Tracker (16 page)

THIRTY-TWO

Alice

The list of properties came, followed shortly by a phone call telling us that we would be able to meet the undercover agent the next day. It was the supervisor of the agent I had spoken to earlier, and he seemed apologetic, but I wasn’t in a forgiving mood. “When we find where Mason is hiding, we’re taking him down. Your OP is over the minute we find him. We could use some help when we go in to get our consultant.”

“You’ll get it. If your guy is with him that should give us what we need to hold him and charge him with enough crimes to keep him in jail for the rest of his life.” The special agent seemed almost grateful to have something to do to help, but maybe it was just that he was happy to have an end in sight for the Mason case.

“Thank you. I’ll let you know when we’re moving and where. Goodbye.” I hung up the phone and glanced up at Dan who was staring at me. “What?” I snapped, really wishing I could stop worrying and go home to a pint of chocolate ice cream and a movie. If I were free to do that, I would know everyone I loved was safe.

“I’ve never seen you pushing people around like this. It’s kind of impressive. That being said, you might want to calm down a bit before you start making enemies of the Feds. You don’t want that. Once they’ve helped us find Jason, let them off the hook, okay? They were doing their job.”

I glared at him, but he met my gaze steadily, holding it until I finally cracked. “Fine. After we have Jason back I’ll apologize for threatening their jobs. Happy now?”

“I guess I’ll have to be, but you need to try to stay objective. Look at everything as if it were a stranger, not your friend. It might help you keep your sanity through all of this,” he said, turning back to the papers on his desk. My partner was right, as he often is, but it was going to be hard to stay professional. Jason had become like a member of my family; all I wanted to do was break down and let all my worry and fear out.

While I struggled to regain my composure, Dan got back to work. Looking over his shoulder I saw that he had maps of the area surrounding the city and was busy locating the areas that belonged to Mason. We were figuring out ways to approach each property so the planning stage wouldn’t take too long once we found out where he was holding Jason.

“All of these properties have too many possible ways out. It’s going to be nearly impossible to cover them all,” I said as I looked over his shoulder at the map.

“There are a couple that aren’t too bad, but you’re right,” Dan agreed thoughtfully. “We might have to attempt to use the undercover agent to get us in a little more subtly. If he can, we may be able to make a smaller perimeter and prevent Mason or his men from escaping.”

“We won’t really be able to plan anything until we have our meeting tomorrow, but that sounds like a possibility we should bring up.” I glanced at my watch. Jason had been gone for nearly a full day already and I couldn’t begin to guess what Mason was putting him through.

“Dan, we’ll find him, right?” I asked. I allowed my doubt to show clearly for the first time since I’d found out Jason was missing. He may have seen through me before, but I had been hiding my fears behind a mask of anger; although Dan knew me well enough to know what I was feeling. I had to be confident for Hannah, Sam, and the other kids, but I couldn’t be confident for myself.

“We’ll find him,” Dan said confidently. “We’ve already made steps toward it. What I can’t guarantee is what shape he’ll be in when we do find him. When we do, we need to be strong for him because chances are good he won’t be strong for himself.”

I nodded. “You’re right. Is there anything more we can do before our meeting tomorrow? What can we look up or plan without knowing where he is?”

Dan looked at his maps and files and shrugged. “We can go over Mason’s known associates, but if we go talking to people he’ll know we’re on track to find Jason. We don’t want him to get spooked and move him before we talk to the undercover agent. What’s his name again?”

“Mark Jones. Supposedly he’s one of their best undercover agents,” I said, my voice clearly conveying my disbelief.

Dan shook his head. “You know how hard it can be to infiltrate a criminal group at any level. Don’t be too hard on him because he couldn’t get into the inner circle. Keep in mind he was able to save Sam. You should be grateful.”

I winced. “You’re right,” I said, immediately contrite. “I’m sorry, Dan.”

“It’s okay,” he said calmly. “You’re like a mother bear protecting her young. Whether it’s a threat or not, you’re ready to attack it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Mother bear? Really? I’m not that much older than Jason. Big sister bear at best,” I said with a smile.

“Have it your way then. Just try to tame the instinct, okay? The FBI, while sometimes annoying, is on the same side. They want to get Mason on anything they can, and if they catch him with Jason…”

“They’ll be able to arrest him and keep him for murder, wrongful imprisonment, torture, and whatever other federal crimes they can come up with to charge him for,” I interrupted, a smile on my face in anticipation for seeing Mason behind bars.

Dan just nodded. “You should go home for a while. Relax with Hannah and the kids. I’ll keep you posted if anything happens here.”

I shook my head. “If I’m going, you should too,” I objected mildly. “You’ve been here longer than me.”

“I know, but I have another report to file, so I’ll go home later. The wife wants me home for supper anyway.”

“Okay. As long as you get home at some point tonight. I’ll meet you back here in the morning for our meeting.” I gathered up my copies of the files on Mason and his men and headed out the door. At my partner’s questioning look I shrugged. “I want to know everything I can about Mason and the people surrounding him before we confront them again. See you tomorrow.”

“Get some sleep,” he responded as he glanced back down at his maps and files.

I drove home, stopping at the hospital to pick up Paul—who’d refused to leave with Mendez—and check on Sam. Paul was sitting in a chair next to Sam’s bed and Sam was asleep. The guard was outside the door, so I motioned to Paul and he came out, moving quietly to avoid waking Sam.

“You ready to get out of here for tonight?” I asked. “Either Tony or I will bring you back tomorrow.”

He looked at Sam and back at me, seeming uncertain. “I don’t want to leave him alone. He doesn’t know the cop, and he’ll be scared if he wakes up and no one is there.”

“I think we’ll be able to bring him back to my house tomorrow,” I told him. “If you want to stay here tonight, I’ll okay it with the hospital. Sam’s a special circumstance case, so I’ll make sure they make an exception to the visiting hours.”

The boy hung his head, his longish hair covering his eyes as he stared at the floor. “You’d do that for me?” he asked.

His insecurity was a little surprising considering the open hostility he’d been treating me with since this had started. “Yes, I will. Jason cares about you, and I care about Jason, so I care about you and the others. At some point, I hope you’ll be able to accept that and let me get to know you for you, and not just for Jason’s sake.” I wasn’t sure if what I was saying made sense, but it had been a wickedly long day and I was ready to crash, so I held up a hand to stall his reply. “I’ll okay you staying and be back for both of you tomorrow unless something comes up. Someone will get you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thanks, Alice,” Paul said softly as he went back to his bedside vigil.

“You’re welcome, kid,” I murmured, watching as he returned to his friend’s side. He was a good person.

I shook myself, suddenly very tired. I would talk to the head nurse at the duty station, and then I would go home and get some sleep. Our meeting with the undercover cop couldn’t come too soon. I could only hope and pray that we’d be able to find Jason quickly.

THIRTY-THREE

Jones

I had been hearing rumors for weeks about a street kid working with the local cops to shut down Mason’s group. None of the guys I heard talking seemed to take it too seriously until he managed to shut down one of Mason’s operations. What wasn’t clear was exactly
how
he’d done so. But he was the one Mason blamed, so he was the one attacked in retribution. I hadn’t been part of the group who’d grabbed the kid off the street, but I’d heard about it from the guys who had been.

I laughed off their account of the kid making the floor rip apart as probable drug-induced hallucinations. It was only after Mason had grabbed two other kids, and killed one of them, that I’d really started believing them. The kid, who’d been so recently grazed by a bullet in the head, had somehow managed to demolish a house Mason apparently used to cater to some of his more repulsive customers. I kicked myself for not being able to figure out what Mason had been using the house for. Before it had been demolished, I’d made a delivery to that address. The men who’d answered must have concealed the children before I’d made the delivery.

When I’d heard about the house, I made a quick stop by the warehouse where the street kid had allegedly ripped up the floor. When I saw the massive destruction to the formerly solid cement floor, I had begun to believe. The name given to the ‘freak’ by Mason and his men had been
The Earthshaker
, and I was beginning to suspect it was an apt description. There were no signs of explosives either there or at the demolished house. When I discovered that, my doubts all but vanished. Somehow the local cops had found a kid with impossible abilities.

Mason hadn’t kept his capture of the ‘freak’ a secret, so it came as no surprise to me when my handler called, requesting that I meet with a Detective Farrow and her partner. Unfortunately, Mason had been keeping a fairly tight lid on what he planned to do with the kid once he had him. I had no idea where he was.

I felt as if I were to blame for the little girl’s death. Almost the same as with the demolished house, I felt as if I should have been able to stop it somehow. I had tried to sooth myself with the knowledge that I had saved the little boy, but that action could have cost me the ability to dig into Mason’s current prisoner. My assignment to kill the boy had been the first major task I’d been given, and I’d failed. It wouldn’t take long for the people I worked with to find out he was still alive. Mason had people all over the city that could tell him that. My position was tenuous, but for my failure with the girl, I would do my best to dig up this so-called Earthshaker’s location.

It was for that purpose that I was headed to the warehouse I had infiltrated and was working out of for Mason. I climbed off my motorcycle and walked to the door, pausing before I entered. I had to put my game face on, and I needed to be able to explain how I’d failed to kill an eleven-year-old boy. No matter what happened, I knew the boy was among friends. My handler had told me he was resting comfortably and would heal well.

I pulled the door open and walked in confidently, a big grin on my face. “Hey, guys,” I said brightly. “I heard the boss was able to catch the Freak.”

“Yeah, Jones,” Mike Anderson answered me with a glower. “And I heard the kid you was supposed to kill ain’t dead. Why’s that?”

I gave an exaggerated shrug to hide my surprise that they’d found out so quickly, and sighed loudly. “I put him next to the wall and shot, but he collapsed right as I was shooting. He was barely breathing, and someone walked past so I couldn’t shoot again so I decided to just leave ‘im. I figured he’d never make it to morning anyway.” I shrugged again. “Guess I was wrong.”

It was hard to pretend to be heartless. I had a nephew the same age as the kid I was supposed to kill, and it was difficult to separate the two in my mind. The fear in the boy’s eyes had struck me, and I wondered if he’d be able to get over having a gun pointed at him by a strange guy. Even my action to save him could have traumatized him greatly.

Carlos Veda, the other man working in the warehouse, shrugged. “The boss don’t really care ‘bout that anyway. He’s got the freak. The kid brother is worthless.”

That took me by surprise. “The kid was the Freak’s brother? I hadn’t heard that. Thought he was just a part of the street gang he ran with.”

I mentally cringed every time I used the word ‘freak’ to describe the street kid. Yeah, maybe he was different and had powerful abilities, but he was still a person. That put him in the Decent Human Being category in my book; unlike all the people I was currently surrounded by.

“Yeah, so?” Carlos asked, cocking his head and narrowing his dark eyes at me curiously. “What’s it matter that the kid is his brother?”

I thought quickly. “It doesn’t. Just thought it would be fun to tell big brother what happened to his little bro.” I took a steadying breath and dove in. “You don’t know where the boss is holding ‘im, do you?”

These men were not a part of Mason’s inner circle, but they’d been in his gang much longer than I’d been. They would have heard stories and rumors, and they possibly would have an idea which of the several properties Mason owned he would be using.

“Not for sure, but I bet he’s at the Farm.” At my questioning look Veda sat up straighter, proud of himself for knowing something the ‘new guy’ didn’t.

He seemed to be waiting for something so I bit. “Okay, what’s the Farm?” I asked impatiently, rolling my eyes slightly. My brother-in-law sometimes pulled this same trick. Matt was a nice enough guy, but he really liked knowing things other people didn’t, so I was tired of Veda’s game before it had even started.

“It’s a place the boss takes people he really doesn’t like. He has a shed that’s filled with things he uses to make a person regret ever crossing him.” He leaned in close, looking to both sides as if afraid of being overheard. “You know he used to have a partner?”

I nodded. “He’s the one who slit Mason’s throat, right?” I asked. It was a pity that little venture hadn’t been more successful.

“Yeah. Well, I heard Mason took him to The Farm, strung ‘im up in the shed, and spent days coming up with ways to make him regret his attempt.”

Anderson nodded. “I heard the partner was begging for death only hours after Mason started, but he dragged it out anyway.”

I hoped the stories were exaggerated, but if not, it sounded like Detective Farrow’s informant was in for a really rough ride. I quickly masked the expression of revulsion that crossed my face, and laughed. “I’d like to see what he comes up with for the Freak who nearly put ‘im out of business,” I said.

“You’re a sick man, Jonesy,” Anderson said. “I wouldn’t wanna see it.”

I shrugged and looked away from them. “Think the boss would let me go out to The Farm and watch?” I asked, carefully keeping the horror I felt at the idea off my face. This part of my assignment was harder than I’d anticipated. I didn’t want to see this kid suffering, but in order to save him; I might have to watch him get hurt… if I could get there.

Carlos looked at me, dark eyes narrowed in thought. “I might be able to contact John. He might be willing to take you there. Give me a day or so to arrange it, if you really want me to.” He looked at me as if expecting me to change my mind and almost hoping I would.

I couldn’t blame him. John Doe was possibly the creepiest person on Mason’s payroll. I’d never seen him but I heard he almost never spoke and he seemed to have the ability to appear out of nowhere. No one knew his real name and he never offered one, so everyone simply called him John. He was one of Mason’s most trusted employees. He almost never left Mason’s side, and no one really knew what he did for Mason. If I had personal contact with him, it would be the closest to Mason I’ve been since this operation started.

“Call him,” I said.