Chapter 10

"Jose, you've been a bad boy. The nice detectives in Albany told us so. Imagine their surprise that someone spotted you here. They told us to keep you as long as we like. Seems they think a few nights here will change your mind," Elliot said inside the small precinct's interrogation room a little while later. Olivia was with him and Chief Hall was wondering if he should have popcorn ready to watch what was about to go down. He was standing on the other side of the one-way glass and had invited the officers to watch the two veteran detectives work.

"In this podunk town? What have I got to be scared about?" Jose was trying to play tough from his spot at the table. He was facing the one way glass.

"Oh you couldn't be more wrong. See we could make the argument that you were driving around, crossing state lines, with drugs in your car. Then you also paintballed a house here. Now the paintball incident by itself would just be a local, misdemeanor charge. Toss in those drugs though… well I think I may have to call in my friend at the DEA," Olivia spoke up. Jose fidgeted in his seat.

"You can't prove that," he said.

"Wrong again. You're on a roll Jose. You see Albany police are checking your vehicle right now. If they find drugs or a paintball gun, you're screwed. Not to mention if they find Vivian's DNA…" Elliot let that thought out into the world.

"Vivian?" Jose turned a little green.

"She'd dead but you already knew that," Olivia said.

"I had nothing to do with that," Jose stammered.

"Then why are you shooting paintballs at the house where her son is living? Who'd you get the address from, if not Vivian?" Elliot asked. Jose swallowed hard and sweat started to bead up on his forehead.

"Detective Gavronski is going to call me and when she tells me what they've found, it'll be all over. We won't want to hear your side. Then the DEA will collect you and then it's off to federal prison for you," Olivia needled him. More sweat on Jose's forehead. He definitely knew something, something that would help them crack the case.

"If I tell you what I know, you'll let me go?" Jose asked.

"No can do. You'll have to pay for what you've done but maybe we can lessen the blow and leave the Feds out of it," Elliot said. Jose nodded and seemed to be debating his next words.

"You're from New York City, what are you doing up here?" The drug user suddenly had a thought.

"Vivian was an informant. Detective Gavronski called us when they found her body. Seems that you have a nasty habit of pissing off every jurisdiction you can," Olivia told him.

"No way would Viv inform. No way," Jose said.

"Well then why is she dead?" Elliot asked. Jose heaved a sigh. He definitely knew more than he was saying.

"I want protection. You gotta understand. This guy is crazy," Jose was starting to crack.

"We'll see what we can do. What do you know?" Elliot pressed.

"Viv started talking about getting clean. She'd often say that and then crash hard so no one really took her seriously. She was sending letters to her kid and she and I would talk about him. Some days she wanted to get back to him and some days she would not talk about him at all. One day, Jimmy showed up while we were getting high. Dude has a serious problem. I mean we all do but Jimmy…" Jose trailed off.

"He get angry real easy?" Elliot asked.

"Like a bull seeing red, man. It would not take him much. He'd travel around with this big silent dude. I don't know his name but it wasn't like I wanted to get in his way," the drug user said.

"Paranoia?" Olivia wondered.

"Always looking over his shoulder which is why big and ugly was always at his side. At first I thought it was to protect him during buys but when he started coming around the house, I figured he was there to break legs," Jose explained.

"So if I said to you that Jimmy could be afraid that Vivian was talking about him in her letters, you'd say…" Elliot let the thought trail off.

"First off, I don't know what Vivian wrote about but I highly doubt she put anything in her letters regarding Jimmy. She wouldn't be that dumb. She owed him money and she wouldn't want to make him think she was informing on him," Jose shook his head.

"How do you pay Jimmy? No way he gives out drugs for free," Olivia pointed out.

"Well Jimmy will take things in trade if you don't have the dough. I work at a convenience store so I have money. I tried to give Vivian some. Told her to get herself out of Albany but she wouldn't do it," Jose heaved a sigh.

"Why would she need to get out of Albany? Was Jimmy after her for the money she owed?" Olivia wanted to know.

"She hadn't paid him in a while. I wasn't sure how she was getting her fix but I had an idea. Problem is, Jimmy would only let you trade so many times before you found yourself in trouble," Jose said.

"What kind of trouble?" Elliot had a good idea but he wanted to hear it first.

"You talk to Detective Gavronski and ask her about Don, Jeff, Alice, and Emma. She'll be able to fill you in," Jose refused to say more. Olivia narrowed her eyes.

"So why did you paintball the house?" Elliot wanted to know.

"Jimmy disappeared and I figured that there was only one place he could be. Even if he wasn't here, I figured if I shot the house up, the police would start hanging around the house. Then the kid and the people he's staying with would move out until the house could get fixed," Jose said.

"You were trying to warn him," Olivia said.

"I just wanted them to know something was coming because I figured they didn't know," Jose admitted.

"I have a phone call to make," with that Olivia left the room. Detective Gavronski was about to get a phone call.

To Be Continued…