“Most of those beach visits were journeys into the Dark Web, where I conducted my freelance assassin business. The rogue NSA outfit Frank Richert ran kept all of our sanctions done on the Dark Web. Any entity interested in a sanction the NSA felt would be in our interests were dealt a connection on the Dark Web where they found me. That’s how I received all sanctions not given out by Frank directly, and where I made contact with Hayden Tanus and his import/export business, eventually leading me to Rachel, Jean, and Deke.”
Gus, John, and Dan traded surprised looks before Gus spoke. “Damn… there’s always something related to you we find out in small doses. I’ve heard a little about the Dark Web, but never thought of it as a conduit for assassins.”
“Let’s concentrate on the prostitute business. I looked through all the cases. Every one of them was from a referral to the Dark Web. I found pictures of all the victims that haven’t been taken down yet by the pimps running the show. The fourteen year old runaway was taken off Craig’s List. She was opening her own business off her cell-phone. There was no mention of the Craig’s List ad she took out, which the FBI would have had to actually pursue to find. They started on the wrong end – from the scene of the crime. I cut them some slack for the runaway though, because she tried to go right into business.”
“Fourteen,” Dan said, shaking his head. “She gets a bus ticket to Seattle, launches herself on some Internet predator site as a prostitute, and gets hacked to pieces. I don’t want to think about her last moments, knowing her short life ended with a bus ticket and an Internet ad.”
“It sounds like all you would need do is introduce yourself to the FBI task force, school them on the Dark Web, and let them have the Ripper,” John said.
“True, John, but they would never run an operation like we’re going to. If they listened to me which is doubtful, they would form an offshoot from the regular task force to study the Dark Web, and a myriad number of incidentals unrelated to the case. Although useless, the minutia they found I’m sure would be vital to their task force information gathering bullshit. In the meantime, the Ripper stays on the down low, carefully enticing targets of opportunity where he can get them.”
“If for no other reason than to erase the thought of that fourteen year old girl’s last moments I’m in. We should get this guy if we can. I assume you have more of a plan formulated for me and my pimp Geezer assignment.”
“That’s where this will be a bit tricky. I’m letting John and Gus ferret out three or four really high end girls, but with the toughness to take the money I’ll be paying them, and risk their lives to get the Ripper. I plan on them being protected every step of the way, but they won’t know to trust me, so they’ll have to believe they’re tough enough to handle a confrontation with the Ripper. We have a lot of money from the Isis score, so we don’t have to touch our own funds or Paul’s. We’ll make the girls we pick an offer I doubt they’ll refuse.”
“What’s the specifics for your confrontation and trap,” Gus asked. “I see where you’re going with the contacts and such, but once the Ripper is on the hook, he’ll be hard to spot and handle.”
“We need to get this set into motion today. Luckily, it’s only an hour and a half’s trip from here to Seattle. That’s what makes the Wolf Lodge perfect as our base of operations. The book signings in Olympia are way closer than Seattle. We won’t have to stay in either city. As to the physical part of the operation, I have a pattern we’ll follow every time out. Once an interested party contacts our Dark Web ad, only one of our girls will go out at a time, and we will insist on at least a two hour window. I’ll get into position with my silenced .50 caliber Barrett with a view of every step from the vehicle to the meeting place. Dan will accompany the girl with Gus driving, and John in the shadows, all well in advance of the meeting. I’ll call Grace and see if she and Timmy are in Seattle yet. I’ve been putting that call off because she’s still a bit raw I’m thinking from my Sadun snatch.”
“If you reach her this morning, are we going there today?”
“There’s no reason for all of us to go, Dan. I’d like you three to narrow down some prostitute candidates. I’ll contact any of them that seem promising while I’m in Seattle. Besides, I can’t have you guys with me anyway in case I have to meet with this Kaitlin Anderson.”
“How much trouble can Anderson make? Hell, you’ve got a great track record with the DOJ.”
“Aw… you’re so cute, Gus. Plenty of trouble. If not for Grace, my last collaboration with law enforcement out of state would have been futile. They don’t listen. They don’t reason, and they don’t abandon any guideline in their goofy manual, even when it doesn’t work. I swear. I don’t know if they get their guidelines from TV or TV gets them from the FBI. Another plus to not staying in Seattle is I don’t want the Ripper spotting me with the Feds, and then seeing Rachel and Jean.”
“Hey,” John exclaimed, seeing Nick get another Irish coffee. “Are you driving to Seattle, Mr. Hemingway?”