Karen Vail 01 - Velocity (26 page)

Vail brought a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. Oh my God—” She rose from the chair and nearly knocked it backward. She grabbed both temples.

“What’s wrong?” DeSantos asked.

She turned to Gifford and pointed. “Get the name of the contact, of the guy Robby and Sebastian were meeting.”

Gifford chuckled. “Were you not listening? I can’t get that information. It’s classified.”

“Bul shit. Cal Yardley, tel him you need to know.”

“He won’t tel me, Karen,” Gifford said. He shrugged. “He won’t.”

“I’l get the name,” DeSantos said. “You have a secure line I can use?”

Gifford reached over and pul ed a phone from a drawer. He handed the receiver to DeSantos. “Who are you cal ing?”

“The director. He’l have a chat with the DEA administrator, and he’l get us the name.”

Gifford held up a hand. “Above my rank. Good luck with that.”

DeSantos punched in the numbers. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

44

V
ail watched while DeSantos began his quest to track down FBI director Douglas Knox. As he waited for Knox to take his cal , Vail’s BlackBerry buzzed. She thought about whether to answer, noticed it was Dixon, and grabbed it as she moved out of Gifford’s office. Dixon . . . pretty early in California. Must be important.

“Roxx,” Vail said, “you’re not going to believe—”

“Are you near a computer?”

“I can be. What’s going on?”

“Don’t laugh,” Dixon said. “But I want you to go to YouTube.”

“No, wait. I’ve got some news for you.”

“Listen to me. Open it up and type in ‘Lugo confession.’”

Vail continued down the hal and slipped into her office. Sat at her desk and tapped on her keyboard. Opened YouTube. “Okay, typing in ‘Lugo confession.’”

“Scrol down. See Ray’s face?”

“Scrol ing,” Vail said. “Wait—did you say Ray’s face? Lugo
confession
?”

“Just find the video.”

Vail passed the thumbnail that displayed Lugo’s image, then fingered her mouse wheel and clicked on the video. “Got it.”

“Turn up your speakers.”

Vail pressed Pause, then said, “Wait, what am I watching? Where’d this come from?”

“WITSEC approval came through for Merilynn Lugo. Surprised the shit out of me

—out of everyone. Just guessing here, but maybe they figured that since Mayfield and Cannon are stil alive, there was stil a reasonable threat against her. When I met the U.S. Marshals Service at her place, she handed me a piece of paper with the name of this video written on it. Now just watch it.”

As she moved her mouse toward the link, she noticed that it said, in fine print,
4

days ago.
“This was uploaded four days ago?”

“Yes, right before we caught Mayfield. Press Play.”

Vail did as instructed. As on the DVD, Ray Lugo’s face appeared onscreen, in a dimly lit room. The image jerked a bit, the result of a low-quality webcam. “If you’re watching this, it means I’m dead. Hopeful y, I was successful in taking out the man who’s made my life a living hel . I don’t know his name, but he’s someone who kidnapped my wife and son five months ago. I guess Merilynn already gave you the DVD I left with her.

“If she didn’t, she and my son were returned unharmed, but with a warning that he’d kil them unless I did things to help him out. At first it was just getting some information for him. Then it became addresses, home addresses, and other information about people that I needed to use the Police Department and county database to look up. And then he wanted me to get him a prox card, which would give him access to the Sheriff’s Department.”

Vail closed her eyes.
Shit, Ray, you should’ve told us all this. We could’ve done
something. And it would’ve helped us.

“I didn’t realize what he was doing with the card, or al the info I was getting for him, until he asked for stuff on someone I knew, a friend of mine.” He bit his bottom lip and looked away from the camera. Seconds later, he turned back and tears were streaming over his lower lids onto his cheeks. “Our first vic, Victoria Cameron. Honest, I didn’t know what he wanted with her. I tried to ask him about it, but he told me to shut up and do as I was told. A couple days later, Vicky was dead.

And I knew we had a problem.

“I tried. For months, I tried finding him. Son of a bitch was good. Too good. I got nowhere, and when I poked around, he knew. He
knew
.” Lugo tightened his jaw, then took a breath and blew it out.

“I should’ve said something. I’m sorry, I should’ve leveled with al of you. But there was nothing we could’ve done. I didn’t know who the guy was. I had nothing on him that would’ve helped catch him. But . . . ” He wiped at his eyes, looked off to his right, then back to the camera: “As we kept finding new victims, I felt like I should’ve been able to do something. I felt responsible. But I was just trying to protect my family. I had no idea what he was doing . . . ”

He wiped his face across his sleeve. “I had no idea he was using some of this information to locate and kil people. I—I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d known. I truly believe he’d come after my wife and son—no matter where we went.

“So if you’re watching this, my wife has told you where to find it. I assume she’s safe. And I assume I was successful in kil ing this goddamn fucking monster who’s made the last five months of our lives a living hel . Wondering if he’s watching us, if he’s going to keep his end of the deal . . . ”

He paused, dropped his chin down—it looked like he had fal en asleep—but there was stil timeline left on the video.

Lugo’s head came up and he said, “César Guevara is tied into this somehow. I don’t know how, but I’ve just got a feeling. There’s gotta be something. If he is somehow affiliated with our kil er, I don’t want him skating by. Again, I’m sorry. But know that I gave my life trying to keep my family safe. And, yeah, mix a little revenge into that too. A lot of revenge.”

He sat there looking at the camera, then said, “Take care. I feel honored to have served with al of you.”

Vail closed the window.

“Open Live Messenger,” Dixon said.

Vail clicked and signed in, then added the Sheriff ’s Department email address. A moment later, a request for a video cal popped up. Vail accepted, and Dixon’s face fil ed the screen. The sight of her friend’s image made her feel good. There hadn’t been many moments like that of late.

“So Ray was more deeply wrapped up in this than we thought,” Dixon said. “That explains why he was so agitated and stressed out. He knew what was going on but wasn’t tel ing us.”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Roxx. He thought he was doing what he had to do to protect his wife and son. It’s a horrible choice to have to make.”

“Stil . . . he could’ve pointed us in the right direction.”

“What direction was that? We were already looking at Superior and Guevara.

The only thing we might’ve been able to do is to put a tail on Ray so that when Mayfield contacted him, we could track it. But that would’ve run the risk that Mayfield would’ve found out or detected it somehow. And Ray probably wasn’t wil ing to take the risk that we’d be able to adequately protect Merilynn and Mario.”

She shook her head. “We stil don’t have the whole picture.”

“I’m going to talk with Brix about putting some undercovers on Guevara. It’l be tough, because the street-wise SOB may pick it up. But we stil don’t have enough for a search warrant.” She brushed her blonde hair off her face. “Let me switch gears a minute. I haven’t heard anything from the San Francisco field office about Robby. If they’re working the case, I’m in—”

“That’s what I was going to tel you,” Vail said. She rested both forearms on her desk and said, “You’re not gonna believe this, but Robby’s working undercover. I can’t go into it over an unsecure line. But that explains why he suddenly disappeared. He went dark.”

Dixon’s eyebrows rose. “No way!” She sat back in her chair. “That’s a huge relief. But Jesus, I can’t believe he didn’t tel you. I mean, doesn’t he realize what he put you through?”

“I just found out a minute before you cal ed, so it hasn’t real y sunk in. Let’s just say I feel betrayed. Bottom line, he didn’t trust me.”

Vail’s desk phone buzzed. “Agent Vail,” Lenka’s voice said over the speaker.

“Mr. Gifford wants you in his office right now.”

“On my way.” Vail faced the webcam. “Roxx—”

“Before you go. Aaron’s analysis of those fibers they found in the blood in Cannon’s shed turned out to be deer, as we thought. They combed through his house and found the body buried in his yard. Clearly a brutal act. Nothing tentative about it.”

“Not surprising.”

“I thought you’d want to know.”

“You thought right. Gotta run. I’l cal you later.”

Vail disconnected the cal and ran out, back toward Gifford’s office.

45

V
ail didn’t have time to put further thought into Cannon’s deer kil ing, but she felt as if she already knew everything she needed to know about it, and the man—at least for the purpose of her current task.

When Vail walked into her ASAC’s office, DeSantos and Gifford were standing and arguing—and stopped the moment she entered. They turned to look at her.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Robby’s undercover contact,” DeSantos said. “His name is César Guevara.”

Vail processed that a long second, then reached back for a chair and sat down heavily. The discovery of Robby’s handwriting in Guevara’s house suddenly came into focus. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” She dropped her head into her hands. “I’m not feeling very wel .”

“What’s the problem?” DeSantos asked.

Without raising her head, Vail said, “When Robby went missing, I went into a frenzy. I looked everywhere. The task force and the Napa Special Investigations Bureau mobilized. I gave them Robby’s photo to show around town.” She grasped her hair in both hands. “And I . . . I showed it to Guevara.”

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Vail yanked her phone and pul ed up the photo Jonathan had sent her. The image struck her like a slap to the cheek.

DeSantos must have seen her reaction, because he reached over and grabbed the BlackBerry from her hand. “Ah, shit.”

Vail watched as he handed the phone to Gifford, who took a look, then sat down slowly in his chair.

“Hector, get the DEA administrator on the line—and have him conference in Yardley.”

DeSantos paged to the number, then lifted the secure handset.

“I’ve got some more disturbing news,” he said as DeSantos made his cal .

“We’ve lost contact with Robby and Sebastian. They missed their last three checkin times.”

Vail felt panic rising in her throat like bile. She steeled herself, tried to settle her nerves.
Now’s not the time to freak out
. As Rudnick had said, she had to keep her emotions in check. This wasn’t exactly what he was referring to, but it certainly applied.

“Yes, Mr. Administrator, I’m here with ASAC Gifford and Agent Vail. I’m putting you on speaker.” DeSantos listened a moment, then gestured to Gifford, who pressed a button. “He’s bringing Yardley online.”

A moment later, DEA administrator Bronson McGuire’s voice filtered through the speaker. “Yardley and I are here. What’s the problem?”

“Sir, Karen Vail. I’ve just been briefed on Roberto Hernandez’s undercover op.”

Would’ve been nice to put me in the loop, asshole.
“I was with him when we—”

“Yes, yes, Agent Vail. I’m familiar with the op. What’s the problem?” he repeated.

Vail clenched her jaw.
Emotions in check
. “When he went . . . missing, the Napa County major crimes task force began an al -out search. I obtained a photo to distribute to the LEOs for them to show around the community. I needed a picture fast, and I used one I had from a few weeks ago. We took it at the FBI Academy.”

She paused, as if the next sentence was too painful to utter. But she pressed forward nonetheless. “We took it in front of the academy sign.”

There was silence, so Vail continued.

“You could see the large ‘FBI’ lettering.” She closed her eyes. “I showed the photo to César Guevara. And I may’ve referred to him as ‘a col eague of mine.’” At the verbalization of those facts, Vail began to perspire. No, dammit, she was
sweating
. The implication was clear: she had inadvertently blown Robby’s cover.

And the fact that they had lost contact with their undercover agents could only portend a less than optimistic result.

“Wel ,” McGuire said, “this is just fucking goddamn great. Nice work, Agent Vail.”

“Now hang on a minute,
sir
,” Gifford said. “Agent Vail was not privy to what was going on. She did what any of us would’ve done if a fel ow officer went missing. The

. . . unintended consequences are very bad, no question. But to blame her—”

“Sorry if I hurt Agent Vail’s
feelings
,” McGuire said. “But tough shit. We’ve got a situation here, and it’s a fucking bad one. Thanks for al your help.”

The cal disconnected.

DeSantos put his hands on his hips and began pacing. Vail sat there seething.

And Gifford stared at the silent telephone.

“We’ve gotta find him, Hector.” Vail was now on her feet.

DeSantos looked at her. The resigned tilt of his head reflected his thoughts: it was probably too late.

Gifford said, “It’s not your fault, Karen. If I hadn’t done this favor for him, he never would’ve been on this op. If anything, it’s my fault.”

“Assigning blame isn’t going to help anyone,” DeSantos said. “No one could’ve foreseen this.” He stopped pacing. “This is a DEA operation. They’ve got assets in place that could find him a lot faster than we could.”