Free The Cartel Enforcers (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 2) by C.L. Swinney Page B

wrong with you? You’re lucky he’s taking it easy on you.” Petersen released the handcuffs and let the CI out of his bear-like grasp.
    Sullivan put the CI in the unmarked police car after searching him. Then they got into the car and drove to a secure area.
    Sullivan told the CI, “Listen, I’ve got a felony sales case I’m holding over your head. Based on the crap you pulled back there, I think I’m going to push the case up to the District Attorney’s office regardless of what you tell me
    right now.”
    The CI was pretty sure Sullivan wasn’t pulling his chain. The look in her eyes was anger and urgency. He was sure whatever she wanted was important. He wondered if it had something to do with the attempt on his friend’s life. The CI used close family members to gather any intelligence he could on the whereabouts of his friend, Pedro, in case someone came asking.
    Petersen jumped in before the CI could respond to Sullivan.
    “We need information immediately. I’m guessing you already know what we’re going to ask you about. Choose your answers wisely, because if you don’t, I’m going to add more charges over your head.”
    The CI went from somewhat jovial to very concerned.
    He said, “Look, you guys probably want to know where Pedro is, but unfortunately, I don’t know. My sister was seeing him sort of on the side and she has not heard from him. I have no idea where he is.”
    He hoped the two officers would believe him because he really did not know where Pedro was. The CI and most everyone around town believed Pedro was dead anyway. So what was the big deal?
    “We don’t care where Pedro is,” Sullivan told the CI.
    The CI thought about that and began to get more worried. If the cops didn’t want to know about Pedro, it meant they wanted to know about the people who wanted Pedro dead. I’m not giving that shit up for nothing, he thought.
    “Come on Sullivan, I’m a dead man if I talk about those guys. They’re ruthless. They kill for fun; I have a wife and kids to think about.”
    “That’s not my problem. You give me a name or I’m going to get federal time for you. Give me a name and I’ll ask the District Attorney’s Office to put you and your family in protective custody,” she replied.
    The CI shook his head and obviously did not believe them. “That’s bullshit! You guys couldn’t protect Pedro, how the hell are you going to protect me?”
    Petersen believed the CI knew someone thing about the case, however, getting him to talk was going to be difficult because he was afraid. In addition, he couldn’t handle the CI the same way Sullivan could because it was taboo to try to handle another person’s CI and he didn’t have any real leverage on the man…she did. He had to be patient and see what she would do to get the man to talk.
    Sullivan stared into the eyes of the CI and said, “It’s life in prison, or you give me a name, an address, or a vehicle. I vouched for you, it’s the only reason you are still alive. You’ve got five minutes to figure it out. When I’ve told you I would do something for you, I’ve done it,” the CI continued to shake his head and look weary, “We’ll do whatever we can to protect you, if you cooperate. But if you don’t, you’re on your own.” She was certain the CI was close to the guys they were looking for.
    The CI was speechless. His heart was pounding. He began scanning the area to see if he could make a run for it. He didn’t know the guy with Sullivan and wasn’t sure how far he could push him. His experience with cops was that they had a very short fuse. He sized up the man and decided it was best he didn’t push things with him. He also noticed Sullivan meant business and he recalled what happened to the last person who crossed her.
    Desperation forced him to test Sullivan. “Screw it, take me in then. These guys have people everywhere. They’re in the colleges, the courts, the DMV, the prisons, the churches, and the