A God in Ruins - Leon Uris [114]
1802 Detectives locate Chad Murtha’s pickup truck in exhibitors’ lot and attach a radio signal under its tailgate.
1831 Photograph of Chad Murtha arrives at the CBI. Record shows some small-time robbery convictions. He has been fairly clean in past five years.
1840 Detective Lieutenant Mary Boedecker contacts Dawn Mock. From description of photo, Mary is certain they have the right man.
1841 Detective Hymes has security point a camera down from roof to tape Chad Murtha’s booth. Murtha checks the deposit for marked bills. He is satisfied. Murtha proceeds to pay phone and dials the number.
The number is routed into Dawn Mock’s office on phone line two. Harry Chin lifts the receiver.
“Hello,” he says, “Harry Decker speaking.”
“Oh, hello, Harry. How are things going on the ranch?”
“Shitty. Who am I talking to?”
“Just a friend down at the AMERIGUN convention. Thought I might get to see you.”
“I sent my old lady down.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for her.”
Chad hangs up with a big “cat in the fishbowl” smile. Motherfucker, there is going to be a big old payday!
1900 State trooper Sergeant Hap Cronin in plain clothes and unmarked car takes up vigil in sight of Friehoff’s Furniture Outlet at 10101 West Coster.
1930 The evening’s “Barbecue and Bash” opens its doors to the microsoftGRAND BALLROOM.
2001 Detective Mary Boedecker returns to Chad Murtha’s booth.
“I’ve got some good news for you, Miss Mary. I managed to find the last pieces in Western America. The VEC–44 is a beauty, a real man-stopper. Aren’t you worrying about all that money you’re carrying?”
“Well, now, don’t you fret, Mr. Chad. I can hit a mosquito’s ass at forty yards with my little Beretta25.”
“I sure bet you can,” Chad said, feigning what might be a chuckle. “Here’s the way it works. Don’t write none of this down, just remember it. You be at the Foothills Trailer Camp on Lawson Street at two in the morning. You’ll be observed, so come by yourself. I am in space number eighty-four, in a small mobile home.”
Mary repeated the numbers, then asked, “What kind of vehicle do you have? I don’t want to go knocking at the wrong door at that time of morning.”
“Blue Ford pickup, Tennessee license plate. Maybe we can split a beer or two.”
She gave a noncommittal shrug that didn’t exactly say no.
2014 Mary Boedecker contacts Dr. Mock’s office, reports on gun-delivery instructions, and confirms the blue Ford pickup truck as vehicle to follow.
2100 Ribs and chicken and beans proliferate as the bash rolls into motion at the microsoftGRAND BALLROOM.
2134 State trooper Sergeant Hap Cronin reports that a single automobile with driver and one passenger is buzzed through the main gate at 10101 and parks near the loading docks. Automobile is this year’s Mercedes and appears to belong to a top-echelon person.
2145 Quinn ups the ante, deciding that 10101 is still the designation. He orders Yancey to move his people very quietly to within a mile of 10101 and hold.
It was the best damned evening AMERIGUN ever put on. There were lots of country and western performers, some Nike all-stars, sitcom stars, and finally, Senator Darling moved the crowd to tears.
Line dancing up to forty yards long pounded the deck and skirts flared, showing the ladies’ legs, and the bars damn near ran dry.
2200 Chad Murtha secures his booth for the night, departs convention center, has two beers at the Londonderry Bar.
2235 Chad Murtha repairs to convention parking lot, locates and drives off in Ford pickup.
2226 Detective Solomon at parking lot catches signal, alerts other teams, and pursues Chad Murtha at a distance.
2236 Three CBI teams depart parking lot in unmarked cars and have Murtha under surveillance as he drives west for the interstate.
“By God, Governor,” Harry Chin said with uncharacteristic emotion, “you were right! It’s going to be 10101.”
“What kind of stupid fools are they?” Quinn thought aloud.
“Repetition,” Dawn Mock said. “If a mode of operation works ten times, it will work the eleventh. All criminals leave a signature. Maybe no one was certain