Stone Investigations (Stone Series Book 4) by Bob Blanton (open ebook txt) 📗

give poor kids shoes.  The boxes are labeled with the charityname so it makes sense that I would get a box each month.  Minimizes anyquestions.”

“Okay, and the drugs?”

“I post on the Facebook page how many pills I need.  Theycome in the box.”

“And the money?”

“I send it along each week as I get it from the dealers. Always in units of 20 or 30K.”

“So if you’ve got more money than that?”

“I keep it until the next week.  You have to fill the booksup.  It’s okay to stuff paper in to make up the 10K if you can’t make it 30,but that’s it.”

“So they trust you with the money.”

“Sure, who’s going to screw up a gig like this by trying tosteal a few thousand.”

“Who does the accounting?”

“Don’t know, but every week I get a Facebook post saying howmuch I’m supposed to send in.”

“Who else do you know?”

“I just know my dealers.  And that first guy I told youabout.  I’ve never talked to anyone else.”

“How did you learn how to do the money and the book?”

“A paper cutter and instructions came in the first shoebox.”

“How do your dealers find clients?”

“Oh, I forgot.  Those names come in the shoebox, too.  Myfirst shoebox had a list of five dealers.  They already had their clients. After that, I’d get a name for a new dealer and a list of clients to givethem.  Sometimes I’d just get a list of clients and which dealers to assignthem to.”

“So you don’t look for clients?”

“Not really.  The dealers get referrals from their clients. They give them to me and I send them up the chain.  If the new client worksout, the user that referred them gets a free month of drugs.  The dealer and Istill get our cut.”

“What’s your cut?”

“Dealers get fifteen percent, I get seven, minus expenses.”

“Expenses?”

“We have to pay the kids we use to handle the drugs.  I paymine five hundred a week, that’s pretty much the standard.”

“Okay, we’ll stop here.  Now, Mr. Cruz, we need you to goback to your desk and do exactly what you would have done before.  You are inno way to tip off the dealers or your supplier about this interview.”

“Does that mean I’m supposed to give out the drugs thisweekend?”

“Right.  You’re to proceed as if nothing has changed.  If youtip anyone off, we’ll know and your claims about Ms. Frye won’t hold much waterwith us after that.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“And, Mr. Cruz, do not try to leave town.”

“I won’t.  Where would I go?”

“We’ll be watching you.  Don’t mess it up.  As you know,whoever is running this thing has a habit of cleaning up after themselves.  Youdon’t want to wind up like Ms. Frye.”

Dante gulped, then nodded his head.  “Yeah, I’ll be cool.”

“Why don’t you head back to your office while we continue ourmeeting with the building’s security team,” Detective Vaughn said.

Dante hurried out of the room.

“Mr. Cruz, be cool!” Agent Peters said.

Dante immediately slowed down.  He shook himself then punchedthe elevator button.

Agent Whitehead came into the room as soon as Dante left. “Well, that wasn’t exactly as productive as we’d hoped.”

“Yeah,” Agent Peters said.  “I’ve told you this guy Graham iscareful.  I would suggest that we don’t do anything with him until he isactually in possession of the drugs.  Who knows what he’s put in place todetect interference?”

“What are you suggesting?” Agent Whitehead demanded.

“That we avoid entering the cargo plane.  We should waituntil the drugs are in Fallbrook and then follow them.  We should be able toconnect Graham to them once we see how he distributes them.”

“And what leads you to believe that I plan to do otherwise?”

“Just concerned at the pace you’re setting.  I think we needto exercise patience.”

“Well, I’ve lost my patience with you trying to undermineme.  You’re off the task force.  You’re to stay in your hotel until Tuesday, bywhich time I should have this wrapped up.  Then you can go back to New York.”

“I’m the one that broke this case, you can’t do that!”

“I’m in charge and I just have.  Now get out of here!”

“See, I told you he was a jerk,” Matthew said as he closedhis portal.

“Poor Barb.  It’s not fair.”

“We’ll see what she says tonight.  Now, if we hurry, we’ll bein time for English Lit.”

◆ ◆ ◆

“I assume you saw the interview,” Agent Peters said whenMatthew and Emily joined her again.

“Yeah.  And you were right.  He is a jackass,” Emily said.

“I don’t know what to do from here.  You guys have been a bighelp, but it’s out of our hands now.”

“We can still look for ways to help,” Emily said as shenudged Matthew to get him to chime in.

“We’ll do whatever you want us to.”

“Don’t sweat it.  We’ll just have to let it play out.  I justwish I could be there when they bust Graham.”

“Well, Emily and I are feeling a cold coming on.  We’llprobably be at my house on Monday when Graham lands in Fallbrook.  You couldreturn my car and sit with us while we watch it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, my mom will be down at UCSD and my sister will be inschool, so it’ll just be us.”

“I’d like that.  Not that I’m hoping Branden screws it up,but if he does, I’d sure like to see it.”

“Then come on by.  We’ll have a pot of coffee ready.”

“It’s a date.”

Chapter 16Case Closed?

Matthew’s mother was pretty skeptical about the cold, butsince Matthew was maintaining a 4.8 GPA, she let it slide.  Thirty minutesafter she left, Emily showed up.

“Where’s Barb?”

“Let me check.”  Matthew opened his portal on Agent Peters tosee where she was.

“She’s just turning off of I-5.”

“How did you fake your mom out on the cold?”

“Used a saline spray to cause some sniffles.  I don’t thinkshe bought it though.”

“I don’t think my parents did either.  And when I told them Iwanted to come over here and study, they were real suspicious.”

“Sucks lying to them.”

“I know, but it’s for a good cause.  It’s not like we’regoofing off or doing drugs.”

“Yeah.  Coffee.”

“Why do I have to make it?”

“Because you’re so picky about it.  I’m good as long as it hascaffeine in it.”

“Right!”  Emily