The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 22

  “You’re busted, Rebecca. Seth Exley figured out you were the spy and called the FBI.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Play dumb all you want, but Seth has given us proof,” Zwicky said. “It was you and Mr. Quale who were stealing company secrets, and you’ll both be going away for a long time.”

  Gunderson gripped Holloway’s right wrist as she pulled out a set of handcuffs. Holloway had a look of panic in her eyes.

  “Don’t cuff me! I want to make a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?” Gunderson said.

  “It’s Seth. He’s my partner, not Quale. I just slept with Quale to get access to the secure laptop in the safe.”

  Sara spoke up then, and she made it clear by her tone that she didn’t believe Holloway.

  “How would Seth being your partner help you? He doesn’t know the combination to the safe or have the necessary thumb print to log on to the laptop.”

  Holloway pointed at Zwicky.

  “She knows the combination to the safe. Seth got close to her so that he could get it out of her, but she’s a stickler for protocol and wouldn’t tell him anything.”

  “Then who gave you the combination to the safe?” Sara said. “Was it Mr. Quale?”

  “No, but I began snuggling up to Mr. Quale whenever he opened the safe, and I memorized the combination.”

  Sara sighed.

  “Your story doesn’t make sense. You claim that Seth Exley only became Miss Zwicky’s lover to get the safe combination out of her, and yet, they’re still together. How do you explain that?”

  “Seth learned that she was rich, and so we decided to go after her money instead. He was going to marry her someday and then we were going to...um, Seth would have divorced her and tried to get half her money.”

  Zwicky laughed.

  “My money? Seth doesn’t care about my money, and I won’t listen to anymore of your lies.”

  Holloway sneered at her.

  “He’s really my boyfriend and I can prove it.”

  Zwicky shook her head.

  “I know all about you two. Seth confessed a week ago and I forgave him the one-night stand you two shared.”

  “One-night stand? That’s what he said? And a week ago? Oh, that son of a bitch.”

  “Enough talk,” Gunderson said, as she closed the cuff on Holloway’s wrist, when she grabbed the other one, Holloway shed tears.

  “No! I can prove everything, I can tell you the set-up, all of it. I’ll even tell you who we’re working for, but I want a deal. I want a deal!”

  Zwicky laughed again.

  “You stupid bitch. We don’t need you to talk, Seth figured out the whole thing.”

  “But he’s lying! He’s a part of it.”

  “Start talking and prove it,” Gunderson told her, and Holloway did, implicating herself and Seth Exley.

  ***

  At the same time, Exley was writing out a statement as he was led to believe that Holloway had sold him out. Determined to see that she paid for betraying him, Exley revealed crimes that Holloway had committed in the past, and the offenses were just as serious as her current legal transgressions.

  Burke L.A.’s Senior Vice-President Arthur Quale was simply being used and neither Exley or Holloway claimed that he was involved or had knowledge of their crimes. The older executive had fallen under the spell of his young assistant, and was used by him.

  As Sara had observed, all of Burke L.A.’s laptops looked the same and were from the same manufacturer.

  Whenever Arthur Quale used the encrypted laptop at his office desk, Holloway would have Seth come to the office and distract him. Both men were L.A. sports enthusiasts, and Quale liked talking sports with Exley.

  Holloway only had Seth Exley standing by once she was certain that Quale was about to lock the laptop away in the safe.

  With Quale distracted by sports talk, Holloway would then switch the encrypted laptop with a look-a-like laptop. When Quale returned the laptop to the safe, he was returning the look-a-like without knowing it.

  The encrypted laptop would later be smuggled out by Holloway and taken to the hotel where she and Quale had planned to have one of their trysts. Later, when Quale wasn’t looking, Holloway would place the encrypted laptop inside Quale’s normal carrying case, by switching it for his regular laptop.

  Quale would always get, “Their room,” suite 850.

  Seth Exley would have already reserved room 848, and Holloway would then concoct a reason for Quale to use his regular laptop, which was actually the encrypted laptop. Quale would place his thumb on the biometric scanner, which would log him on. But before he could realize that he was signed in on to the wrong laptop, Holloway would distract him with sex.

  After the sex, when Quale would either fall asleep or use the bathroom, Holloway would pass the encrypted laptop to Exley. While being sure to remove Quale’s regular laptop from her purse for Quale to take with him.

  Once she left the room, Holloway would meet up with Exley, who had been busy mining the encrypted laptop, and copying down any new data onto a thumb drive.

  On the following morning, Holloway would bring the laptop back to work and place it in the safe. The recent installation of the camera was a concern, but Holloway found a way around it. She would ask for petty cash from the safe for one reason or another. After Quale opened it for her, she would switch the encrypted laptop with its decoy, all while her partner, Exley distracted Quale again.

  They never worked the trick too often, and there were times when Holloway was unable to switch the laptops inside the office. At those times, the encrypted laptop would stay in the safe overnight. Holloway still had to meet Quale for sex, to keep him on the hook, while Exley would work on growing closer to Zwicky. However, their scheme worked more often than not.

  ***

  Sara was waiting in Mr. Quale’s office when he arrived that day.

  “Miss Blake? If you’re here, I assume you’ve made progress in catching the spy?”

  “Yes sir, I have.”

  “Excellent! We’ll talk over coffee. By the way, have you seen my assistant?”

  Sara smiled.

  “Please have a seat Mr. Quale. We need to talk.”

  CHAPTER 17 – Give my kid a break

  Alexa had risen just before noon, and only awoke then because her phone had rung. Although she kept it on the bedside table, Tanner could still hear it faintly, from his location downstairs.

  When Alexa had settled across from him at their kitchen table, he asked her if she had spoken to her father, Rodrigo. They were planning to visit him and Emilio soon.

  “Ah, no, that was Deke. He was wondering how I was coming along with my archery practice.”

  “Really, that’s why he called?” Tanner said.

  Alexa let out a sigh.

  “He doesn’t get personal and we are just friends, but... I’ll tell him to stop calling me.”

  “That’s up to you, but I’m going to confront him tomorrow while we’re near the Burke Corporate Campus. I’m going to stop in there and answer the question of whether or not he’s Scallato.”

  “He’s not Scallato, Tanner, but what if he is?”

  “Then he’s a dead man. Scallato used Omar Ali Rashid to try to kill me, and you too.”

  “Yes, and that’s why I know he’s not Scallato, because Deke would never hurt me.”

  “And why is that?”

  “He has feelings for me. That’s the reason I’m going to tell him to stop calling. He needs to move on and realize that I can’t even be a friend to him, not when he feels so strongly about me.”

  “I agree, and speaking of people with not so hidden desires, I saw an interesting scene this morning.”

  Tanner went on to tell Alexa about Josie and Officer Tim Ralston.

  “Inside the patrol car?”

  “Yup, but the cop used a condom. It gave new meaning to the phrase, To Protect and Serve. And oh yeah, I believe she kn
ew that I was watching them.”

  Alexa’s eyes narrowed.

  “Stay away from that little whore.”

  “I thought she was one of your new friends?”

  “Just so long as she’s not one of your new friends,” Alexa said.

  Tanner smiled at her.

  “After our night together, I’d be lucky to have enough energy to shake her hand, much less, uh, make friends.”

  “Did you sleep at all?”

  “No, but I’ll catch some sleep today.”

  “I don’t think you need to stand watch. It looks like the trouble may be over.”

  Tanner said nothing, but he doubted that Hodges was the type to live and let live.

  ***

  Inside the police station, Burt Hodges was talking to Chief Ellison. Ellison had just come on duty after getting a few hours of sleep and was greeted at the station house door by Hodges.

  Burt Hodges was at the station to make himself look like less of a tough guy. Hodges normally believed that only a wuss would go crying to the cops instead of taking care of business himself, especially when it was personal business that concerned a man’s family.

  Nevertheless, he was willing to act submissive towards the chief to get the charges against Dexter dropped.

  Hodges had Tony visit the old woman whose purse Dexter had snatched, and Tony had succeeded in getting her to drop the charges. Tony was personable, as a pimp, he had to be at least part of the time. He had charmed the old lady into giving Dexter a second chance. Of course, the old crow got a grand for her trouble as well.

  That left Chief Ellison to deal with. Although Tom Myers wasn’t pressing trespassing charges against Dexter, the chief still wanted to place Hodges’ son back in a jail cell once he left the hospital.

  Ellison told Hodges to follow him to his office where he sat behind his desk and waited for his favorite deputy to bring him coffee. The deputy was Ellison’s daughter, who was following in her father’s footsteps.

  “Hodges, there’s no proof that the members of the neighborhood watch attacked Dexter, and even if they had, the boy had no right being in Mr. Myers’ backyard.”

  “Proof? Since when do you need proof? You hassle me every day without a damn bit of proof.”

  Chief Ellison smiled.

  “We both know what you are, Hodges, you and these men of yours you keep around. You’re all cheap hoods, but this town doesn’t put up with that sort of thing anymore. Your day has passed.”

  Hodges tried to stay calm. He needed to appease the chief, not piss him off.

  “Is it me personally, Chief? Is that why you’re hassling my son?”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Tom Myers isn’t pressing charges and is willing to let things be, but not you. It’s like you’re using Dexter to hurt me.”

  “I wouldn’t do that, Hodges, but your son had a bat with him when he went to visit Myers. That tells me that he was thinking of committing an assault.”

  Hodges hung his head.

  “Chief, the boy is only eighteen. He’s an idiot, like we all were at that age and... well, I’m not the best role model he could have had. I’m asking you as one father to another, please let my son come home. If he gets out of line again, then hammer him, but he won’t. I promise.”

  Ellison stared at Hodges. He knew the man was full of shit, but he also knew that he had given other teenagers a break for doing dumb things. Maybe he was taking it out on the kid because of who his father was.

  “When you pick your boy up from the hospital you’ll be able to take him home. But Hodges, talk some sense into the kid, hmm?”

  “Absolutely, Chief, and thanks.”

  “Yeah, anything else?”

  “Um, what do you know about Tom Myers?”

  “Not much. He works from home mostly. Says he does freelance research for people, whatever that is. Why? Do you know something about Myers that I don’t?”

  “Not a thing; I was just curious.”

  Chief Ellison began looking through the stack of messages left on his desk.

  “Have a good day, Hodges. I have work to do.”

  “Right Chief, and thanks again.”

  As Hodges was leaving, Chief Ellison’s daughter, Olivia, held the door for him. Olivia Ellison was a young Black woman with hazel eyes and a shapely figure. Hodges looked her over and smiled.

  “Hello Deputy Ellison, your father there is a good man.”

  “Yes he is,” Olivia said, and then she watched Hodges head down the hall towards the exit. When she sat a cup of coffee on the desk, she smiled at her father. “When did he become a fan of yours?”

  “He conned me into giving his juvenile delinquent son a second chance.”

  Olivia removed a report from a file cabinet, kissed her father on the cheek, and was headed out the door when she stopped and spun around. She remembered that she had something she wanted to tell him.

  “Hey Dad, I was out on patrol on the South Side and saw two black Cadillac Escalades. They were brand new and packed with a bunch of young Hispanic guys that did not appear friendly.”

  “Did they do anything?”

  “No, and they were headed out of town.”

  Hodges shrugged.

  “If they were out looking for trouble, they probably took a gander around and saw that there was nothing for them here, but let everyone know to be on the lookout for them.”

  “Do you think it’s trouble brewing?”

  “No, and if Hodges behaves and keeps his kid in line, our crime rate might drop again this quarter.”

  Olivia smiled.

  “Still, a little action would be nice sometimes.”

  In the days ahead, Olivia would get her wish.

  CHAPTER 18 – Indecent proposals

  Jacques Durand called Sara and asked her to join him at the same bar where they had met.

  There was no news yet concerning the facial recognition search going on for Maurice Scallato, but Durand told Sara that he was expecting to hear something soon.

  When Durand asked her how her investigation was going, Sara smiled and told him about Exley and Holloway.

  Conrad Burke was less than pleased with the behavior of his L.A. Vice President Arthur Quale. Sara suspected that Quale might not be in charge of Burke L.A. for very long.

  Conrad Burke didn’t care that Quale was sleeping with his young assistant, he cared that the man was doing it while married. Sara had come to understand that Conrad Burke had a set of standards that he lived by, and betraying wedding vows was not high on his list of tolerated behaviors.

  Sara had only met Burke’s wife once, but she had liked the woman, Dr. Sharon Burke, and thought that she seemed as tough-minded as her husband.

  Thoughts of Burke and the headquarters made Sara glad that she was leaving for home soon. She had a seat on an early morning commercial flight. Also, Burke told Sara that she didn’t have to work until Tanner returned.

  Sara was glad for the break from her duties. It would allow her an opportunity to spend time with her sister, Jenny, as Jenny prepared for her upcoming wedding. Sara then thought about the child her grandmother had claimed to have given birth to out of wedlock.

  She would talk to her Uncle Gary about that. He was the oldest of her grandmother’s children. Or rather, he was the oldest of the children she’d had with Sara’s grandfather. It was reasonable to assume that Uncle Gary might know some of the family secrets.

  “Sara?” Durand called.

  Sara broke free of her musing and smiled at Jacques Durand.

  “I’m sorry, I just became lost in thought about some family history I learned this morning. What were you saying, Jacques?”

  “I said that I have a proposal for you, and it is an indecent one.”

  Sara fluttered her eyes at Durand.

  “You could at least buy me dinner first.”

  Durand laughed.

  “Oh, if I thought I had a prayer of you agreeing to that, I would most certainly
ask, but no, this concerns your arrangement with Tanner.”

  “Yes?”

  “I have friends who would be interested in paying for his services from time to time, and they would be willing to pay you to pass along such requests.”

  Sara cocked her head in surprise.

  “You have some interesting friends, Jacques.”

  “No, Mademoiselle, I have extremely interesting friends, and those friends have deep pockets and a desire to rid the world of certain, shall we call them, ‘bad actors.’”

  “Bad actors? Are you talking about terrorists?”

  “Yes, but not solely. There are professional criminals who can do as much, or more harm, than most terrorists.”

  “Does your inside information on Burke’s wet works program include knowledge about Tanner’s fee?”

  “No, but I would expect that the man does not undervalue himself.”

  “He gets a million dollars per contract.”

  Durand smiled.

  “Neither Tanner nor Scallato are shy about asking for compensation, but as I said, my friends have deep pockets. One-million is acceptable.”

  Sara took a sip of her wine as she thought things over. She had an exclusive contract with Burke, which meant that she couldn’t be compensated monetarily by another entity. Then again, there were other forms of compensation besides money.

  Also, her contract with Burke would expire in a few months. At that time, she would be free to stay at Burke or make a change.

  Sara set her glass down and gazed intently at Durand.

  “You’re obviously well-connected in and out of law-enforcement circles, Jacques. If I approached Tanner for you, is there a chance that you could get me back inside the Bureau?”

  Durand’s sleepy eyes looked more alert, but then saddened.

  “Even if that were to happen, it would not be the same for you. I understand the circumstances and passion that caused you to shoot your own partner, but I am an exception. Who would work in the field beside you, Sara? Who would trust you? My dear, some bridges can never be unburned.”

  Sara took a large gulp of her drink and then nodded rapidly.

  “Yes, yes, you’re right, absolutely, and it was a foolish thought. It’s just that working as an investigator to find the two corporate spies made me nostalgic for my old career.”