Recollection Of Questionable Events

Caught In The Web.

(11) Caught In The Web:

Lieutenant Riggs

 

I leaned my aching body over the sink, and splashed cold water on my face, hoping the shock would give me some clarity or at least re-energize me.  

Despite all the evidence against Torre, and the girl’s own incriminating statements, I just didn’t see a notorious gang member. Although the girl was definitely a loon, I couldn’t envision her as part of the Muerte drug cartel. I had to trust my instincts on this one, and my gut told me that Torre had just been ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.

To make matters worse, Stan and I didn’t have any other leads— and the captain wouldn’t be happy to learn that our only ‘open and shut’ case might run cold.

Feeling slightly defeated, I shuffled out of the bathroom and headed towards the bull pen.

I needed to distract the Captain, just long enough for me to figure out who had stolen what and Torre’s involvement in the whole mess. My best bet would be the Ivan Case, hopefully Stan had solved it.

But as I neared my desk, I noticed Stan taking a nap. There was a sign that said, wake me up at eight taped to his head.

It was nine.

“Wake up sleeping beauty,” I said loudly.

“Oh shit, I told you people to wake me up,” he said, as he realized the time. The surrounding officers snickered to themselves. One brave soul told him that they were not his mother. 

Stan shrugged it off, since he knew the officers were joking.

“How’s the Ivan case?” I settled into my chair, getting ready to do some research myself. It was my least favorite part of the job, which is why it required so much prep.

“I got him to admit that he was near Robert’s office the day of the heist…but then his lawyer shut him up.”

“Lawyers.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, that’s more than anyone has been able to prove. What about motive?” I asked.

“Money, it’s the only thing that makes sense. I have one of the boys looking at bank accounts.”

I nodded in agreement, Ivan was a greedy bastard. There had to be trail leading to his front door somewhere.

“Yo Lieutenant.”

I swiveled around and faced our youngest officer, who was skipping like some little girl towards my desk. His eyes sparkled with excitement; the boy probably thought he’d found something important, but I’d be the judge of that.

“Denik, what do you have for me?”

“Well Sir, there were six cars stalled on that stretch of road last night.”

“Anyone living next to our girl?”

“No one remotely close —”

“There goes her credibility,” Stan said gleefully.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“One of the cars belonged to Arnold Carson.”

“Carson?”

“Yes Sir,” Denik said beaming with pride.

That was obviously the piece of information that he’d been holding on to as if it were gold. It could be nothing, but I had to admit that it was an odd coincidence.

Under normal circumstances, a phone call would have sufficed to get things cleared up, but Carson was a special case. It wasn’t the first time his named had popped up in the precinct; his business practices were rumored to be barely legal (or very illegal…depending on whom you asked).

And highly connected to the Muerte drug cartel.  

“Bring him in.”

“Right away Sir,” the young officer replied with a salute…oh rookies.

“Oh and get me some photos of Carson to show Torre.”

Maybe it was all of Torre’s elaborate stories, but I was creating some wild theories of my own. If Carson had been following the girls and if he was the man from her story…what had he been up to?

“Why do you want his photo?” Stan asked me confused.

“What if he’s the angry neighbor?”

“She’s trying to con you Riggs, don’t fall for it,” my partner advised.

“I don’t think so.”

“Informants told us that Carson might be a major distributor for Muerte, that’s how they know each other.”

“That’s not how I think it went down.”

“Oh?”

“I think the stories are real, which means that the real cartel member escaped,” I explained.

“How is that good news?”

“Because she was there…Torre knows something, and that’s why Carson is chasing her.”

“So you’re saying that we might have something on Carson?” Stan asked, matching my excitement.

I nodded at Stan, he was finally getting it. Torre (even if she was involved) was a small pawn in a bigger game.

It didn’t seem like she knew anything, but maybe we weren’t wasting our time. This might turn out to be the key to take down the only ‘American’ connection the Muerte Cartel had.

“Well maybe we can arrest someone today…has she even mentioned the drugs?” Stan asked.

“No…but I have a feeling that’s going to be the next story,” I answered, heading towards the interrogation room with a new purpose.