The Cartel Enforcers (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 2) (17 page)

The Range Rover parked near the front door and Calderon exited the vehicle last as the protection detail took positions to protect him. Smith exited the vehicle and joined Calderon as they entered the mansion. The armed men stayed outside as the doors shut behind them.

Inside the mansion was far more immaculate than the outside. Expensive paintings hung on the walls and the floor was imported Italian marble. No expense was sparred creating Calderon’s sanctuary.

Calderon poured two scotch drinks and handed one to him “So, what’s your
real
name?”

“John Smith. Call me John Smith,” he replied with a wry smile.

Calderon chuckled, “Let me guess, Mr. Smith, you’ve been very careful to remove your true identity.”

“Yup.”

“Mr. Smith it is then. We need to discuss what I need. The other team members will likely be dead when this is over.”

Smith slowly sipped the scotch while eyeing Calderon. The wheels in his mind were moving as he scanned the room for ways out, weaknesses, and any useful items to inflict pain or kill should the need arise. It was something he did every single time he was in a room with an unknown threat. And Calderon certainly was a threat in Smith’s eyes.

“I like what I’m seeing, but you’re going to have to sweeten the pot in order for me to stay on board and kill all the men back at the warehouse.” He was hoping to test the waters and gather intelligence by pushing Calderon some.

Calderon sensed he was very much like Smith. “I like your style and I think there’s much more to you than meets the eyes. I’ll give you fifty thousand for this job once I get the money, and I’ll bump you up to fifteen thousand a month to start with bonuses.” Calderon noticed Smith didn’t flinch as he discussed financial terms with him. He knew money was a powerful weapon against people, but he wasn’t sure it would work with Smith. He determined he would use Smith until he was no longer useful. Then, he’d kill him too.

Smith enjoyed the banter with Calderon, but he was bored now with his company and he was extremely tired.

Smith replied, “It sounds good to me. Let’s discuss this plan you have so I can be on my way.”

Calderon proceeded to show him diagrams, more blueprints, satellite imagery, and a miniature scaled replica of the warehouse. He had meticulously planned every move of every man working for him, including the HSI agent on his payroll. As Calderon spoke to Smith, Smith remained wary of him. He realized Calderon was intelligent and would not be as easy to fool as he’d thought.

The planning operation was completely reiterated twice. When Calderon was finished, he could see Smith was half awake.

Calderon threw car keys to him. “Take the Mercedes Benz out front and get some sleep. I’ll be over to my warehouse at noon. I’ll go over things one more time with you and the men, then head over to the benefit,” Calderon tossed him a cell phone and continued, “Only one contact in the phone, me. You see a problem or need something, call me and only me.”

Smith headed out the foyer of Calderon’s mansion. He noticed the men standing guard earlier were no longer in plain sight and were in defensive positions covering the home. Smith assumed they were similar to him…men who protected their country, came home to constant public ridicule, and needed money desperately to pay bills and to survive. They were misunderstood and not accepted by society.
What were they suppose to do
, Smith wondered.

He started the vehicle and listened to the twelve cylinder engine purr for a few seconds and noticed the glass was extremely thick. He assumed it was bullet-resistant. He looked over his shoulder to wave good bye to Calderon, but he was gone.
Hmmmmmmm,
he thought,
I need to find a place to plan how to keep the other guys alive, and then I really need to get some sleep.
He left the compound and headed toward the sheriff’s office warehouse.

Chapter 31

Sullivan and Dix located the first address on their list for Sergio Rodriguez. There was a single Honda Accord with moderate front end damage in the driveway and numerous children’s toys in the front yard. The house had a tarp on the roof, suggesting it leaked. Sullivan called in the license plate of the Honda to the dispatch center and learned it was registered to a female named Rosaria Gonzales. She made a few phone calls and learned the utilities at the home were also registered to a female named Rosaria Gonzales.

Sullivan looked over at Dix, “So far it’s not looking good. Everything here points to a female named Rosaria Gonzales and I’m guessing a guy high up in Calderon’s group wouldn’t be living in this run down home or driving that Honda in the driveway.”

“I’d say you’re probably right. Let’s sit tight and see if anyone exits the house. We’ll stop them for the broken taillight we can see, and see if we identify Rosaria.”

Sullivan coordinated what they referred to as a ‘stop car,’ a pre-staged vehicle in the area capable of effecting a traffic stop so the agents don’t have to reveal their location or the vehicle they’re in. Ten minutes went by with no activity. As Sullivan was about to ask Dix about the personal life of Petersen, they noticed a Hispanic family of four exit the house and get into the Honda. Once the vehicle was several blocks from the residence, the stop car pulled it over and investigated. Five minutes later the officer who made the traffic stop called Sullivan with details.

He said, “The driver is Rosaria Gonzales with a valid California driver’s license. The two kids in the back are ages five and seven. The front passenger was identified with a California ID card. His name is Sergio Rodriguez-Gonzales. He didn’t speak English and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been in the United States very long.”

Sullivan said, “How old is Sergio?”

“He said he’s forty-five and the California ID card also says he’s forty-five. I think he looks about forty-five. I don’t think he’s associated to your case.”

Sullivan shared the update with Dix and he felt the officer and Sullivan were correct. He grumbled as they all agreed the guy stopped wasn’t their man.

Sullivan told the officer, “Ok thanks, cut them loose. Dix and I will head over to the second location. Can you be in the area in case we find another possible target?”

“Absolutely, I’ll let these guys go and be available to assist in ten minutes.”

“Excellent. Call me when you’re in the area,” Sullivan replied.

They stopped by a coffee shop and ordered espresso shots then drove over to the next location. They were able to see the front door and front yard of the residence. Dix grabbed the license plates of two vehicles, a Cadillac Escalade and a BMW, parked in the driveway. He gave the plates to Sullivan and she began running them out through dispatch. As she did that, he took out his binoculars and studied the residence. He noticed surveillance cameras overlooking the sides and the front of the residence, but they were concealed fairly well.

Why would someone take the time to hide them so well? Normally you put them out in the open so the bad guy sees the place has cameras.
Motion sensor lights covered the same areas the camera’s covered, as well as the sides of the residence. The front door had a steel screen door protecting the main door, and the windows had reinforced bars. He noticed the yard, and house itself, looked just like all the other houses on the street, not fancy but also not run down. He was thinking the people living in the home clearly had money, and a need to keep whatever was inside safe.

Dix heard Sullivan say to the dispatcher, “Uh huh, oh

really, that’s great. Okay, thanks so much.”

Sullivan turned to Dix. “I think this is the right house. Both vehicles are registered to Jose Calderon’s business, the El Diablo Restaurant.” She was excited and hopeful they’d learn something from whoever left the house.

Dix thought about this for a second and said, “Yeah, Jose Calderon probably doesn’t pay his chef enough to live in this nice of a neighborhood and to afford the Cadillac or BMW.” He tossed back in forth in his head whether or not they should stop someone exiting the house. If they did stop someone and were able to determine it was the Sergio they were looking for, they would be in great shape and could get a surveillance team on him. But stopping him could also cause a problem. It may spook him and he could tell Jose that he was being looked at by the police, which might tip off Calderon. He decided it was worth the risk.

“What do you think? Do we stop this guy if he comes out?” asked Sullivan.

“I say we should. If he’s our guy, he’s a criminal and is use to getting stopped by the police. We can confirm he’s our guy and get a surveillance team on him, then let him go,” answered Dix.

Sullivan nodded. “I agree. It’s a risk, but we need to take some now anyway because we’re running out of time.” She dialed the stop car officer and confirmed he was good to go. Now it was time to wait, the question was how long? They didn’t have much time left and they were feeling the pressure to get the case solved. They discussed the possibility of creating a ruse to get the people in the house out if they didn’t move in the next hour. They continued to verbally hash out a plan for a ruse.

Dix glanced down at his watch and said, “It’s been about an hour and we haven’t seen any movement.”

Sullivan nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to have to force them out.”

As she said this, Dix pointed to the front of the house. Two middle-aged Hispanic males exited the front door quickly. They were both carrying large black duffle bags. They met by the BMW and put the duffel bags in the trunk. One man then got in the BMW and one got into the Cadillac. Dix gave Sullivan the ‘oh crap’ look realizing if both vehicles left at the same time, they were screwed. Sullivan frantically dialed the stop car officer, but he did not pick up. She looked at Dix for advice.

Dix shrugged his shoulders, “We can’t make a stop, and I take it the officer isn’t answering.”

“Nope, wait hold on, he’s calling me.” Sullivan answered the phone and told the officer two cars were about to move. The officer said okay and abruptly hung up on her.

Sullivan communicated through dispatch that she had two vehicles leaving the target location and needed another unit to assist. Another marked unit was in the area for a different call. She cleared her call and reported she was about a minute out. Sullivan told the second unit to take the BMW. She provided the second officer the color, license plate, and the direction of travel the BMW. The Cadillac and BMW went separate directions and drove erratically out of the neighborhood. Sullivan told the first officer about the color and license plate of the Cadillac and asked him to stop it. They assumed one of the men would be
the
Sergio Rodriguez they were looking for. However, by driving erratically, they weren’t sure both cars would actually get stopped.

No communication came over the radio causing concern for Sullivan and Dix. They circulated the area in an effort to locate the Cadillac or BMW. Dix noticed Sullivan was stressed out and driving a little too fast as there were kids and joggers along the street.

“Calm down, we’ll get them. Trust the two officers to

do their job,” Dix said calmly.

She concentrated on driving better. She scanned the area for the marked units or the BMW or Cadillac. It felt like an eternity before Sullivan could hear one of the officers calling a traffic stop on the Cadillac. There was no radio traffic for the second officer. They assumed the BMW was long gone.

Suddenly the radio erupted with the sound of gunfire while the second officer requested emergency cover units. She advised she was pinned down and taking automatic rifle fire from a single Hispanic male suspect. Officers from all around sped toward her last known location. Sullivan mashed on the accelerator in an effort to help the officer calling for assistance.

She maneuvered her vehicle around a sharp turn and could see the blue and red lights flashing from the rear and top of the second officer’s vehicle. Sullivan advised dispatch that she was at the second officer’s location. They jumped out of their car just in time to see the suspect’s gun jam and the officer shoot the suspect in the chest and head.

She got back on the radio. “Suspect down, send code-three medics. We’re approaching the car to make sure the scene is safe.”

Dix, Sullivan, and the second officer slowly walked toward the suspect vehicle, cleared it for any further threats, pulled the suspect from the open driver’s door area, and handcuffed him. It was obvious the man was dead, but they stuck to the policy and procedures for an officer involved shooting and handcuffed him. Dix grabbed the suspect’s AK-47 assault rifle, made it safe, and slung it over his shoulder. Responding units began flooding the scene as the second officer advised over the radio that the situation was under control and clear for medical staff to enter.

The officer who had the Cadillac stopped played the situation very cool. The officer wore an ear piece so there was no way the driver of the Cadillac knew anything about what just happened with the BMW. He waited patiently as the call with the BMW was moved to a secondary tactical channel freeing up the primary radio channel for him. He then ran a “Sergio Rodriguez” out through the dispatch center. Sergio did not have any warrants and was not on probation or parole. He dialed Sullivan to let her know his situation, but thought he’d mess with her a bit.