Yes-India-Yes

This story is about a bonding journey that my son Arlo and I made to India.   But it begins with my earlier interest in India before he was born 

When I was quite young, I had a near death experience as a result of eating too many walnuts at Christmas time.  I got a severe case of hives and couldn’t breathe.  Fortunately, the doctor got to me in time and saved me with a shot of adrenaline (Epinephrine).  Still young, I became very afraid of dying.  Further circumstances led me to question my Christian upbringing, which made my fear even worse.   After that I carried the then equivalent of an EpiPen (and still do).

Figure 1: The Anaphylaxis of My Youth

            Then other events transpired.  In my Junior year in high school, we had an exchange student from India.  His last name was Jain, so I assume today that he was part of the Jain religion, but he spoke with me as if it were about Hinduism.   We got on very well and I was intrigued with what sounded to me like a completely different take on life. I asked him to help me learn more.

            The following summer while I was living and working as a dishwasher at a resort, he sent me some books written in English. The first was the Bhagavad Gita and the second was the Upanishads.  Because I had indicated an interest in traveling to India, he also sent me a text on the Hindi language written in English. When I wasn’t washing dishes, I spent my summer poring over these texts and trying to learn Hindi in my very small room

Figure 2:  The Bhagavad Gita

            I was a very confused and anxious kid after that as I entered my first year of college.   Though performance anxiety allowed me to do OK for a while, my confusion took over and I was asked to take a year off to reconsider what I wanted.  At that juncture, I decided that I really wanted to go to India and live in an Ashram for a while to get my head straight.  Unfortunately, I had no money to do that.

            So, two of my college buddies and I bought a car and set off to find work on the missile silos that were being built at that time at many locations in the West.

Figure 3: Missile Silo Construction in the 60s

            These plans were completely thwarted when we had a bad car accident outside of San Antonio Texas.  The car was totaled and my two buddies decided to go back home.  I wanted to continue my quest for money to go to India, so I began hitch hiking around the country looking for work. I finally found work in central Kansas on July 4-not on a missile silo, but on a regular construction project as a day laborer.

            After spending that summer doing that type of work, I headed to my brother’s home in Rockford, Illinois. I stayed with him for 6 months, working in a local hardware store.  During that time, I had a change of heart and decided that going to India was really dumb.  Instead, I should live life like my hero brother.  Have a nice family and work hard.  The rest would take care of itself.

 That is how I spent the next 42 years until I decided to arrange a trip to India to do some birding.  My son Arlo joined me and the real part of the trip had nothing to do with birding. 

            Arlo and I had had frequent discussions about the religions of the middle East and had had a hard time adopting them as our own.   We were both intrigued more by what little we knew about the religions of the far East. 

So in 2004 when I had planned that birding trip to India, Arlo came to me and asked, “ Any chance you can extend your trip, so that we can find some time together in India to visit some of the spiritual hotspots?”

  I was thrilled by the prospects. “Absolutely.  What a wonderful thought.  Let’s make it happen.”

            Of course we talked it over and he wanted to do more than just hit a few spiritual hotspots.  Arlo made all the decisions.  The thought of being with him was wonderful.   Even though he was nearly 40 years old, it was the first time that just he and I traveled together, just the two of us.  The following is a synopsis of our adventure in India.

            Arlo arrived at the Indira Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi on February 14 (yes Valentines day, but we didn’t exchange cards) at like 3:00 AM.

Figure 4: Indira Ghandi Airport-New Delhi

On arrival, Arlo said, “Great to see you dad.  The trip was OK, but very tiring. It was more than 16 hours.  It is first thing in the morning here but there is a 10.5 hours’ time difference. Ouch. I have no idea what time it is.  But let’s go.”

“Great that you are here.  I love that you suggested this.”

            After grabbing the cab hire that I had pre-arranged, we headed to Agra.  It was a drive of about 3 and a half hours.  

Arlo said, “I’m glad we are in a car and not in that type of passenger transportation.”

Figure 5; Typical New Delhi Passenger Transport

            Agra was founded in 1504 at the height of the Muslim incursion into Hindu India.  The city has many Muslim monuments, but the most famous is the Taj Mahal.  The fabulous structure was built as the final resting place of the  favorite wife of the emperor of the Mughal empire at the time. 

Arlo and I were able to marvel at the magnificence of the structure.

Ever the sceptic, Arlo said, “Just imagine the enormous number of lives that had to be lost so that the edifice could be built.”

“Yes.”, I said.  “So much for empires.”

Figure 6:  The Magnificent Taj Mahal

The city itself was anything but magnificent.  The street chaos was overwhelming. 

Arlo said as he looked out the car window, “Wow.  Now I feel like I am really in India.”

I concurred, “Yes, and I think we will see a lot more of this.  You wouldn’t believe the overnight train I took to get from New Delhi to Corbett National Park in the lower Himalayas.”

Figure 7:Typical Street Scene in Agra

We stayed for the afternoon of that day, and the morning of the next.   Our lodgings were modest, as we had requested

Figure 8: Our Modest Accommodations in Agra

            From Agra, we headed back to New Delhi.   The next morning we took a hire cab  for the drive to Varanasi.  Varanasi (or Benares) is considered the most sacred city in India in the Hindu religion.   We headed there to experience its sacred character.

            Arlo looked out the window again and said, “I thought this was supposed to be the main highway to Varanasi.”

            “Yes, people back home think they have heavy traffic.”, I concurred.

Figure 9:Typical Traffic on the Road to Varanasi

            The next morning we went down to the Ganges river and hired a boat .

Figure 10:Boatman for Hire on the Ganges

Arlo said, “I want to see the people who come to the Ganges at Varanasi  to bathe in the Ganges to  get rid of their sins.”

Soon enough we were there.  It was an amazing sight to behold.

Figure 11:Batheing in the Ganges for Redemption

            This picture shows only a very small fraction of all the people we saw washing away their sins.

            Arlo said, “It is easy to think of our mind or soul to be completely detached from the body, but this is proof that the two are one.”

            “I couldn’t agree more.  But look what is next.”

            With that the boatman took us to the Manikarnika Ghat. A Ghat is a flight of steps leading down to the river.  We already knew that Hindus traditionally cremate their dead.  But apparently, if your ashes are scattered into the Ganges, that is most auspicious.  This Ghat is one of 4 Ghats in Varanasi dedicated to cremation.

Figure 12:Manikarnika Cremation Ghat

            Arlo said, “I don’t know about this reincarnation business, but I am all in on Karma.   What I do today influences everyone I interact with, and they in turn to everyone they interact with, ad infinitum.”

            “As with so many things, I have similar feelings.  Another fact connecting body and soul.”, I said.

            Arlo responded, “Yes, just like the other religions do.  Like you and mom experienced at Fatima, Portugal, or the Muslims going to Mecca, or the Jews to the Wailing Wall.”

            “Yes, but we are not done.”

            With that we headed to Sarnath (also known as Deer Park).  This is the location just 5 miles from Varanasi where the Buddha taught his path to enlightenment and established the Buddhist religion.

            When we got there, we were amazed.  It basically was an archaeological site.

Figure 13: Buddhist Remains at Sarnath

            Arlo said, “Dad, I did some research about this site before we came.  The Buddha started here about 500 BC.  From here his disciples (called Bodhisattvas) carried the message far and wide. A whole empire arose and flourished.”

            “Yes, but what happened?”

            “Beginning in about the 4th century AD, the Hindu religion began to appeal to many of the locals.   And by the 12th century AD, there was an incursion of Muslims that basically drove the last of the Buddhists out.”

            “Wow.  Amazing how the fate of religions is tied to war and empires.”

            “Yes, only a very few people in this part of India are Buddhists.  The religion spread all over other parts of Asia, but it is no longer here.”

We then went over to what appeared to be a relatively new temple on the site.

Figure 14; Buddhist/Jain Temple at Sarnath

            After asking around, we found that it was built in the 1850s, funded by Buddhists from other countries, as well as Jains.  Apparently some aspects of the Buddhist history are important for the Jains as well.   We didn’t really go into the temple or the nearby museum as daylight was fading.  We headed back to Varanasi to our relatively fancy hotel with a room on one of the upper floors.

            We went to bed early.  Sometime not much later I awoke and looked out of our window.  I saw all kinds of lightings and possible explosions going on. 

            “What the heck is going on?”, the pessimist in me thought.  “Is this the beginning of an insurrection?’

            I immediately went downstairs to the front desk and asked for an explanation.

            “It is just a wedding celebration for one of the rich families.”

Figure 15: Wedding Fireworks From a Distance

            I sheepishly returned to our room and slept well after that.

            The next morning, we got in our hire car and headed for our next destination.  It was to be another full day on the road, a distance of almost 200 miles.   We were headed to Bodh Gaya, a religious site and village in the state of Bihar.  It is Buddhist iconic location where the Buddha was said to have been enlightened.

The journey was even more taxing than the one from New Delhi.  There was some construction in places that forced the traffic off the road.

Figure 16: Road Conditions Traveling to Bodh Gaya

            Of course these kinds of road conditions can lead to flat tires.

Figure 17:Flat Tire on Road to Bodh Gaya

            We did make it to our destination by dusk and settled into our modest accommodations.

Figure 18:Fancy Digs in Bodh Gaya

            The next morning we were able to get to the major site.  The Buddha is said to have become enlightened after sitting under the Bodhi Tree meditating for a long period of time.  When the Buddhists left Northern India, the branch of the religion that ended up in Sri Lanka was able to take along seeds from the original tree and grow ancestors in Sri Lanka.

            The international Buddhist community has provided funds to keep this location viable and an ancestor of the original tree is now growing there.

Figure 19:Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya

            Of course, there is an associated temple.

Figure 20:Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya

            And, of course, a massive Buddha figure.

Figure 21: Buddha Figure at Bodh Gaya

            To get to these sacred places, we had to navigate through congested streets with vendors and crowds, but also with a contingent of hawkers aggressively trying to sell supposed sacred artifacts.

Figure 22: Street Scene in Bodh Gaya

            But finally, we saw the real reason for coming to Bodh Gaya.  Under the Bodhi Tree were pilgrims from around the world practicing their path to spiritual enlightenment.  Many sat in wordless meditations, while others offered up 10 thousand prostrations under the Bodhi Tree.

Figure 23: Ten Thousand Prostrations under the Bodhi Tree

            Arlo said to me, “Now that’s what I call active meditation.  When the body is active the mind tends to be quiet.”

            “Yes.  I like the meditation aspects of Buddhism, and the original simple world view.”

            “We are on the same page dad.”

            We loved our time in Bodh Gaya despite the street hawkers, but it was now time to move on.  After most of the next day in Bodh Gaya, we caught a flight back to New Delhi.  We spent the next 2 nights in some accommodations in the private home of our retired Indian general trip organizer.   What a treat.

Figure 24: Accommodations in Private  Delhi Home

            We spent a full  day in Delhi visiting  various sights in the city, including several Muslim tombs and former Madrassas.  Interestingly, we did not find any Hindu sights to visit.

Figure 25:The Muslim Humayans Tomb

            And the nearby minaret calling the followers to prayer.

Figure 26: Qtrib Minaret in Delhi

            What impressed us both was the Bahai temple, fashioned as a lotus flower.

Figure 27:Bahai Temple in Delhi

            Arlo said, “I don’t know much about this faith, but I know they claim the essential unity of all people.”

            “Yes, I think that all religions are worthy and just need to agree on one god.”

            Arlo, “I think it started in Iran in the 19th century.  I think they have seen a lot of persecution.”

            Me, “ I know almost nothing, but certainly seems like worthy goals.  I know there is a temple near me in Sterling, Virginia.”

            Arlo, “Peace not war sounds good.”

            The inside was equally impressive.

Figure 28:Bahai Temple Interior

            The next day, we were off to our final destination, Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas.  It is about 250 miles from Delhi, so it took us most of the day.   It has no spiritual significance that we knew off, but Arlo has a love of mountains, having spent many of his developmental years doing excursions into various mountain ranges.  When the British were running India in the 19th century, they took the seat of government to Shimla for the summer.  The Brits did not like the summer heat in Delhi.

Figure 29: Shimla Lodging

            The above picture shows our Shimla lodging that we headed to immediately after arriving.   We then headed to a vantage point where we could get a view of the city.

Figure 30:Shimla -Former Summer Capital of British India

            Arlo said, “First thing in the morning let’s find a spot where we can see the Himalayas”

            For some practical reasons, we modified our plan and walked around town in the morning. 

Figure 31:Shimla Street Scene

Later that day our host showed us how to get to the viewpoint.

            Arlo said,” Wow.  That makes the Rockies look like bush league.”

Figure 32: The Himalaya View from Shimla

            From there we headed back to town to take a look at the building in which the British civil servants lived and worked.  It is pretty clear from the structure that they lived in relative luxury.

Figure 33:Viceregal Lodge in Shimla

            From here we headed back to  New Delhi and the airport.  It was uneventful and sort of a downer because we were about to part ways again.

            At the airport, Arlo  hugged me and said, “Thank you for arranging for me to do this marvelous excursion with you.  It has been wonderful.  I feel a deeper connection to the worshippers of the world.”

            I said, “I love you Arlo.  This has been one of the best weeks of my life.  I am so happy that you suggested this and had all these wonderful destinations in mind.”

            “I love you too, dad.  What a treat to travel with you.”

            And with that, he was off to his plane for the arduous trip home.

            I stayed on for another week of birding, but my heart was not really with it. I missed Arlo.

            I am a lucky man.  Few people get to experience togetherness like this.

Don’t Believe That Crap-Conclusion

When Pedro came out of the interview room, Ralph Torres  indicated that he had something to say.  The others were listening.

            “Pedro, my folks have found the name of the executive director of Armstrong Holdings in the Caymans.  His name is Harold Ebanks.  He is an attorney there.”

            “That’s good.” , said Pedro,” but what does that buy us?”

            “I think we have enough evidence so far that we can get the names of the owners, and if we play our cards right, get to interview Ebanks over the internet with Cayman police in attendance.”

            “May I intervene?”, asked Javier.

            “Sure, go ahead.” said Pedro.

            “We are never going to get anywhere with the owners except to embarrass them in the press. The only possible reason for the arson is to collect insurance money. The likelihood that they left a trail  is pretty small.  The only way they can collect insurance is if the fire was set by one of the  inhabitants.”

            Torres jumped in, “I think you are right about that.  Probably the only thing we can get them for is tax evasion. The other stuff is too indirect. When the only thing that Strom will admit to is ordering delivery of gasoline and the only thing that Hector said he did was to deliver gasoline, we don’t really have enough. There are any number of reasons the tenants could have asked for gasoline.  I agree with Javier.  One of the tenants set the fire.”

            Pedro said,” What you guys say makes sense, but I am not going to give up hope that a court will allow the inference that Hector actually set the fire.  But we should follow Javier’s suggestion.  We need reinterview all the residents again, particularly Ivan.”

            Javier said, “I would like to talk to Little Willey.  He is much more likely to be honest with me than in a formal interview in the police station.”

            Judith said, “I agree.  I would like to be there when you do that if that is OK.”

            “No problem.” , said Javier.

            Pedro said, “We will get to work finding all the inhabitants.  My guess is that Ivan and Little Willey are going to be the tough ones.”

            Ralph said, “ We will continue to investigate Armstrong Holdings for tax fraud and will keep you informed of everything we find out.”

            “Let’s do it.” , said Pedro.

*********************************************************************************************************

            It was about a week later that Javier got a call from Judith. 

            “We have Little Willey here at the station.  Can you come down so we can talk to him?”

            “Of course.  I am on an outcall, but I can be there in an hour.”

            When Javier arrived at the station, he had a large bottle of Pepsi and a bag of M&Ms.

            “Where is Little Willy?   Can we just chat with him in an office and not the interrogation room?”

            Judith said, “Already arranged.  One of the detective’s offices is open.  It is open because he is down south of town with a body that was just found.”

            Javier and Judith entered the office where the boy was sitting and Javier offered him the soda and candy.  The boy’s face beamed. He took the candy and immediately dug in.

            Javier started, “My name is Javier.  I am here as the responsible adult looking out for you.  Making sure that you are not hassled is my job.”

            “Oh yeah.  Then why the hell am I here?”

            “I can help protect you better if I know your name.  Will you please tell me your name.  I will definitely not send you back to the home you ran away from.  It is my job to find other accommodations for abused children.”

            Shyly, the boy said, “ I am Oscar Benavides.  Please don’t send me home.”

            “Thank you Oscar.  Dr. Holt only wants to know about the fire at the house you were hanging out at.  I will talk to you later away from the police station about what happened at your home, and what options are available.”

            “OK.  What do you want to know?”

            “Did you see who set the fire?”

            “Will they get in trouble?”

            “Almost certainly.”

            “Good.  It was that creep Ivan.”

            “What did you see?”

            “Somebody brought a gas can.  He took it to the back of the house where I sleep.  I saw him in the  hallway.  He poured gas up and down the hallway and then threw a match on it.  It was a good thing I was awake.”

            “Did Ivan and Tabby take off after the fire started?”

            “Yes.”

            “Why didn’t you go with them?”

            “With them.  You have got to be kidding. They kept trying to do things to me.  I stayed away as far as possible.  That was why I was in the back of the house.”

            “Was Joey back there too?”

            “I don’t know.  But he usually slept back there as well?”

            “Did they harass him as well?”

            “I think so.  But we weren’t buddies.  He was too much of a badass.”

            “What did you do after they left?”

            “I ran upfront yelling FIRE.  Some woman was opening the front door.”

            “It took a while for the other adults to come out of their rooms. The guys went to the back to see if there really was a fire.  They came back saying, “Let’s get out of here.”.  I think one of them called 911.”

            “They started collecting stuff and then we all went out in front of the house and waited for the fire department.  We saw a guy lying on the street but the others didn’t try to help him.  When the fire department got there, they took care of him, got the rest of us to safety.”

            Judith said, “You have been incredibly helpful Oscar.  We at the Albuquerque police will use this information to find Ivan and prosecute him.  You may be asked to testify in court at some point, but under safe conditions.  I would like to turn you over to Javier at this point.  God bless, and I hope things get better for you going forward.”

            Javier said, “I am going to take you back to Family Promise for tonight.  Don’t worry.  Nobody will try to send you home.  Then I will come and spend time with you so you can tell me about what happened at home that caused you to run away.  I will use that information to get a court order against your parents taking you away from them.  We will then find you suitable accommodations so you don’t have to work the streets anymore.”

            Oscar came over to Javier and gave him a hug.

*********************************************************************************************************

            The whole crew came back together the following week.  Pedro’s folks had arrested Ivan.  He was in the interrogation room.  Pedro was with him. They watched.

            After preliminaries, Pedro said, “You are entitled to legal representation.  Do have an attorney that we can call, or would you like to have a court appointed attorney?”

            Ivan said, “For now, I waive my right to an attorney.”

            “Please state your name for the record.”

            “My name is Ivan Federanich.”

            “Were you in the crack house on the night it burned down?”

            “Yes.”

            “Did you bring gasoline to the house?”

            “No.”

            “Did you set fire to the house?”

            “Well, I am not going to admit to that.”

            “There is a witness who saw you do it.”

            “Probably that shitty Little Willey.  He has it in for me.”

            “Do you deny it?”

            “Yes.”

            “Well, we are bringing in Tabby again.  I am sure she will rat on you this time.  Otherwise, she is in hot water herself.  We have testimony that she was there with you.”

            “Yes, I set the fire. She had nothing to do with it.”

            “Did you bring gasoline?”

            “No. It was there.”

            “Why did you set the fire?”

            “None of your business.”

            “But it is my business. Why did you set the fire?  Did somebody pay you to set the fire?”

            “What’s that going to buy me if I tell you?”

            “Judge and jury might look favorably on that.”

            “Yeah, sure.  But I will still go to prison.”

            “Yes, you will probably still go to prison.  A young boy died.”

            “And I am really sorry about that.  He was a nice kid.  I didn’t know he was sleeping there.  And if I go to prison after telling you my reason, I will be a dead man.”

            “Why’s that?”

            “Use your imagination.  I have nothing more to say.”

*********************************************************************************************************

            One week later, Pedro assembled the team, including Ralph Torres.

            He spoke, “Here is the situation.  Tabby knows nothing further.  She did see Ivan set the fire and knew nothing about where the gasoline came from. She did say that Ivan had a lot of money after they ran from the house.”

            Javier asked, “Will Ivan be charged?”

            Pedro responded, “Certainly.  He will be charged with arson and manslaughter. I can’t see any reason to charge her as an accessory.  She was just there, no more.”

            “What about the others?”, asked Torres.

            “We will charge both Hector and Strom as accessories.”

            “But nothing about Armstrong Holdings?” , asked Javier.

            “Let’s let Ralph speak to that.” , said Pedro.

            “Well, the news is not good.   We found out the owners of Armstrong Holdings.  There are only two.  The first is Rolf Sanchez who we already know.  The second owner is another shell company.  It is called Armstrong Enterprises and is registered in the Bahamas.”

            “Can we find the owners of Armstrong Enterprises?”, asked Judith.

            “I doubt it.  I don’t think we have enough evidence of wrongdoing.”

            “What about the fire?” , asked Javier.

            “Well, we have interviewed Harold Ebanks.  He denies any involvement.  He acknowledges that he communicates with Strom about rental collections but denies any involvement with the gasoline.”

            “Is there nothing you can get them on?”, asked Pedro.

            “Well, there are a number of financial irregularities, but I don’t think enough for any criminal charges.   I think they will acknowledge the irregularities and pay any implied taxes.”

            “So, in essence, Armstrong Holdings is free and clear.”, said Javier.

            “Yes.”

            At that moment the front desk clerk came in and said, “You should turn on the TV.  Armstrong Holdings is having a press conference.”

            Pedro went over and turned on the TV and everyone watched.

            Rolf Sanchez was speaking.  He was looking very dapper and businesslike.  The picture of propriety.

            “I am responding to a press leak implicating our client Armstrong Holdings to the fire and subsequent fatality at a property in Quigley Park.  While they are the owners of that property, we deny any inference that our client is involved in any way with the fire and fatality.   We want to offer our condolences to the family of the young man that died there.  We had no knowledge of his presence there.  Apparently, he had been kicked out of his own home and  needed a place to sleep.   The police have now identified the individual who set the fire.  He was one of the residents of the facility.  His reason for setting the fire is unknown but suspected to be a result of his conflict with other inhabitants.”

            One of the attending reporters asked, “Part of the leak suggested that you own 20 or 30 other properties in Quigley park and that you have enforcers who collect rent in cash for those properties.  Is your client a slum landlord?”

            “As you know, there is an affordable housing crises here in Albuquerque, and in fact almost everywhere in the nation.  Our client is doing its best to contribute to a solution to that crises, providing low rent alternatives to needy families.”

            From the back of the room, Javier screamed,  “Don’t believe that crap.   Those bastards are just taking advantage of poor people.”

            The reporter continued, “Yes, but wasn’t the property that burned down a crack house?  How does that fit with helping the less fortunate?”

            Sanchez replied, “Unfortunately, because we run a very low overhead operation in order to be able to provide low rents, we are unable to monitor the occupants of the house.  If they pay their rent, we let them alone.”

            Javier hollered again, “Don’t believe that crap.  They know very well who is in their properties.  They can charge higher rent for the crack house because there are more independent inhabitants, as compared to a single family.”

            The reporter continued, “Is it true that your client bought the property for 20 thousand dollars and that you have it insured for a quarter of a million dollars?”

            “How did you get that information?  It is private.  The property is currently assessed at 50 thousand dollars.  When setting the fire hazard risk, our client had to take into account the fact that the fire might spread to adjacent buildings and thus our client might be liable for damage to the other properties as well.”

            “Don’t believe that crap.  Another crock of shit.  There had to be some kind of scam for an insurance company to insure a property for 5 times the assessed value.  They only way they would do that would be if they were covering the long term loss of income. And they provided some outrageous estimate of that because of the nature of the rental.”

            All eyes in the room turned to Javier.

            Pedro asked, “Are you the source of the leak?”

            “Yes I am.”

            “Well, there may be some repercussions of that.  I will have to chat with Ralph about that.”

            “OK, whatever.   It is the rich taking advantage of the poor.  It annoys me.  I have spent my life trying to help the poorest  of the poor, the abused children of the world.  Their suffering is unfathomable.”

            Ralph stuck his nose in, “I am afraid I have to agree with you Javier.  My job is all about chasing the rich who are abusing the system.  I am  afraid in this case they will not pay.  I do plan to spend time with the insurance company and see if I can influence their decision.”

            Pedro said, “Wow, that would be great.  But it is not my job to muck with the political system.  It is my job to enforce the law as it is.”

            Javier said, “I applaud both of your efforts.  They have been exceptional.”

            He continued, “There is one very, very good thing about this fire.  We have been able to get Oscar Benavides off the street.  He is safe and being taken care of as we speak, and his rotten abusive parents will never be able to abuse him again.  He is off to  a rough start, but  at least he has a chance now.”

            Judith came over to him and gave him a hug and said, “Keep up the wonderful work you are doing with disadvantaged kids. But it is best to leave the crimes of the rich to law enforcement. Not all rich people are bad.  Just some, and we will do our best to catch those who commit crimes.”

            “You are right. I just lost it  hearing those bastards give a news conference about  how wonderful Armstrong Holdings is.  I know in fact that most of the charitable organizations that I regularly use are funded by rich folks.  I will do what I can do and let rest to you folks who are also doing a great job.”

Don’t Believe That Crap-Portion 2

They entered the office on 1200 South Street in Santa Fe.  At the front desk, Judith asked for Inspector Torres after showing their badges.

            Shortly after, a tall good looking man in his early 30s came out from the door behind the front desk. 

            He extended his hand and said, “Dr. Holt I presume. “

            “Yes, thank you. This is Detective Gutierrez who is in charge of the investigation of the arson and child’s death down in Albuquerque.”

            The two men shook hands.

            “Come back to my office and we will talk about my very limited progress.”

            The inspector sat behind his desk, and they sat across in 2 office chairs.

            He said, “My name is Ralph.  Let’s do first names, OK?”

            “Sure, Judith.”

            “OK, Ralph, mine is Pedro.”

            Ralph spoke next,” The property is owned by a company called Armstrong Holdings.  It is registered in the Cayman Islands.  The company bought it from the former owners about 20 years ago.  They purchased if with cash for 20 thousand dollars.  That cash was an  overseas transfer from the Cayman Islands.   The tax assessment on the property is about 50 thousand dollars.   Taxes and utilities are paid regularly from a bank account in Albuquerque. Regular deposits are made to that account from unknown in-person sources.  We are following up on that.  Up until recently, the deposits were adequate to cover the taxes and utilities.  That stopped about 6 months ago when the deposits seemed to disappear. The property was indeed insured by a local agent representing one of the nationals.  The property was insured for a quarter million dollars”

            “Has a claim been filed?” asked Pedro.

            “Yes, and of course denied for now because of the arson judgement.”

            “There must be somebody representing Armstrong Properties in Albuquerque.”, said Judith.

            “Yes, it is the law firm of Sanchez & Romulo in Albuquerque.   We have not been there yet.  I am sure they will claim client confidentiality.  In fact, the firm has submitted a challenge to the arson ruling in the local courts.”

            “Can we get any other information?” asked Pedro.

            “It is very hard.  We will need some specific reason for accessing that data.  Somehow we need some evidence that the company is involved in some kind of crime.  We certainly don’t have that now.”

            “What is the basis of the challenge to the arson ruling?”, asked Pedro.

            “Unreliable tenants not careful with potential fire hazards.  These hopheads are certainly not to be trusted.”

            “When you go see the lawyers, do you mind if I come with you?”, asked Pedro.

            “Please.  Would love to have you.”

**********************************************************************************************

            Back at the station they were informed that the Rock had been picked up.  He was found with a woman matching Mrs. Lefevre's description. She was picked up as well.  Her name is Hilda Brown, street name Hildy.  Javier and Mrs. Lefevre had been called in for ID.

            The Rock was brought into the room along with 4 other men.

            Mrs. Lefevre pointed to the Rock and said, “That is the man who shows up once a month at the crack house.  He was there the day of the fire.”

            Hildy was then brought in with 4 other women.

            Mrs. Lefevre pointed to Hildy and said, “That woman fits what I saw, but I can’t be sure.  I never saw her face.   But a woman like that came every month with the Rock.  She was also there on the day of the fire.”

            Javier said pointed to Hildy and said, “That is definitely the woman who answered the door on the day of the fire.”

            “Fantastic,” said Gutierrez, “We now have the actual perps.  We will have to work hard to make a solid case, however.  We need to canvas the neighborhood again and see if anybody else saw anything.”

            Javier piped in, “Yes, but they were just the thugs carrying out instructions.  How will we get the real perps?  The ones who ordered the fire.”

            “One thing at a time Javier.  We are working that angle as well.” , said Pedro.

***********************************************************************************************

            Javier and Judith watched as Pedro interviewed Rock.

            After the formalities, Pedro said, “You were seen entering that crack house on the day of the fire.”

            Rock said, “Nothing.  I want a lawyer.”

            “OK.   Who is the lawyer.  We will call them.”

            “Rolf Sanchez at the firm of Sanchez & Romulo.”

            “We will get on it.”

            Judith said to Javier, “That is the firm representing Armstrong Properties, the company that owns the crack house.”

            “I am not surprised.  The rich motherfuckers always get away with everything.”

            A short time passed and Pedro came back in the room.

            “Rolf Sanchez said he never heard of you.”

            “What.  They are going to hang me out to dry. Fuck them.  I will tell you everything I know.”

            “OK. What do you know?”

            “I was contacted by a man who called himself Hector about two years ago.  He said he needed a collections agent to pick up cash rents from certain properties.  He said I could keep 10% of the take.  I was then to deposit the money to the appropriate accounts.

            “And who is this man?”

            “As I say, I only know him by Hector, and I only met him once about 2 years ago. I can’t tell you anything about Hector because he hid behind a door when he talked to me.  All I can say is that he had a bit of a black accent.”

            “How do you know what to collect and where?”

            “He gave me a burner phone.  I receive calls every six months on this phone from another phone that changes every 6 months.  The voice of Hector tells me which properties and how much.”

            “How many properties?”

            “Usually about 20, usually the same.”

            “We will need you to give us a list of those properties, along with the burner.”

            “OK.  But before I go any further, I want some kind of deal.  I don’t want to take the rap for the people behind all this.”

            “I am not authorized to offer a deal, but I will tell you that the judge will view this very favorably.”

            “I don’t know.  I think I need a lawyer.  How about a public defender?  I can’t afford to get my own.

            “OK.  We will have the court provide one.”

            “Interview terminated until legal representation is present.”

********************************************************************************************************

            The next day Javier and Judith watched as Pedro interviewed Hildy.

After the formalities, Pedro asked Hildy, “When did you get in the collections business with Rock?”

“About a year ago.  The women tenants had started offering blowjobs instead of rent and Hector was not happy about that.  I guess Rock was accepting that form of payment.  I guess Hector insisted that Rock get a woman to collect from the women.”

“Were you at the crack house on the day of the fire?”

“Hey.  I didn’t do anything wrong. I think I need a lawyer.”

“Do you have one in mind, or do you want a public defender?”

“Public defender.”

“The guy representing Rock is in the next room.  Do you want to use him?”

“Absolutely not.  Rock’s the bad guy not me.  Get me somebody else.”

“We will take care of that.”

****************************************************************************************************

Later that day, Javier and Judith watched as Pedro interviewed Rock again, this time with his public defender.

“What is your name, sir?” asked Pedro of the public defender.

“Hi.  I am Charles Stone.  And you are detective Gutierrez.”

“Yes,” and Pedro extended his hand for a shake.

“Let’s get started.  Were you at the crack house on the day of the fire?”

“I have been advised to say yes, since I know you have  my partner in the next room, and she will tell the truth as she knows  it.”

“ I am going to bring Javier Vega into the room.”

Javier entered, and Pedro asked, “Did you hit this man on the back of the head on the day you were at the crack house.”

“Yes.”

“Did you administer fentanyl to him?”

“No.”

“Are you sure, because somebody did?”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Did you set fire to the place?”

“No.”

“Who started the fire?”

“I think it was that guy Ivan.  He didn’t have his rent.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but that’s my best guess.”

“But there was a gasoline ignition of the fire.  Where would Ivan get that.  The other folks never saw it.”

“I don’t know, but I didn’t do it.”

“Well, your partner said you carried a can of gas in with you when you came to collect the rents and hid it under the steps.”

Javier whispered to Judith, “I think he made that one up.”

“She’s lying.”

“We will see who the court thinks is lying.”

            “What did you do after you knew there was a fire?”

            “I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, but that guy Javier was at the door.  I had Sylvie answer and I went out the side and clocked him.”

            “Why did you do that?”

            “The fire had already started when we got there and I didn’t want him thinking we did it.”

            “OK.  We will take a break for a while.  You will remain in custody.  We are looking at your phone and the properties that you are collecting from.”

*********************************************************************************************************

            The second interview with Hildy also had Javier and Judith watching.

            Her public defender was a woman named Grace Hope.

            Pedro brought Javier into the room,  introduced him, and had him leave.

            “Was that the man you answered the door for on the day of the fire.”

            “Yes.”

            “Did you see Rock hit him on the back of the head?”

            “Yes.”

            “Did you administer fentanyl to him?”

            Sheepishly, she said, “Yes.  I am sorry.”

            “Why did you do that.”

            “I saw him stirring and I didn’t want him to see us leaving.”

            “Where did you get the fentanyl?”

            “Personal usage.”

            “Did Rock bring anything into the house with him?”

            “No.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes.”

            Javier whispered to Judith, “I knew he made that up.”

            “is there anything else you can tell us?”

            “I think the fire had already started before we got there.”

            “Really.”

            “Yes, really.”

*****************************************************************

                        Pedro spoke to Javier and Judith,” Based on what we have learned, I can only charge them with assault on you Javier.  We will hold them for another 48 hours, but I am sure they will be out on bail shortly thereafter.  It seems like we are nowhere in terms of finding the perp.”

            Judith asked,”   Do we have anything on this guy Hector?”

            “So far, nothing.”

            Javier chimed in, “Maybe he was the collector before Rock.  I bet if we canvas the list of houses that Rock gave you we might find some more about Hector.”

            “That is a terrific idea Javier.  I will get my folks at it.”

            “Would it be possible for me to see the list.  Maybe I had some families that I dealt with in some of them.  They may be more willing to talk to me than to the cops.  They will be wary.”

            “Another great idea, Javier.  Go for it.  Let’s go down to my office and you can look at the addresses.”

            “Here is a copy of the address list.”

Javier said, “I see right away at least one address that is promising.  It is a home where we took the woman’s son.  After she got herself clean and employed, the child was returned.  I am sure she will talk to me.”

“Excellent.  See what you can find out.”

 ********************************************************************************************************

            Javier knocked at the door.  A woman cautiously peeked out.

            “Hello Mrs. Arnold.  Remember me?  I am Javier Vega from the Protective Services Division.”

            “Yes.  I remember you.  But what the hell do  you want. I have not done anything wrong.”

            “Sorry, sorry. I know you have done nothing wrong.  I am so  happy that you have Frank back and things are going well.”

            “Then what the hell do you want.”

            “I just want to ask you some questions about the people that collect your rent.  Is that OK?”

            “Yeah, sure. Come on in.”

            The front room was very spare but tidy.  She asked, “Do you want some coffee. You always treated us with respect.  Thank you.”

            Showing her the pictures of Rock and Hildy, he asked, “Are these the people the come to collect your rent?”

            She looked at the pictures and said, “Yes.”

            “Have they ever been threatening?”

            “No, it has always been pure business.”

            “Is it always cash?”

            “Why all these questions?”

            “One of the houses that they collect for burned down and a young boy lost his life.”

            “Oh.  I understand.”

            “How long have they been collecting?”

            “The woman for about a year, and the man for about 2 years.”

            “Do you remember who did it before that?”

            “You do remember that I was still using then?”

            “Yes.”

            “That sonofabitch is hard to forget.  He was really nasty.  He was a big black guy.  He must have been 6 foot five.”

            “Do you remember his name?”

            “Yes, it was Hector.”

            “Would you be willing to come down to the police station and look at mugshots? And maybe work with a sketch artist if you don’t find him there?”

            “Yes, but it has to be after my work hours.  I am a cashier at Walmart.  I get off at 3.”

            “Thank you.  I will get that arranged.”

*********************************************************************************************

            Javier showed up at the front desk at the station and said, “Detective Gutierrez asked me to come in.”

            He was shown to the meeting room and told that a meeting was about to begin.

            Pedro entered the room with Judith.

            Pedro started, “Thanks for that lead with Mrs. Arnold, Javier.  I think we have paydirt.”

            “Sounds great. What do we have?”

            “Mrs. Arnold was not able to ID  Hector from the mugshots.  However she was able to provide an excellent description to the sketch artist.   We now have her take on his likeness and her take on his overall description.   We have showed this to all the other houses that he had been collecting rent at before Rock and Hilty were doing it.   Except for one house where the occupant is senile, all the others confirmed that he was the guy.”

            Javier and Judith both uttered, “Wow.”

            “There is more.  We have video footage of this guy filling a gas can at a service station near the crack house on the day of the fire.  We now have an APB out on the guy.  Also, somebody from the drug unit thinks they know him.”

            “Sounds like we have our culprit.”, said Judith.

            “Yes.  But he is not the real culprit. It is the owners of theses slum dwellings.  What the hell does Hector get from the fire.”,  objected Javier.

            “I have to agree with Javier.  This guy is just carrying out instructions from somebody.  That is gong to be tough.  But, we will do our best with help from Santa Fe.”

            “Fucking rich people.”, grumbled Javier

**************************************************************************************************

            Javier and Judith were asked to watch the interview with Hector.  He had been arrested the day before by the drug squad.

            After the usual preliminaries, Pedro began, “Please state your name for the record.”

            “My name is Hector Rogers.”

            “You previously asked to be represented by Rolf Sanchez at the firm of Sanchez & Romulo, is that correct?”

            “As you are aware, they denied knowing you.  You then asked for a public defender.  Is this correct?"

            “Yes.”

            “Are you satisfied with the services of Counsel Charles Stone.?”

            “Yes.”

            “This is a video of you filling a gas can near the crack house on the day of the fire.”

            “What did you do with that gasoline?”

            “No comment.”

            “We have a neighborhood witness that says they saw you enter that crack house carrying a gas can on the day of the fire.”

            The lawyer interjected, “We were not given this evidence before.”

            Pedro answered, “It just came in.”

            The lawyer whispered in Hector’s ear.

            He then said, “We would like to recess this session so my client and I may confer.”

            “OK.  You can have half an hour.”

            Pedro reconvened the interview after the half hour.

            “Do you have anything you want to tell me.”

            “I do not admit to starting that house on fire, but I do have a lot to tell you.”

            “So, begin.”

            “I was given Instruction by telephone to take that gasoline to the place.”

            “Do you have any evidence to support that?”

            “Yes, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.  Ever since I was given this burner phone to take care of collecting rents, I have been recording every call I received.  Here is that phone.”

            “Where did you get that phone?”

            “Rolf Sanchez.”

            “Who is your contact on the phone?”

            “I have no idea.”

            “This is new information that we will have to digest.  I am going to terminate the interview for now, but you will be held in custody.”

*********************************************************************************************************

            Pedro said to Judith, “Please take these recordings to the voice recognition geeks.  I know you know them.   See what we can do?”

            Javier jumped in, “I think you should have uniform take some set of these recordings to the property occupants and see if anybody recognizes them.  I understand Hector added another 10 properties to the list.  There must have been a realtor involved at some point.”

            “We do know that the real estate company New Property for You represented the owners company.  We should take a look at them.”

            Judith said, “I will have the voice recognition geeks compare what we have to the TV ads for that company.”

            “Fantastic idea, Judith.  Let’s see where all of this leads us.”

            “In the meantime, I am going to get Inspector Ralph Torres of the Tax Fraud unit brought up to speed.  That fact that Rolf Sanchez gave the burner phone to Rock puts Sanchez in the frame.”

*******************************************************************************************************

            Pedro speaking to Javier, “Thanks for coming in again. I would like you to again listen to an interview that I am about to do.  We have identified the person making the calls to Rock.  It is the realtor as you guessed.  Judith will be listening too. Also, Ralph Torres has come down from Santa Fe to be part of the process.”

            Shortly thereafter, Javier, Judith and Ralph were watching through the window to the interview room.

            After the formalities, Pedro began, “State your name and business please.”

            “My name is Jerry Strom. I am a realtor.”

            “And you are being represented here by Rolf Sanchez of Sanchez & Romulo.  Is that correct.

            “Yes.”

            “And you and Mr. Sanchez have had time to confer, and he is in the room with us.”

            “Are you the real estate agent acting as agent for the firm of Armstrong Holdings?”

            “Yes.”

            “Here is a list of properties that are owned by Armstrong holdings. I believe you were the agent for their purchase of these properties, is that correct?”

            Jerry studied the list for a while, then said,” I believe so, yes, but I do not have my own records here for absolute confirmation.”

            “Is it true that you were also the agent for Armstrong holdings for collecting rent?”

            Lawyer Sanchez interrupted, “My client is not going to answer any more questions.”

            “Well, Mr. Sanchez, then we are going to arrest him right now for manslaughter, and you as an accessory.”

            “You have got to be kidding.”

            “I am dead serious.  You two either cooperate and help us get to the bottom of the crack house arson and subsequent death of a young boy, or you will be both arrested now.”

            Sanchez said, “ Well, maybe we will cooperate, but we both require representation now.  Let me call my partner.”

            “OK.  But once he gets here you and he will be interviewed separately.”

            Two hours later John Romulo arrived at the station and was escorted into the interview room.   Jerry Strom was already there.  Sanchez had been moved to another room that was being guarded.

            Pedro came in and said, “You have a half an hour or less to confer with your client.  I’ll be back then”

            Outside, he directed his attention to Ralph Torres with Javier and Judith listening.

            “Do you think you have enough to get the ownership information from the Caymans?”

            “I think so.  No matter how they respond today, there certainly is enough to implicate the company in a crime.  I will have my office get on it right away.  But the more you can get out of these guys, the better off my case will be.”

            “OK.  Let’s see what we can get out of Strom.”

            Pedro went back in the room after half an hour and found Strom by himself.

            “What happened to Romulo?”

            “I don’t want those sons of bitches representing me.  They will hang me out to dry.  I need a public defender. I don’t have another lawyer.  I always used those guys.  But not for this.”

            “OK, but you will have to be held until we get somebody here.  It will probably be tomorrow.”

            “Good news folks.”, Pedro said to the group, “Strom has broken with Sanchez and Romulo.”

            “Wow.”, said Judith, “Now we are getting somewhere.”

*******************************************************************

            The next day all the same players were assembled and Strom was in the interview room with the public defender Charles Stone. Pedro was in the room with them.

            After preliminaries, Pedro asked, “Mr. Strom, have you accepted Mr. Stone as you legal representative?”

            “Yes.”

            “Then, let’s get down to business.  Did you represent the firm of  Armstrong Holdings for their purchase of multiple properties here in Albuquerque?”

            “Yes.”

            “You previously reviewed a list of properties here in Albuquerque and acknowledged that you had been the agent involved.  Is that correct?"

            “Yes.”

            “What law firm is involved in the purchasing of these properties?”

            “Sanchez & Romulo.”

“Did you also represent Armstrong Holdings as the agent to collect rents from these properties.”

“Yes.”

            “Do you take your rent collection instructions from Sanchez and Romulo.”

            “No.”

            “Who provides your directions.”

            “A person identified only as the executive director of Armstrong Holdings.”

            “Where is that person located?”

            “I am told they are in the Cayman Islands.”

            “By whom?”

            “Rolf Sanchez.”

            “Did you receive explicit instructions concerning the crack house recently.”

            “Yes.”

            “What were those instructions?”

            “See that a container of gasoline is delivered to the house.”

            “What did you do with those instructions?"

            “I called Hector and told him to take care of it.”

            “Were you told to set fire to the place?”

            “Absolutely not.”

            “Did you tell Hector to set fire to the place?”

            “Absolutely not.”

            “How is Sanchez & Romulo involved in all this?”

            “Not directly in what I do.  It is my understanding that they  handle any legal matters of Armstrong Holdings.”

            “OK.  We will terminate this interview.  You will be held in custody until a court hearing about bail.  At a minimum you will be charged as an accessory to arson and manslaughter.”

*******************************************************************************************