Love's Deception

Chapter 13 - The Arrest

How are people bad? Are people born bad? Or are they made bad? Can you justify someone's bad behavior? If you catch someone doing something bad, do you immediately accuse them? Or do you give them the benefit of the doubt?

I tend to like to give people the benefit of the doubt but in my line of work that doesn't always work out. Sometimes you can't do that for people. Sometimes you have to assume the worst.

I hate to do that. I feel bad that I may be ruining someone's life when they can just explain why they did the thing they did. Maybe they didn't want to, maybe they were forced to.

Remember Brian Wells, the 'Pizza Bomber'? He had a bomb collar strapped around his neck, forced to rob a bank and when he was caught by the police, the bomb went off and it killed him. He was forced to do a bad thing, does that make him a bad person? You tell me.

****

Cam and I arrived at the state penitentiary at around the same time. We stood outside for a moment to discuss what to ask Lester and then we took the big leap and walked inside. Before I arrived there, I managed to stop somewhere to change out of my PA work clothes, and back into the FBI work clothes. The bad part about this is that my bruise is not on full display.

After we checked out firearms and got visitors passes, we were taken by a guard to a room where Lester will be brought in. We wait in the room in silence for Lester to be brought in. While we wait we look through Lester's file and write down questions for him.

Finally, the guards bring Lester into the room. He's wearing an orange jumpsuit and has handcuffs on his hands. He awkwardly sits down in front of us and places his handcuffed hands on the table. I close Lester's file in front of me and make direct eye contact with him.

I smile, "Good evening, Lester. I didn't get to properly introduce myself the other day. I'm Special Agent Warren and this is Special Agent Jones."

Cam gives a quick wave to Lester as I introduce him. Lester looks between the two of us and then sits back in the metal chair he's been placed on.

"So, let's talk about your family. You have a beautiful wife and a gorgeous baby. You appear to be a loving father," I look through the papers in his file about his family and then look up at Lester, "But you were getting ready to leave them the other day? Can you tell me why?"

Lester stays quiet for a moment and then Cam speaks up, "Does it have something to do with the Cobras?"

Lester looks at us with wide eyes, "What do you know about them?"

"Enough to know that you were involved with them. What exactly was your involvement?" I ask.

Lester bangs his fist on the table and the chains from his handcuffs startle me, "I didn't want to be involved! I worked at the Dyer Hotel as a cook, but, I stole some money. Colton found out and he blackmailed me. He made me join the Cobras! I didn't want to but if I didn't he would have killed my wife and daughter."

I watch as this man breaks down in tears over this. I have to say that I don't think he's lying. I think he's just a man who made a mistake and was constantly punished for it. He was scared of losing his family, losing the two most important people in his life. I understand that. I already lost my dad, I can't imagine losing my mom.

I pull a tissue out of my purse and gesture with it to the guard to ask if I'm allowed to give it to Lester. She nods and I hand the tissue to Lester. He accepts it with a gracious smile and uses it to dry his tears.

"Did someone continue the threats after Colton was killed?" Cam asks Lester.

Lester nods, "But, I don't know who."