Dead Shot (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 1)

Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Riding back to Salt Lake City in a government-issued SUV, Cal finally felt safe. Kelly did, too. Their adventure together over the past three days seemed surreal, something neither would have expected living in Statenville. But this wasn't just adventure for adventure's sake - this was about uncovering the truth and finding justice. It was hard work but rewarding work.

However, one question still remained: Could Cal and Kelly put together a story package with photos and videos that would find its way into print. A story of such depth and magnitude deserved a stage much larger than The Register. Then again, neither Cal nor Kelly knew if they had a job there any more. Not that they could seriously consider working in a town where their investigation ruined almost everyone's livelihood in a direct or indirect way.

Cal felt the pressure to deliver.

Following a debriefing with FBI officials at the Salt Lake City field office, Cal pleaded with them to wait until morning to announce the death of Carmen Deangelo and the bust of Cloverdale Industries. Cal explained that his story would demonize only Mercer, not Walker. After a few minutes of haggling over the details, the FBI relented, considering that Cal had risked his life. It was the least they could do to thank him.

Nevertheless, Cal was ecstatic, excited about the challenge that awaited him in the coming hours. He and Kelly caught a cab to the The Tribune office and briefed Youngman on what had transpired. It was 6:30 p.m.

"OK, you've got two hours to write an exclusive for us that's well sourced," Youngman said.

"You got it - except for the exclusive part. Seattle is getting this story, too," Cal said.

"Anyone else?" Youngman asked.

"Not as of right now."

"Let's keep it that way. Get my assistant to find you a workstation. And have Kelly meet with the photo chief," Youngman shouted as he was leaving the office.

Cal's story that appeared in two newspapers the next day read as follows:

By Calvin J. Murphy

For The Tribune

STATENVILLE, Idaho - FBI officials confirmed the death of long-standing Boston mobster Carmen Deangelo on Wednesday when Deangelo plummeted to his death in Cold River Canyon after murdering an FBI agent.

Deangelo, who was living under the assumed name of Nathan Gold, had almost vanished before moving to Statenville in 1996. FBI officials claim that Gold established himself as a respectable member of the community before running for mayor eight years ago.

But Deangelo wasn't leaving behind his life of crime - he was building a new one.

In 2001, two years prior to Deangelo being elected as the mayor of Statenville, he founded Cloverdale Industries, a fast-growing, multi-level marketing company that sold mostly vitamins and health products. When Gold assumed the mayor's office in 2003, the FBI asserts that everything was in place for him to build an extensive distribution network for crystal meth in the Northwest.

"The death of Carmen Deangelo represents a major victory in the FBI's war on drugs," FBI Salt Lake City field office director Skip Donnelly was quoted as saying in a press release Wednesday. "Any time we can scratch a name off the FBI's most wanted list, it's a win for the American people. This particular removal of Carmen Deangelo's name is a bigger victory than anyone could've ever imagined."

FBI officials claim that Deangelo was the architect behind a vast drug operation that spread as far north as Vancouver, Canada, and east as far as Denver.

Deangelo stayed off the FBI's radar for nearly 15 years. Then, in 2005, the FBI was alerted that Deangelo might be returning to his criminal ways after a known drug dealer's body was found in Portland with Deangelo's signature mark--a gold coin from the 1800s stuffed in the victim's mouth. It was the same signature Deangelo used for most of his alleged murders in Boston.

The FBI deployed two agents to Statenville to serve in deep cover and build a case against Deangelo and his Cloverdale Industries. The plan went awry beginning Sunday evening when the first of three local high school football stars were found dead in gruesome crime scenes.

The deaths rocked the quiet southeastern Idaho town. Residents were told that the student-athletes all overdosed on meth, but local law enforcement officials pressured the coroner's office to release falsified reports.

But on Tuesday, an independent examination of evidence by FBI officials found the cause of death to be markers the meth was laced with, not the meth itself. The markers were supposed to induce what appeared like the sudden onset of a rare disease, which would alert the Center for Disease Control and subsequently the FBI. But the marker was never intended to be fatal, according to the FBI. The chemical was a marker that deep cover FBI agents were supposed to insert into random batches of drugs to track how far the operation's network extended.

However, a rogue FBI agent undermined those efforts by engineering the additive to have a deadly effect - forcing liver bile into the bloodstream quickly, which led to uncontrollable itching beneath the skin. Already high from using meth, all three victims scratched themselves to death. One of the victims happened to be Riley Gold, Deangelo's son.

Nevertheless, Gold and local law enforcement officials didn't want to attract unwarranted attention to Statenville and chose to dismiss the deaths as coincidence.

But the case hit a fever pitch on Wednesday when the FBI had an opportunity to illicit a confession out of Deangelo in a covert operation. However, Deangelo chose to take his own life, plummeting into the Cold River Canyon at the southern part of the Idaho wilderness area instead of facing charges. Just moments before, Deangelo had killed FBI agent Elliott Mercer, wounding him with two gunshots before shoving him off a cliff and into the canyon.

Deangelo was suspected in the murders of more than a dozen people while living in Boston as a captain for the Scarelli family.

FBI officials have also seized control of Cloverdale Industries and have shut down operations until the bureau completes its investigation of the alleged drug making plant.

***

Cal's journalistic efforts delighted Youngman, who edited in the details of how the case related to Salt Lake City - the drugs were flowing into the city from Cloverdale Industries. The Seattle newspaper did likewise.

It made for a compelling lead story on the front page in both cities, strengthened also by Kelly's compelling photojournalism that captured the images of the people and places involved.

"This is outstanding work from both of you," Youngman told the two former Register employees. "I'd love to offer both of you a job, if you're interested."

They both promised Youngman they would consider it, but at the moment, they were crashing hard from the adrenaline rush of the last three days.

The FBI provided a security detail for both Cal and Kelly, putting them up in separate safe houses that night. It was only a safety precaution FBI agents told them, adding that there was likely nothing to worry about. But the security presence helped Cal and Kelly both sleep well that night. They needed it - an awkward reunion with Statenville awaited them on Thursday morning.