“It’s not for you, it’s for Janey.”
“Yeah, right, like you care.”
“This can go one of two ways. The first, you and Janey can live happily ever after. The second, you don’t.”
“Don’t threaten me.”
“Oh, it’s not a threat, sweet Amber, it’s a promise and you know I’ll make good on it. What does this asshole look like?”
Amber gave him Nathan’s description. “I wouldn’t mess with him if I were you.”
“Yeah, right. Now shut up and listen. Here’s what you’re going say to McBride.”
Nathan couldn’t formulate a plan to collar Ernie until after Amber called, if she called at all. Until he knew Ernie had taken the bait, all he could do was wait. Nathan hated waiting. It grated on his nerves like a headache. As a sniper team, he and Harv had been masters at waiting, often for days at a time until their mark materialized, but this felt different.
He knew Harv preferred to stay busy during downtime. Currently, Harv had all their equipment laid out on the hotel room’s bed, checking and double-checking everything. He’d broken down their Sig Sauers and thoroughly cleaned and oiled their actions. He’d replaced the batteries in their night-vision scopes, RF detector, handheld thermal imagers, and radios. He then used a lens cloth to clean their field glasses. Although it wasn’t necessary, Harv pulled their Predator knives and checked sharpness. He applied a fine coat of gun oil on their menacing surfaces and sheathed them with more force than needed.
Nathan just stared.
“What?” Harv asked.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m just making sure they’re ready.”
Nathan’s cell rang. He didn’t recognize the number and held it out for Harv to see. Harv shook his head. Nathan answered it. “Hello?”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t old scarface himself.”
“Am I speaking with the loosest ass from cell block D?”
“Fuck you, McBride.”
“Come on, Ernie, can’t you think of anything more original than that? Do me a favor and put Leonard on the phone. I’d rather talk to him. He’s the brains of your operation. You’re just an errand boy.”
“Oh yeah? Well, here’s a message for you. I’m going to kill you real slow with a dull knife.”
“That’s going to be rather difficult after I’ve severed all your fingers.”
No response.
“Tell me something. Did your baby brother die right off, or did he squeal on the ground like a little girl?”
“We’ll see who does the squealing.”
The line went dead.
The coldness and lack of emotion sent a shiver through Nathan. “Well, at least this confirms he called Amber. She gave him my cell number. I love it when a plan comes together.”
Two minutes later, his phone rang again. It was a 559 area code, probably Amber Sheldon calling. He took the call. “Don’t say anything. Give me the number you’re calling from.”
She rattled off the number.
“Sit tight. I’ll call you back in five minutes.” He ended the call. “Let’s go find a pay phone a few blocks away, I don’t trust the ones in the lobby.”
Nathan rapped on the door adjoining his room with the two FBI agents and opened it. Grangeland and Ferris were waiting for him. They’d obviously heard everything he’d said. “We’re going out to call Amber Sheldon from a pay phone. We’ll be back in a few minutes. Cross your fingers, with a little luck we’ll be able to formulate a plan.”
They took the elevator down to the lobby and diverted over to the registration desk to get some quarters. They found a pay phone outside a liquor store. Ignoring the green wad of gum jammed into the receiver, he dialed the number.
“It’s me again,” said Nathan. “How did it go?”
“About like I expected.” There was sarcasm in her voice. “He wants to give me and Janey some money. He said it’s his way of making up for all the shit he’s put us through over the years.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Ernie’s done plenty of bad things, but yeah, I believe him.”
“How much money?”
“Twenty thousand,” she lied.
“How’re you supposed to get it?”
“He said he’d leave it in a paper bag in a trash can at the gas-pump island at Pete’s.”
“Which one?”
“He didn’t say. We have eight islands if you include the commercial diesel pumps. I guess I’ll have to rummage through all of them.”
“When?”
“He said sometime after midnight.”
“Listen to me very carefully, Amber. Don’t do anything. Do not approach the trash cans. Understood? I mean it, stay away from them.”
“I will.”
“What else did he say?”
“He said he’s bugging out with Leonard and that I’d never hear from him again.”
“Okay, good job. Sit tight. You won’t see us, but we’ll be there. Don’t do anything.”
“I won’t.”
Nathan replaced the cradle and turned to Harv. “He took the bait, we’re on.”
“It’s a trap. He told her what to say. You know that, right?”
“Yep.”
“And now you’re taking the bait.”
He smiled. “Wrong. We’re taking his bait.”
Harv stopped cleaning their field glasses and shook his head. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this.”
“Relax, Harv, I’ve got everything under control.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
It would be a two-and-a-half-hour drive down to Fresno. For tonight’s action, both he and Harv were dressed in their woodland pants, black T-shirts, and combat boots. Nathan considered using his helicopter but there was no way to land anywhere near Pete’s Truck Palace without alerting the entire area. Besides, fog was in the forecast for the early morning hours. Nathan and Harv were in the lead, driving a rented Ford Expedition. Henning, Grangeland, and Ferris followed in a Crown Victoria. As usual, Harv drove. Until they surveyed Pete’s Truck Palace, they couldn’t plan anything in detail.
Nathan felt Harv was right. Amber Sheldon hadn’t been completely honest. When he’d asked how much Ernie had offered, a slight change in her tone gave it away. Twenty thousand dollars wasn’t chump change, but he was certain Ernie had offered more than that. How much, he didn’t know or care. All that mattered was her dishonesty. And if she were lying about the money, what else was she lying about? For all Nathan knew, Amber had made the call under duress, with Ernie’s knife at her throat.
Prior to beginning the drive to Fresno, Nathan had given Henning one his radios in case they needed to stop for any reason. As they descended the on-ramp onto Highway 99 south from Highway 50, Nathan keyed the radio. “Radio check.”
“Copy,” came Henning’s response.
“We’re going to exceed the speed limit. I trust you’ll use your FBI credentials if we’re stopped by the CHP?”
“No problem.”
Nathan set the radio on the seat and settled in for the drive. “I miss my dogs,” he said. “When this is over I’m going to spend some quality time with them.”
“Yeah,” said Harv. “I know what you mean. I miss my family too.” Harv moved into the fast lane and accelerated up to ninety miles an hour.
Chapter 21
On the drive south, they’d been forced to slow down through patches of fog, some of them several miles long. At the exit for Pete’s, Harv coasted down the off-ramp and turned right, away from their target. Anyone coming down the off-ramp at this hour would probably turn left, heading to Pete’s. Harv drove another hundred yards and killed the headlights. Nathan craned his neck and saw they were obscured from Pete’s by the Highway 99 overpass berm. Harv pulled the Expedition onto the shoulder and slowed to a stop. The Crown Vic pulled in behind them.
Nathan keyed the radio. “It’s fair to assume Amber gave a description of me to Ernie, so Harv will conduct a reconnaissance report back to us. I’ll wait in your vehicle until he returns.”
“Copy,” Henning said.