Behind the Mask

by Dana Ridenour

  “Before you say that the person on this video isn’t you, let me assure you that we know it is you.” He pulled out another piece of paper from his file folder. “This is a DNA report that confirms the gloves found in that dumpster are a positive match to you, so knowing that we have your DNA on the gloves and a video of you fleeing the crime scene, will you now consent to this interview?”

  Without realizing what she was doing, Savannah nodded.

  “Savannah, I need you to sign this form stating that we read you your rights and that you are willing to waive your rights and talk to us.”

  Her hand shaking, Savannah took the form and the pen from Adam. “If I change my mind, I can stop, right?”

  “Yes. You can stop at any time.”

  Savannah signed the Waiver of Rights Form with her free hand. She looked up and felt tears running down both her cheeks.

  Adam handed her a box of Kleenex that was sitting near him on the table.

  “I’ll tell you what I did, but I can’t tell you about anyone else,” Savannah said.

  “That’s not how this works,” Agent Harper said. “If you want to help yourself, then you have to tell us the whole truth.”

  “I didn’t know any of the other persons involved. I met them the day of the action and everyone was wearing masks.”

  Savannah told the agents a made-up account of what happened. She claimed to have met everyone involved over the Internet and did not know anyone’s real name. Adam put down his pen and crossed his arms.

  “I wasn’t born yesterday,” Adam said. “That story was ludicrous. Lying to a federal agent is a chargeable offense. By lying to us, you’re making things worse.”

  Adam pulled out a family photo of the victim with his smiling wife and beautiful children. He placed the photo on the table in front of Savannah. He then placed a crime scene photo of a charred body next to the family photo. Savannah gasped and averted her eyes.

  “Look at the photos, Savannah,” Adam said in a raspy voice.

  “I . . . I can’t look at them,” Savannah said.

  “Look at the photos! You and your friends did this. Those three children no longer have a father because of you.”

  Savannah sobbed and shook violently.

  “I’m going to give you one more chance,” Adam said. “I can rip up my interview notes, and we can start over, or I can book you in the jail. It’s your choice, but I’m not going to waste any more of my time listening to this garbage you’re trying to feed us.”

  Kate reached over and touched Savannah’s arm.

  “I know this is difficult, Savannah, but it’s imperative that you tell us the truth. It’s the only way to save yourself.”

  “Listen to me,” Adam said. “We’ve checked your recent travel activity. Are your parents aware of your activities? Are they financially supporting this terrorist cell of yours? I don’t think you want us digging into your parents’ finances.”

  Savannah stared at the wall. Neither Adam nor Kate interrupted the silence.

  “Okay,” Savannah said. “I’ll tell you the truth.”

  Adam ripped the top few pages from the yellow legal pad and tore them up.

  “Let’s start fresh,” he told her.

  Once Savannah started talking, everything came pouring out of her. She confessed to it all. Adam pushed her until she broke and told them about Nick and Haley. She told them about how Badger started the fire and that Nick and Haley didn’t have any knowledge of his intentions.

  “If you were the lookout, how do you know Badger started the fire?” Kate asked.

  “Because Haley told me he did.”

  Kate continued, “Did Haley see Badger set the fire?”

  “Yes. Wait, I mean no. Haley wasn’t with him when he set the fire. Nick was the only person in the room with Badger.”

  “In other words, Haley doesn’t know for sure who set the fire,” Adam added.

  “Nick told Haley that Badger set the fire.”

  “Do you know Badger’s real name?” Kate asked.

  “No. I don’t know much about him. He’s extremely intelligent and up until the night of the fire, he seemed like an even-tempered guy. You know . . . the kind of person who thinks things through. Very analytical.”

  Throughout the interview, Savannah had emotional outbursts. She cried until she was out of tears.

  “You’re making the right decision,” Adam said.

  Savannah nodded. The agents took a break, and Kate brought Savannah a bag of potato chips and a Coke. She wrapped an FBI raid jacket around Savannah’s trembling shoulders.

  Savannah looked down at the blue raid jacket with FBI written in large gold lettering. “When I was in high school, I wanted to be an FBI agent. This isn’t how I pictured wearing the jacket,” she said.

  “So you thought about becoming a special agent?” Kate asked.

  “I was a big fan of the TV show Criminal Minds,” Savannah replied. “Plus the men on TV who play FBI agents are usually hot.”

  Kate laughed. “Well, it’s not like TV.”

  Adam jumped in. “Hey, I’m sitting right here.”

  Kate chuckled. “I meant the Criminal Minds stuff, not the hot agents.”

  Savannah laid her head down on the table. “I can’t believe I’m in the middle of this mess. Please help me. My parents are going to kill me. I’ll do anything you ask of me, but I can’t go to prison.”

  Kate received a text message. She read the message and showed it to Adam. “Savannah, we’re going to step outside for a moment. Do you need anything?”

  “No. I’m okay.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Alexis

  Lexie watched through a two-way mirror as Kate and Adam interviewed Savannah. She texted Kate asking to consult with her and Adam on strategy. The door opened, and Lexie bombarded them before they could sit down. “This is our golden ticket. Savannah can get recordings of all the other targets. If she can give us the main targets, then we need to call the AUSA and get her a deal.”

  Adam sat down and crossed his arms.

  Lexie continued. “For Christ’s sake, Adam, she was just a lookout. Don’t we want Badger and rest of the major hitters? I could work with her and wire her up for meetings. It would look natural, since we spend so much time together.”

  “Lexie, you’re talking about revealing yourself to her as an FBI agent,” Adam stated. “What if she changes her mind and double crosses you? Nick Harris has a violent criminal history, and we won’t be able to protect you.”

  “She won’t do that. I know her. Besides, once her defense attorney gets the discovery package, I’m burned anyway. Savannah will know from the FBI reports that the undercover agent was me, so if I can work with her to catch the bigger fish, we should do it.”

  Adam took a breath and ran his hands through his thinning hair. “What do you think, Kate?” he asked.

  “Normally I would say absolutely not, but in this situation, Lexie may be right. Savannah came clean almost immediately, and she needs to find a way to get out from under this case.”

  Kate put her hand on Lexie’s shoulder. “You do realize she’s going to go ballistic. She’s going to be hurt and angry with you. Are you prepared for that?”

  “I know, and I am, but if I can talk to her and get her to understand that this is her only way out of this mess, she’ll cooperate.”

  “Careful, Lexie,” Adam warned. “You can’t promise her anything. We don’t know what the AUSA will be willing to do as far as making a deal. Ms. Griffin is a pit bull with these cases.”

  “I won’t promise her anything, but Ms. Griffin is one of the finest assistant United States attorneys in the country. She’ll do what’s right. She’ll be thrilled if we can give her recordings of the coconspirators talking about the crime.”

  “Don’t get ahea
d of yourself, Sherlock,” Adam said. “You know how these extremists operate. Savannah may not be able to get them to talk about the fire.”

  “You don’t know Savannah. She’s a Southerner. If anyone can get them to talk, it’s her.”

  Adam shifted in his seat, his body rigid and his expression subdued. “Don’t you think that we should slow down and think this through, Lexie?”

  “We don’t have time. We need to move before she changes her mind.”

  “This makes me extremely uncomfortable,” Adam confided.

  “I’m not crazy about it either,” Kate added, “but Lexie is right. We need to hit her while she’s the most vulnerable.”

  Adam stood and paced the floor. “Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?”

  “Yes. I think in the long run it’s the best plan. I know that Savannah is going to freak at first, but she’ll calm down, and we can reason with her.”

  “Okay. Kate and I will go brief the supervisor. You stay in here until we get the final approval from Mike.”

  Lexie’s right knee bounced as she waited for Adam and Kate to return to the interview room. She returned to the two-way mirror when she heard Kate’s voice in the room next door.

  Kate and Adam took their previous seats, and Kate continued with the interview. “Savannah, there is something else we need to discuss with you.”

  “I’m listening,” Savannah said.

  “You mentioned earlier that you needed to find a way out of this mess. We might have a way to lessen your liability.”

  Savannah sat up straight. “Really? How? I’ll do anything.”

  “While we were outside, Agent Harper spoke with the assistant United States attorney who is prosecuting this case. Her name is Ms. Griffin, and she is willing to consider cutting you a deal in exchange for substantial cooperation.”

  “What does that mean?” Savannah asked.

  Kate pulled her chair closer to Savannah and continued, “This is a gift, Savannah. AUSA Griffin is not inclined to cut many deals. We explained to her that you were the lookout and not in the lab when the fire was started. She’s willing to help you with the charges if you give her something in exchange.”

  “Like what?”

  “You have to be willing to tell us everything you know about the fire and all the people involved. Everything you tell us has to be truthful. And, if necessary, you have to be willing to testify at trial.”

  Savannah sobbed.

  Kate reached out and touched her shoulder. “The more you do to help yourself now, the better the deal in the end.”

  “I’m gonna have to testify against everyone? Even Haley and Nick?”

  “Yes. If they go to trial.”

  “You people need to go after Badger. He’s the one who caused the fire. He’s the one who should go to jail. Can’t I just testify against him?”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” Kate said. “You have to give complete cooperation to get a deal from the government. We may have a way to help you, though.”

  “How?”

  Lexie continued to watch the interview unfold through the two-way glass. Please take the deal, she thought.

  Adam took the lead. “Savannah, the lab arson is only one of many crimes that this underground group has committed. The FBI has been investigating this terrorist cell for a long time. We even have undercover agents who have infiltrated the group. Would you be willing to work with one of our undercover agents to gather evidence? Before you answer, let me tell you that this level of cooperation would go a long way in helping make this case go away for you.”

  Savannah stared at Adam. “You mean if I work with this undercover agent, I won’t have to go to prison?”

  “I can’t promise you anything. Having said that, I have seen cooperators in similar situations walk away without doing any jail time.”

  “What would I have to do?” Savannah asked.

  “You would go back to your normal life. You couldn’t tell anyone that you were arrested. At some point, you would be given a recording device to record conversations with various members of your organization.”

  “You make it sound like we’re al-Qaeda. We’re just a group of activists. We never meant to hurt anyone.”

  “Well you did hurt someone,” Adam stated. “In fact you killed someone. His children will grow up without their father because of your actions.”

  Savannah hung her head. “I know. I think about that every day.”

  “Then help us, Savannah,” Adam said. “By helping us, you help yourself. You shouldn’t go to jail for the actions of others. You need to protect yourself. Are you willing to work with us?”

  Savannah fidgeted in her chair. The handcuff clanked against the metal bar. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Was that a yes?” Adam asked.

  “Yes,” Savannah said louder. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Please just get me out of this mess.”

  Kate once again touched Savannah’s shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing,” she said.

  Adam walked over and removed the handcuff from the bar. He freed Savannah’s hand from the cuff.

  Tears streamed down her face, leaving tracks in her makeup. She rotated her wrist. “Thank you.”

  “Savannah, what do you know about the backgrounds of Haley, Nick, and Badger?” Kate asked.

  “Not very much. I don’t even know Badger’s real name.”

  “Did you know that both Haley and Nick have criminal records?”

  Savannah’s eyes widened.

  “Has Nick ever hurt you?” Adam asked.

  “No. Never. He would never hurt me.”

  “Nick was involved in a violent encounter last year,” Adam said. “He was convicted of assault and battery.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “We have no reason to lie to you,” Kate said. “We need you to understand that there’s an element of danger involved in working with us.”

  Savannah shifted uneasily in her seat. She raked her slim fingers through her mop of blond hair.

  “There’s something else that we need to discuss,” Kate said.

  “Oh God. What else?”

  “This is going to be difficult for you to hear, but in the end it might just save your life.”

  Savannah took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m listening.”

  Lexie’s heart was thumping. She sat down and waited for her cue to enter the interview room. Please don’t let her hate me forever, she thought.

  “We told you earlier that the FBI has been investigating your group of extremists for quite a while,” Kate said. “During this time, an FBI undercover agent infiltrated the group. You and this agent will work together to gather evidence against the persons responsible for the fire.”

  “What kind of evidence?” Savannah asked.

  “You’ll record conversations with members of the group and get them to talk about the fire.”

  “Are you crazy? I can’t just go strolling in with some FBI agent and start asking people about the fire. They’ll never talk to me.”

  “We’re not asking you to do that, Savannah,” Adam said. “The undercover agent will help you with the equipment. Chances are she won’t be around when you have the conversations.”

  “She? So the undercover agent is a girl?”

  “Yes, and it’s someone you know.”

  The door opened, and Lexie walked in. Savannah’s mouth dropped open.

  “Savannah, let me explain,” Lexie said.

  “You! No, it can’t be you! You’re my best friend. You’ve been lying to me this whole time?”

  “No, of course not. It’s true that I’m an FBI agent, but I’m your friend too.”

  “You aren’t my friend! You’re a liar.”

  Savannah’s face was bright red, an
d she was shaking from anger. “I can’t believe you’re a fucking FBI agent. All this time I thought we were friends, but you were just using me.”

  Adam stood up and gave his seat to Lexie.

  “I know you’re upset,” Lexie said. “I would be upset too, if it happened to me, but you need to calm down and think about how this can help you.”

  Adam intervened. “Savannah, it was Lexie’s idea to call the US attorney’s office.”

  “So it was your idea to turn me into a dirty, rotten snitch? Thanks for that! Fuck you, Lexie. Or is Lexie even your name?”

  “I’m sorry, Savannah,” Lexie said. “I’m sorry you feel betrayed. I was just doing my job.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

  “No, I guess not. I like you. When the DNA report came back a positive match for you, I was crushed. Of all the people in the group, I didn’t want it to be you.”

  Savannah squeezed the sides of her head with both hands as if to keep it from exploding.

  Lexie continued. “I know you’re angry. Like it or not, I’m the person who can help you the most. Together we can gather the necessary evidence to make the US attorney’s office happy, and in turn get you the best deal possible. You have to trust me.”

  “Trust you? After you betrayed me? That’s easier said than done.”

  “I know, but I have to know that you’re on board with this plan and aren’t going to run back and spill the beans to Haley or Nick.”

  “Savannah, do you understand that if you disclose Lexie’s identity to anyone, you will negate any deal you have with the US attorney’s office?” Kate asked.

  Savannah looked over at Kate. “I understand.”

  “Let’s work on a game plan,” Adam suggested. “We need to get Savannah home as soon as possible. What time would you normally get home, Savannah?”

  “I usually get home from class around four o’clock.”