Counterfeit Lies

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Jake pulled from the curb and flipped a disc into the CD player. Elvis blasted from the speakers. Though he was exhausted, he was celebrating two back-to-back high-risk meetings. Every time he could walk away from one of these events without getting killed or discovered it was a victory. Tonight was a doubleheader win for the good guys. He had managed to sell himself to a criminal kingpin — and the subsequent “rededication ceremony” in the front seat of the Range Rover proved successful with the crime boss’s gangbanging associate.

Though Jake had often been told by others he couldn’t “carry a tune in a covered basket,” he joined the King of Rock and Roll in a lively, off-key rendition of “Jailhouse Rock.” He checked his mirrors, took several side streets, and circled two cul-de-sacs. He was clean but tired. An hour of undercover work is like an eight-hour day to mortals, and he had been balancing too many nonstop undercover days and nights without respite.

After crooning with the King he headed east on Huntington Drive. He turned right on Rosemead Boulevard and then right again into the North Woods Inn/Kohl’s parking lot, the prearranged meeting spot.

As he negotiated his way through the parking lot, looking for Trey Bennett, he hoped this would be a quick debrief and a chance to get home to his firm but very lonely mattress.

Jake spied them and groaned. Instead of just Trey, there were three others standing next to a tan, government-issue Ford Taurus parked beneath a “mushroom cap” sodium-vapor light a few rows back from the Kohl’s main entrance. Jake shook his head when he realized Trey was accompanied not only by their immediate boss, Rachel Chang, but by ASAC Charles Hafner and Wilson, the Agency spook.

Trey and Rachel were in casual attire but Hafner and Wilson were in business suits. All four were drinking coffee from white Styrofoam cups as they chatted, awaiting Jake’s arrival.

When Trey spotted Jake pulling into a parking space about fifty yards away where there were no lights, he hustled over to the Range Rover before Jake could exit the vehicle. “You okay? Everything go well?”

Jake nodded. “Could not have gone better. Why are you guys parked under a light and why all the suits? Nice cover, by the way, suits in a department-store parking lot after dark. Never would suspect they’re feds.”

Trey shrugged and grimaced as Jake stepped from the Rover and the two walked toward the others.

Before reaching the administrators Trey said, “As you can see, we have company tonight.… Please be on your best behavior for a change.”

“Why?” Jake replied. “You worried about your next promotion?”

“Not really. You’ve already made sure that won’t happen. But do me a favor, would you?” Bennett responded. “I just want to get some sleep tonight. And this case has suddenly generated all kinds of extra attention from Washington. Think of your responses to these nice people who are senior to both of us as courtroom testimony. Just answer their questions. Nothing extra. No embellishments. No insults. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jake said, pulling a scrap of paper from his pants pocket and handing it to Trey. “I’ll be a good boy as long as you run this plate ASAP. This car was leaving Park’s driveway as we pulled up.”

Trey looked at the number, nodded, and said, “Deal.”

When the two men joined the other three, the first to speak was Hafner, the ambitious Assistant Special Agent in Charge. It was the first time Jake had known the bureaucrat to attend an after-hours undercover meeting.

Hafner was practically giddy with excitement, a goofy grin running ear to ear. “How’d it go? You get us what we need?”

In compliance with Trey’s appeal, Jake was all business. “It went well. I’m confident Park bought my act. I had some issues with Tommy Hwan but in the end he’s on board.”

“What issues?” asked Rachel Chang.

“Tommy tried the ‘are you a cop’ crap and I needed to head him off. All is now good. He’s convinced I’m the real deal,” said Jake, noticing Hafner was fidgeting, wanting to move the inquiry along.

Interrupting, Hafner asked with the officiousness of a determined bureaucrat, “Did Park bring up the Supernote?”

Jake shook his head and said, “Never came up.”

Hafner pressed. “Did you bring it up?”

“Nope, never was an opportunity to discuss it.”

“Why not?”

Jake paused before responding. He could trade barbs in the locker room with the best of them. He could laugh at himself and enjoyed the playful banter with his fellow street agents, but administrators needed to walk softly when questioning his investigative strategy. “What do you mean, ‘why not’? I’m asking you, ‘why?’ Why would I bring it up? Why would we even talk about it? I have no reason to inquire about counterfeit money. It makes no sense.”

Hafner either wasn’t listening or didn’t comprehend Jake’s logic. “But we need to pursue the Supernote. That’s the whole purpose for your meeting Park. Why didn’t you bring it up? We’re getting a lot of pressure from Washington. Headquarters is being hammered by the State Department. We owe it to them to resolve this quickly. The highest levels in Washington want and deserve answers.”

Jake looked at Trey and Rachel before dealing with the idiocy confronting him at this late hour. “In my undercover capacity I don’t even know he deals in Supernotes.”

“But Reid paid you with Supernotes,” said Hafner.

“But I don’t know that.”

Hafner failed to grasp the distinction. “Of course you do. That’s what the meeting in the SCIF was all about.”

“Jake Kruse knows but Jake Goode doesn’t,” offered Jake in a somewhat detached voice, with just a hint of sarcasm.

Rachel Chang intervened. “Boss, he’s right. In his undercover capacity he doesn’t know the money was counterfeit. He would have no reason to bring it up since there isn’t any way for him to identify the bills as being bogus.”

Hafner gave a halfhearted “whatever” look before he said to Jake, “The point here is that you need to get on with finding out everything you can about the Supernotes.”

Jake was just below erupting but maintained his composure. “And what scenarios do you have in mind? I welcome an opportunity to discuss our options.”

“You’re operational. You come up with the plan. I’m telling you to get it done and get it done quickly,” Hafner said like a petulant child.

Jake looked at the others before facing Hafner. “If you think you can do it any better, pal, I’ll make the introduction.”

Jake did an about-face and walked toward his car, not waiting for a response.

Hafner started to chase after him but Rachel held out her hand, blocking his pursuit. “Boss, I think it’s best to let it go. Trey and I will touch base with him tomorrow.”

Through it all, Wilson never uttered a word.