Broken Witness

Chapter Six...

Back in the office, and far from his mind was last night, a night he had spent with Taylor McLuskie. A night he would probably never forget. Mentally grinning Special Agent Leon Stella was all on for trying to hide his smile from the youngest in the team. Ryan Rolfe rarely saw the nice, kind, happy and generous side of Stella. He avoided that in hope the boy would learn the world was far from nice, even the good guys weren't always nice.
Despite yesterdays suggestion, one which hurt more than a kick to the throat, that the murder of Stella's wife Harriet had been the cause for such a harsh induction period for Rolfe was far from true. Stella's approach was tough, his theory, if you're hard, they won't be soft. It had worked with all his trainee's so far. Though Rolfe was proving slightly more difficult. For once, on time, the young man was sat in a chair gazing into a laptop screen with knowledgeable eyes, doing what he did best. Searching and investigating into witnesses and suspects, whilst subconsciously trying to get an idea enough of the person to understand their actions and what they would possibly be doing, what they wanted leading them slowly to where they were. So far he hadn't been quick enough. "You might be interested in this sir.,"
"Whats that?"
"Marcel Francis."
"What about him?"
"Well, our suspect. I've run a scan, though properly encrypted, only Illinois's base for the bureau can bring up the file. I logged into Washington, Diego, Sacramento, Virginia. Nothing. Only Illinois can find the file and there's more." Broken off to look at the doorway and smile as Taylor McLuskie walked in combing her hair into a pony tail. Stella smiled, though much more welcoming she happily returned the gesture before taking a seat abnormally close to the man. "As I was saying, decrypting and finding the source where it was created. Username was SBJ500, FBI server but it wasn't created from any computer the bureau owns, I tracked that too. Its located in Joliet."
"Just down the road."
"Well. Sorta. Though the username, and computer takes us right to his office just down the corridor. Agent McLuskie I believe you know him."
"Sam, yeh. But. whats he got to do with anything?"
Stella stood and pulled a neatly pressed jacket over his equally as neat white shirt clipping the I.D. badge from his desk onto his outer pocket, though not bothering to reach for a tie he glanced to McLuskie as she stood "That's what we're about to find out."
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Jones's office was cold and far from welcoming, a computer sat on the desk, a filing cabinet in the corner and the only comfort was set of blinds on the window. The office indeed did look more like a detention center interrogation room. Not the choice of work place for a highly regarded and well paid law enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All the same, Stella's thought was it was interestingly relevant the office looked this way. An interrogation room was it's current purpose.
Sat opposite the man, a surprisingly small build, his height around five feet eight and his muscles weighing three times less than the average for that height, his hair off brown, dark Stella noted and was one ginger? He glanced at McLuskie whom was eyeing the man with severe detest. History...
"Agent Jones. I'm sure you know who I am."
"Special Agent Leon Stella? May I ask who in the building hasn't heard of you you're as such, a celebrity. no my wonder isn't who you are as to what you're wanting."
"I wanted to ask you some questions."
"Oh." His eyes rolled over Stella's tense posture. "That would explain the reason for your tension not opening." His gaze slowly moving to McLuskie who winced as his eyes laid on hers, she looked away. "Taylor, I would have expected you to help Mr Stella relax. You were good at that."
"Enough, can we keep personal relationships out of my interview sir especially when the subject isn't all too happy about discussing them. Now. My questions. Who is Marcel Francis?"
"I dont know what you're talking about."
"Quick to deny."
"I read about him somewhere he has a record, gone missing, nothing I recall out the ordenary."
"Other than going missing with no sign for a year no one saw him or anything did they?"
"Well, not that I heard, not to say they didn't I mean people wont come forward unless they see something wrong. It didn't seem suspicious to me and I'm trained to look over theses things so why would they see it as suspicious? They wouldn't"
"Could be the case, McLuskie note that. But I was thinking, if I've heard of him and the press have heard of him, as you're suggesting they have right?"
"Right."
"Then, I really do fail to see how they didn't have a picture of the man who mysteriously vanished even an old picture which they recognise him from. It doesn't make sense really."
"It was a strange case."
"I don't know the details."
"Nor do I really. I wasn't in charge of it."
"No. I don't think anyone was were they?"
"Well someone must have been but I'm afraid I don't know wh-"
"Again, quick to answer. No one was on the case were they? Because there wasn't a case was there? Because neither you nor I know who Marcel Virgil Francis is do we?"
"I dont under-"
"You created a fake killer profile from your home personal desktop computer, model, make and year I can tell you if needs be I can tell you the hours you had it on that day. Dell Inspirion 560 desktop version, bought in North Chicago last year. Owned by Samuel Borris Jones. If there is a mistake sir you might want to explain, if not. You might want to tell me what is going on, now if your only chance without chance of prosecution." A sideways glance to McLuskie showed her dissatisfaction with Stella's reluctance to press charges on the Agent.
"I made the profile. I didn't have a choice. Leon I'm not covering for him."
"Convincing you'd say that without me asking who's him?"
"His names Thomas. He made me."
"Thomas what? Did he give you a last name?"
"Johnson.. I think something like that. Johnson, Johnston. I don't know."
"Do you know what he's up to? You know he's up to something... How big are we dealing with?"
"I don't know. Really."
McLuskie took joy in watching the Agent blub as Stella took hold of his phone, his finger just above the speed dial button for the main office, the people who would take Jones's job without a question in their mind if Stella was to report what happened. "You're not being straight with me Jones. That's the deal. Be straight. I play fair with you."
"This is blackmail."
"Petty when they look at what you've done. You gonna talk or am I gonna make you?"
"Alright! He's killed someone, some people. I dont know how many Stella I really dont! I'm being honest I swear! I don't know figures."
"Why'd he choose you?"
"Because he knew I could do it, we made a deal. he wouldnt touch my family. He wouldnt touch her" A nod to McLuskie "If I did this for him. Stella. please, dont call them."
Stella put the phone down and stepped away from the desk. McLuskie followed him, the look as though he was walking through the door a complete trick. Quickly turning on his feet and sending the only ornament in the office flying towards the Agent, the vase smashing just behind him. "You killed my wife or might as well have done. Had you told someone sooner we could have saved her could have saved all of them! You selfish asshole! You're family, you you deserve all you get and dont think I'll let this drop. I'll stick by my word, the main office wont know. But you'll wish, my god you'll wish you were fired. I'm going to make your life hell."
McLuskie grabbed a hold on Stella's arm pulling him back lightly "Lee. Come on." She glared at Jones as she opened the door pulling Stella out.