“I copied it to your desktop when I plugged in my USB drive. It’s labeled ‘Hostage File’.”
Grace checked her laptop as Tim drove. “Great. How did the mess at the school get resolved? When Rachel called to let us know about the attempted kidnapping I couldn’t believe it. She said there was more to it but she couldn’t talk about it on an open line.”
“Same as with the Carone connection,” Nick answered. “We’re trying to get in front of this Isis wave. Right now, we’re mostly playing catchup. We think this new operation will set back Isis operations on their heels. They want California badly as a base of operations. There’s no denying that now. Al-Qaeda is also attempting to get back in the game. Just like overseas in the sand, the rabid dogs are tearing at each other whenever they cross paths. I have a plan I’m going to run by John Harding and his crew.”
Tim arrived outside Nick’s house. “We’ll call with news one way or another within the hour.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the backup today. I admit they blindsided me with their line of questioning about two wounded perps caught dead to rights. I will definitely be watching DA Dorsett. I believe it’s time for me to find a bit more information about her life, finances, connections, and interests. If she somehow screws this hostage case up, she’ll be signing those two nitwits’ death warrants. I don’t plan on leaving two guys like that running around.”
“Understood,” Grace said. “Say hi to Rachel and Jean. We’ll make a real visit soon.”
“I will. Pay close attention to the suits’ mannerisms and expressions. Something’s fishy about this.”
“Agreed. We’re living in some damn strange times when two guys can beat women, manhandle kids, hose down a public tourist spot with automatic weapons fire, and then sue the city because they got shot doing it.”
“You outlined it beautifully, Grace. Talk to you in a while.” Nick watched them drive away with more questions than answers.
Rachel met him at the door. “I thought you were only going to be gone for an hour or so to make a quick statement. Then Neil calls and tells me they’re holding you for extended questioning. Gus and Johnny went with me to the school for Jean and Sonny. They’re all upstairs with Tina and Cala. The way Gus explained it, there shouldn’t have been an interrogation.”
Nick hugged Rachel, kissing her with a passion fired slightly by the black short-shorts and red halter-top. “Wow… you look very nice. Forget the other crap. Let’s go have a drink. Did you see any sign of my greeting party from this morning? The cops took my phone so I couldn’t call you to get an update or give one.”
“No sign,” Rachel answered as Nick also greeted the very happy Deke. “We repeated an area check for suspicious cars. You must have a problem when the cops want to put you in the back room to be beaten with rubber hoses for stopping two killers.”
Nick took her hand, tugging her toward the stairs with Deke pacing at their heels. “At first the way DA Dorsett whacked me around, I thought it was because I shot two guys of the wrong race. The more I think about it, the more I believe there was something else prompting Dorsett. I told Grace and Tim I’d look into Dorsett’s background. Without the video Cala filmed I’d still be in the box back at the Monterey station.”
“Do you think it’s politically motivated? You don’t even know any of the Monterey politicos, do you?”
“No. Before you and Jean came along, I lived like a recluse. Only Joe, Dan, Carol, Jerry, and a few others scattered around the area even knew I wrote books. Frank would have sent more killer teams than he did if I’d gone overboard on publicity. I admit to getting a kick out of doing the public events now at the bookstores.”
After the hellos floated around in good natured banter, Nick sat down at their spacious balcony table. Johnny and Gus already had their satellite uplinked laptops open while they sipped. Cala and Tina sat next to their husbands. Nick sat down with his Bushmill’s Irish with Rachel on one side and Jean and Sonny on the other side.
“Grace and Tim will be checking with the police chief and DA if they can, concerning the circus event Assistant DA Emily Dorsett put me through. We have the joint mission at Pilot Hill coming soon. I don’t want to be locked into a legal morass with the locals. Let’s find out what’s really behind DA Dorsett’s outrage.”
“She’s black,” Gus stated after going through the preliminary social page Google hunt. “Are you sure it’s not just another race baiter ploy with the poverty pimp twins, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton arriving next to extort money from the city?”