Recovery

Chapter 36

The Journal of John Nolan

I barely remember the drive to the prison to see Rosalind. I was trying to concentrate on nothing but the road in front of me. Lucy was coping in her own way, putting on music and singing along. I don't know what any of the songs were. It's probably just as well. They didn't engage my attention enough to be anything but background noise.

The trip seemed shorter than usual, maybe because I didn't really want to get where Lucy and I were going. But we were finally at the gate. We went through the routine almost like robots until we reached Rosalind's cell. She's under too much security now to be let out. So I talked to her through the bars. She didn't say anything directly to Lucy. Rosalind just commented that her disciples never could reach her level. By that, I assume she meant Lucy should have been dead.

I would have reached for Lucy's hand, but I don't believe either one of us wanted to give Rosalind the satisfaction. So I pushed Rosalind to tell me whatever she knew about La Fiera. She started out with a description anyone could have provided of a powerful woman. Lucy caught my gaze and shook her head. She clearly meant that nothing Rosalind was saying would lead anywhere.

When I told Rosalind that if that was all she had, I was leaving, she began to change her tune. She gave us details of La Fiera's early life that I'd never heard before. From the look on Lucy's face, neither had she. Then Rosalind said she could tell us where La Fiera would have run. But of course, it would cost us.

I was expecting that she'd ask for a prison perk, like access to the internet. But I should have known better. Rosalind's eyes burned with a pure evil I've never felt from the worst con. She said she wanted the video of Lucy's time underground. I could see the color drain from Lucy's face. But I can't give her enough credit for guts. She threw back her shoulders and smiled at Rosalind.

I don't remember what Lucy said then word for word, but it was something like this: "Sure, why not? You think your students could never rise to your level. Well, maybe you're just a lousy teacher. Caleb couldn't get the job done. When you watch it, you'll know how much you screwed up. And by the way, the song I was singing, 'Dream a Little Dream of Me,' was written by Gus Kahn. He also wrote 'Making Whoopie,' which I can't wait to do when I get out of here."

Rosalind's fingers curled like claws when she threatened me that if I left then, the L.A.P.D. would never figure out where La Fiera is. But Lucy poked me the way she used to when we caught on to something together. I could tell we'd both picked up on something Rosalind said when she pretended she was rambling. She was talking about Guatemala and an estate that was confiscated from the La Cruz family.

La Fiera would never let anyone take anything from her or her people. And given the loss of her son, the estate would have been the only family tie she had left. She not only would have recaptured what she regarded as hers, she would be holding it in a death grip. On the way back to the division, Lucy and I agreed that there's a good chance La Fiera is in Guatemala. The question is, how could we possibly reach her there?

I checked. The U.S. and Guatemala have had an extradition treaty since 1903. But for the Guatemalan government to agree to send La Fiera here to be tried seems unlikely. They'd have to capture her first. And she'd have to stay captured. The only hope I can see is to lure her to L.A. somehow. But with her son dead, I can't imagine what would bring her back.

Seeing Rosalind and trying to figure out what to do next almost knocked my date with Bailey out of my head. Actually, it did knock it out of my head – right up until she showed up on my doorstep. But God bless her, she took one look at my face and understood. So we cooked spaghetti together. That was the only thing I had all the ingredients for in the house.

And then we talked. Mostly I talked, and she listened. I don't remember everything I put on her. I know some of it was about all the crap Grey's dumped on me since I joined the force, leading up to this latest meeting with Rosalind. And then there was Rosalind herself. I've met plenty of unpleasant folks over the years, but never one I viewed as pure evil – until Rosalind and then Caleb. But I could take comfort that the good guys finally triumphed. Or at least I think we did.

Rosalind doesn't seem to mind being in prison. Maybe it's because she's so good at pulling people's strings. She can drive chaos from wherever she is. But Lucy has a different theory. She says that Rosalind creates a world inside her mind. That's where she lives, and physical location doesn't matter. Maybe it's both, or perhaps it's neither. Bailey gently pointed out that whatever makes Rosalind tick doesn't change the situation for me. I can't let her control me anymore. I'm determined not to.

After all of that, Bailey fell asleep on the couch while I was still droning on. Finally, I carried her to my bed. I'm hoping that when I finish putting all this in writing, I'll be settled enough to join her.


"Nolan, Chen, a word," Grey beckons as they're on their way to the roll call room. He motions them into his office. "I've received some feedback on the theory that La Fiera is on her estate in Guatemala. You got some attention from the D.E.A. They're scrubbing satellite footage for confirmation."

"And if they get confirmation?" John questions.

"They'll work with the authorities in Guatemala to capture her and bring down her operation."

"Sir, do you honestly believe the Guatemalan government will go after her?" Lucy demands.

"Her cartel wields huge power," John adds.

"Look, I'm giving you the official story," Grey confides. "Unofficially, while she's out of the U.S., most of our people don't hold out much hope of getting to her. So we just have to work on bringing down whatever is left of her operations."

"But aren't we playing whack-a-mole?" John presses. "We knock out one, and another one springs up."

"We do the best we can," Grey insists. "But you two have other responsibilities. It looks like for a while, you're going to be Mid-Wilshire's only mental health intervention team. I know we could use more, a lot more, but right now, you're all we've got. And I need you to be on your game. So concentrate on your assignment, not on Rosalind Dyer or La Fiera. Now get yourselves into roll call so I can get our troops in the field."

As John and Lucy drop into their seats, Grey takes the podium. "The National Weather Service predicts another heat dome will be covering the West Coast. You know what that means. Air conditioning will be straining the grid. Expect outages. We'll see even more fires, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and flaring tempers. So first off, take care of yourselves. Make sure you have enough water. Don't run when you can walk. And stay out of the sun as much as possible.

"Be prepared to help the victims of the heat. I don't have to tell you that seniors are at high risk. So offer any assistance you can. Also, be alert for looters trying to take advantage of out-of-service alarms. And high temperatures will make any potentially stressful situations worse. That will include domestic disturbances. You know how dangerous those can be under the best circumstances. So watch yourselves out there, and take care of the city."