Fogerty Memorandum
Part Three:
"Another One Bites The Dust"
After Joe found out that his father had died and his sister was abducted, he had a flashback of a case he handled back in 1972 and remembered that there had been multiple murder attempts on him by the guy he helped put on death row. Certain that his former foe was the mastermind, he and Sharon drove up to San Quentin to see their old foe. Now, Joe was in the interrogation room with his old enemy, Xavier Lombardo sitting across from him. How will this meeting go?! Find out!
(Flashback to part two)
"Warden, why'd you bring them here?! Especially, Fogerty!" Xavier pointed at Joe.
"They have some questions they'd like for you to answer, Lombardo. So, if I were you, I'd get going to that room over there." Robert motioned for the guards.
The guards came, handcuffed, and chained Lombardo up, before, taking him to a room. Once inside of the room, Lombardo sat down in one chair and waited around for either Sharon or Joe to come inside.
"Well, which one of you will go in?" Robert asked.
"I will, because, I have some things to straighten out with him." Joe cracked his knuckles and headed straight inside, but, was stopped by Robert, "What?!"
"If I were you, Joe, I'd be careful. He is dangerous." Robert warned.
"So am I." Joe had a death glare in his eyes.
"If he gets frisky, yell out for help." Robert patted him on the back.
"Trust me, if anyone will be screaming, it'll be him." Joe went inside.
Robert shut the door and went over to the window to watch the interrogation take place. Sharon followed him and stood by his side.
Inside of the prison interrogation room
Joe and Xavier stared each other down for a really long time. They both remembered each other real well and what had happened the last time they saw each other.
"Hello, Joe Fogerty. I'm seeing your face again, after many years." Xavier said with disdain in his voice.
"Lombardo!" Joe growled.
(Now)
"Well, what brings you here?" Xavier asked.
"Cut the crap, Lombardo, you know why I am here! You know what you've had done to me! Now, tell me who's been doing your bidding outside of these walls!" Joe demanded.
"Oh, Fogerty, I've done nothing, since, you helped put me in this cage!" Xavier snarked.
"Oh, yes, you have! You have had assassination attempts on me! I know you have, because, in 1972, you told me to mark your words, because, you'd find me and when you did, you'd kill me." Joe barked.
"Did I do that? I fail to remember." Xavier had a shit eating grin on his face.
"You're not fooling me for a bit! Look, if you want me, I'm right here, but, you didn't have to have my father killed and my sister abducted and held against her will!" Joe was shooting daggers at him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, Fogerty! Just wait a minute!" Xavier held out his hand in the stop position, "So what, if I tried to have you killed?! So, what?! That'd be the satisfaction I have longed for awhile and it'd give me closure that the person, who helped put me behind bars and made my sweet Phyllis turn against me, would be off my shit list. That would make my life complete, because, personally, I loathe you, Joe Fogerty! You ruined my life and you're still making it a living hell by being alive!"
"You can say all you want, but, you did it all to yourself, Lombardo! You killed Joanna and her unborn baby! All I was doing was my job to put dirt bags, like you, behind bars where you belong. Also, while I am at it, how come Phyllis suddenly vanished from the face of the earth after your trial?!" Joe shook his head and folded his arms.
"Who cares?! I, personally, hope she feels bad for betraying me like she did. Also, sure, I may have had murder attempts on you and I certainly hope you die a slow and painful death and go to hell, but, that doesn't mean I had your daddy-o killed and your sister abducted. They didn't do anything to me, you did!" Xavier had a stoic expression on his face.
"I hope she's still alive, because, I have a bad feeling that you had something done to her and I have a gut feeling that you are the mastermind behind my father's murder and sister's abduction! Now, fess up!" Joe cracked his knuckles and his neck.
"Sorry to damper things, but, I don't know what you're talking about and even if I did, I would rather die than tell you." Xavier chuckled.
"I won't let you die, because, you're going to tell me, even if I have to beat it out of you!" Joe raised his voice.
"I'm not telling you a damn thing!" Xavier shook his head.
"You had somebody kill my father and abduct my sister just so you could get to me and lure me into a trap or something! Well, you've lured me to the prison and here I am, right before your eyes." Joe pounded his fist.
"So, what, if I did?! So, what?! I had to have something done in order to get you here." Xavier shrugged.
"Something?! My father's dead body is your something! Also, you're changing your story, yet again! First off, you were going on and on about how you "had nothing to do" with my father's murder and my sister's kidnapping, but, now, you're saying that you "had to have something done" in order to get me here! Well, for what?! Why did you want to get me here so badly that you had my father killed and my sister kidnapped?! Huh?!" Joe stared him down, trying to fight back the urge to jump across the table and strangle Xavier.
"So, I could...do...THIS!" Xavier stood up and lunged at Joe, as if he was ready to strangle him to death.
Joe, acting very quickly, turned the tables on Xavier by wrapping his hands around Xavier's neck and tackling him to the floor.
"Wait a minute! This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to...strangle you and...snap that neck of yours!" Xavier tried to pry Joe's hands off of his neck.
"WHO'S DOING YOUR EVIL BIDDING?! WHO?!" Joe yelled.
"I...don't...know!" Xavier gasped.
"WRONG ANSWER!" Joe started banging Xavier's head on the ground, repeatedly, "WRONG ANSWER! WRONG ANSWER! WRONG ANSWER!"
"Oh...God! You're still just as strong now as you were then! For God's sake, somebody get this guy off of me!" Xavier's eyes started welling up with tears, as he continued to try to pry Joe's hands off his neck.
"TELL ME WHO'S DOING IT!" Joe pinned him to the ground.
"Oh dear God! You're killing me, Fogerty! You're killing me! I-I can't-This isn't what I had in mind! I'm supposed to be strangling you and snapping that neck of yours!" Xavier kneed Joe in the chest.
"GIVE ME SOME NAMES, LOMBARDO!" Joe put his knee on Xavier's chest and put all of his weight onto that knee.
"For God's sake, you're putting all of your weight on me!" Xavier groaned, "OK, OK, I'll give you names, just get off of me!"
"Give me names first, then I'll get off." Joe stood up and put his foot on Xavier's chest.
"Take your foot off!" Xavier squirmed.
"No." Joe shook his head.
"OK, you asked for this!" Xavier grabbed Joe's ankle and bit down really hard.
"OUCH!" Joe screamed, before managing to shake him off of his ankle.
Xavier stood up and went to grab Joe's neck, only for Joe to put him in a headlock. However, Xavier bit down on Joe's arm, extremely harder than how hard he bit Joe's ankle. Joe screamed, again and tried to shake him off, but, to no avail and having no choice, but, to bite down on Xavier's neck. Xavier started punching Joe repeatedly in the face, causing a bloody gash on the right side of Joe's forehead, bruises to form, two black eyes, and a possibly broken nose. Joe let go of Xavier's neck, started blocking the series of punches Xavier was unleashing on him, and even delivering self-defense punches, before, getting Xavier back into a headlock in order to stop him. Xavier, wanting to be the dominant one, pinched Joe's right nipple and kicked him in the man area, causing him to yell out in pain and knee Xavier in the gut.
Outside of the interrogation room
Sharon and Robert were talking, when suddenly they heard Joe screaming and saw what happened. They, along with four guards, rushed into the room in order to separate Joe and Xavier. While, Sharon and Robert got Joe out of the room, the guards were having a hard time controlling Xavier. However, they finally got him under control and were about to take him back to his cell, only for Joe to stop them.
"Wait a minute, he still didn't give me names." Joe pointed out.
"I'm not giving you jack diddly squat." Xavier snapped.
"Where's the gas chamber? I'd gladly execute him!" Joe had a sinister grin on his face.
"Wait, I'll give you a name!" Xavier sounded a bit scared.
"OK, spit it out." Joe said in a stern way.
"It's a guy named Tony Montoya and his friends Eric Barrow, Paul "the man" Bono, and Eddie Fontana." Xavier finally confessed.
"Where can I find them?!" Joe grabbed Xavier by his shirt.
"They hang out at a bar called Verona's in Los Angeles. Sometimes, they go to the Biltmore Millennium Hotel." Xavier told him.
"Oh, the very hotel where you murdered Joanna Margolis and her unborn child. How nice!" Joe retorted.
"Don't say that bitch's name around me!" Xavier shot back.
"You make me sick now as you did then!" Joe gave him a death glare.
"Fogerty, would you like to press charges for the injuries you just sustained?" Robert asked.
"Do whatever you want! He's not my problem anymore." Joe still gave Xavier a cold death stare.
"OK, then, we'll add assault and battery to his record." Robert nodded.
"Also, put conspiracy to commit murder, murder attempts, and kidnapping." Joe instructed, before heading to the front door.
"I should've killed him!" Xavier snapped, "See you in hell, Fogerty!"
"OK, that's enough Lombardo!" a guard said, as he was taking Xavier back to his cell.
"I'll find you Fogerty and when I do, mark my words, you'll be dead!" Xavier yelled out.
As Xavier was put back in his cell, Joe and Sharon were finally outside of the prison and Joe was taking deep breaths in order to compose himself, before looking at his wounds.
"Joe, did you get anything out of him?" Sharon asked.
"Well, he told me names of his goons who have been doing his bidding and the places they hang out at, plus, that he was the mastermind. If it wasn't for my brute strength, he could've killed me, but, luckily, I escaped with minor injuries." Joe opened his car door and sat down.
"Minor injuries? Joe, he beat your face in, gave you a bloody gash on the right side of your forehead, and bit you twice. You need to get those wounds treated." Sharon gave him a look.
"I don't have a first aid kit on me and plus, the bites are just bite marks, they'll go away." Joe shrugged it off.
"Well, luckily, I have one." Sharon pulled out her homemade first aid kit.
"Impressive." Joe was impressed by Sharon's homemade first aid kit.
Sharon got the necessary stuff out and started working on Joe's wounds. Joe looked up at her and admired her beauty, his eyes beginning to sparkle. Unbeknownst to him, Sharon was admiring his good looks and at the same time, patting herself on the back, knowing that she was one-upping Brenda and Andrea. She was also wishing that he would get his divorce from Melinda overwith, so, that way he can be happy for once in his life. Happy with her that was. Anyways, once she was done tending to his wounds, Sharon could not help staring at him, admiring his good looks, yet again.
"What's the matter, Sharon? Didn't you bandage up enough of my wounds?" Joe joked.
"Nothing, Joe. I'm just admiring...the beauty of-of...of how beautiful the day is." Sharon was clearly lying.
"Yeah, it is a beautiful day, Sharon." Joe couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"What?" Sharon noticed that he didn't take his eyes off of her.
"You know, Sharon, you're very beautiful." Joe commented.
"Why, thank you, Joe, and you're pretty good looking, yourself." Sharon smiled.
"Oh, stop." Joe started to blush.
"Aww, look, Joe, you're blushing." Sharon started to laugh.
"Oh, geez!" Joe covered his face in embarrassment.
"Well, let's get you home, so, that way you can rest up after being nearly killed by Lombardo." Sharon patted him on the shoulder.
"Home nothing. I want to go and find those goons of his. Hopefully, I won't be ambushed." Joe put his seat belt on.
"Joe, you really don't have to." Sharon leaned on Joe's car door.
"No, No, I don't mind at all." Joe replied.
"But, Joe-" Sharon was cut off.
"No, Sharon, I must and nobody is going to talk me out of it. After all, it would be nice to have a cold gun pressed against my thigh once again, after all these years in retirement." Joe rubbed his left thigh.
"Retirement? You told me that you're a security guard." Sharon corrected him.
"Yes, but, I don't have a gun on me when I'm on duty. Just handcuffs, a night stick, a badge, a taser, and mace. That's all." Joe shrugged.
"Oh." Sharon nodded.
"Yes, it would be nice to have a cold gun pressed against my thigh and to go out and nab criminals, just like in the good old days. It would be like taking a trip down memory lane." Joe was reminiscing about his days.
"OK, Chief, as long as you know what you're doing. Now, I don't condone this, but, I also don't talk back to my former boss, either." Sharon said in a seductive-like tone.
"Thanks for understanding, Captain. Maybe you'll wise up and be with-I mean join me." Joe shut his door, started the car up, and rolled his window down, "Before, I go, I just wanted to ask you one thing."
"Yes, Joe?" Sharon asked.
"Can I-Can I-Can I-Can I-Can I meet up with you, later on?" Joe stuttered a bit.
"Of course. No need to ask." Sharon smiled.
"OK, thanks, Sharon." Joe drove off.
Sharon watched as her former boss drove off, before, getting into her car and driving back to the department. Once she returned, she walked straight to her office, passing by everyone, without saying a word. Upon reaching her office, she shut the door and sat around, staring at an old photo of Joe that she had saved and hidden in her desk. She brought the photo closer to her and kissed it, before, laying it back down on her desk and admiring it, some more. However, all of this was suddenly interrupted by a phone call.
"Hello?" Sharon answered her phone.
"Hello, Captain Raydor, it's me, Robert." Robert said on the other line.
"By the tone of your voice, this sounds bad." Sharon was nervous.
"Well, Lombardo just broke out of the prison and is on the loose!" Robert was visibly shook up.
"Oh dear God! Joe's going to find his foot soldiers and question them one by one. What do I do?" Sharon was also visibly shook up.
"You better get to Chief Fogerty and fast, because, you don't know when Lombardo will find him!" Robert clearly had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Will do, immediately. If Lombardo and his foot soldiers find him, he's dead meat." Sharon tried hard not to cry.
Meanwhile, Joe finally reached the Biltmore Millennium Hotel, checked in, and headed straight to the second floor. As soon as he arrived to the second floor, he walked passed by the very room that Joanna Margolis had been murdered in. This sent chills up his spine. However, just as he reached his room, a gunshot was heard. Joe turned around, grabbed his glock and fired back at the shooter, wounding him. He picked the guy up, pulled him into his room, and slammed the door.
"Alright, who are you and why did you shoot at me?!" Joe demanded.
"None of your business is who I am." the guy snarked.
"Give me your name," Joe got close to the guy and raised his voice, "NOW!"
"OK, I'm Eric Barrow." Eric , out of fear, introduced himself.
"So, you're one of Lombardo's foot soldiers! Alright, why did you kidnap my sister and kill my father and why have you attempted to kill me on several occasions?!" Joe cracked his knuckles.
"You are mistaken. I never killed anybody. Look, the one you want is Paul "the man" Bono, he killed your dad. I hate him for that. I don't honestly care what you do to him! He has it coming!" Eric said.
"But, YOU DIDN'T STOP HIM!" Joe pounded his fist.
"Look, Paul is the one who has been firing all the shots. I've just been an innocent bystander and after he gunned down your old man, that's when I changed my mind and started thinking about my dad." Eric started backing up.
"You thought about your dad?! I USED TO THINK ABOUT MY DAD AND SPEND TIME WITH HIM, BUT, HE'S NOT HERE TO DO THAT ANYMORE!" Joe held his gun barrel on Eric's forehead.
"Please, Mister, please don't." Eric begged.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't." Joe held his finger near the trigger.
"Because-Because, I know where-where your sister is and I know who's got her." Eric was breathing heavily and starting to reach behind himself.
"Where's my sister?! Who has her?! Is she alright?!" Joe titled his head to the side.
"She's good and my friends uh Tony Montoya and Eddie Fontana have her." Eric replied.
"Fontana and Montoya, where are they?!" Joe slowly took his gun away from Eric's forehead.
"I don't know." Eric shrugged.
"Wrong answer!" Joe held the gun barrel on the left side of Eric's chest, right on top of his heart.
"Wait, wait! They're at Verona's bar. In the cellar where they usually hang out. It-It used to be a speakeasy. They might have her down there." Eric tried to pry the gun barrel off of his heart.
"Why are there scratches?! Did you rape my sister?!" Joe was shooting daggers at him.
"Well, I did have sex with her and it was consensual." Eric shot back.
"You're lying!" Joe didn't believe him for a minute.
"Alright, so what if I raped for a little bit, so, what? That's no skin off my back!" Eric laughed.
"You sick bastard!" Joe cocked his gun.
Eric suddenly grabbed his switchblade from behind and slashed Joe on the nose, lips, and shoulder. He went to stab him in the neck, but, was shot in the gut. This badly wounded him, instead of killing him.
"Bon Voyage!" Joe remarked, before, leaving his room and heading to the lobby.
Once, he arrived to the lobby, he checked out and told the lady at the desk that there was an intruder in his room, whom he had to shoot out of self-defense. The lady sent people to tend to the guy, before calling the police. Once the police and first responders showed up, Sharon, who also showed up, went over to Joe.
"Joe, what happened?!" Sharon was horrified by Joe's cuts.
"I came here and checked into a room, just so I could start interrogating Lombardo's foot soldiers, if I happen to see one, which I did. He took a shot at me and I shot back at him, before, I interrogated him. I found out where Jenny is and that he had raped her. He stabbed and slashed me a few times, before, I finally shot him out of self-defense." Joe explained.
"Chief, we got him. What's his name?" Flynn came out of an elevator, followed by Eric being wheeled out to the ambulance via gurney.
"His name is Eric Barrow. He is one of Lombardo's foot soldiers." Joe folded his arms.
"Xavier Lombardo?!" Flynn froze in his tracks.
"Yes, he's the one who's been trying to assassinate me ever since his sentencing. He told me." Joe put his hand on the wall.
"Well, Joe, you're not going to like this, but, Robert from San Quentin just called and-" Sharon paused.
"And what?" Joe wanted to know.
"Yeah, what, Sharon?" Flynn asked.
"He broke out of the prison and is on the loose! We have to be careful." Sharon was clearly alarmed, "We need a BOLO on him."
"Got it." Flynn nodded.
"I'm not surprised. I knew he was trying to off me. Well, it's survival mode now." Joe started to walk out of the hotel, but, stopped and turned around, "It's either my life or his."
"Chief, look, you need to-" Flynn was cut off.
"I don't 'need to' anything, Lt. Flynn. This is my mission and I will do what I please. It's a kill or be killed situation now. Lombardo doesn't reason, in case you had forgotten." Joe looked Flynn dead in the eye, his eyes piercing Flynn's.
"Look, Fogerty, you really shouldn't do anything. You'll get killed!" Flynn tried to talk Joe out of his revenge plan.
"Lt. Flynn, he's tried to kill me a number of times and hasn't succeeded. Now, let me carry on about this situation, my way, huh." Joe had an intense tone in his voice, which caused Flynn to back off a little bit.
"Fogerty, it's not worth losing your life. Plus, Chief Johnson won't be too happy about this bounty hunting thing you plan on doing." Flynn tried his best to reason with Joe.
"I don't give two shits about what Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson likes or doesn't like. It isn't her life, now, is it?!" Joe barked.
"No, it's your life and we understand that, but, bounty hunting a convict who you put away back in 1972 isn't worth losing your life, because, if you aren't careful, you will lose your life and I am pretty sure that your father wouldn't want that." Flynn put his hand on Joe's shoulder.
"You say bounty hunting, I say getting justice. Anyways, I know it's risky, but, it's my choice. MY choice and neither you nor anyone else is going to talk me out of it. I can't and will not let my dad's murder and sister's abduction go unpunished." Joe cracked his knuckles and his neck.
"We won't let it go unpunished either, Fogerty and you need to cooperate with us and let us handle it." Flynn tried once more.
"Sorry, but, it's my father's death and my sister's abduction and it's a convict who wants me dead, so, I will handle it my way. No more questions asked." Joe walked out, got into his car, and headed straight for Verona's bar.
"I hope he knows what he's doing. He shouldn't be doing it, though." Flynn shrugged.
"Andy, he was our chief for cryin' out loud, so, I'd say that he knows what he is doing. He's brave." Sharon pointed out.
"Chief Johnson is not going to like this." Andy retorted.
"Does it look like he cares about what Brenda likes or dislikes?!" Sharon looked at him.
"Uh.." Andy paused.
"I didn't think so." Sharon walked off, but, stopped and turned to Andy, "Like I said, he's brave and I dig brave men."
Andy didn't say anything, as he took a little offense to what she just said.
All the while upon arriving to Verona's bar, Joe went inside and started looking around for Eddie, Tony, and Paul. So far, he found nothing, but, that wasn't going to stop him. Soon enough, he spotted a guy who looked at him for a moment and quickly rushed off. He followed the guy all the way to the back of the bar and grabbed him by his shirt.
"Hey, brother, what are you doing here?! Who are you?!" the guy protested.
"From one interloper to another, perhaps you can answer those and many more questions I have for you!" Joe pulled him into an empty room and shut the door, "Sit down!"
"What the hell is this all about?!" the guy sat down.
"What's your name?!" Joe pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of the guy, facing him.
"I'm not telling you my name. I have my rights." the guy chuckled.
"Yeah, you have rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you desire and can't afford one, an attorney will be appointed to you. Free of charge." Joe firmly told him.
"What the hell did you-Uh oh! You're that cop guy! You're the relative of that old man and that lady! Oh shit!" the guy went to get up to leave, but, was stopped by Joe.
"Tell me your name!" Joe pushed him back down onto his chair.
"I'm Eddie Fontana. I-I-" Eddie was cut off.
"Say no more! I know that you're Lombardo's henchman as well. Now, tell me why you killed my father and where my sister is! Otherwise, another one bites the dust!" Joe cocked his glock and pointed it at Eddie.
"Look, I didn't pull the trigger on your dad or kidnap your sister! I was just the driver!" Eddie was shaking.
"Just the driver?! I don't believe you!" Joe put his finger near the trigger.
"Look, I'm telling you the truth, I was just a driver. Nothing else. However, I know who killed your father and where your sister is." Eddie replied.
"Yeah, I know who killed my father too! Paul "the man" Bono and I know who the mastermind is! Xavier Lombardo! However, your name came into the mix, because, your boss and your colleague, Eric Barrow both threw your name into it, along with Tony Montoya and Paul! Eric told me that you, Tony, and Paul were holding my sister here and now, you're gonna show me which room she is in!" Joe pulled Eddie up by his arm.
"I tell you the truth, I wasn't fully involved and I really don't know why they would rat me out. Honest." Eddie tried to act innocent.
"You see?! Here's the problem for yourself, I don't believe you or your story of innocence and plus, you never had a problem with your name being thrown into it until now, which is still bad for you!" Joe put his gun barrel at the right side of Eddie's head.
"Look, brother, if you spare me, I'll help you put the others away for good." Eddie pleaded.
"You're lucky that I am sparing you, but, I don't believe your sudden promise of joining the side of good. You're still just as guilty as the others are!" Joe pulled him down the hallway, "Now, which room?!"
"I think it's that-that one." Eddie pointed to the third door in the hallway.
"You better be right!" Joe pulled out a spare pair of handcuffs and cuffed Eddie, so, that way he wouldn't get away, before, going inside the room.
As soon as he shut the door, he looked around the empty and dark room.
"Jenny! Jenny, where are you?" Joe called out.
Nothing.
"Whoever is in here, bring my sister to me," Joe held out his gun, "NOW!"
Still no answer.
"C'mon, Montoya and Bono, gimme my sister and surrender!" Joe called out, again.
Still silent.
"I'm not playing!" Joe said.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure came out of the darkness and threw a canister at Joe.
"Who the hell just threw that?!" Joe raised his voice.
The canister exploded, resulting in Joe having a coughing fit, before, going unconscious, while two shadowy figures managed to get away.
To Be Continued...