Burnt Rubber: Adults Only Motorcycle Club Romance: Roadrunners MC (8 page)

Angela blew out a puff of air as she brought her car to a stop in the basement parking lot of her field office. Her hands remained on the steering wheel as she continued to mull over her earlier conversation with Detective Allan, but she eventually tried to put it out of her head. She was still certain that there was a whiff of set up around the fact a murder weapon with fingerprints was found so conveniently next to the body of the victim, but knew it was out of her hands to do anything about it. If the local police wanted to believe the evidence, it was their prerogative, and she just needed to make a report of what she found out and move on to other work. News of what happened would filter through eventually, and she could make a note of the updated information.

Picking up her jacket from the passenger seat, she got out of the car and locked the door. She moved across to the elevator and pressed the button on the wall. It was almost a minute before the doors opened, but there was no one inside and the elevator ascended to her floor without stopping on the way. She brought out her identity card from her pocket and used it to get through the security door.

“Hey, Angela,” the pretty woman at the front desk said.

She smiled as she walked up to it.

“Mark me as in now. I should be here for the rest of the day.”

“Sure thing,” the woman said and updated the list on the desk to show that Angela Dickinson was in the office.

“Is SAC Collins in?”

The woman checked the list and nodded her head.

“He’s here,” she replied.

“Any calls for me while I’ve been out?” Angela went on.

“Just a moment,” the woman let out as she looked down at the notes in front of her. “Yeah, there was one, but the caller just said they would try again later.”

“Who was it?” Angela asked.

“They didn’t say now that I think about it,” the woman answered. “Called up and asked for you. When I told them you were out, they just said they would phone again sometime later. No name, no message and I didn’t get the chance to ask because they hung up.”

“Was it a man or a woman?” Angela queried.

“It was a man.”

Angela just raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders as the pair of them looked at each other.

“Strange, but I guess they’ll return the call if they want me,” she said.

Her comment ended the conversation and she turned away from the desk to head towards her office. It took her past a small kitchen and she decided to get herself something to drink. She walked in to the sight of her immediate superior, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Collins, pouring coffee from a pot into a cup.

“How did you get on this morning?” he asked when he saw her.

“I didn’t really get on at all, to be honest,” Angela replied as she moved across the room to him.

“Was one of the Roadrunner gang involved?” Collins went on.

“Supposedly,” she replied. “There was a knife next to the body of the murder victim with the prints of Andy ‘Six’ Carter all over it.”

“That’s careless,” Collins commented.

“And a little too convenient for my liking,” Angela replied. “I went to the crime scene to have a look, but there wasn’t much to see. The Forensic Examiner was there and he told me the victim got his neck slashed. There was plenty evidence of that staining the tarmac.”

“Did you go to see the detective in charge?” Collins asked.

“Straight after my visit to the crime scene,” she told him.

“What are the cops doing?”

“Taking the evidence at face value,” Angela told him. “They were assembling a team to take Carter down. Detective Allan seemed distinctly uninterested in why I was there and what I had to say.”

“Well, it’s their ball to run with,” Collins said. “If they think they have it under control, I guess we make a note of what happened and move on. At least it will be one more Roadrunner taken down.”

“If they get him,” Angela commented. “I guess we’ll find that out eventually. There wasn’t much else I could do, so I just returned here. I’ll write it up to file it and check up later on to see what the outcome was.”

“OK,” Collins said. “Let me know what happens.”

He picked up his black coffee and Angela watched as he walked to the door and disappeared out to the hallway. She reached up to grab a cup from the shelf above the counter and filled it from the pot. Her preference was for white coffee, so she moved to the fridge to get an open carton and poured some in her cup. She then left the kitchen and went to her office. Her gaze went out the window as she sipped at her coffee, but she eventually slid her legs under her desk and rolled her seat forward to get on with some work. It was thirty minutes later when the phone rang, and her hand went to it immediately to pick it up.

“Special Agent Dickinson speaking,” she said.

“I believe you’re the agent assigned to deal with the Roadrunner gang,” a male voice said.

“That’s right,” Angela concerned. “And you are?”

“Just a concerned citizen with some information,” the man went on.

“What’s your name?” Angela persisted.

“It doesn’t matter,” the man said. “I just have some news that may be of interest to you.”

“What would that be?” she asked.

“Do you know of a Roadrunner by the name of Andy Carter?”

Angela was immediately alert at the mention of the name. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that the man on the other end of the line was speaking about the gang member that may have been involved in a murder the evening before.

“Yes,” she replied. “What about him?”

“The cops missed him,” the man said.

“How do you…”

“I’m not at liberty to reveal my sources,” the man interrupted and Angela was sure she caught a slight hint of amusement in his voice. “I just know that the raid to pick up Carter failed and that he’s run.”

Her question came out without her even having to think.

“Run where?”

“He’ll head north,” the man went on. “Get out of the state to avoid the cops, but a border crossing doesn’t stop an FBI agent.”

“You need to tell me your name and how you came by this information,” Angela said. The line was silent for a few seconds before it went dead. “Fuck,” she cursed as she put the handset down.

The first thought that came in her head was to try and trace the number of the phone used to call her, but she dismissed it quickly. If the man didn’t want to give his name, then he was more than likely smart enough to use a public phone away from any security cameras, and tracing it would likely get her nothing. Either that or he would buy an untraceable mobile and get rid of it afterwards. In truth, it was what he said rather than the man himself that was of interest, although she would have still liked to have known who he was and how he came by the details he just passed on.

There was really only one way of verifying if it was true. Angela opened the top drawer of her desk and brought out a small book of law enforcement details. She found the number she wanted and picked up the phone to dial.

“Could you put me through to Detective Allan, please?”

“Who’s speaking, please?” a female voice enquired.

“It’s Special Agent Angela Dickinson.”

“Just one minute, please.”

Angela listened to the clicks on the line as she was transferred and knew that her name had been passed on by the telephone operator when she heard Detective Allan’s first words.

“How the hell did you find out so quickly?”

“It’s true then,” she said.

“What did you hear?” Detective Allan went on.

“That your raid to pick up Carter didn’t work out like planned and you came up empty handed,” Angela said.

“Who informed you?” he asked.

“That’s a good question,” she replied. “I just received a call, but the man wouldn’t give his name or reveal his sources. He obviously knew what he was talking about though. He was aware that you missed your man and also said that Carter would likely run north.”

Detective Allan let out a long sigh.

“What do you think?” he went on.

“Now you’re interested in what I have to say,” Angela commented.

“Just tell me,” he said in a slightly irritated voice.

“I think the man that phoned is more than likely right,” she said. “If Carter’s been tipped off about your plans, then in all likelihood the smart move is to get out of the state to avoid the manhunt you’ve probably set on his trail. The Roadrunners work the coast road up towards Canada, so heading north is probably the sensible option for him. It’s familiar territory and there are likely safe places he knows.”

“I already have men moving to the northern and southern borders and have put a bulletin out already with his details,” Detective Allan said dryly.

“Well, I hope it works and you get your man,” she told him.

He heard the tone of her voice and couldn’t stop himself asking.

“You don’t think we will?”

“You might,” she answered. “But more than likely you won’t.”

“Which puts you in the frame,” he said.

“Borders don’t stop me,” Angela told him. She heard his sigh coming down the line again. “Look,” she went on, “we don’t have to work against each other. If I hear anything that you can use, I’ll get in touch.”

“Thanks,” Detective Allan said. “But if you’re right, then it won’t be long before it’s out of my hands.”

The line went dead and Angela was on her feet before she even replaced the handset. She walked out to the hallway and made her way along to her boss’s office. The door was open, so she walked inside.

“Carter ran,” she said.

“How did you find that out so quickly?” he asked.

“A concerned citizen,” she replied and saw him frown. “I was only at my seat for half an hour after speaking to you when I got a call.”

“From whom?” he asked.

“I just told you,” Angela replied as she dropped in the seat opposite him. “He said he was a concerned citizen.”

“That sounds like a bunch of horseshit,” Collins replied.

“It was all he would give me, but he knew what he was talking about,” Angela went on. “I just checked with the detective in charge of the murder case and it’s true. His operation to pick up Carter failed.”

“What else did your citizen say?”

“Nothing that we probably wouldn’t have come up with ourselves, to be honest,” Angela told him. “He reckoned Carter would head north to flee the state.”

“That takes out the local cops if he manages it,” Collins said. “If he gets over the border, you can get involved without stepping on their toes and having them squealing about jurisdiction.”

“I’ll get going right away,” she said as she got to her feet. “I’ll tap my sources and see what I can come up with.”

“Keep me informed.”

“Yes sir,” Angela said to end the meeting and walked out of the office. She returned to her office to pick up a few things before making her way to the reception area.