High Stakes Gamble

Chapter Eleven

Aurora couldn’t believe her eyes the next morning when she stepped into her office and saw Lisa slouched at her desk. Ashen-faced, droopy hair and bloodshot eyes encircled by rolls of swollen, rubbery-looking eyelids wasn’t a pretty sight. Considering the girl’s hair normally looked like a shiny twisted hazel bush full of gnarly branches, to see it hanging dishrag limp seemed out of character. Granted, she was ill, but the damage was extreme.

Aurora stood at the open door and surveyed the sad image. “You shouldn’t be here. I’ve seen cats mauled by vicious dogs looking better than you do right now.”

“Ha! Like I could stay away. Haven’t you heard? There’s a cop-killer on the loose.”

“How did you find out?”

“I saw it on the news.”

“And here I figured all you did was watch serials on the boob-tube.”

Lisa perked up and sneered. “I’ll have you know I gave up a re-run of Cagney and Lacey to catch up on the local news.”

“You watch that dumb show?” Aurora snorted. “No doubt you’ve slotted me into the bitchy blonde’s character.”

“Other than the difference in hair color, it’s a perfect fit.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Aurora watched Lisa pull out a tissue to blow her already reddened nose. Something seemed off. Even allowing for her cold, Lisa looked depressed.

“What’s up? And don’t tell me you’re sick. I have a detective’s badge and I’m fairly astute.” Aurora, dressed in her normal attire of tight black pants, white shirt-blouse and her typical high-heeled boots stopped leaning against the doorjamb and moved into the room to sit at her own desk across from her partner’s. Taking in the shifty way Lisa tried not to make eye contact, she pushed harder. “Start talking?”

“You don’t like it when I talk about my personal life.”

“You mean I don’t want to listen to you babble on about all the losers you trail behind like a lost puppy looking for a master and a leash.”

“You so exaggerate.” A sniff followed Lisa’s dry reply.

“Not by so much detective Jordan. Quit stalling and changing the subject.”

“Okay, you asked for it. I’m worried about my sister.”

“You mean the one who got pregnant, and like me, was grumpy in her first trimester?” Aurora couldn’t help needling Lisa about a remark she’d once made that had always rankled.

“Yep, the one who was pregnant, bitchy and not married—like you.” Lisa didn’t hide the smirk for having scored yet again.

“Smartass!” Aurora grinned. “What’s wrong with her?”

Sobering quickly, Lisa stopped to consider her words, which made Aurora’s uneasiness increase. Normally, words burst out of Lisa haphazardly.

“Carly’s not answering her phone. I’ve tried calling both her home number and her cell but she’s not getting back to me. I sent texts and e-mails, and still nothing. I know things are busy for her. She’s given her notice at work and started organizing her packing for their move here to Vegas, but it isn’t like her not to keep in touch. I—”

Aurora cut her off knowing she could go on and on, saying the exact same thing. “When was the last time you talked?”

“About a week ago. Then all hell broke loose here at work. And after getting the flu, I lost track of time. Finally yesterday, I realized how long it had been and started calling.”

“You didn’t have any messages from her? None at all?”

“One saying she’d found a good babysitter for Noel while she got the packing done. She hates anything that upsets her normal routine so she did mention that her life had spiralled and was crazy. Then nothing. Aurora, it’s not like Carly. If I don’t call every second day, she’s on to me, riding my ass about keeping in touch. I told you that her and Noel, her little guy, are intending to move here to Vegas, right?”

“Like a millions times. It’s all you’ve been talking about for months! You’re lucky to still have each other. I think it’s a great idea.”

“Carly and Noel are all I’ve got left of my family and I hated moving away even for the short time it took me to get settled and find a place we could share.”

“Since you shouldn’t be at work yet anyway, why don’t you go see what’s wrong. If you need a loan for a plane ticket, it’s yours.” Aurora knew that Lisa used a lot of her wages helping her sister with expenses and never seemed to have enough cash.

“If I don’t hear anything soon, I might have to take you up on your offer.” Lisa beamed at Aurora then spoiled it with a sneeze. “Tank ew, Wory. You’re—”

“Don’t mention it and for Chrissakes, I’m begging here. Don’t call me Wory!”

Snickering while fishing out more Kleenex, Lisa grabbed her phone and punched in numbers she knew by heart.

Aurora left her to her phone call and went over to Ham’s desk, waiting till he finished his two-finger plucking the keys on the computer. Finally, he looked her way, his bushy eyebrows creased with frowns.

“So, did they come up with anything on those licence plates yet?”

He answered with a shrug. “Yeah and they were all bogus. For instance, the difference between two of them was between a C and an O.”

She sniffed with disgust. “A bit of paint and voilà.”

“That’s what I figured. Meanwhile, the other numbers registered to a truck fitting that description were all stolen. The driver’s license numbers used were phony also. One thing though, an operator at the Nellis scale said he remembered the driver as being a heavy-set Asian guy. He also said the prick stuck a bag in his garbage and the stink drove him to check. It was a pile of dirty diapers. Said when he told the driver he could take the crap with him, the bastard acted as mean and miserable as they come.”

With a voice that could chop a block of ice in half, she answered. “Having a personality disorder is one thing. Kidnapping kids and shooting a cop in cold blood goes way past being miserable and into the psychotic.”

“You got that right. This is one scoundrel I’m gonna be happy to bring down.”

“I get that I don’t have to ask, but you know me, I can’t help myself. You did send someone out to retrieve the bag of diapers and to bring the he scale operator in for the sketch artist to work with him, right?”

“Sure. But he says he only got a quick glance and the sun put the guy’s face in the shade. We’ll do the best we can.”

“Good.”

Ham’s keen glance checked her over. “Hey, you look kinda weird today. Anything you need to talk about? You coming down with the flu, too?”

“Nah! Just didn’t get much sleep.” She tried not to flinch from his concern and set him off.

He sat up straight, and with his eyes narrowed, he searched hers until she looked away. “Son-of-a-bitch! He’s back, ain’t he? Want I should shoot him for you?”

“Nah! I already tried. Even with a gun pointed at him, he doesn’t scare that easy. Let’s not waste our time talking about the bastard. I let him see Lily and he left. End of discussion.”

Ham continued to stare until she threw him the don’t-mess-with-me look she was so famous for. It still took a few seconds for him to back down and change the subject.

“Speaking of our little angel, how did she take you dropping her off at Deb’s this morning?”

Tension fading, Aurora rested her hip on the edge of Ham’s overflowing desk. “Are you kidding? She loves Deb.”

“Mattie said to tell you if you’re ever stuck she’ll be glad to take her also. She loves the babe and since our three are at school all day now, she’s suffering from mommy-with-no-baby-to-cuddle syndrome. At least until I get home from work, that is.” His suggestive wink said it all.

“Eww! Like I’d take a chance on leaving her with you two? I’d have to pry her out of your arms with a crowbar every night.” Aurora felt the smugness of pride flow over her and had to turn away before Ham could see the pleasure on her face. “By the way, I called Raoul last night.”

Ham stiffened and the softness fled. “Still don’t know why you two are so tight. He heads up the Hermanos and has his hands into all kinds of illegitimate crap.”

Aurora almost explained that she balanced his usefulness to his being jailed, then decided not to. Over the last year, Raoul had helped her solve a few messy situations that she knew wouldn’t have ended without his help. Plus, as the sole caregiver for his little sister, Rosa, who relied on him in every way, he needed to stay free.

Rosa, blinded and assaulted by the monsters from the rival gang who’d kidnapped her, without Raoul, would be pretty much at the mercy of foster care. And for Aurora that was unthinkable.

Beside, once Aurora had saved Rosa’s life, she pretty well had Raoul eating out of her hands. So as long as his gang didn’t step too far out of the box, she’d play the game. After all, there was no doubt in her mind that the minute he disappeared another hombre would step in and probably it would be someone who wouldn’t play to her rules.

Ham’s chair creaked as he got comfortable and she realized he waited patiently for her to continue.

“It works just fine this way, O’Hampton,” she teased. “If he crosses the line, I’ll be the first to cuff him. He gave me some intel that I phoned in to Ray last night. Has he been to see you yet?”

“No but he called to say he was ready for you, want I should get him here?”

“Don’t bother; he’s on his way now.” Aurora had caught sight of the curly red-headed stickman heading in their direction, his baggy camouflage pants doing little to hide his lack of hips. The grin he wore, while he bounced toward them, spoke volumes to his fondness for her.

She tried not to return his smile since it normally encouraged him to veer into personal stuff. Instead she kept a straight face and asked with a serious attitude. “What have you got for me?”

“Good to see you Aurora. How’s Lily?” He stood there looking at her like they were at a freaking family picnic or something.

Aw hell! She’d have to rebuild her shoulder-chip. Since having the baby, everyone in the frigging place had turned into a pal. With her voice sounding distinctly pissy, she answered. “Lily’s fine. What about the Chang-Lee’s?”

Recognizing her mood, he snapped to attention and started reading from the report he held in his long spindly fingers. “There are two of them—half brothers. One was born in Kowloon, name of Chu, the other in L.A called Leon. They have the same father, Han Chang-Lee. Both sons in their mid-thirties have formed an alliance and set up a crime network that’s become a syndicate of corruption, and violence. You name it and they’re into it. Brother Chu, who went to UCLA, fled a few years ago and is a person of interest after being implicated in multiple murders. He’s rich and powerful and his extradition from China will never take place. Of course we know he won’t step foot back in this country on his own so we can nab him. But from what I can make out, he’s the commander and chief.”

“You figure they’re behind the baby snatching taking place lately? Why would they be involved in something so rudimentary? And white children, I don’t get it?” Perplexed, she asked and expected an answer.

“I guess I forgot to tell you the name of their underground enterprise. It’s called “Demand, We’ll Supply.” Anything goes: weapons, drugs, human trafficking. In fact every form of corruption and subversion has been linked to this family. If there’s a requirement for white babies anywhere in the world, their motto says you pay the money and we’ll fill the order.”

“Okay, we need to see all cargo manifests that look iffy going in the direction of L.A. Therefore highway patrol needs to be at all the weigh scales leaving the city and we need to close down those escape routes. I know we already have officers watching for trucks with that description but we need to double them. Also have the choppers patrol all unlikely routes for a twenty-year-old white Peterbilt. Plus, Ray, you better send this info on to the Feds but if you happen to get extremely busy over the next while and don’t get it done right away, well then…” She shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, we screwed up.”

“Can do.” His head bobbed up and down, his golden-reddish hair resembling a platter of skinny, curly fries bouncing all around.

Aurora thought for a minute and then asked. “Did you come up with an address?”

“In L.A., sure. But nothing here.”

“What about any links to some of the Chinese mafia here in town?”

“Nothing. Dead end.”

Aurora’s face brightened. “Where’s Mother Ling hanging out nowadays?”

Ray looked confused until Ham interrupted. “Good call, Aurora. That old bag knows everything going on in her community and can be helpful if you bring her a gift. Last I heard—she was still in the slammer.”

“Swisher Sweets Wine cigarillos. Right?”

Ham nodded. “You want her total focus, I’d bring two boxes.”