Coaster (17 page)

Once
Joseph saw Clara his head went down and she could see how embarrassed he was. They went to the impound yard and paid the fine. He climbed in the truck slowly and his demeanor was complete defeat.

Clara
sat in the driver's seat and before starting the engine she leaned over and touched Joseph's hand. They drove in silence all the way home. Once in the garage Clara turned to Joseph.

"Joseph?"

He looked at her with red-rimmed eyes.

"I'
m not mad at you. I left you to deal with the most horrific of circumstances. I was completely and utterly selfish but at the time it was the only way I could survive. I left you so I could process this event and thoughtlessly left you alone to cope with it. So I don't blame you for drinking again. We will handle what comes next. You will return to AA and I will drive you. Both of us will pay for our selfishness."

"Clara, I'm sorry. I just...."

"I know." Clara took his hand and kissed it.

Joseph began sobbing."I'm so weak."

"No, you're not. You're strong. And together we're even stronger. We will get through this together. And Joseph I promise you, I will never leave you like that again. Joseph, look at me."

Joseph looked at her.

"I will never leave you like that again. I promise."

Joseph reached across and pulled Clara to him.
He held her hard against his chest. She began to cry and he gripped her tighter. Together they let the pain, hurt, and worry flow out of them, only this time they did it together.

                                                                      ****

Chapter Twenty- Two

The man was again elated. The arraignment of the mechanic was topping the headlines which meant that the whole story was brought up again and again. The experts were weighing in and the world was focused on the story. There were pictures of the two British kids' mom as she drove away from her house. The flashes of Buckingham Palace were frequent as the press sensationalized the connection of the two British youth to the monarchy.

The man
quivered with excitement with the forums, chats, and websites that had sprung up to talk about the case. Many were outraged, but almost everyone had an opinion. The corporation had their public relations people out in force trying to sway public opinion against the mechanic. The mechanic had been missing in action so crucifying him was easy.

The man was energized.
He wrote on multiple sites extolling the media with comments and thoughts. He vilified the corporation in every place he could. It was heaven for him. He barely slept because with the international press he could watch coverage almost twenty-four hours a day. Life was good again.

                                                                      ****

La Rosa was frustrated. They had been disappointed after watching two of the individuals for a day or so and nothing seemed to happen.

One was a guy who
was visiting sites that gave bomb instructions and they were excited about the lead. Then they found his video about how to blow up gopher holes on your property to get rid of the pests.

The other seemed promising until they found out he had moved abroad months before the bombing and was living there when the event took place.
They tracked his name through Interpol and he hadn't traveled before the coaster bombing.

The last name on the list was in Pennsylvania and the private FBI jet had just landed. La Rosa was feeling desperate. If this guy wasn't the one then she had nothing to help Roger out of this very public situation.

"La Rosa, you might want to hear this." Agent Lee, Gordon's sidekick was waving her over.

"We've been watching this guy since the story broke a couple of days ago. At first it was quiet but in the last twenty-four hours he has been non-stop on the chats and forums. He is very vocal about the corporation and how they are the ones to blame. We're thinking we might be on to something here."

La Rosa felt the elation in her chest.
This might be the guy.
She shuffled the papers in front of her and asked.
"So, how we gonna do this?"

Agent Gordon was deep in thought. "Okay, listen. This very well may be our guy. But we don't want to spook him. Obviously he's caught up in the frenzy, but I want to make damn sure that we get a good, clean collar here. Everyone understand?"

La Rosa nodded. She didn't want anything going wrong and messing this up for them.

"So, we're going to do intel on him for the next twenty-four and get some background on him too. Agent Williams and Flynn, make sure you check the garbage and neighbors. Quietly though, remember no spooking him. After
we got what we need we'll move. Okay?"

La Rosa stopped smiling. They were so close and all she wanted to do was storm in c
atch the guy. Her gut told her this was him. He did it. But she also couldn't step on Agent Gordon's feet since he'd been so completely accommodating letting her be part of this. She kept her thoughts in check and asked, "How can I help?"

                                                                      ****

Roger had been inundated with emails, texts, and phone calls. There was constant light outside his house from the news cameras. It seemed someone in the public relations department at the corporation had given the press his address. He'd be trapped in his house until the arraignment. The good news was that Fernando Diaz was clearly the perfect attorney to deal with this mess. Roger still didn't feel confident about the outcome, but he did trust that Fernando was giving more than a hundred percent, though of course that effort was costing Roger.

He had
n't heard from La Rosa in several days and oddly enough he missed her. Even the smallest interaction with her was something he really looked forward too. He'd left a couple messages on her phone, but other than a hurried hello message left a few days ago, there had been nothing.

In two days he'd have to put on his s
uit and head to the courthouse. And while he knew he wasn't personally responsible, he also couldn't deny he should've found the bomb. So, how was he supposed to ignore that fact? No matter the circumstantial evidence the corporation had dreamed up, the fact there was an arraignment seemed ridiculous. But he have a choice in this matter because the ball was not in his court.

                                                                      ****

Chapter Twenty-Three

They were ready. The intel had confirmed that the third suspect had worked at the park. They had faxed his picture to their contacts at the corporation and had received a confirmation via their personnel file. They found out he'd worked for the corporation here in Pennsylvania and had been fired without his pension which he had been very vocal about. There was definite unrest and he had left angry, bitter, and with lots to say. Confirming his travel to Los Angles when the explosion happened was just another cog in the turning wheel of evidence against him.

While La Rosa wanted to call Roger, she knew she couldn't. Nothing could be out of place. If there was anything that could be used to let this crazy bastard off she'd be livid. Instead she stayed close to the agents and geared up when the
y were ready. They got into SUVs and headed to the address. The energy was high and everyone was ready to catch this guy. They moved into position and La Rosa was chosen to knock on the door. Agent Gordon followed her up the path and looked around as La Rosa rang the bell. They waited.

They
heard shuffling and a voice say, "Who is it?"

"Hello sir, I'm from your cable provider. We've seen you've been delinquent with your bills and we were hoping to be able to find some way to consolidate and help you get your service to a better pay level for you."

Agent Gordon nodded and La Rosa paused to hear the man's response. There was no answer but La Rosa saw the curtain in the living room swing back in place.

The man
finally answered. "Thanks but not right now. I'm busy."

"Okay, thanks for your time." La Rosa nodded at Agent Gordon
. A moment later they heard the explosion behind them as gas canisters crashed through the front window. Simultaneously they heard the door being slammed open from the agents in the back of the house. Agent Gordon stepped in front of La Rosa and kicked the door in yelling, "FBI, we're coming in."

As the door swung open La Rosa followed Agent Gordon in with her gun drawn. There were agents with masks on and she immediately pulled her
s from her back pocket and put it on. Agent Gordon moved forward undaunted by the gas. There were shouts and yelling coming from all over and La Rosa let her experience hold her in place. After a moment she walked into the back of the house where there were seven televisions mounted on the wall. Every one of them was tuned to the trial. As La Rosa looked around the room and saw multiple newspapers and a computer sitting on the coffee table.

Agent Gordon came through the room holding a man by the elbow.

La Rosa looked at this unassuming man. He was only about five foot nine inches tall. His hair was grey and receding. He had oily skin and he was thin and frail looking. This did not look like a man that could bomb a roller coaster and destroy multiple people's lives. He looked defeated and his eyes were blank.

"Mr. Trinova here was just telling me that he did this for all the best reasons. He wanted vindication. Isn't
that what you said, Mr. Triviana?"

The man didn't answer and he looked
way from La Rosa quickly. Agent Gordon pulled the man out the door and two agents took him to the back seat of the SUV. The house was soon swarming with agents and the investigation began.

"Agent Gordon, is this the guy?" La Rosa needed to know.

"Well, we haven't done the whole breakdown, but I would say yes. He said a couple things when we apprehended him. So, I think it's safe to say we've got our man."

La Rosa smiled. "Thank you so much, Agent Gordon." She walked out the front door, took out her phone, and dialed a number.

It rang twice before it was picked up. "Roger? Is that you?"

"Yes,
Detective La Rosa, you okay?"

"Roger...."

"Yes?"

"We got him."

"Who?"

"Him.
The guy that did the bombing. We just raided his house and arrested him. You're off the hook."

"What? Wait...you got him. You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Roger was silent for a minute. "Thank you.
Detective La Rosa, thank you so much for...doing this. For finding him. For getting me out of this."

"Well, it's not over yet. But I'm pretty sure you won't be going on trial. I'll call Fernando and fill him in so he can do his job. But it looks good." La Rosa was smiling.

"Hey Detective La Rosa?"

"Yes?"

"What's your first name?"

"Vanessa."

"Vanessa. Would you go to dinner with me?"

She smiled as she said,
"Absolutely."

                                                                      ****

Chapter Twenty-Four

The man sat at the table. The wood was worn. The room smelled of age and people. He sat without expression. The attorneys had been
called to the courtroom which was quiet as they waited for the judge to return.

"All rise, the Honorable J
udge Samuel Belvedere presiding."

Everyone stood and the shuffle of feet and chairs was loud. The judge moved to his chair, adjusted his robes, and sat down. Quiet descended as he looked to the jury.

"Jury, do you have your verdict?"

The foreman stood up and nodde
d, "Yes, Your Honor."

"What say you?"

The bailiff walked to the foreman and took the paper that was held out to him. He returned to the judge and handed him the paper. The quiet remained as the judge read the paper and then returned it to the bailiff. The courtroom was completely still the only sound was the bailiff's boots on the floor. Once the verdict returned to the foreman's hands the judge said, "Randolph Triviana, please stand for the verdict."

The crowd waited. The reporters were poised to run from the room to post their stories.

The man stood and his legs wobbled just a bit. His attorney steadied him with his hand. As he delivered the final blow the judge's eyes were trained on the man "Madam Forewoman, please read the verdict.”

The forewoman opened the paper and read, “On the first count of murder in the first degree we the
jury finds the defendant, Randolph Triviana guilty....” The guilty verdict happened fourteen times as each of the deceased were given their chance at justice post mortem.