“Okay, Mrs. Carmine. We will be in touch if we have any other questions or if we find out any news that may bring you closure,” the female agent said as they stood up and walked to the door.
“I hope you catch them. My husband was really a good man,” Mrs. Carmine said as she opened the door for them to leave.
“Again, Mrs. Carmine, we’re sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” she said, closing the door behind them.
Chapter 35
While Colt was being treated in the hospital, the emergency room was filled with FBI agents and local Dallas police officers as well. They were waiting to talk with Colt about what had happened. His nurse told him that a man was there to see him. The curtain opened and Rick stepped in. “Hello, Mr. Marcell. I am Detective Wise of the Dallas Police Department. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better, Detective. Aren’t you the one who was at my house earlier, and helped me out of my car?”
“Yes, I was at your house earlier and I helped you out of your car. We went to your house after realizing that Archer and Young were going to kill you. We arrived too late, apparently, and didn’t have enough time to get things in order to stop them. Did you know that Young and Archer tried to frame you for killing several people?”
“No … I didn’t know that, Detective. How are my wife and daughter? Are they okay? I haven’t seen them since I left the way that I did.”
“Yes, Mr. Marcell, they’re fine. They are on their way here to see you now. I have had a police guard at your house since we left to follow you.” Rick’s words were comforting to Colt.
“Good. I am glad they’re safe. But to answer your question, Detective, he told me they were going to kill me after he kidnapped me. He said they had tried to frame me when we were in the car. Why in the world would he do that, Detective? What did I do to him?”
“You were the only case that Young had ever lost. The way that people like Archer and Young think is beyond me. Young just knew that you had gotten away with murder. But you weren’t guilty, were you?”
“No, sir, I haven’t ever killed anyone, and that is why I don’t understand all of this.”
“Well, the FBI found more evidence that led to the capture of the real murderer. He’s locked up now and has already been tried and convicted for that murder. That’s what I was just told by an FBI agent outside your room. Young hated that you supposedly got away with it. He killed the attorney who represented you during that case, and his entire family as well.” Rick walked to the other side of the hospital bed.
“Mr. Bennigan? I heard that he and his family were killed, but I thought that he may have pissed off the wrong people or something. He wasn’t exactly the best at judging character. I had no idea that I was the target of any of that.” Colt played dumb.
“Yeah … he wanted you pretty bad. We set up a sting and caught him more than two weeks ago. He was being kept at the Beaumont federal prison in south Texas, but he escaped last night. The man who was killed in front of your house was his partner, Agent Archer. You may remember him from your trial as well. Turns out he was the ringleader of this whole mess. And the man who was killed in your car was in the cell next to him. The warden believes that one of the guards let them both out and then helped them escape. It turns out that the man in the cell next to Young was the guard’s cousin or something. But after the escape, the man must have been a hostage for Young,” Rick continued.
Colt wanted to tell the only story that he could to make himself look like the victim. He wanted Rick to believe that he was innocent and that he was on his side…. “Yeah … but that’s not exactly how it went.”
Colt grunted as he moved in the hospital bed. “The guy was killed by Young in the backseat—umm … Robert, I think he said his name was— he actually helped Young escape from prison. He has a brother-in-law—not a cousin—who works as a guard at the prison where they were being held. He let them out of their cells and took them out of the gate in a vehicle. He helped them get to that guy… Archer, who gave them both clothes and brought them back here to Dallas. That’s what Young told me, anyways, when we were in my car.”
“So why would Young shoot him if Robert had helped him escape?”
“Young shot him and then said he didn’t need him anymore. Just the way you said it happened.” Colt remembered that he had persuaded Young to shoot the man. But he didn’t want anything to come out. He was a victim here, and that was the way he wanted it to stay.
Rick shook Colt’s hand and said, “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through all of this. I believe you’re a good man, Mr. Marcell. Here’s my card. Please call me if you need anything. We’ll be in touch if we think of anything else we need from you.”
Colt took the card from Rick and shook his hand. “Thank you, Detective. I am grateful to have you protecting our community.”
“You’re more than welcome, Mr. Marcell,” Rick said. Then he turned and walked toward the curtain and stopped. “Did Young mention anything about anyone else working with him? Did he maybe mention anyone other than Archer?”
“Umm … no. He mainly just talked about killing me.”
“Where was he having you take him? Did he even say where he wanted you to take him?”
“I don’t know, sir. He just told me to drive, and I drove.” Colt couldn’t tell him that Young was having him drive to Gamboni’s house. They were already dead, and it would just bring up more questions for Colt to have to answer.
“Okay, then, thank you again, Mr. Marcell. Try to rest now. I hope you get to feeling better soon and can move on with your life. You don’t have to worry about Young or Archer anymore. And by the way … that was some pretty fast thinking about you driving your car into the back of that patrol car… Good thinking! And I’m glad the officer wasn’t in it.” And then he turned and walked out past the curtain.
Colt was relieved. He was free from the torment of being someone he didn’t want to be, and he didn’t have to worry about Young or Archer killing Emily and Hanna now. He laid his head back onto the flat, uncomfortable hospital pillow and closed his eyes. The silence was soon broken when he heard Emily’s voice. “Are you okay, honey?” She comforted him with a stroke of her hand gently rubbing his chest.
He opened his eyes and looked up to see her holding Hanna and checking his injuries over slowly. He smiled and said, “Yes, baby. I’m fine now. I think my car is totaled, though.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be worried about that stupid car for now. As long as you’re okay, that’s the most important part. I love you, honey,” she said as she reached down and took his hand.
“I love you too … so very much, my wonderful wife. And now I am sure we don’t have anything else to worry about,” he said as he gave her small, delicate hand a squeeze.
She sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and leaned down to kiss him. “You better be right this time mister. I can’t handle much more of these crazy days and phone calls from the police telling me that you’re in the hospital. And let’s not even think about what the neighbors will say. You know there were police cars and a policeman at our house until they had found you and that crazy man?”
“Yeah … That’s what the detective was just telling me. I am glad you guys are okay now.”
“And we’re glad that you are okay too. The last time we saw you, I just knew he was going to kill you,” she said, resting her head upon his chest. The two of them cried and took a moment to just breathe together. He was relieved to know that the fear was gone for Emily now, and all he could see in her eyes was love for him.
~ To my big brother, Jim Nelson Baker ~
Jim Baker is a real man in every sense of the word. I am privileged to call him my brother. He has been a father to me, a mentor and the very best big brother that I could have ever asked for. Everyone in our family has such an adm
iration for Jim. We speak of his strengths, his morals, and his ability to be patient and loving on all occasions, and that’s a true man in my book. God bless you, Jim Baker.!
Will Pettijohn
The Usher Page 23