Silenced Justice: A Josh Williams Novel

by Joe Broadmeadow

  Kennedy looked at the dark images, "Can't see his face. I'll send them to our image lab; maybe they can enhance them. Give me the laptop for a minute."

  Kennedy forwarded the message then took out his cell, handing the laptop back to Josh.

  "Zach Kennedy, ID 24 Alpha 1Bravo X-ray Alpha Delta. I sent two images to you under a different email account. See it?" Kennedy asked. "Great, see what you can do to enhance them and send them back to the same account. Call me when you've sent them. Thanks."

  "Hey Josh," Donahue said, a bit slurred in his speech. "When are we gonna get super-secret squirrel codes like them? We need them right away."

  "Yeah," Tommy added. "Alpha Bravo Shithead 1 Delta emergency. I need another beer."

  "Roger wilco," Donahue replied, grabbing two more beers out of the cooler. "Problem solved. The code we troopers live by, proper planning prevents poor performance."

  The two back seat riders laughing at their own humor.

  Kennedy smiled at them, "I think we've created a dangerous combination with those two."

  "I have no doubt," Josh replied.

  "I gotta pee," Tommy said, looking around the van.

  "Not in here you don't," Kennedy said. "Get out and go find someplace outside."

  "I'll just go in one of the empties," Tommy said, kneeling and reaching for his fly.

  "No," Kennedy yelled. "You'll piss all over the damn place. Get out."

  "Don't worry," Donahue grinned. "I have it on good information that old needle dick here will fit inside the bottle. No worries about errant spray."

  Moore struggled to maintain his balance as he flipped Donahue the bird and tried to hold onto the bottle.

  "Jesus Christ," Josh said. "Tommy, get the hell out."

  Moore smiled at Josh, and then hobbled towards the door. Donahue opened the side door and Moore slid out. Looking around, he spotted a large tree surrounded by bushes, deciding this was the perfect spot.

  "What the hell is he doing?" Kennedy said, pointing at Tommy.

  Josh looked and realized Tommy didn’t see the RIPTA bus stop crowded with people.

  "Oh boy, too late," Josh said as Tommy engaged in the necessary activities as people pointed and laughed.

  "Hope no one calls Providence PD," Josh said.

  Tommy returned from his mission. "That went well."

  "You think so, huh?" Josh said. "Didn't notice the old ladies waiting for the bus that you flashed?"

  "They couldn't see anything anyway," Donahue chuckled. "They couldn't see it if they were standing next him," laughing once more at his own humor.

  "Time to reload," Tommy said, grabbing his beer. "I'm happy now."

  An hour later, Kennedy's phone rang. "What do you have for me? Okay, got it. No, makes sense, thanks."

  "What's up?" Josh asked.

  "They're sending back the images," Kennedy said. "They couldn't do much to enhance them, too low a resolution. Check your email, they should be there."

  Josh fired up the laptop again. "Yeah, didn't help much," showing Kennedy the screen.

  Kennedy nodded. "Ah well."

  Josh examined the pictures again, "Still, there's something familiar about him. I think I've seen him somewhere before. No matter, we got what we need right here," closing the laptop and propping his feet up on the dash.

  Josh's cell rang again. "Hey Joe, what's up? No shit, okay cool thanks." Turning to face Kennedy, he said, "That was Joe Moreira, Sorin just got a call back from Dmitriev. He told Sorin he has a solution to the problem."

  "If Collucci's smart he shouldn't even consider going along with it. Russian solutions to problems are usually not gentle," Kennedy said.

  "I doubt they do anything so dramatic," Josh said. "They'll go dark for a while to see if things blow over. They may release a few more photos of Congressmen or Senators to draw attention elsewhere."

  "So do we stay on them, or call it day?" Kennedy asked.

  Tommy and Donahue began chanting, "Call it a day, call it a day," from the back.

  "The idiots have it," Josh answered. "Let's go."

  Kennedy started the van and headed back to EPPD Headquarters. "What say we drop these two at home?"

  "Good idea," Josh said. "Tim, where do you live?"

  "Oh, it's a ways from here my friend, out in Burrillville."

  "He can stay at my place," Tommy said. "Drop us off at Bovi's, we can walk from there."

  "I don't think you can walk in there," Josh said. "You sure about this?"

  Tommy nodded, Donahue agreed.

  A short time later, the van pulled up in front of Bovi’s Tavern. "Come on roomie, couple more drinks, we'll grab a pizza, and head home."

  "Don't be thinking you can get me drunk and take advantage of me," Donahue said as he climbed out of the van. "I do have morals."

  "You're already drunk," Tommy said.

  "Oh yeah," Donahue agreed. "Good point."

  The bartender was smoking a cigarette just outside the entrance. She looked at Josh as he leaned out the passenger side window, smiling.

  "You're not leaving them here with me, are you?" she said, sizing up the two.

  "They're all yours," Josh laughed as they drove away.

  Tommy put his arm around her, "Oh come on now Karen, you know you love me," dragging her into the bar.

  * * *

  Collucci sat in the office, shuffling some papers on his desk. Sorin walked in wearing a new set of clothes.

  "So what the hell was he talking about, Anthony?" Collucci asked. "Who was the guy you met with?"

  Sorin stared at Collucci, deciding how much to tell him. "I warned you not to take Dmitriev lightly. He decided to do things his way. I delivered a message for him, that's it. I had no idea what it was."

  "But the guy had a weapon," Collucci said, fists clinched together banging the desk. "If this hits the media…."

  "It doesn't matter," Sorin replied. "They can't prove anything. If they could, they would have arrested me. They have nothing; this is just a poor attempt to intimidate us. It will pass."

  "I hope so," Collucci said. "The vote for the Chairmanship is Tuesday. We do not need any problems."

  Sorin's phone rang. "Yes?" The conversation was brief.

  "Who was it?" Collucci asked.

  "Dmitriev again," Sorin said. "He wants us in Washington, tomorrow morning, at 8:00.”

  "Tomorrow? We just got back here. There aren't any flights to get us there by that time."

  Sorin looked at the Senator. "Mr. Dmitriev places a higher value on you than I realized. He's sending his private jet for us. It will be at the airport in an hour."

  A wide grin crossed Collucci's face. "See, Anthony, I told you they need us."

  I am doubtful this is to save you, Senator. He has his reasons I suppose. I will make sure we follow through in dealing with this Lieutenant Williams. I will not let that go.

  Sorin picked up the office phone and called for a driver. One other lose end to deal with, dialing a second number.

  "Karen, it's Anthony. Do you have anything important planned over the next few days?"

  "No, why?" Karen replied.

  "We have a business opportunity in Washington I'd like you to work with me on," Sorin explained. "Pack a bag for a few days in DC. We'll be by to pick you up in twenty minutes."

  "Ah, okay. Kind of sudden isn't it?" Karen asked.

  "It's the way things are, when an opportunity presents itself you have to act. Talk to you in a bit," ending the call.

  Chapter 42

  Saturday morning, Josh met Zach Kennedy for breakfast at Ceba's Diner on Taunton Avenue.

  "Hear anything from our two friends?" Kennedy asked.

  "Oh yeah," Josh smiled. "Up until about 12:30am they kept sending me text messages with pictures of various body parts. My wife wanted to kill them. I called the station and had one of the sergeants go there and drag them out."

  "That must have been pleasant," Kennedy said.

  "I sent Gabe Armstrong," J
osh said. "He's got a lot of experience in these matters."

  "With you guys, I am not surprised," Kennedy laughed. "So want to guess where our other friends are?"

  "No idea," Josh said.

  "Back in DC," Kennedy said. "Sorin got another call from Dmitriev after we left. They flew on Dmitriev’s jet back to DC. And, there was a woman with them."

  "A woman? Any idea who?" Josh asked.

  "Take a look," Kennedy said, handing Josh his cell phone.

  "Karen Reynolds," Josh said, handing the phone back.

  "Yup, a little more involved than we thought perhaps," Kennedy replied. "So what's next?"

  "I talked to Candace about this last night," Josh said. "With all the footage from Collucci they decided to make it a longer segment. It will be on Monday night. Until then, we just maintain things the way they are. As long as they're in DC, we can take it easy over the weekend. Unless things change."

  "Sounds good to me," Kennedy said, finishing his food and sliding the dish away. "I'll call Deputy Lachance and fill him in. The guy from the park is on a Federal detainer, he's not going anywhere. The Marshals took him to the Wyatt Federal Detention Center. Put him in lock down to keep him away from the other inmates until we decide what to do with him."

  "Does he have a lawyer?" Josh asked.

  "No," Kennedy said, "and I found that a little weird. Usually they're standing in line to represent these guys. He declined court appointed counsel. Who knows?" shrugging his shoulders. Finishing the last of his coffee, he reached for his wallet.

  "I got it. It's on me," Josh said. "Least I can do."

  "Thanks, so I guess I'll see you Monday morning. Take care. If anything comes up I'll call you."

  * * *

  Monday morning the investigators gathered in the SIU office. Josh was on the phone to the AG's office lining up some time before the Grand Jury. Zach Kennedy was busy fielding inquiries from other FBI field offices.

  Kennedy hung up the phone. "Looks like the guy we grabbed at the park was rather busy."

  "How so?" Donahue asked.

  "I sent his photo and information about the weapon out to the other intelligence offices," Kennedy said. "Four of them have active cases involving someone fitting his description and the same type weapon."

  "Any matches on the ballistics?" Tommy Moore said, jumping into the conversation.

  "Nope," Kennedy shook his head. "That's the problem. With the composite weapon, they dispose of the barrel after firing just a few rounds. It makes ballistic matches impossible."

  "What about ejection marks?" Tommy asked.

  "They didn't recover any casings," Kennedy answered. "They either retrieve them all, or used an ejection port collector to prevent leaving anything behind. Either way, there's nothing to compare it to."

  Josh got off the phone and said, "Just talked to Candace. They're running the story tonight. They are getting some heat from the corporate offices again, wanting them to hold the story for a few days. Candace thinks it's because the vote on the Chairmanship of the Banking Committee is Tuesday."

  "Who's the pressure coming from?" Kennedy asked.

  "All she said was the station manager told her to run with the story and not to worry about the consequences," Josh said. "Of course, he then left the station and they haven't seen him since."

  "I bet we know where he is," Kennedy smiled.

  Josh laughed, "No doubt, Mr. Kennedy. But no need to pay him a visit, yet anyway." Josh reached over and flipped on the TV. The morning news was just ending. The camera focused on the morning anchor…

  …As part of the I-Team exclusive report, our investigative journalist has uncovered more shocking revelations and evidence of corruption in government. Tune in tonight for Candace Ferguson's one on one interview with Senator Collucci and continuing coverage of this developing story. Tonight on the 6:00 news….

  "I bet they'll be running it all day," Tommy said.

  "Good," Donahue added. "I hope the son-of-a-bitch is shitting himself in DC."

  The door opened and Chief Brennan came in. "Morning boys, I see we've been busy ruining our friend the Senator's day."

  "Morning Chief," Josh replied, "just following the trail."

  "Yes, I am sure you are," Brennan said. "Josh, you and I need to be at the AG's office this morning at 10:00. The AG wants a briefing on what we have and what we're going to do with it."

  "Why the sudden interest?" Josh asked.

  Brennan smiled, "You know sometimes your naiveté is staggering."

  "What?" Josh said, hands outstretched palms up.

  "What?" Brennan said, "I bet even Detective Moore can figure this out."

  "Already did, El Jefe. Way ahead of you." Tommy smiled.

  "Please," Brennan said, "educate the Lieutenant here, would you?"

  "I'd be happy to," Tommy said, rising from his seat. "I'll keep it simple so even Donahue will understand." Smiling as the trooper flipped him off.

  "Okay boys, it goes like this," Tommy explained. "Collucci is one of the two Senators from RI. He is a Republican. The other Senator, William Strain, is a Democrat. Collucci is in trouble, big trouble and it is about to get bigger. Depending on how bad he suffers from this story, he may resign. He could be indicted. Either way, there is an opening for someone to finish his term. The Governor, whom we all know owes his election to the support from the Attorney General, appoints that someone. A Democratic AG, a Democratic Governor, and a chance to change the majority party in the Senate. See the picture?"

  "That's good, son. I am impressed," Brennan said. "So now you understand. We are to meet with the AG, fill him in on the case. Then he can call the Governor and start the process to replace Collucci. You know, just another day of open government here in Rhode Island."

  "I hate this shit," Josh said.

  "You think that's bad," Donahue added, "wait until the Colonel leaves next year. The maneuvering for that job is sickening. There'll be a train of wannbes up there kissing the Governor's ass."

  "Kind of how you got your job, right Chief?" Tommy joked.

  Brennan turned to face Tommy, a grin crossing his face. "Ah yes, the subtle humor you're so famous for. Perhaps a little stint as School Resource officer at the high school might temper that."

  "You wouldn't do that, would you?" Tommy asked.

  "I don't know," Brennan replied. "I'll have to ask the politicians on the City Council for their guidance," walking to the door. "I'll keep my options open, for now," leaving the office.

  With a look of panic in eyes, Tommy asked, "Lieutenant, tell me he wouldn't do that. Would he?"

  "He might. Just for the sheer entertainment value," Josh said. "But I doubt it. Wouldn't want you near all those innocent children."

  Tommy tried to smile, but the concern still showed. "I gotta learn to keep my mouth shut."

  9:30 came around and Josh's phone rang. "Hi Donna, what's up?"

  "The Chief said to meet him at his car in five minutes," Donna said.

  "I was hoping he would forget," Josh said.

  "He didn't," Donna replied. "He's heading out there now, better get going."

  Brennan and Josh drove to the AG's office on South Main Street. As they came in the front door, Kristin Volpe was talking to the receptionist. She looked up and spotted Josh.

  "Well, will you look at this? He’s alive. Cancel that missing person broadcast," she said, walking over to stand in front of Josh. "Don't you ever return calls?" she smiled.

  "Hi, Kristin, do you know Chief Brennan?" Josh fumbled with the words.

  Brennan raised an eyebrow at Josh.

  "I do, we've met before," she answered. "How are you Chief?"

  "I am well, Kristin. We are here to see your boss. I had to drag Lieutenant Williams kicking and screaming down here."

  "Doesn't surprise me," Kristin said. "For some reason he's developed an aversion to this place, or maybe it's me?" taking Josh's arm under the elbow. "No matter, he's my prisoner now. Come on, off to the torture ch
amber. I'll take you there."

  "Will you be joining us?" Brennan asked.

  "I will," Kristin said. "The AG wants me to handle any criminal cases which come out of this investigation. Great news, wouldn’t you say Josh?"

  "Yeah, that's ah, good. Glad to hear it," Josh replied without much enthusiasm.

  "I see us spending a lot of time together." Kristin grinned, "Won't that be fun?"

  Brennan watched Josh's reaction. As they got to the conference room, Kristin said, "Would anyone like coffee, I'll have it brought to us."

  "I'd love some, black for me," Brennan said.

  "Ah, sure, I’ll have--"

  "Cream and sugar, I remember," Kristin interrupted. "Be right back."

  As she left the room, Brennan looked at Josh. "She seems pleased to see you here, Lieutenant." His eyes narrowed, "Whatever the reason may be, don't let it get out of hand."

  "Chief it's--"

  "All I'm going to say about it," Brennan said, holding up his hands.

  The dog and pony show with the AG took about an hour. The AG thanked them for their time. He told them Kristin Volpe was the contact should they need anything from his office and left the room.

  "So, how long until he starts the play for Collucci's seat?" Josh asked.

  Kristin smiled, "I see we've been keeping up on inside politics. He is a good guy, Josh. He knows the AG's office is not a good platform for future political aspirations. If he gets appointed to the Senate seat, it makes running for a full term much easier."

  "So does that mean you're running for something?" Brennan asked.

  Kristin paused for a moment. "I'd be lying to you if I said I hadn't considered it. But that's a ways down the road. We'll see. I'll decide when the time comes."

  Josh stood and looked at Brennan. "Ready, Chief? I've gotta get back. We've got tons of things to deal with before tonight."

  "All set," Brennan said. "Thanks, Kristin. Nice to see you again. Looking forward to seeing how this case plays out."

  "You're welcome, Chief," Kristin replied. "Josh, I'll be by the station later this afternoon. I will need you to bring me up to speed on all the details so we can decide how to proceed. I've set aside time in the Grand Jury on Wednesday if we need it."