As the day wore on Kane was reminded again that most of police work was really paperwork. First, he had to get an arrest warrant allowing them entry to Farber’s house. That meant an affidavit, an application, a draft warrant and almost an hour in the lumpy chair in the clerk’s office waiting for the duty judge to review the documentation and question Kane about any factual issues that concerned him. When the warrant was finally signed Kane still had to recruit the manpower needed to serve it. If he had had any friends in the D.C. police that might not have been too difficult but, of course, he didn’t. Kane generally considered himself ahead of the game if he was able to avoid actually making enemies.
After two hours of fighting the D.C. PD’s bureaucracy Kane was only able to get the manpower he needed by reminding Captain DeJesus that in addition to aiding in the escape of a federal fugitive the target was also wanted on state charges of suspicion of murdering a police officer. Even then DeJesus was resistant. It took a call from Tony Canaro confirming Kane’s story to finally get DeJesus’ agreement to provide a six-man squad. Kane and Rosewood could go along but DeJesus made it clear that his man, Lieutenant Marty Bernard, would be in charge.
For a moment Kane thought about leaving Danny out of the raid but the kid had done good work and didn’t deserve to be so brutally disrespected. Still, Kane resolved to keep Rosewood behind him at all times. It was a little after seven when Bernard and his squad assembled with Kane and Danny relegated to a couple of plastic chairs in the back of the room.
Bernard put up Google Street View images on a 60” plasma and slowly moved the POV down the block, stopping every thirty feet or so to spin the camera three-hundred-sixty degrees.
“All right, here’s the target’s house,” Bernard said, tapping the screen with a rubber-tipped pointer then slowly zooming in on the front door. “As far as we know there’s no connection between this unit and the houses on either side so the suspect’s only points of egress will be the front and back yards. Desimone, Webber and Crane, you’re Team Two. You’ll position yourselves in the backyard at 794 Riverton.”
Bernard switched to an aerial view and tapped the street in front of number 794 then drew a line from the curb, down the driveway, along the side of the building, into the backyard, then over the fence and into the rear yard of number 817. “You will wait on the 794 side of the fence until you hear my signal then you’ll go over and into the backyard at 817. Webber and Crane will secure the rear of the house in case he comes out the back door or from one of the upstairs windows. Desimone, you will enter through the back door and clear the rooms at the rear of the house on the first floor.”
Bernard paused and got nods and thumbs-up acknowledgments from the three men.
“Stottlemeyer and I will enter through the front door and clear the front rooms. Once the first floor is clear Desimone will hold position there while Stottlemeyer and I clear the second floor. If we still haven’t found the suspect, two of us will search the basement. Kramer, you and Homeland Security agents Kane and Rosewood will cover the front of the structure to make sure that he doesn’t jump out a window while we’re clearing the interior. Does everybody understand their assignments?” In theory Bernard was talking to everyone but when he asked that question he never took his eyes off Kane.
“All right,” he continued after a little pause to drive his point home. “The subject is considered armed and dangerous. He was a Baltimore County deputy sheriff who, with another officer, was transporting a prisoner wanted on weapons charges and suspected in the deaths of two federal agents. That prisoner went missing and the other deputy is missing and presumed dead. So what we’ve got here is a former law-enforcement officer who is suspected of murdering his partner in the course of helping a felon to escape. This is a very dangerous person who will not hesitate to kill any of us if we give him the chance. Do not give him that chance.” Bernard gave his team a hard stare then looked toward the back of the room. “Agent Kane, do you have anything to add?”
Do I have anything to add? Kane thought. You’ve as much as told them to shoot Farber down if he gives them the slightest excuse.
The team twisted in their seats and Kane stood up.
“There’s a mother out there whose son put on the uniform and climbed into a cruiser with this guy two years ago and was never seen again. Every day she wakes up and wonders, ‘What happened to my boy?’ If we kill Farber she’s never going to find out. We need him alive because she needs him alive. You all know what I’m saying.”
Kane looked from man to man and six blank faces stared back at him.
Shit! he thought. I guess it will be what it will be.
* * *
It was a little after eight and fully dark when the team was finally ready to go. Kane, Danny, Bernard and Kramer were seated in a black van around the corner and a block away from 817. Stottlemeyer was parked behind them in a blue Dodge Dart with a walkie-talkie lying on the passenger seat. Behind him in a third vehicle were Desimone and his two men.
“Make the pass,” Bernard ordered.
Stottlemeyer carefully pulled around the van then made a cautious turn at the next corner. He kept his head pointed straight ahead while below eye level he held the transmit button down.
“I’m approaching the target.” Stottlemeyer’s voice was thin and scratchy over the speaker. “There’s a light-colored Camry in the driveway. One light is showing in the first floor south-side window. No activity.” There were a few seconds of silence then, “I’m off the block. Returning to base.”
Bernard looked at Kane. He didn’t need to ask the question out loud. Farber was probably there but they couldn’t be sure. What time did he go to bed? Eleven? Midnight? They could wait and see if the light eventually went off. That would be a sign that Farber was home, unless it was on a timer, maybe automatically turning itself on at six and off at eleven. If they waited until the light went out then by the time they were inside Farber would have reached his bedroom on the second floor. That would give him enough time to grab a gun before they could clear the first floor and make it up the stairs, plus the stairs were a natural choke point and when climbing them the team would be exposed like tin ducks in a shooting gallery. If they went in now they stood a good chance of catching him in the living room, sprawled out in front of the TV. He’d possibly still have a gun but they’d be able to spread out and take him more or less by surprise.
Kane looked at Danny. The kid seemed all right, more excited, at least, than scared. Screw it!
“Let’s do it,” Kane said.
Bernard picked up the walkie-talkie.
“Team Two, move out for 794 then position yourselves by the rear fence and wait for my signal.” Bernard released the button and shoved the unit into his pocket. “All right, everyone knows their assignments. Stick to the plan.” He gave Desimone sixty seconds to get into position then motioned for Kramer to start the engine and move them out.
Thirty seconds later the van stopped in front of the adjacent home, number 815. Unlike raids in the movies Kramer did not slam on the brakes and screech the tires. Bernard gently opened the side door and the team exited as quietly as possible. Once outside they trotted toward the target. As they started to jog up the front walk Bernard clicked the transmitter and whispered: “Team Two – Go! Go! Go!”
Kramer held Kane and Danny halfway between the sidewalk and the front door while Bernard and Stottlemeyer waited on the porch for a count of five in order to give Team Two enough time to get over the back fence and across the yard. When Bernard heard Desimone’s CLICK in his earphone he pointed at the door and Stottlemeyer smashed the steel ram into the lock. The door flew back with a crash and an instant later they heard a similar sound ring from the back of the house.
“Police!” Bernard shouted at the top of his lungs, already halfway through the living room. “Warrant! Police!”
Kramer, Kane and Rosewood pulled their guns and anxiously waited for the signal that one of the entry teams had found their man.