The next morning the two women had just pulled out of their driveway when Dean’s cell phone chirped.  “Colonel Peterson,” Dean said as she picked up the phone and listened.  “Are you sure about that?  Okay, give me the address.  Get big blue out for us, okay?  Then give us ten to change, and we’ll be on our way.”  Dean checked her watch and added, “Our ETA will be 0730.”  Then she replaced her phone.  “That was Sergeant Major Tibbits.  Seems we have a hit on one of our mercenaries,” Dean explained as she turned the SUV around and headed back to the house.  “We’ll need to change, then set up surveillance at a warehouse.  Are you ready for some undercover work again?” Dean asked with a big grin.

“Aye, aye, Colonel.” Katie replied with a small salute.

“Katie, -- it’s ‘Yes, Ma’am’ or ‘Sir’ in the Army.  ‘Aye, aye’ is for the Navy,” Dean corrected her while shaking her head.

“Oops.  Guess I watched too many episodes of ‘JAG’ while in El Paso,” Katie said blushing.

“Well, don’t try that around our folks, they’ll tease the hell out of you.”

“Got it.  Now, what’s big blue?” 

“Big blue is my favorite surveillance vehicle for city work,” Dean said as she pulled the SUV into her driveway.  “You’ll really like it.  All the comforts of home and then some.”

They parked the SUV in the drive and hurriedly went into the house to change.  When they came out five minutes later, they were dressed in jeans, polo shirts, athletic shoes, and lightweight jackets.  Dean had let her hair down, and Katie had on her favorite baseball cap, sporting the logo of the New York Liberty basketball team.  They were back on the road in eight minutes flat from the time Dean hung up the cell phone.

“Phew!” the blonde exclaimed as she hooked up her seat belt, “that was quick!”

“Yeah, well, you learn to be quick after sixteen years in this business!” Dean said as she smoothly entered the flow of vehicles commuting to D.C. on I95. 

During the thirty-minute drive, Dean explained that Jerry Stockton was seen entering a warehouse in the southeast part of town near the Navy Yard.  The informant said he was still in there, so they decided to mount a little surveillance to see what came out.  As they slipped into Dean’s parking place at the Pentagon, Dean said they would need to take their weapons case from the security locker in the back of the SUV.  Sergeant Major Tibbits had arranged for the surveillance vehicle to be parked next to Dean’s spot.  “We’ll be using this van,” Dean explained as she opened the door of a rusty blue Chevy van that had the markings from the city water department barely scraped off.  “We’re going to be in a not too nice area today.”  Katie nodded as she walked to the back of the SUV, opening the door to retrieve the weapons case from its security locker. 

“Looks a little ratty, don’t you think?”  Katie commented as she walked around the van to the passenger side.

“Yep!  Just what we need for where we’re going.”  The tall woman smiled as they got in and strapped on their seat belts.  In no time, they were crossing the Rochambeau Bridge towards their target.

The back of the van was windowless.  The only windows were in the cab, and the back of the van was obscured from view by sliding doors that would allow them to enter from the cab in the front.  These doors locked from both sides to insure security while they were working.  On the outside, the van looked like it was on its last legs, but on the inside, it was a surveillance dream.  Air-conditioned for warm weather use, heated for cold weather, totally soundproofed against passersby and bullet proof, except for armor piercing shells.   It had all the latest equipment including an updated Thermal Dynamic Scanning Converter that was better than the one they had used in the Catskills.  This one was so small and compact, that the external scanner probe was located in the little yellow flashing caution light that one usually sees on top of most municipal maintenance vehicles.  This housing allowed for a three hundred sixty degree rotation that could be adjusted without anyone noticing.  The TDSC was mated with a directional sound unit that could pick up voices through the thickest brick buildings around D.C.  It even had a small refrigerator stocked with water, soda, and a few snacks for lengthy operations.  The only amenity it lacked was a bathroom, and the only real problem with the van was that it was cramped.  There were two comfortable captains chairs in the back, but not much room to stretch out; for Dean that was one concession she made to have use of this van.  It was even equipped with a special set of shocks, so any movement by the occupants in the van would not cause the van to rock, thereby alerting any onlookers that occupants were inside.

After a quick stop at a local convenience store to use the restroom and pick up a few extra goodies that were Dean’s favorites, they pulled into a parking lot opposite the fenced entrance to an old warehouse.  The neighborhood had several empty buildings and warehouses, but still had a few stores that seemed to be doing a brisk business, including a sandwich and coffee shop halfway down the street.  The lot was next to a building that sold janitorial supplies, so their vehicle wasn’t easily noticeable with all of the trucks and vans going in and out.

“Okay, time to get in the back and see what’s out there,” Dean said as she slid the door to the right and indicated that Katie should go back first.  Dean followed, then slid the door shut and locked it.

This was Katie’s first glimpse into the back of the van with all its state of the art equipment.  Her immediate reaction was one of awe, but she soon got down to business as Dean gave her quick operating instructions for the various pieces of equipment.  There were five 9” TV monitors lined up; when Dean turned them on, four of them showed ninety-degree views from each of the corners of the van.  The fifth one was for the TDSC.  A set of headphones rested on the short bench in front of each chair for the directional sound system.  At the back end of the small space, there was a computer system that included a laser printer and a CD tower.  Katie looked around and asked where the taping equipment was.  Dean pointed to the computer system and told her that they were no longer using tapes but CD’s, and were able to satellite link anywhere in the world. 

“Satellite?” she asked curiously.  “Where’s the dish to up-link?”

Dean unlocked and slid the door back and pointed to an object on the dashboard, then closed and locked the door again.

“You mean to tell me that that piece of souvenir trash is a satellite dish?” Katie asked in amazement.

“Pretty neat, eh?  It looks like any of those ‘tip ‘em upside down to make it snow’ pieces of junk that you’d gotten from your dear old Auntie Maude, doesn’t it!”  The little snow globe on the dash board was a bit larger than most, but looked just as tacky and had a fountain in it with a gold paper label on the base that said ‘Good Luck Fountain, Kansas City, Missouri’ on it.  “The bowl of the fountain actually moves to track the satellites,” Dean informed the young agent. “It’s the very latest in micro technology and works like a charm.”  Katie just shook her head in wonder.  “Remind me to take you to the research and development lab for our intelligence section.  Some of the stuff they’re playing with there will really knock your socks off!” 

Once Katie was comfortable with operating each piece of equipment, they settled down for what was going to be a long, probably uneventful surveillance.  The day, evening, and night passed without a sound coming from the warehouse.  Not even one vehicle pulled in during the entire time.  Finally, at 2300, Dean decided it was time to pack it in for the night. Before they left, they decided to do an up close and personal visit to the warehouse. Changing into night gear, the two women added their shoulder harnesses for their new H & K Mark 23’s, checked the ammo clips and returned the weapons to safety.  Checking the four monitors, they noted that no one was in sight, so they each grabbed a set of night vision goggles and com units, then left the van. 

Once outside the van, they donned their night vision goggles.  Dean motioned for Katie to circle the building to the right, while she circled to the left, both looking for promising entrances.  In a short span of only three minutes, Dean’s earpiece came alive with Katie’s voice.

“Got it!” Katie whispered into her com unit.  “There’s a window open in the back, and several 50 gallon drums that we can use for a boost up.”

“Be right there, I just want to bypass the alarm system first,” Dean answered, before swiftly running to the back to meet up with Katie.

The window was big enough for them to slip through with ease.  Dean silently boosted herself up on the drum and peeked through the window, checking the interior for any signs of life. 

“Looks good,” she whispered to Katie as she reached her right hand down to give Katie a hand up.  Dean was the first through the window, silently dropping to the floor with Katie following just as quietly.  The warehouse was full of crates and boxes that, according to their labels, contained a variety of food: cereals to rice to canned fruits and vegetables, and then some.  As they walked past the stacks waiting for shipping, they noted that they were all headed for the Caribbean port of Freeport, Grand Bahamas, with a final destination of the island’s Little Dixie grocery chain.

“That’s interesting,” Katie whispered as they continued down the aisles.

“Yeah,” Dean commented, “I would have thought that the Little Dixie shipping point would be from Miami and not D.C.  Seems awfully expensive to be shipping from this far up the coast.  Let’s see if we can find the office.  You take this aisle, I’ll head down that one.”

Katie nodded as they parted, going down separate aisles and heading towards the front of the warehouse.  Dean’s choice of aisles led her to the office first, and she whispered into her com unit for Katie to swing her way.  While waiting for Katie to catch up, Dean checked the handle on the office door.  Finding it locked, she pulled out her set of picks and set to work on the lock.  As Katie rounded the corner, Dean was just standing up and opening the door to the office.

“Nice work, Colonel,” the blonde remarked as Dean held the door open for her.  “Let’s see if they lock their file cabinets, too.”  Katie pulled on the top drawer, and it slid out easily.  Running her hands through the files and doing a quick check of the labels, she found nothing unusual in the folders.  Shipping orders, customs forms, invoices, etc., everything looked quite normal and respectable as she checked each drawer.

While Katie checked the file cabinets, Dean set to work checking the rest of the office.  Desks were neat and orderly.  Just a little too neat and too orderly for Dean’s suspicious mind.  The whole office reminded her of a military materials management office, rather than a civilian shipping and receiving warehouse.  Checking the ashtrays, she noted that even the cigarette butts were ‘field dressed’ in military fashion--the butts separated from the remaining tobacco, just like you would do if you were in the field.  Things just weren’t adding up.  Hmm, if this is a legitimate warehouse, why isn’t anyone working today?  Granted the crates of food aren’t perishable items, but there should have been some activity.  “Things don’t add up here,” Dean commented as she walked toward the office door.  “Check out the computer, I’m going to have a closer look at some of those crates.” 

Dean exited the small office and started to walk down the aisle toward the back of the building to the last stack of crates.  On a tool bench by the loading dock, she found a box knife, pry bar, and clear tape applicator, then began an “eenie, meenie, minee, mo” chant to herself as she selected the first crate.  It was labeled powdered milk, and when she carefully opened it, that’s exactly what she found.  She resealed the crate, and went to her next selection.  This one was labeled coffee, and again, she found just that.  Resealing that case, Dean decided to advance a few rows and select another crate of cases.  This time she settled on ones labeled canned vegetables.  Hmmm, nothing here but mixed vegetables … how about ketchup … again and again, finding just what the label indicated.  Dean continued her careful search and found just about anything you would find in a grocery store, and nothing more.  “Everything looks legit, but I’ve just got this gut feeling,” Dean mumbled as she returned to the small office.

“Any luck with the computer?” Dean peered over Katie’s shoulder and watched her scroll through the contents.

“Nope.  Just lots of order forms for all sorts of grocery items.  Also shipping invoices and customs forms to match.  The company’s name is ‘Island Commodities, Incorporated.’  I’m downloading their personnel files now.  Maybe we can get a clue from their workers,” Katie answered as she entered a few more keystrokes.  “Now, this could be interesting,” she paused as she down paged through several forms, “seems like every shipment has the same customs officer’s signature.  A coincidence?”

“Hmmm, a little too coincidental if you ask me,” Dean replied.

“Yep.  I concur with that,” the blonde acknowledged as she looked up into Dean’s vivid blue eyes.

“What’s the officer’s name?” 

Looking back down at the monitor screen, Katie responded, “Ernest P. Comstock.”  Raising her head up once more she asked, “Did you have any luck with the search?”

“Nah.  Everything seems kosher.”  Dean shook her head in frustration.  “All right, let’s put things back the way we found them and get back to the office.  We can run a check on Mr. Comstock there, and make arrangements to have the warehouse put under long term surveillance.”

It took them a few minutes to shut down the computer, and check to be sure they left everything the way it was, before leaving the building through the loading dock’s side door.  Dean rearmed the security system, and they returned to the van, making sure that they weren’t seen leaving the warehouse grounds.  When they arrived back at the office it was 0230.  They filed the surveillance request, set the wheels in motion to do a full background check on Ernest P. Comstock and Island Commodities, Inc., and e-mailed a report to General Carlton regarding their findings.  Dean also left a note for Sergeant Major Tibbits to call them on her cell number if anything came up before 1300.  With those items out of the way, they finally left for home.

* * * * *

Chapter 5

0920 Hours, 27 October

Dean woke first, opening her eyes to see her lover’s blonde head resting on her chest.  Katie was in the exact same position as when she fell asleep, five hours earlier.  Guess we were a bit tired last night, eh, love? The dark-haired woman began to stroke Katie’s short hair with her left hand and tightened her grip around the blonde’s waist with her right hand.  This action brought a slight moan from the blonde’s lips as Katie tightened her grip around her lover’s waist.  One green eye slowly opened as Katie mumbled, “Tell me it’s not time to get up yet, pleeasse?”

“Sorry, love, duty calls.  Besides, it’s almost 0930, and we need to get in our exercise session that we missed last night.”  Dean said this with a smile, then placed a soft gentle kiss on Katie’s forehead.  “Wouldn’t do for us to get out of shape, now would it?”

“Mmmppff!  I suppose not.  But one day couldn’t hurt, could it?”  Both green eyes now pleaded with the sapphire blues looking softly down at her.

“No, one day wouldn’t hurt, but we had that one day yesterday, remember?”  One sapphire blue eye winked at the still pleading blonde, then Dean reached down with her left hand and started to tickle the sleepy blonde awake.

“Eeeeaaa!  No fair!” Katie tried to roll away from the taller woman, but was held in place by the strong arm that was around her waist.  “Okay, okay…. Uncle!” she pleaded with her tormentor.  Dean immediately stopped her barrage of tickling, and captured her victim’s lips with a slow passionate kiss while her left hand trailed lightly up the taut abdomen and came to rest between her breasts.  The kiss and touch evoked a sensual moan from the young woman who immediately responded to them with more kisses, each becoming longer and deeper until Dean realized that the young woman had maneuvered her to the point of no return… the fire was lit.

* * * * *

Dean was blow-drying her long dark hair when Katie came into the master bathroom carrying a steaming cup of mint tea.  “Now that’s how I like to exercise in the morning,” she said, as she placed the tea on the counter and stole a quick kiss from the still flushed woman.  “Cold shower didn’t help, huh?”  Katie winked as she took the dryer from her lover’s hands and continued the drying process.

“That,” Dean said to Katie’s reflection in the mirror, “was a very well planned diversion, my clever young friend!  But it still won’t get you off the hook from exercising twice as hard tomorrow.  Paybacks, as they say, are hell.”

“Pish, posh!” Katie exclaimed waving back at Dean’s reflection, “it was well worth it!”

Dean turned on her stool and placed her arms around Katie’s waist, looking slightly upward into the smiling eyes.  “Yes, love, it was.”  Then she pulled Katie down into a scorching kiss that nearly seared the young woman’s lips on contact, and caused her knees to buckle as she neatly swooned into Dean’s lap.

“Umm, Dean, we really shouldn’t…” Katie began as she opened her eyes to see Dean’s sapphire’s twinkling back at her and a dazzling smile on her lover’s face.

“Nope, we shouldn’t!” Dean responded and quickly stood up, unceremoniously dumping the young woman on the carpet.

“Wha…” Katie choked out as she looked up at the chuckling woman.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to play with fire?”  Dean laughed as the blonde lay back on the carpet, enjoying the joke herself.  Once they both regained control of their laughter, Dean reached down and helped Katie back up to her feet.

* * * * *

“Are we going to be in or out today?” Katie asked as she reviewed her clothing options in her closet.

“Dress casual today, a slacks outfit is good,” Dean responded, as she emerged from the walk-in closet in the slacks version of her officer’s uniform.  “I’ll take a casual change with me, just in case.”

Katie opted for her normal DEA field attire, which included cordovan loafers, tan Dockers, a blue button down shirt, and a navy blazer.  She decided to wear her shoulder holster with her H & K Mark 23 nestled safely under her left arm.  Katie really liked the feel or her new handgun better than the old Glock, but she still felt she needed a bit more time at the range with it before she could feel truly comfortable.  Within fifteen minutes, the two women were pulling out of the drive heading north on I95.  They arrived at Dean’s office at 1230 and immediately went to work reviewing the information gathered on Island Commodities and Ernest Comstock. 

Island Commodities, Inc. was a subsidiary of the Beir and Beir Corporation out of the Cayman Islands.  They looked squeaky clean on paper as far as the results of their normal inquiries indicated.  However, B & B Corp, was a subsidiary of another holding company, which was part of another, and another, and so on, until they could barely remember how many companies removed Island Commodities was. 

“Wow,” Katie exclaimed as she shuffled through the printouts, “there are more layers to this than a dozen flaky croissants stacked on top of each other!”

“You got that right!” Dean agreed as she leaned back in her leather chair.  “Now I definitely know there’s more to this than meets the eye.  We’ll just have to dig deeper to get to the good stuff!”

“Hey, how about looking at the personnel files I downloaded last night?”  Katie smiled as she picked up the disc and put it into the computer.  A few keystrokes later she let out a throaty “ah ha!” and hit the print sequence.

“What’s so interesting?” Dean inquired.

“Well, I found a familiar name in the personnel files.  Looks like Enrico Gaiyoz is working at the warehouse as a loading dock hand.”  Katie turned in her seat to face Dean.  “Enrico and I had a run-in or two a couple of years back.  I didn’t realize he was out on probation already,” the blonde said thoughtfully.  “We should be able to use this to our advantage.  He’s a real worm, kinda slimy and slick, but he’ll give with the slightest pressure.  Can’t endure pain, real or imagined.”

“Well, let’s go dig up this lowlife shall we?  Where does he live?” Dean asked as stood and stretched.  Katie looked at the address on the personnel form, then up at Dean. 

“Over by the train yards near the Washington Navy Yard.”

“Okay.  I’ll just change into something more intimidating, and then we’ll go find us some fish bait!”  Dean grabbed her gym bag and pulled out her black jeans, white T-shirt, and boots.  “Back in a flash,” she said, grinning at Katie.

When Dean returned, she looked every bit as menacing as she intended.  She had let her hair down and pulled it into a ponytail, and put a black baseball cap on. Pulling her clip holstered weapon out of her desk drawer, Dean slipped it into the small of her back.  Her final addition was a black leather jacket she removed from the small coat closet in her office.  “Okay.  I’m ready if you are,” she said, smiling at Katie as she hung up her uniform in the closet, “Let’s find that worm, shall we?”

Katie looked at her and whistled, “Whoowee!   I wouldn’t want to run into you in a dark alley, that’s no lie.  One look at you, and he’ll be singing for sure.”  Then the two women left the office and walked out to the SUV.  Katie noticed how several of the officers they passed in the halls, and the MP’s at the security station, smiled at Dean as she passed through the halls and out of the building.  “Hey Dean, what do you think they’re thinking when they see you in a get up like this?”

“Who?” Dean asked in all sincerity.

“All those people in there.  They practically broke their necks to watch you walk down the hall, that’s who.”

“Hell, they’re probably just jealous they aren’t coming along!” Dean answered as they got into the SUV and headed out to find Gaiyoz.

* * * * *

At 1553 they pulled up in front of Enrico’s shabby apartment building.  “This is the place,” Katie said as she put the file back into her briefcase.  “Wonder if the worm is home.”

“Only one way to find out… knock on his door.”  Dean scanned the area using her vehicle’s mirrors, and then looked out the window at the opposite side of the street. 

The narrow street was littered with food wrappers from a variety of fast food specialty restaurants, as well as discarded bottles--glass and plastic.  There weren’t too many people on the street since the day was windy and overcast, but there were five young toughs sitting on the apartment steps.

“What floor?”  Dean glanced over at Katie who was doing her own scan of the neighborhood.

“Third.  3D.  How would you like to do this?”  The blond finished her recon of the neighborhood and turned toward Dean.

“Right up the steps, and straight in.  Don’t want to give those punks a chance to warn him.  Ready?”  Dean watched Katie nod in agreement, then reached for the door handle.  “Let’s go.”

As the women exited the SUV, Dean hit the door locks before shutting her door.  They casually crossed the street, keeping a close eye on the young thugs.  As they stepped up on the curb, the tallest in the group stood up and attempted to block the stairway, staring at the women as they approached, while his stepmates started making low whistles and clucking noises.

“Afternoon, boys,” Dean said in a low growl.  “Mind stepping aside?”  She sneered at the punk standing in the stairway.  Although he was standing on the first step, they met eye to eye.

“Well, I don’ know,” he answered in a heavy Hispanic accent.  “You gotta pay to get in this place, see?”

“Oh yeah?”  Dean snarled.  “And why’s that?” she added with her feral smile.

“’Cause we just don’ let any gringo bitch into our building,” he spat out.  “Let alone a big bitch like you with a little puta like her.”  His statement led to hoots, whistles, and sexist remarks in Spanish by his friends.

With lightning speed, Dean reached out and grabbed the punk’s crotch, squeezing his dick in her left hand, while whipping out her H & K with her right hand.  She placed the muzzle at his temple as he tried to reach down and extricate himself from her grip.  Katie reacted in kind, taking her weapon out and warning the rest of the group to stay where they were.

“Oh, Pancho…” Dean said contemptuously,  “you should know I speak the language, and your boys shouldn’t say such vulgar things.  Now, I suggest you apologize for them.”  Dean continued squeezing even harder, causing sweat to pop out on the punk’s forehead as he nodded.

“Hokay.  I’m sorry,” he squealed, as one of his friends on Dean’s left jumped to make a move on her.  Without even blinking, Dean threw the thug she was holding into his friend, causing the two of them to tumble over the concrete rail and into some trashcans.  As those two fell to the concrete, two others that were sitting on the right of Dean, made a move toward Katie, who spun efficiently and kicked one of them over the other railing, and flipped the second one over her head, sending him flying onto the sidewalk.  A fifth young ruffian started to run up the stairway, but was stopped short, as Dean picked up an empty Corona bottle, throwing it neatly to peg him on the back of the head. He fell forward, causing him to smack his forehead on the doorknob.  He then slid limply down the door and came to rest on the top step.  Dean and Katie moved quickly to begin their run up to the third floor, in search of Enrico’s apartment.

“Damn.  Too much noise,” Dean murmured as she took the stairs two at a time.  As they rounded the final flight of stairs, she caught sight of a man exiting the fire escape window at the end of the hall.  She turned, shouting over her shoulder to Katie, “He’s going out the window at the back, I’ll follow this way.  Go back down and cut him off!”

Katie holstered her weapon while reversing her direction, heading back to the front door.  When she got there the five guys that were previously out front, had disappeared.  Thank the gods for small favors, she mused as she vaulted over the concrete railing, and ran to the alley on the right.  The alley was an obstacle course of crates, and garbage cans that slowed her progress, but she managed to turn the corner just as Enrico jumped from the fire escape ladder, closely pursued by Dean.  Removing her H & K from its holster once more, she leveled it at him and shouted, “Freeze!”  Caught between the two women, Enrico came to a halt, raising his hands in defeat.

“Hey, lady… I din’ do nutting.  Why you chasin me?”  Enrico complained.

“Just put your hands up on your head and spread your legs, Enrico.  You know the drill,” Katie ordered as she approached carefully.

Dean reached him from behind and patted him down.  “He’s clean,” she said as she encouraged him forward with a vigorous push.

“Hey, I know you. You the fed put me in prison!  What you want wit’ me now?”  Enrico stammered as Katie holstered her gun.

“Yeah, Enrico.  I guess I just missed you.”  Katie patted his shoulder roughly as she smiled at him.

“Hey, take it easy, I bruce easy,” the wormy man answered as he rubbed his shoulder.

Dean came up behind him and snarled in his ear.  “Naw, you don’t have to worry about her, she won’t hurt you.  But then, I might!”  He turned to see Dean raise an eyebrow and give him a menacing smile.

“Now, Enrico.  I just want to ask you a few questions, okay?” Katie began, as she walked around him slowly.  He followed her every move, and when she came around in front of him, he blinked hard and swallowed.

“I’m not messin’ wit’ drugs no more.  I got a good job.  I’m clean,” he said nervously.

“Yeah, yeah.  Sure you are.  That’s why you like jumping out fire escapes.”  Katie reached out and put her hands on his shoulders.  “But you’re not hangin’ with the right people, Enrico.”  Katie slid her hands down and smoothed the lapels to his cheap jacket.  “I just want to know some things about your new friends.”

“What new friends?” he asked, starting to shake a bit.

“Oh, you know, the ones you work with.”  Katie smiled sweetly at him as she removed her hands from his jacket.

“I don’ know nuttin’ ‘bout dem guys.  I just load the crates.  I don’ even know where they gets shipped to,” he pleaded innocently, as he looked back and forth between the two women.

Now it was Dean’s turn.  She came around in front of him and got right in his face, grabbing the lapels that Katie had just smoothed down with her large strong hands.  “I don’t think I believe you, Enrico.  Now, tell the lady what she wants to know, or I’ll break both your legs.  Got it?”

The petrified man began to shake even more, and sweat began to pour off of his brow.  “I’m tellin’ the truth!  I just load boxes all night. You gotta believe me!” he answered, as he trembled violently.  As Katie came back in front of the scared punk, she gently put a hand on Dean’s arm.  “Who’s da Amazon?” he asked Katie while Dean slowly released his lapels.  The comment put a big smile on Dean’s face as she stepped back, circling back around to stand behind him.

Katie saw Dean’s smile and almost broke into laughter herself before she continued.  “She’s a very good friend of mine, Enrico.  She’s not in the DEA like I am, so I guess you could call her your worst nightmare.  Do you understand what that means?”  He nodded vigorously.  “So, how about you tell me about your new job while we take you for a nice ride around town, okay?”  Again he nodded vigorously, and the two women led him to the SUV.  No one was in sight as they locked him in the back seat, but Dean noted a few curtains pulled aside as they drove off. 

They headed out to Anacostia Park and found an empty picnic table where they grilled him for two hours.  By the time they were through, they had determined that the ‘boss’ was one of the mercenaries on their list, and that Enrico had seen them adding items to some of the crates, but he couldn’t tell what the items were.  He had assumed they were smuggling drugs.  The shipping containers were loaded onto eighteen-wheelers once a week.  That was when he was called in to work, to load the shipping containers.  He had no idea where they were going.  At the end of the two hours, Dean made a discreet phone call to an old police friend of hers, and they dropped Enrico off at his place.  After that they went back to the office to run a check on the boss, one Roger Golding.  It turned out Golding was a cellmate of Gentry’s in Leavenworth.  He was incarcerated for downloading the computer programs used for ‘smart’ weapons.  Although he wasn’t caught selling the programs--he claimed he was downloading them to work on improving them--he was still convicted of tampering with military weapons systems.

“Hmmm.  What’s a computer geek got to do with Gentry?”  Katie questioned, as they printed out his file to add to Gentry’s.

“Gentry’s a bit of a geek too, but he’s more diversified,” Dean answered as she rocked in her leather chair.  “Now that we have Enrico in protective custody, so to speak, Golding is going to need another loading dock worker for this next shipment.  Wonder if he’s liberated enough to hire a woman?” Dean mused softly as a plan began to formulate in her head.

* * * * *

It took the entire day on Saturday to work out the logistics for the plan, but they finally had everything in place.  It was now 1715 hours on Sunday, and they were just waiting for Golding to call Enrico in to work.

“So, tell me again how you’re going to pass as his cousin?” Katie asked, smiling at Dean.

“I’m going to answer his phone speaking in Spanish.  When they ask for Enrico, we’ll buzz Floyd to pick up, and put Enrico on.  He’ll explain he’s gotta go back to Mexico on family business, but his cousin can fill in for him while he’s out.  He’ll explain that although his cousin is a woman, she can more than carry the load, and doesn’t understand much English, so he’ll be protected.”  Dean finished the explanation for the fifth time now.  “Also, I can look the part, and I do speak fluent Spanish.  I just need to be there long enough to figure out what’s what.  Besides, you and Lieutenant Jarvis will be in the van for back up.”

“Yeah, you’re right.  I’m just wanting to get in on the action, but I guess it’s your turn to go undercover, and mine to be on the outside watching.”  The sadness in Katie’s voice was easy to pick up.  “I don’t know how you were able to do that on the Kasimov case.  It would have driven me nuts.”

“Well, don’t worry, it did drive me nuts to have to sit and stare at the monitor while you and Lin went out on your little escapade.  I just about lost it when the power cut out.”  The tall woman shook her head and shivered, playing the scenario back in her mind.

Katie, seeing the discomfort her lover was in, reached out and placed her hand on Dean’s arm giving her a gentle squeeze.  “It all came out fine, Dean.  This will too.”

Dean nodded her head, hoping that this case wouldn’t be a repeat of that one.  Her mind rolled back the tape of her actions as she entered the lodge, hearing the automatic gunfire from the basement, then her race to get to Katie in time.  Only to get there seconds too late.  She relived the agony of holding an unconscious, bloody Katie in her arms.  The memories were so vivid, she felt the tears well up once more, and the pain felt very real again.  The only thing that kept her from breaking into tears, was the shrill sound of the telephone ringing.

“Okay.  This may be it.  Get ready to get Floyd on the line.”  Dean reached for the phone, answering in a deep throaty voice.  “Hola?   Sí.   Apenas un minuto, por favor.”  As she spoke, she motioned for Katie to hit the direct dial to Floyd, who answered on the first ring.  Dean hit the transfer switch that added the caller to Floyd’s line, where he handed Enrico the phone.  The conversation was already choreographed for Enrico, so when he picked up the line, everyone held their breath that he would follow his directions.

“Yeah?”  Enrico answered.

“Time to go to work, Rico. Dump the broad and be there at midnight,” the caller ordered.

“Man, I gotta problem, and that’s no broad. It’s my cousin from Juarez,” Enrico answered.

“What do you mean, you got a problem,” the caller questioned.  “You know our shipping timeline is thin.  What’s this about, Rico?”

“Maria came to get me, my papa was shot by ladrones.  I gotta go to Juarez today, man.  It’s a matter of family honor!”  Enrico sounded very convincing.

“Yeah, well, what about honoring our agreement?  Who’s gonna do your job?” the caller asked angrily.

“No problem, man.  That’s why Maria’s here.  She can do my job.”

“A woman?  Whadya nuts?”  The voice on the other end of the line was getting very angry now.

“No, no, man -- I mean, yeah, she’s a woman, but she’s big and strong and stupid.  She can do the job, man!”  This Enrico said with a pleading voice.  “Probably stronger than me.  And she don’ speak much English, just yes and no… Point her to the job, and she’ll do it, man, I promise!”

“Well, I don’t have much choice now, do I?”

“Hey, man, I’m sorry.  But she’ll work good for you.  Maybe you even like to spend some time wit’ her, she’s a real looker too.”  This said a bit lecherously.  “C’mon, Roger, gimme me a break.  I gotta go avenge my papa.”

The comment about Dean’s looks was not planned, and Katie gave her partner a wink at which Dean scowled.

“All right, but make sure she gets to the warehouse by midnight!” Roger replied, adding, “What’s she look like?”

“Oh, man.  You won’ believe it.  She’s a big one, six foot at least.  Dark hair, blue eyes.”  He ended the description with a whistle.

“Never seen a Mexican with blue eyes.  You sure about this, Enrico?”

“Yeah, man.  Her papa was a gringo my tia slept wit’ one night before he took off.”

“All right, but if you’re not back by next week, she may have to work twice for you.”

“No problem, man. You can get her at my number.  Just tell her the day and time,” Enrico said.

“All right,” Roger agreed before hanging up.

Dean picked up the line and told Enrico he did a good job, but next time he should stick to the lines he was given.  Floyd got on the line and promised to take good care of Enrico before he hung up.

“Well, looks like it’s a go.”  Dean smiled at Katie.  “We better get Lieutenant Jarvis notified.”

“Yeah.  We’ve got about five hours before we have to be in place.  Do you think we could run back to the house?” Katie asked hopefully.

“That’s what I was thinking.  I’ve got to pick up some equipment and get dressed accordingly.  We should have enough time,” the tall woman considered as they stood.

* * * * *

Chapter 6

2000 Hours, 29 October

“Hey Dean, are you ready yet?” Katie called from the kitchen as she cleaned up the dishes from the cats’ evening snack and Sugar’s medicine.  All three felines were winding around Katie’s legs purring up a storm.  “Yeah guys, I miss you too.”  She reached down to give each one a little extra attention.  Spice, being the most vocal of the threesome, made sure she got her rubs in first.  The three cats were actually Katie’s charges, but Dean had become very fond of them over the past several months, even taking them in while Katie was on assignment in El Paso.  “How do you guys like living in the new house?” she asked, as they all gave her their complete attention.  “YEOW!” cried Spice, followed by loud purring from Butter, and a barely audible squeak from Sugar.  “Me, too,” she confided, as she stood up to find what was keeping Dean.  They still had plenty of time to get set up, it was only 2005 hours, but Dean wanted to make sure everything in the van was up and running before she entered the warehouse. 

“Well, what do you think?” Dean asked, as she silently entered the kitchen.

“Jeez, Dean!”  Katie jumped at the sound of her lover’s voice.  “I’m never gonna get used to your sneaking up on me!”

As Katie faced her lover, her breath caught at the sight.  Standing in the doorway, Dean was dressed in black jeans, boots, and a turquoise form fitting T-shirt.  She had a silver concho belt and petite turquoise dangling earrings, a black bandana around her neck, and a little blush to highlight her cheekbones.  She added rich red lipstick to complete the south-of-the-border look.  Once Golding got past Dean’s obvious beauty, he would be hard pressed not to notice the graceful strength of her well-muscled body beneath the skin tight T-shirt.

“Wow!” was all that came out of Katie’s mouth, followed by another “wow” as she walked up and put her arms around Dean’s neck.

Dean began reciting: “Not too much?  Should I take the lipstick off?  I really hate lipstick.”

“Umm, yeah, you could probably ditch the lipstick.”  Katie smiled as she reached up for a quick kiss.  “That way, I won’t have to worry about lipstick stains on my body or clothing when I meet Lieutenant Jarvis tonight.”

“Down girl, we’ve got work to do,” the tall woman admonished, but then gladly swept her up into a loving embrace, planting another kiss on the young woman’s lips.  “Okay, let’s get this lipstick off us and head out.”

* * * * *

Continued

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