Dead Ends by Don Easton

one.”
    â€œHey, they don’t call me the Asian Heat for nothing,” replied Tina.
    Jack chuckled. Tina was an undercover operative who was good at her job. She didn’t look like a cop and was someone who could walk right past a target without them getting suspicious.
    â€œHe sounds like the one in Gabriel’s basement who called himself John,” said Laura.
    Jack nodded and smiled with satisfaction. “Get the camera ready.”
    The van was followed to a small, older-style home and Jack got his first glimpse of the driver as both men walked up to the front door.
    â€œKnow him?” asked Laura.
    Jack shook his head and said, “He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him yet.”
    An elderly woman answered the door and the van driver introduced her to Varrick. She handed a key to the driver and closed the door. Both men walked around to the rear of the house.
    â€œAnother basement suite,” noted Laura.
    â€œThere’s an alley in the back … limited parking, want us to risk it?” radioed Tina.
    â€œNegative,” replied Jack. “Don’t want to heat them up. Everyone keep their distance. There is a third guy that we still need to identify so keep your heads up.”
    Seconds later, both targets returned to the van while Laura discreetly stood between two houses across the street and snapped pictures. The van returned to the strip mall and Varrick went back to his truck.
    The surveillance team followed the van to an apartment building where it pulled into a secure underground parking lot. It was not known which suite he went to and there were no names posted on the intercom system at the front door.
    Later that afternoon, Jack called the surveillance off and returned to their office. Laura sent Connie the photos she had taken while Jack pulled out his laptop to study all the photos they had previously shown Gabriel and Noah.
    Minutes later, Jack smiled and motioned for Laura to look at a particular picture. It was of a man with scraggly, long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and sporting a bushy beard. Laura took several moments to look at the picture of the van driver and compare it to the photo on Jack’s laptop.
    â€œIt is him,” she breathed. “He’s changed his appearance a lot. No wonder Gabriel and Noah couldn’t recognize him. It’s a definite match.”
    â€œDavid Zacharias,” said Jack. “Goes by Zack. Long record for drugs and a close associate of Satans Wrath.”
    Within the hour, Jack received a call from Connie.
    â€œThe bald guy is him!” said Connie excitedly. I showed Gabriel the photos. She said there is no doubt he is the guy who said his name was John. Can we ID him?”
    â€œAlready done,” said Jack. “Meet us at our office and we’ll fill you in.”
    By the time Connie arrived, Jack had discovered that the young woman who owned the white van was actually Zack’s sister and was married to a drug trafficker who had a record for dealing in methamphetamines.
    â€œI don’t want these guys for dope,” growled Connie. “I want them for murder. Varrick is due to appear for his trial in two weeks and my wire runs out in two days. What can we do?”
    â€œPut a bug in the place we found today,” said Jack.
    â€œThe landlady handed them a key,” said Connie. “Means they haven’t even moved in yet.”
    â€œAll the more reason to get the bug in quick before they do,” said Jack. “I’m free to work tonight if you want teams to sit on Varrick and Zack to make sure you’re not caught.”
    â€œYou forgetting there’s a person living upstairs?”
    â€œShe’s old,” replied Jack. “Probably doesn’t hear well. Tell the team to go in with stocking feet.”
    â€œYeah, well, even if we do get the bug in, what chance do you think there is that they’ll actually talk about the murder?