Out of Time

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:


Chapter 16 (Closing In)

Jade sat with Sam in the office, watching as the woman reclined in her chair and stroked her chin. The blonde was staring up at nothing in particular, her eyes squinted. "What are you thinking about?" Jade leaned forward, shuffling her hands across her kneecaps. "You're being really quiet."

Sam's eyes darted to Jade in an instant. "Carly isn't telling me something." The words were so quiet Jade almost asked to have them repeated. She understood the gist of Sam's concern, however. Given that Sinjin was in contact with Carly, Spencer and Freddie; and showed them a picture of Tori and her family, Jade found herself wondering if maybe Carly had made contact with Tori.

"Have you managed to visit Carly yet?"

Sam shook her head slowly and whisked her hand from her face with a sigh. "I've been so wrapped up with this case, I haven't had the opportunity." Sam's forehead creased and her eyebrows closed together. "I have a sinking suspicion that Tori, Ian, and Sinjin may well be in contact with Tori. I know for a fact that the hotel Carly had rented for after her flight only had her for like a day or two. She's moved on. Quickly."

"How'd you get that?"

"Because she texted me that she was going to a different hotel." Sam cleared her throat and shut her eyes. "She didn't tell me where, though." From what Jade understood about the girls' friendship, Carly was not secretive; so this definitely was an indicator that something was up. "If she has made contact with Tori, she's put herself in a very dangerous situation."

"So we need to get in touch with her, find out if maybe she has gotten in touch with her?"

"Right, let them know that the FBI has taken an interest in this case and can provide protection for them." Sam folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to the right. The woman growled lightly and glanced sideways at the window, her shoulders rising an inch. "I don't like Carly keeping things from me, but it can't be helped."

Just then the door opened and Gary entered with Beck fast in tow. "We have to go," Gary announced firmly. Jade turned sharply, catching her breath as Sam rose from the chair. He whisked his thumb over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Now. One of our persons of interest has been found dead, and not just any…"

Within half an hour they were at a location that made Jade's stomach drop; it was Robbie's home. Police tape was everywhere, and Robbie's mother was outside, screaming into her hands.

Not seeing Robbie anywhere, Jade and Beck followed behind Gary and Sam. They kept their heads down, however, just in case their friends were near. Jade felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety, knowing that she was likely about to see a dead body for the first time in her life.

Entering the door, she was filled with a sense of dread. Her nostrils picked up the vile odor of blood, but she couldn't see it in the front room. An officer guided them into the master bedroom.

Jade clutched her shirt over her chest as the scent of blood grew overpowering, nearly causing her to fall to the ground. She looked over the scene with horror and looked to her right as Beck grabbed her by the hand.

Thomas Shapiro lay face down on the bed with a gaping hole in the back of his head. Blood streaked his face and soaked his white shirt collar and the red satin sheets beneath him. Brain matter was on the walls and floor nearby, and his pants were soiled.

Jade turned away from the scene, throwing her hands to her face and screaming into them. Morbid as she'd been in life, much of it had always been talk. Never had she thought to be witness to a true murder.

Beck wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. "It's okay," he whispered, "It's okay…"

Gary stood with his hands on his hips, his head gently shook from side to side. The officer reported to him the details. "The DA was found by his wife this morning. She says she works overnight at the local hospital and saw him last just before leaving for work. We're putting his death sometime between the hours of midnight and six a.m."

Before they could do much else, another officer came and whispered something in Gary's ear. Gary's eyebrows rose and his lips parted. He pulled away from the officer with a light chuckle. "We've already got a confession apparently." He turned to the group. "We're heading back to the station."

The day was turning out to be a whirlwind and Jade could barely catch her breath. Finding herself in the same observation room, staring through the looking glass, she saw Gary sitting beside a FBI officer.

She guessed there had to be some connection to the case they were working in order to get Gary involved in the death of Mr. Shapiro. It didn't seem like the best move, however, if the organization they were investigating were responsible. The ADA wasn't exactly the most agreeable when it came to his boss. According to Robbie, the two butt heads quite a bit on various matters and policies.

Sam's voice drew her from her thoughts. "What in the fuck is this?" She shook her head and blinked twice as Andre was being guided in by his father. Jerome's face was long and his eyes were filled with grief and disappointment. "Don't tell me Andre Harris is responsible." Sam threw her hand up and turned away with a gasp.

Beck and Jade couldn't help but to glare, their eyes wide and teeth grinding together. They watched as Andre kept his head bowed, his father's hand rested firmly on his shoulder.

"Whatever my son has gotten himself involved in," Jerome began with a hasty sigh, "I want to help get him out of it." The pair sat down before Gary. Andre kept his head turned and eyes scanning the walls while Jerome looked Gary straight in the eyes.

"What do you have for us, Senator? The officers indicated your son confessing to the murder of District Attorney Thomas Shapiro?"

Jerome closed his eyes and sighed. "I arrived at my mother-in-law's house early to help her with some move she was planning, but they were not home. I waited around for a bit, and they drove up…my son had a gun with him."

Gary nodded slowly. "Yes, we have the 9mm Beretta turned in…"

Jerome leaned back, crossing his arms and glancing at Andre for several seconds. Andre opened his palms upwards on the table and sighed. "Look, I didn't actually shoot the guy. I couldn't do it."

Jerome leaned forward, raising his voice. "Then why did you have the gun?" Andre crossed his arms and looked away, giving a slight growl. "Son? What is going on?"

"It was grandma." Andre looked up to his father, narrowing his eyes. Jerome's head jerked back and his mouth fell open. Jade was just as shocked, unable to comprehend how Andre's paranoid and feeble grandmother could commit murder. "Look, she dragged me out to the guy's place saying I needed to learn how to kill and that there was a hit on his back…" Andre circled his hand in the air and rolled his head to the side. "Apparently he'd been some sort of hitman but failed to kill some dude like two decades ago or something, so he had to die."

Jade's heart dropped to her stomach as she realized what his words meant. Robbie's father may have been the very man responsible for the deaths of Sasha's parents.

"I'm an enforcer, or at least I'm supposed to be." Andre scratched the back of his head with a sigh. "I've never killed anyone." He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Grandma waited outside. I told Mr. Shapiro I wanted to see my friend, Robbie, but he wasn't home. The guy let me stay a while to wait, Grandma thought I was taking too long. Probably not wrong, since I don't know exactly when she entered the house; but I fell asleep on the couch and she woke me up at like three or four in the morning and handed me that gun, calling me pathetic for not carrying out an easy hit."

Gary nodded slowly, placing his pen down on the desk. "Do you mind submitting to a test to see if there is any gunpowder on your hands or clothing?" Andre looked to his father, then back, giving a brisk nod. "What made you come forward now?"

"This is the second or third time my grandmother's chided me for not finishing a job and Dad overheard her threatening me should I fail another hit. That being said, Dad's all worried and bent out of shape, wanted me to tell my side of the story before he went to the police himself…"

Jerome's shoulders dropped and he bowed his head. "If my mother-in-law is responsible, I want to protect my son. Whatever it is they're involved in, I don't want my son to lose his life over it or spend the rest of his life in prison."

Gary leaned back slowly and raised his hand to his chin. "You said she got onto you for another failed hit? What was this?" Andre paused for several seconds, the corners of his mouth sank and he looked away with a scoff.

"I got this guy I know, not supposed to really give a shit about anyone but you know…You spend years knowing someone, it's hard not to." Jade felt Beck's hand tighten and she slowly looked towards him, studying his tensing expression. "There's this girl that's supposed to disappear, she befriended some couple." Andre rolled his eyes upwards. "They weren't originally supposed to have anything to do with us, but they did, because she fucking bumped into the dude one day."

Beck dropped his head and cursed, "Son of a bitch." Jade gently squeezed his hand, causing him to look her way with a somber expression. "Wrong place, wrong time. What I thought when you got into your jealous phase over that; but I wouldn't have fucking predicted-"

"It's okay, Beck." She leaned into him, sliding her arms around his neck. "It's okay."

Andre leaned back in his chair, his chest expanded and his shoulders shrugged. "I was supposed to drug his father and ensure the man 'had an accident' at home. That way whenever their friend disappeared, they wouldn't miss her because they'd be too focused on the guy's death." Beck's nostrils flared and his hands balled into fists.

Andre swayed forward, his hands clasped together on the surface of the table and his expression sobered for a few seconds. "I ran into Beck and Jade at the guy's home." Beck put his hands on the window and glared with teeth bared. Andre's voice quivered and shook. "I couldn't go through with the plan. Sure, I could've ignored the fact that they were there, I could've made something happen and slipped out with them knowing; but I just couldn't."

Beck's hands slid down the window and he moved his forehead against the glass, his breathing grew heavy and his knees started to bend. Jade moved up behind him, throwing her arms around his waist. She looked through the glass, studying Andre closely.

"Grandma called me weak for it."

Jerome moved a hand to his son's shoulder, his gaze quivering as Andre looked up to him. "Son, why is all of this happening? What is your grandmother caught up in?"

Andre scoffed. "She's been a part of some shadow group for decades, she was training Mom and started training me to be an enforcer." Andre crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "La Sombra. 'The Shadow'. They were some small time gang back in like the seventies or something." Jade saw Gary tense. This was a break they'd been hoping for, but how much could Andre possibly know? "Grandma was one of the first true enforcers. Mom was supposed to be, along with Mr. Shapiro. So she was raising me to be one." He shrugged. "I don't know much else."

Jerome's body trembled like a mountain eroding, the man hunched forward and cupped his face with his hand. "Them? I've devoted my entire life, all my politics to wiping out groups like them. To think…" The man gasped, tears began sliding down his face. "To think my own son could get caught up in that gang."

Andre stretched his arms out on the table, palms facing upwards. "They're like an actual organization now, Dad. I don't know all that much aside from what Grandma's been telling me." Jerome turned his head to Andre.

"I sat there and heard your grandmother say she would kill you if you so much as shirked the next 'hit' you got. Andre, I don't want you anywhere near that woman. I don't want you anywhere near this shadow hand or whatever they call themselves now. You're suspected of murder, son, murder! You're telling me that your grandmother is training you to be a professional killer?"

The man's voice was filled with a sense of panic that Jade had never heard. There was no doubt in her mind this man feared for his son, more than his own reputation.

Gary cleared his throat and Jerome looked to him, still shaking like a leaf. "If you don't mind…" Jerome closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Gary was somehow managing to remain calm. "I know it's a lot, but I do have a few more questions that I would like to ask."

Jerome glanced at Andre. "Son, please, please work with the police. Anything that can help them can help you. Please, for your sake."

Andre stared at his father, seeming to consider his options for several seconds before releasing a final sigh and turning to Gary. "Look man it's bullshit, but ask your questions. I'll answer what I can."

"You mentioned a girl that was to go missing, is she in connection to the names in the notebook that was found belonging to you?"

Andre crossed his arms. "Yes. I was supposed to record potentials for La Sombra, as well as those being taken. Tori Vega is the one you're probably referring to." He snapped his fingers. Jade exhaled sharp and watched with narrow eyes as Andre shook his head. "Apparently she took off or something."

"She's missing as of now, yes. Now, you mentioned this couple, Beck and Jade, but indicated they weren't 'a part' of your group?"

"Right. Tori was moved to Hollywood Arts and I was told to watch her, along with a couple others. She befriended a few people like them, like Sinjin Van Cleef, and others that were never a part of this group. I'm not overly sure of everything since most of what my orders were came through my grandma."

"What about your other friends? Were they involved? I know you are friends with Mr. Shapiro's son."

Andre seemed to hesitate, but his father encouraged in a pleading tone that he answer if he knew. "Robbie and Cat? Yeah, they had similar upbringings and similar situations. I was the one being trained as an enforcer, Mr. Shapiro wanted his son to be one of the group's leaders of the next generation. Same with Cat and…her mother…"

"You are aware you are implicating both Mr. Thomas Shapiro and Mrs. Angela Valentine as being a part of La Sombra. A criminal organization founded over forty years ago." Andre winced and crossed his arms over his stomach. Jerome cupped his hand over his mouth and shut his eyes, visibly cringing.

"Will I have protection?" Gary nodded firmly and Jerome placed a hand on Andre's wrist, giving him a comforting and caring look. Andre took a few seconds to breathe inwards, then exhaled loudly before leaning forward. "Yes, that is what I am implying here. Cat and Robbie are, probably, more okay than I am with the group."

"Why are you not okay with the organization?"

Andre furrowed his brow and threw his hand up and outward. "Because they sell babies." Jade's eyebrows rose. "They kidnap girls off the street that have no family, or that they perceive to have no family, and force them into prostitution. They sell people into slavery whether sex slavery or servants for rich fucks. If prostitutes get pregnant, they take the baby and auction it off to the highest bidder." Andre growled low. "It's sick. I've been playing along because my grandmother is fucking insane in more ways than I've let people think. These people have fronts that no one realizes…" He pointed a finger upwards. "Like Hollywood Arts. That's a front and a scouting ground. It's a legitimate school, but Mrs. Valentine has allowed a lot of teachers that don't need to be there, like Mr. Sikowitz. Principal Eikner and Counselor Lane aren't even aware of any teachers being connected to some criminal underworld, but Cat told me her mom has threatened them and anyone who asks questions."

"I see." Gary looked at Jerome. "We can place you and your son both in protective custody for the time being as we investigate, would you be accepting of this?" Jerome nodded, holding his hands together. "I would ask of you Andre, that you have no further contact with either Robbie or Cat." Andre crossed his arms again and scoffed.

"Fine." He glanced to the side and started to hum. "What I do know is that Tori Vega is supposed to be given to La Sombra when she turns eighteen. Grandma told me she was taken by them when she was born." He tilted his head and gently tapped his chin, furrowing his brow. "I think her grandparents were killed by Mr. Shapiro or something. Grandma told me that when we were at his house, because she mentioned her dad having been there too. He was supposed to have died, but he didn't. That's why Mr. Shapiro had to die, because he took payment from La Sombra despite not finishing a job properly."

Jade could feel the air in the room being sucked out like a vacuum, making it harder for her to breathe. She glanced to Beck, he was pale and his eyes were wide with surprise. It wasn't as though they didn't expect it, but Andre may have unwittingly confirmed what they'd been trying to discover all this time.


Who would've thunk it, Andre just blew the case wide open. A lot has been discovered here, granted some of it hearsay at this point; but certainly helps the case. What are your thoughts on everything?