Page 67 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

“GOT SOMETHING FOR you, Agent Gordon,” Virgil Tighe said. “Something potentially huge.”

“Go on,” Nicky replied. But she was wary; this could be a fishing expedition. No doubt Virgil had heard about the raid on the Culver City property and wanted the inside track on this part of the investigation. Many Capital operatives were former LAPD or FBI. They had a lot of ears to the ground.

“I’ve been working with the Federales,” Virgil said. “They seem certain they know the identity of the man who kidnapped Tyler Schraeder and his actress girlfriend.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“The name they gave me was Ramiro Flores,” Virgil said. “Mexican ex-army. A decorated sergeant, as a matter of fact.”

“Why is he no longer with the Mexican army?”

“Officially? Gross insubordination. Unofficially? I’m hearing that Flores beat the living crap out of his superior officer over the choice of music in their Humvee.”

The name Flores was new to Nicky, but she had to admit he fit the kidnapper profile she was working up.

Like Tim Dowd, a law enforcement or military background.

And, most important, a fall from professional grace and a need for cash.

If you were to handpick collaborators for a plot like this, you’d need people in that sweet spot: talented enough to get the job done and desperate enough to follow specific orders.

“What else do you know about Flores?”

“Our operatives are compiling an extensive file right now,” Virgil said. “But what matters most is that he has a connection with Rubin Padilla.”

The name gave Nicky pause. “Wait… Padilla. Is this the suspect your men killed in Las Vegas earlier today?”

“One and the same.”

“So what’s the connection? Did they serve together?”

“In a manner of speaking…”

Nicky was confused. Was Virgil screwing around with her? “Why don’t you just come out and say it instead of wasting everybody’s time?”

Virgil laughed and offered an apology. “I’m sorry, Agent Gordon,” he said.

“What you said struck me as funny. No, Padilla wasn’t in the Mexican army.

What he and Flores have in common is time served.

And a girlfriend. I don’t know who dated who first—hell, maybe they’re still both banging her.

Well, not Padilla. Not anymore. But I’m liking Flores as our guy. ”

And Nicky was liking him too.