Rodriquez’ doorbell rang. He reduced the volume on the television, picked up his pistol and stealthy moved against the wall approaching the door, his gun aimed straight at the hazy shape in the glass door frame.
‘Hey, come in.’
‘Rodrigo, have you seen the news?’ Miguel asked walking past Rodriquez towards the living room.
‘I was watching the news right now.’ A relieved Rodriquez replied.
‘Why are you holding a gun?’
‘Just for precaution, I’m a cop remember?’
‘Are you sure it’s the same man you met and spoke to in Sinaloa?’ Miguel asked. He looked ecstatic.
‘Yes it’s him.’ answered Rodriquez. ‘What can I say, Congratulations. I believe a toast to your success is under way.’
‘No. Congratulations to you amigo. You are a million dollars richer! We couldn’t have done it without you.’ A visibly excited Miguel announced. ‘I also have news that might interest you.’ Miguel continued, ‘Marcelo is to be transferred from Bangu penitentiary on Wednesday to presidente prudente super max prison to await trial on multiple charges of murder, extortion, kidnap, trading in drugs and money laundering.’
Rodriquez’ chest tightened.
He knew both prisons well. He’d been to both places many times, mostly as a witness in countless other cases. The Bangu penitentiary complex sat in the western zone of Rio. It housed seventeen penal units, some of which were safe houses, one women’s prison and a hospital. It was overly crowded and violent, but accessible. One could easily bribe the guards or the gangs who run the place to arrange for anything, even the murder of an inmate. The Presidente Prudente super max prison in the southern city of Sao Paulo presented a totally different challenge, it was inaccessible.
‘Are you sure about this?’ Rodriquez asked sounding perplexed.
‘Rodrigo, it is I who personally requested this transfer apparently for safety reasons. The Bangu prison where he is incarcerated is under the control of the Commanda Vermelha gang. Its leader too, his nemesis, Ronaldo Ferreira da Silva is inside the same prison, only a block of flats separates them. I told the Judge if Marcelo wasn’t relocated as a matter of priority, he would be dead in a matter of days. His lawyers and the Judge took the bait. It’s our only chance to get to him. A window of opportunity has been presented us. You asked for him, now here’s your chance, your last shot. Make it count.’
‘You know very well he will be heavily guarded, and besides what are the chances they will transfer him anyway?’ Rodriquez asked still not convinced.
‘Amigo, you forget I’m the Secretary of Public Security for this city. My opinion is highly respected, even by the president of Brazil. They will transfer him.’
‘Okay, okay’ Rodriquez said raising both his arms in the air, his mind was now racing. ‘I understand, but first, I need to draw up a quick plan. We have to make sure he doesn’t get to Presidente Prudente. We will have to intercept him and his handlers which isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Secondly, technically that makes us criminals.’ He said staring at the floor.
‘What will you need?’ Miguel asked.
‘I will need a map, no, a route plan and I will most definitely also need Ramona.’ Rodriquez replied staring at Miguel. ‘They obviously have already mapped out a route they will be using to transport him. They must also have a plan B. I will need that too. I also will need to know the type of prisoner transfer vehicles that will be used to ferry him, the number of support vehicles, police manpower, caliber of weapons, time of transfer, everything.’
‘I can arrange that.’ Miguel answered.
‘I will also need you to place a call to the Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear- National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) or to the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Safety (DRS).’
‘Why would I do something as crazy as that?’ asked a startled Miguel.
‘Let me explain.’
Rodriquez and Miguel spent the rest of the evening hammering out the details of what they dubbed ‘Operation sting.’ And as the evening red skies appeared and disappeared, replaced by the dark somber cloudy skies, Miguel turned to Rodriquez.
‘Why do you want him so bad? I know he took everything and everyone who meant something to you but you are still here, alive and he is in jail. He will rot in there yet you still pursue him. Why are you still hunting him? Why are you risking everything to get back at this man? Mariana and Natalia are never coming back. Why don’t you just let it go?’
‘Miguel, I made Natalia a promise that I would find the man who decapitated our little girl. She died before I could fulfill that promise. But I will not stop until I stare into his eyes, the very same eyes my little girl stared into before she was hacked to pieces, those pitiless eyes.’
‘Okay enough, Rodrigo, you’ve said enough.’
‘No Miguel, let me finish. You wanted to know why I persist, so listen. Men like Marcelo think they own the world. They have no conscience. To such men, everything is in black or white, no grey areas. Everyone else is weak and weakness breeds fear. So they feel they need to take charge and capitalize on this perceived weakness and instill their dominance over the weak ones through murder, rape and torture. But they are wrong, dead wrong. I want to show him the other side of the coin, that we are not weak. I want to make him realize how wrong he has always been about the rest of us who don’t subscribe to dementia. I want him to know that when pressed against the wall of our limits, we the so called weak ones fight back, and we fight really hard. I want him to know that what he perceives as weakness is indeed hidden strength.’
‘Sometimes Rodrigo, strength lies in the ability to forgive and forget. Hatred is a dangerous monster. If not pacified, that monster in time eats you up alive.’
‘You underestimate me amigo, this something you call a monster inside me is called rage, and it doesn’t eat me up. On the contrary, it fuels me.’