The Night Fire (Renée Ballard, #3)(111)

Ballard stood up and backed away from the table. Men moved in on Cava, took her by the arms, held her tightly, and searched her. They found the curved knife in the homemade forearm scabbard that Ballard had missed that day four weeks earlier. They found a pistol in the purse she had put down on the floor.

As she was being cuffed, Cava kept her eyes on Ballard. She smiled slightly when she was led away from the table and toward the front door. There was a van waiting to transport her to the bureau’s Las Vegas field office. It took off as soon as the side door was slammed shut.

“Way to go, Renée.”

It was Kenworth from Vegas Metro. He moved behind her and took the recorder off her belt as she detached the mini-microphone from inside the opening of her blouse. She pulled the wire up and out and handed it to him.

“She didn’t really give up anything,” Ballard said.

“She exhibited knowledge of the conspiracy and crimes,” Kenworth said. “That’s what the prosecutor will say. And I say: good job.”

“I have to make a call now.”

She pulled her phone and hit one of the names on her list of favorites as she stepped into the rear hall for privacy.

“Harry, we got her.”

“No hitches?”

“No hitches. She even had the knife. It was in this elastic strap on her forearm. I just missed it that day.”

“Anybody would have.”

“Maybe.”

“So, she talk to you? Say anything?”

“She said you can never trust men.”

“Word to the wise, I guess. How do you feel?”

“I feel good. But she sort of smiled at me when they were taking her out of here. Like she was saying this isn’t over.”

“What else could she do? Anyway, she gave me that smile too.”

“It was weird, though.”

“Vegas is weird. When are you coming back?”

“I’ll go to the bureau’s field office and see what they need from me. Then I’ll head back as soon as I’m clear.”

“Good. Let me know.”

“You working on Freelander?”

“Yeah, and I found the guy. The one she said no to. He’s still around.”

“Don’t do anything until I get back.”

“Roger that.”





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


The author had the help of many in the writing of this book. They include Rick Jackson, Mitzi Roberts, Tim Marcia, and David Lambkin on the law enforcement side and Daniel Daly and Roger Mills on the legal side.

With regard to researching and editing I wish to thank Asya Muchnick, Linda Connelly, Jane Davis, Heather Rizzo, Terrill Lee Lankford, Dennis Wojciechowski, John Houghton, Henrik Bastin, Pamela Marshall, and Allan Fallow.

Many thanks to all.

Author’s Note: The steps a law enforcement agency must take to obtain a court-approved wiretap are many. They were shortened for dramatic purposes in this novel.