ANGELO'S GUEST
(A Joe Kepper Mystery)
by John E. Mann
ISBN: 1425726313

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ANGELO’S GUEST is John E. Mann’s third Mystery novel. It reaches back as far as the Korean war and winds it’s way to the modern day world of Detective Joe Kepper. Most of the story takes place on and around our nation’s capital where high level officials with connections to the DEA decide on new approaches to operate the drug trade. There are shoot outs, attempted murders and a bit of romance. Joe Kepper and his aide, Sam Stevens are pushed to the limit and his Dad’s old friend Angelo comes to the rescue by insuring the safety of a mysterious guest.

 CHAPTER 1

Selena finished packing her bag and began checking the closet and drawers to ensure they hadn’t left anything. The hotel had done an automatic checkout using the impression the clerk had made on the receipt from Jessie’s credit card. She thought about calling for a bellboy but changed her mind and decided she’d better wait. Jesse was in the adjoining room using his cell phone and she had no idea how long he would be.

Their routine was usually the same. They would drive down for about five days, check in to one of the top hotels overlooking the beach, take in the best clubs and restaurants, and head back to Washington on the fifth day. They had taken  the tours of Miami and the surrounding areas on previous visits to include the museums, Joe Robbie Stadium, the Convention Hall, The University of Miami, the waterfront docking location for all the visiting cruise ships, and all the prominent buildings worth seeing. There wasn’t much about Miami they hadn’t seen. She had suggested Orlando, or Daytona Beach, but Jesse wouldn’t hear of it. It was always Miami. He didn’t have any friends in Miami that she knew of. They were pretty much to themselves the whole time they were there.

She didn’t mind the trips at all. They came up about every three months, which was great as far as she was concerned. It gave her a chance to practice her Spanish, and get an all expense five-day vacation in the best of hotels.

She and Jesse were not that steady as a couple back in Washington. He’d stop by about twice a month and sleep over and it was always nice to see him.. The sex was good and there were no strings attached on either of their parts. Jesse had never asked her to come over to his place. She had mentioned it once but he got a bit upset and she never brought up the subject again. Just like she had once suggested flying down instead of taking the long drive which also seemed to upset him. It wasn’t a big deal with Selena, since he did most of the driving and treated her with respect, bought her gifts from time to time and seemed to care about her when they were together.

Selena had gotten to like Jesse a lot in spite of his peculiar habits and unscheduled nocturnal visits. She could do worse. She had her fill of the weirdoes she had met at the local D.C. bars and the dating scene in the nation’s capital was not the greatest due to the uneven ratio of eligible men.

Sounds from the adjacent room indicated Jesse had completed his call and approaching footsteps on the hardwood floor were further signs that he was about to join her.

“I just asked them to bring up our car from the garage, Sel. If you’re all ready, we can catch the elevator down,” Jesse said.

“Looks like we’re all set, Jesse. It’s been a good stay. I hate to say “good-bye” to this nice suite. The view is one of the best we’ve had,” Selena said as she got up from the comfortable chaise lounge where she was sitting. “I started to call for a bellboy, but we really don’t need any help with our rolling bags. They have put joy into traveling.”

They didn’t have to wait long for an elevator. In the lobby there was the usual buzz with employees going about their various duties, guests coming and going, checking in and checking out. Jesse turned in their plastic keycards and they headed for the door where a bellhop was waiting with the keys to their car. He quickly took their bags and whisked them over to their car where he opened the trunk and neatly stored them away. Jesse tipped the bellboy, and they were on their way.

                                                            *          *          *

The following day shortly after crossing the state line into North Carolina, Selena and Jesse stopped for gas at a Shell Station with an adjacent restaurant. Only a few patrons were still lingering over coffee and a waitress was on duty. They took a table near the window and began to pore over the menu. The waitress brought them water and as she stood over them it was apparent she was a pretty girl, blonde, well developed, with a syrupy voice.

“Hello, I’m Janie, Ya’ll need more time?” she said.

“Janie, I think I know what I want. I’ll take the burger with everything, fries and a coke,” Jesse said, looking Janie over as if she too were on the menu.

Selena couldn’t help but notice Jesse eyeing the well-developed waitress from head to toe. She remained calm as she gave her order. “Ill take the same without the fries,” Selena said in a frosty sort of way.

“Thank yew,” Janie said as she wrote down the orders on her pad and flounced her way toward the double doors leading to the kitchen.

“That was downright disrespectful,” Selena said.

“What?”

“You know. I saw you undressing her with your eyes.”

“I don’t know how you could say that. We’ve been on the beach for five days and I’ve been looking at near nude women all week long and you’re accusing me of flirting?”

“This was different. Your tongue was hanging out nearly all the way down to your belt buckle.”

“Sel, You’ve got no rig…”

Selena picked up her napkin and threw it across the table, hitting Jesse in the chest. He threw up both hands, expecting the napkin to hit him in the face.

“Dammit, don’t you tell me what rights I have as long as you’re with me. I’m neither your doormat nor your whore. When we’re together, I want to be treated with respect.”

A couple on the far side of the room looked  their way as the slight raising of Selena’s voice and  the napkin toss caught their attention. Janie returned from the kitchen and began busying herself with her duties behind the counter. Not wanting to create a scene, Selena crossed her arms and looked daggers across the table at Jesse, as he busied himself investigating every aspect of the menu including the seniors’ portions.

Somehow they got through the meal with few words being passed between them. Janie checked back to fill their water glasses and Selena peeked over the latest copy of USA TODAY to see Jesse’s eyes as she left to go check with the couple across the room. Jesse looked up to see Selena looking at him, but this time his eyes did not follow Janie, but instead he examined his glass of water and took a sip. As they left heading out to the parking lot, Jesse suddenly stopped.

“Wait up a minute, uh… take the keys, I left my cap in the booth.” He whirled around and headed back inside the restaurant. A few minutes later he returned wearing his precious cap with the Nike, “Just do it” logo and they moved smoothly back to I-95 North integrating themselves into the swiftly moving interstate traffic. For a while neither said a word, and then Selena broke the silence.

“You just had to go back and get her phone number, didn’t you?” Selena said, eyeing Jesse suspiciously, to get a good look at his reaction.

“What…?” Jesse said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What phone number?”

“Don’t lie to me, Jesse. You’ve got the hots for that waitress and it shows on your face just as plain as day. I told you I’m not your doormat. We’ve been hanging out long enough for me to know when you’re lying or not. Don’t give me that crap about going back after your cap. You deliberately left your cap inside the restaurant so you could go back and get her phone number. I know you Jesse Romano. You’ve used me and now you’re ready to move on.”

From the look on his face, Jesse was beginning to get a little miffed. He had been on the defensive but now he began to raise his voice and gain control of the situation.

“Don’t try to pull a guilt trip on me, Sel. I’ve been damn good to you. I buy you things, I take you on vacations, I take you…”

Selena’s face began to fume. She had gotten past the point of being pissed at Jesse. She  became enraged. “Jesse you are full of s---. You come by to see me when you want sex. Where are you the rest of the week? Not a phone call, not a compliment to say how well you liked it; no nothing until the next time you want something. You want me to put my life on hold for that? You’re using me Jesse. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve used me for the last time. Get yourself another doormat!”

“OK, Babe, if that’s the way you want it, I’ll pull over at the next rest stop and you can hitch-hike your way back to Washington. I don’t have to take your s---!”

Selena extended her arm as far as her seat belt would allow her and hit Jesse squarely on the side of his face. Taken by surprise, Jesse was stunned by the force of the blow and his hands slipped from the steering wheel and the car began to wobble out of control into another lane. A car approaching from behind had to swerve in order to avoid hitting them. Realizing what she had done, Selena tried to steady the car while Jesse recovered from the blow. His right foot had come off the accelerator and their car was beginning to slow.  Cars behind them began to blow their horns and there was a series of screeching tires. The siren of a police cruiser coming up behind them began to whine.  Recovering from the blow and regaining his wits about him, Jesse moved back into the flow of traffic, gave a signal to move into the right lane, slowed down and after finding a safe location to stop, and brought the vehicle to a halt.

“Damn! See what you’ve done. Now I’m in trouble for reckless driving. I don’t need this s---.”

Jesse fumbled in his wallet for his driving license, all the while mumbling to himself and disgusted at the whole turn of events. Selena just sat with her arms folded in silence as if to say, Serves you right. The North Carolina state patrol officer appeared to   not be in a hurry to approach them. He seemed to be on his radio. Selena assumed he was giving information regarding the make and model of their car, license number and other pertinent information. He got out of his cruiser and opened the rear door, letting his partner, a German Shepherd dog, join them. Finally, he approached the driver’s side of Jesse’s car, peered in. His partner began to circle the car stopping in the rear near the trunk.

“A busy interstate highway with fast moving traffic is no place to have a fight, folks. You’re not only endangering your own lives but the lives of other motorists back there. May I see your driving license and registration, sir?”

Jesse, license in hand, did as he was told. Selena watch the proceedings. The officer checked both items.

“Who is Ralph Trapuzzi?”  the officer asked, eyeing Jesse suspiciously.

“Ralph’s a friend of mine. I borrow his car from time to time,” Jesse said.

Just then the German Shepherd began to whimper and then  barked. The officer reached for his revolver and said. “I’m afraid I’m going to ask you both to step out of the car, and put your hands in the air, you first Ma’am, and come around to this side and lay your hands on top of the car.”

Realizing that this was no ordinary traffic stop, Selena did as she was told. “You’re next sir,” the patrolman said.

“What’s…what’s going on, Officer? I don’t understand,” a surprised Jesse said.

“Just do as you are told, sir. You’ll be told what is going on in due time,” the officer said.

A disgusted Jesse followed the instructions. The dog was still near the trunk of the car sitting in place. The officer shook Jesse down, as he was spread eagle with his hand on the car with legs back and in a leaning position. He asked Selena to turn around giving her a visual check. That done he ordered Selena to put the handcuffs on Jesse with his hands behind his back. Having observed that, the officer took out a second set of handcuffs and ordered Selena to put her hands behind her back. He put his revolver back in its holster and cuffed Selena securely and then checked the job she had done on Jesse’s handcuffs. He cuffed Jesse another notch, making them tighter. Finally, he ordered the duo to move away from their car and wait.

“Yeah, this is Crawford, Car 114, still at the location I’d given you previously on I-95 north. Missy is a bit suspicious of them and she is seldom wrong. I’ve got the couple cuffed and under control but I’m going to need some backup prior to searching the car. Find out if the captain wants it brought in, if so we’ll need another driver, OK, I’ll standby.”

After a short wait, the officer walked back over to the disgusted couple who seemed unhappy with each other, because of the delay and the embarrassment.

“You going to let us go, officer? I’ll pay the fine or whatever. We’ve both got to get back to Washington. We’ve got jobs to go to tomorrow,” Jesse said.

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to do a search of your car, sir. My partner, Missy, here seems to think you’ve carrying some unauthorized substances with you in that trunk and we’re going to have to give it a thorough inspection. I’m going to have to read you your rights and you’d better hope that Missy is wrong because depending on the amount we find you both could be in a heap of trouble.”

            CHAPTER 2

 While Patrolman Crawford was calling to headquarters to arrange for backup, Jesse and Selena stood handcuffed over at the side of their car. Selena figured Jesse was embarrassed because he had been caught flirting and even more so now that he had been stopped by the police in another state and was not sure what the outcome would be resulting from his arrest. She suspected it was beginning to make him angry. The way he paced back and forth alongside the car, his head down and that hang-dog look. They were supposed to be reporting back to work in a couple of days, but would these crazy cops try to keep them here in North Carolina? She was beginning to get concerned about Jesse so she decided to start a conversation with him.

“I know I was wrong in hitting you, Jesse, and that caused the reckless driving charge but what’s with the handcuffs and the dog sniffing at the back of the car?” Selena asked. “Tell me, are you carrying drugs back there?”

“Hell no! You know I don’t do drugs. I don’t know why they’re treating us like this anyway. I’m clean. I’ve never done drugs in my life,” Jesse said.

“Yes, but are you carrying drugs for someone else? That’s the question.”

“How can you say that? I’ve been with you ever since we left DC. You know that. I don’t know nothin’ about no drugs,” Jesse said, turning around and looking at her directly.

Selena was skeptical. She’d read about police dogs and how they sniff and can detect drugs and people carrying drugs. She knew Jesse and most of his faults. He smoked cigarettes and she never knew him to have more than one or two drinks when they went out. As clean cut as he seemed to be, there was a very mysterious side of him. At first she thought he might be married, because of the weird unscheduled visits and because he had never asked her to visit him. He didn’t give her a home phone number and she wasn’t sure what kind of work he did. He rarely called except when he was coming over, and she knew nothing about his family. Jesse was sort of an enigma.

On the other hand, he treated her well, especially when they went on trips; she liked the way he made love, drove a car, and he was fun to be with. But there was little else to share.

The late model Acura they were using was not Jesse’s. He said he had borrowed it from a friend. The car he used to take her out on dates was an eight- year-old Taurus. Jesse said he doubted whether his Taurus could take the beating it took to get to southern Florida and back which made her believe in his honesty. Selena weighed his good points and his bad. She came to the conclusion  she didn’t really know Jesse. She wondered what he had gotten himself into and would she be looked upon as a part of the trouble he could be in. If he was in trouble with the law, she could very well be held as an accessory.

                                                *       *       *

Another police cruiser pulled up in front of them. Two officers got out and walked back to where Officer Crawford was filling out a report of the arrest. The short officer looked a bit older, wore two stripes on his arm and appeared to be in charge.

“ Hi Bobby, understand you need some help. What have you got here?” the short officer said.

“Sure thing, Corporal Wells,” Officer Crawford said. “Had a little fight going on while moving along at sixty-five miles per hour causing the car to shift between lanes and nearly causing an accident. It appears the young lady was mad as hell about something. Her name is Selena Valdez. The driver is Jesse Romano and I guess he was trying to defend himself.  I’ll need some help in verifying whether Mr. Trapuzzi loaned his car to this gentleman. We need to be sure the car isn’t stolen. I’m writing Jesse up for reckless driving but thought we’d better hold them while we get a thorough  check of that trunk. Missy has been sniffing around and she seems to think there’s something in there we should look at and she’s seldom wrong,” Officer Crawford said.

Jesse and Selena had moved over close enough to listen in on the conversation between the officers. Jesse spoke up. “There’s nothing in there, I keep telling you.”

“May we have permission to search your car, Mr. Romano?” Officer Crawford said.

“Sure, go ahead,” Jesse said, apparently ready to accept his ticket and get on with it. Officer Crawford handed the keys to Corporal Wells, who moved over to Jesse’s Acura and unlocked the trunk.

The two officers began  removing a few loose items on top of the suitcases and then the two heavy bags. They left wrenches, the jack and handle, a first aid kit, two reflectors and a kneeling pad used for tire changing. Missy attentively watched the procedure as an interested bystander like everyone else. Finding nothing of substance, one of the officers went over to his cruiser and brought back a blanket and layed it on the ground as they proceeded to take items from one bag piece by piece until it was empty. Finding nothing other than personal items of clothing and a few souvenirs, they continued the same procedure with the other bag. Nothing.

“Sorry Bobby, there’s nothing unlawful in the trunk. The same goes for the bags. Where’s your handbag, young lady?” Corporal Wells asked.

“It’s inside our car,” Selena said glumly.

Corporal Wells found the handbag in the back seat, brought it back and began to empty Selena’s bag, which looked as if it contained everything except the kitchen sink. As the officer proceeded with the inspection of the bag, Missy jumped into the now empty trunk and began sniffing around. All three troopers stopped to watch. She began making growling noises as she moved from corner to corner a bit excitedly. It was as if she were saying, I know there’s something illegal in here,  why can’t you humans figure it out?

“We obviously missed something,” Officer Crawford said. “I think we’d better take the car in and let the experts look it over.”

Corporal Wells nodded. His partner whose nametag identified him as Decker

said, “I agree, they’ve got all the tools and scientific know how to determine whether your partner’s hunch is correct. If no drugs are found, we’ve got no grounds to hold them. If they do find something, then those two have a problem. It’s all in the hands of the experts. Hey you two,” he yelled over to Jesse and Selena, “get in the back seat of my cruiser,” Corporal Wells said. “Officer Decker here will drive their car in and Bobby, you and Missy can lead the way. That sound OK?”

“Yep,” Officer Crawford replied. “Sounds good to me. Did you get all of that, folks?” he asked, looking over at Jesse and Selena.

“Whatever it takes to get us going back to DC. I'll want to get some sleep before heading off to work on Monday,” Jesse said.

Selena was quiet. Whatever they decided, she had little control over. Already she was thinking of who she might use as a lawyer in the event Jesse was lying and they did find drugs in the car someplace. A couple of her friends were lawyers but, one dealt in real estate, the other taxes. Well at least if it became necessary to get a criminal lawyer, those two could probably recommend someone who was into criminal law. But this whole thing was so ludicrous she couldn’t see how they could be charged and put in jail. It was just plain mind-boggling. She had never been in trouble all her life not even a parking ticket. There was no way that she would be arrested and jailed. She hadn’t done any wrong and there was no proof she had done something wrong. Within an hour or so they would be cleared and on their way. The dog seemed pretty smart, but that doesn’t make her infallible.

As they moved away from Officer Crawford’s cruiser they looked over at the open trunk where Missy was still sniffing around the floor and the sides of the interior, all of the officers stopped briefly to watch.

“We obviously missed something,” Officer Crawford said. “Let’s go ahead and drive it over and let the experts look it over. I’ll alert the office that we’re heading in and hopefully they’ll make someone available to check this car over and maybe figure what it is that got Missy all excited.”

With that, all three officers sprang into action and within minutes the convoy was headed for the state police barracks despite the protests of Jesse and Selena.

                                                *       *       *

Selena sat in her cell rubbing her wrists where the plastic handcuffs had been so tight at times she thought her circulation had almost stopped. She was glad they were off but now came the much bigger problem. Jesse was being held several cells down from where she was. They had been separated shortly after their arrival at the barracks and that was the last she had seen of him. She tried to take her mind from what the mechanical experts would find because there was nothing she could do if drugs were found in the car. She’d just pray that the police dog had made a mistake. She shifted her thoughts to just where her relationship with Jesse was going after their return to Washington. But suppose they did find something? She was in the car with Jesse at the time of the stop and the hotel records would prove they were together all week so it would be obvious to all that she was something other than an innocent passenger who had no idea that Jesse was trafficking illegal drugs between Miami and Washington. If I ever get out of this one it’s bye-bye Mr. Romano.

Minutes went by, then an hour, then two. She heard steps coming toward her cell. The young policeman, who had processed her when she came in, spoke.

“Miss Valdez, we’re going to take you out to inspect your car. If you’ll just come with me, I’ll take you to your transportation. She gladly got to her feet, anxious to leave her cell.

“What happens now? Where’re we going?” Selena asked, anxious to find out what was the next step before they would be on their way.

“I don’t know. I received a call saying they wanted you and Mr. Romano brought down to the car and they were sending someone down to pick you up,” the officer said.

About this time another officer brought Jesse into the room. He was showing even more anxiety than Selena. His hair was disheveled, his face redden, and he was shouting obscenities.

“Dammit, you’ve got no right to keep me here. I haven’t done anything wrong. Who do you SOBs think you are anyway? I’m an American citizen and I demand to be treated as such. Cut the crap. If you’ve got something, then tell us what it is and charge us. I’m tired of this s---. I’ve got a job in Washington that I’m supposed to be at Monday morning. I know a couple of big-shot lawyers in DC and I’ll have them come down here and blow this place away,” Jesse yelled

“Calm down, Mr. Romano. You just may get your wish. We’re going to put the cuffs back on the both of you and we’ll go back out to the auto shop where our mechanical people are looking over your vehicle. We just got a call from them asking us to bring you both down there. It’s just a short drive, maybe five minutes. Please take your seat back in the van outside and we’ll be on our way.

Selena looked over at Jesse. He was a pitiful sight; the yelling and screaming was bad enough but now the tears were coming and he didn’t express any shame with her seeing him like that. The man was a big crybaby. She had misjudged him. His tough exterior was all a façade. In just those few moments she had lost all respect for him. Nothing would ever be the same again.

The young officer politely asked her to put her hands behind her back to be cuffed once again. She did as she was told, realizing that this was the police routine. This is the way they were taught in school. Sure, she wanted to be on the road in the worst way but the police were only doing their job. Her only hope was that Jesse was telling the truth and that was he knew nothing about any drugs. Then if there were no drugs found in the car, they would be on their way shortly. She got in the van first followed by Jesse and then the two young officers. They were buckled in and the driver asked if they were all set.

“Affirmative,” answered one of the officers.

They rode for a few minutes passing several small buildings in the process. Then they pulled up just outside of a large one-story building that appeared to be a garage. Several of the doors were up where men in coveralls were working. The van pulled up to one of the open doors where two men in coveralls were standing outside. One of the officers put his hand on each of their heads as they dismounted, helping them to avoid hitting their heads on the top of the door opening. Selena recognized their car, the Acura, inside. The door to the trunk was open wide. The officers led them up to the rear of the Acura. Inside the trunk was a large briefcase. The lid was open but they were looking at the rear of the case and could not see the contents. Just then one of the men in coveralls spun the briefcase around and everyone present had a chance to look at the contents. The bag was stuffed with small plastic containers which contained a substance that appeared to look like granulated sugar.

“I’m afraid I must warn both of you of your rights. Is this your briefcase, Mr. Romano?”   

CHAPTER 3 

Deputy Chief Milton Aubrey and Lt. Joe Kepper headed down the hall to the conference room at Washington, DC Police Headquarters. They knew who they could expect to see there. This was not the first time Kepper had accompanied Aubrey to one of these meetings. Usually all the counties surrounding the District of Columbia in Maryland and Virginia were invited when there was a Metropolitan Area police problem. In most cases the subject was announced in advance, but this time neither he nor Aubrey had a clue. Even Aubrey’s mole in the DC Police Department, Captain Harold Gosset, was at a loss as to which way the political winds were blowing. Gossett held the job of intelligence coordinator and he frequently met with the law enforcement arm of the federal government to keep his boss abreast of issues that could affect the department.   Gossett’s position had been installed many years earlier during the Vietnam War when student activists, religious groups and other protestors held antiwar demonstrations in and around the Capitol. Back in those days, the government planted pseudo protestors from the Army, the FBI and other agencies who would dress the part and carry along radios in their backpacks to keep the government apprised of what plans were in the works in order to thwart the actions of these groups.

In later years, no police chief saw fit to remove this position from his Table of Organization, so the position remained on the books. Gosset had been an intelligence officer while in the military and like Kepper sought a position with the Marlboro County Police. He too had risen to the rank of lieutenant in the county but the DC Police made him an offer he couldn’t refuse so Aubrey and Chief Sparrow reluctantly released him. Of course this made their DC counterpart indebted to them and they sometime leaned on him for Redskins’ games tickets and other small favors as time went on.

Captain Gossett met them at the door and he pulled Kepper aside and slipped him a small Post-it note as he followed Aubrey. The note read, “FBI-DEA”  Kepper whispered the contents of the note to Aubrey, as he was busy recognizing and waving to some of the other attendees, particularly the ones from Maryland.

There was Willard Tish, from the Maryland State Police, the deputy chiefs from Montgomery, Prince Georges’, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties and Neil Brennan from Arlington and attendees from several other counties bordering on Northern Virginia.

At exactly 1:00 pm, Deputy Chief Wayne Epperson, walked into the room with two individuals Kepper did not recognize. Epperson sent apologies from his boss, Chief Hinds, who was recovering from a bullet wound when he attempted to stop a robber at a 9^th Street deli and was surprised by his partner who was in another part of the store and shot him from behind. Epperson then preceded the two men who entered with him to the podium. Aubrey recognized the two men and whispered to Kepper that they were Ron Carroll of the FBI and Ari Feldman who was Deputy Assistant to the Drug Czar.

Kepper’s eyes scanned the room and he recognized someone else he knew but had met only briefly. She was wearing a police uniform and wore the leaves of a major on her collar. It was Major Sharon Hoffstedder. A Yale graduate, having taken courses at Harvard prior to deciding to become a police officer, she was always in the Washington Post whether accompanying her father, old Congressman Dale Hoffstedder back home as his bodyguard or talking a hostage taker into giving himself up. With the exception of Chief Watkins, the major was probably the most well known police officer on the Montgomery County Police Force.  Earlier, Kepper had seen a picture of her in the Post attending a concert at the Kennedy Center, accompanied by a young bachelor congressman and he had wondered what a doll like her was doing on a police force but he had never had a chance to ask her. Not that he would be so bold to ask such a personal question of a senior officer, but he was just curious. He understood she had a tremendous reputation as a police officer, doing everything her male counterparts could do and some things even better. One of her superiors had referred to her as “a brave officer with extraordinary foresight, leadership and vision, an officer on the fast track.”

Kepper had met Sharon Hoffstedder on one occasion at a cocktail party in Bethesda. He had just solved The case of The Armored Truck Mystery and his picture had been plastered over the front page of the Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. This particular evening she was wearing a stunning rose colored gown. She singled him out from a group of four officers and came by to offer her congratulations. Thinking she was somebody’s wife, Kepper asked her name. She simply said, “Sharon Hoffstedder.”

When Kepper returned to the group, he asked who was Sharon Hoffstedder? One of the officers who was from the District, replied;

“I thought you knew her. That is Captain Sharon Hoffstedder of the Montgomery County Police. She is one of their top officers.”

Kepper was stunned. The soft hands, the beautiful face and body; she could pass for a budding young actress. Kepper hadn’t seen her since that evening. Today she was in uniform and she still looked good. There was a difference however. She was wearing the gold leaves of a major on her collar.

Assistant Chief Epperson began the meeting by thanking everyone for coming and introducing Ron Carroll, Special Agent from the FBI.  Carroll was a lean, clean-cut, typical FBI type who quickly got to the point.

Gentlemen, Mr. Feldman will be the main speaker. What he has to say is important to us all. As you’ve probably figured out already, the subject is Illegal Drugs. The fact that all of us have been invited speaks for itself. There have been some interesting developments he will inform you of. I am just as anxious to hear what he has to say as you are. In the essence of time I’m simply going to introduce him. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ari Feldman, Deputy Assistant to the Drug Czar.

Feldman, a former FBI agent who had been working for the Drug Czar since the position had been created, moved to the microphone.

“Thanks, Ron. And thank all of you for coming. I’ll get straight to the point. Illegal drugs are still coming into this country at a very high volume, both across the Mexican border and through Miami. Over the past 8-10 months, there has been a tremendous drop in the number of arrests of drug dealers in our area. We are not arresting as many dealers off the street nor their suppliers, the people the dealers usually lead us to.  At first blush, we as law enforcement types would think this is a good thing. Maybe America has gotten religion and the efforts of people like Billy Graham has paid off. Maybe we aren’t doing drugs to the extent we were a year or two ago,” Feldman said.

“The state highway patrols along all of the states along the I-95 corridor are still stopping just as many cars coming out of Miami as they have in previous years without utilizing any additional resources. Our sting operations in the major cities along the I-95 corridor are still doing an effective job. But when you throw the numbers up on the screen, the number of arrests just doesn’t justify the other numbers. We’ve always known that for every stop we make that we have positive results there are five or six that we miss. We can’t just stop every car without probable cause. The black activists have been on our necks about our picking on black motorists and arresting them for “driving while black.”

“So what is happening to all of the drugs we missed? Are we shipping it to Canada? Are we storing it for later use? We think not. There are still just as many people going to drug treatment centers and just as many people who we test when driving under the influence that have drugs in their systems.  There is a huge amount of cocaine and heroin out there that is unaccounted for. I ask you people, what is happening to all of those drugs?” Feldman continued.

“We’ve always had a pretty good fix on this before. Now, my boss is worried. He doesn’t have the answer and he knows before long the President is going to put his feet to the fire. These people are using different techniques. They’re playing the game smarter. I’ll give you an example.”

“Last week a North Carolina State Highway patrolman made a stop about twenty miles north of the NC-SC state line. The car was heading north along I-95 when he spotted a fight between the driver, a young white male and his girl friend, a young woman, white/Hispanic. It appeared to the patrolman that the young woman was doing most of the hitting and the young man was trying to defend himself. Anyway they were in the flow of traffic in an interior lane. With traffic going well over sixty-five and the car swaying over into the adjacent lane is about as reckless as one can get on our North Carolina highways. The patrolman put on his siren and had them slow down and pull over. The couple did as they were told acknowledge their wrong, and were about to settle for a ticket for the driver when the patrolman’s partner, a German shepherd named, Missy, sat in the rear of the vehicle signaling it was a possibility that a foreign substance was in the trunk. The officer asked for backup and when the other two officers arrived, they examined the trunk and couldn’t find any drugs in the vehicle. Missy is a veteran and is seldom wrong on her deductions, so the officers arrested the two individuals and brought them and the car to headquarters. An inspection by the experts disclosed the trunk had been modified and it contained a cache of cocaine valued at about two million dollars on the street. The young woman was mortified. She claimed she had no knowledge that there were any drugs in the car. Clean record, worked as an administrative person for a small company that handles the administration for a number of small churches, here in the District. The young man pleaded insanity on us, said he borrowed the car from his friend who also had connections to give him exceptionally low rates at a first rate hotel in Miami. Said he didn’t realize he was being used as a drug runner. Other than this arrest, he’s pretty clean. He makes deliveries of medical supplies to drugstores locally here in DC. His superiors say except for his passion for the ladies; he’s an OK guy. Seems he has a string of them and the young woman that was with him on this trip was just one of a stable he was after. He apparently saw himself as a self appointed Casanova.

“Had it not been for the German Shepherd who sniffed and found some residue of the cocaine that the naked eye had missed, we never would have found it. The car was borrowed and it had been modified to house a false floor in the trunk. The area between the false floor and the real floor was large enough to hold two briefcases filled with cocaine. We’re checking with the hotel where they stayed. It’s possible that the driver didn’t know the cocaine had been loaded without his knowledge and that he was an innocent carrier. We’re not finished with either of them yet. We’re checking with the owner of the car and although they have been released on bond, the FBI is keeping them all under surveillance.”

“ So you see it’s not the two black guys traveling well over the speed limit with an expired license, sipping from a wine bottle any more. The bad guys are getting a bit more sophisticated. There is the concerted effort to look more normal. The profile is changing. We may have to take a different approach to dealing with the drug trade in this country. Our people on the street tell us the corner dealers say they aren’t seeing as much of some of their regulars. Can it be that some of them have gotten religion all of a sudden? We’ve had a fairly good run on past operations but something tells me that something new is in the mix. That is what we in the DEA are concerned about. Is this the lull before the storm? Does anyone here have any observations, or suggestions?” The deputy ended his soliloquy and seemed to give a little sigh and took a deep breath as if to say, There, I’ve said it. I’ve done what my boss wanted me to do. I’ve dropped the problem in the laps of the underlings at county and city level. Our back side is covered in the event the s--- hits the fan and Congress, the cabinet or even the President wants to know what we’ve done about all this, our asses are covered.

Kepper looked over at Aubrey and Aubrey looked back. “Do you have any idea what he’s talking about,” Aubrey asked.

“Not the foggiest,” Kepper replied. “I really don’t know why we’re here.”

They both looked around the room and practically everyone else had a question mark on their faces. Kepper rose.

“Mr. Secretary, Lieutenant Kepper, Marlboro County, Maryland; usually at a briefing such as this, after a discussion of the problem, we come away with some sort of mission. At this point, I’m not sure I know what the problem is,” Kepper said.

There were a few snickers from some of the younger officers, but most seem to be in an “I wish I had asked that question” mode. The Deputy Assistant Drug Czar from his position on the stage looked over at Kepper as if to being saying; who is that young upstart? It was pretty clear to me what we’re asking of them.

Ari Feldman moved back toward the mike. “That’s a fair question. I’ll be the first to admit that my presentation lacked some clarity. That is because there is a lot we don’t know about this situation. The feeling at the top is there is some sort of a problem out there but we haven’t been able to find out what it is. We did the numbers on our computers and they just don’t pan out as they have in the past. I was trying to paint a picture that said there are some changes taking place within the drug world, as we know it. There is insufficient time for us to properly diagnose how these changes will affect this area and or the country as a whole. It’s kind of like a new discovery in medicine. The new drug seems to be the answer but until it’s been tested for 4-5 years to check out all the side effects over the long term, there’s a hesitancy to put it on the market,”  Feldman said.

Kepper rose to his feet again. “So what are you asking us to do, sir?” Kepper asked.

“Report anything that looks suspicious or that you think is drug related. I have a small task force on standby working on this. I’m going to ask them to flash the number to call on the screen in the event you have something to report. We’re prepared to share that information with all the jurisdictions represented here. We really don’t know what’s going on but our gut feeling is something is about to break and we want to be prepared for it no matter what it is. I apologize for being vague but that’s the nature of the beast. If there’re no further questions, thank you for coming, and Good Luck.”

With that the Deputy Assistant Drug Czar hurried from the stage followed by his FBI colleague.

Deputy Chief Epperson’s voice came over the mike loud and clear.

“Gentlemen, stay as long as you like. I realize we seldom get a chance like this to all get together and exchange information and renew old friendships. We’ll keep you supplied with refreshments as long as you are here. We aren’t the richest of jurisdictions so if you feel so inclined, you may want to drop a dollar or two in the jar beside the coffee container.”

                                                *       *       *

Might as well mingle a bit,” Aubrey said. “We can catch lunch at one of these swanky restaurants while we’re over here. I’d like to check in with a couple of my counterparts. I’ll give you the sign when I’m about ready to go.”

Kepper nodded. “Say the word and I’m ready to head back. I don’t know too many of these folks here.”

He headed down the hall to the rest room and before he could get there he heard a female voice. “Joe…Joe Kepper.”

Kepper wheeled around and catching up to him was Major Hoffstedder.  “Joe, are you leaving so soon? The guys were going to give me a little impromptu promotion party. I know it’s a long drive back out to Marlboro County, but you can at least have a coke with us. It was more of a question than a statement. She was looking up into his eyes and he sensed she was serious and wanted him to stay.”

“You know, Sharon, I was a bit intimidated by you when you were a captain, but now that you are a major, you’re a little bit out of my league. I’d like to but I feel that everyone there will be someone of your rank and above and I’d be a bit uncomfortable. It’s better if I take a rain-check,” Kepper said as he walked back into the conference with her.

“What is there to be intimidated about? Sure, I’m good at what I do and in my job I get information first hand and can get to problem areas rather quickly and my involvement sometimes get me a favorable comments here and there that impresses my bosses, but the truth is my Dad’s position as chair of the budget committee scares the hell out of all of my bosses and I get outstanding reports and that helps me to get promoted ahead of my contemporaries, but is that a bad thing?”

“I’ve got to admit, it’s not. But it just could be that I would be the one negative that would impede your career. I’m delighted to see it happen, but I like you enough to not want anything negative to happen to you on my account. You’ve got everything it takes to become a chief. You could break some new ground. Don’t do anything foolish at this point in your career, Kepper said.

“OK, Lieutenant. If that’s the way you feel about it. I know when I’m being stood up. Whoever she is, tell her I wish her lots of luck.” She turned and headed back to the group of field grade officers who were patiently waiting to have the mini-party. Kepper headed back to the rest room and as he returned to the conference room, Aubrey met him.

“Oh there you are, Joe. I was wondering what had happened to you. For a moment I began to think you were being recruited out of Marlboro County. I would hate to see that. I’m not pretty and my voice may be a bit gruff, but we still love you there. Besides, the pack might be a bit resentful if you pulled out now,” Aubrey said, putting his cap on leading Kepper out of the building.

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