Katie rode quietly and hoped Grand hadn’t left or Junior hadn’t gone in the wind.
“Don’t worry, he’ll still be there,” said McGaven.
Katie didn’t even respond to the fact that her partner could read her mind. It happened too often now.
McGaven drove into the small gas station where a navy sedan waited. He pulled up next to the vehicle where they could talk from their driver’s side. The window eased down. Katie could tell that the driver was excited by the look on his face. He seemed not to be affected by staying up late for hours or even given a mostly boring assignment—his face was all bright-eyed and smiles.
“Detectives,” said the officer. “Grand is still at the warehouse on Brown Street. There’s a painted 1024 on the front in gray spray paint. There are four cargo areas on the right, two doors on the front. He drove up and entered at 0115 and is still there. His car is a silver Lexus.”
“Okay,” said McGaven. “Anything we need to be aware of?”
“Another car arrived three minutes later, a brown late-model truck. A man got out, but I couldn’t positively identify him. He made sure he stayed in the shadow and is wearing jeans, black hoodie, and black cowboy boots. My reports and photos are on their way to your email.”
“Excellent. Thanks, Andrews. We’re going to take it from here and I’ll let you know if Grand still needs a tail.”
“Thank you, Detective, for the opportunity.”
“There will be more heading your way. I’m sure.”
Andrews nodded and then drove off.
McGaven raised the window. “You ready?”
“Ten-four.”
McGaven made his way slowly around the row of warehouses. Most were empty but sported signs of who would be leasing it next. He was able to find a perfect parking space where they could see the warehouse and anyone coming and going, but would remain hidden in the black truck. There were some outbuildings and places where the electricity came intothe buildings keeping them safely camouflaged. They were cloaked in darkness.
They saw both vehicles Andrews had described and it seemed no new visitors had arrived. Katie took photos of both cars, including the license plates, with the digital camera with a long-distance lens. She also took photos of the area and the warehouse. The area used to be made up mostly of food processing plants that would bring in fresh fruits and vegetables and flash freeze them before the product would go out to grocery stores.
“You’re very quiet,” McGaven said.
Katie smiled. “I’m feeling the weight of this case.”
“Give me some of that load.”
She looked at her partner and could still see the image of him diving into the trailer to save her. Not many people would have done that. “We’re partners. We share the load.”
“Anytime, anywhere.”
Flashes of light suddenly permeated through the small windows and cracks around the building.
“Did you see that?” Katie said.
“Yep.”
“Gunfire?”
“Maybe.”
The detectives readied themselves. They had a duty to go and see what was going on—if someone was in danger or if a crime was being committed. Katie made sure her Glock was securely holstered and her smaller Beretta was in her ankle holster as well. She put a five-inch knife in her opposite boot, which was something new she had decided was needed.
They opened the truck’s doors and quietly closed them. Katie stayed in the darkness, followed by McGaven. They were quiet and stealthy as they advanced. Their shoes were whisper quiet on the old asphalt. Zigzagging around the potholes and broken areas around the parking, they neared the right side ofthe building where the flashes of light were the most dominant. There was a second story and metal stairs on that side of the warehouse. Katie had memories of another warehouse they had been caught in with explosives, but she pushed everything from her mind except what they had to do next.
With hand signals, McGaven pointed for her to go up the stairs and he would check out the main area. He pulled his cell phone. She nodded and opened a connection between them in case there was a problem or they needed to call backup. McGaven stayed below while Katie slowly and quietly climbed the stairs. A few of the steps were loose and moved side to side. In the darkness, it felt as if she had stepped onto a boat. It was both unsettling and dizzying, but she made one step and then another until she reached the top landing, where she suddenly stopped. There were no railings, just the last step that was about three feet square. She felt suspended, weightless in the dark. It was a weird feeling, so she leaned up against the metal door, not wanting to make any noise. The handle was missing, so she pushed. It wouldn’t open.
Bending down, she peered through the ragged round opening where the doorknob had been. Everything was dark, but she could see another staircase and a mezzanine that went all the way around the perimeter of the building. It resembled a large crow’s nest. She could hear voices. Low tones with not much inflection that seemed to bounce off the walls. She could tell it was two men talking, but she couldn’t hear legible words.
“Gav,” she whispered.
