Page 16 of Operation: Reckless Angel

Lambchop raised an eyebrow. “You think it’s related to what her brother could be doing in the darknet?”

“Yeah, but don’t ask me why. It was just a feeling I got in how they related to each other, like they’re somehow working together or maybe even that he works for her. That moment of tension between them was odd. I have a younger sister, so I know something about sibling dynamics, and theirs was way off.”

“What did you make of her asking you if you served?” Lambchop asked.

“She knew I had. I saw it in her eyes. Don’t let her fun and flirty persona fool you. She’s smart, cunning smart. I think there is a lot more going on with her than it appears,” Roth said.

“But not Cam Woods?” Mother asked.

“No, I think what you see with him is what you get,” Roth said.

Foxtrot

Roth, once again sleeping on the living room couch, was awakened by the wonderful aroma of coffee coming from the kitchen. His watch said five-thirty hours. Mother and Lambchop sat at the breakfast bar. “Good morning,” he greeted, coming into the room.

They both smiled telling grins.

“What did we get?” he asked them, his excitement building.

“Cameron Woods was a busy boy overnight,” Lambchop reported.

“And his computer was even busier after he went to bed at two hundred,” Mother added. “You were right. He had a program running. Smith said it was combing a dark website for posts looking to buy identities.”

“Identity theft?” Roth repeated. “Does Smith think Woods is a broker? Because if he is, his sister is in it with him.”

“It looks like it,” Lambchop said. “Smith and Garcia are going to create an identity looking to buy and see if his searches lead him to Cameron Woods.”

“Does it look like Woods is the one compromising the identities, or is he a broker between thief and customer?” Roth asked.

“Don’t know yet,” Lambchop said. “But we’ll figure it out before we’re done here. I spoke with Shepherd a few minutes ago. He’s authorized us to stay through the end of the week to get as much as we can before we turn it over. Looks like to the FBI.”

Roth shook his head. “I’m almost disappointed it’s something that run-of-the-mill. I envisioned they’d be involved in something more exotic or cutting edge.”

Both Mother and Lambchop laughed. “At least identity thieves are seldom violent,” Mother said. “I’ll take boring over dangerous any day.”

“Yeah, I didn’t peg Cam Woods as violent. Briana, yeah, maybe. She has an air about her, I don’t know, maybe from her MP days. But she can intimidate a person. I saw her stare down a guy at that bar last night. She didn’t need to say a word to send him packing. I’m sure she’s involved in this with her brother.”

“We need to confirm if she’s involved. If so, we need to bring them down before she drives away,” Lambchop said.

“I agree with Roth that she’s involved. There’s no way she isn’t. She’s using her missing girlfriend’s identity, so we got her on Identity Theft. She may have introduced herself as Briana Woods, but I’d bet you she has that Georgia Driver’s license that matches the car registration in Lisa O’Connor’s name. There is a condo owned by Lisa O’Connor in Atlanta, where Briana Woods claims to live.”

Roth nodded.

“So, that begs the question: where is Lisa O’Connor and her son? I’d bet the Woods siblings provided her with a new identity, a stolen identity,” Lambchop said. “I would if a friend of mine needed to hide from an abusive ex who was released way too early from prison and wanted visitation rights to their child.”

Roth wasn’t surprised by Lambchop’s statement. “But what they’re doing is illegal, and they have to be stopped.”

“Yes,” Lambchop agreed. “Mother, how about we go get a look inside the Transit Van belonging to Lisa O’Connor and see what we can find? If she has anything illegal in that van, we can use that to have her detained if she tries to leave while Garcia and Smith are setting the trap.”

Roth knew they had to proceed, but he felt bad about it. Yes, the Woods' siblings were committing a crime by selling IDs. Real people’s identities were being compromised, but in the case of Lisa O’Connor, if it was like Lambchop theorized, Briana Woods may have saved her life. She surely saved her a lot of aggravation and her son a lot of upheaval and potential harm.

Smith remained in the loft with Wilson while Mother and Lambchop went out the back door to go take a look inside the white Transit Van. Lambchop stood guard behind the van as Mother went to the door and jimmied it open after viewing it to ensure there was no car alarm on it.

“Looks like she lives in the van,” Mother reported through comms. “There’s a bed, a small desk area, clothes, some food.”

Lambchop joined him and they conducted a thorough search while Wilson and Roth kept watch to be sure the siblings didn’t leave Woods’ place. They found nothing illegal. And there was not a single piece of paper except for the registration and insurance cards in the glove-box in the name of Lisa O’Connor. The entire van was neat and tidy. There wasn’t even a speck of dust to be found inside. And the small bed that was within was made to bootcamp standards. When Lambchop and Mother returned to the loft, Lambchop had already contacted Shepherd and set up a video meeting for when he’d be available in just over an hour.

“And you didn’t get a firm date on when Briana Woods is leaving Iowa?” Lambchop asked Roth.

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