In Hot Pursuit Read online

  “We will find him, sir.”

  “I have no doubt about that, Agent Bowles. I just hope it happens sooner than later. I was just on the phone with the President, giving him an update of what we have accomplished so far. You know we report directly to him, and we are obligated to fill him in on what’s going on. I will be damned if we take this little disappearing act Raybourne pulled on us as a set back.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “The President is confident that we will get Raybourne, just like we got Bin Laden. Now back to you, Agent Bowles—are you sure you want to stay on with this investigation. It appears Raybourne has singled you out. He has already penetrated parts of your personal life. We don’t know what he will do with whatever he has on you. He could use those compromising photographs against you. It could jeopardize your career and your life, Agent Bowles. I will be more

  than happy to assign another agent to the investigation in the mean time.”

  Bowles leaned back in the chair. She gave Director Nilsson a stubborn look. She

  had never expected this to be an easy investigation, but there was no way she was going to quit now, not when they were this close to catching Raybourne—and they would catch him. She knew enough about Raybourne to know that he was probably still in the country waiting for things to die down to make his next move. And if she was his target, then it would only be a matter of time before he came after her again. He would slip up, and she wanted to be there when he did.

  “Excuse me for saying this, sir, but not a chance in hell! I’m not going to let a coward like Gilles Raybourne dictate things for me. I doubt he has any intention of using those photographs against me. I would like to think that he would have done

  so already.”

  A brief smile appeared on Director Nilsson’s face, then it disappeared.

  “We all want Raybourne caught, Agent Bowles, but not at the price of your own

  safety. If Raybourne wants you, he wouldn’t stop until he gets just that. Are you sure

  it’s a chance you want to take?”

  “I’m sure, sir. Gilles Raybourne does not scare me. He’s a coward, just like the rest of them. And I haven’t received any overt threats from him.”

  “What about that encounter in the warehouse?” Director Nilsson gave her a

  pointed look. “That, Agent Bowles, was a planned hit. That man had every intention

  of taking you out of there.”

  “And I took care of it, sir.”

  “Yes, Agent Bowles, but you may not be that lucky next time. Raybourne and

  his men are dangerous criminals. They are a major threat to national security and to you as well. They won’t let anything or anyone get in their way to get what they want.”

  “I understand that, sir. But I can only assume that was a one time thing.

  Raybourne knew he was outnumbered by us at the end. It was a desperate effort on his part to try to use me as leverage to secure a safe passage for him and his men out of there.”

  “Either way, Agent Bowles, we have to take your safety into consideration. We

  hfvcdon’t know what sick plan Raybourne has up his sleeves for you. And he will strike again, Agent Bowles. I need not remind you of that fact. As long as Gilles Raymond is a free man, we have to be prepared for every possible threat where he

  is concerned.”

  “I will be ready for him, sir. I don’t think my life is in any sort of danger at the

  moment. Raybourne will be smart enough to keep away, sir. He knows we are on to him, more so now than ever. I don’t think he wants to be caught.”

  “Alright, Agent Bowles, I will take your word for it. I will back off, but just for

  now. But if we feel there is a hint of evidence that Raybourne is coming after you

  again, you are off this case.”

  “Yes, sir. Is that all, sir?” She got up to leave.

  “Yes, for now.”

  Director Nilsson waved her out.

  She was glad that was the end of it! She wasn’t going to let Raybourne run things for her. She wasn’t going to give him that much power over her.

  She was almost out the door when Director Nilsson stopped her.

  “And Agent Bowles…”

  “Yes, sir.” Bowles turned around to face him again.

  “I will like you to keep what was said in this room between us for now. Agent Earnes does not have to know about it.”

  “Which part, sir?” She knew exactly what Direct Nilsson was referring to, but she felt like playing the devil’s advocate with him. She wanted to hear the words from his mouth, just for the record. She had every intention of confronting

  Earnes with what she knew. She wanted Earnes to look her in the eye and swear that he wasn’t helping Raybourne. And she would know if he was lying to her.

  “We are working to find out who is feeding Raybourne information about this

  operation, and until we do so, I will like you to consider what was said in here

  between us as classified information.”

  “You have my full cooperation, sir.”

  “And I will expect nothing but, Agent Bowles.”

  Director Nilsson’s gave her a deliberate searching look. He probably knew she was going to say something to Earnes.

  “Is that all sir?” she asked him again, hoping that it was.

  She was eager to go. She hadn’t liked what had been said about Earnes. She still wasn’t convinced that Earnes was the mole, or that he was working for Raybourne. There was no way Earnes could be in Raybourne’s pocket. Earnes was just as determined and dedicated to catching Raybourne as the rest of them. And she would have liked to ask Earnes point blank if Raybourne had gotten to him, but she couldn’t. Her hands were tied tight. It would be a breach of conduct if she breathed a word to him. She couldn’t tell Earnes what she knew about him.

  She would just have to wait and find out who the mole was like everyone else. But she was certain that it wasn’t Earnes. She had grown to like the guy. They had been working very closely, both day and night since Earnes joined the unit two years ago. He was an exceptional agent—a patriotic American, who wanted the best for this country. Earnes wasn’t a traitor like Raybourne. Earnes was an all round good guy. She had become close to him. She had even attended his wedding in Montana last year.

  “Hold on, Agent Bowles.”

  The telephone rang, and Director Nilsson reached over the desk to answer it.

  The phone had been ringing nonstop since she had been in the office with him, and Director Nilsson had chosen to ignore it. This call must be important. She wondered if it was the President calling again. She stood at the door and waited. She couldn’t hear everything what was being said, but she had heard enough to suspect that it had something to do with Raybourne. She had heard his name mentioned once or twice.

  Director Nilsson ended the call minutes after. He swirled around in the leather chair and looked at her.

  “We just got another possible lead on Raybourne. Two men were found dead in a house out in Jersey. The property is one of Raybourne’s. It’s one of the many he has bought to laundered money for the cartel.”

  “We have surveillance of him there, sir.”

  “Earnes and the rest of the team are already there. They are texting you the address now.”

  “Do you think Raybourne is still holed up there?”

  She knew she was asking the impossible—something she already knew the answer to.

  “I doubt it. He’s probably long gone.”

  “I will get right to it, sir.”

  She headed for the door again.

  “And Agent Bowles…”

  “Yes, sir.” She spun around, and gave him an enquiring look.

  “Watch your back,” he told her, his steely eyes holding hers for a couple

  seconds. “Be careful, Agent Bowles,” he repeated to her in a more subtle tone.

  “I will, sir.”

  He reached for t
he phone again, and she slipped from the room. She was relieved to be out of there. She took a very deep breath and went back to her desk to get her things.

  Chapter 4

  The team was already on the crime scene when she pulled up to the house. The two black SUVs were parked side by side in the wide driveway. Earnes’s Bronco was on the street not far away. She had passed the large black van that they used to transport the dead bodies about a block away, sitting idly at the end of the street waiting to be driven up to the house when they were ready for it. It was a decision Dr. Bailey had made earlier on. The black van had been known to draw curious stares from onlookers in the past, and Dr. Bailey had decided to leave it away from the crime scene until they were ready for it.

  Every effort had been made to conceal its real purpose as well. The converted Ram Promaster had faked plates, and the name and number that were splashed on the side to make it appear legit, were those of a non existent funeral home in Washington Heights. And if someone was to call the number looking for a funeral home, they would be directed to a private line set up specifically for that purpose, where it would ring out.

  Later, Hendrick, the blood splatter specialist would drive the van up to the house and into the garage to collect the bodies, where they would be taken back to the morgue in the basement of the building on Madison Avenue for a quick and thorough autopsy, then cremation. Those men, whoever they were, would be completely scrubbed from all government data bases. Any and every information pertaining to their lives would be completely wiped clean. And she had no doubt that their families and friends would be looking for them, and eventually report them missing, some time there after. But that was the price they had to pay for their association with Raybourne.

  Earnes met her outside. He had been waiting for her to arrive. She had stopped to grab another cup of coffee, and she had gotten one for Earnes too. She handed him the steaming cup, and got out of the SUV. She had decided to take the service vehicle instead of her own car. Earnes removed the top of the cup and took a long sip.

  “Looks like a hit,” he told her in a matter of fact voice. She realized that after a

  time they become somewhat differential and detached from this sort of violence. “Dr Bailey is going over the bodies now, but all signs point to cold blooded murder.”

  “Do you think Raybourne did it?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

  “Seems like it to me.”

  “He’s taking his people off one by one. He knew we are closing in on

  him, and he is making sure that no one talks,” she told Earnes, reaching into the back of the SUV to get her field kit..

  “Bailey and his team are turning the place upside down—I’m sure they will

  find something.”

  “Not if Raybourne has anything to do with it. His crime scenes has always been

  spotless so far. He makes it a habit to wipe everything clean. He doesn’t want

  anything tying him to any of the murders. ”

  “He can never be too careful. He will slip up. I’m sure of it. And this seemed like a rushed job. He did them in and bailed. The casings are still there.”

  She turned and gave Earnes a wide eyed look.

  “That doesn’t sound like him. He cleans up after himself after.”

  She slammed the truck and felt in step with Earnes.

  “It is him. This is his territory. He came back for something.”

  “We should have had someone watching the place,” Gabby told him.

  “We didn’t think he would make such a brazen move.”

  “It’s almost like he’s daring us to come after him.” She glanced at Earnes. He looked disheveled, blurry-eyed, and miserable. He’d probably been surviving on a couple hours’ sleep like her. This divorce couldn’t be good or easy for him. She gave him a sympathetic smile, and reached for his outstretched hand as she almost fell. There was ice every where.

  She walked up to the large house with Earnes, her hand poise on her gun. They were dealing with Raybourne, a man who had given them a bunch of nasty, deadly surprises. She had to be prepare for the unexpected. The house wasn’t much to look at. It was a three level dwelling that was literally falling apart. It didn’t seem like the type of place Raybourne would be holed up in. The windows on the first floor were bared and broken. And snow was piled high in the driveway and at the front of the house.

  “These are probably from the team.” She leaned in and pointed to the boot prints in the thick snow.”

  “They are. There was nothing here when we arrived. We had to force our way in. The snow was blocking the door,” Earnes told her.

  “It doesn’t look like anyone was living here, either.”

  “They probably got in from a side or back door, certainly not from the front.”

  “They were avoiding detection,” Gabby noted, kicking snow off her pants.

  “That’s what they wanted us to believe—that no one was here. We have surveillance of Raybourne going back and forth here a few times. We were stumped then—we couldn’t figure out what he was doing here. He certainly didn’t come to water the plants!” Earnes told her with a sarcastic chuckle.

  “Yeah, one of the undercover agents broke in and didn’t find anything. All of the rooms were empty, not even a bed or chair in sight,” Gabby told him.

  “There must be a reason why Raybourne came back,” Earnes repeated his earlier

  claim to her. “He wouldn’t show up to an empty house just like that. And we know

  that he wasn’t using it as a hide out either.”

  “Nothing about Gilles Raybourne is that simple and easy.” Gabby pushed her

  way into the house. Earnes followed close behind her, shoving the door shut behind

  him.

  “Up here Agents Bowles and Earnes.”

  Dr. Bailey signaled them from the top of the stairs as soon as they entered the house. They shook their boots off at the door, and headed towards upstairs. Dr. Bailey was standing on the landing waiting for them. He was suited up in his usual crime scene gear. They noticed the safety goggles he was wearing and the large sledge hammer in his right hand right away. Earnes and Bowles gave him a baffled look.

  Dr. Bailey chuckled shook the sledge hammer slightly. “We are doing a bit of smashing and hammering.” He told them and pushed the safety goggles onto the top of his head. “In here,” he told them, and led the way into the room. “We had to demolish most of the wall. We suspect something must have been hidden behind there, and voila!—there it is—a secret room!”

  “I’m sure Raybourne went through painstaking efforts to hide this from us,” Bowles moved forward and peeped in. “He thought we wouldn’t find it.”

  They stepped over the debris on the floor and entered the large space. It was a

  couple of rooms that had been carefully rebuilt into this large sound proof one.

  “They could make all the noise they want in here and no one would have heard them.” Earnes moved closer to have a better look at the layout. “I’m surprise they hadn’t used it as a torture chamber.”

  Bowles moved closer to him. “I don’t think Raybourne keeps them around long enough. He’s quick and thorough.”

  “This is where Raybourne and his men conducted their nefarious schemes.

  There must be a secret door somewhere for them to get in and out, but we don’t have the time to search for it. We are racing against time.” Dr. Bailey stepped aside and allowed them to go in.

  Earnes and Bowles walked around the room, inspecting the two state of the art machines in the middle, the bright lights hanging above them, and the large paper shredder and printer in the corner.

  “This is perhaps one of many, if not dozens of his cells. They are probably stashed all over the country, doling out buckets full of false money and documents as we speak,” Bailey told them.

  “No wonder we weren’t able to find anything when we checked the place out months ago.” Earnes drew closer to th
e lamination machine. He leaned in and ran his gloved fingers along the smooth edges. “These are all new and high tech. They can even duplicate the electronic chips.”

  He looked at Bowles and whistled.

  “That’s why those faked passports were able to go undetected for so long. They are identical to the real ones. We have to catch Raybourne before he does any more damage. We don’t know what he came here for, but it must be something that he was willing to kill those men for. Those men knew what he was after.”

  “It’s a pity they won’t be able to tell us anything,” Earnes told her.

  “There is more,” Dr. Bailey told them. “It’s not only passports we have to worry

  about. Do you see the stacks of money sitting on the table over there, next to the electric money counter?” Bailey pointed to the money that was piled high on the large table against the wall. “There is hundreds of thousands of dollars there, all in large currencies. There are probably millions and millions more out there in circulation.”

  “Well, we know he didn’t come for that useless pile of garbage, because they are still there.”

  Bowles moved over to the table. She took a wad of the bogus notes in her hands

  and inspected them. “These are all one hundred dollars notes.” She pulled a couple from the bundle and held them up to the bright light. “They looked almost real, at least to the untrained eye.” She slipped the money back in with the rest.

  “The bodies are over here.” Dr. Bailey led them out of the room.

  The two men were slumped over close to each other, a large pool of blood

  circling their lifeless bodies. They had been shot several times, one of them in the

  head.

  “They probably met their demise some time late last night or early this morning.

  The FBI came across them when they were checking the place, looking for Raybourne. Of course, this is our jurisdiction, they had no choice but to hand everything over to us and walk away. We came here as soon as we got the call