C.: Well, T's taking a nap, so that will give me a chance to fininsh the second chpater of THE COLOR GRAY by my best human friend, d.c. scot.
“No, Jay, it’s not about that man,” Mark interrupted before Magruder could expound on his explanation any further. “You didn’t kill that man, anyway. The guy was bleeding out when he entered the room. The CIA found bloodstains on the carpet where he entered the room. It looks like someone severed his carotid artery. He (or she) must have been a long distance away, though. There was no trace of anyone being within almost three hundred yards of the hotel room–”
“Two hundred ninety-nine yards,” Magruder thought aloud.
“What?” Mark was curious.
“Nothing. I was just estimating the distance of the shot.” Magruder realized that he was implicating someone he didn’t care to implicate, so he stopped talking.
“Anyway,” Mark continued, “a Kevlar vest with five .44 magnum indentations on the left side of it was also found in a dumpster near the hotel. The vest was an XXL, so it would have fit Juan-Carlos.” Mark covered his mouth and nose to take a deep breath and continued.
“That was probably your bullets lodged in the vest. I have a theory about the sniper who made that shot. Since none of the trees surrounding your hotel would support the weight of an average-sized man, or even a small one, I believe it was a small woman who killed Juan Carlos. She was using an arrow with razor-sharp edges on it, I believe.
“I came up with my theory when I learned the Colombians were developing some land by the Amazon River. An arrowhead was found on the ground where a building was being built. Strangely enough, the arrowhead disappeared when the authorities came to investigate.
“Some archaeologists from the Historical Society wanted to study it, thinking it was from an ancient Native American tribe. They studied the arrowhead, then supposedly returned it to the Bogota Police Department.
“No trace of it has been found since, though. The arrowhead was made of stainless steel. The Pueblos wouldn’t have had access to that type of equipment. They were peaceful people, and most were farmers. Some were hunter/gatherers, but none had access to stainless steel.
“After the work alongside the Amazon River was stopped for one day, the Colombian Historical Society let the work continue. They reasoned the arrowhead was from a modern-day weapon, probably a crossbow from the length of it. It’s shorter than an arrow that’s usually fired from a longbow, which is what the Pueblos would have used. The Bogota Police Department concluded it wasn’t an artifact that needed to be studied by the historical society. That was the theory, so they let the work by the Amazon River continue.”
“Was there any blood or DNA on the arrowhead?” Magruder’s head was spinning. He didn’t like the direction that the conversation was headed, because he was worried that the evidence would expose the sniper’s identity, something he didn’t want to happen.
“No, Jay, whoever did this was a pro. He (or she) knew better than to leave that type of evidence. It sounds like you may know more than you’re letting on, but I digress. If you know anything more, don’t tell me. If you did, I’d be obligated to report the information that you give me to my superiors, which may open a whole new ‘can of worms.’ “As far as the CIA and the local authorities in Colombia are concerned, you killed that man in self-defense, and in defense of five other people. The carotid artery was sliced, the coroner’s report now reads, posthumously by someone who was trying to take credit for killing a vicious criminal. Truth to tell, though, the shot was timed perfectly. Whoever made that shot timed it to hit Juan-Carlos’ left external branch of his carotid artery while the heart was beating, not at rest. That made him die quickly. You may have saved a life or two, though, because your shots deterred him from opening fire blindly and accidentally killing someone.
“The sniper used a crossbow, apparently, to make that shot because he (or she) knew that it would penetrate Kevlar, and it wasn’t an easy shot. If the sniper had missed Juan Carlos’ neck, s/he wanted to make sure s/he made a killing shot, and not all sniper bullets penetrate Kevlar.
“If the sniper had used a .50 cal., like most militarily trained snipers do; you, or one or more of your colleagues would be dead, along with Juan-Carlos. The sniper probably would have used armor-piercing rounds to make sure s/he made a killing shot because those bullets will penetrate Kevlar. The bullet would have kept traveling after it went through Juan Carlos and his Kevlar vest because a .50 cal. bullet can travel up to five miles!
“Whoever did it was one helluva shot, if you ask me. Using a crossbow at that range is something that would take a lot of practice. I doubt the best-trained sniper the world has to offer could make that shot accurately fifty percent of the time without practicing with a crossbow obsessively for a long period of time! However, that person seems to have disappeared from our vista, along with the arrowhead.
“Besides, Jay, did you really think you were that fast? Juan-Carlos already had his gun drawn and was opening fire when he entered the room. Fortunately for you and your companions, the man was dying as he entered the room, so he couldn’t aim accurately. That’s what saved all of you.”
“Well, if that’s not the man whom you’re referring to, who are you talking about? I’ve only killed one man in my entire career–”
“It’s about Benito Suarez.” Mark cut Jay off again. “Even though his family seemed not to give a damn when he died, they wanted his body exhumed when new techniques to test for DNA were developed.They got an anonymous call that we might find something interesting if we re-examined the body, and that person was right, whoever it was.
“You were the one who brought the file to the Attorney General’s office, at the behest of the FBI. What you didn’t know is that the FBI keeps the DNA of murder victims on file, so that they can experiment with their equipment. I suppose you weren’t aware that there was DNA on that body, or you might have found an excuse not to bring it to us. I know that you know that our techniques can determine DNA on a body or a piece of equipment indefinitely, and we did find something interesting when we exhumed the body.” Mark took a breath, gagged from the car fumes, and continued.
“After you brought the body back to us and it was re-examined, the Suarez family wanted the case reopened before the present administration retired. This governor is tough on crime and wants to punish the criminals that commit capital crimes, and the governor is up for re-election. He’s facing tough competition, though. As you know, I’m running for the office of governor of Texas in the next election. The Suarez family is worried that, if I get elected, I won’t pursue this case aggressively. That’s because they know that his case involves some friends of mine. However, in the meantime, I’m obligated to do my job the way I’m asked to do it as the Attorney General of Texas. That’s why I had our lab technicians examine the evidence, and what was revealed was disturbing.
“My office found some DNA that matches some on file after the case was reopened. Because I have an established relationship with you from our days of working together for the CIA, I thought that you were the best man for the job I have in mind-–”
“Okay, I admit it. I killed Benito Suarez. Now, just promise me that you’ll make sure that I’m not put into general pop. in prison so that I won’t be tortured before I die. Being an ex-cop would be a large detriment to a prisoner-” Magruder was painfully aware the state of Texas was one of the few states that may implement the death penalty as punishment for premeditated murder. He was willing to die to protect his secret and the man who saved his life thirty-six years before. He wasn't willing, though, to be tortured first. “No, Jay, it wasn’t your DNA that was found on the body of Benito Suarez. The only DNA found was that of his nephew, José Leal. He had a juvenile criminal record, but he was seventeen when he killed his tio. That means he would be tried as an adult for capital murder, in the state of Texas, where the death penalty is still used frequently for capital crimes. Our sitting governor is quite fond of implementing this penalty, and premeditated murder is a capital crime that carries the death penalty as the maximum sentence. As you well know as an ex-cop, there is no statute of limitations on capital crimes. José’s DNA was on file with the HPD because of his juvie record, and some of it was found on his Tio Benny’s remains.
“Tell me now if you know where he is, Jay, before a CIA sniper bullet, or one of the two cartels that are searching for him finds him first. He’s on the FBI’s radar, too, so he wouldn’t be able to run his dad’s cartel as one-half of his former cartel members want him to. The other half just want him dead, as the Mendez cartel does. That’s because, apparently, Bennie had a deal with the Mendez cartel to combine the two cartels when he took control of the Leal Cartel. They’re still pissed that José killed his tio before that could happen! José probably saved the world from anarchy, though. Having the two most powerful cartels in the Western Hemisphere combine as one would make the cartel so powerful that no police agency would be able to control it. That cartel would rule one-half the world, at least.” Magruder thought for a moment before answering. “No, I haven’t seen or heard from José for the last thirty-six years. I guess that he'll remain at large for the rest of his life.” Magruder wanted the conversation to end there, but a thought occurred to him. Jay, as usual, wasn’t able to control his mouth or his emotions.“Where do I fit into this scenario?!”
“You’re the best P.I. in the world at finding missing persons, almost everyone believes, including me. That’s why the CIA sent me to talk to you. They thought I would have more influence over you than anyone else.’’ Mark cleared his throat of the car fumes that were irritating it, and began again.
“Jay, I know that you and José were close at one time. If you’ll find him before the CIA or either cartel, I’ll guarantee that he gets a fair trial. I even convinced the best lawyer in Greater Houston, Jack Moore, to represent him on a pro bono basis. Jack’s friends with the sitting lieutenant and acting governor of Texas while Josh McCafferty runs his campaign for POTUS. He’s been promised by the acting governor that, if José’s convicted, he’ll receive a full pardon.
“If one of the two cartels and/or the CIA finds him before you do, though, José probably won’t survive. The CIA snipers are ordered to shoot on sight since he’s considered a fugitive from justice, as well as a severe flight risk. The CIA doesn’t want to give him a chance to escape, so their snipers have been ordered to shoot to kill on sight of him, and they are some of the best snipers in the world. It would be sure death for José if he’s spotted by a CIA sniper.
“However, if one of the two cartels finds him first, it would be a much worse death for José than being killed by a CIA sniper bullet because they’ll make sure that he suffers before he dies. The Mendez cartel will try to extract the information they seek from him first. That, I'm sure, would be painful, since they want to know how José’s father was able to control most of Greater Houston in a short period of time. The Mendez Cartel would want to follow Javier’s model and control other cities in the U.S. too, is my guess. “And José taking control of the cartel that his dad founded could be a fate worse than death. He’s on the radar of the FBI, the CIA, and the Houston Police Department, as well as the Texas Rangers. The Leal Cartel wouldn’t be able to operate with him as its don. He would be the cause of the cartel being closed down. That would cause hard feelings because the most powerful cartel in the Western Hemisphere would be destroyed, and one-half of the Leal Cartels members already want him dead!
“José would probably be tortured and killed. The temporary leader of that cartel wants the same information the Mendez Cartel members do, and he now leads both cartels.” Mark stopped for a moment, because the noise the passing cars made had made him hoarse from trying to yell over them as they passed by. The fumes from the cars’ engines were also making him nauseous, but he continued his commentary, nonetheless. He gagged, then cleared his throat.
“Because of the situation with my dishonest, unidentified coworkers, you’ll need to resign your part-time position with the FBI solving cold cases before you hunt down José. You’ll need to use your own resources. I’ll try to get you reimbursement after the case is closed, but I can’t make any promises. I’m appealing to you as a friend of both mine and José’s to find him first, Jay.
“If you’re still connected to the FBI, my dishonest coworkers may use the information you gather and find José before you do. That wouldn’t be a pleasant situation, believe me. They want to get their man, and will do anything to accomplish that goal. Some have even gone rogue and associated themselves with one or both cartels to accomplish that goal. The CIA and the cartels working toward the same goal gives them a lot of power and a reach worldwide!”
Magruder chose his words carefully. If Jack Moore, the best lawyer in Greater Houston, and one of the best in Texas was involved, José may be found innocent, he reasoned. If he were to be convicted of premeditated murder, thoughA full pardon, though, was an iffy prospect at best; since the sitting governor had promised to do away with them for capital crimes during his administration, Jay reasoned.
Magruder contemplated whether he could put his trust in the lawyer with the best reputation in the American South’s largest city. He knew that his and José’s lives were at stake. He also wanted to make amends for José being on Texas’s death row and avoid putting his and his friend’s fate in someone else’s hands. “Just arrest me. I was the one who told José what to do. Therefore, I’m responsible for Benito Suarez’s death--.” “That’s not the way it works, Jay,” Mark interrupted his colleague. “The DNA’s what this case is based on. My suggestion is that you go to work and find José first, before anyone else does. That’s his best hope of survival.” “Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I have no time to spare.” Magruder then went to his car and dialed a familiar number. He needed the help of his largest investor and interpreter for this mission, since he would be obligated to use his own meager resources. “Let’s see, JRL Enterprises. Yes, there it is. ‘J.R. Logan, please. Hi, J.R., it’s Jay. How have you been, big guy? How would you like to go back to South America? Yes, it would need to be on your account, on account of I don’t have the money to finance this trip. The car rental company wasn’t pleased with the condition of the SUV I rented from them the last time we were down there, so I didn’t get my deposit back; and I won’t get paid until I’ve closed this case. I may not even get paid then, but I still want to do this. That’s mainly because I not only need to find José, but something else I lost down there as well.
“You could hock your Super Bowl ring, or use the money they gave you for being the MVP of that game if you’re tapped out, too. Just kiddin'. I know that you’re loaded, and I also need an interpreter, and you’re fluent in Spanish…”
Mark had thought that going to the noisy parking garage to have a clandestine conversation with Jay would prevent anyone from listening to their conversation, but he was mistaken. A powerful man had enough influence with the FBI to influence an agent to use his equipment to listen to this conversation. He quickly relayed the conversation to his boss, and a picture of his wife and two children appeared on his phone seconds later. They were all safe and alive….for now.