Chapter 66

I was fishing with Molly, when the call from Barry to make a run that same night. I had spent the afternoon fishing with Molly Green, but it was time to end the afternoon and get back to work. It had actually been fun to talk about fairly normal things with a fairly normal woman. I recognized her for what she was, only because I knew. It looked as though she and her husband were normal small business owners on the outside. He was certainly no gun thug.

I had no idea what all the Greens were involved with, but it could be anything, I told myself. The vineyard made excellent cover for just about anything, They might not be able to run a horse racing stable without it being noticed, but there wasn't much else that would be noticed.

I was back in the motel by six waiting to begin the route. I was also wondering how long it would take Todd to figure out that I worked for him, It really might not be that big a surprise, since his criminal enterprise might take a lot of people to operate. If it did, then he was recruiting from a small labor pool in a town the size of Stoneville.

I couldn't nap even though I knew it would be a while before I would sleep well again. I might be able to sleep a little in the truck, but that wouldn't be enough. I knew that from previous experience. Besides I had pissed away any real nap time I might have had while fishing with Molly.

At 6PM I rode to McDonald's for a burger and fries before I put the truck on the road. The dead drop was described as a metal tool locker on the side of the road. It was one of those that looked like a portable toilet. It looked like a state highway project tool locker. That particular one was owned by the manufacturer of the Witch's Brew. After visiting the vineyard, I was wondering if Green Valley could be the only manufacturer or the stuff. They could also be the distributors of it. It was possible, but it was also just a possible that Barry worked for someone else and Green Valley Vineyard was a red herring. Hell I didn't know enough to know what I didn't know yet. It wasn't my job to figure it out. It was only my job to locate the pieces of the puzzle. Putting them together was someone else's problem.

I drove the truck about an hour and pulled into a highway parking lot. It was on a busier road than we usually used for a dead drop. I opened the heavy metal door with the key I had recovered from under a roadside trash can about half a mile down the road. It was a typical security precaution for a dead drop.

When I opened the door I was more than a little surprised. The load was not Witch's Brew. It was briefcase probably filled with hard drugs. At least that's what I assumed was in the case. I was in a bit of a quandary. I could open them to test, or I could ask, but the cops were surely going to ask me. So the best I could do was try to identify the delivery sites to the bosses. So that they could identify the pick up people. It might be possible from that to identify what I had.

I sent the txt message with the delivery locations forward to the team working surveillance. They should arrange for some kind of response to the pickup. After I sent the message I disabled the phone and removed the battery. They knew not to message me, but I made damn sure that it didn't happen. I didn't want a message coming at the wrong time and getting me killed.

The briefcase distribution would be easier than the gallon jugs of booze had been. This stuff was high dollar product. Even more so than what I had been dealing. I was to meet the wholesalers and collect from them, With so much money involved I was supposed to pick up a partner for the transactions according to the same text that told me where to deliver it. I would have been shocked if I hadn't had someone to keep an eye on me.

The directions I received when I messaged Barry were simple. I was to go to the larger town of Sparta, there I would drop off one the four envelopes in the brief case. The one marked Sparta of course. I would get an envelope full of money to transport to a location to be name later. I would also meet a person in Sparta who would travel with me.

It was clear to me that this was a promotion, since there was a hell of a lot more money involved. Still it was basically the same job, just a little more dangerous I would assume. If I had not been an undercover cop the level of punishment for the crime, would have gone up. So I assumed I should ask for more money, first though I had to get the product delivered.

In Sparta my partner was suppose to be waiting for me at the large convenience store at the intersection of the county road leading into Sparta, and the interchange of the U.S. highway running through the mountains. I didn't see a car outside the convenience store, so I was worried. What I did find was a man about five years younger than me standing by the door.

"You Karen," he asked as I walked in.

"Sometimes," I replied. "Who does that make you?"

"Barry's friend Bruce," she sniffed after he said it.

"That better be a cold, and not a habit," I said of the sniffles.

"It is," he said. "Barry said you were tough for a broad."

"Bitch, I'm tough for anybody, Let's make the fucking delivery." I said.