Muted Anguish

CHAPTER 22: NAILED

With the help of facial recognition, the hitman had been successfully identified from the CCTV tape. Ryan Gonzalez turned out to be Fernando Rodriguez, a short, stocky man with a thin, long moustache and hooded eyes.
Hank and Patrick found him along with an envelope of cash containing sixty thousand dollars, shacked up in a motel.
"I don't know whatchu talking about" his Spanish accent was thick "Your accusation is baseless"
"You can say that in court" Hank replied with a serious frown then gestured to his partner "Cuff him"

Some minutes later Hank interrogated the suspect at the precinct.
"Good morning, Mr Rodriguez. I'm detective Foxworth" he introduced, pulling out a chair from underneath the table and sitting "And I'd like you to be very honest with me"
Fernando scoffed and looked to the side
"Do you know who Cameron King is?"
"No"
"Let me rephrase my question then" the detective paused, fixing Fernando a hard stare "Did you or did you not try to kill this guy..." he slid a photograph of Cameron towards him "...by running him over?"
"No. I did not try to kill anyone or run over anyone"
He nodded "You're aware we have the car you drove on CCTV, Mr Rodriguez"
No response
"Tell me, Fernando, is this your first time doing something like this?"
Again, no response
"You arrived from Spain a day before the murder attempt. Rented a car, got fake plates, which is a bit commendable, I must say and then, you run over an innocent young man"
"It was an accident, they both crossed the road aimlessly"
The idiot hadn't even gotten his story straight. He denies running over the victim at first, then he says it's an accident.
Hank smiled "So you do admit you ran him over"
Silence
"Why did you run?"
"Why does any other driver involved in a hit and run, run? Because I was scared, detective"
"The parents of this man you ran over... do you know who they are?"
"No"
"Well, let me tell you. They are very powerful people, Mr Rodriguez and they are looking forward very eagerly to destroying you. They've already made plans to sue you to oblivion unless you admit the truth of course and tell us who hired you"
"Nobody"
"Are you aware of the penalty for a hit and run not to even mention, an attempted murder?"
"No"
"Let me enlighten you then, Fernando. Based on the severity of the victim's injury you could be facing up to 15 years in prison. Now in the case of attempted murder, we're looking at twenty-five years. So, let me ask you again. Who hired you?"
He kept mute
"How much were you paid?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, I wasn't paid"
"How do you explain the sum of sixty thousand dollars found in your apartment?"
"I'm a very hardworking man. I farm, I fish, I fix cars" he said proudly "I do many jobs"
"Including assassinating people yes? Listen to me very carefully, Fernando" he leaned forward in his chair "I don't buy your jack-of-all-trades baloney act one bit and if I don't buy it, no one's gonna buy it. Not even the judge" Hank folded his arms "You have a wife yes? and two pretty daughters. Such a shame you'd spend the rest of your life locked up and away from them for at least half their lives"
The detective rose to his feet and turned to leave when Fernando called him back.
"Wait!"
He sat down back.
"The guy jumped in the way. He wasn't my target" Fernando said quickly, suddenly sweating
"So, you admit you're a hitman" I scribbled in my notepad "Good. And who was your target?"
"His girlfriend"
"Who hired you?"
"They'll kill me if I talk. You have to guarantee my protection and the protection of my family" his perspiration seemed to increase with every sentence he made.
"You will be safe. Your family will be safe, I promise"
"He's the grandson of my boss from the mafia"
A surprised brow went up Hank's face "I see. I need a name"
Fernando wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand and looked around like he was being watched "You promise you'll keep my family safe?"
"I promise. The name, Fernando"
He bit his lip nervously and spoke "Julian Alvaro Martinez" he muttered hurriedly "He was the one that gave the order"

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"We apprehended the man that ran over your son, Mr and Mrs King"
"Who's the bastard?" Mr King asked angrily while he comforted his weeping wife.
"He's a mechanic from Ibiza named Fernando Rodriguez"
"What does a mechanic want with my son?"
"He was hired but not to kill Cameron"
"If he wasn't hired to kill my son then why is my baby boy lying unconscious in the hospital?!"
"The target was Keisha" Hank further explained "Cameron pushed her out of the way. Your son's a hero"
"You said he was hired"
"Yes"
"How much was he paid?"
"Sixty thousand dollars"
Mr King guffawed and whispered in disbelief "Sixty thousand dollars".
"This person that hired the hitman, where is he now?" Mrs King asked, gaining some composure
"A few of my men have gone to arrest him. He'll be in the station for questioning by the time I get there"
"I want to know who he is" the wife spoke up
"His name is Julian Martinez" he responded calmly "And according to Fernando, he's mafia"
She paled, releasing a shocked gasp. Her husband remained where he was, his expression, blank
"What would someone in the mafia want with Keisha?" she whispered rhetorically to herself, fresh tears streaking her cheek as she moved into her husband's embrace once more.
He also attends the same college as your son"
"W- Why did he do it?"
"I'm yet to find out"
"Thank you, detective" Mr King stepped forward and shook the detective's hand "Do everything in your power to wring the information out of this Julian miscreant. I wanna know why he would want Keisha dead. He's also the reason my son's in this critical condition"
"I'll do my best, sir"
"Please do. We're counting on you"