That explained why Ken was sitting in a comfortable chair in an abandoned warehouse, and Tony Clark, clad only in his underpants, was duct-taped to an uncomfortable chair across from him,while several large men dressed in camouflage and wearing ski masks watched from the shadows.
Clark had been injected with a tranquilizer before being dumped in a van and driven to the warehouse. He had a split lip and a black eye but was otherwise unharmed. Ken waited patiently for Clark to regain consciousness. When Clark was fully awake, Ken smiled at him.
“How are you feeling, Tony? Do you need some aspirin?”
The light in the warehouse was dim, and Clark’s eyes took time to focus. Clark stared at Ken. When he figured out who had asked the question, he said, “Fuck you, you motherfucking bastard. Let me out of here or I’ll come for you and make you wish you were dead.”
“I can understand why you’re angry,” Ken answered calmly. “But, if you think about it, I’m certain that you’ll agree that I’m the one who should be mad.”
Ken nodded, and one of the Mexican police officers shined a light on the two men who had invaded Ken’s motel room. They were lying on the concrete floor and writhing in agony. Gags stifled their cries. Clark saw the men and began to look less confident.
“I know you sent these two morons to beat me up, because they’ve confessed. You can see that your buddies are in a lot of pain, but why, you must wonder, are they still alive. The answer is simple. If I’d killed them, they wouldn’t be able to provide proof that you are guilty of several serious felonies that could put you in a Mexican prison for a long, long time.
“But all is not lost. You can save yourself. Want to know how?”
Clark glared at Ken, but it was obvious that the investigator had Clark’s attention.
“I think Corey Rockwell killed his wife, and you provided him with an alibi. There’s no other explanation for why you’d send these two bozos to frighten me. Tell the DA in LA the truth and you’ll be able to cut a deal that will send you to a nice American prison for a lot less time than you’ll be spending here. Keep being a tough guy and you’ll learn what happens to gringos in a prison south of the border.”
Ken stood up. “I’m going to let you think about what you want to do. I’ll check back with you in a while. By the way, the empanadas were as good as Rose said they’d be.”
PART NINEAn Ingenious Plan
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Robin was in the middle of a two-week, multi-defendant, federal drug conspiracy trial, and she was exhausted when she returned to her office at six o’clock. She was organizing the files for the next day’s session when Ken Breland stepped into her office and flashed a big grin.
“What’s making you so happy?” Robin asked.
“While you were in court, I got a call from the prosecutor who’s handling the Claire Winters case. He indicted Rockwell, and your favorite action hero is in jail.”
“What about Yousef Khan?”
“His attorney is going to court to get him out of prison, and the DA is going to support the petition.”
“That’s great news. Have you told Nelly?”
“No. I thought you’d want to do that.”
“I don’t have time now. I’m meeting an expert witness in an hour, and I’ve got to prep for the meeting.”
Robin leaned back in her chair and fixed Ken with a hard stare.
“You probably wouldn’t have been able to get Clark to talk if he hadn’t sent those men after you,” she said.
Ken shrugged. “Rockwell’s scheme took a lot of planning, and we needed luck to unravel it.”
“It wasn’t entirely luck, was it?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“You set up Clark, didn’t you?”
“Moi?” answered Ken, trying his hardest to look angelic.
“You were hoping he’d come after you, so you could use your Mexican friend to apply pressure.”
“That would be entrapment,” Ken answered with an innocent smile.