Chapter 11
Yvonne hurried to her room, grabbed her old laptop, and hurried back out. She had only been gone for less than three minutes, and paused when she saw Kevin had cleaned up from their breakfast dishes.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said as she laid the laptop on the table. “Come join me.”
“First, I pull my own weight, second, let me finish washing the table.” He did that as she dried it. When they resumed their seats, she sat beside him, instead of across from him.
“Let’s hope I still have my sign-in information,” she said as she fired up the laptop, and navigated to where she needed to be. Instead of clicking onto anything once she reached the spot she needed, she turned to him.
“Those guys, the gang banger that tried to take you out, were they of Asian descent?”
“Yes, how do you know?”
She looked at him and shook her head, but didn’t return to the laptop yet. “Last year I helped on a case with Asian gang bangers. I wasn’t the lead, nor did my team work on this case. I was only brought in as a consultant.”
“Okay, but what does this have to do with anything?”
“Maybe nothing, but there are gang bangers all over the country that have this quote unquote “Bingo Card” mantra.”
“Really?”
“Yes, the team I consulted with up in Denver said that anyone interested in joining the main gang, they are handed a bingo card. Instead of getting one row, they have to fill the entire card. If they do, then they are immediately elevated to higher jobs within the gang.”
“And if they don’t fill the card? Say they only get one line?”
“First, they have a certain amount of time to fill the card, or get a bingo line. I’m unsure of the timeline they have from when they receive the card until it has to be fulfilled. Either by line or completely full.”
Kevin sat there and stared at her in shock. “Are you saying that this gang isn’t just from Seattle?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. There are gangs like this in Denver, Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, there are probably plenty more, but those are the major ones we know of.
I’m not sure how inter connected they are, or if they run as their own secret entity.
” She shrugged and looked at him with a shake of her head.
“I do know that they aren’t inside the major cities, but close enough that if they are chased by the cops, they can disappear into them.
” She shook her head again. “The team working on this doesn’t know if someone helps them disappear, if they own property, or what they do, but they’ve disappeared on some agents from Denver. ”
“Just like Seattle.”
“Correct.”
“I know you’re retired from the FBI now, but do you think I might be in danger?”
“I don’t know. I can call my former Director and run it by him. He’s retiring at the end of the year, and there’s no guarantee that the gangs interact with one another. I don’t have access to that information.”
“But if they do, they might hear something about seven gang members being taken down while trying to kill a cop, and that someone killed their informant on the inside. I don’t know if anyone knows I’m here in Colorado, but we both know that information would be leaked somehow.”
“Have you changed your license plates or driver’s license to Denver yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Okay, so no one can track you that way. What about your home? Did you rent? Own? How did you leave it?”
“My neighbor that lived across the street from me is renting it out for their granddaughter and her family. I gave them, and only them, the number of an account for deposit only. The rent money will go into that account. Nothing else is associated with it but the house. When I opened that account, I informed the bank that it would be for deposits only. There is a notification on the account that if anything other than a monthly deposit is made, then they are to notify me immediately. I still have my old cell phone number. Oh, and there is a two-person authentication needed.”
“Good, do you trust these people?”
“I’ve only met the granddaughter a couple of times over the years. The neighbors didn’t really hang out with me or us if Karen was around. After her arrest, we started having block parties again, and got to know each other. They lived there for over forty years.”
Yvonne nodded and only then she turned to her computer and swore.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get into the file I wanted.”
“Okay, but do we really need it?” he asked gently, and shook his head slowly when she looked at him.
“Denver is four hours away. If we hear of anything, I have access to eight former SEALs. I’m not saying that you can’t reach out to the people you need to, but I am saying that we should concentrate on the job we were hired for, and not borrow trouble. ”
“Okay, I can wrap my head around that, I’ll keep you abreast of what I do and find out. From what little I’ve seen of Erin Riceman so far, it seems like she doesn’t want anything bad to come knocking.” She looked at him and covered her mouth with a hand when she snickered.
“What?”
“Why do I have a feeling that if someone does come knocking, she’ll knock them into next year with her stump?”
Kevin grinned. “You would be correct, and she would and does have every person that is on her payroll at her back.”
“Good.” She slumped back with a sigh. “I don’t want to borrow any trouble, but would you mind if I called my former Director regarding your ex-wife’s case?”
“Why?”
“Because as far as we, or they, the FBI, are concerned, no one has ever been arrested from that gang. There are seven of them sitting behind bars as we speak. I’m thinking that if I call Director Anderson, tell him the situation, then he can contact the FBI office out there.”
“Here,” Kevin said as he looked around wildly, then jumped to his feet to grab the pad of paper and pen that had been attached to the refrigerator. He sat back down, pulled out his phone, accessed his contacts, and wrote down several numbers. When he was done, he turned the pad around and pointed.
“Boggs, my Captain in the Homicide division at Seattle Police Department. This is his e-mail, work number, and personal cell phone. This next guy, Brooks, he’s the District Attorney for Karen’s case. Same numbers, cell and office.”
“What’s this number?”
“Karen’s case file from the original trial. I know I have no right to say this, but I want to put something on the table.”
“What’s that?”
“I know she’s still got twenty years on the inside, and I’m good with that.
I fell out of love with her years ago, and only stayed with her for Caleb’s sake.
I know now that was a mistake, but I’m completely over her.
If somehow the gang Strokes contacted is affiliated with other gangs across the country, then I would like to see her protected in some way.
Right now she’s in a regular prison. Again, I have no say in anything, and I don’t expect her to be released, but maybe, and that’s a slim maybe, she could be moved to a Federal facility. ”
“Let me talk to my boss. Do you mind if I call him now?”
“No, but can I remind you of something?” He smirked when she cocked her head and gave him a weird look.
“What?”
“Former.”
“Excuse me?”
“You keep saying boss, as in you still work for the FBI. He’s your former boss.” He smirked harder at her look, then she slapped her forehead.
“Damn, yeah, thanks for reminding me. My last day was Friday, and it’s only Sunday.” She rose to go get her phone, and when she settled back at the table, he laid one of his hands over hers. At her shocked look, he studied her intently.
“No meeting here, I won’t bring this to any ranch in the area. If they want to meet with me, I can reach out to someone in Fool’s Gold and have your former co-workers meet us there. I’m sure nothing will come of it…” he let his statement trail off.
“But it’s better to err on the side of caution. I totally agree. Just off the top of your head, do you know where we would meet?”
“I would reach out to Jake Cogburn.”
“Brotherhood Protectors?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I met Hank Patterson, the founder. I had something come up at work and reached out to Duane, who reached out to Jake. I needed discreet background checks done, and I didn’t want a trail on my work computer. Hank reached out to me when he started digging.”
“Really? Can you talk about it?”
Yvonne rose to refill their coffee cups, then settled back down. She told him what had happened from that elevator ride, to what she and her team had uncovered, all the way up to Arroy being led away in handcuffs.
“Pardon my language, but holy hell. He stole the identity of a dead man?”
“Yes, but he failed to make the connection that that dead man was black, and Arroy himself wasn’t.”
“Jesus, I could probably write a book on the stupid things criminals do to try to get away with shit.” They shared a laugh, and she held up her phone. At his nod, she dialed and put it on speaker.
“Wilson, are you ready to come back?” Tom Anderson answered the phone with a laugh.
“No, Sir, I’m here to discuss something with you.”
Before she started her tale, she told him he was on speaker, and who was with her. For the next hour, she and Kevin laid out what had happened in Seattle, and where things stood now.
“Where are these gang members now?” Tom asked.
“When I left Seattle two weeks ago, they were still sitting in jail. I have not been in contact with anyone since I moved. If you want them, I have numbers, both personal cell phone and work, along with e-mail address for my former captain at Seattle PD, and the District Attorney in charge of the case.”
“Give them to me,” he said, and Kevin told him, having them repeated to him to make sure they were correct.
“Sir,” Yvonne said when it sounded like the call would end soon. “Mr. Lassiter would like to see if his ex-wife, the woman who allegedly killed Abby Strokes, the opportunity to be transferred to a Federal facility. This is the original case number for her file.”
“Mr. Lassiter, are you asking this to give your wife a free ride?”
“Ex, Sir, she is my ex-wife, and I have absolutely no feelings for her. I know she still has years left on her sentence, and I’m not advocating for it to be reduced.
She needs to stay there, I’m only requesting the possibility, not written in gold, but the possibility of moving her, for two reasons. ”
“What are they?”
“First and foremost, her life may be in danger. As much of a bitch Karen has been over the years, she doesn’t need to be killed while in prison.”
“The second reason?”
“I wouldn’t have said this about her in the past, but since going to prison she’s changed.
She could be a wealth of information against the gang.
Talk to Brooks, the District Attorney, when she told us why she took out Strokes, he recorded it, and he had everything she said verified.
There wasn’t anything that didn’t turn out to be true. ”
“Interesting,” Tom said. “Thank you for that. Let me read the file on her case first, before I contact my SSA in charge of this gang file.”
“Sir, when you read that file, your first instinct will be to think I’m lying to you.
Karen was not, I repeat, not, a good person.
That is why she’s sitting in jail right now.
Since going in, she’s changed. I’m not saying she’s a perfect angel, God forbid that would ever happen, but I’m sure she would be willing to help you out if you ask.
I can only say that if anyone goes to talk to her, that they don’t judge her by what they read of her past. Karen in that file is not the Karen in real life. Not anymore.”
“Okay, I’ll take that into consideration. If something happens that we need to get ahold of you?” He let the questions trail off and Yvonne jumped in.
“Call my cell phone.”
“Okay, thanks for the heads up. If these gangs are connected, then the people in Seattle might be our ticket to getting them wiped out, if not completely, then we can make some significant arrests to get the point across that they aren’t as untouchable as they think they are.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen overnight, but it gives us a direction to head in.
I know SSA Harmon has been frustrated with the leads drying up. ”
“Thank you for hearing us out, Sir,” Yvonne said, and they hung up. “What now?” She asked into the silence after the call.
“Now, we dress our feet and I’ll give you a tour of New Double. I’m going to run across the road to my cabin in order to change my shoes, and I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.”
“Deal,” she laughed as she rose, took care of their cups and nodded when he hurried out the front door.