Chapter 109 Jason's Immunity
JASON'S POV
Detective Rourke had called me this morning and asked me to come to the station. Alone. Without Caitlyn. That made me nervous. Made me wonder what he wanted. What he was going to say.
I was sitting in an interview room waiting. The same kind of room they put suspects in. Gray walls. Metal table. Uncomfortable chairs. It did not feel good being in here.
The door opened and Rourke walked in. He was carrying a file folder. He sat down across from me and put the folder on the table.
"Thanks for coming Cross," he said.
"Did not feel like I had much choice," I said. "When a detective calls and says he needs to talk to you alone you show up."
"Fair point," Rourke said. "I want to talk to you about something important. Something that could change your life."
"Okay," I said. I was trying to stay calm but my heart was racing. "What is it?"
"I want to offer you a deal," Rourke said. "Immunity from prosecution in exchange for your testimony against Hayes's organization."
"Immunity?" I said. "For what crimes?"
"Everything," Rourke said. "Every crime you committed while working with or against Hayes. Drug possession. Assault. Weapons charges. All of it wiped clean."
I stared at him. Could not believe what I was hearing. This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch.
"What is the catch?" I asked.
"The catch is you have to testify," Rourke said. "You have to get on the stand and tell the jury everything you know about Hayes's operation. Every deal you witnessed. Every crime you saw. Every corrupt cop or judge you know about. Everything."
"That could get me killed," I said. "Hayes's people find out I am testifying they will come after me."
"They might," Rourke said. "But you are already at risk. Caitlyn is testifying. You are with her. You are already a target. At least this way you get something out of it."
"A clean record," I said.
"A clean record," Rourke repeated. "A fresh start. A chance to build a legal life with Caitlyn and your baby. No more looking over your shoulder. No more worrying about old charges coming back to haunt you."
I thought about it. Thought about all the things I had done. All the crimes I had committed. Some of them when I was young and stupid. Some of them because I had no choice. Some of them were because I was trying to survive in a world that did not care about people like me.
"Why are you offering me this?" I asked. "What do you get out of it?"
"Your testimony," Rourke said. "You know things Caitlyn does not know. You were part of the criminal world in this city for years. You have information that could help us take down not just Hayes's people but other organizations too."
"You want me to be a snitch," I said.
"I want you to be a witness," Rourke said. "There is a difference. Snitches rat out their friends for money or lighter sentences. Witnesses tell the truth to get justice. Which one are you?"
"I do not know," I said. "I have never been either."
"Then this is your chance to decide," Rourke said. He opened the file folder and slid some papers across the table. "This is the immunity agreement. It lists every crime we are aware of that you committed. Everything we could charge you with. If you sign this and testify all of it goes away. Forever."
I looked at the papers. It was a long list. Longer than I wanted to admit. Some of the charges were minor. Some were serious. Some could have sent me to prison for years.
"What about my crew?" I asked. "Do they get immunity too?"
"That depends," Rourke said. "If they testify then yes. If they have information that helps our case then we can work out deals for them too."
"And if they do not testify?" I asked.
"Then they take their chances," Rourke said. "But honestly Cross most of your crew has not done anything we can prosecute. They have been careful. Smart. It is really just you we are worried about."
"Because I was more involved," I said.
"Because you were more involved," Rourke agreed. "You went after Hayes directly. You interfered with his business. You hurt his people. If he were still alive you would be at the top of his hit list."
"But he is not alive," I said.
"No," Rourke said. "But his people are. And they remember. They know who you are. They know what you did. And some of them might want payback."
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. This was a lot to process. A lot to think about. On one hand, immunity meant freedom. Meant a clean slate. Meant I could build a real life with Caitlyn without worrying about my past catching up to me.
On the other hand, testifying meant becoming a target. Meant putting myself in danger. Meant going against everything I had ever believed about loyalty and keeping your mouth shut.
"Can I think about it?" I asked.
"You have twenty-four hours," Rourke said. "After that, the offer expires. We are moving forward with the prosecutions. We need to know if you are with us or not."
"Okay," I said. "Twenty-four hours."
"There is one more thing," Rourke said. "If you accept this deal you have to be honest. Completely honest. If we find out you lied or held back information the deal is off and we prosecute you for everything."
"I understand," I said.
"Good," Rourke said. He stood up. "Think about it Cross. Think about what kind of future you want. What kind of father do you want to be? And then make your choice."
He left and I sat there alone in the interview room. Staring at the immunity agreement. In the list of crimes. At the chance for a new life.
Did I want this? Did I want to testify? Did I want to be the kind of person who stood up in court and pointed fingers? Who told secrets? Who helped send people to prison?
Part of me said no. Said that was not who I was. Said I was not a snitch. Said real men handled their problems without running to the cops.
But another part of me said yes. Said this was my chance. My opportunity to leave the criminal world behind. To build something real with Caitlyn. To be a good father. To live a normal life.
I pulled out my phone and called Tommy.
"Hey brother," Tommy said when he answered. "What is up?"
"I need your advice," I said. "Can you meet me? Like right now?"
"Yeah," Tommy said. "Where are you?"
"Police station," I said. "Interview room three."
"Be there in ten," Tommy said.
He hung up and I waited. Looked at the papers again. Read through the list of crimes. Some of them I had forgotten about. Some of them I wished I could forget.