“She’ll be more than pissed after our meeting. I’ll talk to you after it’s over. I’d like to frog march her out of the Senate building in handcuffs. One way or another she’s done and her buddy Fontaine will be finding out there are worse things than death. He probably thought he had nothing to lose by kidnapping the kids because I was after him anyway. I’ll show him there are always other things to lose in life.”
“I believe you. I’ll call late tomorrow with details of whatever private meeting I can arrange with the Algerian ambassador. Talk to you later, Nick.”
*
At the back of Nick’s house, Gus put hotdogs and hamburgers on a plate John held. Gus reached over on the table and handed Nick a double whiskey. “You’re in time for a burger, Muerto. How’d it go with Paul?”
“Real good.” Nick sipped the whiskey appreciatively. “He confirmed identities. They were all Fontaine’s. I’m going to follow a lead to find out whether Cameron was complicit in the kidnapping attempt. You and John will have the duty until I return from DC. I’ll keep you updated from there on everything until I can get home. I’m adding a fact finding item into the mix for when I talk to the Senator.”
“On the local front, no one knows what happened today,” John said. “We disappeared without a trace. Gus says the cops came in riot gear ten minutes after we left. They found nothing but some broken glass of course.”
“Did Sergeant Dickerson make an appearance?”
“He was there,” Gus answered. “I stayed out of social meetings with him. Your US Marshal pals called. They have a bad guy living near one of their people in witness protection with damning evidence about the Los Zetas cartel forming a new drug tunnel on the Arizona border. They don’t want to move the witness at this late date. I believe they would like you to scare the shit out of him so they don’t have to move the witness. I told them you have a full plate. Grace said you owe them.”
The Unholy Trio shared a laugh over Grace’s declaration. The last time Nick helped them and saved their lives, he had to lock them in the back of an SUV unconscious. “I went along with that comedy show trial trying to convict Kensky when I knew damn well he’d get off somehow. I only did it because I wanted Grace and Timmy to get their crack at justice. I knew I’d have to deal with the bastard. I’ll listen to what they have to say. Are they going to be in DC?”
“Yeah,” Gus answered. “They heard the rumor you were headed that way. Grace said to give her a call in DC if you can get free for a moment.”
“Okay. No calls or stopovers from Neil, huh?”
“I think our police friend Neil is finding other adventures, Muerto. I do not believe he likes all the action happening around you,” John remarked.
“He probably has a ‘Nick McCarty Free Zone’ sign on his front lawn,” Gus added.
“Hey, Muerto,” Tina called out from the table. “Let John bring the dogs and burgers before we starve.”
“Right away, T-Rex,” Nick fired back. “What time do we take you home tonight by car, Sonny?”
“8 pm, Sir. You’re picking my Dad up at 6 am, right?”
“Yes. I hope he’s packed and ready to go. We have a lot of business in DC to straighten out.”
“We should walk Deke again tonight, Dad. If we avoid our regular routines, the terrorists win,” Jean joked.
“Very funny, Daughter of Darkness. We’ll drive tonight. I’ll walk Deke when we get back from Sonny’s house. That will be enough of a slap in the terrorists’ faces for now.”
Deke began barking at the front of the house. Nick checked his monitors inside the sliding glass door to the patio. It was Neil Dickerson with two men dressed in suits of Middle Eastern origin. Dickerson wore his Sergeant’s uniform. Nick waved reassuringly to his family and companions.
“It’s Neil. I’ll go greet him.”
Nick hushed Deke with a gesture. He opened the front door. “Hi, Neil. How are you?”
“I’m okay, Nick,” Dickerson said with grim determination. “These men represent Omar Fontaine. Apparently, they sent men to arrange a meeting with Mr. Fontaine. They have disappeared. These gentlemen believe you know the whereabouts of the men. They believe you should be arrested and made to tell where and what you did with Mr. Fontaine’s men. I explained that would not be happening. Do you know anything about a proposed meeting?”
“No. I do know some men tried to stop Jean and Sonny Salvatore along the beach path. The kids ran for it to the beach where we were. I didn’t meet formally with those men. Were they sent after the kids?”
“How dare you accuse Mr. Fontaine’s men of attempted kidnapping!”
“Nick, this is Fadel Qureshi and his brother, Nadim. They believe you had something to do with it. Do you think they tried to kidnap the two kids?”