Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
Later that afternoon…
Rawlins finished showing the security team how to run the new system and Hannah felt they were up to speed on the operations.
“Like I told the Montana Crew the other day, I really hadn’t expected everything to come together as quickly or efficiently as it did,” Hannah said.
“I’m glad,” Rawlins said, pulling out an envelope and showing it to her. “I picked this up at the mailbox this morning before we left Chaney’s. I haven’t had a chance to show her yet. It’s from the US District Attorney’s office. I have a feeling she’s being called back in for trial preparation and we’re not going to be around here as much for a while.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes and looked concerned. “Why didn’t you get to give it to her?”
“Because we were on our way to her job services appointment,” he said. “I didn’t want to mess with her focus and then afterward, we were rushed for time to get here for our shifts that I totally forgot until after we parted ways.”
“I see. Do let me know as soon as you know if that is the case so I can mark you off the volunteer roster,” Hannah said. “In fact, why don’t you take the letter to her now so we will know for certain that is what it is.”
“Okay.”
“No need for us speculating,” Hannah added. “She’s with Lydia this afternoon. Start at her office.”
“Right.” Rawlins left the security office and headed down the corridor toward Lydia’s office. Lively chatter and laughter filled the hallway as he drew closer to the assembly room, and he looked inside on the off chance that Lydia and Chaney may have joined in on an activity that was in there that afternoon. However, he didn’t see either one.
He did see Amber and Tiffany, two of the residents that had been concerned about Chaney during her recovery. They waved in his direction and giggled when he nodded in response.
Not wanting to linger, he moved on down the hallway and soon came to the staff lounge and then a few of the counselor’s offices. Lydia’s door was open, and he saw Chaney folding letters and stuffing envelopes. He knocked on the door frame.
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt your work, but Hannah asked me to bring this to you since it could potentially mean you’ll need to miss days at The Village,” Rawlins explained, hanging her the piece of mail.
“Did this come here?” she asked, looking at it. “No. I see it came to my address. Which makes more sense. How would they know I was volunteering here, right?” She gave a little laugh. “Why didn’t you give it to me earlier?”
“You were nervous about your appointment. I didn’t want to distract you,” he explained.
“Right.” Chaney laid her work aside. Opening the letter with her finger, she quickly read it and frowned. “Justus and I are being summoned for pre-trail prep next week.”
“Where?” he asked.
“That law building where we first met,” she said. “I wonder if Justus got her letter today as well?”
“She might.”
“I’ll call her this evening and see,” she said. “Let Hannah know what it said, please. And that I’m sorry to have to be away again.”
He nodded. “I will. Are you going to be okay about this?”
“Sure. Why not?” she said.
“Because I can tell you aren’t,” Rawlins said.
“I can too,” Lydia said, putting aside her work. “I’ve come to pick up on your tell-tale signs Chaney Daniels and I’m seeing them loud and clear since you got that letter. Your breathing has changed. You’re being polite. Your fingers are trembling just the tiniest bit.”
“They are,” Rawlins agreed.
Chaney’s cheeks flushed. “I had no idea I was that easy to read.”
“There is nothing to be worried about,” Rawlins assured her. “I think the deposition should have been the harder part. You went in not knowing what it would be like to meet us with Felty. But now McAdams will prepare you to go to trial and knock it out of the ballpark.”
Chaney looked between the two of them. “Thank you both for your concern, but I will be fine. Sure, I’m not looking forward to the trial. I’d rather wish it didn’t have to happen, but I know it must. I will get through it and hopefully, then my life can start to regain some semblance of normalcy again. I know I keep striving for it every day even though more and more roadblocks occur.”
“You are doing a courageous job at it too,” Lydia praised. “Keep up the good work. I know you will one day feel like you have reached it. I wish we all could achieve it when we haven’t been through a speck of what you have.”
Chaney smiled at her. “Thank you, Lydia for those wonderful words.”
Rawlins bid them farewell and headed back to the security office running into Hannah on his way. “It was as I suspected. We will be at pre-trial prep all next week. Hopefully the trial will soon follow.”
“Okay. Once she learns the actual dates of the trial let me know and I’ll mark you both off during then as well,” Hannah said.
“No problem,” Rawlins said. As he walked down the hallway, he pulled out his phone and sent Rafferty a text to see whether Justus had received the same letter Chaney had. He really couldn’t wait until they got home for her to make the phone call. He suddenly had a need to hear from his brother.
Rafferty responded quickly. She did and she’s worried about it.
Rawlins wrote back. Chaney is too. But she’s trying to be strong.
Rafferty typed something but didn’t send it because there were three dots that flashed and flashed, and Rawlins waited several minutes for him to finish the thought. Finally, the dots stopped flashing. Had he erased what he’d typed?
Then the dots appeared again.
I think both will do fine.
Rawlins thought about that for a moment and typed back. Same.
Let’s do breakfast before we go the first morning. I think it will be good for the girls , Rafferty wrote.
Sounds like an excellent plan , Rawlins responded.
I’ll send you the location and time , Rafferty said.
Perfect , Rawlins said. Gotta run .
Roger that , Rafferty said.
Later that night…
Leland Warshafsky knew he couldn’t exactly welcome Seth Masters at his Chieftain, even though he knew he should stay in hiding. Therefore, he’d have to move locations.
After careful consideration he made the call to Minchin. “I need you to pick me up.”
“Where do you want to go?” Minchin asked.
“I’m still working on that,” Leland explained. “I’ll meet you at the front gate of the RV park. How soon can you be here?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Minchin said. “I’ll call if traffic is heavy.”
“Okay.”
He hung up and prepared his place to be vacated for a while because he didn’t know when he’d be able to return. So, he gathered up what he needed and packed a backpack with essentials and headed toward the front of the RV park to wait. The sun had already set so he was able to move through the park under the cover of darkness. As he wove his way between the parked motorhomes he decided on where he would go while Masters was in town. He had a warehouse that had been renovated into loft apartments. The top floor was kept for when his superiors came to town. He’d treat Masters, his men, and himself to this luxury.
Minchin was waiting when he arrived at the gate, and he got into his car. He gave him the address with instructions on what supplies to pick up after dropping him off. “I want the place stocked before Masters and his men arrive.”
“I’ll have it all there by nine in the morning,” Minchin promised. “Is there anything else you need, boss?”
“Don’t be surprised if you get a call from Landry asking about Dan,” Leland said. “He’s doing background.”
“All right.”
“Pull around to the back to let me out when we get there,” Leland said as they neared. “I don’t want to be seen going into the building.”
As the car neared the building, Minchin did as he asked, turning down a side street to drop him off at the back.
“Thank you for everything,” Leland said, shutting the door. He didn’t wait for the car to drive away before he fished his keys out and unlocked the side door. He found the service elevator and rode up to the top floor, keeping as low of a profile as possible. As soon as he arrived, he inspected the loft for cleanliness since its last use and texted the service he used to come as soon as possible the following day to give it a once over before Masters arrived.
Satisfied he had all ducks in a row for the night, he opened a bottle of white wine from his private stock and sat in his favorite upholstered chair with the overhead lights burning low and enjoyed being back in the comforts of a home. Living in his Chieftain wasn’t totally roughing it, but it was cramped quarters. And he didn’t know when he might be discovered living in a storage facility for RVs.
Taking a deep breath, he swirled the wine in his glass and breathed in the aroma before taking a sip. He’d missed this. He’d been forced to drink beer, albeit, IPAs and name brands, but it was still beer for the last two months. He’d worn jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and polos. To fit in with those who were staying at the RV park if he were seen outside of his Chieftain.
It would be glorious to put on one of his fine cut suits again. Have his hair cut, his nails manicured. In fact, he’d make an appointment tomorrow. Somewhere he never went before so no one would know him. Once he found out when the cleaning service was coming, he’d leave to give them time to do their job and he’d go take care of himself.
Twenty-eight hours later Leland welcomed Seth and his men into his loft and showed them where they’d be staying while there. He offered them a glass of wine and they got down to business.
“I have to say this isn’t exactly where I imagined you were hiding out,” Seth said as they sat in the living room.
“It isn’t. I moved here to receive you,” he explained. “I hope I am not taking a risk in doing so, but I couldn’t expect you to rough it like I’ve been doing.”
Seth nodded. “Your spirits appear improved from the last time we spoke. Has the move made the difference?”
“Not entirely. Although I did visit my barber today. A cut and shave can boost a man’s spirits,” Leland said with a smile. “But that isn’t all that has me feeling optimistic. We located the one who went missing after the raid. It turns out he was shot and partially paralyzed on one side after the raid in June. He’s been in a rehabilitation facility in town recovering and will be able to rejoin my outfit soon. I’ve had my attorney vet this information for veracity, and it pans out. If it is a cover then someone worked hard to make it look this way.”
“Good,” Seth said. “I’m glad to hear it. As for your other men who have been screwing up?”
Leland gave a heavy sigh. “Well. I can’t do much about them I’m afraid. They are all I have at the moment. But I will replace them all and start fresh as soon as I move out of the Springs.”
“Wise decision,” Seth agreed.
A knock at the loft door interrupted their discussion and Leland excused himself to go answer it. It was the chef he’d hired to prepare the evening meal.
“Welcome. Let me show you to the kitchen,” he said, leading the man in the black chef attire through the loft. “The refrigerator and cabinets are stocked. You should have everything you need to prepare the meal we discussed.”
The man nodded and got to work.
Leland turned on some music as he went back to the living room area and rejoined Seth and his men. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I hope you are hungry.”
As they waited, they discussed his plans for moving from the Springs to another location.
“Have you given any thought of where you’d like to go?” Seth asked.
“No,” Leland admitted. “The Springs was an ideal location because of its connection to the interstate and the surrounding hills. It was easy for the missing girls to be suspected to have gotten lost there instead of being thought to have been taken for other means.”
Seth motioned to one of his men and he sat a briefcase on the cocktail table and opened it up. He removed some papers and unfolded a colored map, setting aside the briefcase. “I took time to scout out a location that I think would be perfect for your new location. I was glad to hear you had thought of moving as well so it wouldn’t be a shock if I brought it up.”
“Where exactly do you think I should head?” Leland asked, scooting to the edge of the chair so he could see the map easier.
“Show him, Oscar,” Seth said.
The man pointed to the circled area in red. “It’s like the Springs with its proximity to the interstate and its hiking attractions, making it a perfect relocation. A bonus is it isn’t as populated. There’s more land per capita, houses are farther apart, meaning neighbors are wider spread. It will take law enforcement longer to reach one end of the county than it does around here.”
Leland listened and started plotting. “Yes, that sounds like a good place to go.”
Leland poured a cup of coffee and helped himself to a generous slice of the coffee cake the chef had prepared for breakfast last night before he left. He settled at the round kitchen table and picked up the morning paper to see what was going on in the world. He might be old-fashioned, but he enjoyed holding a newspaper to read the news and he missed that. But he’d been keeping up with it on his phone. Another luxury he’d had to go without while hiding away in his RV.
His cellphone rang before he finished the first column of the headline story. He put down the paper and glanced at the caller ID to see who would dare call so early.
“Landry,” he muttered. Swiping to answer, he tried to sound pleasant. “What news do you have for me today?”
“Good morning to you too,” the attorney said. “I was working last night with Felty, and he informed me to be prepared to put together pre-trial motions next week because the US Assistant District Attorney will be in town for pre-trial prep.”
Leland frowned. “And I care about that because?”
“He’ll be meeting with Justus and Chaney for that prep, I believe you have been wanting to find them,” Landry explained. “He’ll be meeting at the same office where he held the deposition. It’s the perfect opportunity for your men to snatch them.”
“It won’t be that easy to get at them.” He pushed the half-eaten coffee cake away his stomach knotting at the thought. “Each have a Brotherhood Protector watching them.”
“I’m just supplying you with the information, it’s up to you to execute your attack,” Landry said. “But you might like to know that Felty has an informant at the FBI who supplied him with a juicy nugget about Chaney’s protector. Apparently, he has a lung issue.”
“Why would the FBI know this?” Leland questioned, becoming more interested by the second.
“The other protector had reached out to the agency for some reason which prompted a background check on him and his partner. Felty’s informant just happens to work in that department,” Landry continued. “Both were medically discharged, one for shrapnel to the knee, the other for damage to the lungs after exposure to toxic fumes from an explosion. I think you could use those injuries to your advantage to take the girls away from them.”
“Yes. Your call has been very useful to me,” Leland said, realizing his mistake in not valuing the attorney’s helpfulness. “If you learn anything else, be sure to pass it along.”
“Don’t you worry, Mr. Warshafsky. I always take care of my clients.”
Leland grinned. He wondered if Felty realized what an asset he had working for him in this junior partner. As he finished his coffee, he devised a plan on the best way to get to Justus and Chaney as they went to meet with the US Assistant District Attorney. He needed to find a way to separate them from their protectors. If not both, at least one.
Masters’ man, Oscar joined him at the table bringing a cup as well as the coffee carafe with him. “You look troubled, Mr. Warshafsky. Has something happened since last evening?”
“A new development that I’m trying to sort out. You seem to be a problems man for Masters.”
“I try. Is there something I can help you with?”
“If I wanted to get rid of someone from a situation, detain him really, so I could get access to what he is protecting…” Leland paused for effect. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“You’re being vague. I’d need more information to give you advice,” Oscar said.
Leland nodded before he leaned in closer and explained what he wanted in extreme detail. “I need to separate Justus and Chaney from their protectors. I want to get to them easily. I cannot afford for either of them to testify at trial against my men.”
“I’ll look into it for you,” Oscar said, leaving the table with his coffee.
By the time Master joined Leland to have his morning coffee, Oscar returned. “You didn’t tell me Chaney’s protector has been trying to get in with a pulmonologist. There’s your answer.”
“I didn’t know he was,” Leland replied. “How did you discover it?”
“I hacked his phone,” Oscar said. “You leave him to me. I’ll send him on to a fake appointment the day he should be escorting Chaney to the pre-trial session. That will leave only one protector for the two of them. It will make it far easier for us to ambush the guy with the bum knee.”
“I feel I walked in on something,” Seth said as he stirred sugar and creamer into his coffee.
“Nothing Samson and I can’t handle, boss,” Oscar assured him.