Page 29 of Babe's Bounty

When the door opens, I admit surprise at seeing a black man enter with Schwartz behind him.

“I’m Lieutenant Travis Washington. I understand that you have a problem with the color of Detective Schwartz’s skin?” He asks with a smirk as he takes a seat, Schwartz sitting next to him.

“I know it sounds incredibly racist,” Min says. “But we have our reasons and they aren’t as superficial as you might think.”

“Detective Noah Billings,” Washington opens the folder he brought with him and lays out a photo of the cop. “Joseph Baumbach and Daniel Foster.” He lays their photos out next to the one of Billings. He glances at Schwartz and then back at the photos. “You’re just their type. Maybe you are part of their group.”

“Fuck off, man,” Schwartz says with a chuckle and shakes his head.

Washington turns to us. “We understand your concern, but I can assure you Detective Schwartz is not a member of God’s Chosen Disciples or whatever the fuck the asshole is calling his church these days. Schwartz is married to my sister, Toni, and she’d kick his ass if he ever mistreated her.”

“Holy shit,” I exclaim when I realize who he’s talking about. “The Tornado is your sister? Your wife?”

Schwartz nods and chuckles. “She is, and Travis isn’t wrong. If I behaved like these dicks, she’d pummel me into dust and Travis would help sweep up the mess.”

“I’m missing something,” Min breaks in.

I glance and her and apologize. “Sorry, Min. Toni ‘Tornado’ Schwartz is the reigning MMA female champion. She’s fucking deadly. I saw her fight one time when I visiting Puma at the Vegas club.”

“Maklin Brooks?” Washington asks and I nod. “Saw him play ball. A fucking monster on the court. Heard he joined a MC.”

“He’s one of my brothers,” I say with pride.

“So, we’re saying we trust them?” Min asks me.

I chuckle and nod. “Yeah, I think we can trust them. There’s no way a man belonging to Jordan’s group would marry a black woman, much less one who could kick his ass without breaking a sweat.”

Min beams. “She sounds like someone I would like to meet.”

I nod. “Yeah, you two would hit it off. Min has more black belts than a clothing store.”

“No wonder she’s your partner,” Schwartz says. “You two are bounty hunters? You’re here to find and capture Billings and the men he helped escape from the San Diego PD? However, they aren’t on bail, so how did you get tagged to go after them?”

I glance at Min and then focus on Schwartz. “Billings set fire to the dojo Min’s father owned, with him inside. The men he helped escape were part of a sick scam where they dated and impregnated wealthy women for the sole purpose of stealing the babies, killing the mothers, and then cashing in on their deaths. My brother, Shield, who is also a cop with the SDPD, arrested two men who were part of the scheme, along with the OB/GYN who was part of it. Before they escaped, they murdered the ex-husband of the woman Shield claimed. He was a piece of shit, but was willing to rat out Jordan and his gang before they killed him. So, you can say this is personal for us.”

“I saw them getting on a plane headed to Chicago,” Min explains. “We followed them.”

“Chrome and his men followed the men from the airport to the church?” Schwartz asks. I nod. He turns to Min. “So, you being in front of that church when the two women escaped wasn’t a coincidence?”

“No,” Min replies.

“But you weren’t driving by, were you?” Schwartz asks, pulling a plastic evidence bag out of his pocket and dropping it on the table. Inside was a camera Min had installed.

“No, I found the basement when I set up the cameras. I heard them talking about killing Angie.” She describes what she heard and how she ducked into what she thought was an empty room only to discover Kristi. “I just wish I had thought to check the other rooms before taking Kristi and Angie to the hospital.”

“What do you mean?” Schwartz asks, sitting up straighter.

Min nods at the camera. “We saw them take out four other girls before you arrived to search the basement.”

“Son of a bitch!” Schwartz explodes. “I knew it. Saw the cots and hoped they’d escaped like Kristi. What else do you know?”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MIN

I let Babe relate all the information the club has gathered since he knows what to share and what stays club business. As he talks, I pull out my phone and dash off a text to Chrome, letting him know we won’t need the lawyer. He sends me a few questions that I quickly answer before he gives me the thumbs up sign. Since Babe is still talking, I pull up Google maps and scan the area where Mode lost the SUV carrying the girls. As Mode said, the area is mostly residential. It’s also sprawling.

It’s one of those massive residential areas with strip malls mixed into the neighborhoods. But those aren’t the only buildings. I spot three churches. Knowing Jordan’s penchant for churches and basements, I look up each church to vet them. A quick Internet search tells me they are all active with regularly scheduled services. Regardless, I shoot a text off to Mode with the name and address for each church. I spot two grade schools and a high school, but ignore them for now. All three schools are open and active. However, I find two buildings that show promise. The first is a strip mall that has more vacancies than tenants. The second is a former community center that’s listed for sale. I send both addresses to Mode to see if he can uncover any information about them. I hit send just as Washington and Schwartz stand to shake Babe’s hand. Rising, I get the same treatment before Schwartz offers to walk us out.

“Didn’t the lawyer show?” Babe asks Chrome after we’ve said goodbye to Detective Schwartz.

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