Page 45 of Targeted at Christmas

COOPER WAS AT the field office when the word came down that a solid suspect had been identified in the home invasion at Eleanor’s residence. Elated with the news, he believed that at the very least it would give Lexi’s neighbor and his support group friend peace of mind once they had both suspects in custody.

Beyond that, there was linking the two home invaders to the deadly carjackings as part of the public corruption probe the Bureau was undertaking.

My gut tells me that the cases are inexorably connected and will start to unravel in a hurry when we can get the suspects to start talking, Cooper told himself, as he learned that the black Ford Explorer SUV with the stolen license plates had been spotted outside the suspect’s house on East La Puente Avenue.

Cooper coordinated with Hallie and the Phoenix PD’s Property Crimes Bureau, in conjunction with its assaults, homicide and K-9 units—in the use of FBI SWAT agents, who were armed with Rock River Arms LAR-15M .17 HMR assault rifles, a tactical helicopter and operational technology in the takedown operation.

Arriving near the suspect’s single-story residence, Cooper was wearing his FBI jacket and a bulletproof vest, with his Sig Sauer P239 pistol holstered, when he met up with Hallie and Frank Magistretti and the rest of the team.

Frank acknowledged him and told the group, “We think Darren Fonseca’s inside the house…and maybe the other suspect as well.”

Hallie added, “That’s definitely the same Ford Explorer one of the suspects used in the home invasion of Lexi’s next-door neighbor. Looks like some of the stolen items are still inside it.”

Cooper sighed, while looking forward to returning to Eleanor as many stolen items as they could. He thought about the strong likelihood that they were also looking at the carjackers who took two lives. “Okay, let’s go get Fonseca.”

Within moments, they had forced their way into the house—with the help of a battering ram and an M84 flash-bang stun grenade to distract and disorient anyone inside.

“Darren Fonseca?” Cooper asked, furrowing his brow at the suspect, whom he recognized from his mug shot and Eleanor’s description.

Fonseca, who was brawny, had brownish-blond hair in a pompadour, a corporate beard and blue eyes. He had been half dressed and standing barefoot in the small kitchen, a beer in hand, when they approached him with guns drawn.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Fonseca admitted.

“Thought so,” Cooper said, glaring at him.

“Put the beer down and your hands up!” Frank ordered.

“All right, all right,” the suspect said, cooperating in raising his hands. “You’ve got me.”

As he was being restrained by Frank with zip cuffs, Hallie identified herself, then told him tartly, “Darren Fonseca, we have a warrant for your arrest on suspicion of committing a home invasion—for starters.”

After she read him his rights, Cooper walked up to the suspect and asked, “Is there anyone else in the house?”

Fonseca sneered. “Just me.”

They didn’t take his word on that—fanning out across the tile flooring to search every room amid the ranch-style furnishings in the house, before establishing that no one else was present.

Cooper presented the suspect with a search warrant, giving them the means to seek evidence that could tie the suspect to both the home invasion and the carjacking-related homicides.

“I’ve got something,” Frank told Cooper after emerging from a bedroom and holding in his hand, covered by a latex glove, a firearm with a silencer.

Cooper regarded the weapon, recognizing it as a Korth 2.75-inch Carry Special .357 Magnum revolver—or the same type of weapon linked to the murders of Horace Eckhart and Neal Zapponi.

“Looks like we just might have the smoking gun, no pun intended,” Cooper said wryly.

Frank nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Now we need to find Fonseca’s partner in crimes, with or without his help, Cooper told himself, as he zeroed in on the suspect.

HALF AN HOUR LATER, they descended upon the Cactus Creekside Apartments on West McDowell Road, after Eleanor’s Acura Integra was picked up by an automated license plate reader entering the complex’s parking lot.

It was believed to have been driven by the second suspect in the home invasion, identified as thirty-four-year-old Lonnie Saldaña. He and Fonseca were described as close friends, whom Fonseca claimed he had met while doing drugs at a party.

Inside his Dodge Durango, Cooper had looked up Saldaña’s criminal history on his laptop. He discovered that his rap sheet included drug offenses, burglary and identity theft. Like Saldaña’s partner in crime, they considered him to be armed and dangerous—till he could be apprehended.

I’d much rather have the suspect alive than dead, Cooper mused, believing that between Saldaña and Fonseca, there was much they could learn about multiple crimes and who—if anyone—was pulling the strings.

When Saldaña exited the stolen vehicle, he seemed completely unaware that he had been followed. This played to their advantage as, by the time he realized he was surrounded, it was too late to make a run for it.