“Let us make no mistake. The threats that have emerged to the safety and security of our people will be repelled with strong and decisive action. This will be a turning point for us as a nation to confront the powers of evil that have penalized the society and earned us the unenviable label as one of the murder capitals of the world. We must confront this criminal element with determination and unqualified resolve.”
He also sought to assure Jamaicans that the city was ‘not being shut down’ and that there should be business as usual after today's Labor Day holiday. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, he said.
The Government yesterday declared a state of public emergency for the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew, as tension mounted in the Jamaican capital. The state of emergency will remain in place for one month and may be adjusted by Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police said the security forces will respond with appropriate action. He said that images of barricades, other defensive positions, together with credible intelligence, indicate that scores of criminals from several gangs across the island have joined criminal elements in the Inner City.
***
Donovan grinned. It was the sort of case he liked. It was the sort of thing he wanted to be dealing with.
That afternoon, at home, he turned the television on again and he heard the news anchor report on the man again. There was still no attorney to answer any questions. The man was obviously guilty. And even if he was not, the situation back home was bleak too. The moment he was removed from his power-base, all hell broke loose and all his old partners, the people who ran things for him on the island, had begun to try to claim the top job. Chaos had broken out and even the man's political allies had deserted him. The Prime Minister had appeared on the news several times now, expertly dodging questions about Marcel Brown and his criminal activities, the corrupt government contacts that the man was rumored to have, and the year old extradition request that had laid unconsidered in the Jamaican courts that no one, even the suspect’s lawyer, seemed to be aware of. Instead, he emphasized the fight that the authorities were now taking against criminal elements in downtown Kingston and that their defiance in the removal process of Brown from Inner City, as they launched attacks against personnel and infrastructure, was considered a threat against the state. He was ordering a State of Emergency and curfews were being placed in several areas of the city.
Another person who had spoken out was the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the current chairman of CARICOM. He had found the perfect moment to heckle the United States for illegally interfering in the CARICOM community. After the new treaties and regulations the US had been forcing onto the CARICOM members, he now had a reason to really stick it to the president and his government.
The news channel brought a report from the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who cleverly straddled the fence with all his comments regarding the US and the approach they had seemingly taken to remove Brown from Jamaica and the hands of the government they suspected was trying to protect him. Mostly, he just said that he hoped the violence in Jamaica would be dealt with quickly. He also hoped the Jamaican communities across the United Kingdom would not resort to violence to voice their displeasure with the current situation in Jamaica.
Donovan suddenly made up his mind. He picked up his phone and rang the State Attorney in Washington. He knew the man. He was a second cousin and it had been him who had urged Donovan to go to law school. Donovan knew it was late, but the phone was answered after only three rings.
“It's Donovan.”
“Hey, buddy. How's it going?”
“Good. How are you? How's the family?”
“They're doing fine. Me; busy, stressed, but otherwise fine. Not why you're calling though, is it?”
“No, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What did you want to ask?”
“That guy the FBI is holding, the Jamaican. I want the case.”
“You're in New York, you can't be on the prosecuting team. I've already got someone on that.”
“No, I mean I'll defend him.”
“Why would you want to do that? It's a case you can't win.”
“Let's just say I'd like the challenge.”
“Well, if you want it, you've got it. You're the only one who seems to want to defend the guy, so have fun.” There was a pause. “I heard about the Lavoie girl; she was your client, wasn't she?”
“Yeah, that was a challenge of another kind altogether.”
“Entertainers always are. But if you want, I'll get one of the family's jets out there to pick you up.”
“Cool, if you can get one here tomorrow, I'll want to be in Washington as soon as possible.”
“Excellent! And I hope you enjoy the case. Despite everything horrible, he's a nice guy.”
“Will do! See you in a few days!”
Donovan hung up with a smile and turned to look out the window. The sky was beginning to darken as some mean gray clouds gathered on the horizon. He had his challenge and tomorrow he would finally have a reason to leave Brooklyn behind for a while. As he topped up the whiskey in his glass and put it to his lips, he saw the flash of lightning streak across the sky. It was coming. He would be ready for it, too. He relished the thought of it, in fact. He knew that he could really flex his muscles on a case like this one… it could potentially solidify his reputation as an ‘All in, balls out’ lawyer. When the first sheet of cold, gray rain began to pelt against the window, he knew it had arrived and he also knew, without a doubt, that he was ready to ride out the stormy weather.
The end
~~~~~
Storm Donovan returns in:
Stormy Night
A Storm Donovan Thriller #2
Available Now!
Amazon Kindle * Amazon UK * Amazon AU
Also available:
The Jade Dagger
An adventure novel
by Steve Rollins
(read on for a sample)
Chapter One
No feeling that he had ever experienced in his life was as exhilarating as the breakneck ride on the back of a painted pony along the rim of the mesa. The wind rushing by his face and the plunging ledge to his right made him feel like he was aloft and he cried out. He was free. Nothing was holding him back. And then the panic hit him.
Someone was following him. He could hear the sound of the thundering hooves behind him and he could feel his heart racing faster within his chest. He urged his mount forward, willing it to go faster. Its ears were laid back and its neck stretched flat out as it put every effort into its speed. He did not dare look back over his shoulder. He knew they were coming.
Why were they chasing him? What had he done? He leaned into the flying mane of his mount, closed his eyes and tried to say a prayer, but none came to him; only a deeper sense of panic. They would catch him, he was certain of it. Something that sounded like a bee buzzed past his head. What was… the report of a pistol from behind him answered the question before it formed in his mind. They were closing in.