Lost(34)

“I think it’s too many people to ride on a single commercial airliner. It would be too expensive. From what I hear, there are more than twenty people ready to be moved. That means it’s got to be by boat. We’re trying to figure out where and hopefully rescue the people while they’re still in Europe.” Marie paused, then added, “There’s something else.”

“What’s that?”

“Emile Rostoff is definitely involved. That means his brother in Miami will be too. My source says that the Russian we found in the street had been shot by Hanna’s brother.”

“Can you arrest him for it?”

“No. No evidence. But that means the Russians will be in no mood to fool around. I wouldn’t be surprised if our case ends with the murder of Hanna and Albert Greete.”

I let out a laugh. “Sorry. I guess I should sound more concerned. I’ve had narcotics cases end that way. We say they’re ‘exceptionally cleared.’”

“I like that term. Either way, it’s crucial to find these people being smuggled.”

“It sounds like you should come to Miami. We need to work this case together.”

“I agree. I’m trying to figure out the details now.”

We chatted for a few more minutes, then I stepped out of my office and ran into Steph. “Hi,” I said.

“Why are you in such a giddy mood?” she asked.

“How can you tell what kind of mood I’m in from a quick hello in the hallway?”

Steph smiled and put her hands on her hips. “Really? I spend more time with you than anyone else in your life does. Besides, if you’re not scowling, you’re probably in a good mood. All I’m saying is, keep it up. It’s a good look and good for the office.”

I was getting the sense that maybe I wasn’t as collegial as I could be at work. Thank God for honest people like Steph. Aside from my mom and sister, she might have been the only person in the world I could count on.





CHAPTER 49





WHEN I SAW Anthony Chilleo walking past my office, I grabbed him and pulled him inside.

After we talked for a minute about the task force and my trip, I got to my real concern. “Did anything happen with the Russians or my sister while I was gone? She claims that she didn’t even go out during my entire trip.”

Chill smiled. “She didn’t leave the house after six on any of the days you were gone.”

“Holy crap, you didn’t do a full surveillance on her the whole time I was away, did you?”

He didn’t say a word but pointed to the bag of technical equipment he had given me weeks before. It was still where he’d left it; I hadn’t bothered to put it away yet. I knew it held several trackers and other devices.

“You put a tracker on my sister’s car?”

“Yep.”

I stared at him as I searched for the right words. Then I nodded and said, “Brilliant.”

Chill just shrugged. He’d been around a long time and knew every possible trick. Why physically follow someone when you can just check your phone and see where her vehicle is?

But I didn’t like to think about how close Lila had come to being a bargaining chip in this deadly game. We were going to have to have a serious chat soon.

I asked Chill, “Do you have anything new on Rostoff?”

“He’s been holding off on a drug deal he was making with some Colombians. It must piss him off to know that someone is finally watching him. This is the first time he’s ever had a problem he couldn’t buy his way out of.”

“That means he might get desperate and try to threaten us. Or worse.”

Chill let out a snort. “Good luck with that.”

I liked his attitude. I sensed that Chill didn’t do anything in a half-assed way. Maybe that’s why he had been married twice.

I looked at him. “Keep your eyes open. You should probably warn your ex-wife as well.”

“It’d be a sad day for any Russians who bother her. A redneck from Ocala with a concealed-weapons permit? I think she’ll be fine.”

I believed him.





CHAPTER 50



Ostend, Belgium


HANNA GREETE HAD spent a lot of time on this load. Minors tended to listen well, but this group was mixed ages. Hanna had a few teenagers, several Eastern European women, and two Indian men. The total count was twenty-three.

Earlier, at her office, Hanna had supervised as one of her workers sewed the five blood diamonds Hanna intended to sell in the United States into a red Everest backpack. She’d already secured the tracking device in a pocket of the bag and had sewn the pocket shut. The woman had held up the backpack for inspection. Hanna ran her hands over the strap where the diamonds were hidden. Aside from a few bumps, there was no way to tell anything was concealed inside.

She’d touched the pocket holding the tracker. “It’s bigger than I remembered.”

Albert said, “It’s the same as the one I stuck on Marie Meijer’s car. I added a second battery pack so that it will work on the low setting for almost twenty days.”

“Why is there a low and a high setting?”

“It has to do with how strong the signal is. We’re losing some strength but gaining many extra days of use. I didn’t think you wanted to trust our cargo to switch out batteries halfway through the trip.”