Chapter 4
As soon as Luis came out of the interrogation room, his lawyer quickly advised him not to go back to the mansion. The mansion was in a state of disarray and some of Esteban's men were killed during the shootout with the police. Luis decided to stay in a two-bedroom condo he owned in downtown Bogota for the time being.
The condo was going to be a permanent residence for him and "Sarah" after they get married. They were going to move out of his uncle's mansion and start a life of their own. The condo was already well-stocked with food and supplies and most of his clothes were already moved there. Exhausted from the day's events, Luis shut himself in the bedroom and refused to talk with anyone.
Two days later, two investigators dropped by at his condo and brought him this time to the DAS headquarters. Luis was brought once more to an interrogation room. His lawyer came quickly to join him.
"Mr. Magdalena! I'm glad you could meet us again," greeted the lanky man from DAS whose name was Ricardo as he opened the door of the interrogation room.
Luis sat on a chair looking rough and unshaven. He looked like he hasn't slept well in days. He was wearing a gray, wrinkled T-shirt and faded jeans.
Ricardo pulled back a chair from the table and sat facing Luis and his lawyer, hands folded on the table.
"Here's the thing," started Ricardo. "There's been a change of plans. The US Marshals Service wants a joint interrogation. They want to personally question you as well. So instead of us questioning you here, we're putting you on a flight to the US for that. I'll be joining you there of course."
Luis' lawyer protested. Ricardo assured them that Luis wouldn't be treated as a criminal while he's in the US. He emphasized that they only want his full cooperation on the investigation of his uncle.
With a somber look, Luis answered: "I'm willing to cooperate, but I won't tell you anything about my uncle unless I talk to her."
"Talk to who?" asked Ricardo.
"You know who I mean," answered Luis curtly. "I want to talk to her – to Sarah – or whatever her real name is."
"That's not possible."
"Then we don't have a deal," said Luis.
"Now, listen–" Ricardo objected.
"I want to personally meet her and talk to her. Just the two of us – no wiretaps, no cameras. That's the deal," Luis said firmly.
Ricardo's eyes narrowed. He looked at Luis suspiciously. After a thoughtful consideration, he nodded.
"I'll see what I can do. Let me make a few phone calls and get back to you on that."
He stood up and quickly left the room. Half an hour later, he came back into the room.
"Look, what you're asking is a complicated process. I can't promise you anything at this time, but what I can tell you is that they're willing to make your request happen – on one condition," Ricardo explained.
"What's that?"
"Give us one valuable information we can work on against your uncle. Once we verify that and it checks out, then they can start the process."
Luis considered the offer for a few minutes. He looked at his lawyer who nodded in approval.
"My uncle has a coffee warehouse in Cartagena, but it's a front for his cocaine transactions. He hides the cocaine in canisters and labels them as Colombian coffee. Then he ships them to the US."
Ricardo scribbled on a small notepad as Luis spoke. Luis gave him the address of the warehouse.
"Very well then. We'll investigate what you just told me then I'll call you as soon as I get the confirmation."
And with that, Luis stood up and was ushered out of the room along with his lawyer.
DAS acted fast on the intel that Luis gave them and raided the warehouse. Sure enough, they found cocaine hidden in the canisters. Ricardo immediately coordinated with their US allies on Luis' terms. He was given the greenlight to get Luis on a plane as quickly as possible while they arrange for a private meeting between Luis and Shannon.