Caught in the Act

Mason shook the agent’s hand and sat down. “I’m in the middle of a divorce case, Rio and Tracy Alvarez, and we were getting some surveillance shots of his wife and her lover—proof of adultery. Amanda, my assistant, was doing some routine background checks and became suspicious when she couldn’t find anything. So she asked a contact at the federal building for help, and they turned up the name Peter Dupree, and a Wanted notice for a possible murder in Barbados, so we called you guys. That’s about it,” Mason said, looking at the agent. “Any chance you can tell me more?”

Special Agent Kelly let out a sigh. “We’ve been working with several other agencies to take down a smuggling ring. It’s an ongoing task force that’s been working for years to stop the movement of guns, drugs, you name it, in and out of the country.”

“And this guy Peter Dupree is involved?” Ron asked.

“He might be one of their key men, but we’ve never had anything solid enough to grab him. No fingerprints, no witnesses. He’s a ghost, changing identity, appearance, location. We’ve never been able to track him down, though he’s left a trail of dead bodies behind him. The guy is a complete sociopath, but he’s good at what he does.”

“Well, I’m not sure if this actually is him, but it’s what came up,” Mason offered.

“You have the pictures?”

Mason nodded, having brought the entire file, and pushed it across the table.

Kelly looked over the photos, his interest intent. He took one photo out in particular and set it aside.

“The hair is a different color, and some of these shots aren’t exactly focusing on his face,” Kelly said.

“They were more to prove adultery on the wife’s part,” Mason reminded him.

“Right. But roughly, I’d say it looks like our guy. You said your client, his wife is having an affair with Dupree.”

“Yes, that’s Tracy.”

Kelly scanned the notes. “They run a charter business? Do you think it’s possible they are working with Dupree? Using the charter business as a cover?”

Mason shook his head. “Nothing in Rio’s recent background or his business records, which I have reviewed very closely, would suggest that. Rio seemed as surprised by the photos as anyone. I didn’t have any sense that he recognized Dupree.”

“Maybe it’s just the wife then, but either way, you’ve stumbled into a dangerous situation. You said your assistant has been doing background searches?”

Mason nodded, his stomach knotting.

“Tell her to stop. Dupree’s connected, even has contacts inside law enforcement, which is how we think he manages to evade our guys a lot of the time. But if he knows you’re checking him out, it puts you in danger.”

“Why is he here in Tampa?”

“He might be lying low, waiting for what happened down in Barbados to blow over, but these pictures give us an edge,” Kelly said, pointing to the corner of one of the photos. “This child. Sitting on the edge of the boat? He could be Dupree’s son. Dupree is suspected of killing the mother and three of her relatives who tried to stop him from taking the kid. If this is the kid, then it’s kidnapping.”

“That poor boy,” Mason said, sickened. “So you’re trying to get Dupree like they did with Al Capone. They couldn’t get him on his crimes, but he was arrested for tax evasion. You want to get this guy on kidnapping instead of smuggling?”

Kelly nodded. “Yeah. We weren’t even sure the stories were true. There was no evidence of a child being taken until now. The kid could be our only witness. He can identify Dupree, and might be able to tell us if he killed those people. These pictures give us a big head start,” Kelly said with relish.

Mason settled back in his chair, shaking his head at the enormity of it. This meant that Tracy Alvarez, at least, was involved with a killer. Mason had met Tracy once and found her a bit superficial, but somehow couldn’t see her being part of murder and kidnapping. Did she even know who Dupree was?

“Why don’t you pull Tracy in and ask her what she knows? She would seem to be the most direct route to the kid.”

“We can’t trust Tracy Alvarez. She could tip Dupree off and he’d be gone.”

“She and Rio could be in danger. What if Dupree finds out about the pictures? Seems like someone should tell them,” Mason said.

“If they’re not involved with Dupree, the less they know, the better. Are you and your assistant the only ones who have seen these pictures?”

“Rio saw them, too.”

“But he has no contact with Dupree or his ex?”

“No, not that I know of, but I don’t follow him around all day.”

“Tell your client there was a fire, something, and that the pictures were destroyed. Lay low for a bit. Call me immediately if there is any trouble. Is this your complete file?” Kelly asked, counting through the photos. “Negatives?”

“No negatives. The P.I. uses digital. He erases the files after he turns over hard copies.”

“You’re sure of that?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then. If you can give us his name, we’ll need to talk to him, too. We appreciate your help.”

That was it. The agents started to pack up, effectively ending the meeting. Mason was a bit shell-shocked, still trying to figure out what he’d do with Rio. Their case rested on those pictures proving Tracy had been unfaithful.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Have a good day, counselors,” Kelly said, and was out the door.

Mason looked through the window. “This isn’t normal, Ron. Rio will be pissed, and he’ll probably drop us to find another lawyer. What am I supposed to tell him?”

Ron blew out a breath, nodding. “Better than ending up dead. You did the right thing getting in here and turning it over to the feds, Mason. I say, go home, lay low until this thing blows over.”

“I’ll do what I can. I have depositions after lunch and a court appearance at three. I need to get going,” he said, standing.

“Watch your back, Mason. Seems like you stumbled across a real psycho,” Jace said.

“Yeah, well, it sounds like the feds have it under control. I hope they get him soon. Feel sorry for that little kid.”