Arriving to the bureau earlier than usual, Martinez began organizing himself for the day. He waited for Holden to get through his morning routine before knocking on the door.
Looking up over his glasses while blowing on the hot liquid in his cup he said, “What do you got, Martinez?”
His face was lit with enthusiasm. “Morning, Chief. Notice I waited until you had your second cup before coming in?”
Unimpressed, he looked down at the newspaper and replied, “Notice how I just started my second cup?”
Unsure how to respond, Martinez was puzzled. “I thought you said -”
He set the paper down on his desk. “Come on Martinez, I’m just yankin’ your chain. To be honest, I’m not happy with anything that’s going on right now and frankly, the fact that it’s been happening on my watch is a slap in my face. But I have to say, I’m damn proud of you. Now tell me what you got.”
Grabbing his notepad from his pocket, he focused. “Right.” He sat in one of the chairs in front of the Chief’s desk. “Elizabeth has us set to meet with Richard Gardner and Danielle DuPont later today after business hours considering everyone’s need to be discreet. Chico, who already has the go ahead from the AG’s office, and Marylin will question them separately. If they’re satisfied, they’ll make their offers. If everyone agrees to move forward, we’ll take over and review all the details for their first meeting with Robinson.”
“Sounds like a solid plan. What did you find out about Lucas?”
“Everything I read in his file leads to Robinson in some way, shape, or form. He started at the drug task force about six years ago, which is well within the time frame when someone sold Liz out and squashed the drug trafficking case against Robinson. Lucas was pretty young at the time, making him impressionable. He helped transport prisoners on occasion and I believe he still does, which means ample and personal access to inmates, including Robinson. I’m waiting on transport records for Robinson to and from court, etc. Also waiting on phone and visitor records from Mansfield.”
He looked down at his notes for a moment to refresh his train of thought. “Uh, he mostly did office admin back then and has been attending college classes off and on for the past six years, specializing in computer forensics and cyber-crime, giving him the know-how to hack emails, websites, enter protected servers – and remain a ghost the entire time. Let’s see, and right about the time Robinson gets paroled, Lucas begins moonlighting at the casino. But the real kicker is, Johnny Warren was a high school classmate of his.” He swatted his hand with his notepad. “I’m telling you, he’s our corrupt cop. He’s quiet, stays to himself, and plays dumb more than I care to deal with. There’s also a rumor he’s geared to take the detective exam. The higher up one crawls, the less likely he is to be noticed.”
Holden’s expression suggested he was on information over-load. He took in a deep breath and grunted as he exhaled through his lips. “You give all of this to Reyes?”
Shaking his head in the affirmative he said, “He agrees. We’re meeting with Tom Smalls to gather video evidence from the previous drops, see what else we can find linking him.”
“Good work, Martinez. The feds just love when you do everything for them.” He rolled his eyes. “When and where do we meet with Gardner?”
A large black sedan with heavily tinted windows pulled into the parking garage, stopping in front of the large door leading into the county building. Richard exited and looked around before grabbing Danielle’s hand and helping her out of the vehicle, her black coat blending with the shadows. Marylin was waiting for them just inside. She swiped her keycard allowing them entry into the main lobby.
Once inside, she turned to Richard acknowledging him. “Mr. Gardner.” Putting out her hand to Danielle she said, “Miss DuPont, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Marylin Bennett. Unfortunately, Richard and I are already familiar with each other. But I want to thank you both for coming.” Directing them to the stairwell door, she led them to a large conference room past the break area.
“I believe you both know Elizabeth Strong.” Pointing to Chico Reyes she said, “And this is Investigator Francisco Reyes with the FBI field office in Cleveland. He’s here on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” She motioned to the chairs. “Shall we?” Once everyone sat down, Marilyn continued. “So, we all know why we’re here, right? Miss DuPont, you shared some information with Miss Strong and now the involvement of the FBI has come into play due to the severe nature of the circumstances.”
Danielle gripped Richard’s hand as if her life depended on it. Her confidence was fading quickly.
Although the air began to feel tense, Marylin could sense it. “However, that being said,” she turned to Danielle, “we are going to get this guy. Now, this isn’t going to be easy, but together we can do this. You will have all the support you need.” She looked at Elizabeth and back to Danielle. “Now I know you trust Elizabeth, that’s why you went to her. I just want you to know, you can trust me too. So, Investigator Reyes and I are going to ask you some questions and some of them may be uncomfortable, but we have to ask them, okay?”
Danielle nervously looked to Richard and to Elizabeth and then Chico before going back to Marylin again. Her heart rate accelerated as her head spun.
Taking her cue, Elizabeth caught Danielle’s eyes. She stood from her seat and soothingly grabbed hold of the other woman’s arm. Glaring into her pupils, she swore to her, “You – got – this.”
As the uncertainty slowly left Danielle’s face, Elizabeth softened her grip and walked out of the room shutting the door behind her. Moving to the break room next door, she stood in front of the coffee machine contemplating the choices. Settling on espresso, she grabbed her small cup and made herself comfortable at a round table.
She scrolled through her phone while she waited for Marylin and Chico to finish their questioning. Sipping on her second cup of espresso, she heard footsteps and hollow voices coming from the stairwell. Martinez came around the corner into the breakroom and Holden followed right behind him.
Looking up from her phone, she forced a smile. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself,” said Martinez.
Holden nodded his head at her, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and placed a dollar into the vending machine.
“Have they been in there a while?”
Now that she had someone to pass the time with, Elizabeth put her phone in her bag. “Maybe an hour or so?” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “They’ve got a lot to talk about.”
As soon as Martinez pulled out a chair to sit down, they heard the conference room door open. Marylin walked in and looked around the breakroom at everyone. “Okay, I think we’ve got something solid and ready to get this rolling. Would you all join us, please?”
They filed into the conference room taking a seat in the empty chairs surrounding the table. Richard and Danielle squeezed each other’s hand and gave a glance of support.
Placing his hands through his hair in an attempt to brush away the stress and after an awkward moment of silence, Richard spoke up. “So, right now, if I don’t agree to this, my casino is already pegged. You’ll continue on with your investigation regardless. I mean, basically I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
Chico sat there, calm as a cucumber and looked into Richards eyes. “Not really. You’re getting immunity. The AG’s office is getting the papers ready for you to sign as long as you cooperate. And you’re able to be at the helm of the ship to avoid a public relations nightmare. I’m not sure what more you could ask for.”
Butting in Holden asked, “I thought we were past this? Why the hell did you call us in here if you’re not ready to get down to the nitty gritty?”
Chico apologized. “I’m sorry, Chief Holden. Martinez, why don’t you lay it down for Gardner?” He winked and as he smiled, his chubby cheek revealed a deep dimple.
Taking his shot, Martinez said, “This is it, Richard. Do you want to be indebted to Steve Robinson or whoever they happen to send your way, or do you want steer the situation in a direction that helps you? It will only look better on you if you’re working with the authorities from the moment you knew what was going on. That means that your establishment was the one to notice corrupt activity and decided to act upon it.”
Richard shook his head positively. “As long as I have a guarantee that Danielle and I are safe from prosecution, we’ll do whatever you need us to.” Reaching her eyes with assurance, he gripped her hand a little tighter.
Marylin tapped the end of her pen on the table. “Okay, now that that’s settled, Martinez and Investigator Reyes, I’ll let you take it from here.”
Chico nodded his head at Martinez giving him the floor. Turning to Danielle and Richard, Martinez said, “The first thing we have to do is set up a meeting with Robinson. Let him know you’ve had a change of heart due to recent events. Give him the idea he has the upper hand to a certain extent. You following me?”
Richard nodded.
“Okay, he thinks you’re the rich kid from across the tracks that would do anything to fit in with his crowd and do anything to avoid pissing that crowd off. Danielle, unfortunately you’re still the young, naïve, street trash trying to get ahead.”
She threw him a dirty look.
Martinez threw up his hand defending himself, “I’m not saying you are street trash, but Robinson thinks you are and you need to play on that. Richard, you need to act like you’re in control of your woman, so to speak. Make him believe that she’s your property now, not his. We all know this isn’t who you are but you have to pretend to be the people he thinks you are. The fact that Richard is leading this whole conversation will make it a little easier. After all, it is your casino and he is making a deal with you.”
Chico added, “We need you to begin the conversation with what he offered you last time. Get him to repeat as much as you can like your negotiating all over and act as normal as possible. Danielle, you will be there, but only to act like the obedient fiancé, understand? The two of you want to portray that as much as you can. Richard, you didn’t give in to Robinson the first time because you felt your hand was forced by Danielle; you should have been the one to make the decision, if that makes sense.”
Richard rolled his neck at Danielle and said, “Well that shouldn’t be too difficult.” She turned away from him rolling her eyes in the process.
Martinez attempted to get past the tension forming in the room. “Look, this isn’t going to be easy for anyone but you have to remain focused. Robinson cannot get the idea that he’s being recorded. I have a feeling that he’s going to buy it if you sell it properly. Once he agrees to working with you, even if it’s just a small percentage at first, you make it official. Don’t act like your too greedy. You just want to build the relationship. You’ll need to know the ins and outs including who is making the drop and when. I believe he will be open to your having inside information as long as he knows you’re in it to win it.”
Richard shook his head in agreement, indicating he understood. “It seems like they’ve been making drops on our busiest night, Saturday. Around one to two am is the sweet spot, according to what Smalls has seen in the video footage.”
Martinez confirmed it. “He emailed me the files. If you can set up a meeting with Robinson in the next day or so, we can have a team set up for the drop this Saturday.”
Danielle sat on the plush sofa with her hands nervously wrapped around a rocks glass as she waited for Steve to show up to the suite. She stood up, took a sip of her scotch, and began pacing the floor.
From his desk, Richard was keeping an eye on the cameras outside. Calling down to Smalls in the security room he asked, “Smalls, are we clear?”
“Yeah, Boss. It’s just me.”
“Good. Let me know as soon as you see his vehicle enter the parking lot. And make sure you have a camera with good range on the back door.” Focusing on Danielle he said to her, “Could you just relax? You’re making me nervous. Have a seat and enjoy your drink, will you please?”
Irritation shadowed Smalls’ response, “Everything is set, Boss. You just worry about what’s happening up there.” Scanning the screens across the security room, he stopped at the one focused on main entrance, spotting Steve’s white four-door. His eyes moved from camera to camera, following the vehicle to the back of the casino. “He’s here, Boss.”
Richard switched to the camera revealing the back door that led to the suite stairwell. He watched as Big D and Steve exited the driver’s side of the car. Lucas greeted them offering a handshake and led Steve through the entrance. Smalls met him at the bottom of the stairs.
Grinning at Smalls and pulling on his jacket lapel, Steve said, “Looks like we might be working together after all.”
Chin up and chest bowed, Smalls refused to respond. Reaching the top of the stairs he swiped his keycard and the two men entered the suite.
Standing from his chair Richard said, “Mr. Robinson, thank you for coming.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think I would hear from you but, I take it you got my warning?” His eyes shot to Danielle who remained seated, timidly sipping on her drink.
Silently offering the seat in front of him, Richard sat back in his chair with confidence. “You call it a warning, I call it desperation, but we’re not here to contemplate your strategy. That being said, I would like this meeting to fair better than our first. Of course, had you approached me to begin with, we could have had this worked out already. However, from here on out, I am the only one you’ll be dealing with. Of course, with the exception of Smalls. Danielle, or Jenny as you like to insist on calling her, she is no longer of your concern. She’s mine and you will forget her name from here on out. Got it?”
Steve sat across the desk moving his head slowly up and down. “All right. I can dig that.” He placed his hand on his knee and relaxed his stance, “I had a feeling you’d come around.”
Richard looked at Danielle and demanded, “Make yourself useful and get the man a drink.” Turning back to Steve he said, “I think we can get on the same page. There is just entirely too much money to be made.”
A smile stretched across Steve’s thin lips. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Richard quickly went back to the task at hand. “Good. Going back to your original offer -”
Danielle placed a tumbler of scotch on the desk in front of Steve and his eyes followed her briefly before turning back to Richard. “Now see, I’m afraid that offer is no longer on the table.”
Attempting to redeem himself, Richard explained, “Don’t get me wrong, ten percent is quite generous, considering. But we can’t forget that I’m the one taking all the risk. If we’re going to be in business together, I think it’s only fair. This type of operation is going to require a little more than your man stopping by on a Saturday to play a little black jack filtering hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve got books to cook for my cut, personal security that needs to be hired -”
Propping his foot on his knee Steve boldly stated, “I’ve got some boys in blue that would be happy to help with that.”
A smile formed around the whites of Richard’s teeth. “Perfect! There are many details that need to be worked out. I think fifteen percent of everything you bring in is quite fair, indeed. I also need a heads up on the drop schedule and who to expect. If you want me to play ball, I have to be an actual part of the team.”
Steve tilted his head and chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. He nodded slowly and said, “Seems you’ve given this some thought. Remember, I have people I answer to as well. My guy loses me damn near twenty percent to clean it on your tables. As you know, the House always wins. If we wanna get technical, you’re the one making out here.” He pondered for a moment. “I think to start out, ten percent is all I can do. Once we get rolling and begin to trust each other a bit more, my people may be willing to increase your share of the pot. Who knows?”
Richard glanced at Smalls who signaled at him to accept the offer. “All right, Mr. Robinson. I think you have yourself a deal.”
Steve stood and washed down the shot in his glass. He pulled a mobile phone from his pocket and slid it across the desk at Richard. “This is the only form of communication you will use for me. My guy will be here Saturday.” As he started to walk out, he glanced at Danielle one last time before turning to Richard, “Glad we could work this out. I’ll be in touch.”