Chapter 21

"Ms. Bristow…Sydney, if you have any idea where your father and Mr. Sloane are, it's not only your duty as a citizen to tell us, it's the best way you can help him. Every cop in the city is on the lookout for them and the A.P.B. says they're armed and dangerous. You say your father won't hurt an officer, but, even if that's true, all it take's is for some scared rookie to make a mistake and he could end up dead in the street. Surely you don't want that?"

Sydney stared hard at the motherly looking black woman sitting opposite her in one of the 27th Precinct's interview rooms. "I'm supposed to believe you care what happens to my father?" she asked cynically.

Lieutenant Anita van Buren sighed. "I want this situation resolved without any one getting hurt. You can believe that or not. You say your father won't attack a cop, what about Arvin Sloane? Can you be so certain about him? If your Dad's in the vicinity, the outcome will be the same, him lying on some sidewalk with his chest full of holes."

Van Buren saw she'd gotten a reaction. It was small, almost imperceptible but she was an experienced interrogator and noticed the way the young woman opposite's fingers clenched when she mentioned Sloane's name. She waited and then pressed, "You don't trust Sloane do you?"

Sydney remained silent. Finally she raised her head and looked the Lieutenant directly in the eyes. "I don't know where my father is." she said quietly, "I can't help you."

Van Buren nodded acknowledgment of the response but the chink in Ms. Bristow's armour might still be exploited. It was time for some shock tactics. She slid over a file. "OK. I'm going to leave you for a while. This file contains pictures of officer involved shootings. While I'm gone, I want you to look at them and ask if you really want your father to end up like the people there because of something Sloane might do."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Van Buren stared through the one-way mirror into the interview room, where Detectives Mears and Kowalski were interrogating the Santos girl. A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn stood beside her. The Lieutenant had noticed that her companion was tense and nervous and wondered about the reasons. She was considering whether to broach the subject with her when the door behind them opened to admit Briscoe and Green. They moved to stand beside the two women.

Green nodded towards the interior of the interview room, "Do you think she knows anything?" he asked.

Van Buren muted the audio link to the other room. "She visited with her father the day before he crashed out." she replied. "It's possible she passed on instructions to accomplices on the outside. Even if she's innocent, he might have let something slip that could help us."

"If she does, I doubt she'll give it up." Serena noted. "She may look like a member of the Brady Bunch but she acts like she's street wise." She switched the audio back on and the two detectives listened to the conversation.

"If you're lying to us, you'll be an accessory to a felony." Detective Kowalski leaned aggressively towards the slight woman until his face was almost touching hers, deliberately violating her personal space. "Heck, the D.A. could even charge you with conspiracy if he felt like it. Then they could lock you up until you're old and grey. Take it from me, lady, the company at Bedford stinks and the facilities are not what you're accustomed to. It'd be a shame to waste your best years in a hole like that; rubbing shoulders with scumbag killers, junkies and thieves."

Ms. Santos didn't shrink away from his presence. Instead, she glared up at him. "Then it's a good thing I'm telling the truth isn't it?" she said, contempt dripping from every word and Serena turned off the audio feed.

"She's been like that ever since she got here." Van Buren confirmed.

"What about the other one, Bristow's daughter?" Lennie Briscoe asked.

Van Buren shrugged, "Pretty much the same but, if I'm any judge, she doesn't trust Sloane. I've given her something to think about and left her to stew for a while. We'll see if that adjusts her attitude. Her father was in solitary, however, so she hasn't visited for several days. She genuinely may not know anything. What about your suspect?"

"He lawyered up; we're waiting for his mouthpiece to arrive before he'll take questions." Green explained.

"Why do you think he's involved?" the Lieutenant asked. She noted the quick glance the two detectives shared with each other and their eyes flick towards A.D.A. Southerlyn, then back again.

"It's a long story." Briscoe said evasively, then changed the subject, "The APB was a bit light on facts. How did they get out?"

Van Buren considered pressing the matter but decided against it at this stage. These were her two best detectives, experience told her it was best to give them a little rope and trust them to do their job, so she answered his question. "We haven't got all the facts yet. They're still trying to put it together over at Riker's but, they had a falling out a couple of days ago. Bristow put Sloane in the Infirmary and went to the SHU as a result. Yesterday evening, he apparently tried to kill himself and was also taken to the Infirmary. It now looks like the whole thing was a set up allowing both of them to gain access to that part of the facility so they could escape. They stole a laptop from the Education Department and used it to hack into the security system. Riker's have found a hole in their security fence but how they got off the island is unknown at this point."

The important question at this stage, isn't how they escaped." Serena snapped. "It's where they are now and what they're planning."

"What about Alvarez? They could be going after him." Green suggested.

"I thought about that immediately I got the news. We've moved him and his wife to a new location and increased their protection detail." Van Buren assured him.

Someone knocked on the exterior door and a uniformed officer poked her head in. "Detective Green, Briscoe, your guy's lawyer has arrived." she reported.

"OK. Let's go see what he's got to say for himself." Briscoe said as they left the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Councillor. Sorry you've been dragged out of bed this early on Christmas Day." Briscoe's apology was blatantly insincere.

Jerry Shapiro responded aggressively. "My client tells me you came to his apartment last night and accused him to sending threatening letters to A.D.A. Southerlyn, then arrested him for being involved in an escape from Riker's Island. I take it you have some evidence to back up these allegations, because, if you don't, this looks like a classic case of police harassment and it will be my pleasure to sue this city back into the 1970's."

"First off, Mr. Shapiro, your client isn't under arrest. We invited him here to answer some questions and he kindly agreed to accompany us. Next, who said the letters sent to Ms Southerlyn were threatening? We never said that did we, Lennie?" Green replied.

"Come on Detectives," Shapiro sneered. "Why else would the police be investigating? And you haven't answered my question. What evidence do you have against my client on either of these allegations?"

"Well, don't you think it's a coincidence that Mr. Zipodi here was in the vicinity of Riker's Island at the same time one of your other clients was crashing out?"

Shapiro paused, "That sounds like an allegation against me." He said.

"Not at all Councillor; just an observation." Lennie assured him.

"I assume, therefore, you have nothing directly linking Mr. Zipodi to Mr. Sloane. He hired a boat and went out on the river yesterday evening, as I'm sure, did a lot of other people. Have you brought all of them in for questioning? I thought not!" he turned towards his client, "Melvin, I strongly advise you not to dignify these allegations with a response."

Zipodi leaned back in his chair. "Well gentlemen, you heard what my lawyer said and I always follow professional advice. Now, if I'm not under arrest, I presume I'm free to leave."

He got up and reached for his coat, draped across the back of the chair.

"Fine." grunted Briscoe. "Once we find Sloane and Bristow's prints or DNA trace on the boat you hired, you'll be right back here and then you will be under arrest. It's a pity for you because we might have been able to work out a deal with the D.A. if you'd co-operated but by then it'll be too late."

Both he and Green saw Zipodi glance anxiously towards his lawyer but Shapiro laughed.

"Where's your probable cause for a search warrant Detectives?" he taunted. "This ain't Texas or Florida. Judges in New York like to see some evidence, not rely on cop's gut instincts." Shapiro turned towards Zipodi, "Let's get out of here, Melvin." he said as he ushered him out of the door.

Green and Briscoe followed them out into the Squad Room. They watched as two young men dressed in tuxedos who'd been sitting on a bench in the corridor, jumped up to attract Shapiro's attention. After a few words with them, he waved for Zipodi to leave without him and sat down to talk with the strangers.

"Ms. Bristow and Ms. Santos' boyfriends," Lieutenant Van Buren's voice came from behind them, "they insisted on coming along when we picked them up."

The detectives turned to see her standing with Serena Southerlyn, watching the three men engaged in animated conversation. They glanced at each other,

"Ms. Southerlyn, can we talk privately?" Briscoe asked.

Green nodded, "Yeah. We need some legal advice."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack and Sloane huddled down in the abandoned factory across from Schirovsky's Import business. The sign outside said that the building had been bought up by a property company for conversion into apartments. It looked like this was another area of Brooklyn that would soon be succumbing to "gentrification".

Sloane wondered, idly, how long Schirovsky expected to continue running his business from this location after the area was re-developed. Although that will shortly become an academic question, he added cheerfully.

They had contacted the man and arranged a meet for four o'clock that afternoon but both agents had been suspicious at the delay and were convinced he was setting them up to walk into a trap. They had 'borrowed' a car and made their way towards the location of the meeting intending to keep an eye on the building and note any preparations for their arrival. Making the journey before the police had had a chance to set up road blocks had been an added attraction. Sloane's local knowledge, while many years out of date had still been good enough for them to make the journey while avoiding major intersections and other danger points.

The temperature was a little below zero and the bitter wind blowing through the gaps in the wooden boards blocking the windows and doors chilled them to the bone, despite the heavy winter clothing both were wearing. Despite the uncomfortable nature of their post, both men remained alert, noting everything going on in the locale. They were old enough to remember the days when most surveillance assignments had been like this, relying on the alertness of agents, not electronic devices or eavesdropping equipment and some of them had involved even more unpleasant experiences that those they were experiencing currently.

"Do you remember that time in the Mekong Delta when we spent three days and nights in a paddy field up to our waists in water, waiting for that Chinese intelligence officer to contact the local guerrilla leader?" Sloane asked reminiscently.

Jack grunted but didn't reply. Sloane had expected that, his former partner had never wasted time on nostalgia, expect perhaps about his wife, and he'd deny that in the strongest possible terms if it had ever been suggested to him.

Jack looked at his watch, "Nearly seven o'clock. Dawn's coming."

Sloane moved silently to an eastwards facing window and gently levered the board covering it open a bit. Sure enough, the sky was less dark in that direction. As he watched, he saw a car turn off the main road, pull into the side street and move towards them.

"Jack!" he called, keeping his voice low.

His old friend joined him as they tracked the vehicle's movements until it drew to a stop outside Schirovsky's warehouse. As they stood watching, Schirovsky got out of the driver's side. Another man emerged from the passenger's side. He was young and well muscled, his manner and dress screaming 'bodyguard'. Together they hurried inside.

Both agents reached the same conclusion simultaneously and they were about to leave their hiding place when the sound of other car engines drew them, once again, to the window. They observed as several other cars and a van drew up. At least thirty men piled out of the vehicles and followed Schirovsky and his companion into the building.

Sloane turned to Jack, his eyebrows raised interrogatively. Although they had expected a trap, this was many more men than they'd thought he would be able to raise at short notice. Schirovsky was clearly better connected and financed than they'd imagined.

Jack returned the look, "We need to re-strategise." he said dryly.

The other man nodded his agreement.

T.B.C.

Glossary

A.P.B. – All Points Bulletin. Message sent to all police officers and vehicles.

Bedford – Woman's prison in New York State.

1970's – A period when New York suffered a major financial crisis, almost going bankrupt as a result.

Probable Cause – evidence sufficient to convince a judge to issue a search warrant.

Search Warrant – Legal right to enter and search an individual's home or private property.

S.H.U – Special Housing Unit. A prison within a prison. Housing those who have committed disciplinary infractions or require protection from fellow inmates.