Isabel's run

into the house over on Brooklyn. It’s going to be tougher-more occupants, less certainty as to schedule. We’ll have to be nimble and stay on our toes.”

Chapter 17

I figured that if Isabel was at any of the NSSB houses, odds favored the boys’ house on Brooklyn Avenue. Paola said that they moved Isabel out of the girls’ house, and I’d searched the big house yesterday. So my money was on the boys’ house. Unless these guys kept more than the three houses we knew about, in which case, all bets were off. I was anxious to get inside and have a look around.

We hadn’t had time to study the boys’ house from outside other than briefly during our vehicle surveillance operation two days ago. Despite that, our entry plan was the same as yesterday at the big house-watch the house for a few hours, try to pick a time when it looked like everyone was gone, and then do a quick in-and-out. Hopefully, on the out part I’d be bringing Isabel with me. The big problem today was, unlike the big house, we didn’t know who lived at this one, so watching the people who left didn’t necessarily tell us much about who was still inside. And we had no sense of the rhythm of the house. With the big house, by contrast, we could tell that Martin left with Crystal every day around noon or twelve thirty, and they didn’t return until later in the afternoon. Here, we didn’t know anything. That increased the pucker factor several degrees.

Toni and I pulled up and parked on Sixty-Second Street, perhaps seventy-five yards from the target. We had a clear view of the house across the corner of Cowen Park-a little extension of the much larger Ravenna Park.

At twelve thirty, the white BMW rolled up and parked behind a black Chevy Impala. Crystal and Martin got out and went directly inside. Five minutes later, a maroon Ford Expedition with chrome wheels and darkened windows also pulled up. DeMichael Hollins got out and also went inside. Shortly thereafter, a third car-a silver Acura-pulled up as well. Two men got out and joined the others inside.

“Crap,” Toni said. “We’re getting the exact opposite of what we wanted. Instead of everybody being gone, it looks like everybody’s here. Looks like they’re having a convention.”

I nodded. “Maybe. We’ll wait,” I said. “Let’s just see what they’re going to do. Maybe they’re just meeting here. I imagine they eat lunch, same as everyone else.”

Kenny was our northern scout today. He was parked three blocks north on Brooklyn, near the intersection with Sixty-Fifth. Doc was parked a couple of blocks south, near Ravenna Boulevard. While Toni kept watch on the house, I studied the map and pondered the approaches. Just as the unknown number of occupants increased the risk at this house compared to the big house, so, too did the physical layout of the streets around the home. The big house on Fortieth basically had two ways in and out-one from the north and one from the south. It was possible to station Doc and Kenny several blocks away because anyone approaching had no choice-they had to take either the northern or the southern approach path. Stationed that far from the home, the scouts would be able to give ample warning if they spotted one of the known suspect vehicles returning.

This home, unfortunately, had multiple approach paths. We didn’t have enough troops to cover them all. In order to effectively screen all possible approach paths, I’d have had to bring Kenny and Doc in so close-less than a block north and south-that any warning they provided would come only a few seconds before the car pulled up to the curb in front of the house. So, instead, I did the next best thing. I picked the most likely routes and opted to station the two scouts far enough away that a warning from them would actually come early enough to be useful. And in the event that someone returned to the home by one of the routes that this tactic left uncovered, it would be up to Toni to sing out. I’d have only a few seconds to get out, but it was the best we could do.

“They’re leaving. Vehicles exiting to the south,” Toni said into her radio.

I quickly set the map down and picked up the binoculars. Martin and Crystal, along with two other men, got in the BMW and drove off to the south. DeMichael Hollins followed them in his Expedition, along with the silver Acura-now with three men. Only the black Impala remained.

“Roger,” Doc called back. Toni quickly gave a description of the vehicles to Doc.

“They’re in sight,” Doc called. “They’re all turning westbound on Ravenna Boulevard.”

“I-5?” Toni said.

“Could be,” I said. “Let’s watch for a few minutes. Let’s just see if we can spot any movement from inside.”

“And make sure one of these guys who just left didn’t forget something,” she added.

“That, too.”

Two minutes later, the door opened and two men came out. The looked around and then walked to the black Impala. They got in and drove off.

“Another one,” Toni said into the radio. “Black Impala, southbound.”

A minute later, Doc said, “Got it. Turned west on Ravenna-just like all the others.”

Five minutes later, we hadn’t seen anything else.

“Think they went to lunch?” Toni asked.

I looked at my watch. One thirty. “Could be,” I said. “Time’s about right for these guys. How’s the signal analyzer?” I asked.

Kenny had instructed Toni how to operate his Wolfhound cell phone detector. She pointed the device toward the house. “It doesn’t look like there are any signals coming from the immediate area.”

“Good. Kenny,” I said into my radio. “How we looking?”

“Clear,” he answered.

“Doc?”

“Clear,” he said. “They all exited the area to the west.”

“Roger that. I’m going in.”

Toni looked at me. “Be careful,” she said.

I smiled. “Of course.” I leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Keep an eye out in case someone sneaks back in.”

She nodded.

I knocked and rang the doorbell. I counted to thirty while straining to hear the sound of movement inside. I heard nothing. When I reached thirty, I did it again. Still no answer, so after another thirty seconds or so, I decided to get started.

“Seems like nobody’s home,” I whispered into my radio. “I’m going on around back.” I walked to the side of the house-the side gate was open. I checked for dogs, found none, and started walking toward the rear of the home.

The home was big-much larger than the one on Fortieth. Great, I thought. That much tougher to search. There were two windows on the side of the house-both locked, along with an access door, also locked. I kept going and reached the corner of the house. I looked into the backyard. There were more windows, and a patio facing the backyard. I had two choices. I could either pick the lock on the side access door, or I could risk exposure to someone in a neighboring yard and try the windows and the door in the back. I walked back and had another look at the lock on the access door and decided to go in there. The door fit poorly enough that I was able to slip my knife between the door and the strike plate and wiggle the latch open-I didn’t even have to pick the lock.

I found myself looking into what appeared to be a home office. There were two old desks-each with a computer. There were two doors to what appeared to be closets on the opposite wall. A large filing cabinet sat in a corner. There was a telephone on each desk. Was this ground zero for the NSSB business operations? Maybe.

I strained to listen before I left the room. From somewhere in the house, a television was playing. It effectively masked any other noise I might have been able to pick up. That was bad because I couldn’t hear if anyone else was home. Then again, it was good, too, because it also meant that it would be that much harder for anyone who was home to hear me. I walked on in and closed the door behind me.

“I’m in,” I said quietly into my headset. I slid a window back to where it was closed but not locked. If I needed to get out in a hurry, I’d be able to do it here.

“Clear,” Toni said.