Chapter 40

It seems the writer's conference has spurred my creativity and drive to get this novel done! What does that mean for you? I am writing chapters faster then usual so I'm adding another one today :)


Nate stared through the glass in front of him. Michael sat in a metal chair at a metal table both of which were bolted to the floor to avoid their use as a weapon. The walls were made entirely of concrete blocks painted an olive green color. From where Michael was sitting he could see himself in the mirror in front of him while Nate could sit behind the glass and watch whatever Michael did.
As Nate watched him he could not make a determination as to his guilt or innocence. Michael didn’t appear nervous. He wrapped his hands around the Styrofoam coffee cup he’d been given and took sips as though he were waiting for a friend to meet him for lunch. All outward appearances pointed towards a man with no worries yet when Nate looked closer he could see the shaky hands and bouncing knee.
In his hand, Nate held one sheet of background information on Michael Carter Fleming born July 15th, 1969. Graduated from the University of South Florida with honors in June of 1991. Graduated from Stetson Law School with honors in June of 1993. Began work as a prosecutor in 1994 after an internship with a judge straight out of law school. Passed the bar on the first try. He had moved from misdemeanors to felonies and then had been elected as District Attorney for Pinellas County. He had no criminal record. Not even a parking ticket. The man was completely clean. Why then had he been found with pictures of naked children?
Nate opened the door to the concrete room and stepped inside. Although it would appear that he and Michael were alone. The truth was that two detectives and Nate’s partner, Eric would be watching them from the other side of the glass. Nate was quite certain Michael would be aware of this.
“You do realize that you are under arrest for possession of child pornography and you have the right to have an attorney present at this time?” Nate asked as he entered the room.
“Yes,” Michael said.
“Would you like to have an attorney present before I question you?” Nate leaned against the table and stared down at Michael.
Michael did not look up. “I can handle myself.”
Nate threw a file folder on the table. Pictures of children slid out on to the table. Michael winced and looked away. Nate picked the pictures up and placed them back in the folder. It was enough that Michael knew they were there. Nate sat down in the metal chair opposite Michael’s. Unlike Michael’s chair Nate’s was not bolted to the floor. It was a symbol of freedom that Michael did not have.
“I’m not sure you can handle yourself Michael. I have pictures of children in compromising positions in this folder. Pictures that you had on your person when the police were detaining you…”
Michael laughed but his laugh held no emotion. “Detained me? More like set me up. You knew darn well I didn’t have a gun.”
“We have a witness that said you did.”
“Your witness is lying.”
“That’s not for me to decide.” Nate was pretty sure that his witness was lying but without concrete proof he had to believe her statement. He would question her again later.
“I did not have a gun on me. I did not have anything that looked like a gun.” Now Michael looked up to meet Nate’s gaze. “Your witness ‘accidentally’ walked in on me while I was removing items from my safe deposit box. I am sure that your detective put her up to that just like he is putting her up to this.” Michael poked the table with his finger to make his point.
“Either way we have reasonable cause to arrest you now…”
“The judge will throw it out,” Michael said.
“Don’t bet on it. I am searching for three missing girls, one missing woman and the murderer of another three girls. Do you really think a judge will care how I came across this information? I doubt it. No jury will care if your rights are violated. They will want you dead or at the least rotting behind bars. Is there anything you want to share with me before I throw you in prison myself?”
Michael held up his hands the handcuffs jingling between them. “I swear I did not know what was in the safe deposit box. I found the key and I had no idea what it went to. I assumed it was Gina’s. I checked some of her papers and saw that she had a bill for a safe deposit box. I just went to check it out. I had no idea what was in it.”
“And when you saw child pornography in the box what did you plan to do with it?” Michael shrugged and leaned back in his chair obviously refusing to answer Nate’s question. “I don’t think you understand your situation Mr. Fleming. I have you on possession of child pornography. You may be the District Attorney but you are not above the law.”
“You do not know who you are messing with.” Michael kept his voice even and low so that Nate had to lean in to hear.
“No, you don’t know who you’re messing with. I am going to find those girls even if I have to step on your toes to get there. If there’s something you know and you’re not telling me I swear to you, you will pay.” Nate stood, grabbed the file with the photos and headed for the room’s exit.
“Wait,” Michael said. “Please just wait.”
Nate stopped but did not turn to face Michael. He was not playing games. He did not care who this man was. If he stood in Nate’s way then he would pay. There was too much at stake.
“They will kill me if I talk to you.”
Nate turned, walked to Michael’s side, leaned into his ear and whispered, “I will kill you if you don’t.”
Michael did not flinch. He folded his hands in front of him and looked straight ahead. Nate knew the man was caught. No judge would overlook possession of child pornography on a person let alone when the person having possession was the District Attorney. Nate almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“I want immunity,” Michael said.
“That all depends on what you give me.” Not a chance.
“They made me do it.”
“Who made you do what?”
“I was contacted by someone I don’t know. They offered money…” Michael cleared his throat. “They offered me money for my daughter.”
“You sold your daughter! You sold your daughter to monsters?” The words came out so quickly and harshly that spittle flew on to Michael’s face. Michael could not reach his neck to wipe it off. Nate made no attempt to help him. “You want immunity for selling your daughter?”
“No, it’s not like that. I swear it’s not.”
“Then tell me Michael Fleming what is it like? Your wife is dead, your daughter is missing, your son has been shot so how is it not like that?” Nate moved in front of Michael and looked down at him daring him to defy Nate’s accusations.
“They knew things about me.” Michael’s voice was one of defeat. There was no sign of the high-powered attorney. Instead of clamping his mouth shut, refusing to speak and requesting a lawyer as Nate would have expected Michael was actually talking.
“What kinds of things?”
“I will not tell you without an attorney present.”
“Are you requesting an attorney?”
“Not yet but I will and I will discuss with him the implications. All you need to know is that they had something on me.” Michael looked down. Nate wasn’t sure if it was out of shame or the feeling that he had said too much.
“Where is Kayla?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“I didn’t know any details.”
“And Gina’s murder?”
“I want a lawyer,” Michael said.
“If you bring an attorney in here Michael I can’t help you. And if I find out one of those girls dies while you were sitting here so help me I will not rest until you are in the electric chair in Starke.” Nate hit the table in frustration. This man was wasting his time.
“Fine, I will tell you what I know. You cannot put me in prison. They will eat me alive. I’ve put men away in there…”
“Michael, what do you know? You are wasting my time and I don’t have time to waste. I need to find those girls. I need to find Ashley.” A confused look crossed Michael’s face. Apparently Michael had not connected the dots when Nate mentioned a missing woman earlier. Maybe he wasn’t as involved as Nate had suspected. “Oh, did you not know? Yes, they’ve taken Ashley and probably Kyle. We haven’t been able to locate either of them.”
“What? How?” Michael rested his head in his hands. “This can’t be… This can’t be happening.”
“It is and I need your cooperation if I’m going to get any of the remaining girls back alive because believe me if I don’t I will hold you responsible for all six girls, all six mothers, your son and Ashley. You will never again see the light of day. Is that what you want?”
“Okay. I will tell you everything when my lawyer arrives. For now you need to know that the girls are going to be shipped to Russia to be sold into the sex trade. The market is big for Caucasian girls…”
“How much time do I have?”
“For what?”
“Before they are going to move the girls?”
“You have two days.”