Chapter 1: The Officer Transition

After the two officers had been on continuous stakeout duty for several days, the sergeant arranged for a change in personnel.

Five officers arrived in a blue Chevrolet Express van, and except for one, all were armed and ready for action. The exception was Corporal Weir, who, aside from his concealed service revolver, had little outward appearance of being on duty. His role was simply to drive the second vehicle back.

The other vehicle, a Ford Club Wagon, contained two exhausted officers. The four officers who accompanied Weir were in the freshly deployed van, ready to take over the surveillance efforts of their fatigued colleagues.

Weir was dropped off at the intersection of St Charles and Brunswick boulevards. As he approached the Ford van, he jangled a set of keys to maintain an air of normalcy. He unlocked the door, acting as a distraction for any potential observers, while the two officers inside remained low-profile, anticipating his arrival.

Without delay, he started the engine, pausing just long enough to appear as if he were merely retrieving a parked vehicle. With the other officers hidden inside, he drove away.

Meanwhile, just a street over, the blue Chevrolet Express was parked strategically, with four newly assigned officers on alert inside. Other police units were also stationed in the vicinity, maintaining constant communication with the lookout team and the sergeant.

As night descended, the tension escalated. The officers sensed that something significant was about to occur, and they were determined not to miss any critical moments.

At 1:20 AM, activity inside the Dahoust household became apparent. The dim lights flickered, and soon a taxi arrived, stopping behind the moving truck. It appeared to be affiliated with the company where Mr. Dahoust worked. However, despite their visual and electronic surveillance, the officers failed to detect the taxi request. How could they have overlooked that?

The front door opened slightly, and Mr. Dahoust peered outside, seemingly confirming the arrival of his cab. Satisfied, he left the door ajar as he went back inside. The taxi driver remained seated, waiting until the door opened wider, revealing more figures in the entrance.

A faint light illuminated the cab, likely from the interior roof. The driver exited the vehicle and approached the front door, assisting a woman who was flanked by Mr. Dahoust and another man. They carefully escorted her to the taxi.

While the woman appeared unsteady from the officers' viewpoint, her face was obscured by a scarf that concealed most of her features. She clutched the scarf tightly under her chin.

The officers quickly ruled out the possibility of her being Mrs. Luba Dahoust, as she had recently been seen inside the house. They had no evidence indicating another woman lived there, aside from Kamal’s wife Selma, who was much smaller in stature. Thus, it became evident that the individual was likely Libby, the daughter and sister of the Dahoust family, and a friend of their associate, Manley.

The sergeant's orders were clear: "Hold your positions; do not intervene yet." This frustrated many of his subordinates.

"What is he waiting for?" one officer inquired. "Is he waiting for the girl to collapse?" another added in mild exasperation. But as time would show, the sergeant’s caution was justified.

The next figure to appear was Kamal, the girl's brother. He rushed down the winding wrought-iron staircase, struggling with the zipper of his coat before finally securing it.

He activated the moving truck's remote lock and climbed inside. After starting the engine, he exited and spoke with the taxi driver. The taxi departed as Kamal walked back to the house and knocked. His father answered, and they exchanged a few words before Kamal returned to the truck, driving off in the same direction the taxi had taken.

To be continued...

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This is an excerpt from the "MANLEY Book," a novel available wherever books are sold. If you don't find it, request it, and they will get it for you.

By @writingelk All Rights Reserved.