Vindication- Ties That Bind

by Patricia Kasdan

  “What happened to the other gun, to Nelson’s gun?”

  Tweak just fixed his gaze on the ceiling tile behind Travis’s head as he thought if he should answer or not.

  “You don’t have to answer that. I have a feeling I know exactly where it ended up. The gun you had in your possession when we picked you up is already at the lab. If it turns out to be Hendricks, it will just be another nail in your coffin. Answer me this, “How’d you know Hendricks?”

  “I had seen him around, he would-” Tweak stopped in mid-sentence, realizing what he was doing.

  “He would, what?”

  “I want a deal. I’m not saying another word until I have a deal. You get whoever you have ta, I want a deal.”

  “A deal my ass, what you are getting is 15 to life. You just confessed to murder, do you think the DA will hand you a deal?”

  “Then I’m not saying another word.”

  “I’d keep talking if I were you.”

  “I want a deal and while you at it, get me an attorney.”

  “You already said everything we need. Between your confession and the kilo, we found on you when we arrested you, you’re toast. Let the record show Clifford Fox aka Tweak requested an attorney. This interview is over.

  36

  Recognition

  “Rosa, you need to take this protection. Let the marshals protect you. You said it yourself, too many people die. They will bring you to a safe house. That is a house no one knows about. There will be food and warm beds for you and your children.”

  “Mi husband, he will be very, how do you say, furioso, if I no come home.”

  “Furious, almost the same word. Don't worry, I can explain to him.”

  Rosa’s face drained of all its color, her dark eyes sunk further into her delicately framed face. “No, he cannot know. NO!”

  “Okay, okay, calm down, I won’t say anything. I understand, Evan explained everything to me. I thought maybe he would listen to me.”

  “You are not a man; he would never listen to you.”

  “I can ask Special Agent Wilks to speak to him.”

  “No, Mi esposo, sorry, my husband say, he tell me mind your business only. I could not let Evan go to jail for something he no do; even if I get hurt by my husband again. He get mad about everything anyway.”

  “Rosa, you help me with my brother, and we get him out of jail, I promise I will help you with your husband.”

  “You can do nothing about him. He is mi husband, and no one will help me.”

  “I promise, I will.”

  Rosa sat down, pulling her children close to her, looking up over their heads she nodded and said, “I help Evan, I help you. Evan always make sure my babies eat.”

  Krista paced the floor while she waited for the Marshal’s office to pick up Rosa. She wanted to get to Cherry Hill and see what was happening. She had yet to receive a call or a text from Travis and was beginning to go crazy.

  When the marshal entered the room, Krista was pleased to see that it was a woman. She knew that Rosa and the children would be more comfortable.

  With introductions made and promises reassured. Rosa was whisked away within minutes, heading to the safe house and Krista was heading to Cherry Hill.

  The glass doors slid open as Krista approached. She showed her badge to the front desk.

  “Special Agent Levell, I have instruction to escort you to observation room two. Special Agent Wilks and Boyd have started the interrogation already. Please follow me.”

  Krista entered the observation room and stepped in front of the two way mirrored window. As she looked at the CI, she had the same feeling she had when she saw the sketch. She knew she saw him somewhere. Travis was sitting there just staring, when the CI said, “I gave you good info. Why you doin’ this?”

  The moment she heard his voice, she put it all together. That was the kid from Camden. The one who called her ‘the lady law.’

  She pulled out her phone and placed a call to Doltz.

  37

  The Leak

  Jeff Mitkin sat in the visitor's chair across the desk from his partner and attorney, Craig Doltz. He shifted from side to side trying to get comfortable. The chairs weren’t meant for comfort; they were meant to cycle his clients thru the door as fast as they came in.

  “You need to get new chairs. These are the most uncomfortable ones I’ve ever sat my ass in.”

  Doltz laughed, “Then they are doing their job. Keep them uncomfortable, keep them worrying about their case and keep them paying their bills. I’m thinking you didn’t drive all the way across town to discuss the seating arrangements in my office. What happened now?”

  “I heard from Gerry; they have an eyewitness to Hendricks shooting. From what I got, it’s not Evan.”

  “Did you get a name?”

  “No, that DEA agent, Wilks, he called the lab looking for information about the bullet. Gerry said he was running prints to see if he could get a hit. He’s going get back to me. Something’s off. All the events keep swirling around next week. Now we have to deal with Krista. She’ll be back on her game if Evan gets out. We don’t need her bullshit. Have you heard back from the PI?”

  Doltz walked around his desk and headed to the ornate globe he had sitting under his window. He flipped the top open and took out two glasses and a bottle of scotch. After pouring four fingers into each glass and handed one to Jeff. Doltz downed half the glass before setting it down. “As I said, this is getting to be more of a pain in the ass than it’s worth. The PI lost her. She was down in Camden at the police station, that was the last he saw of her. He didn’t see her come out. It’s been awhile since she got there. He’s thinking she must have slipped out a side door when he wasn’t looking.”

  “What the hell are we paying him for if he can’t even keep an eye on her?”

  “That was my question. He said he was filling in his replacement for the night. That’s when she probably slipped away.”

  “I don’t care if he got his throat slit, we paid him for a job, not excuses.”

  The corner of Doltz’s mouth lifted slightly as he moved his head side to side. “You are a bastard.” He raised his glass towards Jeff and toasted.

  Jeff downed his scotch and placed the empty glass on the corner of the desk. Pulling his shoulders up as his brows went up with them, saying “What can I tell ya. We wouldn’t be where we are today if we were a couple of pansies.”

  Doltz raised his glass into the air, bringing it back down to his mouth and drained what was left.

  “I’ll get on his ass to find Krista; she can’t be far. My main concern is Evan. If Evan didn’t shoot Hendricks, then who did? Then there’s the million-dollar question that has been rolling around in my head, why the hell was Hendricks down to Camden, to begin with?”

  Doltz laughed to himself thinking, If you only knew.

  “I think your gut is right. Something is off. We need to get a handle on this, and we need to do it fast.”

  Jeff and Doltz’s phones vibrated on the desk simultaneously. Jeff recognized the lab's number, it was Gerry. Walking away from each other, they both answered their phones. Jeff was pacing back and forth while he spoke. When they hung up, there was no doubt they had a problem.

  Doltz spoke first. “That was Krista; she said they have the person who shot Nelson in custody with a recorded confession. You won’t believe who it is.”

  “Tweak.”

  “How the hell did you know?”

  “That was Gerry; he said the print from the bullet that killed Nelson is definitely from Tweak.”

  “It gets even better, Krista said he was rambling about knowing Nelson, then all of a sudden clammed up and said he wanted a deal.”

  “We have a serious problem. He can blow this entire operation to bits. With that and an eyewitness, what else did they see? We need to find out who this witness is and where they are and what Tweak was saying, to make them want to cut a deal.”

  “I told you back when you
suggested bringing in a local two-bit drug dealer, that he would be nothing but problems. You didn’t want to listen. You said you had it all under control. Now Nelson is dead, and he’s gonna sing his heart out for a deal.”

  “Do you want to sit there and point fingers or do you want to help me fix this?”

  “I’m just saying, maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”

  “If we don’t fix this, there won’t be a next time.”

  “I’ll see what I can get out of Krista. She wants me to meet her to take this evidence to the DA to get Evan released.”

  “Gerry’s news wasn’t much better. Tweak was carrying when they picked him up. Travis thinks it’s the gun that Nelson had on him. We're screwed if that’s the case. They can connect it to other dealings we have had up and down the East coast.”

  “Can’t he work his magic and make it go away again?”

  “He said they have been up his ass since his last ‘mix up’. They installed cameras throughout the building to ensure work gets handled on the up and up. Apparently, Gerry isn’t the only mole they have.”

  “This entire operation is unraveling and it’s unraveling too fast. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  38

  Drug Connection

  Krista waited for Travis to finish with Tweaks interrogation before leaving. She wanted to talk to him and get a feel for his thoughts on the outcome.

  Travis turned the door handle, pulling the door towards him with such force it almost hit him in the face. Stepping out of the room he spotted Krista.

  “Damn, I almost broke my nose. Did you stay for the entire interview?”

  “Yes, I did. I wanted to know your take on it.”

  “The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, the further he got into his explanation. Then I got a call from the lab. Not only was the gun that Tweak had on him, a match to the bullet you found at the scene, it was also a match for five other murders that have connections to this drug ring we have been investigating. All five are still open.”

  “Wait a minute, I figured the gun would match the bullet, but the drug ring?”

  “It gets even better than that. They lifted a partial print that belongs to Nelson Hendricks, from the gun.”

  “Nelson Hendricks? I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known Jeff, and you’re saying five open murder cases.”

  Krista’s vision blurred, was it possible what she was hearing? Her insides felt like they were in the vice of a pit bull’s jaws. Could it be that she didn’t know her father at all? Was he into drug trafficking and money laundering?”

  Travis grabbed Krista’s arm trying to steady her. She was as transparent as a sheet of rice paper, staring somewhere beyond him. “Yay, Levell, You okay? It was your legwork that got us this close. There’s blood in the water, and the sharks are circling, and it’s all thanks to you.”

  She ran her fingers thru her long dark hair and inhaled sharply. “I was just trying to help my brother, but you’re welcome.” She was not about to tell Travis what she was thinking.

  “Speaking of your brother, go and get him the hell out of jail.”

  “I am, I already called his attorney, Doltz and gave him the heads up. He said there’s a mountain of paperwork to do, but he should have him released by days end. I just wanted to catch up with you before I left.”

  “How’s Rosa? Did she go quietly or did you have to drag her?”

  “She’s good, more afraid of her husband than anything. It was a good call getting her off the streets and into protective custody if this is connected to the drug ring you’re investigating.”

  “Yeah, you got that right. I have to get these wheels in motion. Let me know how it goes with Evan.”

  “And you, let me know if you get any more info from Tweak.”

  “Will do.”

  39

  Evan’s Release

  Doltz was already in the building when Krista arrived. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her mind was racing. She couldn’t help but think, “Why can’t life be easy again? She finally exonerates her brother, and now she has to deal with the fact that her father might just have been guilty.”

  Doltz’s voice brought her back to where she was standing. “You don’t look too happy about your brother.”

  “I am, just dealing with a work issue, that’s all.”

  Just as it looked like he was going to ask more questions, the door slid open and out walked Evan.

  Krista walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go. He felt so frail as he hugged back.

  “I told you I didn’t do it, I told you.”

  “I knew you didn’t.”

  “Thank you Krista, thank you.”

  Nodding her head towards Doltz, she mouthed, “Thank you," and walked towards the exit.

  “What is wrong sis? You look like I feel.”

  Promising herself not to say a word to either Evan or Dana about Nelson until she knew all the facts, she merely said, “ I’m just relieved that you are out of that place.”

  She hit the remote to start her car and fire up the heat as the crossed the parking lot. As cold as it was outside, warmth filled her chest when she thought of Travis taking her car to the dealer and getting the remote start installed.

  “What are you smiling about. You look like you just won the lottery.”

  “In a lot of ways I did. Get in the car, I’ll get this.”

  Popping the trunk to put what little Evan had into it, she tried to take the bag and the suit she had gotten him for court from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “I got this; I’m not an infant.”

  “I just wanted to help, that’s all.”

  “You have helped, more than I thought I was entitled to.”

  The wind whipped up, almost sending the suit flying off its hanger. As cold as the wind was, it couldn’t compare to the coldness that was settling inside Krista's bones.

  “Let's get in the car. It’s freezing out here. You can plug in your phone too. I want you to call Dana from your phone. I didn’t tell her what was going on, as far as when you were getting released. It will be a good surprise for her.”

  “She probably doesn’t want to speak to me. I’ve been nothing but a problem to her.”

  “That’s not true. She’s been worried sick about you. Besides, she needs to tell you something.”

  “What, that she is disowning me?”

  “No, dummy, and I’m not saying, it’s for her to tell you. Just call her.”

  Hesitantly picking up his phone he tried to call Dana.

  “It looks like my phone a dead. I probably ran out of minutes.”

  “Minutes, you have a pay by minute phone? You know those are also known as a burner phone, right? What happened to your other phone?

  “I don’t know, that’s why I bought this one.”

  Krista fished her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Evan, saying, “Here, use mine.”

  Evan punched in Dana’s number. As it rang, his mind turned circles. He loved his older sister. She was always there for him. He knew he had let her down. He blew out a quick breath when he heard her voice.

  “Hey, Krista.”

  “It’s not Krista.”

  “Evan, Evan, is that you?”

  He was surprised to hear the happiness in her voice. “Hi Danes, yes it’s me.”

  “You’re out? You must be if you’re calling me on Krista’s cell. When did you get out?”

  “Just now, Krista came to pick me up.”

  “I'm so happy to hear your voice. How are you?”

  “I'm fine, glad to be out of that horrid place. Krista said you have something you wanted to tell me. Before you do I just want to say, I know how much of a disappointment I am to you, you don't have to tell me.

  “Evan, I know you have had a rough time of it. I'm anything but disappointed with you. I am just thankful that you are okay.”

  “Is that what you wanted
to say? I had a feeling that it was a lot worse than that. “

  “You are right. That's not what I wanted to tell you, but I don’t think it's worse, Evan, I’m pregnant, Tom and I are having a baby. “

  “Danes, that’s great, congratulations.”

  “When everything settles, we need to celebrate. We'll celebrate your release and your new niece or nephew.”

  “That sounds good. Say hi to Tom for me. I love you, sis.”

  “ Love you too kiddo.”

  Evan shook his head side to side as he ended the call. “She is unreal. I thought she was going to read me the riot act. I never figured she would be so excited to hear from me. Must be all those hormones. “

  “Evan, seriously? How about, she's just happy that you're not in jail anymore and you're okay. “

  “I know, I know. I didn't mean to be a jerk. I guess I'm just not too happy with myself at the moment.”

  “Well, you and only you can change. It isn't in my power to change you.”

  “I know that too. I've been thinking. This entire nightmare has made me look at life differently. I need help Krista, and I'm reaching out to you.”

  “You only need to ask. I was actually talking to my friends Jason and Derick about the very same thing. You remember them, don't you?”

  “Yeah, how can you forget those two?”

  “Derick has a friend that went to rehab down in Florida. It’s called Loving Light, and they have the highest success rate in the country.”

  “I can’t afford to pay for a rehab. You know that.”

  “We’ll look into it through the insurance company and see what they might cover. I have some money put away, and Tom said he’d help too.”