Best Laid Plans(46)

“You have an idea?” Jerry asked Brad.

“I might. But I need more intel. We’re certain the dead men were all Sanchez/Trejo’s group?”

“No doubt on three of them. Working on the others,” Jerry said.

“Want more weird?” Ash asked. “The killers didn’t take the drugs. We’re still processing, but there’s approximately twelve pounds of heroin, thirty-six packages. Of course, we need to test it at the lab. How much is that worth?”

“Depending on the quality, that’s probably a street value of a million bucks.” Definitely a hefty score. “Was it hidden?”

Ash shook his head. “And if there’d been money, the shooters took it.”

“Did you get any electronics?”

“Yeah, bagged and tagged and photographed. There was a computer system in the drug room, all shot up. Don’t know if we can get anything from it, but we’ll try.”

“Vigilante?” Jerry asked.

“God, I hope not,” Brad said. But leaving the drugs behind didn’t scream that this was a gang hit. A rival gang would take the drugs.

Ash said, “Just a gut feeling looking at the evidence, I still need to talk to my team and recreate the scene, but here’s my take. Minimum of four shooters. Looks like the building was taken from all points of entry. These guys didn’t have a chance. Half of them couldn’t even draw their own guns. They were all carrying, even the girls. The killers opened fire until everyone was down, then they went around and put a bullet in everyone’s head, to guarantee they were dead. I have some possibly helpful news. We collected blood by one of the rear doors, with a trail leading to the road. A sufficient amount to suggest one of the attackers got hit.”

“Good—we’ll alert hospitals and clinics,” Jerry said.

“Already done,” Ash said, “but some clinics won’t report.”

Brad had some ideas on where someone would go who didn’t want the shooting to get back to the police. Brad would be persona non grata there, but he could get Ryan to do it, if he grunged down a bit.

“With four or more shooters, we’re probably not looking at vigilante,” Brad said. “Why not take the drugs?”

“To make a statement? Punishment?” Jerry suggested. “But damn, they wouldn’t leave a million dollars, so why leave a million in drugs?”

Brad had no answer. Kane Rogan had said the hit was retaliation. But for what? And how had Rogan learned about it only hours after it went down?

Ryan approached them. “Almost a complete waste of the last three hours.”

“Almost?”

He held up a small videotape. “No one said a word other than admitting to hearing the shots, and the time was consistent with the nine-one-one calls that came in. However, I got a hint that one of the homeowners wouldn’t care if I took this tape out of a camera he had mounted on the corner of his garage. If the getaway car went south, it’s here. If it didn’t, we have nothing.”

“Fifty-fifty chance? I’ll take it,” Brad said to Ryan. “Anything else, Ash?”

“Naw. We’ll be here another hour or two. It’s going to take a few days for the coroner’s report, but from the amount of blood, they all died from gunshot wounds. If there’s anything odd, Jerry’ll let you know.”

“I’m particularly interested in the bullets and if you can determine how many shooters, vehicles, and prints.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, give me a little time and I’ll have the answers. I’ll run all prints through AFIS. We have already identified most of the deceased, and the others we should have by tomorrow.”

“We might be able to get more information from the families,” Ryan said.

“Maybe.” Brad wasn’t optimistic. “Let’s focus on IDing the female victims and child. Those families might be more willing to talk to us.”

“The female victims were Julianna Romero and Maria Romero,” Ash said, looking down at his notes. “They both had purses with photo identification.” He shook his head. “Sisters. I feel bad for that family.”

“I’ll bet the kid belonged to one of them,” Brad said. “Find the family and go from there.”

“I’m going to finish up here then send ya’ll my report.” Ash waved his hand as he departed and went back inside the strip mall.

“Thanks for coming out,” Jerry said to Brad and Ryan. “SAPD appreciates your assistance.”

“Anytime, Jerry,” Brad said. “Keep me in the loop, and if I learn anything I’ll pass it on.”

“Do you want to talk to the girl’s family?” Jerry asked.

“You take a run at them, this is still an SAPD case,” Brad said. “If you get any wonky vibes, call me.”

“Are you back on duty?” Ryan asked.

“Desk duty,” Brad said. “But I’ll clear it with Archer.” Samantha Archer, his boss, had been a stickler for him staying at his damn desk, but Brad had a feeling she was reacting more emotionally than professionally. He just needed to get his doctor to give him the official all clear. “And I’ll get that damn doctor’s note,” he added.

Brad and Ryan walked back to where they’d parked in an open field across the street.