“My phone,” Burke answered. “Thanks, Smith. We’re getting ready to go on comms and go into the target house.”
“Roger that, we’ll be online during your Op,” Smith said.
Burke disconnected the call.
“Do you need to call her?” Wilson asked.
“You’re not going to show her the pic until you’re with her, right?” Tessman asked. “If it’s him, from what you’ve said, she’s not going to take it well.”
Burke’s gaze first went to Wilson. “No, she should be at the airport by now. I can’t call her and drop something like this on her.” Then his eyes shifted to Tessman. When did he become an expert on how women handled things? “You think I should wait until we get back to show her? Don’t you think the Richmond PD may want to investigate what she saw?”
“I don’t see the hurry. The guy’s not gonna get any deader,” Tessman said.
“He has a point,” Wilson said.
They formulated their plan and donned their bulletproof vests, and went on comms. Then they parked just before the driveway to Greenwalt’s property. Even with the barren trees, the branches of the heavily wooded area obscured the front of the house that was set back from the road several hundred yards. They launched the drone and were glad they had when the camera feed revealed three vehicles in the driveway in front of the two-story home, including Oliveira’s Jeep and Edgar Forsander’s Suburban.
“Looks like the gang's all here,” Burke said. He checked the pairing app on his phone. “Elly’s phone still shows it’s in Lansing.”
“Yeah, Oliveira’s is still at his apartment,” Tessman said. “He’s smarter than I gave him credit for.”
“We’ve got at a minimum of three adult males in there,” Wilson said. “I’d bet both Forsander brothers plus Elly are inside too.”
“So at least four men plus the two girls,” Tessman said.
They brought the drone back and packed it back in the crate.
“The plan stays the same. We get in, get Zoe if she’s there, and we get out,” Wilson said. “Burke and Tessman, you’ll go in through the front of the house. Rogers and I will go in the back. We’ll get in position and give the go order for you to go to the front and whether to knock or bust in depending on what we see.”
Burke knew the situation would be fluid. He and Tessman would have to adapt as the situation unfolded. “Roger that.”
Burke slid back behind the wheel and waited. They watched Wilson and Rogers disappear behind the thick tree trunks and gnarled underbrush as they moved deeper into the property. He checked his watch. He anticipated it would be a good fifteen minutes for the pair to circle to the back or the side of the house to then approach it. Given the temperature, no one should be outside behind the house.
“The front window is a large bay window with no curtains. Got positive ID on our four male targets. You’ll never get to the door without being seen, as the front door is beside the window. We’re continuing now to the back,” Wilson’s voice came through comms.
“Any sign of our girl?” Tessman asked.
“Negative,” Wilson said.
There were a few minutes of silence.
“All the blinds and curtains on the back and sides of the house are closed,” Wilson transmitted. “This makes it easy for us to approach, but we don’t know who is where in the house. Moe and Handsome circle to the north in the trees and come in near the garage and vehicles. Don’t let our targets see you. Advise when you’re in position.”
“On the move now,” Burke transmitted. He and Tessman exited the vehicle and entered the trees. They were able to move to within twenty feet of the front door and conceal themselves behind the Suburban.
“In position,” Tessman reported.
“We’re at the back door and it’s unlocked,” Wilson’s quiet voice came through comms. “A quick look and no one was in the kitchen. On my mark, we’ll enter with open comms. When you hear we’re engaging, penetrate from the front. Hold position until then.”
Burke and Tessman exchanged nods. “Roger that, Taco,” Burke acknowledged. They estimated it would take only a matter of seconds to rush to the front door from their location. If the door was locked, they could kick it or bust through the large floor to ceiling bay window. Either way, they’d be in the house in a matter of seconds.
“Entering now,” Wilson said.
Then he and Rogers silently opened the back door and entered the house. To the right stretched a large kitchen. At the far end of the kitchen was an open doorway to a room that had probably once been a formal dining room. There was no table in it that they saw from their location, just stacks of plastic boxes. But through that open doorway, the conversation of the four men in the front room could be heard. They discussed the visit Roderick Forsander had, or more accurately, Roderick Forsander griped about the fuckers who overtook him in his own house and what they were going to do about it.
To the left was a doorway to a bathroom. Beside it was a hallway. Wilson and Rogers stepped into the hallway and determined one wing of the hallway circled back to the front door. A second hallway ran perpendicular to it, dead-ending at a staircase that led down to the basement. A door off the hallway opened into the garage. Occupying the entire back portion of the house was a large room with a pool table and a bar.
“It’s downstairs,” they heard a man’s voice say. “Come down with me.” The voice moved closer as it spoke.
