The Inside Man Read online

“Well, it looks like that was a government vehicle.”

  Levi stopped, standing between a Buick sedan and a Nissan SUV. “Really? How the hell did a Mafia associate’s fingerprint get into a government vehicle? Can you track down who that was checked out to?”

  “I think so, but I won’t know if I can get access to that information until tomorrow. I’ll reach out to my guys first thing in the morning.”

  “Okay, Denny. Thanks a bunch for everything. I’ll settle up when this crap is all over with.”

  “All right, man. I’m out the door with your stuff. Expect it tomorrow morning. See ya.”

  The line went dead and Levi glanced at his watch. He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

  One ring … two rings … and the phone picked up just as the third ring started. “Hello?”

  “Yoshi? Are you by chance in DC?”

  “Oh, hey, Levi. Um—yes, I am. What’s up?”

  “Can you meet me at Union Square, near the fountain?”

  “Sure, I guess so. When?”

  “Can you meet me in half an hour?”

  “I’ll get in the car now.”

  “Okay, see you there.”

  Levi walked over to his rental and popped the trunk. Inside was the tactical case that he always had with him. One of Denny’s little specialties. He slammed the trunk shut and hopped in the car.

  ###

  Levi walked around Union Square, panning his gaze back and forth, looking for Yoshi. Every once in a while, his baseball cap tingled, and he turned to see nothing obvious, or sometimes a scanning security camera. Denny’s surveillance detection hat had always had some idiosyncrasies that were unavoidable, but triggering a few too many alerts was infinitely better than not enough. With the hat constantly sending out infrared beams of light in all directions, the signal that bounced back usually wouldn’t register anything with Denny’s gadget. It was only when the signal bouncing back repeated frequently that it would trigger an alert.

  That would only happen if someone was watching him. Their eyes would be following him, and the invisible light would keep getting a signal bounced back, triggering one of the metal posts in the hat to give his scalp a mild tingle. Levi may have looked like a skittish cat in a crowd, but he appreciated the invention.

  One of the posts tingled, and he glanced in that direction. A blonde woman was looking at him. As soon as their eyes met, she lowered her gaze and blushed.

  “Levi!”

  He turned to see Yoshi jogging up to him with a look of concern. “I got here as quickly as I could. Is there some news on June?”

  Levi shook his head. “I’m sorry, but not yet. I wanted to ask you a favor, but didn’t want anyone else to hear.” He motioned toward the far end of the square and they began walking. “Can you call June’s mom and arrange for us to visit?”

  “Sure, I think so. But, why? And what’s this about not wanting anyone else to hear?”

  Levi wished he’d have thought of this earlier. “Well, I’ve been thinking about what happened the night of the kidnapping. How the hell did the kidnapper know the Mom would be ordering pizza? You said that they didn’t order out very often. So, how did the kidnapper know to ambush the delivery driver and get past the gate?”

  Yoshi’s eyes widened. “Shit, I have no idea.”

  “I want to sweep Helen Wilson’s apartment, to see if there’s anything unusual.”

  “I’ll see if I can arrange it.” Yoshi pulled out his phone.

  Levi put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Whatever you say, figure someone’s listening. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

  Yoshi nodded as he put the phone to his ear. After a moment passed, he smiled. “Hey, Miss Wilson. It’s Yoshi. I was wondering if you’d be around this evening. I wanted to do a quick check on the apartment, and I’d rather do it while you’re there” He paused, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you at five.”

  Levi raised an eyebrow. “Miss Wilson? That seems a bit impersonal. I thought you two were closer than that.”

  Yoshi shrugged. “On the phone, we’ve always played the roles of apartment security and tenant. But sometimes, when June was asleep, we’d meet at the apartment’s swings and talk.”

  “Talk? Don’t get me wrong, but the way you carried on about her, I figured you two were having an affair. Am I wrong?”

  Yoshi’s face turned beet red. “I-I’d like to, but it’s too early. And too complicated. I could never—”

  “You don’t need to explain.” Levi chuckled and patted the man on the back. It was almost sweet how nervous he was. “Let’s grab a bite to eat and then we’ll go see ‘Miss Wilson.’”

  ###

  Levi watched as Yoshi gave Helen the handwritten note that said, Don’t say anything. He’s going to check your apartment for listening devices. Her eyes widened, and she nodded her understanding.

  Yoshi and Levi walked in, and Levi cracked open his case and extracted a wand-like device with a small loop at the end. It not only detected active listening devices, it also triggered passive ones that turned on only in response to motion or sound.

  Levi had done this many times for hotel rooms, but doing an entire apartment was going to take some time. He decided to methodically work from one end of the dwelling to the other.

  He started with the table next to Helen’s bed. Lifting the receiver of the corded phone, he ran the wand over it. A little red LED flickered over the handset. He retrieved his case and pulled out a container that was lined with a metal mesh. It was both soundproof and signal-proof. He unscrewed the handset, and out fell a fingernail-sized device. He plopped it into the container and continued the scan.

  Yoshi scribbled on a notepad and showed it to Levi.

  Was that a bug?

  Levi nodded. For a second, Helen and Yoshi clasped hands and stared at each other.

  It took almost an hour for Levi to cover the entire apartment. He collected all the electronic surveillance devices he could find, and for good measure, he also dusted for prints in the places where he’d found the bugs. He managed to snag a few prints.

  He snapped the container shut and breathed a sigh of relief. “This place was bug central. All your phones, above the china cabinet, under the coffee table, in each bathroom, and in June’s bedroom. Someone really wanted to keep tabs on you.”

  “But who?” Helen asked, a look of shock on her face. I don’t understand. Should I call someone?”

  Both Levi and Yoshi said “no” at the same time.

  “It’s best to just leave things alone for now,” Levi said. He shook the container with the listening devices. “I’ll have someone look into this. It’s best to just leave things alone for now. Has anyone had access to your house?”

  Helen shrugged. “Well, sure. Plenty of people. The cops and the FBI have been all over this place.”

  “How about before the kidnapping?” Yoshi asked.

  “Well, I guess lots of people then, too. We had a birthday party for June. And I had some people over from work. I have no idea how that stuff could have gotten there or how long it’s been there.”

  “It’s okay.” Yoshi put his hand on Helen’s shoulder and she put her hand on his.

  To Levi, she said, “Did you talk to June’s grandfather?”

  “I did.”

  “And?” She looked up at him expectantly.

  “I think he’d do just about anything to save her. He’s heartbroken over what’s happened.”

  She motioned for Levi to come closer.

  He leaned in, and she whispered, “The kidnapper asked for a ransom. Ten million dollars.”

  Levi nodded. “What did the FBI say to that? I presume you don’t have ten million dollars.”

  “They said they’re doing everything they can to find her, and even if I had ten million, which I don’t, they wouldn’t recommend paying. They said I’d lose any leverage I had.”

  “Well, they do
have a point. You have almost six days until the ransom is due—”

  Helen gasped. “How do you know that?”

  Levi smiled as both Helen and Yoshi looked at him with astonishment. “Trust me, we’re doing everything we can. Don’t tell anyone anything. I’m trying to flush out whoever took her. If I can, then I might have a chance of getting her before the deadline.”

  Helen’s hands began to shake, and Yoshi held them in his. “This is really hard…”

  “Actually,” Levi said, “I have an idea. We might be able to use one of these bugs. If you don’t mind, I’m thinking of putting one of the bugs back by the china cabinet back. We can use it against whoever planted it. Let them think we missed it. Are you okay with that, Helen?”

  “I … I guess so. I just have to be careful.”

  “Good. And if I ever send you a text directly, I want you to come up with some pretense to read it aloud.”

  Helen looked confused, but nodded.

  Levi put a finger to his lips to indicate silence, then he cracked open the container, removed a listening device, and put it back in its spot on the china cabinet.

  He put his hand on Yoshi’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you guys. There’s some things I need to follow up on.”

  Levi left the apartment, looked up the location of the nearest FedEx dropoff that could still ship overnight, and began texting Denny a series of names.

  The puzzle pieces were beginning to fall into place. A plan was forming.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Six days remaining. As the number grew smaller, Levi’s concern over the looming deadline increased. Hopefully, by setting up these dominos, he’d be able to follow where they fell, leading him straight to June Wilson.

  Denny’s package had arrived at the hotel right on time, and Levi had spent the better part of the day tracking down cars and planting Denny’s tracking devices on them. Next up was O’Connor’s car. It was a gray Chevy Impala, and even though Levi had only seen it for a second, the image of the license plate was etched in his mind.

  The difficulty lay in getting into the underground parking facility where it was parked. His best chance was the Third Street entrance, but the entry was manned by security, and physical barriers prevented anyone unapproved from driving in.

  Levi parked on the street, palmed one of the tracking devices, and walked toward the security booth just outside the parking entrance. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say.

  A car pulled up alongside him. “Hey, Yoder. Are you here to see me?”

  Levi couldn’t believe his luck. There was O’Connor in his gray Impala staring up at him across the open passenger’s side window.

  Levi walked up to the passenger window, leaned in, and lied. “I tried calling you, but the call wasn’t going through for some reason.”

  The agent motioned for him to get in. “Well, let’s not talk on the street.”

  Levi got in. Between closing the door and making a production of putting on his seat belt, he managed to stick the magnetic tracking device on the underside of his seat.

  “So, what’s the status?” O’Connor asked as he pulled into traffic and began circling the block.

  “I saw someone who I think works in the State Department meeting up with one of my leads. They exchanged papers and cash, but that’s about all that I know right now.”

  O’Connor slowed to a crawl, and cars behind him began honking. He turned in his seat to face Levi. “Do you have pictures of this State Department person?”

  “Yes. I’ll send them to you tonight. I’ve got some things to follow up on in the meantime. Just figured you should know.”

  The car completed the circle around the block, and O’Connor stopped to let Levi out.

  Before closing the door, Levi leaned down and said, “And get your phone fixed. Coming out here wasn’t exactly on my to-do list today.”

  ###

  “Shit,” Levi muttered as he stared at the entrance to Marine Base Quantico. There was no way he was getting in. He’d followed the guy from the State Department and frowned as it became obvious that he was probably heading to the FBI Laboratory today. And for him to get to the FBI Lab, he needed to get past the gate.

  He drove up to the main entrance and a marine stepped out of the guard booth.

  Levi rolled down his window. “Excuse me, Corporal. I need to visit someone who works at the FBI lab.”

  “Yes, sir. Can I have some ID and the name of the person who’s sponsoring you? They’ll have to have called your name in before you can get in.”

  “They have to call ahead?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s procedure.”

  Levi motioned to the turnaround. “In that case, I’ll be right back. Let me give him a call.”

  The marine motioned to his right, and Levi made a U-turn away from the entrance. He did know one other person who worked at the lab, and he called them now.

  Unfortunately he got voicemail. “This is Nick Anspach. Please leave a message with your case number and the phone number to reach you at, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “Damn it.” Levi hung up and dialed another number. Almost immediately, O’Connor’s voice broadcast through the car’s speakers. “Yup.”

  “Hey, it’s Levi Yoder. What would you say if I thought I might be able to get you some answers in the next two to three days regarding who’s responsible for the kidnapping?”

  O’Connor’s voice took on an animated tone. “You’re shitting me, right?”

  “No, I think I have a really solid lead. But I need a favor. Otherwise this might all fall apart.”

  “What’s this favor?”

  “I just need you to call up the gate at Marine Base Quantico so I can get in. I swear to you, nobody’s getting hurt, nothing is being damaged. I’m just going to take a quick look around, and I’ll be back out in like thirty minutes. No harm, no foul. But it might make all the difference.”

  The line was silent for a full five seconds before O’Connor responded. “Fine. I’ll call right now, but it might take five or ten minutes before the duty officer at the gate gets word. Don’t fuck this up for me, I’ll make you wish you weren’t born if you do.”

  “Thanks, O’Connor. I’ll owe you.”

  ###

  Levi nodded at the Marine as he waved him through. He pressed slowly on the accelerator, and followed the signs that eventually led him to one of the overflow parking lots adjacent to the large three-story building the FBI used for its most advanced forensic analysis.

  Scanning the parking lot, he glanced back and forth, looking for the Cadillac CTS the State Department scumbag had been assigned. That seemed like a high-end car for some State Department criminal, but Levi had seen crazier things before. There were hundreds of cars in the lot and he slowly drove up one aisle and down the next when suddenly he lurched to a stop at a black Buick LaCrosse.

  The license plate matched one of the ones Denny had sent him. It was for Anspach.

  Pulling into an empty spot, Levi snatched one of the devices from the shipping package, hopped out of the car, and walked in the direction of the Buick. Just as he reached the vehicle, he knelt, pretending to tie his shoe, and as he stood, stuck the magnetically-held tracking device underneath the vehicle’s rear passenger compartment.

  Levi knew that Anspach probably had nothing to do with anything, but he had sent Denny the names of everyone associated with any aspect of this case. The people who’d done the crime scene analysis. The people who’d been sent to investigate the apartment. Anyone even remotely associated with June or Helen Wilson. Levi had even stopped off at the day care and planted devices on both the principal’s and teacher’s cars.

  He got back into his car and continued surveying the parking lot, looking for the Cadillac, when he spied Anspach himself striding down the path that cut through the green landscape surrounding the lab.

  As the forensic specialist got into his
car and drove off, Levi kept his head low so as not to be spotted.

  Levi scoured the entire parking lot without finding the red Cadillac. It wasn’t until he tried a second parking lot that he found his target and put his tracker in place.

  Moments later, he was waving to the Marine as he exited Marine Base Quantico.

  His phone vibrated, and he tapped a button on the steering wheel. Dino’s voice came over the speakers.

  “Hey, I’ve got that thing you were looking for.”

  Levi had asked Dino to look for the folder that the State Department guy had given the now-dead Gino.

  “Do me a favor and keep that thing safe. I may need it pretty soon.”

  “Ya, no problem. The boss is really happy with what you did. We should talk.”

  “Okay, maybe soon. After I find the munchkin.”

  “You go do that thing. And remember, if you need anything, me and a couple boys can help out if you need some influence.”

  “Thanks, that’s good to know. Talk to you.”

  “Ciao.”

  As Levi got onto the on-ramp to I-95 North, he dialed Yoshi’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Yoshi, where are you?”

  “On my way to Old Alexandria to meet someone for my brother.”

  “Is it urgent, or can you take some time? I wanted to have a quick talk, but not on the phone.” Levi pressed the accelerator, and carefully weaved his rental through northbound traffic.

  “I don’t think it’s urgent. I just got an e-mail from Ryuki asking me to meet someone at the corner of Prince and Strand Street at four.”

  Levi had studied the DC maps, and he pictured in his mind the intersecting streets that Google Maps had shown him months ago. “There’s a restaurant called Chadwick’s near there, and there’s parking right across from it. Let’s meet there. It should be quick.”

  “Okay. I’m stuck behind some serious traffic, so for all I know, you’ll get there before me.”

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  Levi hung up and gritted his teeth in frustration. Yoshi might know more than he thought—if only Levi had thought to ask him earlier.