Dead Shot by Jack Patterson (adventure books to read .TXT) 📕

Chapter 50

Mercer knew Walker’s time was short. A manhunt in Statenville didn’t just include the small local law enforcement staff. It included all the thugs on Cloverdale’s payroll, the ones so secret that not even Walker had figured out who they were. If Mercer was going to make his mark in the bureau, it was going to be helping Walker make a big move—and this was their big moment.

Mercer gave a misleading tip that sent Walker’s search party clear across the county, far from Cloverdale Industries. In a short time, Mercer familiarized himself with the inner workings of the Statenville Sheriff’s Department, including the protocol for a major security breach. The other deputies spoke in vague generalities until they felt they could trust Mercer. Once he passed a specifically designed trust test, Mercer became privy to more of Statenville’s secrets. Then, he learned about the biggest secret of all.

But he and Walker were determined to expose it. Statenville and its mob-like leaders would no longer be the kingpin drug dealers of the Pacific Northwest. No, that was all about to stop.

Walker and Mercer both crouched low as they crept up the ramp toward the backside of the facility. One of Walker’s first tasks was to discover the range of the security cameras and all their blind spots. And in this moment, that intel came in handy. Nobody saw them.

Mercer huddled close to a back-door entrance as Walker dug out his keys. Walker finally found the right one and opened the door. He flipped the light switch and dropped his keys. They landed on the cement floor, clanking out an eerie echo. Walker bent down to pick up the keys and froze. He and Mercer both scanned the warehouse. It was bare. Not so much as a forklift remained. Every shelving unit, every box, every packing table—gone.

Neither could hide the shock on their faces.

“Aaahhhhh!” Walker let out a scream. His plan was disintegrating. At this point, he didn’t care who heard him, though from the looks of the now-cavernous warehouse it didn’t appear that anyone was there.

“Tonight was the night!”

Mercer and Walker both slumped onto the floor. Years of work had vanished. If there was no FBI raid, there was no way to get all the evidence necessary to shut down Cloverdale. It was over. The upper brass would likely yank their field status. Back to being analysts and pushing paper after this failed operation. But at least they wouldn’t have to live in Statenville—not everything was bad about this.

Mercer was undeterred.

“Look, let’s split up. You look around here and see if you can find any places that could easily house such a transformation and I’ll check out the other end of the plant. Let’s meet back here in 15.”

“OK.”

Mercer walked stealthily against the wall for about 200 yards and disappeared into an unlit portion of the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Walker began making a sweep of the staging area, fretting that it was all in vain.

Suddenly the back door swung open and the sounds of feet running thundered from across the warehouse. Walker scrambled to face the noise. More than a dozen high-powered rifles were pointed at them from a handful of directions.

Walker surrendered immediately.

“Hey, don’t shoot. I’ll do whatever you want us to do,” he pleaded.

Not a single person moved, frozen with the pair in their sights.

“Seriously, guys. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Mayor Gold, who had been standing off to the side against the wall, stepped forward.

“I’m sure we can,” Gold said.

“Mayor Gold? What are you doing here?”

“Maybe I should ask you the very same question since you obviously don’t know anything about basketball or cleaning a facility.”

“And you don’t know anything about keeping a secret.”

“Oh, I beg to differ special agent Walker. I can call you ‘special agent,’ can’t I?”

“I’ve got plenty of footage and pictures of what really goes on here.”

“Really? So, special agent Walker, tell me what really goes on here.”

“I think we all know.”

“What? That this facility produces faulty healthcare and vitamin products for mass consumption? Everyone already knows that.”

“No, I mean that this company uses its vast distribution network and resources to transport drugs.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call them drugs. They’re more like vitamins.”

Gold smiled at his wry comeback.

“No, I mean illegal drugs,” Walker said, trying to remain serious.

“Drugs? Here?” Gold gestured with his hand toward the barren warehouse.

“You know you’re never going to get out of this without the FBI taking this town apart. They will find something.”

“Perhaps they’ll find your dead body ... right next to agent Cooper’s.”

The comment by normally affable Gold chilled Walker. He had hoped up until now it was merely bravado talk. It wasn’t. Nobody knew about agent Cooper. Even within the FBI he was a ghost—not to mention a well-respected legend. But Walker didn’t have time for respect when Cooper came into town unannounced. Cooper wanted to glean enough information to make an assessment as to whether the undercover operation was going as planned—or if it was even necessary. Plus there were rumors within the bureau that Walker was breaking protocol. Cooper was there on assignment—and the assignment was Walker. But apparently Gold’s goons had ended that assignment.

With a slight motion toward Walker, the armed men surrounding him moved in. They snatched Walker’s hands behind his back and secured his wrists with plastic zip ties.

***

Operation Fuego had been jettisoned for Operation Cleanup. Gold gambled that the FBI agents wouldn’t have sent any hard evidence back to their superiors—or even if they had it would be inadmissible as evidence in court.

Gold hoped this day would never come, but knew exactly what to do in case it did. Agent Cooper’s presence had been a surprise, as was Mercer’s. Gold thought there was only one man on the case—and that was Walker. But Gold had a contingency plan or five. When you’ve got a secret as deep as the one Statenville held, there was no need to take any chances.

And Gold wouldn’t take a single chance with Walker and Mercer. After securing