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SEATTLE (Monday, Dec. 2, 2012, 8 a.m.) — Nick Rodriguez replayed a tape of Mac’s jail cell entrance. “Well?” Rodriguez said to the man standing next to him. “That look like a nice innocent kid to you?”
“Cut the shit, Rodriguez,” Stan Warren said. “We both know the last time Mackensie Davis was innocent he was in diapers.” He paused reflectively. “I might not even bet on that.”
Rodriguez snorted. “He tried to kill a cop,” he said stubbornly.
Warren shook his head. “He’s being framed,” he said with certainty. “Do you really think the man you just saw dominate a jail cell in less than two minutes would toss a weapon with his prints still on it? Where you would find it?”
Rodriguez shrugged, half-agreeing. “You’re seeing him as a reporter. We’ve reason to believe that he hit Donnelly because he found out that Donnelly was getting close to exposing him as a drug dealer. “
“Currently?” Warren shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“You admit he’s dealt drugs in the past?”
Warren laughed at Rodriguez’s indignation. “I didn’t say he was an angel. I said he is being framed for Donnelly’s hit. It takes him out of the action. I need him back in.”
“You running him?”
“Right. I wish. No running that boy.” Warren hesitated. “You read his military file?”
“Some. What Donnelly had of it.”
“One piece isn’t there, not all of it anyway. Command over there was conflicted about whether troops should be sent in to push Al Qaeda back. They'd push into the Afghani villages; we'd push them back out. Usual compromise: do a bit, but not enough. So, one day a call comes in — Al Qaeda had pushed into one of our strongholds again. Instead of sending in enough troops to do some good, they compromised by sending in one Marine Recon team to harass them, to see if they'd leave.”
“Davis was on that team?” Rodriguez prompted.
“Yeah, leader of it. He and his team identified the site, called in for an air strike. Command was still compromising, no air support. But Davis and his team took the site anyways, turned it over the villagers. They learned there was another hot spot not far away, so they decided to check it out — while command found their asses, I believe is how Davis described it later.”
“Even then he had a way with words,” Rodriguez said dryly. He’d served in Desert Storm and had a good idea of how ‘well’ Command worked.
“Yeah. By the time Command caught up with the recon team to haul them home, they'd pushed Al Qaeda out of three villages. Davis got chewed out for superseding orders. And it disappeared from any known files. I got it from one of Davis’ C.O.s. The Marines still tell stories about it. The C.O. I talked to still wonders what would have happened if they’d given Davis three more days.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
Warren sighed. “I’ve got a problem. It isn’t one I can solve through normal procedures. I’ve tried. My problem has connections you can’t believe. Every piece of evidence that he’s dirty is brushed off. And yet, I am increasingly convinced he cannot be allowed to hold Cabinet office.”
“Who?” Rodriguez asked.
Warren shook his head. “You don’t want know.” He looked back at Mac. “There is a very happy wolf wearing sheep clothes. He likes being among the sheep. He doesn’t bother them. The sheep think he’s just like them. And he likes that. Regular meals, safety, dry place to sleep. What’s not to like?”
“Just say it straight, man.”
“I need a predator. He’s the one I’ve got. I need him to take off the sheep mask and go hunting. He can’t do that from jail.”
“Can’t just turn him loose,” Rodriguez objected. “Too much evidence, too much....”
“Pressure from above?” Warren finished softly. “See what I mean?”
Rodriguez sighed. “What do you want me to do?”
Warren smiled. “Someone from the newspaper will probably spring him. Don’t oppose bail. “
Rodriguez nodded slowly. “Then what?”
Warren said, “Then stay out of the way. Getting between a predator and his prey is dangerous.”
An officer stuck his head in the observation room. “Both Leatherstocking and the assistant DA are here, Nick.”
Rodriguez nodded, waving the officer away. “You want to sit in on the questioning?”
“Nope,” Warren said. “The farther behind the scenes I am the safer I am.” He joined Rodriguez and they walked down the hall together.