The Freeport Robbery Read online

  Blond Crew Cut squinted in the bright morning light. “Get out. Her, too.”

  They got out of the car. The men herded them back to the blue van. Gary was sitting in the front passenger’s seat, blowing on a cup of coffee. “You two leaving town?”

  “We’re all done here.”

  “What a coincidence. Mosley has Denison. They’re barricaded in the admin offices at the hospital.”

  “That’s a tough break. Word gets out of the city, it’ll make you guys look guilty.”

  “This is your fault.”

  “I just told you to warn her off. I don’t know what you did.”

  “You have to give up the Cellini casket.”

  “We don’t have it.”

  Gary nodded toward the Camry.

  Ron smiled. “If we did have it, you don’t think we’d be stupid enough to carry it with us, do you?”

  “We could beat the information out of you, but the clock’s ticking. So we’re just going to hand you over to Mosley.”

  “What good will that do?”

  Gary shrugged. “Buy some time to think of something better. Maybe we could spend some quality time with your wife while you babysit Mosley. Maybe she knows where the casket is.”

  Gary called Mosley on his cell phone.

  “Yeah?” Mosley said.

  “We got Carter for you.”

  “I don’t want Carter. I want the casket.”

  “He claims he doesn’t have it.”

  “Not my problem.”

  “Really? How do we know you even told the truth? Could be that your girlfriend is holding it for you.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend. She works for the boss. She’s got nothing to do with this.”

  “Just keep repeating that; you might start believing it. She’s connected to you, so she’s going to pay. I don’t have to tell you how this works. You’re wearing your big girl pants. Anything that’s not completely clear eventually gets cleaned up. The boss won’t take the chance, not even for family.”

  “You’re making a mistake.”

  “If you’re not lying, you show good faith.”

  “Okay. Send Carter to me. He better be able to help.”

  Gary ended the call. “All fixed up. You’re coming to the hospital.”

  “Look, we don’t know anything about the casket,” Ron said. “Mosley is just blowing smoke.”

  Gary chuckled. “The bullshit never ends with you, does it? Get back in your car. You try anything stupid, you’ll suffer a long time.”

  Ron and Nicole got back into the Camry, bounced down the curb onto the street, and made a U-turn. The white van was ahead of them and the blue van behind. “Listen,” Ron said, “we’re going to be there in a couple of minutes. I’m going to go into the hospital office and work on Mosley. We’ll see what kind of rhythm that gets us.”

  “What’s the play?”

  “You stick with the car. Do the car thing. I’ll drive Mosley and Denison to you.”

  “Denison?”

  “Mosley’s not going to give him up. He’s her only leverage.”

  “But Denison is a civilian.”

  “Yes, he is. Doesn’t mean he can’t owe us.”

  “This is awful risky.”

  “We can’t trust Mosley. We’re not giving her the casket.”

  “What if she goes off the deep end?”

  “Do what you got to do. The desert is full of arroyos.”

  “What about Philips’s crew?”

  “This is the only way to get away from them. We can’t outgun them.”

  “You mean it’s the only way for me to get away from them. What about you?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of me. See you on the other side.”

  She reached over and gripped his hand. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he said.

  Mosley held the curtain open a few inches with the barrel of the pistol and peeked out the window in the back of the hospital administration offices. City security officers, orange vests on over their blue blazers, were spaced about twenty feet apart all along the sidewalk, forming a perimeter. She assumed it was the same in the front. She wondered how they were spinning it to hospital patients and visitors. Special emergency drill? She walked back to the front of the offices. Denison was still sitting in the office chair against the far wall.

  “How do you expect to get out of here?” he asked.

  She peeked out the window into the lobby. It was empty. She could see a lot of activity on the front lawn, but she couldn’t make out the details. “They can’t just light up this place and murder me here. It’s too public. As long as I’m here, and I’ve got you, I’m safe. They’re going to do what I want. You’re going to get me my money. What’s two hundred thousand to you?”

  “I’m not going to help you.”

  “Stop kidding yourself. You’re going to do whatever you need to do to get back to your wife.” She pointed to the front door. “Philips’s guys are going to bring Carter to me. He’s going to give me the casket. You’re going to get me my money. We’re going to ride to the airport and get on a plane together. No one will try to harm me as long as I have you with me. As soon as we land, you’re on your own.”

  “I’m not leaving my wife here. I’m not leaving her to die alone.”

  The telephone on the nearest desk rang. Mosley picked it up. “Yeah?”

  The voice spoke with a slightly Asian accent. “This is Mr. Chen. If you don’t release Mr. Denison immediately, we will contact your superiors.”

  “You want to open that can of worms? Rickover’s murder, stolen art, and contraband in the Nohamay Mountain Vault? This place will be swarming with federal agents. You’ll be able to count your guests on one hand. The Nohamay Nation will void your contract. No. If you want this to end, you’re going to help me get my two hundred thousand dollars and the object the Carters stole from me. Until then, quit bothering me.” Mosley hung up.

  Ron parked in the parallel parking in front of the hospital, which was cordoned off with yellow tape. Security personnel wearing SWAT gear stood in clumps, walkie-talkies in their hands. A black mobile command truck sat on the grass near the front steps. Mr. Chen stood outside the truck talking with Wounded-Bear, a Native American woman wearing a doctor’s white coat, and a small, thin white woman wearing a gray-blue skirt suit. Ron looked at Nicole. “Looks like the usual shit storm in progress. There should be lots of opportunity for us.” He separated the car keys from the car alarm remote and handed the remote to Nicole.

  “Be careful,” she said.

  “You know what to do.”

  Nicole slid down in her seat. Ron moved away from the car as quickly as he could without acting suspiciously. Philips’s men hurried from their vans and started after him. The nearest security officer, a hard-muscled Native American with a crew cut, looked him up and down.

  “Mr. Chen is expecting me,” Ron said.

  He kept ahead of Philips’s men, forcing them to focus on him while Nicole rolled into the backseat of the Camry. When they all reached the mobile command truck, Mr. Chen turned toward Ron and pointed his finger. “You always seem to be wherever there is trouble. I told you to leave town.”

  “That’s what I was trying to do.”

  Chen looked at Philips’s men. “I don’t know who you are. Why are you here?”

  Gary put on an earnest expression, his hands in the pockets of his black nylon jacket. “We want the same thing you want, Mr. Chen—to get Denison out of there and to get our hands on Mosley.”

  Wounded-Bear gave Gary and his men an appraising look. “I know what you guys are. You’re going to surrender your weapons. Then you’re going to get back behind the police tape.”

  Gary continued. “Do you have the Cellini casket? ’Cause that’s what Mosley wants. She sent us to get it back from Carter, but he claims he doesn’t have it. So we brought him.”

  “Mr. Rose is Mr. Carter?” Chen asked.

 
“Exactly. He’s the one.”

  Wounded-Bear snorted. “That’s your plan?”

  Gary nodded. “Trade Carter for Denison and let Mosley deal with him. You got a better idea?”

  Wounded-Bear turned to Chen. Chen looked off at the front of the hospital. “These incidents of the last few days, if not properly contained, will seriously impact our business interests. Agent Mosley cannot leave unless we let her. We want to avoid the controversy of involving her superiors if we possibly can. Mr. Denison must not be harmed.” He turned back to the others. “We don’t care what happens to Mr. Carter. So we will give him to Agent Mosley. Maybe that will satisfy one of her demands. She also wants two hundred thousand dollars.” He turned to the woman wearing the blue-gray suit. “Joyce, call Mr. Stands-Alone. Tell him to expense the money out of the casino and send it here immediately. We need to get Agent Mosley out of here as quickly as possible.”

  Wounded Bear shook his head. “Giving in to her demands is a bad idea. We should see if a sniper can get into position.”

  “We are not giving in,” Chen said. “I won’t risk Mr. Denison’s life. Once we have him, we’ll deal with her.” He turned to Ron. “Mr. Carter, do you need an escort or will you go inside on your own?”

  “I’ll go.”

  Wounded-Bear put his hand on Ron’s shoulder. “Up against the truck.”

  “What?”

  “We’re not going to have any surprises.”

  Ron put his hands on the side of the mobile command truck and spread his legs. Wounded-Bear patted him down. “He’s clean.”

  Chen called Mosley. “We’re sending in Mr. Carter.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Ron walked up the steps and into the lobby of the hospital. Security officers peered out from behind barricades in the hallways. He knocked on the door to the administrative offices. The curtain gapped at the window. Ron could see the barrel of a pistol. He held up his sports coat and turned in a circle. The door opened. Mosley stuck a pistol into his chest and pulled him into the room. “Sit down.” She directed him to a chair placed next to Denison. Mosley locked the door and pushed the desk back in front of it.

  “You’re a tricky man, Carter,” she said.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “Where’s the casket?”

  “I don’t have the faintest idea.”

  “Bullshit.” Mosley sat on the edge of the desk, the pistol resting on her thigh.

  “You think I don’t want out of here?” Ron asked. “Why should I care if you get the credit for returning it? All Denison and I want is for the casket to be returned so we can get on with our lives. I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but right now I’m just like you, stuck between Philips’s crew and the city security forces.”

  “Really?”

  “I was on my way out of town when they caught up with me.”

  “So you do have the casket.”

  “No, but I still have my life, and I was hoping to keep it. How were you planning to get out of here?”

  “Plane.”

  “Really? Aren’t you concerned you’ll just be arrested or murdered after you land?”

  “I’m the FBI, Carter. Why would I be arrested?”

  “Kidnapping?”

  “Denison can’t say a thing. He’ll be inconvenienced, but at the end of the day that’s all it will be.” She went to the window and peeked out. The lobby was clear.

  “Let Denison go,” Ron continued. “Chen is putting together two hundred thousand as we speak. He’s willing to pay that just to get rid of you and shush this whole thing up.”

  Denison clasped his hands together. “Come on, Agent Mosley. You said you had family that’s important to you. My wife doesn’t have much time. I need to be with her right now.”

  “I wish I could help you, Denison, but I can’t. They won’t shoot at me if they think they might hit you. So I can’t let you go until I’m safe.”

  She turned to Ron. “You were on your way out of town? They didn’t get you at the airport?”

  “No, I bought a car. Not much to look at, but I think it will take me across the desert as far as Camp Carson, anyway.”

  “All loaded up?”

  “I was almost at the city limits when Philips’s guys put a road block on me.”

  Mosley studied Ron’s face. He was quite the liar. The Carters took the casket. They wouldn’t leave it here. If Philips’s men or NewTrust had it, she’d know about it. So if it wasn’t in checked baggage at the airport, it had to be in their car. “Then I’ll take your car. Safer than standing around at the airport.” She turned to Denison. “I’m not an asshole. I want to help you. We take the car, and you’ll get back quicker.”

  “It’s not for sale,” Ron said. “It’s my only way out of here.”

  “I’m not buying it. I’m taking your car and everything in it. That’s my price if you won’t give me the casket.”

  “I don’t have the casket.”

  “There you go.” Mosley picked up the desk phone and speed-dialed the last caller. “Carter has a car on the street out there?”

  “Yes,” Chen said.

  “Put five gallons of water and the two hundred thousand in it. I’m taking Denison with me.”

  “You cannot take Mr. Denison. I will go with you, and he will stay here.”

  “And I’ll be dead before I reach the city limits. No, Mr. Chen, Denison stays with me until I’m off tribal land. I won’t harm him if I don’t have to. My career is on the line. But if you follow me or shadow me with an airplane or interfere in any way, all bets are off. Call me when the water and money are in the car.” She hung up.

  “I won’t go with you,” Denison said. “I have to stay here.”

  “I’m sorry, Denison,” Mosley said, “but you’re going. It’s just a matter of how comfortable you’re going to be. And the more you drag your feet, the longer it takes. Cooperation is the fastest path back to your wife.”

  “You’re not taking my car,” Ron said. “I can’t afford to buy another one.”

  Mosley shook her head slowly. “I’m the one with the gun, Carter. I’ll do whatever I like. You, I’m not the least bit sorry about. If Aaron hadn’t known you, he might still be alive today.”

  “What are you talking about? He’s the one got me and Nicole involved in this mess.”

  “Yeah, but fooling with criminals is what got him believing in his crazy scheme. Give me the car keys.”

  Twenty minutes later, Chen called. Mosley came out of the hospital with Ron and Denison in front of her, her pistol in Denison’s back. She scanned the hospital grounds. Ron’s Camry sat by itself at the curb. The security personnel stood in a knot near the mobile command truck, their pistols holstered and their assault rifles pointed down, but Mosley wasn’t taking any chances. She needed to move fast. If anyone was going to try to stop her, now was their best opportunity. She hurried Denison along, keeping in close behind him.

  Chen called out to her. “I have done everything you asked. Please reconsider taking Mr. Denison.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Chen. We both know that’s not possible.” She turned to Ron. “Go over there with the rest of them.”

  Mosley and Denison continued to the Camry. She pulled open the front seat passenger’s door and motioned for Denison to get in. “You’ve got the money,” Denison said. “You don’t need me.”

  “I wish that were true.”

  “I can guarantee your safety. Just leave me here.”

  “Get in.”

  Denison sat down in the car. Mosley handcuffed him to the door handle. “Relax. You’ll be free in a few hours.”

  Mosley scurried around the Camry and climbed in. She called out to the command truck. “Where’s the water and the money?”

  Wounded-Bear replied, “In the back seat.”

  She reached into the back seat and unzipped a black canvas bag. It was full of banded bundles of hundred dollar bills. A five-gallon jug of water sat on the floo
r mat. She smiled to herself. And the casket was hidden in here somewhere. It had to be. All the breaks were finally lining up her way.

  Ron stood with the others at the mobile command truck and watched Mosley drive off. It was all up to Nicole now. Chen turned to the Native American woman wearing the doctor’s white coat. “Dr. O’Brian, please reopen the hospital as quickly as possible.”

  “Do you want them followed?” Wounded Bear asked.

  “Why? The road only goes to Camp Carson. Call the tribal police. Have them call us when they see Mosley and Denison cross out of tribal land. Then get this mess cleared up.” He turned to Joyce. “Let’s go back to the office.”

  O’Brian hurried up the steps to the hospital. Chen and Joyce headed off to their car in the parking lot behind the building. Wounded-Bear frowned at Ron. “Did you forget about our conversation yesterday?”

  “As quick as I can find transportation, I’m gone.”

  Wounded-Bear turned to Gary and his men. “I guess you gentlemen came here on a private jet. You’ve got two hours to get back on it. Your kind isn’t welcome here.”

  Gary grinned, his hands in his jacket pockets. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

  Wounded-Bear climbed into the mobile command truck. Ron started down the sidewalk. Gary called after him. “Where are you going?”

  “We’re all done here, aren’t we?”

  “Where’s your wife?”

  “I haven’t got the slightest idea. She’s got to be here somewhere. Can I go now?”

  “No, you’re coming with us until the boss tells us how he wants things handled.” He turned to his men. “Find the wife. Bring her to the hangar.”

  Mosley drove the Camry past the city limits sign on Trade Memorial Highway. The small, rundown houses at the edge of town disappeared in her rearview mirror, and the desert stretched out in front of her. Two hours to the northeast, the city of Camp Carson lay just outside of the tribal lands. As soon as she got there, she was going to drop Denison wherever he wanted, and then she was going to take the car apart, find the casket, and book the earliest flight back to Charles Bay. Once she was clear of the Nohamay Nation, Gary’s threats were meaningless. She could return the casket to Peter Damascus, take the victory lap, write up the evidence connecting Philips’s men with Rickover’s murder, and begin the process of pinning Philips into a corner just tightly enough so that he would decide to leave her alone instead of trying to blackmail her or kill her. And the $200,000 would buy the time she needed to find a new income stream to pay Kelly’s tuition. She glanced at Denison, who was leaning against the door he was handcuffed to and looking out the window at the dry shrubs and cactus flying by.