Chapter 481 - 223: Kevin
Pittsburgh Branch, internal detention area.
The interrogation room door at the end of the hallway was tightly closed.
Kevin stood at the end of the hallway, pressing himself tightly against the wall, trying to become invisible.
But he knew that was impossible.
There were too many people packed in here.
On one side were a dozen or so trench-coat-wearing FBI agents.
They wore sunglasses, had earpieces in their ears, and stood with their arms crossed, exuding an air of standoffish arrogance.
On the other side were over twenty local Pittsburgh police officers in blue uniforms.
Just then, the phone in Kevin’s pocket vibrated.
He glanced at the federal agents, who were focused on the standoff, then stealthily slipped his hand into his pocket, unlocked his phone, and ducked his head for a quick look.
Kevin’s fingers flew across the screen, tapping out "Got it," before he deleted the message.
He looked up, his gaze shifting from the closed interrogation room door to the two parties arguing heatedly in front of it.
"I’ll say it again, Director Carter!"
The lead FBI supervisor, a man named Johnson, practically shoved a document in his hand into the nose of Pittsburgh Police Department Director Everett Carter.
"This is a warrant issued by the Federal Department of Justice! Luigi Randall is a suspect in the assassination of a corporate executive, a case involving domestic terrorism! He falls under our jurisdiction!"
"Hand him over! Now!"
Johnson sounded furious.
Director Everett Carter stood in the doorway of the interrogation room like a brick wall.
The new director, personally promoted by Leo Wallace, was a typical Pittsburgh local.
He wasn’t tall and was slightly chubby, looking more like a friendly neighborhood beat cop.
But right now, his gaze was as hard as stone.
"Supervisor Johnson, I’ll say it again, too."
Carter’s voice was quiet but steady.
"This is Pittsburgh, not Washington."
"The suspect was arrested in my jurisdiction. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying an unregistered handgun. He broke the law."
"Until our local district attorney has completed the indictment process and the court has reached a verdict."
Carter extended a finger and gently pushed away the federal arrest warrant.
"No one is taking him out of here."
"These are our rules."
"Rules?" Johnson scoffed. "You’re talking to me about rules? Federal law trumps local law, that’s common sense! Are you trying to obstruct justice, Director Carter!"
"I am merely fulfilling my duty."
Carter replied, his expression blank.
Watching from a distance, Kevin’s palms were slick with sweat.
He knew Director Carter was playing with fire, stalling for time.
’But how long can he stall?’
Just then, Kevin’s gaze went over Director Carter’s shoulder and landed on the person standing behind him.
Leo Wallace.
The interrogation room door was open, and the Mayor was standing in the doorway.
Beside him stood a woman in an expensive suit. Kevin recognized her; she was a lawyer who had been in and out of the branch frequently over the past few days.
Leo completely ignored the shouting of the FBI agents outside.
He just kept his head down, speaking quickly with the female lawyer about something.
"...staying in Pittsburgh is no longer an option."
Kevin faintly overheard Leo’s voice.
"The FBI is using the anti-terrorism statutes. That’s a federal felony. And what can we prosecute him for in Pittsburgh? Illegal possession of a firearm? Disturbing the peace? In the eyes of a federal judge, those charges are as laughable as an unpaid parking ticket."
The lawyer spoke rapidly, "Pitting misdemeanors against a felony, we’re guaranteed to lose the jurisdictional battle. Once the Federation takes over, they’ll immediately take him to Washington."
"We need to change venues," Leo said. "Somewhere we have some pull."
"Philadelphia."
The lawyer supplied the answer.
Leo didn’t reply, but he knew it was practically the only solution available.
The waters of the Federal Court were too deep. If Luigi were tried in Federal Court, he would be crushed by the entire state apparatus, leaving Leo with no room to maneuver.
Philadelphia was at least Democratic Party turf. If things went wrong, he could still make a call to Montoya.
"I’ve already spoken with the District Attorney’s office over in Philadelphia," the lawyer added. "In principle, they’ve agreed to our previous request."
"Philadelphia’s DA is Eric Hart, a staunch abolitionist. He despises how the Federal Department of Justice abuses the domestic terrorism label to suppress dissent."
"As long as we get the man onto his turf, it will be very difficult for the Federal Department of Justice to snatch back jurisdiction."
"It’s sacrificing a chariot to save the king," the lawyer summarized. "We’re giving up the home-field advantage of a trial in Pittsburgh, but we’re avoiding Federal Court, where a death sentence is most likely."
"Mr. Mayor, we have to face reality. Keeping Luigi detained in Pittsburgh will only lead to a greater conflict. Sooner or later, Federal Marshals will force their way in. If that leads to bloodshed, we’ll lose the moral high ground completely. The loss will far outweigh the gain."
"Alright."
Leo made his decision after a moment of silence.
"Let’s do it."
"You contact the State Attorney General’s office. Tell them that, to show our respect for judicial cooperation, we are willing to transfer the suspect. But on the condition that he must be escorted by the state police the entire way and be tried in Philadelphia."
"I’ll go talk to the FBI now."
Leo turned and stepped out of the shadows.
He walked straight toward Supervisor Johnson, who was still in a standoff with Director Carter.
"Supervisor Johnson."
Leo spoke.
The two men, who had been arguing, stopped simultaneously.
"Mayor Wallace." Johnson’s expression soured when he saw Leo. "You finally decided to show up. I hope you’re here to give your man the right order."
"Of course."
Leo nodded, a slight smile on his face.
"We are all law enforcement officers. We all respect the law."
"To avoid unnecessary jurisdictional disputes, and to demonstrate Pittsburgh City’s cooperation with the federal judicial system."
"I have decided to transfer custody of the suspect, Luigi Randall, to the Pennsylvania State Police."
"The state police?" Johnson frowned. "No, Mr. Wallace. According to federal law, he should be taken back to Washington by us, the FBI."
"That’s between you and the State Government, Supervisor."
Leo spread his hands, a look of innocence on his face.
"I’m just a local mayor. My authority is limited to Allegheny County. Since the case involves cross-regional issues, transferring it to the state level for handling is the most appropriate procedure."
"As for who has the final say between you—the Federation and the state—I suppose you can go to Harrisburg or Washington and hold a coordination meeting to hash it out."
"But for now, the man is being taken away by the state police."
With that said, Leo ignored the ashen-faced Johnson.
He turned and walked toward Kevin at the other end of the hallway.
All the police officers were watching him.
"Kevin."
Leo called out the young officer’s name.
Kevin snapped to attention.
"Mr. Mayor."
Leo walked up to him and adjusted his collar.
"You did well," Leo said in a low voice. "That message was very timely."
Kevin’s face immediately turned red.
"Now, I need you to do something else."
Leo’s tone grew serious.
"I want you to go to the entrance of the branch immediately."
"There’s a large crowd of reporters, as well as citizens and students who’ve gathered on their own."
"Your job is to coordinate the scene and maintain order."
"Tell the citizens to remain calm and trust their government."
"Most importantly."
Leo patted Kevin’s shoulder.
"Tell them that justice is being served."
"We need to show the whole world how we handle this complex case within the framework of the rule of law."
Kevin looked into Leo’s eyes.
He saw the exhaustion in them, but also a confidence that had everything under control.
"But... there are a lot of people at the entrance, and they’re very emotional," Kevin said, worried. "If a conflict breaks out..."
"There won’t be any conflict."
Leo cut him off.
"Pittsburgh doesn’t do things behind closed doors."
"We put everything out in the open."
"Go on, kid."
"Get the cameras ready."
Kevin nodded firmly, turned, and strode toward the branch’s main entrance.
He pushed open the main doors, and a tremendous roar of noise hit him.
The crowd outside the police tape was like a boiling ocean.
Thousands of workers, students, and community residents pressed against the flimsy yellow tape.
When they saw Kevin emerge, the roar of the crowd instantly jumped an octave.
"Let him go!"
"Hand over Luigi!"
At the front, Louis was leading workers with linked arms, forming a human wall to struggle to keep the police line from being overrun by the agitated citizens and students behind them.
He saw Kevin and immediately shot him a questioning look.
Kevin said nothing, merely making an extremely subtle gesture toward Louis.
He pressed his palm down, then pointed to the empty space in front of the main entrance.
Louis understood.
It was the signal to "clear the area and open a path."
Louis immediately turned and yelled to the workers behind him, "Brothers! Back up! Make way for the Mayor! Don’t let the Federation’s lackeys say we don’t know how to behave!"
The workers began to retreat in an orderly fashion, forcing a path through the packed crowd to the transport vehicle.
Kevin strode over to the media area.
It was already bristling with professional cameras. CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, and even a few live-streaming influencers were shoving each other to get a good spot.
"Officer! What’s happening inside?"
"Is the Mayor negotiating with the FBI?"
"We heard they’re forcing a transfer?"
Countless microphones were shoved in Kevin’s face.
Kevin didn’t answer any questions.
His face cold, he took out his high-intensity duty flashlight and drew a line of light on the ground.
"All media, back behind this line."
"You have three minutes to adjust your positions. After three minutes, if anyone’s camera is blocking the path, I’m confiscating their equipment."
"Listen up, everyone. What’s happening today is going to be big. You’d better make sure your lenses capture every detail. I don’t want anyone missing the shot because of their positioning and then making things up in the papers tomorrow."
The reporters, intimidated by the young officer’s authoritative air, began adjusting their tripods, clearing a corridor that faced the front steps of the entrance directly.
At the forefront of the media area, Emily Chen was adjusting the settings on the old Nikon camera in her hands.
She was a retired journalist in her sixties, with a full head of silver hair and a small, thin frame, looking utterly unremarkable among the strapping young photographers around her who were shouldering their heavy-duty cameras.
She was one of the first people in the city to take notice of Leo Wallace.
Her feature article, one could say, was what had made Leo’s Pittsburgh Heart go viral.
Emily squinted one eye, observing the light through her viewfinder.
The weather was gloomy. Heavy clouds obscured the sun, with only a few occasional rays of light managing to peek through the gaps and cast themselves onto the gray concrete.
This kind of light was terrible. For photojournalism, the contrast was too low, and the pictures would look flat.
But Emily had a gut feeling.
Today was a day for big news.