Matt fell back into his chair and swallowed hard. “Request location information forwarded to my contact email.”
“Very well, Laughlin, 8739. Tracking information transmitted to your secure email. Can I assist you with any other orders at this time?”
“No, thank you.” Matt hung up the phone and pressed the power button on his monitor. He noted that his hand was shaking as he reached for the mouse and his eyes settled on the time stamp in the corner of the screen. He was going to be late for his meeting.
Something told him that this was more important.
9
Southeastern Oklahoma
Bobby stood outside of the Super 8 and watched the few cars that were on the road drive by. He nodded to Gregg, who walked into the hotel as if he owned the place and made his way to the elevator.
Bobby appeared at his side just as the doors opened and the pair rode up to the second floor. “All clear?”
Bobby nodded. “Mauk and Lisa are standing by. If this doesn’t pan out then they’ll start on the other hotels and work their way back to the park.”
The doors opened just as the elevator dinged and the pair made their way down the hall to room 208. “Fingers crossed.” Gregg slipped the mule card into the reader and pressed the button on the scanner. The light flashed green and the door clicked.
“Bingo.” Bridger pushed the door open and stepped inside, weapon drawn.
Gregg reached for the wall and flipped the lights on then cleared the bathroom immediately on the right. “Clear.”
“Clear in here.” Bridger holstered his weapon then began to search the drawers. “There were four shooters. Two queen sized beds. Somehow I doubt they’d be spooning.”
Gregg waved a wand over the walls, paying particular attention to the lamps and TV. “No bugs.” He slipped the wand back into his jacket pocket. “Maybe they slept in shifts? Two stand guard while the others rest?”
“Doubtful.” Bridger slammed the last empty drawer shut. “These guys would have little reason to be that paranoid.” He stood and planted his hands on his hips, his eyes scanning the room.
Gregg grasped one of the mattresses and flipped it over. Under the flat wooden platform lay a black leather duffel bag. “Bingo again.”
Bridger reached for the other mattress and flipped it. Two Pelican cases and a second black leather duffel lay hidden. “Check for booby traps.”
Gregg carefully checked the zipper on the bag then nodded. “No boobies.” He smiled at Bridger. “As much as I’d like to find some.”
Bridger sighed as he fished the tote out and placed it on the upended mattress. “Personal stuff.” He dumped a shaving kit and grooming items onto the floor. “Any IDs?”
Gregg shook his head as he dumped the clothing out onto the floor. “Negative.” He poked at the items with the tip of his pen. “It’s like these guys were only planning an overnight.” He looked to Bridger. “If they’re cartel regulars, wouldn’t they at least need a passport to enter?”
Bridger shrugged. “You’d think. Or a driver’s license in case they get pulled over.” He sighed again and checked the duffel for hidden pockets. “Nothing.”
Gregg stepped over the mess and reached for a Pelican case. “I’m guessing this is for their hardware. Sorta tough to check this shit on a plane, don’t ya think?”
“Private charter?” Bridger offered. “Maybe they drove and had this stowed somewhere.”
Gregg gently lifted the lid until he could verify no wires then flipped the lid over. “Empty.” He repeated the procedure for the second Pelican case. “Nada.” He stood and shook his head. “This is a bust.”
Bridger scratched at his chin then reached for the Pelican case closest to him. He grabbed the dark grey foam insert and pulled it out. Four passports and ID’s slid to the bottom of the case. “There ya go.” He nodded to Gregg who ripped the foam insert from the other case. Small stacks of money fell to the carpet.
“So, seed money and IDs. Who were those assholes?”
Bridger held one up to the light and shrugged. “My guess is these are fake.” He tossed them to Gregg. “Two Mexican licenses and two Colombian.” He flipped through the passports. “These have different names.” He tossed them to Gregg as well.
“Okay. I’ll call the gang and let them know we hit paydirt.” Gregg pulled his cell phone out and began punching numbers. “Maybe once I get back to some form of technology, I can trace these and we can find out who we’re dealing with.”
Bridger stepped back and stared at the room. “We still didn’t find any cell phones.” He spun a slow circle, his eyes taking in everything. “Surely these guys would have a way to…” His voice trailed off as he strode across the room.
Gregg held his hand over the phone. “What are you doing?”
“Following a hunch.”
Gregg turned back to the phone. “Yeah. We found it. Meet us back at the cabins.” He pushed the end call button then turned to Bridger, who was staring into the air conditioning unit below the window. “What are you doing?”
“If I wanted to hide something and didn’t trust the maids not to stumble on it…” He grabbed the plastic cover and hefted, wrenching it from the base unit. He slowly rose up, a smile on his face. “Cell phones.” He held the devices in the air.
“Son of a…” Gregg snorted a chuckle. “I guess it takes a paranoid to know one.”
Luis parked the Mercedes in the parking lot of the diner and adjusted the rear view so that the front of the hotel was visible.
“How did they know where Juan was staying?”
Luis shook his head. “I do not know.” His eyes narrowed as the two gringos pushed through the front doors. “But something tells me that they found what they were looking for.”
“Why do you think that?” Fernando asked.
“A hunch.” Luis reached for the starter button as the two men
