Chapter 22
Jack remained silent as they rode the elevator to the fifth floor. His old department. The Attorney General had practically wet himself when he’d handed over the evidence. A call to an honest judge, one not on Victor’s list, had gotten arrest warrants issued for the twenty-three people listed on the mobster’s payroll. Currently they were on their way to arrest his old boss, Jeff Curry. Several federal marshals and his FBI friend, Chris Shaunessy, accompanied him. He had no authority himself, being persona non grata for so long, but the Attorney General had allowed him this little bonus. It was the least he could do for handing him Victor Cabrini on a platter.
Walking into the outer office, his old partner, Steve, noticed him first. His eyes widened perceptibly then filled with fear. Was he in on this too? Had he been behind the numerous attempts on his life?
“Hey, partner, the boss in?”
“Jack? What are you doing here?”
“These men have something to discuss with Agent Curry. If you know anything about it, I suggest you either fess up or get out of Dodge.”
The half dozen agents standing around the room all stared incredulously as the marshals sauntered into Curry’s office and read him his rights.
“He was on Cabrini’s payroll?” Steve asked, a scowl on his face. “All this time he was dictating how we proceeded on the case. No wonder we never got anywhere. Where did you finally get this information?”
“How we got it doesn’t matter, only the fact we got it. The Attorney General is rounding up everyone on the list. It’s going to be a little crowded in lock up. You knew nothing about it, huh?”
“Me?” Steve looked affronted. “Why would you think I knew anything about this? I thought you trusted me, man.”
He wasn’t sure what to believe. “You were the only person who knew Jonathan was in the hospital when he ingested the rat poison. I told you about the New Jersey cops being there. I still have no idea how they knew. No one else had any idea he was my kid.”
“Rat poison?” Karl, another of the agents hanging around the room, questioned. “That’s weird. My nephew got real sick from rat poison a few months back. Remember, Gerry, I told you about it right after it happened,” He gazed across the room at Steve’s new partner. “You were real concerned about his symptoms and how long he’d be hospitalized.”
Gerry Kimball had been sitting quietly until now. Suddenly it seemed like he had someplace to go. Jack’s senses went into overdrive. Kimball hadn’t been on the list but that didn’t mean he hadn’t done someone else’s bidding. Maybe a boss he wanted to impress? One who might move him up the ladder a bit quicker? He would have been in the perfect position to overhear any of Steve’s conversations.
Taking a few steps, Jack intercepted him. The guilt shining from Kimball’s eyes was like a neon sign saying, ‘I did it’. His blood began to boil. This man had poisoned his son.
Grabbing Gerry by the shirt collar, he pushed him up against a wall. “You gave my kid rat poison. You could have killed him.”
“It wasn’t me, I swear. You have no proof it was me.”
The man was lying; it was evident as his eyes darted all over the room.
“The boy’s mother saw who gave him the juice box. She can identify you. Should I get her here right now to do that? Will she say she’s never seen you before?”
Gerry started to sweat. His eyes couldn’t stay still then zeroed in on Agent Curry, who was being brought out of his office in handcuffs. “Hetold me I needed to get you back here. I knew you’d show up to check on your kid. But you still managed to get by them. I didn’t give him that much. He shouldn’t have gotten as sick as he did. Cabrini was screaming for your head. It was the only way.” His eyes turned desperate. “But we never told Cabrini you were FBI. We kept your real identity from him.”
Jack pushed against the man’s throat a bit more. “And I’m supposed to thank you for that. You stole three years of my life from me and I’m supposed to be grateful.”
Kimball’s eye began to roll to the back of his head. Yeah, he should let him go, but this man had tried to kill his son. And he damned well almost succeeded. The fear of losing Jonathan returned and he pushed harder.
“Jack,” Chris interrupted, “Maybe you should back off. We’ve got him. We’ll bring him to a holding cell, read him his rights.”
A hand on his shoulder made him come back to reality. If he killed this man, he’d be no better than Cabrini. Easing off slightly, he still didn’t let go. The tone of his phone finally made him drop his hands.
“Get him out of here,” he ordered, pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the screen. Callie. He pressed the connect button. “Hey, everything all right?”
“No, I do not think everything is all right,Jack,” the voice of Victor Cabrini came through the line. He couldn’t breathe. “I am here with Callina and I think we have a few things we need to discuss.”
* * * *
Damn this truck. It needed to go faster so he could reach Callie. Save her.
Why hadn’t he foreseen the possibility of Cabrini figuring out what Callie had done? Now her life was in danger from the mobster. He should have insisted she come with him or at least get her some protection? Sent her over to Heather’s or Scott’s or even to work? She would have been surrounded by people and Cabrini wouldn’t have dared grab her there.
Guilt was no good now. It wouldn’t get her away from Cabrini. He had to do it.
Steve was rounding up a task force to arrest the mobster. Chris had gotten sucked into the whole mess also but promised he’d follow as soon as he could. Things were in an uproar at the office with Curry and many other supposedly upstanding people being found on Cabrini’s payroll. The marshals hadn’t wanted to let anyone go anywhere without further questioning. Plus they needed to get an arrest warrant for Victor. The judge had needed to review more of the evidence in order to issue that one. Being thorough, because Cabrini had slipped through the cracks too many other times. Like hell he’d wait for that. Callie was in danger now. And Cabrini had said to come alone.
