Chapter 6

It was kind of last minute planning, but I didn't think that would be a problem. My target was not dangerous to an adult male. It was Driscoll, and I was pretty sure she wasn't. I needed to wrap up this case the next morning, and if I wanted all the perp's caught, I needed more info. This looked to me like a way to get it.

First, I needed to call Wilson. I used his personal cell number.

"Wilson."

"Hi. It's Sam."

"What's up, Sam?"

"Did you get that group organized that I asked for?"

"Sure did. You need us now?"

"Not yet. I will need you in the morning. Early. Probably around seven-thirty. Can you be ready around seven, just in case?"

"No problem, Sam. Where will you need us?"

"I think if you gather at the Southland Shopping Center, you'll be close enough to get where I need you in just a couple of minutes. Bring the wagon. If all goes well, you'll have around eight to transport."

"Okay. Do we need anything special?"

"I don't think so. I'll have things pretty much covered. One more thing, though. Keep this quiet. No notice to any outside your group. There will be some very high powered people asking questions and fighting this when it breaks. But don't worry about it. I'll have all the evidence you'll need to lock these bastards up for a long time."

"I'll take your word for it, Sam. We'll be ready. Just call me on this cell when you're ready."

"Thanks, Wilson. See you in the morning."

"No problem, Sam. Good night."

We hung up, and I opened the case file to get the address I needed. Once I got that, I opened Google Street View and looked at the building I was going to. It was an apartment complex. There were two three story buildings with thirty apartments in each one. Each apartment had a private entrance on the outside. The apartment I wanted was on the ground floor at the very end by the stairs. There was a vacant lot at that end of the building, on the other side of a four-foot-high wall. Between the wall and building was a very small playground area for tenants, then a sidewalk along side the building. I was hoping that it would be dark at that end of the complex. I could see a light fixture on the end of the building. It didn't look very big, so I might be able to slip by without being seen.

I thought I had covered about everything, but then had an idea. I sat down and e-mailed Amber. I asked her to review the tapes from the shack and make me a still picture of each of the perps in the act of abusing one of the kids. I wanted them to be easily identified and no doubt what they were doing. I asked her to blur out the faces of the victims for now. I wanted them when I dropped by in the morning if possible. That way, I would have something to give the police when they arrested the scumbags.

I closed down the computer and went to my room to get my bag ready. I used a black gym bag to carry what I needed. I loaded the bag with a black ski mask, a plain black jacket, my plain black running shoes, my automatic, two pairs of latex gloves, a small pellet pistol, a small pen light, a pair of handcuffs, my lock picks, a couple of pens, and a pad of paper. I thought about it for a few minutes and then added a small recorder and a small digital camera. That should do it. I got out my clothes for the mission and put them on the bed for later. I would wear a pair of black slacks. For traveling to and from the scene, I would wear a colorful sport shirt and a pair of dress loafers. Covered with my jacket the shirt would not be seen, but if I was seen in my car in the area or was stopped, anyone seeing the shirt and shoes would think I couldn't be the one who was at the apartment.

I thought I was ready, so I went to check on the girls. I found them in the living room, watching tv.

"Hey, there, it's bed time, girls."

Ginger answered, "We were just waiting to say good night to you, Sam. I saw you were busy and didn't want to bother you."

With that they came over to me and each hugged and kissed me on the cheek and said good night. Ginger again warned me to be careful, and I promised I would. They skipped off to bed. I saw that Rose was going into Ginger's room again, so I guessed she still was a little scared.

I sat down and watched the tv for a bit. Well, I really didn't see what I was watching. I was going over my plans for the mission while I waited for Jennie. I guess I dozed for a while because I was awakened by a knock at the front door. I checked and then opened it to let Jennie in.

"Hi, Jennie. Thanks for coming."

"No problem, Sam. What's up?"

"Mainly I want you to be here to protect the girls. I don't expect any trouble, but I'd rather not leave them alone, especially Rose. She's still pretty frightened."

I went on to tell her where I was going and when I expected to be back. It's always good to let someone know when you go on a black bag op like this.

"You are the only one who knows about this. If I don't get back in a reasonable time, call Mike and fill him in. Oh, and while I'm gone please leave the tv on. If the girls wake up they will know you are here and all is well."

"Will do, Sam. You don't really expect any trouble, do you?"

"NO. Driscoll is a submissive and should be easy to handle."

Jennie sat down and started to surf tv channels, and I went to get dressed.

I hit the bathroom before I got dressed. I didn't want to find myself doing the pee pee dance in the middle of the op. By the time I was ready to leave, it was almost midnight.

I said goodbye to Jennie and went out the door. I heard the deadbolt slide home as I walked away.

I recognized the car Jennie had come in. It was a plain-looking older-model Chevy. It had a powerful engine in case I needed to make a fast getaway. It also had a hidden switch that would cut off the engine if I needed to make it look like I was having car trouble. The windows were tinted so it was hard to see into it. That would make changing my clothes and getting ready a little safer.

It wasn't too far to Driscoll's complex. I drove normally, staying with the traffic and not doing anything to attract attention. I drove around the block when I got there to see how things looked. The street behind the complex was dark and only had a couple of cars parked on it. They were not close to where I wanted to park. The complex parking lots were a little over half full and there didn't seem to be any activity outside. Most of the apartments were dark.

I went back around the block and parked by the vacant lot that bordered the complex. I sat there for a few minutes to see if anyone was around to notice me. All was quiet. I quickly tucked in my shirt and put on my jacket. I slipped my Glock into the right hand pocket and the pellet gun into the left one. I changed my shoes and put the lockpicks in my shirt pocket. Last of all, I put on the ski mask and the gloves. I was ready. I checked around outside again and still saw nobody moving around or watching from any window. If anyone saw me now, I was toast.

I walked through the lot toward the wall that I needed to climb over. The lot was very dark and had a lot of junk lying around. I had to be very careful where I stepped. When I got to the wall, I moved to a spot near Driscoll's apartment. I stopped to check for anyone who might see me and saw no movement or open windows. There were no lights in any apartment, but the one on the side of the building was brighter than I expected. It really lit up the area. I took out the pellet gun and rested it on the wall. I took careful aim and fired at the light. I was lucky and hit it with the first shot. It made some noise, but not too much, and nobody seemed to be looking to see what had happened.

I climbed over the wall and headed for the stairs. The moon was bright enough to let me see without tripping. I stopped in front of the apartment. I listened at the door, but all was quiet. I had a lot of practice, so it only took a minute to open the lock. I waited a moment to see if she heard me, but there was no sound from inside. I quietly opened the door and slipped inside, closing the door without a sound.

I used my pen light to check the layout. I was in the living room. There was an open kitchen ahead and to the right, and a hall straight ahead. I carefully crossed the room and went down the hall. There was a door on each side about ten feet down. They were both open, and I could see the one on the right was the bathroom and the other was her bedroom. Driscoll was sleeping on a full-size bed. The blankets were down, and she was wearing a fairly sexy looking gown. She was not a bad looking woman but not my type. I moved over to the bed and watched her for a minute. She was sleeping soundly.

I shined the light on her face and placed my hand over her mouth. That woke her up, and her eyes popped open with a look of terror. She started to struggle a bit.

"Don't move and you will not be hurt. Do as you're told, and this will be over very quickly. Now, let's see if Gerard has trained you well. Get out of bed and assume the position as you would for him."

I could see she was startled by the mention of Gerard. I moved back, took my Glock out of my pocket, and held it where she could see it. She hesitated for a moment, and I shouted at her, "Get moving, Bitch!"

That seemed to do the trick, as she slid out of the bed quickly and in a moment was on her knees on the floor, head down and hands behind her back.

"That's better. You will obey me as if I were Gerard. If not, you will be punished. I didn't bring a paddle like the one he uses on you, but I'll make do with this gun if I have to. Do you understand?"