3 Bad Guys Get Caught (21 page)

“I knew you were a pervert! You probably
don’t even like women!” Regina raised her hand in a clumsy attempt to swipe at
the agent.

At this point the agent apparently had
had enough. With one quick move, he flung Regina over his shoulder, and as she
continued screaming and kicking, carried her back into the line where he
lowered her onto the ground. “Please wait your turn to be questioned, ma’am,”
the agent said succinctly.

“Good job, Ms. Maple.”

Mesmerized by the spectacle, Janet
didn’t even hear anyone come in. She turned around and saw Jeff Falk standing
there, his hand extended for a handshake.

“Thank you.” Janet blushed, shaking his
hand. “Your men did all the work.” The whole situation was still too surreal to
take in; she couldn’t believe that she had just helped take down Kovar’s
undercover casino.

“Don’t be so modest. You got us the
lead, Janet, and thanks to your courage there were no casualties. Well, with
the exception of several bodyguards with concussions, but I think they’re used
to that in their line of work.”

“Probably,” Janet conceded, barely
resisting a laugh. Despite all the earlier adrenaline, or maybe because of it,
the memory of Ivan and Boris slumped on the floor was hilarious.

“What do you say we get out of here?”
Falk offered his arm.

“You don’t need me for questioning?”

“We can take care of that later.
Besides, we’ve got everything on tape. You’re a very brave woman, Janet, and a
damn good investigator.”

“Thanks.” Janet leaned on Falk’s arm.
Suddenly, she became aware of how tired she was. The stress of the night’s
events had finally gotten to her; she was about ready to collapse.

“Right this way.”

The underground corridors leading to
Kovar’s casino bunker now had FBI agents stationed at every juncture, which
made the ascent along the narrow hallways a lot less scary. Finally, they were
above ground.

Falk motioned at the black car standing
by the curb. “The driver will take you home, Janet.” He helped her into the car
and closed the door.

Janet leaned against the back seat and
closed her eyes.

“Where to, miss?”

The familiar brogue made her prick up
her ears. She looked at the driver’s mirror. “Jason? What are you doing here?
You’re working as a driver now?”

He laughed. “It was technically against
protocol, but I talked Falk into it. I figured the least I could do after you
got me out of that hellish assignment at Panther was to make sure you got home
safely. I tell you, I was getting sick of bartending.” Jason started the car
and it glided into motion. “So you want to give me that address?”

“So you’re not mad at me?” Janet asked
him after she gave him her address.

“Why would I be mad?”

For upstaging you, Janet almost blurted
out, but held her tongue. “For stealing away your thunder.”

“Not in the least. In fact, I’m grateful
for it. I’ll still get credit for the assignment, and after that, it’s going to
be office land for this soldier. I’ve had my share of adrenaline. I’m tired of
masquerading as a car mechanic, bartender, or what have you.”

“You had to impersonate a car mechanic?”

“I’m not at liberty to give any further
details.”

“Sorry, I forgot that your work is
classified.”

“I’m just messing with you Janet. If it
were classified, I would’ve never even mentioned it. It was for an old
assignment; we were after a mid-level drug dealer and I had to bug his car.”

“Sounds fascinating.”

“I thought so too at first, but I’ve had
more than my share of excitement. Now, it’s time for a nice, cushy office job.”

“I see what you mean,” Janet said. She
really meant it; the last few weeks had given her enough excitement to last a
lifetime, with tonight being the culmination. She certainly didn’t feel the
need to prove herself in the field to anyone anymore.

They drove on in silence for a few
blocks, and before she knew it, her building came into view.

“Thanks for the ride.” Janet reached for
the car door.

“You’re welcome, Janet. If that
boyfriend of yours doesn’t treat you right, you give me a call.”

“I sure will.” Janet didn’t bother
asking Jason how he knew about Dennis; after all, he was with the FBI.

“Let me get the door for you.” Jason
circled around the car.

“Thank you.” As she exited the car,
Janet saw a male silhouette move from the shadowed area in the building lobby.
“I think there’s someone there,” she whispered, clutching Jason’s arm.

The figure took one more step towards
them. “Are you flirting with my girlfriend, man? You said you were going to
bring her home safe and sound.”

The familiar voice filled Janet with
elation, wiping away her fatigue. “Dennis!” She let go of Jason and leapt into
Dennis’s arms. “You were waiting for me!”

“Of course I was. I told you I’d always
be there for you.”

His arms encircled her, and she clung to
his warmth, oblivious to everything around her.

“Janet, we forgot to say goodbye to
Jason,” Dennis reminded her.

“Oh, sorry.” She wiped her eyes that had
become wet with emotion and turned around. Jason was standing on the sidewalk
uneasily. “Thanks for everything, Jason.”

“You’re welcome, Janet. And you, my
friend, had better take good care of her. You’ve got a great girl, Dennis,”
Jason added.

Dennis put his arm around Janet
protectively. “I know that, man. Don’t you try to steal her from me.”

“I won’t if you treat her right,” Jason
shot back. “Goodnight you two. I’m sure I’ll see you both around.” He tipped an
imaginary cap and got back inside the car.

Janet clung back to Dennis. “I’m so glad
to see you,” she whispered.

“I’m very glad to see you,” he
whispered, tightening his arms around her.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she
felt tears welling up. “No, you don’t understand. I was such an idiot, acting
like I could take on anything—”

“Janet, calm down, you’ve been through a
lot today. Let’s get you upstairs.”

“No, let me finish.” She wrapped her
arms around him, pressing her face against his chest. “When the FBI burst in to
raid the place all I could think about was you. Call me a coward, but this
crazy thought kept running through my mind: one stray bullet and I’ll never see
you again.”

He took her face in his hands. “A
coward? Are you crazy? You’re the bravest woman I know. If I were in your
place, I would’ve crapped my pants.”

She grimaced, her tears replaced by
laughter. “Gross!”

“It’s true though and it got you to
smile.” Dennis’s voice grew serious. “Janet, what you did tonight was
incredible.”

She placed her hand over her mouth,
realizing that she wasn’t supposed to give Dennis any details.

“Don’t worry, I know better than to ask
you about the specifics until the whole thing is cleared. I do know enough
though to say that you’re one kick ass investigator, Janet Maple.”

“You’re pretty kick ass yourself, Dennis
Walker.”

“Well, if you say so, then it must be
true.”

“Don’t let it go to your head now.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now how about a
kiss to seal the deal?” Before she could answer, he kissed her, hard.

Her breath caught. Maybe it was the
after effect of adrenaline, maybe it was nerves, but she wanted him right there
and then. She pressed herself into him; he was hot and hard, and her need for
him became so intense, it was almost painful.

“Let’s go upstairs before we get arrested
for PDA.” He picked her up and carried her into the lobby.

“Dennis, let me down!” Janet laughed, as
he carried her to the elevator.

“Not in a million years.” The elevator
doors opened and he carried her inside. Propping her against the wall, he
pressed the floor button. Then he kissed her again, his tongue caressing hers,
setting her body on fire.

She groaned, wrapping her legs around
his waist. “We have to stop; they’ve got cameras in here.”

“I don’t care.” His lips moved down to
her neck, electrifying her skin with a sequence of kisses and gentle nibbling.

Just then the elevator doors opened and
they tumbled out into the hallway. Her back pressed against the wall, with one
leg on the ground and the other hooked around Dennis’s hip, Janet rummaged in
her bag for keys.

“I got it,” Dennis mumbled. Thrusting
the key into the lock, he opened it in one swift jerk. Once they were inside,
he shut the door behind them.

He pulled off her jacket and was about
to unbutton her blouse. “Wow, Janet, am I seeing double or did you just get
bigger?” He eyed her bosom questioningly.

“It’s the padded bra I had to wear to
fit into the hostess dress at the casino.” She pulled her blouse over her head
and unhooked her bra, dropping it onto the floor.

Dennis cupped her breasts and kissed
each one. “You don’t need any padding.”

“I am glad you think so.” She threw her
head back, as he kissed her stomach, all the way to the fly of her jeans, which
he unzipped to pull the jeans off of her.

“How come I’m in my underwear and you’re
still dressed?”

“You’re much more exciting to look at.”

“I would argue that it depends on the
observer.”

She reached for his shirt, barely
resisting the urge to tear it off of him and patiently undid each button.

Dennis groaned. “Are you taking this
long on purpose?”

“I’m not the one who’s wearing a
button-down shirt, mister.” Finally, the last button was undone and in one
quick move, she ripped the shirt off of him. Her breath nearly caught at the
sight of his ripped torso; it was a view she never got tired of.

“Come here, you.” He lifted her up,
hoisting her onto his waist. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her
into the bedroom.

He lowered her onto the bed. His eyes
blazed with desire, and his entire demeanor became different; he moved like a
hunter, with catlike grace, his only aim being that of possessing her. His
hands caressed and explored, his tongue setting her on fire. The touch of his
skin, the smell of him made everything crystalize: to be with him was the only
thing that she wanted. How lucky she was to have him all to herself. She
reached for him, hungry for their bodies to unite, but he took his time, his
touch growing tender, almost teasingly so. His lips ignited her sensitive spots
that only he knew, sending flicks of electricity down her body. Finally, when
it felt like she was about to explode from her want of him, he filled her
utterly and entirely, their bodies blending into one. Her pleasure grew in
waves, each greater than the one before, until it felt that its magnitude would
submerge her, and then their ecstasy climaxed, leaving their bodies weightless
with bliss.

“I love you, Janet,” Dennis groaned,
burrowing his face in her neck.

She could feel his heartbeat, still
harried from their lovemaking. “I love you too, Dennis,” she murmured. He
didn’t answer; he was already fast asleep.

The next day, Dennis and Janet were
seated in a conference room of Kirk & Associates where they had been
summoned by Ham for an emergency meeting.

“Where is he?” Janet asked. It wasn’t like
Ham to be late to a meeting.

Dennis shrugged. “I saw him running down
the hall just now. I thought he was rushing here. I guess we’ll just take a
seat and wait for him.”

No sooner had they sat down that Ham
stormed in. “Sorry I’m a little late, but I had to wait for the guest of honor
to arrive. Jeff insisted on seeing you personally.” Ham ushered Jeff Falk into
the conference room.

“Janet, Dennis, it’s great to see you
again.” Falk shook their hands. “I wanted to see you today to thank you for the
great job that you did.”

“I sure hope that’s it, Falk, ‘cause if
you try to steal my investigators, I won’t go down easy,” Ham quipped.

Janet smiled. “You’ve got nothing to
worry about, Ham, we love working for you.”

“Although a raise would be nice,” Dennis
cut in.

“Huh, you hear that? This is all your
doing, Falk! You’re going to ruin me.” Ham wrung his hands.

Falk chuckled. “I doubt that, Ham. With
the finder’s fee your agency is slated to receive, I think you can afford to
give these two excellent investigators the raise they’ve so valiantly earned
and add a handsome bonus on top of it.”

Ham waved his hand. “Enough fooling
around. Tell these two the good news already!”

Falk cracked a smile. “You’ll be pleased
to know that Petr and Anton Kovar were arrested this morning—”

“This morning?” Janet asked. “I haven’t
seen anything in the news!”

“The story has just been officially
released,” said Falk. “If you check the news now, I’m sure it’ll be there.”

Janet feverishly tapped the keyboard and
a CNN homepage appeared on the screen. “Here it is!”

“FBI busts an underground casino in the
heart of New York City!” Dennis read the headline aloud. “Petr Kovar is a
renowned businessman and entrepreneur who is used to VIP treatment. However,
this morning Mr. Kovar received a different kind of attention when his private
jet was welcomed by a team of FBI agents at JFK airport. Kovar recently made a
successful foray into the restaurant business with a fashionable spot, Panther.
However, the real hot spot turned out to be Kovar’s underground casino, which
he ran without gaming or liquor licenses from a sound proof bunker located in
the same building as Panther. Kovar and his nephew, Anton, who had been
accompanying Kovar, were apprehended upon landing. Kovar is being charged on
counts of drugs, prostitution, racketeering, money laundering, and mail fraud.”

Ham chuckled. “You guys love mail fraud;
every case you’ve got, mail fraud is in it. Don’t you think Kovar’s got enough
charges without mail fraud?”

“You can never have too many charges,”
Falk shot back. “Believe it or not, mail fraud is the easiest charge to prove;
all you have to do is ship something fraudulent by mail, and you’re guilty of
mail fraud. It’s got some of the biggest sanctions. It’s kind of a safety net
in case the other charges don’t stick.”

Dennis continued reading, “More to come
on the elaborate security system used by Kovar and the upscale clientele who
visited his modern day speakeasy.”

“Kovar’s clientele was the crème de la
crème,” Falk added.

“Oh, yes.” Janet nodded. “When I saw
some of the people who came there, I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“It’s human nature. People love a good
thrill, and Kovar was smart enough to capitalize on it,” said Ham.

“Kovar is said to be worth billions.
What did he need a stupid little casino for?” Janet asked.

“I don’t believe that monetary gain was
Kovar’s primary motivation,” Falk continued. “Oh, I’m sure he made a pretty
penny, but influence was what he was after. Kovar had major blackmail on all
the big shots who frequented his establishment, especially the ones who opted
for additional services, like girls and drugs.” Falk’s voice was filled with
contempt. “The whole set-up was abominable. We’ve questioned the employees
overnight and found out that most of the women were tricked into coming to work
for him; they were promised respectable jobs, but once they got there, they
were forced to work in the casino. Their passports were taken away from them
and they were paid barely enough to live on. The ones who wanted to make extra
money had to perform additional “services.” And then there were the drugs—”

“Did you find out about the girl who
overdosed?” Janet cut in. “Her name was Marina.”

“Yes, we did. The women working for
Kovar were kept in a boarding house where they were constantly watched. We got
the location from the other two women who worked for Kovar, Regina and Karina,
and found her there. She’s in the hospital in critical condition, but we think
she’s going to make it.” Falk shook his head. “I’d like to believe that the
people who patronized the place didn’t know these details because if they did,
they’re real scum. In any case, we have the names, and it’s going to be a
separate investigation.”

“The Kovars didn’t keep records of the
casino patrons,” Janet interjected. “At least that was what Roman told me.”

“Maybe that’s what Roman believed
because that’s what his uncle told him. We’re starting to get the picture that
Petr trusted Anton the most. They didn’t keep the records in the casino, but
there were records all right. Anton Kovar’s safe that Dennis cracked turned out
to be a mother lode. There were ledgers with names of Kovar’s casino clientele.
We’re going to focus on the ones who used the “escort services.” I really don’t
give a hoot about the idiots who came there to gamble.”

“Sounds like you’re going to have your
hands full,” Dennis said.

“Oh, yes. There was another set of books
listing every politician Kovar ever bribed. Needless to say, that’s going to be
a separate investigation.”

“Any chance you could tell us if Julius
Libby was among them?” Janet asked.

Falk scratched his chin. “Why do you
ask?”

“You see, Libby is the reason I got the
job at Panther to begin with—” Janet began.

“Janet, I wouldn’t worry about that,”
Ham interjected. “Libby’s association with Kovar’s casino is reason enough to
get his candidacy disqualified. I’m going to submit my report to the client
today.”

“I hope Libby has a good attorney
because he’ll be hearing from us shortly,” Falk added. “We got quite an earful
from Karina. Apparently, Libby used to be her biggest client. Of course she was
very resentful after the performance he put up last night and became a very
helpful witness. I think it’s safe to say that Libby’s political career is
finished.”

“If it’s all right with you, Ham, I’d
like to find out for my personal closure,” Janet pressed.

Ham nodded. “By all means. Ask away, but
I doubt that Falk here will tell you much. You know how the FBI is about
protocol.”

Falk ignored Ham’s jab. “Why don’t you
try me, Janet?”

Janet continued, “We were supposed to do
a background check on Libby to clear his candidacy for the senate race. There
were shady circumstances around this investment Libby made in a startup
company. Libby was one of the initial investors and the company later went
public, turning Libby’s original investment of fifty thousand dollars into a
whopping five million. Once the company became public, the major chunk of
shares was bought by Kovar, but since there were no direct ties between Libby
and Kovar, we didn’t really have much to go on. We tried to gain access to
money transfers coming from Kovar’s Czech bank account, but the bank refused to
release records. So I got the bright idea of moonlighting as a waitress at
Kovar’s.”

“It was a mighty bright idea,” Falk
added. “Since you already know most of it, I might as well connect the dots for
you. We did find an entry of five million dollars under Libby’s name in Kovar’s
ledger. Of course this is all a theory for now, but our analysts think that the
company was a shell from the beginning. Later on, Kovar bought the company to
camouflage his bribe to Libby.”

Dennis whistled. “Kovar sure was
generous. After all, Libby was only a councilman.”

Falk smiled. “Politics is a long-haul
game. Libby was slated to run for senate. With the money Kovar could dump into
Libby’s campaign, it would’ve been a slam dunk. Then Kovar would’ve had a U.S.
senator in his back pocket. Who knows, eventually Libby could run for
president.”

“Not anymore.” Dennis grinned.

“Not anymore.” Falk nodded. “Thanks to
you two.”

“And thanks to Mila,” Dennis said.

Janet squeezed Dennis’s hand, relieved
to know that she wasn’t the only one tormented by compunction: Dennis felt it
too. Her previous feelings of jealousy towards Mila were replaced with a desire
to set things right. Mila was no girl scout, but she wasn’t a rogue criminal
either. “That’s right,” Janet added. “Thanks to Mila.”

Falk nodded in agreement. “Yes, Mila
proved to be a very useful witness. At first we didn’t believe that she was
unaware of Kovar’s casino operation, but we had her cross-examined and we
believe that she’s telling us the truth. It turns out that Anton kept her on a
very tight leash. Of course the fact that she aided Kovar in transferring
Muller’s funds doesn’t paint her in the best light, but we are willing to
forego pursuing charges in exchange for her cooperation in the investigation.”

“So she’ll be free to go?” Janet asked.

“She’s being held in a safe house as a
witness for her own protection. She will be released once it’s determined that
it’s safe for her. For obvious reasons, I cannot share this information with
you right now.”

Janet nodded. “Of course.”

“Well, everything seems to be in order.
Oh, I almost forgot.” Falk handed Ham a sealed envelope.

“What’s that?”

“The details of your finder’s fee,” Falk
paused. “As discussed, we’ve taken into consideration Mila Brabec’s cooperation
with the investigation and allocated a reward amount of one hundred thousand
dollars in her name.”

Dennis and Janet exchanged glances.
“Thank you, Ham,” said Dennis.

“Don’t mention it.” Ham shrugged. “I
knew that’s what the two of you wanted, so I talked it over with Falk here, and
he agreed. I never met the girl, but it sounds like she’s changed her ways and
became a very useful asset in the investigation.”

“She’s proven very helpful indeed,” Falk
confirmed. “So, under the new breakdown, Kirk & Associates stands to
receive the remaining nine hundred thousand, with the total award amount being
equal to ten percent of ten million dollars. Ham, your signature is required to
process the transfer of funds. If you’d be so kind as to sign it now, I’ll make
sure the accounting department processes it ASAP.”

Ham opened the envelope and signed the
form with a flourish. “Here you are.”

“All seems to be in order,” said Falk
after he looked over the form. “If he stiffs you, you two give me a call,” Falk
added in a loud whisper, winking at Janet and Dennis.

“Now, Falk, I won’t stand for you
assaulting my character in front of my employees. I’ll have you know that Kirk
& Associates pays top salary and provides top benefits.”

Falk cocked an eyebrow. “Should we
compare Kirk & Associates’ package to that offered by the FBI?”

“Not if you plan to remain our client,”
Ham parried.

“Oh, well, you can’t blame me for
trying.” Falk checked his watch. “It’s time for me to get going. Oh, I wanted
to ask, how are you two holding up after last night?”

Janet and Dennis exchanged glances.
“We’re fine,” Dennis replied.

“My question was more for Janet,” Falk
paused, his face uneasy. “Last night was very stressful … It’s common for people
to have tremors and trouble sleeping after witnessing events like these. Even
some of our most experienced agents often seek help to cope with the stress.
What I’m trying to say, Janet, is that we have excellent experts on staff to
help you talk things through, should you need to.”

“Thank you, Jeff, but I slept like a
baby last night,” Janet replied, eyeing Dennis out of the corner of her eyes.
Going to an FBI shrink was the last thing she needed. When it came to easing
away her tension, Dennis was the only expert she needed.

“Oh, well in that case … Still, the
offer will remain open should you change your mind.” Falk rose from his chair.
“Until next time.” He shook Dennis’s and Janet’s hands in turn.

“I’ll be right back,” said Ham. “I’m
just going to see Jeff out.”

“That was an earful,” Dennis said.

“It sure was. I still can’t believe that
we brought down Petr Kovar.”

“You did, Janet. None of this would’ve
happened if you hadn’t gotten the job at Panther.”

“None of this would’ve happened if you
hadn’t asked Mila out. No, we did it together.”

“All right, partner, we did it
together.”