The Big Scam (30 page)

Everyone sat quietly until DeMiglia said, “When I was in prison, there was this grifter I knew. He was big in stock swindles, oil wells, gold mines, all that sort of stuff. Do you know how he sold shares in gold mines? He'd take the mark out to an old abandoned shaft. Then he'd take one of those hand picks and break off a chunk of rock and give it to the guy and tell him to get it analyzed. It always came back with a high gold content. What the mark didn't know was that Billy went in there the day before with shotgun shells that had been hand-loaded with gold dust. He'd fire them into the wall and that's where he cut the chunk from.”

“That's clever, but I don't see how it applies to our problem.”

“Salting the mine. We'll salt the mine.” Egan still didn't seem to understand. “You college boys, all that training and you can't see the nose on your face. We'll plant a body.”

Egan set down his drink. “Yeah, that's perfect. If they find a body, they'll authorize whatever we want.”

No one wanted to ask the obvious. Finally, Parisi lit another cigarette and said, “Where we going to get a body?” He blew a protective cloud of smoke as if to suggest that he had identified the problem so its solution was not his responsibility.

Egan said, “I think this is a matter better discussed without me.” He stood up to leave.

“Sit down,” DeMiglia ordered. “Mikey, that's your job. You come up with one. I said sit down.”

As Egan lowered himself into his chair, Parisi asked, “Where am I going to get a body?”

“I don't know, whack a wino, break into the morgue, dig one up at the cemetery. There are millions of dead people on this planet, we just need one.”

“It's not that easy, Danny.”

“I suppose I could make one locally.” His eyes drifted toward Baldovino.

“Okay, okay. We'll come up with something.”

“Good. Now, Mr. FBI, when are they going to pull out up there?”

“They gave us a three-day commitment. Which means they'll have to leave the day after tomorrow.”

DeMiglia looked at Parisi. “That means you've got to find a body tonight and put him in the ground before morning so Egan can find him first thing tomorrow.”

“That leaves one problem,” Egan said.

“Now what?”

“I have to come up with a reason to be up there looking for a body after the operation has been shut down.”

Everyone was quiet. Baldovino said, “Maybe you could get that woman with the dog to stumble across it. From what I saw, she liked you.”

“Manny, that wasn't me. She was all over Jack Straker. But that's not a bad idea. If I give her the impression he'll be there, maybe I can get her to come back once the body is planted.”

“Your bosses won't have a problem with you going up there on your own?” DeMiglia asked.

“You're forgetting they can't find my boss, so I'll take the initiative, so to speak. And when I find the body, nothing will be able to stop this.”

“Think you can steer that dog to the body?”

“As long as I know where it is.”

“Then you'll have to meet them up there while they bury the body.”

“I'd really rather not.”

“If you can't find that body, this is over. So far your people haven't been able to find their ass with both hands. You will be up there when they plant the body tonight. Do you understand?”

Reluctantly, Garrett Egan nodded and started packing up the charts.

“Leave those here.”

“I'm going to need them so I'll know exactly where to put the body.”

“I want to look at them some more. Mike can swing by and get them on the way up there.”

“You're keeping them so I couldn't go up and find the box by myself.”

DeMiglia smiled. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

Egan's mind raced into the dark corners of the plan. It had become far too complicated. Buried treasure was supposed to require only a map and a shovel. Now they were going to have to come up with a body; who knew how? And they would have to make a grave look old; the Bureau would see through it. Lifting a worthless notebook from a decaying file had evolved into possible involvement in murder. He had rationalized doing everything for his family's sake, but he had actually put them at much greater risk. DeMiglia was still staring at him, rudely now. Egan understood just how expendable he would be should anything go wrong.

HOWARD SNOW ACCELERATED THROUGH THE
clogged streets of East Harlem and slid the boxy, top-heavy surveillance van precariously around corners. As soon as they were in sight of the school, Vanko picked up the mike. “Brad, have you still got him?”

“Yeah, he's just getting the flat off. He's going to be at least another ten minutes.”

“We're pulling in the lot. Give us a minute to get organized.” Vanko turned to Sheila. “How do you want to work this?” She hadn't spoken the entire way back and seemed lost in thought. He waited.

“If the girl is still alive, her time is just about up. So chances are when Tolenka leaves here, he's going to kill her. If we follow him and he loses us, she's dead. So I say let's grab him now. I know it's taking a chance. If she's not in that garage, I'm fairly sure he's already killed her.”

“And if you're wrong?”

“I would give anything to have some divine ability to know the right thing to do, but that's not how it works. We have to take chances. I've been trying to get in the killer's head for a year. Now that I've met Tolenka and been in his house and that garage, the blanks are filling in. You saw where he lives. He's so controlling, he needs to have her close at hand. That garage wasn't built like that for his car. Either the girl's dead, or she's in that garage.”

“You're the one who got us this far, so we'll grab him.” The van pulled into the lot and Sheila opened the door. “Where are you going?” Vanko asked.

“This is an NYPD case. They're the ones who have to prosecute it. I'm going to run inside the school and find someone I can trust with our probable cause.”

Again Vanko was amazed at her calm. Maybe the case didn't have the hold on her everyone had thought. “We'll sit on him with Brad until you get there.”

He closed the door and they drove through the lot slowly until they spotted Kenyon's car. “Brad, do you want us to take the eye?”

“No, I've got a clear shot at him, and he has no idea I'm here. You probably can't see him right now, he's putting the new tire on. It's the black four-door Ford Taurus two rows east of me.” Kenyon tapped his brake lights twice.

“Okay, we've got him. Keep us posted. We're going to get into position to cut him off if he tries to leave.” Kenyon acknowledged the order with two pushes on the mike key.

Sheila came out at a brisk pace with a man who looked like a detective. Vanko slid open the side panel and they got in. “Nick, this is Stan Lasky. When I was on the task force, he was my partner on the Castillo case.” They shook hands and Vanko pointed out the black Taurus. As soon as he did, a man stood up next to it.

Kenyon's voice came on the air. “Nick, he's got the tire changed and is putting everything in the trunk.”

“We're ready, Brad. Stay loose, Sheila's going to grab him.” Vanko's cell phone rang. It was the assistant director. After listening for a while, he said, “Yes sir, I'm on my way.”

“You're leaving?” Sheila asked.

“He's been trying to get me. Something's come up.”

“Bigger than this?”

“I'm sorry, but I've got to go.”

She followed him out and in a whisper said, “I'm kind of hanging everything out here, Nick. It'd be easier with you backing me up.”

“I have no choice. And it's not like you need me.”

“You're sure about that?”

“You are going to solve this case.” There was a weariness to Vanko's voice that somehow qualified his omniscience.

She nodded like she understood. “Come on, Stan, let's go see if we can give Mr. Tolenka a hand with his tire.”

They got in Lasky's unmarked NYPD car and, almost at an idle, pulled up next to Alex Tolenka. “Need some help?” Sheila asked.

Tolenka looked up at the sound of a female voice, but when he saw that she was not alone, and in an unmarked police car, he went back to the task of placing the flat tire in the trunk. “No thanks, I'm finished.”

She got out of the car and imperceptibly hit the thumb release on her holster. “You're Alex Tolenka, right? We met today during the search.”

He seemed caught off guard. “Ah, yes, that's right.” Lasky quietly came around behind him.

“I'm with the FBI, Mr. Tolenka. Somebody called us with your name,” she lied.

“Isn't that what the police always say when they're fishing?” Glancing behind him, he noticed Lasky.

“If we were fishing, would we know about Anya Tolenka?”

“My mother? What did they say?”

“That you may know something about Adelina.”

“Me? I'm a volunteer. How could I be involved in this?”

“I know. I'm a little embarrassed by this, too, but I'm sure you understand why we have to check these things out. The quicker you can help us resolve this, the quicker we can concentrate on finding the person who is actually responsible for taking her.”

“What do I need to do?”

“That's the spirit. Do you mind if we take a quick look through your car?”

“Go right ahead.”

“You got this?” Lasky asked her.

She smiled. “Mr. Tolenka's on our side, Stan. Go ahead.” The detective gave the trunk, glove compartment, and floor of the vehicle a quick search. “See, that wasn't too bad. Now, what do you say we finish this up by taking a quick look in your house? Where do you live, Alex?”

“You want to search my house?”

“I'm sorry, it won't take long. Unless you have a garage or something.”

His eyes dropped and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Maybe I should get a lawyer.”

“I was a lawyer before I came to work for the Bureau,” she lied again, “so let me give you the same advise I used to give my clients. If you're guilty, don't say another word except ‘I want a lawyer.' If you're innocent, give the police what they want and save yourself three hundred dollars an hour.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and slumped his shoulders forward. “Okay, I guess so.”

“Good, we'll take our car.”

As they were getting in, Sheila waved at the van to let them know everything was under control. Snow pulled out. She could see Vanko on his cell phone. He gave her a single wave good-bye. Lasky radioed for additional cars and a tracking dog to meet them at Tolenka's residence.

By the time they reached the house, half a dozen other units were already there. As they got out, Sheila recognized the glaze that had numbed Tolenka's features; it was a sociopath's lack of emotion. “The keys,” she demanded. With a smug grin, he handed them to her.

“How about the garage?” Lasky asked. “I don't see a door. How do we get in there?”

“The opener is in my car back at the school.” He gave the detective the same arrogant smile.

“Alex, I'd be real surprised if we don't find a second opener just inside the door. You know, so you can get it open when the car's already in the garage. They usually come in twos, don't they?” Tolenka's face reverted to its amorphous mask.

Lasky led a team of uniformed officers into the house. A few seconds later he came back out alone and handed Sheila the garage door opener. He looked straight at Tolenka and returned his earlier sneer.

Sheila pointed the opener back over her shoulder and pressed the button. “Shall we?”

The cops rushed in and were stopped by the sight of the doll racks. Sheila led Tolenka by the arm. “Your hobby?”

“Yes.” His voice was unreadable.

The K-9 car rolled up. The officer let out the German shepherd and it moved quickly back and forth, sniffing the ground. The cop took an article of clothing out of a plastic bag and held it close to the dog's snout. “Find her, boy,” he commanded.

“Can you have him work at the back of the garage,” Sheila said. Tolenka's head snapped toward her. Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled at him as if in appreciation for his reaction.

The dog pulled its handler along as it ran to the base of the shelving and sniffed to the left for a couple of feet and then accelerated in the opposite direction. Reaching the corner, it pushed its nose hard against the crevice between the floor and the wooden base of the racks and started scratching at the junction. “Good boy,” the officer said, pulling the animal back, patting him on his powerful shoulder. “Good boy.”

Sheila turned Tolenka toward her. “Well?”

The handler noticed some paint on the German shepherd's nose and claws. He tested the floor with his fingertips. “This has recently been painted.” He walked around. “But just in this corner.”

She walked over to the spot and looked at the pattern of tacky paint. “Looks like that part of the wall swings open, Alex. What's behind there?”

“I wouldn't know.”

“Are you going to make us tear this wall down?”

“If you think you can handle the lawsuit, go right ahead.”

As the uniformed officers pulled and prodded unsuccessfully, a trace of confidence crept into Tolenka's demeanor. She began to wonder if he had already disposed of the body. Lasky came out of the house and, not wanting to give Tolenka any sense of hope, discreetly signaled Sheila with a thumbs-down that a search had failed to find any evidence of the victim. She decided to call Tolenka's bluff. If it was a bluff. She said to Lasky, “Call for a wrecker.”

When the tow truck arrived, it backed up close to the garage. The driver let out the steel cable and found a place to anchor the hook into the wall. Everyone cleared out and watched as the slack in the cable was slowly taken up. When it was taut, the driver looked at Sheila for the final go-ahead. “Okay, let's see what's behind door number one.”

The winch strained and the edge of the shelving pulled away, then with a sudden crack the whole section ripped free, twisting in the air before it hit the garage floor. Behind the shelving was a room twelve feet wide and six feet deep—completely empty.

 

Manny and the rest of the Catania Club crew sat in the back room trying to figure out where to get a corpse. Preferably, they decided, one that had been shot. “Could always go over to the Bronx and wait for one to fall,” Dellaporta said.

“Yeah, that's good, Gus, a
tutsone
in the Mafia graveyard.”

“Hey, what're you trying to say, we're prejudice? We kill blacks, too,” Jimmy Tatorrio offered.

“It's got to be tonight,” Parisi said.

“Mike, how about the morgue? There's got to be someone we can buy down there,” Baldovino said.

“Jesus Christ, will you guys give me a break. It's got to be a white man, shot, and dead for a while. You know, rotting.”

“Sounds like he's going to stink,” Dellaporta said.

“Now you're getting it.”

“There's only one place that has moldy dead people—the boneyard,” Tatorrio said. “And I ain't robbing no graves. At least not for a body.”

Tommy Ida said, “We can always shoot an old body. We only need it to look good initially. They're not going to do an autopsy for days. Hopefully by then, we'll be long gone with the box.”

“You're right, Tommy,” Parisi said. “So now we just need a real dead white guy.”

“I don't like all that digging,” Dellaporta said.

“Then we'll break into one of those mausoleums,” Parisi said. “It's better anyway. If we're careful, they won't discover it for a while. In the ground you've got to fill the hole back in. Tommy, you and Jimmy go scout a cemetery for us, huh?”

Tatorrio said, “Here's a scene you won't be seeing in
Godfather Four.”

 

All the cops turned to Sheila. They waited for her instructions, not because they thought she was the only one who knew what to do next, but because they wanted to be able to say unequivocally that it was all her idea. The smirk had returned to Tolenka's pasty gray lips. Seeming to draw strength from the impossibility of the situation, she said, “Get the dog in here.”

The German shepherd went to the far corner and, as it had outside the room, started clawing at the point where the wall met the tiled floor.

She looked at Tolenka. “That dog's a real pain in the ass, isn't he, Alex?” His grin retreated. To the dog handler, she said, “Can you give us a little privacy?” She stood in front of Tolenka. Her nose was almost touching his, but his eyes wouldn't focus on her. “You see all those cops out there? Most of them have been working this case since you started killing these girls. I'm about to make an enemy of all of them by offering you a way to prolong your life. Look at me, goddamnit…look at me!” Finally Tolenka focused on her. “Right now, you've got a very good chance of getting the needle. No, let me correct that. We've got your DNA on the first victim, so you
are
going to get the needle. And believe me, that's one of the last things on this earth I want to prevent. The only thing I want less is for Adelina Lopez to die. Now, we're getting under that floor if I have to dynamite it myself. If there's an accident, and something happens to her while we're trying to get her out, it's all on you. So tell me, Alex, are you in the mood to save your own life?”