“She’s sitting in my truck watching me.”
“Good. How’s your chest?”
“Its okay. A little sore. I should be finished this job by the end of the day.”
“Then off to the dress shop tomorrow?”
“I’ll tell Dianne you like her.”
“Don’t you dare tell her that.”
“I’m only kidding, Rita.”
“Don’t over do it. Take it slow today.”
“Yes, Ma’am, I will.”
“I’ll call later.”
Rita closed the connection.
The trooper opened the door. “I have another call. Its the lieutenant talking to the colonel.”
Rita walked inside. The trooper replayed the conversation.
“I’m back.”
“What did she want?”
“She told me I’m off the investigation.”
“That bitch could have done that over the phone.”
“I guess so. Anyway, now what, Colonel?”
“Kayle quit. You’ll have to get her.”
“For what purpose?”
“For business, you idiot. She’s bad for business. You like the cut you get, don’t you?”
“I do, but I don’t want to kill her. I’m not a murderer.”
A pause. “How much more do you want?”
“Why don’t you get your buddy Mamoud to do it?”
“Forget him, this is our problem.”
“He’d probably do the bitch for the fun of it.”
“Never mind him. There’s a boat coming in tonight. You be there. And make damn sure there’s no Badger fucks there either.”
“And how do I do that, Colonel?”
“You figure it out.”
“And the major?”
“I’ll take care of her myself.”
“She’ll shoot your ass off, Colonel. With all due respect. And now she has a squad backing her up.”
“Even she won’t survive a bomb.”
“Okay, Colonel. Its your ass, but I want no part of this. I’ll be at the boat tonight, but nothing more.”
“You disappoint me. Never mind. I’ll be waiting at the usual place.”
“I’ll be there.”
The connection ended. Rita raised her eyebrows. “So, Mamoud is involved.”
“That colonel sounded serious, Major.”
“Yes, I know. He’s either going to plant a bomb here or at my house. He’ll get someone to do it for him; I doubt he’ll do it himself. Maybe we’ll learn more as the day goes on, but I suspect he’s buying the drugs from Mamoud. The lieutenant and the dead sergeant are just the mules. He hired Zamani to come after me the first time. Hired Kayle’s men the next time.”
Trooper Patsy asked, “Are we going to arrest the lieutenant tonight after he picks up the drugs?”
“Can you video him tonight?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have some equipment.”
“I’m assuming the boat will be docking at the pier. Dress in civilian clothes. The lieutenant doesn’t know you. You could film him receiving the bags from the boat.”
“I can do it, Major. Do you want me to tail the LT and arrest both him and the colonel?”
“You need some sleep.”
“My replacement will be here soon. I can sleep for a few hours and be ready for tonight.”
Rita thought about this. “If we do arrest them, we might be able to squeeze the colonel hard. I want Mamoud and the colonel probably knows where he is. Then again, maybe we should just wait until we know Mamoud’s whereabouts for sure. We can always get the colonel later, if we get everything on video first.”
“That means the drugs will hit the streets.”
“I know. But if we arrest the colonel, we may never find Mamoud if he doesn’t tell us where he is. Keep monitoring them. I need to think on this. Is Captain Yates coming here this morning?”
“Yes, Ma’am. She should be here soon.”
“Call the Captain. Tell her to put a tail on the colonel. I want to know where he goes and who he sees. And try to find out who this Kayle guy is.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Rita walked into the outer office, looked at Cathy and Dixie. “I’m going for a walk. I need to think.”
Dixie smiled. “Want me to go with you?”
“That’s okay, Dixie. I think better alone.”
Rita walked out of the office, looked up and down the street, at the roof tops. She didn’t sense anyone watching her. She walked up the sidewalk staying in the shadows, her eyes constantly scanning around her. A few minutes later she came upon a dress shop. Dianne’s Dress Shop. She walked past slowly, glanced at some mannequins wearing dresses in the window, decided not to go inside, though she was tempted, but she had no time for anything like this right now. She walked away.
She’d only gone a few paces when a voice called her name. Rita turned, saw Dianne smiling.
“Hi Dianne.”
“In the market for a dress, Rita?”
“I’m just walking. I think better when I walk.”
“I have some fresh coffee if you’d like a cup.”
She looked at the slender pretty woman in another nice dress. “Okay, a cup of coffee sounds good.”
Rita glanced around the small shop, spotted several dresses she liked. She watched Dianne walk toward her, a cup in each hand.
“See anything you like, Rita?”
Rita accepted the coffee. “Yes, you have some very nice clothes here.”
“Thanks. I made them all
