Chapter Fifteen: Lucrative Failure
Jerry Devolto looked carefully at the woman sitting in front of him, trying to decide if she was legitimate.
The nurse had just finished with his sutures when the four federal agents had shown up. He had tried to run, but the older agent tackled him before he had managed to take three steps. They said they just wanted to talk, but he was pretty sure that the three men just wanted to beat the shit out of him. One of them actually managed to hit him before the woman took him into this room alone. Now she was trying to get him to roll on Sandoval. She obviously didn't know much about the man Jerry worked for. If he kept his mouth shut, he might go back to prison for assaulting the professor, but he would still be alive. And he'd get out again.
"Jerry, if you tell us everything you know about him, we can help you."
"Help me? He hit me. I can sue you guys."
"You were resisting arrest, Jerry. And you assaulted a federal agent."
"I was already cuffed……."
"It would be your word against ours."
He glared at her. She had a point about that.
"Jerry, we need to know where Ramón is keeping Charlie."
"Who?"
"Try to remember, Jerry. Charlie? About half your size, dark hair, math professor. You attacked him in his office and took him to your boss, Ramón Sandoval. Do you remember that now, Jerry?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I told you that already."
"Come on, Jerry. Are you really going to take a murder rap for this guy?"
That got his attention.
"Wait a minute, I didn't kill nobody!"
"Are you sure? Because Professor Eppes is still missing and we have DNA evidence that proves you were in on his disappearance."
"I want a lawyer."
With those four words, Megan knew it was over if she didn't hit the nail on the head right now. She had one more chance. Once he lawyered up, he wasn't going to tell them anything.
"Ok, fine. Jerry, that's your right. But I want you to understand that if Charlie Eppes turns up dead, and you refused to give us his location, that's accessory to murder. If we can prove that you were at that location, and I'm sure we can, we will charge you with homicide. As it stands we already have enough evidence on the assault and kidnapping to get a conviction. But before you think about prison, I want to remind you that you will also have an entire bureau of federal agents that are going to take the death of Professor Eppes very personally, not just those three guys out there. And for my part, I'll make sure every single agent in the bureau knows about you. You'll have someone on your ass every second of every day. You can't hide from the FBI, Jerry. Anytime you do manage to spend on the outside will be a living hell. You'll wish they kept you in prison."
Megan turned and smiled sweetly at him.
"But if this is how you want it….we'll get you a lawyer."
She turned to walk out of the room.
"Wait?"
That got him.
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Don was waiting outside the hospital security room with David and Colby.
All three men looked as if they could kill Jerry Devolto with their bare hands. He had denied everything and had spent a good twenty minutes adamantly insisting that they had the wrong guy.
Charlie's time was running out!
When Colby ascertained that the only way to get him to talk was to beat it out of him, it was decided that Megan should take him into a room alone for a one on one chat.
Don looked at David.
"And you were afraid I'd hit him?"
Colby leaned his head against the wall rubbing his fist and exhaled loudly.
"Don, I'm sorry I……….but what if he won't tell her?"
Don shrugged his shoulders and gave him a wry smile.
"Then we'll have to do it your way."
A few minutes later, Megan burst out the door.
"Let's go."
She was almost running hardly slowing down as she rounded the corner and headed for the outer doors.
"They're here in Compton Don. A body shop on Colyer."
………………………………
Charlie had somehow managed to push the desk over another few inches so it now sat just under the small window. Using his good arm, he lifted the chair onto the desk and put its back against the wall. Working silently, it had taken him the better part of an hour. The pain across his back was almost unbearable and he could barely manage to move his arm without doubling over in agony. How was he going to manage getting up to that window? When the outer door to the garage slammed shut, Charlie froze halfway onto the desk.
"Well, where is he?"
Hank had come back.
"I think….maybe jail? The feds are all over the hospital man."
Charlie's felt his heart skip a beat.
They were looking for him. Don was looking for him.
"That's too bad. We will have to push our time table up a bit. Will he talk?"
"He might. But that's not all there is."
"What?"
"I heard something on the radio in the car and …..I'm not sure how to tell you this. Your brother Diego was brought in to the county hospital about four hours ago. He was in some kind of respiratory distress caused from shock. I think he's dead."
Charlie didn't wait to hear the rest. With a surge of adrenaline, he pulled himself up onto the chair and reached for the window.
………………………………
The black SUV peeled out of the hospital parking lot, Colby again behind the wheel. Don had climbed into the backseat and was busy pulling out their gear.
David closed his phone and twisted in his seat.
"The second assault team just left Inglewood. They can get there in ten minutes."
"And us?"
"Five."
Don tightened his vest.
"I'm not waiting."
"Neither are we."
Don gave him an appreciative glance.
"Megan, what else did you get?"
"Three rooms. Main garage, small office and bathroom. Charlie's in the office."
"Did he say if….."
"Yeah. He…..it's not good Don. He really put up a fight. Jerry said they messed him up pretty bad."
Don bit his lip and slammed a new clip into his Model 22 federal issue GLOCK, chambering the first round. He felt the truck accelerate as Colby maneuvered thru another red light at full speed.
………………………………
Ramón Sandoval looked at Hank in astonishment.
"What do you mean my brother is dead?"
"They said on the radio that a high profile suspect from the drug bust had died on the way to the hospital. So I called lock-up, said I was Diego's lawyer. They told me he wasn't there, but had been taken to county in respiratory distress. That's all I know."
Sandoval stormed toward the door of the office as Rick stepped out of the bathroom.
"You're supposed to be watching him."
"What? I had to go…"
He pulled out his phone and dialed, removing a 9mm Beretta from his jacket.
"Times up Agent Eppes."
………………………………
Don felt his stomach drop.
"I still have 30 minutes. They've agreed to the release but I….."
Ramón interrupted him with a shout.
"DO NOT patronize me, Agent! My brother is dead. And now yours is too."
He could hear a door slam open. Don knew what was coming next, but couldn't tear the phone away from his ear.
For a moment he was perplexed by the extended silence, but then a single gun shot rang out on the other end of the line.
"Jesus."
Don slung the phone into the floor as if it had bit him.
"Oh, God. He just shot him."
Colby took another corner at full speed slinging them all to the side of the truck.
Megan stared at him in shock.
"Don…what?"
"He killed him. He just…..he just….he just….."
Don stopped talking. He stared at the phone on the floor.
He felt like he had just been dealt a physical blow. An unfamiliar sensation radiated over him in waves akin to pain.
Charlie was dead.
He was too late.
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Authors Notes: Ok. Let me have it! I'll post the next Chapter as soon as I can, I've just got a few kinks to iron out.
Next Chapter: Revealed Veracity
