I nodded. “That’s me. We in time?”
“They should be out in a few minutes.” He pointed to his left. “You see that other lot, the one with the concertina wire on top of the fence? They’ll be goin’ in there to get their van. After that, they’re all yours.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You got any idea why they’re being released?”
He shrugged. “Nope. My boss thinks it’s kinda suspicious, though. Thought it was a good thing you guys’ll be keepin’ an eye on them for the FBI. All three got records, but not wanted for anything at the moment.” He pointed his chin towards the building. “Here they come now.” His radio squawked. “Wup, that’s for me. Gotta go.” He sped out of the parking lot, disappearing from sight in seconds.
I dug out my binoculars, and got a closer look. One skinny dude, two overweight. “Looks like they didn’t enjoy their stay,” I said, noting their wrinkled and dirty clothing. I passed the binoculars to Dave.
“Man, I wouldn’t want to be tossed in that jail. Probably not the cleanest place if their customers come out looking like that.”
Five minutes passed after they disappeared into the security parking lot before the gate once more rattled open and a grey van exited. I started the engine. “Here we go.”
Less than half-an-hour passed before the van slowed, taking the Black Mountain exit off the freeway. A minute later they stopped at the Quality Inn motel. I drove past, taking the next driveway. “Now what? Kind of early to get a room.”
“Backtrack to that lot across the street from the motel,” Dave said. “We can keep an eye on them from there.”
I swung into the storage warehouse parking. Once stopped and facing the motel, I speed dialed Lenny.
She answered on the first ring. “What’s up? Still got the perps in your sights?”
“Yeah, they’re stopping at the Quality Inn just across I-40 from Black Mountain. Kind of early, but they might be planning their next move or something.”
“I hope you don’t mind keeping an eye on them awhile longer. The ATF is looking into why they were released before they could step in. And the state police are reluctant to act for the same reason.”
A touch of disquiet made my stomach quiver. “Not sure how long we can keep doing this. You got a time frame before somebody makes up their minds?”
Her chuckle echoed from my phone. “Don’t blame you for getting antsy. Give us a couple more hours. They should’ve made up their minds by then.” The line went dead.
“What’d she say?” asked Dave, still watching the motel through the binoculars.
I shook my head and stuffed the phone away. “You remember that old Army saying? Hurry up and wait?”
He snorted laughter. “Yeah, usually it was tied in with SNAFU.” He handed the binoculars to me. “While you were on the phone, they went into the room third from the left on the second floor.”
I scanned the entire hotel, then concentrated on room 239. “Guess we just wait, now. Lenny said to give her two hours to shake something loose with ATF. Then we’re on our own.” I handed the binoculars back.
“What’s with the FBI trusting you enough to do this kind of thing for them?” Dave asked, glancing at me before putting the binoculars back to his face.
“Remember my telling you how I might have been on the wrong side of the law for awhile? Well, back then even the FBI didn’t know about me. It wasn’t until we did some successful jobs together that they started trusting me enough to do their dirty work once in awhile. Even when it became known to them I really had been a successful crook right under their noses.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You mean you really were a crook?”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “Better than what I’d been before that. I was a sniper in the Army. Did a bunch of wet work in Central and South America with a black ops team. Got to me after awhile, and they politely asked me to get lost after I had an altercation with my boss.”
An hour passed, with vehicles starting to trickle in. Dave leaned forward, muttering under his breath. “I could’a swore…”
I cranked my seat back up, coming fully awake. “Something?”
He shook his head, lowering the binoculars. “Thought I saw the curtains puff inwards for a seond.”
“Relax awhile. My turn to watch.”
At least a dozen cars had trickled into the motel’s parking lot over the past hour by the time the jarring ring of my phone had me scrambling. God, what an annoying sound. Have to change that ring tone. “Francis here,” I said.
“Sorry to keep you so long,” Lenny said. “The state police are enroute to your location to pick them up. The ATF decided someone must be on the take to release those guys with the armament they had. We also found out one of the men works full-time for Franks, and we definitely want to talk to him.”
My pulse gained speed. “Any chance I can have a word with that scumbag before he’s arrested?”
“Not a chance. I will, however, furnish you with the information we get.”
I shrugged. “Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. We’ll stand by until after they’re arrested. You going to have an agent here?”
“The closest agent to you at the moment is coming from our field office in Charlotte, where I am. He’ll probably arrive after they’re arrested. Be polite, since he’s the one you’ll get information from.”
“Sounds good.” I put the phone away. “Cops’ll be here any minute. We’re to hang tight.”
Dave nodded. “Good. I was getting a sore butt just sitting here. Did I hear one of the guys we’re watching works for Franks?”
“Yeah, seems he–heads up, here comes the law.”
Three State Patrol vehicles pulled into the motel, two cops getting out of each car. Two Sheriff’s Department vehicles also drifted down the street, stopping across from us. It was forever before
