Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm (21 page)

“Pie?”

“Yeah. It stands for Pedophile Information Exchange. It’s actually based out of London and has branches here in the States. Anyway, that should get you through the door. After that, the rest is up to you.”

“You my back-up?”

Connie nodded. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Just remember, no matter how disgusted you might get, these aren’t the people we want. Just view them as stepping stones.”

“Will I have cash with me in there?”

“No. That’s too obvious. Remember, these people still retain their freedom because they are discreet. Just make some inquiries, watch the video, and leave the business card I’m picking up from Sal.”

“Business card? For what?”

“You’re going fishing tomorrow night and we need the little fishes to have some place to call if they take the bait. Sal has a phone line that’s just hooked up to an answering machine. The machine is then attached to her beeper. The moment the phone rings, her beeper goes off and she can get the message the second it’s recorded.”

“Amazing. Do I get to meet this woman?”

Connie grinned. “Soon. You’ll like her. She is one of a kind.”

“Then it’s all set. I drop some hints, we wait for them to pick up the bait, and then—”

“And then we have to be very careful. If they bite, we won’t be dealing with pedophiles any longer. We’ll be dealing with kidnappers and murderers.”

Delta thought about Helen, and about Casey and Colin. It wasn’t pedophiles she was after, though she promised herself to make herself more aware of crimes against children. No, she wanted the killers. She wanted the people for whom there was no hiding behind the First Amendment. “Don’t worry, Chief. I won’t blow it.”

“Great. Just don’t push it. Kiddie porn cases take a long time to unfold. Time is on our side because the porno ring must know how close the feds are and will want to make a quick buck and an even quicker escape.”

Reaching out, Delta laid her hand on Connie’s wrist. “Chief, does
anything
ever escape you? This is incredible work in such a short time.”

Connie laid her other hand on top of Delta’s. “I saw that look in your eyes the moment you knew they were coming our way. I knew you’d go after them. I just didn’t want you going off half-cocked, that’s all. Besides, I’m the brightest woman we know. It wasn’t that hard.”

“I only hope my performance can match yours.”

Connie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, it had better. My only foe was the computer and time. Your enemy will be men with guns and bloodstained hands. You have to be better than good.”

“Right. Anything else?”

“Yeah. When’s the last time you talked to your girlfriend?”

Delta sighed. She hated it when Connie came at her from out of the blue. “Well, I was hoping—”

“Hoping won’t do it.” Picking up the phone again, Connie dialed and handed the receiver to Delta. “Tell her you’re on your way over.”

Taking the phone from Connie, Delta sighed again. When Megan answered the phone, her voice was sleepy. “Hello?”

“Hi, babe, it’s me.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m sorry to wake you up, but I was wondering if you’d like me to come over.” Delta could hear Megan wrestling with the covers.

“I have a test in the morning, Del, or I’d love to.”

“What about after? Want to have lunch?”

“Um, well, Elizabeth and Terry want to go shopping for some clothes for their exchange trip. They’re going to Costa Rica.”

Delta frowned. Who in the hell were Elizabeth and Terry, and why were they going to Costa Rica? Had Megan mentioned this once and Delta hadn’t listened? Suddenly, Delta felt very out of touch. “Sounds like fun. Where did you meet these women again?”

“Meet them? Delta, they’re in my Intro to Law class, remember? I told you all about them and the exchange trip they’re going on this summer. Don’t you remember?”

Delta didn’t. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. It’s late, that’s all.”

Megan yawned into the phone. “Del? Is there something wrong?”

Wrong? Megan was hanging around women Delta had never met, she was going off shopping and frolicking and who knows what, and Delta didn’t even remember hearing their names before. Wrong? Usually, Megan would cancel any lunch date in order to spend time with Delta. Was the honeymoon over so soon?

“Uh, no, there’s nothing wrong.” Connie frowned at Delta and prodded her with a pointy finger to the shoulder.

“It’s just that I feel a little disconnected from you. It seems like you’ve been so wrapped up in your friends at school that we haven’t had much time together.”

“Then let’s spend some time together.”

“Great. Can we do lunch or dinner tomorrow night?”

“Oh, I can’t. Paige has the lead in the musical and we’re all going out to dinner before the curtain opens.”

Paige? Who in the hell was she?

“Okay. You tell me the night.”

“How about Wednesday night? I get off at 9:00, but we can go out after.”

“I can’t. I have a class in Crime Scene Preservation. It’s over at

10:00 and then I have to go to work. I’m off Thursday night. What about then?”

“Hmm. That doesn’t work for me. The animation festival is in town and a bunch of us from my paralegal class are going.” Megan paused and sighed. “It doesn’t appear as if we’re going to see each other anytime soon.”

“Then let’s make it Friday night. Just the two of us.”

Megan yawned again. “Sounds great. Keep your calendar clear, okay?”

“You, too.”

“Sure thing.”

The line was silent for a moment and Delta wondered if Megan was still on the other end. “Meg?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I know. I’m beat, honey. Can we talk later?”

“Yeah. Sure. Later. Goodnight.”

Click.

Delta slowly replaced the phone in the cradle. “Looks like I’m free until Friday night.”

“Del—”

“Save it, Chief. I’m all talked out. I have seventy-two hours to myself and I’m going to use every second I can to find these assholes and bring them in.”

Connie frowned, but said nothing.

“I’m going to Kempt’s tomorrow and we’ll set this whole action rolling.”

“Don’t you make a move without me, Storm.”

Delta forced a smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good. Now get out of here and let me finish my work.”

Rising, Delta headed for the door.

“Del?”

Delta stopped, but for some reason, didn’t turn around.

“She has to do what she has to do. You know that, don’t you?”

Slowly turning around, Delta nodded. “That makes two of us, does-n’t it?”

“How do I look?”

Connie stepped back and jammed her hands on her hips. “Gee, I don’t know. What is a pervert supposed to look like?”

Delta studied herself in the mirror. She looked appropriately wealthy, yet subdued enough to be believable. Believability was the key. They had to get them to take the bait now, or they would never piece this mess together.

“Got some money?”

Connie nodded. “Yeah, but don’t use it unless you have to. Flashing too much dough is a dead give away.”

Delta turned and stared at Connie. “Mind using a different cliche— perhaps one without the word ‘dead?’ ” Delta adjusted her skirt and flicked off some lint. “God, how do women wear these blasted things? They’re so uncomfortable.” Pulling up the slack in her nylons, Delta shook her head. “And these are the worst. I’ll just bet some man invented them.”

“Del, I don’t think I have ever heard you whine as much as you have tonight. It’s only for a few hours.”

“A few hours? Some women wear them
all day.
I couldn’t do it. If I had to wear a dress to be a cop, I don’t think I could do it.”

Connie just shook her head.

“And how do you keep the crotch from sagging? It feels like I’m wearing diapers.”

“Keep your legs together,” Connie said, handing Delta a wad of $100 bills. “Hell, how should I know? I only own one dress and it’s a sun dress.”

“Well, next time, let’s use that one, ’cause these nylons suck.”

Grabbing the rest of their things, Connie pulled Delta out the door.

Twenty minutes later, Connie pulled into the parking lot behind Kempt’s Porn Palace. “You okay?”

Delta inhaled slowly to steady her nerves. “I am. I can’t say the same for my nylons.”

Pulling out a small notepad, Connie flipped it open and scanned it quickly. “Okay, the guy at the counter with the reddish hair is Fibber. There should be a second guy called Philip. Apparently, Phil doesn’t know anything. All set?”

Delta pulled her nylons up one last time. “Yep.”

“Here’s your membership card. It’s not a fake, like I thought. So if they call that chapter’s president and ask if you exist, you really do.”

“I’m impressed. You’ve got some pretty incredible connections, you know that?”

Connie nodded. “All to keep you safer, my dear. Del, please be careful in there. I don’t need to tell you how dangerous these kind can be. Don’t get cocky.”

“Cocky? Me? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I thought I was `mellowing.’”

Connie couldn’t stop her grin. “Play it safe, Storm.”

Delta saluted her. “Will do, boss.” Opening the door, Delta stepped unsurely on her high heels. “It’s a wonder podiatrists don’t make the FDA put health warnings on pumps. These are horrible. They’re the perfect compliment to the equally hazardous nylon droop.”

Connie ignored her. “I’ll drive around to the front so I can have a good view of the front door. If anything gets weird—”

“I’ll holler.” Delta checked to make sure the tiny microphone attached to the back of her necklace was still there. It was the smallest mike she’d ever seen.

“Be careful, Del. I mean it.”

Delta winked and walked around the corner and into the store.

Kempt’s Porn Palace reminded Delta of a maggot’s nest—dark, creepy corners where even creepier people writhed from one aisle to the next, avoiding eye contact with the other maggots. Occasionally, there was heavy breathing in the video section, as a handful of men previewed the latest, hottest porn flicks. Of the dozen or so people in the store, Delta was one of two women. It was for that reason she and Connie believed no one would suspect her as a plant. Delta had to smile inwardly when her presence obviously made some men uncomfortable, like the first female reporter in the NFL lockeroom.

Delta casually browsed through the video section, staying far away from men who carried their hands in their pockets. She felt like a hen walking through a foxhole, as men peered out from under magazines, books, and video machines at her long legs.

After ten minutes of idle browsing, Delta strolled over to the front counter where Fibber sat reading a Voyeur magazine.

“Can I help you?” Fibber asked, not removing his eyes from the magazine. He rhythmically popped his gum as he switched it from one side of his mouth to the other.

Delta glanced around quickly before sliding the folded $100 bill on the counter. Only one corner peeked out from under her palm. “How you doing this evening, Fibber.”

At the mention of his name, the clerk glanced up. “Not bad.”

“Good. I was hoping that I might make it better.”

Fibber’s gaze followed Delta’s until he saw the money on the counter. “You have my attention.”

Delta smiled. “Good. Look, I’m new in town and a friend of mine just told me that there was a special screening of some videos that I ought to see. I was told you’d know where the previews are being shown.”

Fibber looked up from the money and studied Delta for a moment. “You interested in renting them?”

Leaning across the counter, Delta grinned in his face. “Not that it’s any of your business, Fib, but no, I’m not. I’m much more interested in purchasing some pie.”

This changed Fibber’s demeanor immediately. “Oh,” he said, straightening up and finally putting the magazine down. “I see.” Looking all around, Fibber slid his hand across the counter until it met Delta’s. Delta released the bill and the membership card.

“One minute.” In a flash, Fibber escaped around the corner and out of Delta’s sight. For a second, Delta wondered if she’d blown it. Then, before she knew it, Fibber was back and slid the membership card back to Delta.

“Can’t be too careful,” Fibber said, smiling a crooked smile.

“No, one can’t.” Delta tucked the card in the only pocket in the dress. From the same pocket she withdrew a business card with just a phone number. “This is where I can be reached. It’s a machine, but I check it every hour.”

Fibber nodded. “What kind of pie are we talking about here?”

Delta smiled. “Sorry, Fib, but you’re just the middle man. Just tell your boss that I’m a very wealthy woman. I could enhance his business dramatically.” With that, Delta turned on her pump heel and whisked out the door.