Chapter 11
Cho sat across the table from Joey Evans in the interrogation room. Jane stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest, his feet crossed, leaning against the wall and staring at Evans.
"Dude, can you get him to stop staring at me?" Evans asked Cho.
"Nope." Cho replied.
The trio sat just as they were for what seemed like hours to Joey. He was starting to sweat and having a hard time sitting still. He'd glance up at Jane out of the corner of his eye and the guy just stood there, staring at him. He wished they'd just get this over with. He'd do anything they asked.
"Who hired you to kill me wife?" Jane asked calmly, making Joey jump.
"I don't know man. Like I told Agent Cho here, I got a text asking me if I want to make some money and clear up my criminal record and I said yes. All the messages were by text and the pictures and information about your wife were sent to me in a plain envelope with no return address." Joey explained.
"So, you want me to believe that some guy you don't know asked you to kill an FBI agent and then to kidnap her son? You, a 20 year old kid with a petty criminal record. You want me to believe you're really that stupid?" Jane asked.
"I swear. I don't know who he is. I understand what I did was really, really stupid. If I could change it I would. If I'd known it was your wife and son, Mr. Jane, I never would have agreed to do it. But, this guy is crazy. I know I've never met him, but there was something about his voice that gave me the creeps and scared me. Once I agreed to do the job, I felt I had no choice but to do it or he'd kill me. He threatened to do that and he said he could get away with it."
Jane knew immediately that Joey was telling the truth. This was just some foolish kid who was way in over his head and wasn't even aware of just how in over his head he was. However, Jane wasn't even close to finished with him.
"I don't believe you. I think you know who this guy is. I'll get the information one way or the other." Jane said, walking over to the table, getting right up to Joey's face. "You believe me, don't you?"
Joey started trembling. "Yes, I…I…I believe you. I swear, I don't know who he is. What can I do to prove it to you? I'll…I'll do anything you ask me to. Please, you have to believe me." He was breathing harder and sweating more than ever in his life.
Cho kept up a dead pan face although, inside, he was laughing. He was glad he was on Jane's side. He never wanted to be on Jane's bad side.
"Agent Cho and I are stepping outside. When we come back in here, you better be true to your word and do anything we ask you to do." Jane said.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you want." Joey said, his voice trembling.
Jane and Cho stepped out into the hallway. "Damn Jane. Remind me never to get you angry. You have that kid scared out of his mind."
"Great. He's lucky that's all I did to him. Remember, he tried to kill my wife and son. He's lucky he's just a foolish kid, in over his head." Jane said. "What I don't understand is who hires a young, petty criminal to pull off a job like this? Those pictures of Teresa were high quality surveillance photos, not some amateur job.
"I agree Jane. The job in some aspects was well thought out and meticulous but then why hire a kid like Joey in there to pull it off? It makes no sense." Cho agreed.
"That's what scares me Cho. Was this a trial run for something bigger or was the guy either impatient or so angry at Teresa or me that he just couldn't wait to plan better." Any of those reasons worry me."
"I understand Jane and it has me worried too. Give me a criminal that is either really sloppy or very calculated but not both. How long are we going to stay out here and make him sweat?" Cho asked.
"A few more minutes should do it." Jane answered.
Several minutes later, Cho and Jane reentered the interrogation room. "So, you still ready to do anything I ask?" Jane inquired, leaning on the table, with his face close to Joey's.
"Yes, yes. Anything." Joey answered.
"Great. You're going to call the guy that hired you. Tell him you have the baby and you want to deliver him and get paid. Tell him you want to meet in a public place. Tell him you just want to get this done and get lost. I don't think you'll have to act like you're scared. Am I right Joey?" Jane asked with his face still close to Joey's.
"Right. I can do that." Joey answered.
Jane held the phone out to Joey, but didn't give it to him. "You make one wrong move…"
"No, no. Don't worry. I'll do exactly as you said." Joey said, almost crying.
Jane handed him the phone and Joey started dialing. The phone rang twice before being picked up. "You better be calling to tell me you have Agent Lisbon's brat." the man on the other end said.
Jane cringed as he heard those words. He couldn't wait to get hold of this guy.
"Yeah, I've got him. I want to be done with this and get the hell out of town. I want to meet somewhere with a lot of people around, get paid and get gone." Joey said. Jane was impressed with Joey's effort.
"I don't think it's up to you to tell me what to do. You think I'm going to screw you don't you?" the voice laughed. "However, I don't have a problem meeting in a public place. It's better for me if you disappear once you hand over the kid. Meet me in Zilker Park, by the miniature train. We won't seem out of place with a baby."
"Okay. You will probably figure out who I am, a man with a baby carrier. How will I find you?" Joey asked.
"Don't worry about that. I know what you look like, I'll find you. Also, make sure you're not setting me up. I'll know if that's the case. You'll be dead before you get out of the park."
"I understand. If I get the police involved, I'll go to jail. I tried to kill a FBI agent and her son, they'll bury me under the jail. Like I said, I just want to give you this kid, get paid and get lost." Joey explained.
"Zilker Park, miniature train, 2 hours." the voice said and the call disconnected.
Joey sat the phone on the table and started to tremble. He was sweating and breathing hard. "What have I got myself into?"
"A hell of a mess I'd say." said Cho.
"You're going to meet this guy in the park. We'll move in as soon as he makes contact with you and the trade is done." Jane said.
"How is this going to work? I know I'm not gonna have your kid with me so what are we going to do for a baby? He's gonna want to see that I've got a baby with me." Joey asked.
"We'll have a life-like baby in an infant carrier. It looks very real and we should have enough time to move in before he figures out the baby isn't real." Cho explained.
"Oh man. What happens after this goes down? What happens to me?" Joey asked.
"We'll talk to the DA and let him know you cooperated with us. As the victims' husband and father, my word with have some impact with the DA." Jane explained.
"I understand. I'll do exactly as you tell me. Is there any way I can be put in a different prison than this guy? He'll kill me the first chance he gets."
"You mess this up in any way, I'll make sure you both end up in the same cell." Jane said, glaring at Joey. He was not giving this kid any slack until this whole thing was over. He needed Joey to be just a little more afraid of him than the guy he was going to meet.
Joey swallowed hard and gave his head a small shake.
Wylie couldn't get anything from the burner phone which was what he expected. He just wished he could get something for Jane and Teresa.
Cho had worked quickly to get everything put into place for the plan. The concern was that whoever hired Joey would just hire someone else to pick up "Noah". If this happened, the man would know the FBI had Joey and they'd lose any possible leads. There was no way to know if the person picking up the "baby" would be the man himself and that couldn't be determined until they had him in custody.
Jane had read the guy as much as he could from the phone call with Joey. He thought he had a huge ego and a thirst for some kind of revenge. Jane just couldn't determine who he wanted revenge for or from whom, himself or Teresa.
A small team had been sent to the park immediately after the phone call to set up a perimeter. They didn't want to draw any type of attention from anyone that might have already been set up in the park by the man they were trying to catch. He had given the park location to Joey without much thought so Cho was thinking that particular park might have been his intention from the start.
Jane hadn't been happy when Cho said he couldn't be anywhere in the park. This guy knew Jane and probably Cho himself, so if either of them were spotted the guy wouldn't show up. Jane and Cho would be set up in a van across from the park. They'd be able to see people entering and leaving the entrance. Rigsby and a team of agents were scattered throughout the area surrounding the train. Joey had been wired with a recording device and camera. One of the buttons on his jacket was the camera and the infant carrier had the recording device. If he got patted down, there would be nothing found.
Jane was the first to notice the black stretch limo pull into the park. This had to be it. His heart raced, hoping this would all be over shortly. He just wanted his wife home and healthy and his little family back to their normal routines.
The limo slowly pulled into the park, checking for any signs of police they assumed. It pulled over to the curb and stopped. The driver's door opened and out stepped a man of medium height, dressed as a chauffeur. He closed the door and stood by it, looking around. He opened the back door, leaned inside, then stepped back and closed the door.
"Were any of you able to see anyone in the back seat?" Cho asked over the radio.
"There appeared to be an infant car seat and a woman in there. I couldn't see that well, but she looked like she might be nervous." answered one of the agents positioned in the park.
"This is it Cho. He wants it to appear he's only the driver of the limo if someone is watching, but that's him. The lady in the back is probably the nanny he hired. I knew he was too egotistical to send someone else. Something about him seems familiar Cho. The way he walks, his stature." Jane said, looking through binoculars.
The man started walking towards the miniature train. He continued to look around every so often. As he made his way to the train, he started to reach inside his coat.
"Cho, I think he could be reaching for a weapon. How close do we let him get to Joey before we move in?" Rigsby said, having set up surveillance close to the train.
"I'm hoping he won't try anything with the park so full of people. Just keep watching, if you can positively identify a weapon we will move in. I really want to get him to meet up with Joey and get his voice on the recorder and a picture of him if possible on the camera. However, I don't want to push it and get people hurt." Cho said.
They continued to watch the man make his way to the train. Joey was just arriving at the train with the infant carrier. They had wrapped the life-like baby in a blanket so that it appeared to be sleeping, hoping to fool the man long enough to get the evidence they needed.
Joey stopped at a bench by the train. He saw a man approaching him dressed like a chauffeur. Joey leaned over making it look like he was checking on the baby, "Oh man, this guy sent someone else to get the baby." he said, hoping the agents heard him.
The man approached Joey and stopped at the bench.
"You got my money? I got the kid." Joey said.
"Let me see the kid." the man said.
Joey turned the infant carrier slightly to give the man a glimpse of the baby. "This kid has been screaming for hours and just went to sleep. I don't want to listen to that again until we are finished here then he's all yours to deal with. Just to be clear, I give you this kid, you give me my money and I am off the hook with you and your wanting Agent Lisbon dead. I don't want you coming back and asking me to do anything else to her. You have her kid now so I'm done."
The man stood staring at Joey. "You setting me up Evans?"
"No way man. Why would you ask me that? I just want to know that I'm finished with you. You creep me out dude. I just want my money and to never see you again." Joey explained.
The man looked Joey up and down, then reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He handed Joey the envelope. "Now hand over the baby."
"Hang on. I want to check the money." Joey said and opened the envelope. He could tell there was money but he wasn't wasting time counting it. He wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. The FBI would take it. "Okay. I'm gonna leave the baby right here and go. Then you can take the baby and do what you want."
Joey started backing away from the bench. He didn't want to turn his back on the man but he wanted to be done here. He wished the FBI would hurry and move in since the exchange was done.
Just as Joey was about to turn and run, the man pulled the "baby" out of the carrier and realized it wasn't Agent Lisbon's son. "Hey you piece of garbage, I told you not to screw with me and you did, you're a dead man." the man screamed as he pulled a gun from his coat.
"Move in, move in." Cho ordered over the radios.
Sorry, I am leaving you with a cliffhanger. This just seemed like a good place to cut off so that the chapter wasn't so long. Hint: Tommy Volker is NOT the guy (that's been done) and not someone you would readily think of.
