Chapter 8
Shannon's words during their meeting weighed heavily on Luis. He knew that if he refuse to cooperate with US authorities, the Colombian police will go after him. The trial will be long and hard and his uncle won't be able to protect him. And there's a big possibility that he might go to prison. In his mind, Shannon was right. He's not his uncle. He didn't really have it in him to be as ruthless or power-hungry as his uncle. Besides, he's still had plans for his future – plans that don't include his uncle.
Two days after he was brought in for questioning and after much consideration, Luis reluctantly provided more inside information about what he knew of his uncle's drug operations – shipping routes, schedule of operations, names of other dealers, etc. Based on his intel, the Secretary in charge dispatched a different IMF team to Bogota to quell Esteban's drug operations and its subsequent shipping to several US cities.
As promised, the Colombian police dropped the charges they prepared against Luis. Luis was quickly put under the Witness Protection Program. He was flown to an undisclosed safehouse in Washington D.C. and provided with round-the-clock security and the essentials he needed for his temporary stay while the US Marshals arrange for his new identity and background. He was instructed not to return to Colombia for the time being.
A day after he was put under the program, Jim left town to attend to a personal matter.
The IMF Secretary knew that Jim's mission in Bogota didn't go well initially. Having read the mission report that Jim submitted, he began to suspect that Jim's extraction mission might have compromised the IMF itself. He started taking an interest in Shannon and her activities while she was in Bogota.
The Secretary quickly made arrangements with Steve Callahan to interrogate Luis once more. He also made another call to the CIA's deputy director.
Steve and the same senior CIA agent previously present in the first interrogation paid Luis a visit in his safehouse.
"Mr. Magdalena, good to see you again," greeted Steve briskly. He motioned towards the CIA agent beside him. "You remember Alex from our first interrogation, don't you?"
They were standing in a spacious living room with modest furnishings.
"Care to explain what this is all about?" Luis nodded curtly.
He was wearing a light blue shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black pants.
"May we sit down?" asked Steve, looking around the room.
Luis nodded towards a chair not far from where they're standing. Steve went over to the nearest chair and sat down. Luis and Alex followed him. Alex remained standing beside Steve while Luis sat on an upholstered settee facing Steve.
"We're here to ask you about one of our field agents – specifically, the agent you were involved with," explained the CIA agent named Alex.
Steve turned and looked at him in surprise.
"Now wait a second, I thought we were going to question him about Sanchez?" Steve asked in confusion.
Alex ignored him. The senior CIA agent has earned quite a reputation in the agency. He's known for his dirty tactics, violent aggressions and sociopathic tendencies. He stared at Luis across the room.
Luis, looking confused as well stared back at him.
"When you were with her, did she mention anything to you that might seem… odd?" asked Alex, his hands akimbo.
"If by her you mean Sar―" Luis caught himself. "Shannon, I mean," Luis corrected himself.
Alex sighed impatiently and rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course I'm talking about Shannon – your ex-fiancée."
"Wait a minute―" protested Steve. It dawned on him that Alex was keeping something from him. That this interrogation was not really about Sanchez nor Esteban at all.
"Now did she ever mention things to you that sound odd?" questioned Alex again.
"How do you mean odd?" asked Luis looking puzzled.
"I mean, if she ever remembered bits and pieces from her memory ― strange locations, strange faces, names… things like that."
"Her memory? But she didn't really lose her memory. It was all an act," Luis commented, still very much confused.
Alex and Steve glanced at each other knowingly.
Steve interrupted: "Alex, what's going on?! Why are you questioning him about Shannon?"
Alex turned to look at Steve.
"You should leave. I'll take it from here," said Alex dismissively.
Looking suddenly pissed off, Steve stood up and faced Alex. "I'm not leaving! He's still under my jurisdiction! I have a right to know what's going on here!"
Luis looked at both men with interest. He could sense something was up.
"I'll explain later." Alex pushed past Steve and sat on his chair.
Trying to control his irritation, Steve went over to a second chair facing Luis.
"You better!" he muttered irritably.
Alex leaned over a coffee table across Luis.
"So?" he stared at Luis with a questioning look.
Luis thought for a few minutes, trying to remember the conversations he had with Shannon.
"Well… she did mention that she might have a brother. She said she had these small flashes about her past that come and go. She said she remembered attending her brother's college graduation. But aside from that, I don't think there was anything odd about the things she told me."
"What about names? Did she mention any names – a friend, a colleague – anyone?" Alex continued.
Luis frowned and tried to recall his time with Shannon. "Uh… no, I don't think she mentioned any names. She said she couldn't even remember her brother's name."
The interrogation went on for over an hour. Luis was questioned about the places he and Shannon went to, who she interacted with during her time at the night club and while in Esteban's villa, and more. With Alex's line of questioning, Luis began to suspect that Shannon herself is under investigation by the same people she work with. The reason behind it was a mystery to him.
xoxoxo
Four hours later, Shannon was summoned by the CIA to corroborate Jim's report about her time in Bogota. She was told someone would be picking her up from her apartment and driving her to the CIA branch office in the city.
It was a clear, sunny afternoon. Shannon was standing outside her apartment building waiting for them to pick her up. She was wearing a sage green blouse with sleeves that reach just below her shoulders and a cream skirt reaching above her knees. As she stood waiting clutching a small purse in her hands, a black car pulled up in front of her and a man in a black suit stepped out from the driver's seat.
"Ms. Reed?" asked the man as he approached her.
"Yes?" responded Shannon expectantly.
"My name is Dennis from the CIA. I'm instructed to drive you to where the meeting will take place," said the man, showing her his ID.
Shannon frowned. "I thought the meeting will be at the CIA branch office?"
"They changed the location in the last minute," answered the man, avoiding her eyes.
"Oh, I see. So where are we going now?"
"I'll tell you when we get there," he responded cryptically as he opened the passenger door at the back and motioned for her to get in.
Shannon gave him a puzzling look for a few seconds then shrugged. She got inside the car quickly.
On the way to the meeting place, Shannon insisted to know where they were going. But Dennis ignored her question and just kept driving. Shannon suddenly felt uneasy. She thought it was odd that they're not telling her where they were heading.
After more than an hour, they arrived at the safehouse where Luis was staying.
Shannon stepped out of the car and looked around her.
"What is this place?" she asked.
"It's one of our safehouses in the city," responded Dennis, going around the car and standing beside her as she gawked at a modest house in front of her. Flanking the front door of the house were two armed guards.
"This is the meeting place?" asked Shannon incredulously.
"Come on, let's go inside. They're waiting," said Dennis, ignoring her statement. He began walking towards the front door.
Still puzzled, Shannon followed Dennis towards the house and went in with him.
A spacious living room greeted Shannon as she walked into the house. The room was furnished modestly. A set of upholstered furniture stood in the right corner of the room. On her left was a small side table decorated with a small, ceramic vase.
Dennis closed the front door and went to stand beside a chair.
Before Shannon could say anything, Steve Callahan came out from the left corner of the room.
"Ms. Reed! Thank you for coming," Steve said as he approached her.
"Mr. Callahan! What are you doing here?" asked Shannon in surprise.
"I'll be joining you in the meeting," replied Steve.
"You are? But why…?"
Steve rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking at her rather apologetically.
"Listen, I didn't know anything about this until earlier. They just want to ask you a few questions."
"What are you talking about?" Shannon asked frowning.
"Just follow me, please," Steve ushered Shannon towards a door at the far right corner of the room.
Steve opened the door and Shannon walked in. She had no idea of what's about to happen in that room.