Right now, he was anxious to see what Callaway had come up with.

Chapter 7

Tuesday, 9:18 a.m.

ANNIE AND JAKE sat in the Firebird in front of Cranston’s, tossing around ideas. There were several approaches they could take in this situation, all of them viable.

“We could wait for somebody to boost something, follow them, and find out who they’re selling to,” was Jake’s first suggestion.

Annie considered that a moment. “We need to get the top dog. A booster would likely be selling the stuff to a midlevel person, probably in some obscure location, and then it would be turned over to the top-level fence.”

“If we can find the midlevel guy, can’t we follow him?”

“Perhaps,” Annie said. “But if this is as organized as I think, there’s a lot of money involved, so there’ll be a lot more security between the mid and top levels. I’m sure they take extreme precautions, and it’s unlikely more than a few people know who runs the show or where the merchandise is warehoused.”

Jake drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “That’s true. Boosters, and perhaps midlevel fences, get caught all the time, and the top dogs don’t want to risk their operation whenever someone gets nabbed.”

“There might be a better way,” Annie said. “Most of this stuff is being sold at discount stores and flea markets. If we can find out who’s selling stolen goods, we might be able to find out where they get it from.”

“I don’t think they’ll give up their source to a couple of strangers,” Jake said.

“What if we made a special order? Perhaps a quantity of something they sell and wait for a delivery?”

“And follow the delivery guy? That could mean staking out the place for hours, maybe days.”

Annie’s face twisted into a grimace. “Sounds like a long shot, doesn’t it?”

Jake snapped his fingers and turned in his seat to face Annie. “I’ve got it,” he said.

“Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Jake grinned. “Our goal is to follow the boosted goods to the final buyer, right?”

“Right.”

“Simple.” Jake shrugged a shoulder. “We put a tracker in the goods and see where they end up.”

“And how do we know what they’re going to boost?”

“Ah, that’s the beauty of it. We set up a sting.”

Annie thought a moment and then chuckled. “We tempt them with something they can’t resist.”

Jake nodded vigorously. “Exactly. What do you think?”

“It’s the best idea yet and I think it’s worth a shot. Let’s go talk to Chris.”

The security office was empty when Jake pushed the door open. They paged Chris from the nearby information desk. He soon showed up, a big grin splitting his face. “Back so soon? Did you solve the mystery of the disappearing stuff?”

Jake laughed. “Not yet, but we have an idea.”

Chris waved toward the office and they went in and sat down.

“We want to set up a sting,” Jake said. “We’ll use a tracker and follow it.”

“A sting?” Chris said. His eyes narrowed and Annie saw his mind considering it.

“You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” Annie said. “Boosters can’t resist big-screen TVs.”

Chris sat forward, rested his elbows on the desk, and cupped his hands under his bristly chin. He looked at Annie over top. “I think we can do that. I’ll have to clear it with the manager, but I’m sure he’ll go along with the game.”

“We’ll need his cooperation anyway,” Jake said. “We need to make sure the goods with the trackers inside are too tempting to resist.”

“I’m sure it can be arranged.” Chris picked up the phone and paged the manager. In a few minutes, a fifty-something man entered the office. Jake explained the plan and was assured of full backing.

“He’s under some heat from the owners as well,” Chris said when the manager left. “I fully expected he’d be all for it.” He stood. “I’m ready to get this thing underway as soon as you are.”

“Let’s do it,” Jake said.

“I want to take a look around,” Annie said, as she stood. Jake and Chris followed her to the electronics department. A stack of big-screen televisions was on sale. “Those are perfect,” she said. “Put them by the entrance door, not the exit. I want them to be seen when our mark comes in.”

“I’ll get the tracker,” Jake said, turning to go. “It’s in the car.”

Chris pushed his cap back far enough to scratch his head. “What happens if we make this so tempting we end up turning an innocent shopper into a booster?”

Annie frowned at Chris. “So-called innocent shoppers don’t become shoplifters unless it’s in them to start with.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but what if a casual shoplifter takes it? One who’s not associated with the organized ring?”

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take. If it happens, we’ll bust the shoplifter, get the TV and tracker back, and try again.”

“Kill two birds with one stone.”

“Let’s hope we’ll kill more than two.”

Jake sauntered back in and handed a small metal box to Chris. “Here’s the tracker. All set up and ready to go. Put this in the case with the TV and we’re good. We can track its location on my cell phone at any time.” Jake pulled out his phone and revealed a web-based map. A red dot on the map indicated the tracker’s current location.

“Excellent,” Chris said. “I’ll get a stock boy to set it up immediately.”

Within ten minutes, an inventory control clerk wheeled a dolly of cartons to the designated spot. Jake carefully opened one, inserted the tracker deep inside the packaging where it wouldn’t be seen if opened, then seamlessly taped it closed.

Just inside the front door, below a display model, the stack of televisions was set up, the box with the tracker on top.

“Perfect,” Jake said. “It’s motion activated, so we’ll know exactly when the box is moved. Now we wait.” He turned to Chris. “Make sure none of the security personnel hang around the front door. We don’t want to scare anyone off.”

“I’ll get on it right away,” Chris said, as he turned to go. “Ring me as soon as something happens.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Annie said.

Chris turned back.

“Make sure nobody buys the top one. We don’t want the police to break down the door of one of your customers.”

Chris laughed. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good for business.” He waved a hand and was gone.

Jake and Annie went to the Firebird and Jake pulled the vehicle into a spot closer to the front of the building. They had a direct view of the merchandise. He opened the trunk, retrieved two pairs of binoculars from a cardboard box, got back in the car, and handed one pair to Annie.

Annie adjusted the focus, training her binoculars on the front window. She could see perfectly.

All they needed to do now was wait.

Chapter 8

Tuesday, 9:54 a.m.

HANK PAID A VISIT to Melinda Windsor before returning to the precinct. Mrs. Windsor confirmed her sister, Maria Shaft, had been babysitting for her the previous evening, from 7:00 until 11:00 pm. Mrs. Windsor and her husband had gone out for the evening for dinner and a movie. They got home not long before 11:00 pm, and Mrs. Shaft drove herself home at that time. That fit with the story Maria Shaft had given him.

At the time of the shooting of Werner Shaft, Maria Shaft was indeed babysitting.

The Windsors weren’t suspects, but for the sake of being thorough, he checked their alibi. The waiter at the restaurant remembered them. He confirmed they were there when the murder took place. The time span of the movie was well past the time of the incident, so was inconsequential.

He drove to the precinct, mulling over what he knew. He had little at this point, the victim’s car being the best piece of evidence. He still needed to get the forensic report, which might give him something to go on, and less likely, the ME’s report. Both should be available later today, but he made a note to check with CSI.