A Game of Chess by Lisa Dittmen

Author:Lisa Dittmen [Dittmen, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Hanging Chad

They were out of the small house by eleven, with twenty-six thousand dollars in cash stored in the center console of their stolen Camry. Hank Hummel drove west, heading back the way they had come the day before. Kayleigh Smith held onto her map, with numerous cities and towns encircled in various shapes drawn in pen. According to the map, they would go south on U.S. 54 after Ruidoso, all the way to El Paso, Texas. Then they would head northwest on I-25 to Mesilla, New Mexico and jump on I-10 West.

“I thought we were taking back roads,” Hummel said as he looked at the map in her lap.

“Well, speed is of the essence now that we stole the cartel’s money. The theft will be reported and they will have to sort some things out. The girl will be questioned as to who stole the money. She’ll remember you the most because you grabbed the briefcase from her. But when she describes me, the cartel will be on high alert.”

At a rest stop, Hummel texted his team an update while in the men’s restroom, then deleted the texts on his end. The smash-and-grab had not yielded much intel, but it was a start.

If we can just get more evidence that Smith knows about the cartel money laundering operation, we can probably get her to talk later, Jack Kinser texted back. Hummel deleted this text as well, just in cash Smith demanded to see his phone.

Heads up - Chad Smith’s televised trial begins today, read another Kinser text.

Hummel called him.

“That’s huge! If her husband is going on trial, that can be used to our advantage. Ramp up the stress on her. There’s gotta be a way to broadcast it so I can play it in the car,” Hummel said. Kinser thought for a moment, then stated that the FBI could broadcast the television feed on AM stations between Roswell and Los Angeles.

“Great! We’ll be on the road in minutes, so work as fast as you can. Text me when you know which stations it will be on, and where.”

“Roger that,” Kinser replied, signing off.

Back in the Camry, Hummel started the car again and headed southwest toward El Paso. During a lull, when Smith seemed distracted by the view, he quickly checked his texts and discovered that the Bureau had gotten an AM station out of El Paso to broadcast the trial. He tuned the car’s radio to that station.

“And we can see the defense counsel for Chad Smith approach the bench-”.

Smith’s head whipped away from the window. “What’s going on?!” she demanded.

“Uh, it appears that the radio is covering your husband’s trial,” Hummel responded, keeping a straight face. In contrast, Smith’s face was full of anguish. She can’t decide whether she wants to listen or not.

I think she will listen, because she wants to know if he’s going to try to pin some of their crimes on her. Deep down, she’s focused on her own safety.

Sure enough, Smith did not reach out to turn off the radio or switch to a different station.

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