Carlos smiled. “Nah… I won’t swindle you.”
Diego was stupid. If I were him, I’d get friendly with your associates and take you out with no resistance.
The butler reappeared with an AutoMag III and handed it to Carlos.
He examined the pistol and seemed unimpressed, “This will do.” He got up and tucked it away in his pants.
A few days later, Carlos awoke to uncontrolled banging against his bedroom door. “Carlos! Señor Carlos!”
“What is it now?” His voice was still croaky from sleeping.
“Señor Diego… He’s dead.”
Carlos grabbed the messenger by the collar and slammed him into the wall. “What do you mean? How?”
“Shot… Five times… In his hideout,” the messenger managed in between breaths. Carlos lifted his hand to strike the messenger.
“Someone visited him last night,” the messenger beggingly grabbed Carlos’s other hand around his neck, “we’ve got him outside, Señor.” Carlos let him loose after slamming him into the wall again.
He went back inside to grab the gun Leo had given him to kill Diego and stomped to the man they had captured.
“You betrayed the Great Diego!” He hit the supposed perpetrator against the head with the gun, “Why?!”
“Please, Señor…” The guy was sobbing uncontrollably, “I didn’t do it. Please, Señor, believe me.” He kept his head down and shook it, “I didn’t do it…” he whispered, as if talking to himself.
Carlos forced his head up with the gun barrel underneath his chin, “Do you think I’m stupid?” The guy just shook his head and continued sobbing. “You went in, you came out, this morning Diego was found dead.”
“I didn’t…”
Carlos stood back and aimed the AutoMag at the guy’s head. “You know the Jiménez Code. Your family will pay for this, too.” He pulled the trigger before the guy could say anything else.
“How many times do I have to tell you, smoking is bad for your health!”
Carlos turned around with a stern expression. A twenty-something year old man smiled nervously and looked down as if he was guilty of a serious crime.
“What are you, my Mom?” Carlos lifted an eyebrow at the young man and let out a laugh.
The young man relaxed and laughed too.
“Mario,” smoke escaped Carlos’s mouth and nostrils, “you are the right-hand man to the leader of the most notorious gang in Mexico.” He approached Mario and put a hand on his shoulder, “Have some confidence, man!” He gave the kid a huge, encouraging smile.
Mario nodded and smiled, “You’re right.” He straightened himself and looked up, “Leo’s new consignment just arrived.”
“Good thing you told me. Send more stock to that guy in New York, Fed…” His fingers slid through his hair, a telltale that he was trying to remember something, “Federico! Thomas Federico. Get in touch with him.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Mario was a smart kid. He was like a sponge, taking in everything he read, heard, and learned. Carlos never had to ask him anything twice. He reminded him of himself as an ambitious young man, with one major difference: Mario was soft. Sensitive… Like he didn’t really belong in this underground world. That’s why he chose him. He didn’t want someone like himself turning on him, like he did with Diego.
He observed Mario admiring his garden and house. “Anything else?”
“Huh? No… Nothing else.” Mario half-smiled and turned his full attention to Carlos. “I should get going.” He started walking, “See ya soon, boss.”
“Hey, kid!” Mario froze as if the police were on the verge of arresting him. He turned around and looked at Carlos with fearful eyes. He respected his larger-than-life mentor, but he knew all too well how unpredictable and dangerous Carlos was.
“If money wasn’t a problem, what would you do?” Mario stared at him as if he had said something in an unknown language.
“Well?”
“Oh, um…” He thought about it for a moment and then smiled affectionately. “I’d send my mom to a cooking school.” He started laughing.
Carlos couldn’t help but join in.
“What are you talking about? Nobody cooks like Mexican madres.”
“Not mine,” Mario wiped a tear from his eye, “she’s terrible at it…” He stopped laughing, “But I’d give anything to eat her terrible food right now.”
Carlos became quiet, too.
“Kid, if you ever want out…”
“No, never!”
“Let me finish.” Carlos held up his hand, “If you ever want out, I’ll let you go without consequences.”
Mario frowned incomprehensively and shook his head.
“I’m serious. You only got into this business because you couldn’t afford a stupid plane ticked to take up your scholarship in the US.” Carlos drew on his cigar and looked over the garden, “You’re the youngest and smarted of five kids. Go do something that makes your Mamá proud.”
Mario nodded. He knew better than to ask Carlos why he would let him go.
“All right, get out of here.” Carlos said in his usual stern, gangster-voice. “And think about what I said.”
CHAPTER THREE
“You’re out of your damn mind! I gave you his name, that’s as far as I go.”
“The choice is yours... It’s either that, or get murdered in jail.” Jason said in a nonchalant tone.
When Thompson didn’t answer, he added, “And who knows what will happen to Emma then.” He shrugged his shoulders and stood up.
“If you don’t care what happens to an innocent child,” Thompson’s eyes followed Jason as he moved, “you’re worse than me.”
“Hypocrite!” Jason strode back to the table and slammed his palms against the iron; it gave off a faint echo. “You murdered a twelve-year-old because he saw your worthless thug dumping a body.” He leaned over further, “You don’t get to lecture anyone on morals, little man.”
Thompson smirked. “Your performance may scare little girls, Detective Williams.” Thompson leaned in as far as his constraints allowed, “And it may impress the lady,” he pointed to Mary, “but honestly, it’s pathetic.” He eased back.
Jason smiled.
“Mary,” He straightened up and turned to his partner, “this is a waste of time. Tell Thomas we’re ready to proceed in court. We have everything we need to put our little man away.”
Mary nodded once and approached the door.
“I’m dead either way. I help you,” Thompson’s head gestured to the photograph on the table, “he kills me. I don’t help you, a rival kills me in jail.” He rested his elbows on the table and looked up at Jason through eerie eyes, “What’s the difference?”
Jason held up his hand to Mary, “You’ve covered your tracks pretty well over the last thirty years. If you’re careful, he’ll never know.”
Thompson chuckled.
“Detective Williams… Oh, Detective…” He sniffed and wiped his nose against his arm, “In the underworld, leaders have eyes and ears…” Thompson’s dangerous gaze turned to Mary, “Everywhere.”
Jason frowned and looked at her too.
“Why is he looking at me?” She folded her arms.
“There’s something about you. You look… Recruitable.”
“What does that even mean?” Mary asked in her usual, monotonous voice.
Thompson smiled, “I’m just saying… If I wanted police intel as part of my business strategies,” he sniffed and leaned back in his chair, “I’d offer you a decent incentive.” Thompson turned his attention to Jason, who was observing Mary, “As opposed to Mister Goody-Two-Shoes, here.”
“Are you kidding me? She’s a decorated officer.” Jason said with disdain.
“Yes. And all congressmen climbed to the top because they walk the straight and narrow.”
“We’re not stupid, Federico.” Mary interrupted before Jason could reply, “You’re stalling. It won’t work.”
J
ason turned his attention to Thompson again. “Last chance, little man.” He folded his arms and lifted an eyebrow. Thompson sighed and seemed to disappear in deep thought.
Jason was boiling inside. He’d been wasting his entire day with Thompson. He checked his wristwatch: 17:39.
Great. I’m missing movie night. Again. Catherine is going to be so upset.
He shook his head in disgust while Thompson was still lost in thought.
Stupid superiors! They know nothing about how this works in reality. They sit in their comfy office chairs and bark orders, thinking they’ve got it all figured out. I knew bargaining with the likes of Federico was a waste of time. The man has no heart. He won’t do the right thing to save his daughter. If anything, he’ll feed her to the wolves if it benefits him.
That morning, when he had entered Thomas Patrick’s office to give him an update on the case, he had no idea he’d be bargaining with the devil.
Thomas was his superior. A thin, bony man with a conspicuously long nose. His eyes were set deep in his abnormally large eye sockets. Although he had a controlled demeanor, Jason had learned, on occasion, that he was also unpredictable.
Two days earlier, when Thomas heard Thompson Federico was a target for arrest, he became visibly elated. It would surely give him a boost at the poles to become Senator if they caught the most notorious criminal in New York under his command.
“We’ve been chasing wind with him for years.” Thomas tucked at the ends of his jacket, skeptical at Jason’s request for an arrest warrant, “What do you have on him?”
“An eyewitness willing to testify that Federico shot Jack Taylor, one of his own boys.” Thomas paused and looked at him expectantly, as if what Jason had just shared wasn’t enough, “And evidence that he murdered Kendall Johnson, the boy whose death caused a media uproar after his body was discovered floating on the Bronx River.”
“Right… I remember that.” Thomas scratched his chin. Jason couldn’t help but stare at his bony knuckles; it freaked him out every time he saw it.
“Oh, and I’m following up on a lead that could tie him to the death of a Jack Miller, too.”
Thomas finally looked impressed, “I’ll make sure you have the warrant within the hour.” Jason nodded and disappeared.
While waiting for the warrant, he received an encrypted photo from his new informant—just the photo, no information. He rolled his eyes and pressed the dial button on his phone.
“Hello?!”
“What do you want?”
“Why don’t you say something when you pick up the phone?” Jason pinched his nose bridge in frustration, “You know what? Never mind… Who’s in the photo? If you have something, you should really give me more information. That’s how this whole thing works, you know?” He tried politely.
“Ask Thompson. He’ll tell you in exchange for his freedom.”
“What?” He flew up from his chair and started pacing in his office. “You gave me Thompson so I can put him behind bars, woman!”
“Well, now I’m giving you someone else, in exchange for his freedom.”
Jason removed the phone from his ear and thought about smashing it into the wall. Then he asked himself whether getting mad was really worth it. This woman tested every ounce of patience he had, which wasn’t a lot to start with. He put the phone against his ear.
“Why?” He threw his free arm in the air as if she was in front of him, “Why would you want him locked up one moment, and free the next, huh?” His hand rested on his hip.
“My daughter needs him.” A pause followed.
“Really? She needs her detestable, murderous father?”
“He’s a good father, despite everything he’s done.”
“I can hear you trying to convince yourself.” His tone became softer, “Did someone get to you?”
“No.”
“Why do I have to drag everything out of you? Tell me what the problem is, then!”
“No problem.”
Jason felt like he was on the verge of having an anger fit. One. Two. Three. Four. Fi…
“So we have a deal?”
“No, we do not have a deal! I’ll ask him about the photo after the arrest, but he’s still going to jail.” He ended the call.
Jason lost count of how many times he had pressed the ‘decline’ button on his iPhone during the day that followed. Eventually, when she stopped calling, he felt bad and called back. It turned out she was scared the police couldn’t protect Emma and felt that Thompson was the girl’s only guarantee of safety. It took a lot of patience to convince her that no one would ever find her daughter.
“What are you going to do with Federico, based on the new intel?” Thomas wanted to know.
“Go ahead with the trial. There’s no way a jury will see him fit for society. He’s going away forever, sir.” Jason said, unsure why Thomas would even ask.
Thomas chuckled, stood up from his chair, and walked around his table to where Jason was sitting.
“You need to think broader. This is our opportunity to nab that entire cartel for good.”
“Sure, but we have all the intel we need.” Jason said confidently, “We don’t need Federico for anything else.”
Thomas’ chuckle grew louder. To his mind, Jason was a smart, brave cop. But naïve at times. He walked to a glass cabinet filled with an abundance of awards.
“You know, I didn’t achieve all these by putting all the bad guys I could catch in jail.” He turned to Jason, “Some of them played an active role in my success story.” He smiled, “Thompson Federico is just a fish we will use to catch the big fish.”
Jason hated politics. It had no place in justice. He stood up in anger.
“You’re next in line for a promotion. Federico is going to help you get it.”
“Sir, with respect, I didn’t join the NYDP to climb a ladder. We don’t need Thompson Federico.”
“Oh, but we do. One second…” Thomas opened the office door and instructed his secretary to get an immunity agreement ready, closed the door and turned to Jason. “If you don’t use him, how will you find Carlos Rodrigues? Mm?”
Jason frowned, “I.. Uh…”
“The man is a ghost, son.” He approached Jason and put a bony hand on his shoulder. Jason clenched his jaw. “Until this morning nobody knew what Rodrigues looked like. And right now, having his name means nothing. Nothing at all.” He removed his hand from Jason’s shoulder when the door opened.
“Mister Patrick, sir,” the secretary pushed her glasses up her nose, “this is a standard agreement. Will it do?” It surprised Jason at how fast she brought it—made him wonder how often they were making these agreements with thugs.
“Perfect, thank you, Carol!” She smiled with a nod and left the office. Thomas took out a pen from his shirt’s patch pocket and walked to the desk.
“Federico will lead you to Rodrigues.” He bowed over the table and scribbled, “But he won’t do it without this.” He put the pen away and gave the document to Jason.
Jason tried to to convince Thomas that they didn’t need Federico and that he wouldn’t sign the agreement. To his utter disappointment, “That’s an order!” settled the matter. There was no more he could do.
He checked his wristwatch again: 17:41.
“I’ll sign. Give me the paper so I can get out of here.”
Jason dropped his arms, “Wait, what?”
“What are you, deaf?” Thompson stretched out his short legs underneath the table and rubbed over his wounded arm, “I said give me the damn paper to sign!”
“Federico, if this is some kind of game…”
“Increíble! You’ve been threatening me this whole time with my innocent kid. And now that I’m cooperating, you’re behaving even more like an ass.” Thompson crossed his arms angrily, “This is harassment.”
“I don’t get you, little man.” Jason flung out the chair opposite Thompson and fiddled in an envelope, “You’ve been wasting my time just to sign the
document, anyway!” He checked his wristwatch again after pulling out the agreement.
“I’m sorry, Detective Williams,” Thompson replied sarcastically, “do you have somewhere to be?” He signed the agreement.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Jason grabbed the agreement from underneath Thompson’s arms and shoved it into the envelope.
He uncuffed Thompson’s hands and gave him a phone, “Don’t let this leave your side.” He pointed a finger in his face, “If you have anything, call. It’s untraceable.” Thompson nodded with a smirk and got up.
“Don’t try anything stupid, little man. If you do, I’ll make sure everyone knows about your precious daughter.”
“You should stop calling me that, Detective Williams.” Thompson said as he walked out of the interrogation room, laughing triumphantly as we went.
“We had a solid case against him.” Mary said as she entered Jason’s office an hour later.
“Yeah. But you know how it is upstairs.” Jason replied absent-mindedly. He had to get home to Catherine, and a ridiculous amount of paperwork was holding him back.
“So, where’s the woman with Federico’s daughter now?”
Jason eyed Mary, “Safe.”
“Give me the address, I can check on them, make sure they’re okay. You have a movie night with a special lady, remember?”
Jason smiled, “Yeah…” He continued with his paperwork, “I’ll check on them soon enough. The mother knows how to reach me if there’s an emergency.” He looked up at Mary with a smile. She nodded without an expression and turned around to leave.
“Don’t let Federico get to you.”
“Huh?” She flung around.
“What he said,” Jason looked down at his paperwork and scribbled something, “earlier.” He looked up at her, “About how you look like the kind who can be bought.” He put his pen away and pushed down on the desk as he got up.
“Oh, are you kidding? I forgot about it the second it was over.” She smiled. Jason stared at her, puzzled.
“I have never seen you smile.”
She immediately made a straight face.
“You should do it more often.” He smiled at her and left in a hurry.
In The Line of Fire (Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night) Page 2