Free Die a Stranger by Steve Hamilton Page A

tiny little airport in Michigan, every single night.”
    “They fly in, drop it off, fly right back.”
    “They’re on the ground for five minutes,” she said. “Ten minutes tops. It’s kind of ingenious.”
    “Wait, didn’t they actually handcuff some people to the fence last time?”
    “They did, yes. We found them a few hours later. Good thing it was summertime or they would have frozen to death. Not that things ended up any better for them.”
    “What, are you saying—”
    “I didn’t just tell you that,” she said. “But yeah, we ended up letting them go. They weren’t in possession of anything, after all. The drugs and the money were long gone by the time we got there. As well as the airplane and the hijackers. All we had were two men handcuffed to a fence. We figured they’d be good leads to follow, anyway. So that’s what we’d been doing. Up until this week.”
    “They didn’t get the message, you’re saying. So this time around they ended up in a shootout.”
    “Just like the good old days,” she said. “Only replace the booze with marijuana.”
    “So who were the other guys? You must have them ID’d by now.”
    She didn’t say anything. There was nothing but a distant hum on the line.
    “You know I can’t go there,” she said. “But I can tell you this. The pilot was Canadian. The receivers were just your average local dealers. Maybe a little bit above average, because it was a pretty big quantity we’re talking about. And maybe a little bit crazy, because after what happened last time—”
    “Local as in where?” I said. “Were they from up here?”
    “No, from downstate. That’s one of the mysteries, why they’d go so far north to do this. It’s the first time they’ve connected in the Upper Peninsula, as far as we know.”
    “Okay, so what about the hijackers?”
    “That’s where I have to stop you,” she said. “I can’t talk about them at all.”
    “You’re saying, what? It’s not just some other group of pot dealers who found out about the party and decided to crash it?”
    “No, this isn’t just another bunch of pot dealers. Look, Alex, you know how bad it’s been getting down on the Mexican border. This is a long way from there, but the idea is still the same, right? Even if those cartels are not directly involved in this, you have to know that they’re setting a standard for how you run a drug trade. Other groups see how well it works and then use the same approach. One warning, then absolutely no mercy after that. Just flat-out appalling violence. That’s how you move in and take over.”
    “So these new people, they’re from where again?”
    “I didn’t say, and I’m not going to. I’m dead serious.”
    “Okay. I understand. You can’t talk about it.”
    I heard her let out a long breath. “Just be careful. That’s the one thing I can say. If your friends really are mixed up in this…”
    “Is it that bad?”
    “Yes,” she said. “As bad as it gets.”
    We both let that thought hang in the silence for a while.
    “It’s good talking to you,” I said. “I’m sorry I called so late.”
    “It’s okay, Alex. It’s good talking to you, too. No matter what time it is.”
    I wished her a good night. She wished me one right back but I think we both knew that was impossible at this point. I certainly wasn’t going to sleep through any of it.
    *   *   *
     
    I may have dozed off for an hour. Maybe two. But I snapped awake around eight in the morning with a sudden thought. I took a shower and got into the truck. As I drove by Vinnie’s, I took a quick look, knowing exactly what I’d see but hoping against hope anyway. I shouldn’t have bothered.
    When I got to the reservation, I drove right to the Waishkey Building. I had been running through my conversation with the chief, over and over again. I kept feeling like I had missed something important. Maybe something we had both missed. But I couldn’t put my finger on it. I figured