I sat in Lutz’s guest chair as he made the call to the senior Mr. Vasquez to tell him of the deaths of his only two sons. In that moment, I was glad to be a detective and not the commander. I’d had my share of delivering death notifications, and the one I’d made to Carla Reed that day was enough for me. Whether the deceased were criminals or innocent victims, the grief was the same for the remaining family members, and from what Lutz told me after hanging up, the patriarch of the Vasquez family was devastated.
“Now what?”
Lutz shook his head. “Looks like one by one, the people who played a role in Tina’s murder are falling by the wayside. Pretty soon, the only people left will be John and Curt, and the FBI wants the kudos for their takedown. With nobody left to arrest, we might be back in the same boat we were before, letting the FBI and the Mexican police find John Vance.”
I stood to leave. “Then I guess I’ll call it a night. Frank and I are stopping at Wild Willy’s for a beer. Want to join us?”
Lutz rubbed his forehead, which made me think he was about to decline. “You know, why not? I don’t have anyone waiting for me at home, and we’re kind of at a standstill right now. I’ll tell Maria about Mauricio and Antonio tomorrow and see if Conway has any input. He’d probably know if the hit orders came down from John.”
After making a stop at home to tend to Bandit, I met up with Frank and Bob at Wild Willy’s just before seven. We would unwind over our standard two beers and maybe have a bite to eat. The bar was busy, and we were lucky to score three stools just as a group of people got up. I suggested grabbing some wings as we took our seats. Frank and Bob were on board, and I placed three orders.
My phone buzzed just as our first round of beers were slid across the bar to us. I took a gulp and checked the screen. The call was coming from Jared Bell. “That’s weird.”
Lutz frowned. “Who is it?”
“The attorney.” I swiped the green phone icon to the right and answered. “Jesse McCord speaking.” With my hand cupped over my right ear to block the bar noise, I tried to hear what he was saying but couldn’t. “Hang on. I have to go outside.” I pointed at the exit and told the guys I’d be right back. As the door closed behind me, I continued, “Okay, I’m outside, so what’s up? Does Conway or Maria have more information for us?”
“No, Detective McCord. I just got a threatening call from John Vance.”
“What! Why?”
“I don’t know, but he has a car parked outside with two men watching my house.”
“Son of a bitch. So they’d follow you if you came to the police station?”
“They’d probably kill me before I exited my car. I’m worried for my family, Detective.”
“Okay, hold tight. I’m going back inside to talk to Lutz and Mills. We were about to have a few beers and wings. I’ll call you back, so stay by your phone and away from the windows. Don’t answer the door, and don’t alarm your family.”
“They aren’t home right now, thank God.”
I clicked off the call and rushed through the crowd, back to Frank and Lutz’s side. I leaned in closely to talk—they needed to hear clearly what I was about to say. “That was Bell, and he said he just got a threatening call from John Vance.”
Lutz’s eyes bulged. “Damn it! About what?”
“Not sure yet. We need to speak to him in person, but Bell said there’s a car sitting along the curb. Vance told him he had men watching his house.”
Frank piped in. “We need to have his statement on record. It’ll be proof beyond doubt that John is calling the shots.”
“Right, but he’d be followed as soon as he left. Coming to the police station would be like signing his own death warrant,” Bob said.
“Unless—”
Lutz looked at me with raised brows. “Unless what?”
“Unless we go to him. We need to know if there’s another way to get into his house.”
“Go ahead and call him back.”
I tapped Bell’s name on the recent calls list, and he answered before the first ring ended.
“Detective McCord, what should I do?”
“First, take a breath. What I need to know is if there’s a back way to get to your house.”
“There is. Alleys are behind all the homes in the neighborhood. Most people have detached garages in the back with a walkway that leads into the rear of the house. Mine is no exception.”
“Okay, can you check if Vance has somebody back there too? I don’t want anybody to see you looking out, though.”
“I’ll go upstairs, make sure the lights are off, and look out the window.”
“Sure. Do that now while I’m on the phone with you. I’ll wait.” I heard every footstep as he raced up the stairs. He was back on the phone seconds later. “The alley is clear. I don’t see any vehicles except the ones parked in the driveways.”
“Good, then text me your address. We’re on our way, but don’t answer the back door until I tell you we’ve arrived.” I had Frank check the distance from Wild Willy’s to Jared Bell’s home. “Looks like we’ll be there in under a half hour. Remember, don’t answer the door unless it’s us. When do you expect your wife and kids to be home?”
“After ten. They went to the movies.”
“Okay. Hold on. We’ll be there soon.”
With our wings order canceled and our beers guzzled, we rushed out. Bob, who had an SUV and the largest vehicle between us, offered to drive.