KATIKA-Treason is never far away (Part.1)

Chapter 15 | Speak!

Two weeks.

It had been two weeks since John languished in his hospital bed, handcuffed morning, noon, and night, except for when he needed to attend to nature's call, all while being constantly watched by Agent Ito and Agent Berry.

He couldn't stand this circus any longer, being treated like a serial killer.

The only way to end this nightmare was to reveal everything to the FBI, and the sooner, the better; his dignity, honor, and future were at stake.

However, even if he were to disclose this conspiracy, he would need a lawyer, a very good one at that. The problem was that he was broke, cut off from any future financial resources; he had no home, no job, and his father had cut off his financial support. He would need the salary he had earned during the single month of work at Katika to secure a decent living.

'Agent Berry,' he said, 'I request to be provided with a public defender.'

John didn't care if it made him appear more peculiar than he already seemed in the eyes of a special agent. Asking for a public defender when you came from a well-off family wasn't all that absurd, after all.

He wasn't truly a Katika anymore since he had been disowned by his father, and, in any case, an entirely accidental yet substantial surprise awaited him: soon, he would fill his life by starting his own family because he was going to become a father! This new factor gave him an increased motivation to pull through, to live as a free man.

Rebecca didn't want to have an abortion; her desire to become a mother was strong, so John had no say in persuading her to forego her pregnancy.

Dr. Jackson came to see him to announce that he could finally leave the hospital. Of course, the hospital bill was steep and would devour a significant portion of his salary, another reason not to accumulate a lifetime of debt in attorney fees.

The FBI was eagerly awaiting the moment when the highly publicized and controversial John Katika could be officially interrogated, and that moment had arrived. Throughout his stay, the television channels incessantly broadcast gossip, fueling the frenzy surrounding the legal case pitting him against an economic mogul.

Rebecca assured him that few people were interested in business affairs, and that his case was no exception, but that was an illusion. John Katika was now synonymous with industrial espionage in the eyes of all of America, and it fascinated anyone, especially with all the media hype.

At 2:00 PM, he signed some administrative documents and left the hospital, still in handcuffs.

He was driven by car to the FBI offices, located in a building a few meters away from the Katika Tower. Agents Berry and Ito escorted him to a padded interrogation room.

Agent Ito reminded him of his Miranda rights (the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney), after which John requested a court-appointed attorney once again. 

He didn't speak until a man, his attorney, entered the room. John was taken aback when he saw the person responsible for his defense because he knew him.

It was Jeremy Carter, the union activist he had fired and mistreated for defending thousands of employees who had been laid off for no reason other than cost-cutting.

"Mr. Katika," Carter declared solemnly, "I'm Attorney Carter, a California bar-licensed attorney appointed to represent you in this case. I'll be with you throughout your interrogation to defend and advise you to the best of your rights."

He acted as if he were meeting him for the first time, as if nothing had happened between them a few weeks earlier.

John wondered why he had been hired by Katika when he was a qualified attorney. Perhaps he was an in-house corporate lawyer for the company?

Carter turned his head towards the two agents, who understood that they had to leave to let the attorney speak privately with his client.