“And you can, too, isn’t that right, Juan. Or is it Anibal?”
He ignored the question. “Oscar got mad at Mr. Richardson.”
“Why?”
“Mr. Richardson couldn’t keep his hands off anyone.”
“What else?” Raquel asked. “Oscar Caliente is too smart to have Brad Richardson killed because Brad tried to kiss him.”
“Brad knows hundreds of people all over the world. A friend in Argentina told him that there was no Oscar Caliente there who bought and sold ponies for millions.”
“And Brad told Oscar that?”
“Yes. Brad didn’t know how to be careful.”
“And Oscar felt disrespected?”
“He did.”
“And Oscar had expected to get money from Brad for a horse deal?”
“Sure.”
“How do you know that?”
“Brad told me. Oscar, too.”
“And then Brad walked away from the deal?”
“He did.”
“But he expected Oscar to still hold hands?”
“Brad was a nice man, Raquel. I’ve always told you that. But he didn’t understand other people. He thought everything was a game.”
“And Oscar?”
“Oscar has people killed, Raquel, because he likes to.”
Raquel felt the onset of a fever of anger in all her body. “He had Theresa killed, didn’t he?”
“No, he had you killed. He wanted you. I told you to leave him alone. You didn’t. You need to think about that, Raquel.”
She didn’t respond to that. It was too painful.
“Oscar told you to kill Brad?”
“He knew I learned to do that in Mexico.”
“And you did it?”
“Yes.”
“And you took Jimmy out on the boat and killed him.”
“We did.”
“You are an animal.”
“You haven’t lived my life, Raquel. I’ve survived.”
Raquel was tempted to ask how he felt about the people he had hurt to enable him to survive. But she wanted facts, not justifications, and besides no criminal in her experience had ever accepted responsibility. It was always the same litany: denial, excuse, crazy rationales.
“Tell me this: Did Oscar say why he wanted Jimmy to vanish?”
“He said he didn’t trust him.”
“And Oscar didn’t trust you either, did he?”
“We put Jimmy’s blood on a new poncho while we were still on the boat. We burned the poncho I wore. But first I took the blood from Brad and the blood from Jimmy and put it on the new poncho.”
“And the blood from the Borzois, right?”
“Yes, Raquel.”
“And you cleaned the machete?”
“I did.”
“And you put Jimmy’s blood on the machete?”
“Yes.”
“And you brought the poncho and machete back to the marina in Sag Harbor?”
Juan’s smile was cold. “Be careful, Raquel. You know too much.”
“I’ll worry about myself.” Raquel was rigid. “You were supposed to put the poncho and knife in Jimmy’s apartment in Hampton Bays?”
“You need to be careful.”
“Jocko was going to drive you out there the next day?”
“Who told you all this?”
“You put the poncho and knife in the abandoned dump to hide them overnight, didn’t you?”
“You know, Raquel, that Oscar is in Mexico. He will come back here. He has lots of disguises.”
“But the police came for you before Jocko, isn’t that right?”
“Sure, they came first.”
“Oscar was mad at you?”
“Oscar is always mad.”
Raquel’s hands were clenched. “Where did you put the money?”
“What money?”
“Come on, it’s time to stop it. You stole money from Brad’s office, didn’t you? The cash upstairs wasn’t the only money, was it?”
“Raquel, Oscar is still out there. He won’t forget you when I tell him you know all this.”
“You’re threatening me.”
“No, Raquel, this time I’m telling you the truth.”
The iron door slid open. It was time for the random headcount that brought an abrupt end to all visits.
He smiled as he left the room. “I love you, Raquel.” And then he vanished behind the closing gate, leaving for some place in the world where Raquel Rematti would never see him again.
She drove to Brooklyn Heights. She walked on the high promenade that overlooked everything that was glorious about New York: the glittering harbor, the century-old span of the Brooklyn Bridge, the clean, gleaming skyline. White gulls floated on invisible waves of wind.
In the breeze and bright air, Raquel Rematti felt that she was cleansed.
About the Author
Photo credit: Star Black
Paul Batista, novelist and television personality, is one of the most widely known trial lawyers in the country. As a trial attorney, he specializes in federal criminal litigation. As a media figure, he is known for his regular appearances as guest legal commentator on a variety of television shows, including Court TV, CNN, HLN, and WNBC. He’s also appeared in the HBO movie You Don’t Know Jack, starring Al Pacino.
A prolific writer, Batista authored the leading treatise on the primary federal anti-racketeering statute, Civil RICO Practice Manual, which is now in its third edition (Wiley & Sons, 1987; Wolters Kluwer, 2008). He has written articles for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The National Law Journal.
Batista’s debut novel, Death’s Witness, was awarded a Silver Medal by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Batista is a graduate of Bowdoin College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and Cornell Law School. He’s proud to have served in the United States Army during the Vietnem War.
Paul Batista lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York.
