Chapter Thirty #2
Sam and Freddie returned to the table.
“Detective Cruz, please note for the record that Mr. Baker has rescinded his earlier request for an attorney.”
“So noted.”
“Will you again apprise Mr. Baker of his rights in this matter?”
While Freddie recited the modified Miranda warning, Sam turned her most potent stare on the man, who squirmed under the heat of that glare.
“Start with how you got involved,” she said.
“Victor. He called me. He said he had a line on some easy money and could use some help. I wasn’t doing anything, so I went with him.” Baker swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his skinny neck.
“Did you know he planned to rob, rape and murder these people?”
“No! He never said nothing about any of that. He said easy money.”
“Tell me how it went down from the second you got there until the second you left, and don’t leave anything out.”
“We got there around four-thirty, and Victor, he pulled a gun on the rich lady. He asked who was in the house, and she said her kids and the maid was there. He saw she was wearing one of those panic buttons and took that from her. He told her to get rid of the woman or he’d kill them both.
She told the maid she was fired for stealing and told her to get out.
The lady was upset, but the rich lady told her to get out before she called the cops. ”
“Where were you when this was happening?”
“Outside the kitchen door listening. The maid left, and the rich lady told us she was gone. Victor said he wanted money. She said she didn’t have any, but she could ask her husband to get some on the way home.
Victor told her he didn’t want to wait for the husband.
That’s when she said she had kids upstairs and couldn’t leave them.
Victor told her to go get them. We’d bring them with us.
She said she didn’t want to get them, that she didn’t want to involve them.
He told her to get them, or he’d kill her and her kids. She went and got them.”
“How did you get to the bank?” Sam asked.
“We took her car, and Victor sat in the front with her. She didn’t want to go in the bank without the kids, who were crying, but Victor told her she didn’t have a choice and she was wasting time.
The two of them went in the bank while I stayed with the kids.
They were in there a long time, and the kids were driving me crazy asking for their mother.
They finally came out, and Victor was pissed because she’d only been able to get a hundred grand.
We went back to the house to wait for the husband.
Victor said he was the fat cat. She sent the kids upstairs and told them not to come down for any reason. ”
Sam’s stomach ached imagining the ordeal the children had been through with two strange men with guns telling their mother what to do in their home. “What happened then?”
“Victor said we should have some fun with her while we waited for the husband.” Baker rubbed at the sweat that beaded on his upper lip. “He made me do her first.”
“He made you?” Sam asked, incredulous.
“He held a gun on me, so yeah, he made me.”
“Did he make you get a boner, too?” Sam asked, thoroughly disgusted.
“The rich lady was hot,” he said with a shrug.
“What happened after that?” Sam asked through gritted teeth.
“Victor did her, too. He was still doing her when the husband came home and freaked out. She was screaming and crying.” Baker shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of images that she hoped would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Victor told me to tie him up. He said he’d give us anything we wanted, but we had to leave his wife alone.
Victor hit him in the face with the gun and said he wasn’t the one with the power now, and he needed to shut the fuck up. ”
Sam’s stomach turned as she listened to what Cleo and Jameson had endured at the hands of two half-wits who’d targeted them because they were rich.
“The guy begged him not to hurt her. He said he’d give us a million dollars if Victor would stop.
Victor stopped and told him he had four hours to get the money.
The guy said he’d need more time. Four hours, Victor said.
The guy made calls, and we waited. The money didn’t get there, so Victor started beating the guy up, broke his fingers, had another go with the wife.
It kinda went like that until Victor got sick of waiting and said we should take the money we already had and burn the place so there wouldn’t be any evidence left behind. ”
Sam laughed at that. “You forgot to burn the dishes you used when you ate their food. I guess Victor isn’t as smart as you thought. So where is he?”
Baker’s mouth fell open. “You said you had him.”
“I lied. Where is he?” When he didn’t reply, Sam stood and slapped her hand on the table. “Where the fuck is he?”
Baker jumped a foot, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his skinny neck. “He’s hiding out at my place.”
“Is he armed?”
Baker nodded.
Sam pushed a notebook and pen across the table. “Write down the address, draw me a picture of the place, tell me where he’s apt to be and don’t even think about fucking with us. You’re already looking at murder one, arson, kidnapping, sexual assault, to start with.”
“I didn’t do none of that stuff! Victor made me.”
“Tell it to the judge.” She got up to leave the room.
“Wait! You said you’d help me if I told you what happened!”
“I lied about that, too.” After leaving the room and letting the door slam shut behind her, she took deep breaths of the fresh air in the hallway.
Hope and Malone came out of observation.
“That was brutal,” Hope said bluntly. “Go pick up Victor so we can lock them both up for the rest of their lives.”
“I want SWAT on this,” Malone said fiercely. “So there’s no chance this son of a bitch can escape.”
“I’ll make the call,” Freddie said.