Page 75 of Wild Tempest

“Last night. Arraigned this morning.”

“I need his name. I can’t make any promises. But I will push this up the food chain. Those are serious charges, and you can’t expect this to just go away. I have no control over it.”

“Murder is a serious charge too. Those poor kids. Their families. They need closure,” he said, laying it on thick.

“What’s the kid’s name?”

“Enrique Díaz.”

"I'll look into this. How do I get in touch with you?”

"I'll get in touch with you.” He was obviously calling me from a burner phone. "The kid is not cut out for prison.”

"You know what they say. If you can’t do the crime…"

"It's not the time, my friend. Prison can be a dangerous place."

"If you give me the location of the bodies, that will go a long way.”

"Talk to your people, and I will touch base tomorrow."

"What's your name?”

"I'm not telling you my name, Gringo.”

"What do I call you?"

"You can call me a friend." He ended the call.

I called the sheriff and filled him in on the situation.

"How full of shit do you think this guy is?”

"I tend to believe him for some reason.”

"Let me see what I can find out about the kid, and I'll get back with you. I can tell you, there's no way that kid doesn't go to jail.”

I ended the call and finished grilling breakfast.

JD stumbled into the galley a few moments later. We dished up plates and ate on the sky deck as the morning rays washed over the marina.

The sheriff called back. "Okay, the kid is 18. He got picked up yesterday by the DEA and was arraigned this morning. Bail was set at $500,000. As of yet, no one has stepped up to spring the kid. He's a pretrial detainee in the housing pod currently.”

"I'm sure the DEA is pressuring him to flip on his supplier. I think that's what my informant is worried about. If the kid turns state’s evidence, his life is in danger. That's for certain.”

"I’m going to give you the name of the arresting agent,” Daniels said. "Talk to him and see where they're coming from. But I suspect they see this kid as the key to bigger fish. I'll contact the Assistant US Attorney. But you've got an uphill battle on your hands if you think this kid’s gonna get any leniency.”

Daniels gave me the number, and I dialed Agent Fowler. JD and I weren’t on the best of terms with the DEA. We'd had a few run-ins, dealing with corrupt agents.

I got in touch with Fowler and explained the situation to him.

"No way. I'm pushing for the kid to get the maximum.”

"I've got an informant that can help break a quadruple homicide if that kid gets a break," I said.

"And I've been working on breaking up this drug ring for a year and a half now. This guy was carrying two keys of cocaine from the Sombra del Norte cartel. He's 18 and scared shirtless. There's no way he doesn't crack before trial. He will give up his supplier, and we’ll be one step closer to taking down the whole organization.”

"The kid can't do the time,” I said. “Everyone in his organization knows that. What do you think the outcome of that is going to be?”