by J. T. Baier
“That’s a great question. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for help. I know I fucked up bad, but like I said this isn’t about me.”
“Okay, who is this about?”
Luke took a deep breath. He looked from Riker to Megan trying to decide how to continue. “This may sound crazy, but you have to believe me. The operation in Kingsport is being run by a major drug cartel.”
“You’re always a little bit behind,” Megan said in a bitter tone. “We already knew that.”
“What? Who told you?”
Riker gestured to the couch, then sat in the chair across from it. “Let’s just say we figured out the cartel connection. I guessed that they would not take the loss of their production facility lightly and that they would retaliate. If you have more specific information, I’m all ears. But first, you need to tell me the truth about the night Coach died.”
“Yeah, of course.” Luke sank down onto the couch, his eyes hollow. “There’s this guy on my crew named Eric Underwood. You know him?”
Riker said nothing. He wasn’t about to reveal anything to Luke. Not until he knew the truth.
Luke sighed. “Okay, I get it. Point is, I knew Eric had been unhappy for a while, and I suspected he might be talking to someone. Obviously, I couldn’t have that. But I didn’t want the cartel to know. They are the kill first and validate later types. So I decided to follow him that night. He spotted my truck while he was parking, and he took off. Guess I spooked him. But the other car didn’t see me. The moment I realized it was Coach, everything changed.”
“How so?” Megan asked.
Luke leaned forward, a pained expression on his face. “If Coach was the one Eric was talking to, that meant Coach might have some sort of a plan to help him. And if Coach could help Eric, maybe he could help me too. For the first time in over a year, I saw a possible way out. That was when I saw someone walking toward Coach’s car.”
Riker’s face betrayed nothing. He could tell it was difficult for his friend to tell his tale, but he wasn’t in the mood to make it any easier.
“There were no other cars. This guy was on foot. It was dark, so I couldn’t get a good look, but I could tell he was big. I couldn’t say who it was for sure, but I had my suspicions. In that moment, I was almost certain it was El Leon.” He visibly shuddered as he said the name.
“El Leon?” Megan asked. “The same guy who killed Donnie’s brother?”
Luke nodded. “He’s the cartel’s top enforcer. The worst of the worst. When I saw him, I didn’t hesitate. I threw the truck into gear and raced out of there. The next morning, I heard that Coach died in that very spot.” He paused, looking Riker in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Matt. If I wouldn’t have been such a coward, I might have been able to save him.”
“Perhaps,” Riker allowed. “The question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you ready to be brave?”
Luke gave the question serious consideration. “I’m not going to lie. I’m scared shitless. If El Leon is coming here…” He trailed off, his eyes distant.
“What is it about this El Leon?” Riker asked. “I’ve never seen you scared of anyone. Not like this.”
Luke was quiet for a long moment before he answered. “I’ve never told this story to anyone, and putting words to what I saw is just about the last thing I want to do now. Maybe telling you will help you understand what we’re up against.”
“Telling us what?” Megan asked.
Luke squeezed his eyes shut and drew a deep breath. “The first time I met El Leon was in a bar fifty miles outside Mexico City. Quiet place in the middle of nowhere. This was when we were simply moving product and were just starting to talk about production. The cartel picked the location and instructed Doc Hanson and me to come alone. We made the trip down, not really sure what we were getting ourselves into. We walked into the bar and got our first look at El Leon.”
He paused, shifting in his seat.
“He’s a big guy. Maybe six-five and rock solid. Handsome, I guess. He’s got this calm demeanor, like he’s above whatever is going on around him. And his eyes… I’m not sure how to describe them other than to say they are cold. Not lifeless exactly. I guess I’d call them reptilian. Anyway, we sat down and started negotiating the details. It went surprisingly well. Both Doc and I were impressed by the terms. They were generous. If this worked out, Doc and I would be set for life.”
“This story isn’t making you any friends so far,” Riker growled.
“I doubt this next part will either. I wanted to be respectful, so I asked El Leon to pass a message to the cartel boss. I said, ‘Please give our regards to Nicolás Marcillas and tell him we look forward to our partnership.’ El Leon didn’t react. He stood up calmly, walked to the front door, and turned the deadbolt. Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol. He proceeded to put a bullet through the head of every man and woman in that bar other than us.”
“My God,” Megan said, a hand going to her mouth.
“When they were all dead, he sat back down. His shirt was splattered with blood, but he was just as calm as he’d been the moment we walked into the bar. He looked me in the eye and said, ‘We don’t speak that name.’ Then we went over the details of the arrangement one more time. Doc and I had to sit there surrounded by fifteen dead bodies, brains and blood pooling on the floor all around us, the smell of death and shit heavy in the air. When we’d finished our discussion, El Leon politely shook our hands and walked out of the bar.” Luke looked up at Riker “That’s the kind of man we’re dealing with. The kind who can execute fifteen innocent people and then sit back down like nothing happened. He’s coming here, and he’s bringing a small army.”
A chill ran through Riker. He’d seen some terrible things, horrendous acts he’d never be able to wipe from his mind, but what Luke was describing still shook him. He’d had run-ins with men like El Leon before, men who treated killing with a cold indifference. Men who believed the dispatching of human lives was just another task to be done for their masters. Such men were beyond dangerous.
It was silent for a long while before Riker finally spoke. “Why come here? We already destroyed the production facility and the heroin.”
Luke shook his head. “That was just the tip of the iceberg. The silos on the farm hold most of the supply. They hold grain on the top but there is a second door to the hidden storage rooms. There is easily three hundred million worth of product in those silos right now.”
“Holy shit. They made that much here in Kingsport?” Megan asked.
“I know it’s really messed up. But it gets worse. The cartel guys are coming here to recover the heroin, but they are also going to clean up loose ends. They want me to assemble my entire crew at the farm. I have a feeling that after we help load up the drugs we are all going to end up buried in the field behind the farm. It isn’t going to stop there. Anyone who knew about what was happening here is in danger and so are their families.”
Megan glared at him. “If you hadn’t brought them here, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“I get it. I’m a total piece of shit, but I never thought that it would come to this. I was just trying to make a little money on the side. By the time I realized who I was getting involved with it was too late.”
Riker could see that Megan was about to lose her cool. He spoke before she could. “We will have time to decide what kind of punishment you deserve later. Right now I need to know how many are coming and when.”
“Let’s just say the odds are going to be against us. I’ve seen you beat some long odds over the last few days, and I’m hoping that you can do it again.”
32
An hour later, Riker and Luke approached the front door of the Kingsport Police Station. Luke paused a moment before opening the door. “Do you think this will work?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Riker pushed open the door and stepped inside.
When they entered Riker not
iced that Ed was missing from the reception desk. He could hear a bit of commotion coming from the main room. Riker and Luke went down the hall to find Ed, Alvarez and another officer each sitting at their desks typing on their computers.
“Looks like the Kingsport police are hard at work this morning,” Riker said, announcing their presence.
Alvarez glanced up from her computer. “Actually we’re still hard at work from last night. We haven’t even finished processing the men who attacked you.” Her eyes shifted from Riker to Luke. “Are you adding him to the list of people I need to lock up?”
“He’s actually here to help us with something. I assume the doctor’s still in custody?”
“Yep, he is alive and well.” She turned her computer monitor so Riker could see it. A small window with a video feed showed Doc Hanson sitting at a table in an interrogation room. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him all night.”
“Is Chief Myers in?”
“Yeah, he got here a few hours ago. He went straight into his office and he hasn’t come out.”
“So he doesn’t know what was in the files we took from Doc Hanson’s house yet?”
“No. I told him that I wasn’t sure what Hanson knew. Just that he was somehow involved with the drug dealers.”
“Great. We need to meet with him.”
“You want to meet with the chief?”
“I want you and Luke in there too. There are some bad things coming for this town and if we don’t get the support of the entire police department right now, I don’t think we stand any kind of a chance.”
Alvarez glanced from Riker to Luke. “I thought you said the chief might not be on our side in this situation.”
“We need to get him on our side. If not, we need to get him out of the way.”
Alvarez's eyes widened and she drew a quick breath. Riker could tell that the idea of arresting her chief had seemed distant until this moment. Now the thought of walking into his office and confronting him was hitting home.
“Hey, we are all in this together. Hopefully he will be rational and do the right thing.” Riker put a hand on her shoulder. He needed everyone calm in that room or things could quickly go south.
“Okay, let’s go have a word with the chief.”
She led the way to the office with the words Chief Myers written on the door. The shades were drawn and there was no way to see inside. Alvarez knocked lightly on the door and waited a moment with no response. She knocked again louder. “Chief, I’ve got some people here that need to see you.”
After a moment of silence, his voice came through the door. “Not now. I’m busy.”
“This can’t wait.”
“It’s going to. I’m busy right now.”
Riker pushed by Alvarez and opened the door. When he stepped into the office Alvarez and Luke followed. Chief Joe Myers stood up from his desk and glared at the intrusion. Riker glanced around the room. There was a box of papers on the floor by his desk, and a shredder next to it. His desk was empty but for a handful of items: his computer monitor, his service revolver, a glass filled with brown liquid, and a picture of his son.
His face was stone as he regarded Riker. “I should have known. You keep popping up where you don’t belong, Mr. Riker.”
“What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“I’m glad that you are here. I was going to have my officers pick you up anyway. Officer Alvarez, arrest that man.”
Riker took a step forward. “There’s no need for theatrics Joe. No one is going to arrest me.”
“I have a report of arson from a farm outside of town. Witnesses can place you at the scene. Last I checked, that is a crime.”
Riker stood directly across from the chief and looked him in the eye. “Part of your responsibility is to protect that farm, isn’t it?”
“It’s my responsibility to protect everyone in this town.”
“Yes, it is. The question is, why haven’t you? There was no official report filed about that fire. In fact, I’m guessing that you had to tell the fire station to ignore any calls about it. It would be a bit of a problem if the fireman noticed one of the biggest drug operations on US soil.”
“Alvarez, I told you to arrest that man.”
Alvarez shut the door behind her. “Chief, Doc Hanson told us everything.”
The color left Myer’s face. He slowly sat down at his desk. One hand reached for the glass of bourbon, and the other rested on the gun. Riker saw the look of defeat in the man’s face. He was at a crossroads, and he could turn a very dark direction at any moment.
Riker spoke in a calm and soothing voice. “I can tell that you are a good man at your core, Joe. When I saw that gun on your desk I wasn’t sure if it was for you or for Doc Hanson. An evil man would have found a way to kill Hanson by now. You’re still fighting the will of the cartel in every way you can.”
Joe took a long sip of the bourbon. “They did ask me to kill Hanson. I figured that he’s already in custody. What’s the rush? I’m more evil than you think.”
“No, you’re not. I’m sure that the reason your son goes to Brown and the reason that you are no longer with your wife is because you care about them. You distanced yourself from them as much as you could to protect them, didn’t you? You knew that the cartel would leverage them against you more if it seemed like you cared about them.”
The chief finished his drink. He slid open a desk drawer, pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker, and refilled his glass, keeping his other hand on his weapon and his eyes on Riker.
“These people can’t be reasoned with. There is no way to beat them. They killed the last police chief, and they approached me with an offer the day I took the position. They would pay me for my cooperation or they would kill my family. I could tell that they were indifferent about my answer. They were just as happy to put me on the payroll as they were to murder my wife and son.”
“I understand that these men cannot be reasoned with, but they can be beaten. I have fought men like this in the past and I am still standing. Many of them are not. The only chance you have at getting your life back is to help me fight these men. It is your only chance at redemption. If you use that gun on yourself now, your soul will be marked with the guilt of what you have done forever.”
Joe glanced over at the gun in his hand. “If I fight back and fail, they will find my son and they will kill him.”
“This isn’t just about you and your family anymore,” Alvarez said. “I know you. I’ve seen you in the community. You are a good man. It isn’t just about protecting your own. These people are coming to clean house.”
“It’s true,” Luke added. “Now that the production facility is destroyed, they are sending a crew to pick up the remaining supply. Once they have it, they are going to get rid of any evidence they were ever here. That includes anyone who had any information about what was going on. I’ve seen these men in action. They don’t leave loose ends. They will kill any person that might know who they are or what they have done. Who knows how many people they’ll kill.”
“We can stop that,” Riker said, “but we will need people and supplies. With your help, we stand a chance.”
“How many men are coming?”
“He told me that my crew should be on site to load the product tomorrow morning,” Luke answered. “I’m guessing that there will be at least four transport trucks. They aren’t going to put all the product in one place in case it gets busted. Generally, each truck has two guard cars. So there could be as many as fifty guys. El Leon will almost certainly be leading them.”
Myers let out a bitter laugh. “We have a total of five officers. There is a fifty percent chance Ed will have a heart attack the moment I tell him that a group of killers is coming to town. You really think we stand any chance?”
Riker looked him dead in the eyes. “A battle is always about much more than numbers. With your help, we control the information. They don’t know that you or Luke have turned. We know where and when they will
be. We have some time to prepare. These are advantages that we can use to even the odds. It will still be dangerous, and we may not win, but we do have a chance.”
Luke grinned. “I’d listen to this guy. He did take out the entire production facility and get the better of twelve armed men all by his lonesome.”
The chief thought for a moment. “Say I agree to help in your suicide mission. What happens afterward?”
“Are you asking if you go to prison?” Riker asked.
“Yeah. Is that how I redeem myself?”
“Frankly I don’t know and I don’t care. You may deserve to rot in prison for the things you’ve done, and you might not. It isn’t my call. I just want to save the people of this town and make sure that the men coming here get what they deserve. Your future lies in the hands of the courts and Officer Alvarez. The real question is, what kind of man will you be today?”
Joe Myers finished his drink in one long sip. He took in a long sharp breath, and he looked Riker in the eyes. “You were right about the gun. It was for me. I planned on using it after I finished that bottle. I suppose I’m on borrowed time now and the odds of us living through the next twenty-four hours are close to zero.” He extended a hand towards Riker. Riker shook it. “I’m in for redemption and for saving as many people as we can.”
“Glad to have you on the team.”
The entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
“So what do we do next?” Luke asked.
“I’d like to talk to the man himself, if I can,” Riker said.
Luke raised an eyebrow. “You want to speak with El Leon?”
“No. His boss. It’s time for me to talk to Nicolás Marcillas.”
33
Riker waited, arms crossed over his chest, while Alvarez unlocked the jail cell. The big metal door swung open with a loud creak, revealing the sole prisoner inside. He sat on his cot, eyes on the floor. After a long moment, he looked up and his head tilted in surprise at the sight of Riker.