In The Line of Fire Boxset 5 Books in 1 (Thriller Stories To Keep You up all Night)

by Rhiley McCabe

  “News flash, Detective… Carlos is in jail.” Jason said, unimpressed.

  “Yes, but for how long? You know the lengths those guys can go to, to get out. You need a solid case that can end Carlos and the organization for good. If you use me, your case will be foolproof.”

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  When Jason opened his mouth, the door flung open.

  “What is going on here?” The man croaked in his usual, hoarse voice, “I told you not to start this meeting without me, Williams!”

  Walter Sidney was one of the smartest lawyers in New York City. His wits could have made him millions as a private attorney, but he chose to prosecute criminals for the state, and to not accept bribes to let them walk free.

  Every criminal, corrupt politician and bad cop loathed him. He rarely lost a case against wicked men and women.

  He was an average man: not tall, not short; not over-weight, not slender… The kind of man you would just walk past on the busy streets of New York without noticing. But whenever he stood in the courtroom, he trans-formed into a dangerous opponent to anyone on the wrong side of the law. His most recent successful conviction had been Carlos Rodrigues.

  Jason didn’t stand up. “Sorry,” he said half-heartedly, “I couldn’t wait any longer. Since she was my partner, I thought it would be best if I talked to her first.”

  Walter shook his head at Jason’s childish demeanor. He didn’t have time for angry, unreasonable cops with personal vendettas. He ignored his insubordination.

  He sat down next to Jason and looked him up and down with a frown. Back in his day, they would never allow cops to go to work looking so disorderly. He sighed and turned his attention to Mary.

  “You know why you are here?” Walter looked at her over his tiny readers and she nodded, “You have violated the code of the New York City Police department by conspiring with a known criminal, and for attempted 60

  murder. The penalty, as you know, it is nothing less than thirty years in jail.”

  Mary frowned. She couldn’t stand being away from her grandmother and brother for so long. Her grandmother would probably die while she was in prison. She contemplated how she, a cop, would survive thirty years of torture and possible molestation by fellow inmates. That, or she’d be killed by someone who was in prison because of her… Mary’s face turned white.

  “But,” Walter brought her back to reality, “since you were such a precious gem before all this, we’ll cut you some slack.”

  Mary felt a little better and sat up straight to listen. She could see Jason eyeing Walter in disgust. Her getting immunity wasn’t his call, and she was grateful for that.

  “You will be our key witness in all subsequent trials involving Carlos Rodrigues. You will share what you know about him, as well as what you have told him about internal police operations. In return, you’ll get ten years off your sentence and a private cell.”

  Jason’s eyes seemed to light up a bit and he half-smiled.

  “You’re not serious, right?” She angrily pulled on her constraints, “That’s ridiculous! Do you really think I’m stupid enough to share such valuable information and still go to jail? They’ll torture me in there. Or worse, kill me.”

  “Yes, I really do think you’re stupid!” Walter said raucously, “You gave away your honor to work for Carlos. Besides, do you think I give an ounce of shit about what happens to dirty cops in prison?”

  “I sure don’t…” Jason mumbled. Walter smiled at Jason.

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  Mary stared at them. She was in trouble. “In that case…”

  She sat back in her chair, “I’m not telling you anything.

  Lock me up for thirty years and get nothing. Let’s see how that works for you.”

  Jason leaned forward and opened his mouth, but Walter held a hand up in front of him. He clenched his teeth and sat back with his arm folded, tapping his foot underneath the table.

  “What do you want?”

  “Are you kidding…” Jason stood up in anger.

  “Sit down, Detective Williams! If you cannot be objective, I will have you removed from this case. We already bent the rules for you to work on it. Don’t push it.” Walter put him in his place.

  Mary stared at him with wide eyes while he shook his head in furious disbelief. He sunk down in his chair again.

  “I am not telling you anything until I get a signed document saying I get full immunity and police protection.”

  Jason grimaced as Walter took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. He adjusted his tie and took a deep breath. He sternly observed Mary for a few minutes, looked at Jason, and back at Mary.

  “You getting immunity would depend on what you have to share. I can’t blindly promise immunity and find out you had nothing concrete afterwards. If you can’t give us something worthwhile, the original deal stands.”

  Mary wondered if the risk was worth it, whether it would change anything. Nobody knew that Leo Martinez was Carlos’ drug supplier… That would be a big lead for the police.

  62

  Curse the night I met you, Carlos! I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. If only I hadn’t gone to the stupid party that night…

  She had just finished with the intense police academy exams. She felt exhausted and needed to blow off some steam. A friend had called earlier that week and invited her to a new, state-of-the-art club’s grand opening. She declined initially, but changed her mind after finishing her last exam.

  She called her friend back and asked whether she could still go.

  As Mary entered the club, it was booming with loud music and an innumerable crowd. Not usually her scene.

  But she figured she might just as well be crazy for once in her life, before she became a real cop.

  “Hello, beautiful lady.” A voice startled her. She swung around and looked up at an enormous African American man with sunglasses on. She frowned at the sight. She thought they only wore sunglasses indoors in the movies.

  “Um, hi.”

  “My boss would like to meet you.” He pointed to a well-dressed Mexican man standing at the bar. When their eyes met, he raised his glass at her and flashed an inviting smile.

  She lifted an eyebrow and reminded herself that she was there to do crazy stuff that night. The African American escorted her to the Mexican man. He introduced himself and they retreated to a private booth. He made her feel special, wanted… She giggled like a teenager as he 63

  touched her and said pleasant things to her. Later that night, they slipped away to the men’s restroom.

  A few nights later, she was at the other end of his pistol, bargaining for her life after she had witnessed him kill one of his associates. It worked.

  But three months later, she had to do it again.

  It was after midnight when a quiet conversation woke her. By then she was well aware that Carlos was a dangerous criminal, but she didn’t know what he did, exactly. She hadn’t earned his trust yet, so he kept her in the dark. She tiptoed to a safe distance and listened in on the conversation. That’s when she saw Leo Martinez for the first time and heard them talking about distributing drugs.

  She realized she had fallen into a deep, dark pit. That same night she told Carlos she was leaving - that she had made a mistake. She promised never to speak of him with anyone as long as she lived.

  He pointed his gun in her face. Again.

  But she had become valuable to him in a short amount of time because she let him in on what was happening in the police department. And she was climbing the ranks fast. She would become more valuable as time went by.

  Still, she had to beg.

  “Okay. I won’t kill you just yet.” He put away the gun,

  “But don’t think you’ll be lucky a third time with me!

  You’d better not do anything stupid ever again.”

  After that, she made herself indispensable and trustworthy. Carlos never threatened her again. Instead, he invited her to his inner circle and to
ld her everything.

  64

  “I will give you Carlos, his organization and those that he works with in powerful offices, like Leo Martinez.”

  Mary breathed. “But first, you must get me to a safe place.”

  “See? Her kind would sell their own mothers if it meant surviving just one more day…” Walter said scornfully and turned to smile at Jason, who was still fuming. Mary frowned at Walter in disbelief over what he had just said.

  He slapped Jason on the shoulder, “Cheer up, Detective.

  You’re a step closer to finding your daughter’s killer.”

  65

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Damn it!” Thomas held on to his hips, threw his head back in frustration and let out a lengthy sigh.

  After Mary’s arrest, he had been keeping a close eye on her case. Nothing was to happen without him being involved. But Jason had caught everyone unawares that night when he stormed into the station and announced he was there to interrogate Mary.

  Thomas had always wanted Carlos out of the way. He was too arrogant and too hot-headed to his liking - a liability. And Mary’s arrest had proven him right. But before Thomas could do anything, Walter Sidney had gotten wind of the case and took it. Now, more than ever, The Syndicate was vulnerable to being exposed.

  He insisted on being present with each interrogation.

  Walter agreed without asking questions. It had all been running smoothly until Jason showed up. An officer called Walter after Jason had announced he was there for Mary. Walter immediately called Jason and told him not 66

  to start the interrogation without him. Then he called Thomas and hurried to the station.

  When Thomas got the call, he was on the other side of New York.

  Thomas’ bony hands clung to his hips as he started pacing. He came to a halt in front of the interrogation room’s window, transfixed. The name Mary had mentioned as he entered the office rang in his mind.

  “Chief.”

  Walter’s croaky voice startled Thomas. He took a breath before he turned around, still clinging to his hips.

  “Hi, Sidney.” He feigned a smile, “Didn’t even hear you come in.” His weary gaze turned to Jason, who looked like something out of the Walking Dead. “Williams.

  Welcome back, son. You should’ve taken more time off.”

  “It’s been months.” Jason said irritated.

  “Are you all right there, Chief? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Walter asked.

  Thomas clenched his jaw. He knew Walter was an excep-tional observer. Nothing went past him. And he was always weary, expecting the worst from every situation.

  Unlike most fools, he did not seek the good in everyone.

  Instead, he maintained a philosophy of ‘guilty until proven innocent’. That’s what made him so dangerous. If only he had used his talents to serve the other side…

  “Why did you start the interrogation without me?”

  Walter lifted an eyebrow, “I informed you I was coming in to meet Jason at the station. You were far away. You don’t expect me to wait for you before I can do my job, do you?”

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  Thomas finally let his hands rest, “Of course not. So what did she say?”

  “She gave us a…”

  “She’ll talk.” Walter interrupted Jason and gave him a stern, disapproving look. Thomas was too busy staring at Jason to notice. “But she won’t say anything before we get her to a safe house.”

  Walter and Thomas eyed each other. Walter’s instincts told him something was off with Thomas, and Thomas knew he couldn’t be too pushy because Walter was like a bloodhound once he got suspicious.

  “We should arrange it then,” Thomas smiled, “please keep me updated.” He strolled out as calmly as he could.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Jason snapped at Walter.

  “Detective Williams, you’ve lost it!” Walter stormed over to Jason and pointed a finger in his face. “Didn’t you notice how pale Thomas was? How sweat was forming all over his forehead?”

  “Seriously?” Jason backed away from Walter’s finger and plumped himself on a chair, “You want to condemn a man for his paleness? What if his blood-sugar is low, and it got worse from the lengthy drive he had to take to get here?”

  “The Jason I know would never let something like that slip! You need to use your head. Think!”

  Jason sighed and shook his head in annoyance.

  “Don’t you think he looked nervous? Like maybe he heard something he didn’t expect from the interrogation room?” Walter sat down too and rubbed his forehead.

  Jason said nothing.

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  “Let’s be cautious, okay? We should keep him in the dark… I hope I’m wrong, but I’m convinced that’s the only way we can protect Mary and have a successful case.”

  “She can rot in hell!” Jason flew up, “My daughter died because of the likes of her.”

  Walter shook his head, contemplating how he would get sense into this loose cannon of a man.

  “I understand you’re angry. You have every right to be. I don’t like it either, but Mary is key in helping us end one of the biggest drug cartels this city and Mexico have ever seen.” Walter walked over to Jason and put a hand on his shoulder, “And she may lead you to your daughter’s killer. Now, put together your most trusted team. We’ll move her in two days.”

  Jason slapped Walter’s hand off his shoulder and gave him a piercing look. “Fine, I’ll stick to your plan. But when it blows up in your face, I won’t be standing next to you. It’s all going to be on you.” Jason skulked off and slammed the door behind him.

  Walter sat down again, rubbing his forehead. He felt sorry for Jason. But he knew how emotions could cloud anyone’s judgement. Jason being involved in a case where he had personal interests was a liability. In all his years, Walter had only seen this exception made once before. It was a disaster. The entire case had blown up because the cop involved could not control his emotions…

  Is that why you put Jason on this case, Thomas? Are you hoping his recklessness gets the better of him, so the court can dismiss this case?

  He walked out of the interrogation room thinking about Thomas’s reaction, feeling uneasy.

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  Thompson rushed into his office, his legs wobbly under his weight. He felt like fainting. He staggered to his chair.

  His career and everything he had aspired to would end if Walter Sidney solved this case. To make things worse, Jason was back… He should have been on leave for another four weeks, at least.

  He combed through his shelf and found a little dusty phone. It was for emergencies only. He dialed the only number on it and shakily held the phone up to his ear.

  “Yes?”

  “Leo, we have a problem.”

  Thomas Patrick had never phoned him from that number in the past, so it had to be serious, he thought.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s in connection with Carlos Rodrigues’ conviction. As you know, he won’t get out for a long time.” Thomas breathed uneasily.

  “Not a problem, Carlos will never talk. He knows what is at stake if he does.” Leo felt relieved but annoyed at Thomas’ concern for such a trivial matter,

  “Getting a new distributer is easy. He would have paid for his hot-headedness, eventually. He should have known better than to go to New York with so much heat on.”

  “Carlos is not my concern. He had a cop who was working for him. She got arrested trying to cover Carlos’

  tracks…”

  “Where is this leading to?”

  “She is negotiating an immunity deal.” Thomas took a breath, “Leo, she mentioned your name. She obviously 70

  knows who you are and about your connection with Carlos and who knows what else…”

  Leo had seen Mary years ago. Carlos introduced them the morning after he had stopped by to deliver a ship-ment of drugs. He asked Carlos if he was sure about her and whether she would become a p
roblem. Carlos insisted she was valuable and assured him she knew her family would pay the price if she ever turned on him.

  “I knew that bitch was trouble.” Leo said in a controlled tone, “Carlos should have killed her when he had had enough of her. Now I have to clean up his mess.”

  It amazed Thomas how calm Leo sounded over the phone - it should have put him at ease, but he felt more nervous. His stomach turned.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Has she talked yet?”

  “Apart from mentioning your name, no. She won’t talk before they move her to a safe facility. I believe this will happen within the next few days.”

  “Mm… Excellent. I’ll have someone take care of her as soon as possible.” Leo hung up.

  Thomas stared out in front of him with the phone still against his ear. It was half wet from his sweaty palm. He knew many exemplary officers would lose their lives. He rushed to complete his paperwork and anxiously left the station, relieved that this mess would soon be over. Then he could continue his campaign to run for Senator without obstacles.

  Leo called Badrick’s number for the fifth time. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk. Remark-71

  ably, he had learned to be somewhat patient when trying to get hold of his favorite Jamaican hitman. The guy had no fear, and he was crazy—perfect for this kind of job.

  “Ello.”

  “Badrick, Leo here. I…”

  “Leo! How do you do, mon?”

  Leo sighed with a slight smile on his face. Badrick’s elated mood was always infectious, even for the most hard-core underworld drug lords.

  “Not good. You?”

  “All fruits ripe on my side! What can I do to help?”

  “I want someone dead.”

  “No problem, mon. Who and where?” Badrick’s humorous tone subsided.

  “An ex-cop, Mary Scott. She was a mole for Carlos, but stupidly got herself arrested. She plans to expose a powerful organization in exchange for immunity.”

  “I’ll get my crew ready. Where is she?”

  “You’ll need your best men because she’s at One Police Plaza, the NYPD’s headquarters.”

  “Cho! Leo, that’s suicide… I don’t think so, mon.”

  “I’ll make it worth your while.”