Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen
I carefully opened my front door after first looking through the view hole in the door. I saw the detective there and quickly let him come in. 

Detective Hagan asked, “Are you okay? Has anyone else attempted to get into your apartment?”

I answered, “Not a soul. I have my alarms set and I have my 9mm with me. Trust me, I wouldn’t hesitate to blow away anyone trying to break in.”

Detective Hagan asked, “Can we still count on you to testify at trial?”

My reply was slow in coming, “I may have to think about it.”

He said, “We can place you in protective custody if that helps to ease your mind?”

I said, “Those guys in that car out there were police officers and that didn’t seem to make any difference. The people you are dealing with don’t seem to fear police officers. By the way, what really happened to Hamza Osman?”

He replied, “We really don’t know. It is being investigated and when I know the truth I will give you that information.”

I replied, “Come on detective, you know somebody got to him and shut him up.”

He replied, “We don’t know that. It is one of our theories but it isn’t a known fact yet.”

At this point I had no idea what I was going to do. I didn’t think I would be safe at the apartment but I wasn’t all that sure I would be much safer under police protection. That feeling got even stronger as I peered out my window and watched the officer put yellow crime scene tape around the still smoking squad car.

I looked over to the detective and said, “I guess I need police protection but what about my kid and my job. What happens when these bozos kidnap my mother and hold her to keep me from the witness stand?”

Detective Charlie Hagan said. ”We put entire families into witness protection often. We don’t know how long we will have to wait for a trial date but we can relocate you until we are ready for trial.”

I said, “I need to talk to my mom and see if she will agree to the move. She has a lot of friends here and I don’t know if she will be a willing participant.”

Detective Hagan said, “We will drive you to your mother’s house and you can talk to her about the protection plan.”

I grabbed a jacket for the cool night air and was escorted by two police officers to their squad car. I didn’t want people seeing me in the back of a squad car, it could be misinterpreted, but here I was anyway. I could have easily been mistaken for a criminal they had just picked up. I just hoped no one decides to blow up this squad car while I was riding in it. 

I didn’t realize that detective Hagan was following behind and would be assisting me in making my case with my mom. It wouldn’t dawn on me until I saw him walking up the sidewalk behind me and waited for me to knock on my mother’s door. When my mother answered the door she was holding a pistol in her hand. 

Seeing that my mother was prepared for trouble made me feel at ease about the safety of Lincoln. Just at that moment I heard a cabinet door open and Lincoln emerge from within. He ran to me and I picked him up and held him. 

I introduced my mother to the two officers and explained what was going on. She was reluctant to cooperate with the relocation scheme and then Detective Hagan spoke up.

Hagan said to my mother, “I know you are concerned for your daughter’s safety but we need her testimony to put away the guys that kidnapped a little girl and killed her mother with the intention of selling her into sexual slavery.” 

That explanation was all my mother needed. She knew these guys needed to be put away to protect others from their depraved intentions. I didn’t know what to expect next but my mother said we needed to protect the family. I told her that since I had been named in the news it wouldn’t matter if I testified or not, they would still be after me to make sure. Taking the guys to trial is the only thing we could do.

My mother grabbed the things we had to have including some things for Lincoln. I had asked the detective who would be protecting us and asked if the two guys that drove me to my mom’s house would be involved. He told me there would be some agents from the United States marshal's office, who would be coming to take over the protection detail. I was learning that kidnapping and human trafficking were federal crimes and this was a federal indictment. 

We were yet to meet our protection detail but we were committed now and it wouldn’t matter who they were we would have to trust them to keep us safe. We went with the officers back to the station and the marshals would be meeting us there. We were nervous and should be expected and even fearful after all that has happened in recent days. 

We were led to a quiet area to wait for the marshals. I was glad to be out of the main station. It was noisy, full of people waiting to be booked. I knew I would have to explain to my son why there were women there who were barely dressed. I didn’t know for sure what my answer would be but I hoped he would wait till I had time to formulate an answer before he asked the question. 

This area was where the police met with the victim's families to discuss progress on a case. It was quiet and away from the rest of the station. It seemed to be important to law enforcement that a tranquil setting be available for those who were asked to put their lives in jeopardy to testify in a case. In compassion the rest of the police station sounded more like a frat house full of strippers. 

Detective Hagan told me the marshals would explain to me what would be involved in the protection program. I was glad to hear that because I really needed an explanation of the procedure. I knew I would be entrusting the safety of my son and mother to whatever this plan was. 

It was about two hours before I was told the marshals had arrived to take us to where we would be hidden until the trial was held. I knew the people John McKinley was involved with would still be trying to find me until he was convicted and maybe beyond that.

The marshals arrived and I was relieved when they walked through the door to our room of solitude. There were two marshals; a male and a female. The woman introduced herself as Bryntley York and the male said his name was Todd Stevens. Bryntley spoke first and seemed to be the lead on this project. Todd seemed to hang back and defer to her for any decisions. 

Bryntley said, “Your new home, at least until the trial, will be in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The only advice I can give you is to develop a taste for roasted chilies and Margaritas. You are going to an area where peppers are king and the people there can tell you what region of the state any particular pepper is grown by its taste.”

I was fond of spicy foods and was already familiar with Hatch, New Mexico and its notoriety for award winning chilies. It was in the southern part of the state and nowhere near Santa Fe. 

I replied, “I love spicy foods and know all about the village of Hatch, New Mexico. Living in Santa Fe won’t be a problem. I worked a couple of summers there when I was younger. I was a cashier at “Jackalope Mercado” for a summer and the next year worked at Gabriella’s restaurant. I am familiar with the area.”

Bryntley said, “Being familiar with the area will help you since you will have a residence there with a job. We have made arrangements for you to work there and live there. We have a place for you to work and a place for you to stay. You have a job at the “La Fonda”, working at the check in desk. I will fill you in on everything while we travel. Your safety is our number one goal.” 

I replied, “That is good to hear. My safety happens to be my number one goal too so we are on the same page there.”

My whole family was led to a garage where a new model Chevy Suburban was waiting for us. In addition to the marshals and my family we had an actual driver who would be taking us to Santa Fe. The driver occupied the front by himself, the two marshals were in the seats right behind the front and my family was seated in the back.

The trip was a long one but I knew the lives of my family were at stake. I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted my kids to see me standing up for what was right. That is the most important lesson to be learned by my young son. Bryntley came back to the seat across from me in the back and began telling me about my new life. 

My new name was Rita Watson and I worked at the check-in counter at the “La Fonda”. We had a house in a gated community and would have US marshals living with us for the duration until the trial was completed.