ten-minute wait before Madison told her the team had arrived. They stood on the other side of the front door. Reina peeked through the peephole. She felt so relieved to see Sloan’s face through it. She swung the door wide, so appreciative to see the three men crowded around the door.
“AirTag?” Lambchop asked, his cupped hand hanging between them.
“Yes,” she said. She pulled it from her pocket and dropped it into his palm. “Thank you for coming.”
“No worries,” Lambchop said.
“Lilly, do you remember me?” Sloan asked her. She nodded that she did. He lifted her into his arms. “We’re going for a ride.”
“Yes, I told her we’re going to have a little adventure before bed,” Reina said.
“You are,” Lambchop agreed. “I’m not sure, but I think an ice cream sundae may be involved too.”
Lilly’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Lambchop said. His gaze went to Reina. “We’ll escort you out to the SUV in the parking garage that we have parked right in front of the door. Mother’s behind the wheel. He and Sloan will bring you to our HQ.” He noticed Lilly hung on his every word. “Madison will take you to her place for a sleepover tonight.” He smiled at Lilly. “She made a point of telling me you’ll have ice cream sundaes when you get there.”
“That’s very nice of her,” Reina said.
The three men clustered around her as they guided her through the hallway and to the door to the parking garage. Lilly never noticed that the men gripped their weapons beneath their jackets. They knew she didn’t need to see them carrying. Sloan carried her backpack.
“Coming out,” Lambchop broadcast through comms to Mother.
“Roger,” Mother replied. “No movement.” He stood beside the driver’s door, which was open, his eyes sweeping the parking garage, his gaze penetrating every corner and every shadow. His ears listened intently for any sound. Nothing.
As the door opened and Lambchop came out first, Mother slid back behind the wheel of the SUV and shifted to drive, his foot heavy on the brake. Reina, clutching Lilly to herself, was clustered between the three men. They were a wall around them. Before she knew it, the car door was open. She slid in with Lilly, and Sloan crowded in beside her. As he closed the car door, Mother pulled away and drove them away from the others. The windows were all tinted. There was no need to crouch down. She fastened Lilly’s seatbelt and then her own, relieved.
Sherman and Lambchop crossed the garage to Sherman’s Hellcat. He’d driven himself, Sloan, and Mother, meeting Lambchop, who drove an SUV, there in the parking garage. It always amused Sherman, watching Lambchop fold himself into his little red sports car.
“Stop laughing,” Lambchop said, tucking his six-foot five inch, two hundred sixty-five-pound frame into the car with a roof height of four-foot seven inches.
“Where do we take it?” Sherman asked, shifting to drive.
“I talked with Shep on the way over. He’s got an empty unit on the third floor of the building. If someone was watching the tracker all day, it would have shown a stop at the office. Going back there at this time of night shouldn’t tip anyone off the tracker was found. We place it in the unit. Shep has Requisition Ryan making the unit look inhabited, and he’s placing remote locks on the doors so we can lock and unlock them at will. We can use building cameras to surveil anyone coming into the unit and intercept.”
“Perfect,” Sherman agreed.
***
When the SUV entered the underground parking garage area within the two large doors that made the area private, Madison waited near the elevator. Mother pulled the car up right next to her.
Madison opened the back door. She beamed a smile at Reina and Lilly. “You’re coming to my house for a sleep over!” she said in an enthusiastic tone of voice with a big smile on her face. “My daughter, Hahna, is going to be so excited.”
“Yay!” Reina said in a mock excited voice with the best smile she could muster. “This is going to be so fun.”
“Lilly can sit in Hahna’s booster seat on the drive to my house,” Madison said.
“Is Hahna with Elizabeth?” Sloan asked.
“Yes, she’s going to bring her home and meet us. Ice cream sundaes for everyone,” Madison said, giving Lilly a big smile.
After Lilly was buckled in and Reina and Madison had settled in the front seat of her SUV, Reina relaxed. “Thank you,” she said to Madison.
“I was just getting off shift and I have plenty of bedrooms. We wanted to introduce the girls, anyway.”
Reina paid attention to the route she took just in case she’d have to drive it another time. Madison got in the left turn lane at one of the intersections. She pointed at the townhouse community to the right. “The rest of Alpha Team live over in that townhouse subdivision. Just a reminder, my husband John and I are on Alpha Team. If we were to go straight, we’d come upon the preschool we all use and beside it is the elementary school our kids will all go to.” Then she made the turn. “Most of Delta Team, the team that just came to pick you up, they live about a mile north of here in a different townhouse community, except Lambchop. He and his wife live across the street from us.”
“That’s convenient,” Reina said.
“We help each other a lot. It helps to live close to each other. Elizabeth, whose husband is also on Alpha Team, watches Hahna for us when we’re working. They even have a bedroom at their house for Hahna.”
“That’s truly amazing,” Reina said.
The car pulled up in front of a large two-story home. Madison went into an app on her phone and opened the garage door. Another car, a Lexus, was already in one of the three garage bays. “Oh, good, Elizabeth is already here.” She pulled her car into the garage.
They went into the house, passing through the large laundry room on the way to the kitchen, which opened up into a cozy family room. Standing at the kitchen counter was a young, petite blonde woman who held a little blonde toddler girl on her hip who had to be about a year or so old. Reina deduced the woman had to be Elizabeth.
Sitting on the counter was a dark-skinned little girl with a big smile who squealed and jumped down from the counter when she saw them come through the door. “Mommy!” After she gave Madison a hug, she turned to Lilly. “Hi, I’m Hahna.” She hugged Lilly.
Madison introduced them. Hahna took Lilly’s hand and drew her over to the large toy section in the corner of the family room. The little one on Elizabeth’s hip, her daughter Olivia, protested and wiggled. Elizabeth set her on the floor. She ran over to join the girls playing with the little kitchen set.
“Little girls love big girls,” Elizabeth said. “Hi, I’m Elizabeth. You must be Reina.”
“I am. It’s nice to meet you.” They shook hands.
“Oh, hey, I almost forgot,” Elizabeth said, “the unit next to us is going on the market next week. I asked the owner to hold off signing with a realtor because I know a few people who may be interested in buying it. I ran it by Dahlia to see if she and Michael wanted to look at it, but they’ve really got their hearts set on buying over near Delta Team. Angel told me that you and Jimmy are talking about getting a place. Reina, would you like for me to set up a time with the owner for you to come take a look?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. Yes, we have talked about needing a larger place, but I think I should wait for Jimmy to get back,” Reina insisted.
“I’d hate for someone else to buy it before he gets back. Alexander told me he’s not sure how fast they can wrap this case up,” Elizabeth said.
“It won’t hurt for you to look, Reina,” Madison agreed. “You can tell Wilson about it. Send him some pics if the team doesn’t get back before the owner needs to make a decision.”
“The team is pretty used to being gone when decisions have to be made,” Elizabeth said. “And they know we have to make those decisions without them sometimes.”
Reina just wasn’t comfortable with that, but she didn’t want to lose what could be the perfect place, either. “Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look at it.”
“Great!” Elizabeth said. “I’ll text the owner now and set something up for tomorrow morning. I can keep Lilly while you’re over there. It won’t take long. The units aren’t that big,” she said and then laughed.
“They’re very nice, three bedrooms, a two-car garage, basement, they even have their own little back yard,” Madison said.
“It sounds nice,” Reina agreed.
“And best of all, this one is right next to me,” Elizabeth said with a big smile. “I watch a lot of the children of the team members, so there’ll be kids next door for Lilly to play with. Angel and Jackson are down the block, and Anthony and Sienna are across the street from them.”
“And don’t forget that Elizabeth watches Hahna when Coop and I are working, even when we’re gone. It would be great for Hahna to have a girlfriend near her age right next door,” Madison added.
“Though all the kids think of the others as either siblings or cousins,” Elizabeth added.
Reina smiled as well. She really liked both of these women, and it would be good for Lilly to have friends living so close. “That sounds great,” Reina agreed. “I have to talk with Jimmy yet to see how it will work, but I also had just started college, a remote class that I should be able to keep taking. I may need to hire you to watch Lilly just for me to catch up on the assignments I fell behind on this past week.”
Elizabeth took hold of Reina’s hands. “I would love to have Lilly over to play. We’ll talk about money later. Just let me know when you want to work on your assignments.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Reina said.
“You’ll be here for a few days at least,” Madison said. “I’m off tomorrow and Sunday. You should be able to get a lot of it done.”
Madison got out the ice cream and toppings, creating a sundae bar on the counter. Reina helped Lilly top her ice cream, thrilled that she already had made a friend in Hahna. She smiled, watching the two girls talk while they ate their sundaes.
Elizabeth left to take Olivia home shortly afterwards. Reina’s heart was overjoyed watching Lilly give little Olivia goodbye hugs as Hahna did. This wasn’t the normal Lilly she’d known from school. This new affectionate Lilly was obviously due to Hahna being so affectionate and outgoing. Hahna would be a great role model for Lilly.
Madison locked the door to the garage after Elizabeth left. She checked each door and armed the alarm system. And then the four of them headed upstairs. “We have several guest rooms. Do you want to share a room or have separate rooms?”
“We’ll share. I think that would be best for Lilly,” Reina answered.
“Yes, I assumed so. It took almost a month before Hahna felt safe enough to make it all night in her own room,” Madison said. She showed them her room, Hahna’s, and then the guest room down the hall.
Madison let each girl pick a book from the large bookcase in Hahna’s bedroom. They all piled on Hahna’s bed and Madison and Reina each read the girls one of the books. The girls hugged each other goodnight. Reina brought Lilly to the room they’d share while Madison tucked Hahna in.
After Lilly was in bed, she stepped into the hall to talk to Madison. “I’m going to go to bed now, too. I’m so tired.”
“I bet you are,” Madison said. “No problem. I’ll probably read in my room for an hour or so, if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” She paused.
Madison could see she had more on her mind. She nodded, encouraging Reina to ask.
“Are you sure we’re safe here?” Reina asked in a whisper. “And I don’t want to bring my trouble to your door and put you and Hahna in danger.”
Madison turned her back and lifted her sweater up slightly, enough to reveal the butt of a pistol tucked into a holster at the small of her back. “I’m one of them, carry an FBI badge and credentials that I earned. I participate in the same missions as the guys, do the same job. I very easily could have been on the ground in Iowa. My team just wasn’t up for the rotation. Yes, I believe you are one hundred percent safe here. If they were tracing that AirTag, there is no way they’ll find you here, and if they somehow did, I’ve got you and Lilly. I never hesitate to take out one of the bad guys.”
Reina was impressed. She smiled and nodded. “Thank you for that. And again, thank you for opening your home to us.”
“You’re welcome. Sleep well.”
Lilly was already asleep when Reina re-entered the bedroom. Once in bed, she checked her phone. Jimmy still hadn’t messaged back. She sent him another message, telling him that she was going to sleep, but urged him to call when he could. She’d have her ringer on very low with hopes the phone wouldn’t wake Lilly, too.
The next morning when she woke up, Reina found a text from Jimmy, sent very late. He said he didn’t want to wake them. He promised they’d talk today.
***
Wilson had been paired with Jackson the night before. The two of them conducted surveillance of a man named Thomas Costa. He’d been arrested with the others five years earlier, took a plea deal, and was already out on parole. The man had a busy night, hitting several night clubs and bars in the Ironbound neighborhood, walking from establishment to establishment. They photographed everyone he interacted with. None of them were Stella Adams or Blake Henning, even though they were tracked to this very area.
While they watched Costa’s every move, Garcia and Doc broke into his apartment and searched it for any signs he was in touch with Henning or Adams. Cooper and Tommy were at Costa’s place of employment, his brother-in-law’s garage, where he worked as a tow-truck driver and did light work as a mechanic. He had a desk there and also parked his personal car in the lot there. It was within walking distance from his apartment. They broke in and searched the desk, the tow-truck and his car.
The Marshals were running down other leads that didn’t require warrants.
It was after midnight before Wilson and Jackson returned to the hotel, confident Costa was in for the night. Wilson’s alarm went off at zero seven hundred the next morning. Overnight, the Digital Team had spotted Adams and Henning in a car on the expressway, heading towards Atlantic City. Other cameras confirmed their arrival in A.C.
Just before the team was ready to head south in the two rental cars they had, Wilson slipped away and called Rae.
“Hi, I’m glad you could finally call,” she said.
“I was busy doing surveillance work last night. Sorry. I saw that you’d called Ops and Madison messaged me that she had you and Lilly, so I didn’t worry. And then I saw your message that you were with her and okay.”
“Yes, everyone was great. Seeing that AirTag really freaked me out.”
“I bet it did. You did the right thing, calling Ops. That’s what they’re there for,” Wilson said.
“How’s it going there?”
“Nothing substantial yet. But they’re still in the area. We got confirmed sightings of them yesterday.”
“Do you know why they’re there? There has to be a reason.”
“The Marshals speculate there’s cash or something else they need or want someplace here,” Wilson said. “We just have to find them.”
“Well, don’t worry about Lilly and me. Madison said we can stay here as long as you’re gone. Oh, and Elizabeth, you know her, right?”
“Yes, Doc’s wife. Doc is here with the team.”
“Elizabeth said the person who lives next to her is about to put her townhouse on the market next week, says we can get a look at it before she lists it.”
“Did you go take a look at it?”
“Not yet,” Reina said. “Do you want me to?”
“Yes, and let me know what you think. Homes in that neighborhood don’t come on the market often, I know that.”
“Okay, I will. Elizabeth thinks I can get in this morning. I’ll let you know.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. The team is waiting. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure, I’m glad you got to call,” Reina said.
Later that morning, Madison drove them over to Elizabeth’s house. They’d gotten there twenty minutes before the neighbor was expecting Reina. The kids played, and the ladies chatted. At the time of the appointment, Elizabeth stepped outside with her and knocked on the door.
Reina knew she wanted the house before she even stepped foot inside. It was the same layout as Elizabeth’s place, which Reina found perfect. And the fact that it was next to Elizabeth’s house was even better. She’d already decided that Elizabeth was one of the nicest people she’d ever met. If Reina was to close her eyes and envision what a best friend should be like, all of Elizabeth’s traits that she’d seen so far would be it. Elizabeth even advocated Reina have mercy on Stella Adams, or as she said, give her grace. She was Lilly’s mom.
Elizabeth introduced Reina to the owner and then returned to her own house while Reina was given a tour of the house by the owner, Lee, a sweet woman in her seventies who was moving in with her daughter. The house was far nicer than any place Reina had ever lived. But when Lee told her what she was asking for the house, Reina’s heart deflated. That was a lot of money. She had no idea of Jimmy’s finances, but there was no way she would tell him she loved this three hundred-thousand-dollar home.
She thanked Lee and told her she’d discuss it with her boyfriend and get back to her quickly, even though she had no intention of doing either. She was sad when she returned to Elizabeth’s house.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?” Elizabeth asked when she rejoined them.
“I love it. Elizabeth, she’s asking three hundred thousand dollars.”
“Wow, that’s a great price,” Madison chimed in.
“I’m sure she’ll list it higher if she has to pay commission to a realtor,” Elizabeth agreed.
“Really?” Reina asked, shocked.
“I’m sure Wilson can get at least two-fifty for his place,” Madison said.
“For a one-bedroom condo?” Reina asked.
“His place is in a very nice building. The attached parking garage adds so much value,” Madison answered.
“Did you take pictures to send Wilson?” Madison asked.
“No, I’m sure he won’t need to see any.”
***
The team arrived in Atlantic City with several leads on the two they sought, thanks to the Digital Team and the Marshals. The Marshals were checking out locations the two had been observed at during the original investigation five years ago. The Marshals gave the Shepherd Security Team the names and addresses of several of their prior associates who still lived in the area that had been investigated before the arrests but were not charged due to insufficient evidence.
The team split into three teams to surveil those associates. Wilson was paired with Tommy Flores. Before Bravo Team was assigned to the private security missions, Bravo and Charlie Teams worked closely together. It had been many years, but once again, working with Tommy was still comfortable territory for Wilson.
Their target was a man named Hugo Morales, who neither Wilson nor Tommy could understand why the evidence hadn’t been enough to charge him. The fact that he’d been in the identity theft and money laundering network was clear to them both.
And once they started to surveil him, it was clear he was no boy scout now. He visited several pawn shops and bars, brief stops that lasted only ten to fifteen minutes each. Through the window at several locations, they saw the shopkeepers hand him an envelope, which he looked in before shoving it into a pocket in his jacket. At two of the bars, Wilson and Flores took turns following him in. They each observed the same thing in the bar.
“Protection money?” Wilson asked Flores.
“Or stolen credit cards being passed to him by complicit shopkeepers?” Flores posed.
They sent a text message with what they’d witnessed to the team and St. Vincent with the Marshals.
Cooper called. “Your guy may very well still be operating with the business the network was charged with. That doesn’t mean he’s in contact with Adams and Henning.”
“The Smiths in Iowa were still conducting business and our two were obviously in contact with them,” Wilson pointed out. “I have a feeling this guy either has or will be paid a visit by Adams and Henning. I want to stay on him.”
“Approved,” Cooper said. “Let me know if you need another set of faces to properly surveil him.”
“For now, we’re good, but I can see that being necessary if this drags on too long,” Wilson said.
“Roger that. Be careful with this guy. We already know how dangerous the Smiths were,” Cooper said.
“What I don’t get is Stella Adams playing the single mom nurse and living within her means if she was still active with the network,” Flores said.
“I was thinking about that,” Wilson said. “What if she was using her nurse position to lift IDs from patients?”
“Fuck, that’s pretty low,” Flores said.
“That would be a good place to lift them, especially if the patient was in critical condition and would be hospitalized for a long time. They may not know their ID or credit cards were gone for weeks,” Cooper said. “But from all we’ve looked into, Ashley Carona was not living above her means.”
“Maybe she was promised a payday in the future after she provided X number of IDs or credit cards,” Wilson theorized. “Or maybe her being brought back in wasn’t her idea. From what Lilly and Reina both said, Stella Adams isn’t running anything right now and she very well could be afraid of Henning.”
“I’ll pass this theory along to St. Vincent and see if they have the resources to look into possible missing IDs and credit cards at the hospital she worked at or if he needs our Digital Team to do it,” Cooper said. “Stay in touch.” Then he disconnected the call.
Over the next twenty-four hours, the Shepherd Security Team’s focus shifted completely to Hugo Morales. Garcia and Jackson searched his home while the other team members surveilled him visit more establishments in a different section of town receiving envelope after envelope. Hugo Morales was living way above his means, evidenced by the house he lived in and the many high-end electronics, expensive jewelry, and artwork that was inside.
Their break came on the second evening they were in Atlantic City. Morales visited a two-story condo building that looked more like a slightly renovated old motel a block off of the boardwalk. Wilson and Flores drove by after he’d parked and caught a glimpse of the man opening the door to Morales. It was Henning.
The team surrounded the building and called it in to St. Vincent, as he wanted to make any arrest by the numbers so it would stand up in court. But as they waited, three figures exited the condo. There was at least one more person inside they saw.
“Razor, Taco, and Louisa follow our targets. Stay on them. The rest of us will remain on the target building. St. Vincent’s ETA is five minutes,” Cooper broadcast through comms.
Wilson and Flores exited their vehicle. A cold breeze off the ocean hit them as soon as they stepped from the protection of the building and into the open road, following the three suspects. The end of the road dead-ended at the Boardwalk. That was the direction the three they followed headed.
“If they separate, I’ve got that Henning fucker,” Razor transmitted.
“Adams is mine,” Wilson said.
“That leaves Morales for me,” Flores said.
Once the three they followed stepped foot onto the boardwalk, Morales went left, the other two, right. The area was quiet. It was mostly only the people rushing from vehicles to storefronts and back to their cars that were on the boardwalk due to the cold. This would make it harder to tail them unseen.
“Okay, they’ve separated from Morales,” Wilson broadcast. “Coop, do we have permission from St. Vincent to take them down? They are fugitives.”
“As a last resort, if you’re going to lose them,” Cooper replied. “Do it by the legal numbers.”
They followed for another few blocks. When they turned and took one of the paths that led to the beach, both Garcia and Wilson became suspicious. “Something isn’t right about this,” Wilson said to Garcia, broadcasting it to the team as well. “Our two are heading to the beach. And look how Henning is holding onto Adams’ arm.”
Garcia was right there with him. “We’re moving in,” he said as he took off in a run. They overtook the beach access path the pair had disappeared down quickly. It was lined with a fence and bushes outside of it. That covered their approach from anyone on the beach who’d gone left or right.
They both sprinted and quickly left the path as it emptied onto the beach. It was a cloudy night, which made quickly seeing Henning and Adams difficult. Wilson finally identified movement near the lifeguard station up ahead of them and to the right. He smacked Garcia’s shoulder and pointed. Both men ran full-out, despite the sand. They pulled their weapons. As they neared, they saw Henning had both his hands around Adams’ neck.
“Let her go, Henning!” Wilson yelled.
“Get your hands in the air, both of you!” Garcia added.
Henning’s head snapped in their direction. Stella Adams’s hands were near his waist. She grabbed the pistol he had shoved in his belt and stuck it into his gut and pulled the trigger several times. Henning slid to the ground.
“Drop it, Stella!” both men yelled over each other.
Wilson, who was several feet in front of Garcia, was nearly to her when she turned the gun in their direction. “Federal agents, Stella! Drop it!” He didn’t stop running.
“Don’t make this worse on yourself!” Garcia added. “Don’t make us shoot you!”
Wilson didn’t stop running. When he reached her, he plowed into her, pushing her arms upward as they hit the sand, his body on top of hers. The gun flew out of her hands when she landed, and the wind got knocked out of her. By the time she caught her breath, she was lying facedown in the sand with her hands zip tied behind her back.
“He was going to kill me,” she said after they’d pulled her to her feet and Mirandized her. “I didn’t know who you were running up on us.”
St. Vincent and a local LEO, Detective Arthur arrived. The Marshals also raided the condo the three of them had come out of. It was loaded with stolen credit cards, IDs, and cash. Flores had assisted the Marshals taking Morales into custody in a bar up the boardwalk. They caught him with an envelope full of what later proved to be stolen credit cards.
It was after zero two hundred when the Shepherd Security Team got back to their hotel. Wilson knew Reina would be asleep, but he sent her a text that simply said, “It’s over. We got them. I’ll call in the morning.”