She paused.
‘At first, everything seemed kosher. I began to think the Commander was imagining things. But after I smacked around a few suspects on some drug raids and bit back when the guys on the team started giving me shit, they began to relax. They included me more and more. And then I saw that the Commander wasn’t just paranoid.’
She shook her head.
‘Turned out this wasn’t just a couple officers skimming a few notes off the stack. This was scamming that had been going on for years. Not including myself, there were eleven men in the First Team and every single one of them was in on it. A handful of others had retired on what they’d stolen, their replacements appointed by Calvin over the years, men who they knew they could trust and were secretly on the take. I relayed what I was seeing to the Commander and we began to build a case. On scores of busts, I saw them keep aside large portions of money and dope for themselves, tossing me a cut to keep me quiet. I hung out with a few of them at bars on the Keys, shooting the shit and learning what they’d been up to all this time.’
‘They weren’t suspicious?’
‘Take this from a woman. You wear a tight-fitting dress and act half-interested, a guy won’t be thinking with his brain.’
‘So what happened?’
‘A separate task force from the Anti-Corruption Unit was set up to build a complete case on these guys. Surveillance, wire taps. I was wearing a fibre-optic on a couple of raids. Gathering weight on the older guys who’d retired was easy; they’d become complacent. They’d figured they’d already ridden off into the sunset and had gotten away with their crimes. None of these idiots understood the meaning of subtlety; they had five bedroom homes, speedboats. One of them even had a 230 thousand dollar Ferrari, fresh off the line. Nailing them was easy.’
‘The others?’
‘Not so much. The current officers were smart and had connections. Although they were screwing up, they were pretty slick and warier than the old guys. ACU couldn’t find their stolen funds, and they only spoke about their dealings in person, never over the phone. However, at the end of November last year we figured we had enough with my first-hand accounts; the case was green lit and out in the open. The entire team was arrested, suspended and have been ever since, each of them still being brought in for questioning and grilled like tenderloin. So far they’ve admitted nothing, standing their ground, challenging us to provide any clear-cut unquestionable evidence. Which is where I come in.’
‘And it didn’t take a genius to realise you were the one who gave them up,’ he said.
She nodded. ‘No. It didn’t.’
‘Once the Commander and his task force moved in, I was immediately pulled from SRT for my own safety,’ she explained, as Archer listened closely. ‘I was a jewel in the prosecution’s crown. I’d been involved in some of this scamming and had seen first-hand the accused officers engaged in all sorts of illegal activity. Suddenly, I became extremely valuable but also a major target. The evidence against them was strong but not titanium. My testimony would carry considerable weight. If anything happened to me, there was a strong possibility the case could disintegrate. They’ve got powerful friends. If they got charged they’d get a few months, maybe a couple of years, maybe nothing at all if their lawyer played her hand right. If I didn’t make the stand, they could get off pretty easy. They could even beat the charges.’
‘The same as Isabel,’ Archer said.
Vargas nodded. ‘The Commander wanted me out of Florida. As I said, these cops had some powerful connections, including guys still on the force. The Commander had some himself, including Dalton, who was a former Miami PD Master Sergeant and an old friend of his. Given what I’d done, they asked me where I wanted to go, and the Commander suggested the US Marshals. He’d spoken to Dalton about the situation and provided I passed the training, Dalton said I could join his office here in New York.’
‘So they accepted.’
She nodded.
‘Two days later, I was at the training academy in Glynco for seventeen weeks, laying low, living in camp, far from Florida and blending in with all the other recruits,’ she said. ‘Then I was assigned to Foster’s team under Dalton’s orders.’
‘They didn’t tell John who you really were?’
She shook her head.
‘It was almost like witness protection for me; teams like Foster’s live off the grid and always expect trouble. Although they thought they were protecting someone else, I’d have a three-man security escort wherever I went and no-one would know my story. For the past eight days, we’ve been laying low with Isabel, staying at DOJ safe-houses all over the State. It was killing two birds with one stone. I’d be part of Foster’s crew protecting Isabel, yet they had no idea that they were also protecting me.’
‘Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘So these men are all cops?’
She nodded. ‘Miami-Dade PD. Special Response Team. Including the sniper, that makes eleven men.’
‘That explains their moves and obvious training. These guys know what they’re doing.’
‘Right now, they’re all suspended as the investigation continues. The trial is set to start in eleven days. And guess who’s due to testify against them.’
Archer considered the situation, mapping it out from the start to that very moment.
‘They hired the street team to put you away. They’re also in the area, but not on the trigger, wanting to lay low and away from suspicion but there in case anything went wrong. When the ambush didn’t work, they came in themselves to take you out. Make sure you die so they walk.’
‘Yes. These guys are cops; they know the drill. Their alibis will already be bought and paid for. They’ll be able to prove they were nowhere near New York this weekend.’
She thought back in the evening.
‘I don’t know how the hell they found me. But however they did, they must have figured Barlow would be the weakest link on our team. Made him an offer. He must have told them everything; me, Foster, Carson. Who Isabel was. Our moves and location today. They set up an ambush to get me.’
Archer nodded.
‘They knew any attack would appear to come from Mike Lombardi,’ he said. ‘And it would look like you got caught in the crossfire trying to protect her. The perfect plan.’
He paused.
‘Jesus. These guys are supposed to be on our side.’
‘Tell me about it.’
Taking it all in, Archer thought back to the gunfight on the 22nd floor. He remembered Vargas removing the man’s balaclava and staring down at him when he grabbed her and said they had to go.
‘Who was the guy you killed upstairs?’
‘His name was Taylor. First Team’s point man when they went in through the door. Real asshole.’
‘You knew right then what this is really about.’
She nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘So why didn’t you say anything?’
‘I’ve been sworn to secrecy and I was shocked. Besides, it wouldn’t make any difference if they were after me or Isabel; we’d all still be in this situation. And I thought back up would get to us before I’d have to explain.’ She saw the look on his face. ‘Try to understand, Archer. I’ve spent the last thirteen months keeping a huge part of my life a secret; it’s hard to shake that habit. Especially when there are a group of highly trained men searching for you and wanting to kill you.’
He thought for a moment.
‘Well now we know for a fact who they are, we need to tell the people outside,’ he said. ‘This changes everything. They’re wearing those balaclavas and using code-names for a damn good reason. Without them, their alibis count for shit.’
He grunted and rose, pulling the bloodied towel from his torso and pushing himself back to his feet. She joined him.