by Iris Bolling
“Not without raising a few eyebrows with our involvement. Follow the leads you have for the murder. We believe it will reveal what we need. To assist, we have this to pass on. Follow your instincts on the corrupt judges’ connection to Alex Burnett’s death. We believe there is an entity working to change our way of life in this country. We also discovered the serum used to kill Burnett is a combination of pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, and an unknown substance that is not registered in the United States nor with any of our allies. The toxicology report will reveal the method of death is murder; however, it will be inconclusive for the substance used.”
“You are telling me Alex was killed with a lethal substance used for euthanasia, and a drug that is unrecognizable by our government?”
“There seems to be a new deadly cocktail in the hands of people who do not have an issue using it. Yet, another matter for you to be concerned with Detective.”
Nate could not believe what he was hearing. “The government is aware of all you are sharing with me, but has no means of identifying the substance or locating who has it? Is that what you are telling me?”
“We have the ability; however, our hands have been tied by Congress. Detective Reigns, we need you to untie them by locating those who are using the chips.”
“What about the serum that killed Alex?”
“The serum is being broken down as we speak.”
“And you will provide me with that information.”
“At some point.”
Nate’s patience was wearing thin. “At some point? How about now. And while you are at it, what entity are you referring to and change our way of life how?”
There was no response. Nate turned to the area where the voice had come from. He ran over to the edge of the balcony then looked over. There was no one. He searched through the trees that lined his property. There was no motion. Hell, the trees were not even rustling. Nate rushed to his security room located in the basement of the house. He checked the monitors from all angles of the house. Nothing. He pushed to rewind the video then hit play. All he saw was himself sitting on the deck writing then rushing over to the edge. It was as if everything froze from the moment the person spoke until the person stopped. That’s similar to what happened in the video from Alex’s hallway the night he was killed.
“How in the hell did they do that?”
31
The doorbell at Nate’s front door sounded, followed by a loud knock.
“Nate, open the door, Nate!”
Nate switched his security video to see Jarrell banging on the door. He pushed the speaker button.
“Unlock, front door,” he commanded. “Come in.”
Nate ran up the stairs to his main level to find Jarrell walking into the great room.
“Man, we are in some deep shit.”
“What happened?” Nate asked.
“For the last three hours I’ve been interrogated by officials from the Pentagon.”
Jarrell sat on the edge of the sofa. Nate could see Jarrell was just as much on edge as he was a minute ago.
“Start from the beginning,” Nate requested.
“All right.” Jarrell swallowed as he wiped his hands down the thighs of his kakis. “I sent the specs from the disc to my contact with the Pentagon. Gave the basic information of what the case was about. About an hour later, four men dressed in uniform, brass up to the yin yang come rolling up into my lab. Two stood at the door, not allowing anyone in, while the other two flashed some creds in my face and started asking questions.”
“Something similar happened to me tonight.” Nate walked over to his bar. He poured two drinks then handed one to Jarrell. “Let’s talk outside.”
Jarrell emptied the glass, then grabbed the bottle Nate had placed on the bar.
“What questions did they ask?” Nate asked as he picked up his pen to start writing again.
Jarrell sat in the chair across from him. “‘Where did I get the chip?’ was the main question asked every third time. ‘When did I receive it?’ ‘Did I know whose DNA was on the chip?’ ‘Where did I get the chip?’ ‘Who else knows about the chip?’ ‘Who broke the serial number code?’ ‘Where did I get the chip?’ And so on.”
“Did you give them my name?”
“Not until the third time.” Jarrell sat up. “Oddly that is when they began to ease up. Do you know something about this case you are not telling me?”
“Damn if I know.” Nate looked up from taking notes. “I had a visitor tonight also.”
“From the Pentagon?”
“I don’t know, I never saw who it was,” Nate explained. “However, I’m certain they represented the government.”
“How do you know if you never saw them?” Jarrell poured another drink.
Nate took the bottle from him. “The person indicated the chip was not released to the public. In fact, they indicated the chip, at this moment, is still showing in their possession.”
“We know that is not true because the chip was in my lab.”
“Was? It’s gone?”
“That’s why I’m here. They took the chip,” Jarrell stated as he took a drink.
“Man, that was evidence in a murder investigation!”
“Well, it’s gone now, and I don’t see it coming back any time in the near future.” Jarrell sat up. “But we are not completely in the dark on the chip. The chip had data on it. Before turning it over to the Pentagon I was able to decipher some of the intel.”
Nate sat forward. “What intel?”
“The woman’s name is Alita Alvarez. She is twenty-two years old, and get this… According to the intel on the chip, she is a prisoner at Centerville Correctional Facility.”
Nate sat back as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what the data showed,” Jarrell confirmed.
Nate stood, then paced around. He knew that name from a past case. He was struggling to remember the details, then it hit him. “Stay here.” He ran to his office, pulled out a drawer of his lateral file cabinet. Inside were legal pads neatly placed in legal folders with case names and dates on them. He pulled out the folder with the name of Chambers dated six months ago. He started reading over the notes as he walked back to his deck.
“Check this out,” Nate started. “I worked this case a few months back. It was the craziest case. This kid was shot in Chimborazo Park. I was the lead investigator. He had been released from a prison facility on the same night he was meeting with a reporter. While I was there, I received a call from Alex asking me to check out a friend who had been in a car accident. As it turned out the cases were related. The reporter the kid was supposed to meet up with was in that car accident.” He stopped talking then rushed over to the table to check the notes he was writing earlier. He flipped to the first page then hit the pad with his fist.
“What did you find?” Jarrell looked at the notes.
“The same officer.”
“What officer?”
Nate sat down, his mind working to connect what he was learning. “In this case, we found Officer Mosley had taken a kickback from the assailant to clear out the park. The reporter was arrested before talking to the victim. An hour later the victim was shot to death…”
“And the reporter was in a car accident, the same night?” Jarrell glared at Nate. “That was not a coincidence.”
“No,” Nate replied. “Chambers killed the kid to keep him from talking to Rachel.”
“Rachel Fontaine?” Jarrell raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. I remember giving Mosley three months to find another job before I would turn him in to Internal Affairs.”
“You’re talking about Arthur Mosley? He’s still on the job.”
Nate nodded as he thought. “IA turned him.”
“What does this have to do with the prisons?”
Nate smirked. “The informant was going to tell Rachel how the prison was using inmates to line their pockets.
There were two facilities involved in the scam, Centerville Correctional Facility and Peace Reliance Correctional Facility. Both are owned by this crazy organization Peaceful Intervention Emergence.”
“That’s an interesting name for prison security. You are talking about private prisons?”
“Right. We believe they were double-dipping by charging the state for each prisoner they housed in addition to using the inmates in other ways, but we could not prove it,” Nate explained. “That’s where Chambers came in. He was the executive of Peaceful Intervention Emergence. Once we determined Chambers was the person who killed the kid, our case was closed.”
“What does any of this have to do with Alex’s death?” Jarrell asked.
“Maybe everything,” Nate replied. “There was another element to the previous case. We found that several judges were getting kickbacks from the owners of the prisons for each convict they sent to them. Two of the judges died, only one that we know of is still alive. Her name is Judge Paula Reid.”
“Where is that judge?”
Nate shook his head. “I have no idea. The murder case was closed, so I moved on. But Regan Fontaine, the prosecuting attorney at that time, and Alex were working on that case.”
“Is it possible that the judge talked to Alex?”
Nate sat back contemplating the question. There were pieces of the story he could not share with Jarrell. But he knew exactly what the person on his balcony meant by changing our way of life. “I don’t know, but I know who can tell me.”
32
Entering her office, the next morning, Skylar was surprised to see that United States Assistant Attorney General Haskell was sitting in her office with her boss, Assistant United States Attorney Peters. Skylar checked her watch. It was 7:15 am.
The men stood as she walked in.
“Good morning, gentlemen. Did I miss a meeting?”
“Good morning, Ms. Burrell,” AUSA Peters spoke. “You know Assistant AG Haskell.”
“I do.” Skylar extended her hand. “Assistant AG Haskell.”
“Prosecutor Burrell, I’m going to need a few hours of your time. Are you free this morning?” Assistant AG Haskell asked.
It was clear to Skylar the request was not up for debate. AG Haskell wanted her full attention. “My time is yours, sir,” she replied.
“Good.” Assistant AG Haskell turned. “Thank you, Peters. I will take it from here.”
Skylar removed her coat as her boss left the room. “You do realize I will be questioned about this meeting later.”
“I do.” Assistant AG Haskell motioned for her to sit, as he did the same. “I will leave it up to you how much of our discussion you choose to share.”
Skylar nodded as she took her seat behind her desk. The mere fact that the AG had not taken the seat of authority as some men did, increased his believability level on what he was about to share with her. “Very well. What is this discussion about, Assistant AG Haskell?”
“I understand your sister is out of the country.”
That was an odd topic of discussion, Skylar thought as she nodded. “Yes, sir. She is in Milan for the next month.”
“And you have no other close family in the area?”
“No, a few cousins in Georgia, but we aren’t close. My sister and I are pretty much on our own.”
“Are you involved with a significant other at this time?”
“I am not.” She frowned. “May I ask why the interest in my personal life?”
“It is to assess your level of commitment as we move forward.”
“I see.” Skylar smiled. “You did not come from DC for me to answer questions you already have answers to, sir. You have a purpose. Are you ready to share?”
Assistant AG Haskell smiled. “You do not have an issue speaking truth to power?”
“I do not,” Skylar chuckled. “Before you came here, I am certain you read my record, and are aware of that. My mouth has been the topic of conversation in a number of my evaluations.”
He nodded. “Yes, I am. It is the reason for my visit rather than a phone call. I needed to see if the rumors of your beauty were true. Have you had breakfast?”
The statement and question caught Skylar off guard. “No, I have not.”
The AG stood. “Grab your coat. Let’s have breakfast, coffee, and talk. Shall we?”
Again, Skylar knew it was not a request, however, she also knew the AG was married, and cautious. A personal comment followed by an invitation to a meal could lead to speculations. It was clear to her he did not want to have this discussion in her office. The personal comments were for anyone listening in. “Breakfast sounds good.”
She took her coat from the hook. The AG took it from her then held it out. Their eyes met as she slid her arms inside. “There is a bistro around the corner that has pretty good bagels and eggs if you are up for it.”
“Perfect.” Assistant AG Haskell smiled.
Once outside of the building, he put a finger to his lips indicating to her not to speak. Skylar nodded as the back door of the dark sedan opened. She got inside, followed by the AG. The door closed.
Assistant AG Haskell pulled a small pen like device from his pocket. He scanned it over her, then her shoes, and last her purse. No signal sounded.
He nodded to the driver. “Seal the back.”
Skylar did not see anything occur, however the AG relaxed and began to speak as the vehicle pulled off.
“Thank you for indulging me. You are as intuitive as your sister.”
“Thank you, but you really have to stop with the compliments. My sister is the big brain. I am simply me.”
“I see,” he grinned, then glanced out the window. “What I am about to share with you is confidential. However, you are at liberty to share it with those you believe to be trustworthy with the information. As you move forward with the DeFazio case, I fear you will uncover situations that will lead to something more critical and dangerous to our justice system. As you know, our methods of justice have a direct impact on our way of life in the United States. You will not like what I am about to say; however, it is to be followed. The DeFazio case is the catalyst to a larger situation taking place in our country.” He turned to face her as the vehicle stopped at the back side of the Governor’s Mansion. “Let’s take a walk.”
The back door opened on both sides. Skylar looked around at her surroundings. The park area in front of the Governor’s Mansion was paved with brick sidewalks. There were black wrought iron benches and trees providing a beautiful, relaxing, outdoor oasis. They got out, then followed the walkway to two benches that were across from each other. Sitting on one bench was a woman she recognized and an older gentleman she did not. They stood.
“Hello Lewis.” The man shook Assistant AG Haskell’s hand. “You remember my daughter, Regan.”
“Of course, I do.” Assistant AG Haskell took her hand, then kissed her cheek. “Your Honor.”
Judge Regan Fontaine smiled. “I’m still Regan, sir.”
“What you are is the spitting image of your mother. Thank goodness for small miracles.” Assistant AG Haskell and the man chuckled. He then turned to her. “Allow me to make the introductions. Federal Prosecutor Skylar Burrell, Judge Regan Fontaine and her father, Chief Judge Clayton Fontaine.”
Skylar shook both of their hands. It was clear the trio had a personal relationship. But her curiosity as to why she was being included in this planned meeting was building by the minute. “Nice to meet both of you.”
“I imagine you are wondering why you are here?” Judge Clayton Fontaine asked.
Skylar took a seat on the bench across from the Fontaines. “After being whisked from my office on the pretense of breakfast, scanned for listening devices and brought to this location, I’m going with you are about to share some information you do not want to make public at this time.”
“To the point as always,” Assistant AG Haskell stated then sat next to her.
“We believe the case your te
am is investigating is going to lead you and Detective Reigns into a dangerous area,” Assistant AG Haskell began.
33
“About six months ago Detective Reigns was part of an investigation into local judges’ abuse of power,” Chief Judge Clayton Fontaine began. “For him, it was an investigation into a murder. For the justice system, it involved much more.”
“What we have found so far,” Judge Regan Fontaine added, “is a team of judges in our jurisdiction were making a profit from each defendant sent to certain prison facilities. We believe some of the women you are tracking in your case are from those facilities.”
“That is the bottom line. Let us tell you how we arrived at this conclusion,” Chief Judge Fontaine interceded.
“My daughter Rachel, who is an investigative reporter for a network, uncovered the abuse. It seems three judges from my region were being compensated for each prisoner sent to two private prison facilities in the area. Just as the story was beginning to take shape, her informant was killed, and an attempt was made on her life. Detective Reigns was assigned the murder investigation and asked to look into the car accident as a personal favor. He did not know at the time the two were connected.”
“He eventually made the connection,” Skylar interjected.
“Yes, he did,” Chief Judge Fontaine continued.
“Nate took the case to Chief Williams and Alex Burnett,” Judge Regan added. “Within hours, the first judge in the case’s body was found in his bed dead from a heart attack, or so we thought.”
“A day later, I witnessed the second judge being hit by a car,” Chief Judge Fontaine added.
“Two judges, who were under investigation dead within a span of 24 hours,” Judge Regan summarized.
“The third?” Skylar raised an eyebrow.
“In protective custody,” Assistant AG Haskell replied.
Skylar nodded. “To be clear you are not suggesting Detective Reigns is involved in the deaths?”