He hung up and said to the group assembled in the FBI conference room, “Austin Davis contacted Ms. Murphy, and she’ll be accompanying him to the charity event tomorrow. She also mentioned a client dinner before. Melanie?”
Special Agent Melanie Hale was one of Hooper’s trusted agents.
“Yes, Butler said Davis was setting up a dinner with all his construction clients.”
Sam frowned. “Why does he want Shauna there?”
“She’s in the construction business,” Hooper said. “He trusts her. Maybe he wants her opinion.”
“Or he plans on using Murphy & Sons in one of his criminal enterprises,” Sam said.
Hooper gave him a long look, and Sam realized his tone had been angry. Sam continued, “I don’t think you understand what you’ve asked Shauna to do.”
“I do, Sam, but I’ll admit that right now you’re the one making me nervous. Is there something I need to know?”
“The Garcias and the Murphys have been friends since before any of us were born. My dad and Frank Murphy were in the Army together. They went to college together on the GI bill. They married best friends. We’re family.” That wasn’t all of it.
Hooper nodded. “All right.”
Nothing else. Good. Sam didn’t want to talk about Shauna anymore. He wanted to see her.
Sam had to admit, for a clandestine operation with no eyes inside the event, Hooper’s plan was solid. They didn’t expect any trouble, nor did they expect Jason Butler would be exposed. Not even the parole board knew the arrangement Butler had made with the FBI.
Hooper asked Abbott, “What’s the status on the warrants?”
“AUSA Keene is working on it. We won’t know until late tonight.”
“Detective?” Hooper turned to John Black. “What about yours?”
“I met with the District Attorney, who understands the sensitivity of my request. He’s meeting a judge early in the morning, one he trusts.”
Sam asked, “Warrants for what?”
Hooper said, “We’re asking for the same thing, hoping we can get it either locally or federally. I want to bug Davis. The difficulty, why we haven’t been able to get anything before, is because he’s a lawyer and there’s attorney-client privilege. We wouldn’t be able to use anything against him that we learned if he was speaking to a client who had the reasonable expectation of privacy. But with Butler and Shauna going in, I think we have a strong argument for them wearing a wire. I’m also arguing for audio and visual surveillance of the restaurant they’re meeting in before the charity event.”
“You want Shauna to wear a wire.” Sam hated the idea.
“She’s already agreed.”
Of course she did, Sam thought.
Sam had one small victory in protection for Shauna and Jason. Hooper had agreed to work Manny Rodriguez in as a valet. The valet service was separate from the hotel, and Manny knew the manager. Because they feared Davis would be tipped off to law enforcement presence if any of the hotel staff changed, valet was the best place for Manny.
The big question was if Joey Gleason was going to show up. If yes, then John would arrest him for murder and hold him over the weekend. He had no solid evidence, and had held back getting a search warrant at Hooper’s request. There was no doubt Gleason would get a lawyer, but they didn’t want to tip off anyone at Coresco’s firm before the event.
If Gleason didn’t show up, he was most likely dead, and his death would end the only lead in Mack’s murder.
After getting the room number and key for the FBI suite at the Hyatt where Hooper himself would be coordinating surveillance and information, Sam walked out with John Black. “I think this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces,” Sam said.
“I think you’re right.”
Sam frowned. “I’d hoped you would tell me I was worried for nothing.”
“Hooper has a solid plan. And I like that he’s flexible. But Coresco has not only avoided prosecution, he’s stayed way down on the radar. I’ve heard the rumblings, and I sat in on Hooper’s meeting with Manny about what he knew of the law firm. But, Hooper has been working this sting operation for three years. He knows it’s dangerous, but it’s also important.”
“You have a lot of faith in the FBI.”
“I’ve known Dean Hooper for several years. He’s one of the most professional and intelligent FBI agents I’ve met. He used to work in DC as the assistant director for all financial crimes. Coming here as an ASAC was, essentially, a voluntary demotion.”
“Why?”
“He got married. Love makes you question everything, and you make different choices.”