Determinant (14 page)

“I’m not leaving finding my pregnant girlfriend to the Feds. I don’t give a shit what you say. It’s not happening.”

“Pregnant girlfriend?”

I nodded.

“I’ll talk to Danes.”

“Is the voicemail enough to get a warrant for this guy?”

“It should be enough to bring him in for questioning. I’ll see what I can do.” The captain walked from my office.

I plugged Callie Green into our system. The name came back without a match. I expanded the search to statewide—nothing. I went nationwide. It kicked me out eighteen results. I went through each. None of them were her. I tried Calista Green even though when we first met I asked her if Callie was short for Calista and she said no. Twenty-four people by that name came up nationwide. None of the sheets belonged to her. I tried spelling her last name Greene, which I knew was wrong. I still didn’t get any results. My girlfriend didn’t exist.

My email flashed that I had a message. I abandoned my search for Callie and opened the message. It was from the Miami PD. I opened the file on my computer screen. Multiple folders came up labeled: Associates, Businesses, Properties, Cases, and Organized Crime. Lieutenant Harrington must have been building this file for years.

I clicked the Properties folder first looking for anything close. While he had many properties listed, nothing came up outside of Miami in the state. I wouldn’t drive to Miami and start knocking on doors until I ruled out that she wasn’t in the area. If Major Danes brought in the Feds, I could use their resources to get started on a search down there.

I closed the folder and opened the one labeled
Associates
. If I found someone local, I could shake them down. The first associate sheet stopped me dead in my tracks. Photos of multiple mug shots of a man filled the screen. Surveillance photos of him with his shirt off showed his entire upper body was covered in tattoos. Both arms, shoulder to wrist, were wrapped. The man was Viktor’s brother. His name was Andrei Azarov. The height listed was six foot six inches. The weight was three forty-four. I found the bartender’s sketch and held it next to the screen. It was the same guy.

I printed the sheet from my computer and ripped it from the tray of the printer. Along with the sketch, I took Andrei Azarov’s sheet straight to the captain. He sat at his desk. I stuck the papers in front of him. “Found him.”

He took the printout and sketch from my hand. He adjusted his glasses on his nose.

“Shit. That’s a match. No doubt. I’ll get the warrant taken care of. Let’s get the name out to everyone.”

I nodded.

I took the sheet to Timmons over in Patrol. He put word over the radio as I waited. Every car we had on the streets would be looking for the guy. I took it to Sam James next and told him to get the name and photos everywhere. I headed back for my desk.

While the file revealed his brother to us, it didn’t help me get closer to figuring out what they’d done with Callie. There had to be something in the file that could lead me to her—an associate, business, something that came out of Tampa.

I dug back into it. I went through every one of the twenty some associates listed. No one lived in Tampa. I browsed through the
Organized Crime
folder. The folder was filled with information about human trafficking, racketeering, business fronts and questions regarding counterfeiting. Nothing that would help me find Callie. I pushed forward.

I browsed through the
Cases
folder. Harrington didn’t exaggerate. Four cases got thrown out for witnesses no longer wanting to cooperate. Two cases had been dismissed because the key witness vanished.

I let out a breath and opened the
Businesses
folder. Nothing operated from the immediate area. Viktor had numerous businesses in the United States as well as multiple others overseas. I stuck with the ones located in Florida. There was an import and export business as well as a few nightclubs. Each business had an address and a phone number. I called each one looking to see if Mister Azarov was in. I figured if he was at any of the businesses, Harrington could dispatch someone to pick him up. He was nowhere I called. I continued on.

Each business name had a file of employees. I browsed over five or six names and rap sheets for the first business listed. The company was called Matryoshka Trading. It appeared they liked to hire ex-cons. There was nothing that raised a flag with me in the trading company.

I looked into the next business. A nightclub in Miami called Napitok. I weeded through the staff, starting with the bar managers. They were all Russian, all had rap sheets and were all listed as living in Miami. I clicked on the other staff file. A page came up with names, photos and their role at the nightclub. My eyes caught the photo before I ever saw the name. It may as well have had flashing lights around the picture. It was Callie. She was a hostess. Her name was listed as Calista Albero.

I didn’t know what to make of it. She worked for them. There was no denying that she was involved with them. She had a different name. I stared at her photo on the screen.

I plugged the name into the computer. She was clean, zero priors.

“Where is she?” Viktor asked.

Ray held his cell phone to his ear outside the wine room door. He stared through the metal gate at Callie lying on the ground up against the wall. “She’s locked in the wine room.”

“Has she said anything?”

“She can’t.”

“Why can’t she? I told you not to touch her.”

“She wouldn’t shut up so I taped her mouth.”

“Is that it? Did you hurt her?”

“No, Viktor. I didn’t do anything.”

“What have you been doing?”

Ray kicked the metal door. Callie woke up. She stared at Ray. Her eyes were filled with hate. “Staying inside like you instructed. I’ve been checking in on the little bitch every few hours. She’s fine.”

Ray took his knife from his pocket. He flipped it open. He stared at Callie and jerked the blade left to right in front of his neck.

“Just leave her alone until I get there. I’m just getting on the plane. I’ll be there in a little over an hour. Can you leave her there and pick me up?”

“Yeah, she’s not going anywhere.”

“She’ll damn well try if you’re not there. Tie her up. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I’ll tie her up alright.”

“Just tie her hands and legs—nothing else. After we have the case you can do whatever you want with her.”

Ray smiled. “I already have some ideas.”

“Case first. I’ll call you when we’re about to land.”

“OK, Viktor.” Ray hung up.

He ran the blade of the knife across the wrought iron gate of the wine room. It clicked as it slapped against each separate metal bar.

“Viktor says I have to tie you up.”

Callie mumbled something into the duct tape.

“What’s that? You like being tied up?”

She mumbled something else.

Ray grabbed the roll of duct tape that he used to cover her mouth. He fished the key for the wine room’s gate from his pocket. He unlocked the door and stepped in. Callie jumped to her feet and tried running out. Ray stuck out his tree sized arm and knocked her to the floor.

“You think you can get away from me?”

He looked at her lying at his feet and sprawled down on top of her. He licked the side of her face. “We’re going to have some fun later. You’re just my type. I like it when they fight.”

Callie brought her knee up into his groin. Ray’s massive legs blocked her attempt.

Ray smiled. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

She ripped her left hand from under his arm and dug her fingernails into the side of his face. Ray reached up and took her hand away. A drip of blood ran down his cheek. Ray wrapped her wrist in duct tape and grabbed her other arm. He taped them together using half of the roll. She’d never be able to break free. He went to wrap her ankles. She kicked. She wouldn’t overpower him. Ray wrapped her ankles with the rest of the tape roll.

He stood and wiped at the fingernail scratches on his cheek. Blood covered his palm. He reached down and wiped it across Callie’s face. She ripped her head back and forth.

Ray left the wine room and locked the door. “Now you be good while I’m out. I’ll be back with Viktor.”

Callie screamed into the tape covering her mouth.

Viktor chuckled and headed for the bathroom to clean up the blood on his face.

My desk phone rang.

I scooped it up. “Lieutenant Kane.”

“Hey, it’s Bostok. Come in here.”

He hung up.

I walked over.

“Did you just try to pull the sheet for Calista Albero? I take that it’s Callie?”

I jerked my head back. “Yeah. Why?”

“I just got off the phone with a Fed. He asked us why we were looking into her. He asked me if we had her in custody. Then he told us to cease and desist whatever we were looking into.”

“Was he local? What was his name?”

“Agent Clark. He said he was from the Miami field office. Your search on your girlfriend raised a flag.”

“Why?”

Captain Bostok leaned back in his chair. “Well if the Feds flagged her, it means that she’s either working with them or they’re building something against her.”

“Let’s hope it’s the first one. I’m going to call Faust and see what I can find out about this Agent Clark. What did the major say?”

“He thinks you should bring in the Feds sooner rather than later. I agree with him. They have more resources than we do, Kane.”

“Let me talk to Faust and see what I can find out. I’ll ask what he can do to help. What about the warrants?”

“We got one on Andrei Azarov. We don’t have enough on Viktor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring him in for questioning.”

I nodded.

The captain rattled his fingers on his desk. “Stop back in after you talk to Faust.”

“I will.”

I walked from Bostok’s office back to mine, and dialed Agent Faust. He picked up right away.

“Faust.”

“Hey, it’s Kane. Ever hear of an Agent Clark down in Miami?”

“Clark, Clark, Clark. The name doesn’t ring a bell. Why what’s going on?”

I told him about the abduction, the Azarovs and Callie’s different last name. I asked him for help.

“Let me do a little digging, Kane. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

I hung up and rocked back in my chair. A million thoughts ran through my head. My girlfriend had been abducted. I didn’t know where she was or what was being done to her. She was somehow involved with organized crime. The man’s voice in her message asked about a case. Did she steal it from the Azarov brothers? What was in it?

My desk phone rang breaking my concentration. I scooped it up hoping it with Faust with something that would shed some light on the situation.

“Lieutenant Kane.”

“Hey, it’s Hank. We got a call over the radio. What’s the name of the guy we are looking for?”

“Andrei Azarov. I guess he goes by Ray.”

“How did we get it?”

“He’s the brother of the name Callie yelled in the message.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Do you think he’s the guy who has her?” Hank asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m trying to do everything I can to locate this guy and his brother.”

“Well, call me if you need anything.”

“Just keep working on what you are doing. Did you guys get any footage from over there?”

“We got a couple different videos from around Frank’s. We’re going to head over to Tamboro’s now.”

The other line beeped in. “Hank, I got another call coming in. Keep me updated.”

“I will.”

I clicked over.

“Lieutenant Kane.”

“It’s Faust.”

“Get anything on Callie?”

“Sorry no.”

“You tried both last names? Did you try alternate spellings?”

“I tried everything, Kane. No hits.”

“So she has a clean rap sheet for one name, and nothing on the name she is going by now?”

He was silent. I had a feeling he knew something that he couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me.

“What about the Azarov brothers?”

“Those two are bad news. We’ve been on to them for a while. We have a team running some surveillance and things of that nature.”

“Any idea where they are now? We’ve issued a warrant on Andrei. We need to bring Viktor in for questioning.”

“Sorry Kane. As of right now, this isn’t one of the Bureau’s cases. I’m just looking into something for a friend. Plus we are monitoring the Azarovs for something unrelated. I shouldn’t have even shared that we were looking at them with you. He coughed. “Hypothetically, if I told you that Viktor Azarov chartered a plane a half hour ago en-route to TPA, or something along those lines, I could catch heat from the higher ups.” He coughed again.

I nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t ask you to do something like that. I appreciate you looking into it for me anyway.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more help with your girlfriend.”

I hung up and dialed Waterman at the airport. I got his voicemail.

“Nick, it’s Lieutenant Kane. I need a favor. I have a person of interest coming in a chartered plane. The name is Viktor Azarov. We have a warrant for his brother who we believe to be in the area. I’m on my way there. Call my cell.”

I hung up and grabbed my keys from the drawer of my desk. I stopped in by the captain to tell him what Faust said.

Bostok gave me the green light to go.

I pulled the Corvette from the station’s parking structure, hopped on the interstate and took a straight shot to the airport. Jenny Cartwright that was found floating in the Hillsborough Bay kept re-appearing in my head.
Was it Callie’s fate? Was she being held by the man who did it? Could she already be in the water?
The thoughts got pushed back down to where they came from. I called Waterman again and got his voicemail for the second time. I left another message. He must have been out of the office. It was taking too long for him to call back.

I found a spot on the third level of the short term parking structure and made my way into the building. I got to the airport’s security office down on the second floor and walked in.