by Abbey, S. C.
Who the hell visits at such an ungodly hour?
He strolled to the door, too tired to move faster, as he peeked through the peephole on the whitewashed door. Who he saw astonished him but he was too tired to consider the possible reasons they would visit at such a time. He chose to simple open the door.
“Professor Nolan, I apologize for the early morning visit but we need you to come with us back to the station for some questions.” said Agent Darrow.
“Couldn’t you all wait till a little later?” Harvey replied, annoyed with the illogicality of the visit. “It’s barely six in the morning.”
“I’m afraid this is of dire importance regarding Christina’s disappearance, we hope that you will cooperate in view of the benefit it might be to her.” Added Detective Frost, who had been standing behind Darrow.
“And if I refuse?” asked Harvey, sure of the consequences.
“Then we would have to be compelled to take you in by force.” Said Darrow as he pulled back the flap of his suit to reveal his gun.
Harvey glowered at the threat.
“I ensure you, violence isn’t necessary.” said Frost, his palms covering the gun that Agent Darrow had just flashed.
“Alright. I’ll go with you.” Harvey said. He looked down upon himself and realized that he was still undressed and wrapped in the white towel from his shower. “First, let me be properly dressed at least.”
“Sure.”
Harvey gradually turned around and headed toward his bedroom. The two police officers did not waited for an invitation before they entered the apartment, as they loitered around the hallway. Harvey lifted his trousers from the floor and dug for his cell phone in the front pocket, he needed to send a text message to the only person who he could think of now that would be able to help. Katie.
‘FBI.’
He entered the living room again when he was done and Agent Darrow proceeded to cuff his wrists.
“Sir, you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future–”
Chapter 35
“WHAT DO YOU mean the money’s gone?” yelled the taller man as he straightened up from the couch he was sitting in.
The rugged lean man took half a step back at the sudden outburst of his employer and shivered a little. He had half expected to be slaughtered by him but the actual experience of facing the music still daunted him. He had never seen the other man so peeved in his life and he knew it was just the tip of the ice berg, he knew what he was truly capable of. He always frightened him a little. The Captain clutched his right arm with a piece of cloth where the bullet fired by the female police officer had grazed upon earlier. The bleeding had slowed but it still hurt like hell. He had not dressed the wound, hoping that the explicit sight of it would gain him some sympathy from his employer. It did not work.
“He came out of nowhere, Nolan. And that female police officer as well. I didn’t even hear them embark the boat from the back when I was on the front deck. I swear I didn’t know. It’s the kids, they brought them there, I’m sure of It.” Whimpered Kaul.
The man stood up from his couch and glared at the shorter man. “I thought I told you to take care of them? What were you doing, Kaul?”
“I did! I was just about to when the female officer gave me this.” Said Kaul, afraid of looking into his employer’s eyes as he spoke as he stretch out his arm to show his bullet wound. “I barely made out of there alive.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have.” Barked his employer, as he turning around and started pacing the span of the room. He was not in a good mood.
“What about Harvey? What was he doing there with the female officer? How is he involved in this?” questioned the man.
“I’m not sure, boss. I would have killed both the boys if he hadn’t shown up.” Replied Kaul.
“Did any of them see your face?” asked the man.
“No, no I was in a mask, fully covered my face. None of them have seen my face. Not even the boys.” Kaul said, uneasy about the question.
“What about the cocaine? Was there any left in the boat when you abandoned it?” The man said, stopping to once again stare at the bald man, daring him to give him more bad news.
“I cleared it out before they got there. I never wanted to get them to do another job. I merely wanted to take back our money and get rid of the damn boys. I’m sorry, sir, truly.”
“What’s the use of telling me you’re sorry? It won’t bring me back my money you piece of crap. Thirty-five grand, cash.” Shouted the man as he contemplated where he should just put a bullet in his incompetent employee’s brain that instant. He decided otherwise, he still needed the fool to do his dirty work for him. “Where’s the rest of the crack?”
“It’s in the safe, boss. Nowhere safer in this world.” Replied the lean man.
“Bring it to the dungeons, fool. I do not want to be caught with that much cocaine if the police ever comes knocking.” The taller man said. “Keep them in one of the empty cells. Get Tom to lock it up.”
“Yes boss. What should we do with them?” Kaul asked as he raised his head slightly, sensing that his boss’s anger had subsided substantially. “Should I go look for more hands to peddle them?”
“No, not now.” The man said as he started to pace the room again. “The police would be on high alert all over the city, it’s too dangerous to make a move now. We will just have to wait this one out. Wait till the storm ends. And besides, we just lost our freaking boat, we have to find other means to collect and distribute our dough. That one’s on your tab.”
Kaul did not reply for the fear of saying anything wrong. He nodded where he stood at his employer’s remarks and winced at the sharp pain that was constantly tormenting him from the bullet wound. He needed some painkillers.
“Now get out of here.” The lean man did not wait for his employer to change his mind. He quickly made his exit and finally breathed easy. He knew he had been let off easy this time, he wasn’t too sure about the next. The taller man did not move from his spot with his back facing the lean man as he left.
He was deep in thought, and profoundly enraged.
Chapter 36
WILLIAMS WAS IN his security post watching a replay of the football game on his iPad, between the New York Giants and Jets that played the weekend before, as he opened a second bag of chips and took a swing of his diet coke. He sat up from his chair and swore at a bad pass made by one of the players, causing a fireworks of crumps from the bag of chips to rain upon him. The time was between the wee hours of the day and dawn, it would not be another hour before most, if any of the office workers would start to stream in. It was a Sunday after all. He was so engrossed in the game that he did not see the black Chevrolet Suburban turning into the small lane connecting to Worth Street, along the side of the Lower Manhattan office building, where the security barrier he manned was. A familiar voice made him jump from his seat, causing a second fireworks.
“Williams, my old boy, didn’t we just had that security briefing on rising threats of domestic terrorism last week?”
Williams braced himself as he picked up the packet of now half spilled chips and looked through the white frame sliding counter window. He breathed a sigh of relief. “For God’s sake Darrow, I’m almost sixty-five, were you trying to kill me?”
“Just testing your reflexes, Will. The entire building relies on you to keep us safe you know.” Darrow chuckled at the old man. “Now, if you would be so kind to lower the barrier, we’ve got someone in custody to bring in right now. You know how Frost is, he doesn’t take too kindly to waiting.”
“Detective Frost?” replied Williams as he peeked through the side of his window, trying his best to look through the tinted glass of the SUV. A look of nervousness crept up on his face when he spotted a pair of cold blue eye
s staring back at him. He instantly punched the green knob to his left with the heel of his palm. “Right away!”
The black SUV resumed its journey into the office building across the barrier as Williams waved wildly at it. No one from the inside of the vehicle took notice of him. The Jacob K. Javits Federal Building at 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square towered over many of the buildings around it, and at over forty-one stories, was the tallest Federal building in the United States. It housed many Federal government agencies and was named after Jacob K. Javits, a United States Senator from New York who served for 24 years.
The car reached its destination at the basement of the building it had entered five minutes ago, and Agent Darrow who was at the wheel of it, killed the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition. He alighted from the unmarked police car and opened the door to the side where Harvey was sitting. Darrow beckoned the professor to move out from the car.
“Detective Frost, is this really necessary?” asked Harvey as he lifted his arms, explicitly implying the metal hand cuffs that secured his wrists.
“Apologies professor, this is merely procedural during transits. I would have them removed immediately once we get to our office.”
Harvey couldn’t argue to that. He knew they were just doing what they had to do. It was just always different when things became a personal inconvenience. He slid off the seat and hopped on to the ground where Agent Darrow was waiting for him. Darrow tugged a hand at the underside of Harvey’s biceps and leaded him toward the elevator. Detective Frost followed closely behind them. Darrow pressed the arrow pointing up button and it lid up. The lights on the display indicated where the lift was as it made its journey down to the basement. The door opened to an empty carriage. Darrow nudged Harvey into the lift and took a spot at the rear of it where Harvey joined him. Detective Frost entered the lift last and pressed the button for the 23rd floor. The lift sprang to life. A soft unrecognizable piece of elevator music played in the background, deafening in the silence. The three men did not utter a single word.
The lift reached the 23rd floor of the building and came to a halt, the lift door rolled open. Darrow once again placed his hand on Harvey’s and guided him into the lobby of the level. They took a left and entered through a glass door where Frost had tapped his keycard to open with. They walked down the white washed hallway past many doors before stopped at one particular brown one. Special Agent Darrow took out a bunch of keys and picked out one, unlocking the door with in. He turned the knob and push the door, signaling the professor to enter the room. Harvey took a seat on a black plastic chair facing the door at the far end of it. It wasn’t the most comfortable chair, to say the least. Darrow took out a tiny key where he had hung from his belt and unlocked the metal handcuffs to Harvey’s wrists.
“Please wait here. We’ll be with you in a minute.” Said Darrow before he left the room, the clicking sound of the lock indicated the door being locked.
Harvey rubbed his wrists, the red marks on them visible from the prolonged restraint. One who had never been handcuffed before would not understand the damage that can be done by the two unyielding rings of stainless steel. A small tug on it when it was being worn would cause immense pain to the wearer – a common tactic of the police when it came to uncooperative persons. Harvey surveyed the surroundings he was in, it was a plain white painted room with a black table in the middle and two black chairs behind it on both sides, facing each other. Two CCTV cameras hanged from the ceiling on diagonal ends of the room, ensuring no blind spots uncovered. He relaxed in the chair he was in and closed his eyes after being satisfied that there was nothing else to be observed in the room. He was exhausted, the last time he had slept was more than 24 hours ago, before everything decided to head south. He was planning on catching up on some shuteye before Frost decided to pay a visit. How he missed his bed, he thought as he drifted off into a deep slumber. After quite some time, he was awakened by a tapping sound of knuckles on the table he had fallen asleep on.
“Professor Nolan, shall we begin?” said Detective Frost, sitting on the opposite side of Harvey.
Harvey blinked the sleep away from his eyes and nodded.
“How long have I been here?”
“Slightly under an hour.” Said Frost, not explaining the reason why.
He continued. “I need to ask you a few questions which I implore you to answer as truthfully as possible, anything you say can and will be used against you in court, do you understand?”
“Am I officially being charged?” Replied Harvey as he watched Frost drank his coffee from a dirty looking mug. He was not offered any.
Frost ignored him. “Three days ago, we bumped into each other at Christina Jenson’s Mother’s house, what were you doing there?”
“I was trying to find out more information about the disappearance of Christina, I wanted to look for her.”
“And did you manage to do that?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I did found out that she might be victim to a drug gang, which kidnaps young women to use them as drug mules. This is purely a speculation, of course.”
“Oh, really?” said Frost in a tone that implied he was interested in learning more but his deadpanned expression gave his true sentiment away. “And how do you suppose they kidnapped her?”
“I haven’t really got to that.”
“Hmmm. And after that? Where did you go?” said Frost, asking for the sake of asking, already knowing the answer.
“I visited the orphanage she volunteered at the next day and to a circus to talk to some of Christina’s friends.”
“Can you please recall, at 1.00 a.m. that night, where were you?”
“I believe I was at home, Detective. Probably asleep, or reading a novel. I can’t quite remember what exactly I was doing.”
“Were you alone, Professor? Would you be able to produce an alibi if required?”
Harvey frowned at the tone of accusation. “No, I don’t think so. I live alone, you see.”
Frost scribbled on a notepad he had brought, supporting it against the edge of the table. Harvey could not see what he was writing from where he sat.
“Are you aware that Shia Jamison was reported missing yesterday by her mother?” Revealed the detective.
“Shia?” Harvey’s voice raised a few notches. “Oh god please tell me you all are doing something about it.”
“We are.” Said Frost, matter-of-factly.
“You should be out there looking for her, and Christina. You are wasting your time with me here Detective, I have already told you everything I know.” Said Harvey in an exasperated tone. His look was a mix of shock and annoyance.
“Calm down, Nolan. We are.”
Harvey sat back deep into the chair. He folded his arms, infuriated by the news and severe lack of sleep. He took a minute to register the information the FBI officer had just shared with him. He made sudden eye contact with Frost at realization.
“Wait a minute. This is about me, isn’t it? The FBI suspects me to be involved with the kidnap of Christina and Shia.” His eyes widened considerably. “You are wasting your time, I’m not the man you are looking for.”
“As it seems, you are the only person we have that connects to all three of them.”
“This is absurd, I’m on your side. I was trying to look for Christina too – wait a minute, three?” A puzzled look began to form on his face. “Did you say three of them? There is a third person involved?”
“Miss Charlotte Jones.”
“Who’s that?” responded Harvey with a genuinely innocent expression.
“I was hoping you could tell me. We happen to have found a rather intimate piece of personal property of Miss Jones in your office when we were investigating Miss Jamison’s case. Charlotte Jones also happen to be found dead yesterday along the Lenape Trail in South Mountain Reservation, West Orange, New Jersey.” Frost said, impatient with the pace of this conversation. “So tell me, why should I give you the benefit of the doubt?”<
br />
The door swung open, it was Agent Darrow.
“What is it?” barked Frost, as Darrow walked toward him.
“Sir, Harvey’s lawyer is here. She demands to speak to her client. Should we–” Whispered Darrow in Detective’s Frost ear. Harvey could vaguely hear him speak. That guy breathed so hard, one could probably hear him before he appeared.
Frost interrupted Darrow by placing his hand up. He then resumed his attention on Harvey. “We are not done here.” Frost said as he stood up. “We will continue after you get to speak to your attorney.”
Darrow stepped out of the room and beckoned someone from the corridor to come forth as Detective Frost left the room. “The CCTVs and the microphones please, we wish to convene in privacy. Thank you.” Said Katie Moulin as she entered the interrogation room. “Kat–” She closed the door behind her and put up her hand to stop Harvey from saying anything. She stared at the CCTV till the red blinking lights stopped.
“Okay we are good. What happened?” asked Katie with a look of concern.
“Katie, this is crazy, impersonating an attorney.”
“Technically, I was admitted to the bar. I just don’t practice as a criminal lawyer.” Shrugged Katie.
“You’ve got to listen to what happened, it is ludicrous–” Harvey continued as he filled Katie in on the details he had just learned.
Katie Moulin sat silent for a good three minutes, replaying the information she had just learned from Harvey over and over again in her mind.
“This doesn’t sound good, Harvey. They’ve got a body and an intimate object as evidence to imply you are the main suspect of the case, all they are missing is a strong motive which they are trying to build with Christina and Shia. My guess is that the FBI currently do not have enough evidence to formally charge you and hold you in a cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. They can however detain you for the next 72 hours before letting you go or charge you if they do find more evidence.” Katie said. “Any idea who’s trying to frame you here?”
