Kill Zone: A Lucy Guardino FBI Thriller (27 page)

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Lucy was glad for the priest’s interruption. Once they explained the situation, he agreed to allow them the use of the basement classrooms below the rectory. She retreated downstairs to wait for Stone and Haddad, leaving Nick to soothe the priest’s concerns.

The room was cinderblock, painted yellow with bible quotes and crayon-colored pictures on the walls. There were several tables surrounded by chairs, a desk, and most importantly to Lucy, a blackboard. Not as nice as the large whiteboard in her office at the Federal Building, but good enough.

She started with a timeline. Fatima and the baby’s departure from Cranberry at one end, Mina and Badria’s time of death, the ambush at the 911 center, attacks on Zones Four and Five, and finally seeing the Raziq family alive with Zapata on Ruby Avenue. She radioed Taylor who helped her add in other major events like the bomb threats, the shooter and fire at the hockey tournament, the bomb at Three Rivers, the downing of the State Police helicopter, and several more shoot outs between the Rippers and the police.
 

There were other events: riots, car accidents, looting. But she focused on ones that appeared to be Zapata's work.

“Boss,” Taylor said when they were done. “I’m not seeing a pattern here. And, hate to say it, but you’re the only one who has seen any signs of a cartel. All of the bodies we’ve recovered have been wearing Ripper colors.”

“Any taken alive?”

A pause while he double-checked. “No.”

“So the thinking is, what? A gang dependent on the drug trade decides to thoroughly piss off every law enforcement agency in Western PA all in one night? Never thinking of the repercussions? The Rippers are finished. They’ll be dismantled in a month, probably less. Homewood will be on permanent lockdown, Ruby Avenue will have more police per block than any other street in the nation. What’s the end game here? And why target Raziq?”

“Haddad got threats as well, don’t forget. Although," he paused, "he’s also the one who actually ID’d Zapata.” Taylor enjoyed playing devil’s advocate—a role she usually had Walden for, but she had to admit Taylor had a point.

Haddad disagreed. He’d walked with Stone in just in time to overhear Taylor. “Are you calling me a traitor?”

“Just exploring all the options,” Lucy said. She didn’t have time to coddle his sore feelings. “Taylor says there’s no evidence of cartel involvement in any of tonight’s events.”

“Bullshit. We saw Zapata take Raziq. That’s evidence enough.”

Lucy waved him quiet, peering at the time line. There was no obvious pattern, yet it was all too well-coordinated for there not to be. She just had to figure out what Zapata and the Rippers wanted…

“I still don’t see why Zapata would target Raziq,” she muttered.

“Maybe because he’s a fraud.”

She whirled around. Stone stood behind her, as focused on the board as she had been. “What do you mean?”

“He burned down that school in Hajji Baba. Killed all those girls.”

Haddad took a step toward Stone. “Why do you blame Rashid for Hajji Baba and not me? After all, I was in command. I led the mission.”

Stone frowned. “Why should I blame you? You were just as taken in by him as I was.”

“You still believe he arranged the ambush that killed your squad?”

“I know it.” Andre gestured with his bound hands in frustration. “There were two explosions that day. A small one, barely enough to knock you out. And a second, larger incendiary bomb that conveniently went off after Raziq got you out.”

“Of course. The second was designed to get anyone who responded to the first.  Rashid risked his life to save me.”

“Then why did he tell me you were still inside when you were already out? And why did he send my men into that ambush while I was caught inside the fire, supposedly saving your ass?”

Haddad sat on one of the tables, stunned. “That’s impossible.”

“You were out cold. How would you know?”

“But all the witnesses—”

“Paid off by Raziq. Don’t you understand? The man played you a fool from the beginning. All those drug stashes he led us to? Setups to eliminate his competition. Rashid Raziq was the biggest drug smuggler in the province. And we did his dirty work for him.”

“You were burned and had a head injury. You’ve got it all mixed up, Stone. Your subconscious mind scrambled the timing so you wouldn’t feel guilty about your men getting killed.”

“If that’s so, it sure as hell didn’t work.” Stone’s shoulders hunched then dropped in resignation. “All I know is what I know.”

“You’re wrong.” Haddad shook his head angrily. “I don’t believe you.”

“No one does. But it’s the truth. His men set that ambush and gunned down my men. He set that IED that almost killed you and burned down that school. The man is a killer.”

“Why? If he’s the monster you say he is, why go to all that trouble? He could have kept on doing what he was doing, no one would ever have known.”

“Maybe it’s my fault—I was asking questions, talking to his men. Maybe he was worried someone said the wrong thing. Or maybe he saw it as a chance to get you to owe him one so he could pave his way to make more money, move to America, open up new routes for his operation. After all, that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?”

“Of course. I sponsored his move here—he had a price on his head over there. But as for more money, no. We paid some moving expenses, a couple months’ consultancy fees, that’s it. And if he wanted to start a drug operation here, why in the world would he choose Pittsburgh of all places?”

“Raziq chose Pittsburgh?” Lucy interrupted.

“Yes. He was very specific. Said he wanted a safe place to raise his family. Now does that sound like the drug kingpin you’ve described?” Haddad’s tone turned to one of pity. “You’re wrong about him, Stone. Dead wrong.”

Both men stared at each other, neither yielding. Lucy had no idea who to believe but she remembered her initial impressions of Raziq and his home. Contradictions at every turn.

“Let’s focus on the present,” she suggested. “Stone, where were you today from two pm on?”

“He was with me,” Nick said as he walked into the room. “Or with people from the VA.”

“I had a clinic appointment with my surgeon,” Stone said. “The van picked me up at one, but the surgeon was running late, so I didn’t get out of there until around two thirty. Then I picked up this gizmo from Callahan.” He raised his wrist to display a heart rate and GPS monitor. Nick had one just like it; Lucy had given it to him last Christmas. “After that the van took me back to Grams’ house.”

“And then Andre and I were on the phone together as we both ran. Until the Rippers picked him up. You can check my cell records and the GPS monitor from the watch.” Nick stared at her as if daring her to accuse Stone of killing Raziq’s daughters.

“So you’re not my killer. What about the threats?”

Stone shrugged. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

Haddad wheeled on him. “We traced email threats and letter threats sent to both Rashid and myself. They all came from Ruby Avenue. And there was a letter bomb that matched your signature.”

“I’m being set up. Darius, he’s a shot caller for the Rippers, he’s the one who taught me to make bombs when I was a kid. I added my own special touch, using road flares, but he knows that.” He turned to Nick. “You heard him, Doc. He said he wanted me to build a bomb for him. But when he put me in that garage with that woman and baby, everything I would have used was already there—” He slumped against the wall, shaking his head.
 

Lucy wished again that he didn’t have the mask on; it was so hard to read his expression. Was he faking?

Nick obviously didn’t think so. He moved to Stone’s side, stood so he could make eye contact with him. “Andre. What is it?”

“All the bomb making stuff in the garage—I touched it. You guys will find my prints all over it. That’s why Darius locked me up there. He needed my fingerprints and DNA and shit. Plus I made some napalm, those fire bombs that helped get us out of there. You can test my hands. I’ll have shit all over me. I’m screwed three ways from Sunday.”

Lucy stared at him. Something in her wanted to trust him. But she had to be sure. She grabbed her phone. The classrooms had functioning Wi-Fi, good. “Taylor, show me a map of all the disturbances the Rippers or Zapatas were behind tonight.”

The screen filled with a map of Pittsburgh covered with red dots. The only clear area was Homewood. It had a single red dot: the site of their shoot out with the Rippers at Kujo’s.

“Now clear all the bomb threats that were unfounded.” The density of red dots lightened. “Clear the 911 center and the attacks on Zones Four and Five.”

“Why?”

“Because those make strategic sense. Same with the bomb at Three Rivers and any direct attacks on police. Okay, now take out the bombs found at synagogues and mosques.” Suddenly the map was almost totally clear. Except for two red dots overlapping in Highland Park, near the zoo. “What are those?”

“Fire and active shooter at the Schenley Academy ice rink,” Taylor told her. “Took down a police officer and a State Police helicopter. Civilians rescued the officer but we’ve lost contact with the Statie.”

“An ice rink?” Why did that bother her so much? Lucy stared at the red dot until it blurred. “Was there a game or practice?”

“High school holiday tournament. Huge crowd, lots of panic. We got lucky. No civilian casualties.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered, immediately glancing up at the ceiling as if the priest above could have heard her. “Special Agent Haddad, you’re right. We need to find Raziq.”

Chapter 31

As soon as the FBI agent, Lucy What’s-her-name, said that, Andre knew he was doomed. She believed Haddad, not him. He turned to Nick, trying to find words to convince someone she was wrong.

“Dr. Callahan,” she said in a tone that would have made his old drill sergeant smile. “Move away from the prisoner.”

Christ, now she thought he’d take the Doc hostage or something? What kind of monster did they take him for?

The kind that would butcher two little girls.

Callahan didn’t move. Lucy took a step towards him. Haddad raised his M4. Aimed at Andre. Good God, what were they doing? The Doc was just a civilian.

Andre pushed Callahan behind him, out of the line of fire. “He has nothing to do with this.”

For the first time since he’d met her the FBI agent smiled. She motioned to Haddad to lower his weapon. The DEA agent looked as confused as Andre felt.

The Doc stood beside Andre, glaring at the FBI agent for a long moment. His shoulders were hunched and his face flushed. Angry. Andre had never seen the Doc angry before. “Lucy—”

She shook her head at the Doc as if giving him a warning. If Andre didn’t know they were husband and wife, the way they exchanged an entire conversation in a single glance would have told him for sure.

Lucy stepped forward and took Andre’s hands in hers. She flicked a knife open and cut him free of the zipties. “Sorry about that, Stone. I had to be sure. You’re a hard read.”

Her tone was gentle, almost admiring. He shook the feeling back into his hands, touched his mask. “Yeah, you should see my poker face.”

Callahan was the only one who smiled at that. Then he got serious again. “Andre, she knows nothing about our sessions. And I can’t tell her anything.”

“He never does.” Lucy rolled her eyes. But he could tell she was proud of the Doc. “I didn’t even know he was making house calls. I thought all this workout therapy was on treadmills at the VA.”

Haddad interrupted. “We’re running out of time here.”

Lucy nodded, her expression turning business-like once more. “I know. Mr. Stone, do you know the three Rippers we captured at your grandmother’s house?”

“The older one, Maddoc, yeah. He’s a bully. Darius’ enforcer. The two others, I have no clue.”

“Think you can get Mr. Maddoc to tell you where they took Raziq?”

He thought about it, shook his head. “No. And neither can you. There’s a reason his street name is Mad Dog. Guy’s stubborn as hell, meaner than a pit bull, and more than a little crazy. He’ll never rat on Darius.”

“This Darius, he was keeping Raziq’s family for Zapata. Do you think he’d be with Zapata and Raziq now?”

He had no clue who this Zapata dude was, but he knew Darius. “Hell yeah. He talked like he was getting ready for a big payoff. No way he’d let his moneymaker out of sight.”

She sat on the desk. Not just leaned against it, flat out hauled her butt up there and pulled her legs up to sit Indian-style, like a little kid. Was quiet for a moment, but didn’t stop staring at Andre. Not his face, though, his body… no, his watch.

“Mr. Stone—”

“Andre. I ain’t no Mister.” And he wasn’t no Sergeant, not anymore. “It’s just Andre.”

She nodded, locked her gaze on his. Looked a little sad. “Andre. How would you feel about getting out of here? Taking us to Darius?”

Callahan interrupted. “He already told you he doesn’t know where Darius is.”