“Well?” Uncertainty bleeds into her voice. “Do we have a deal?”
“Sure,” I drawl. “Meet me at my office.”
She laughs. “Do you think I’m dumb? Give me your cell phone number. I’ll text you where and when we meet.”
Not so dumb after all.
I take a new burner phone from my drawer and give her the number.
The moment she hangs up, I call Reino. While putting a fully charged battery in the burner phone and switching it on, I instruct him to double the number of guards at the house and dispatch a team to my office.
Ms. Foster’s instructions follow three minutes later. She wants to meet in a public place, an outdoor cafeteria in the new reptile park. Getting a million together in cash will take time, even for me. She must be well aware of that fact and getting angsty, because she says in her message that she’s changed her mind.
She wants to meet today, and she wants me to transfer the money to an offshore bank account. Once the transaction has gone through, she’ll divulge the information she promised.
When Ulysses and Reino arrive at the office, I bring them up to speed.
“The meeting is in three hours.” Reino gives me a worried look. “That’s not nearly enough time to put sufficient safety measures in place.”
“It’ll have to be enough.” I address Ulysses. “Get our drones there. I want footage of before, during, and after the meeting. I’ll send her police mugshot to our men. I want to know the minute she enters that park and if she’s alone, bringing support, or being followed.” To Reino, I say, “Put snipers in the surrounding buildings. I want men in civilian clothes throughout that park.”
“What’s the plan?” Ulysses asks, straightening his sleeveless jacket.
“We take her in for questioning. I’m not going to strangle the truth out of her in the open.”
Ms. Foster will soon learn I have no intention of paying her a million for what she and her cronies had done to Tatiana.
Reino steps closer. “What if she brings back-up?”
“I have a good hunch that she’ll be alone. She’s being hunted by her partners and us. She can’t trust anyone. Making a deal for enough money so she can disappear indefinitely is her only chance. She’s not going to risk screwing it up. Just in case, we’ll be ready. I’ll pull in some of Sav’s men too. I want our teams swarming the park.”
Ulysses nods, always in agreement with a more prudent approach. “Where do you want to take her once we’ve got her?”
“The warehouse.”
He nods again. “I’ll have a vehicle ready.”
“Let’s go.” I pat Reino’s shoulder. “We have a lot to prepare.”
“What about Kent?” he asks with caution. “He’s the best sniper we’ve got.”
I’m not trusting him until I have solid proof of his innocence. The only reason he’s still alive is because of Lee. The two of them were more like brothers than Lee and me. I’m going to unravel this plot against my wife and find the people who set me up. When I do, I’ll make sure I get my truth before I end their lives. Until then, I’m going to assume the worst. If Kent was involved in Tatiana’s kidnapping, he’ll pay like the rest of them.
Reino shoots me an inquiring look. “Boss?”
“Keep him in the dark.” I clench and unclench my fingers in an effort to relieve the tension that’s set into my muscles. “I don’t want him anywhere near that park.”
We run through the setup until it gets close to the agreed time. Men in civilian clothes pretending to admire Australian snakes and Nile crocodiles flood the grounds. Snipers are in place on the rooftops of the cafeteria as well as the office buildings that frame the park. A team is on standby in a mobile surveillance center set up in a van that’s parked in the street. They’re monitoring the feed coming in from our drones and ensuring we have men carrying hidden cameras on every corner of the premises, including in the dimly lit interiors housing the terrariums.
A van with tinted windows is circling nearby. The driver will arrive on my command to take Ms. Foster away. I want it done quickly and quietly. For that reason, I have a man with a tranquilizer dart gun in place. She won’t even know what has hit her until it’s too late.
She’ll feel dizzy. I’ll pretend to support her as her head starts spinning. Reino will cover my back while I carry her to the waiting van. For anyone looking in from the outside, it will appear as if she’s fainted. Low blood sugar. Poor thing hasn’t eaten in a while. That’s what we’ll say if anyone asks.
I arrive at the park early, doing the rounds to familiarize myself with the layout I’ve studied. There are two main exits, one facing north and the other one south. Smaller revolving gates lead to streets on the west and east sides. An entry ticket with a barcode has to be scanned to unlock the gates.
At a quarter to three, an alert from the surveillance team pings on my phone, informing me that Ms. Foster has just cleared the northern gate.
I’m standing in a gazebo not far from the cafeteria, hidden from sight. From this angle, I have a clear view of the woman who approaches a few minutes later on the path that cuts through the garden. The leather fringe jacket and baggy jeans don’t hide the bony state of her body. A frayed bag hangs over her shoulder. She’s pulled her hair into a ponytail through the gap at the back of a baseball cap. Even with the big sunglasses obscuring her face, it’s not difficult to recognize her. She’s skittish, looking around with jerky head movements and constantly glancing over her shoulder.
