Unequal Justice

Evan Judd arrived in the lobby at ten minutes before eight the following morning. He had not slept well and was feeling a little jittery. He paced slowly around the seating area of the lobby trying to decide whether to sit or stand. He noticed a discarded copy of the Washington Post on a coffee table in front of the sofa and decided to take a seat and have a look at it. As he picked up the paper and began to sit down, he though he could distinguish a familiar scent. Without thinking, he looked for Yvonne. Damn, he was tired. Hell, he was losing it. He dismissed the smell and settled himself into the reading of the paper. The smell of printer's ink was still apparent on the two day old paper. "Some kind of imagination," he thought as we leafed through the paper. "Confusing printer's ink with perfume must mean it's been too long without having a woman," he thought to himself as he settled into reading the paper. He noticed a small piece toward the back of Section A which captured his attention. He stiffened as he read the caption, "FBI Investigation Gets Underway Today." It was 8:27 a.m. when Gordon Swift and Ian Cooper entered the front door of the Latin Arms. Evan Judd was completely engaged in his reading and did not notice them. hey were standing in front of him when Agent Swift said quietly, "Let's go, Judd." Without formality or even an offer of a handshake by either agent, Evan Judd got to his feet and followed the two men who were already heading out the front door into the street. There was an unmarked government vehicle parked several car lengths to the left of the space directly in front which the hotel reserved for cabs. When they got to the car, Swift motioned to Evan into get in the back seat where he soon joined him. Cooper took the empty passenger seat in the front. Evan slid himself awkwardly across the upholstered seat. When he reached the outside, he looked toward the front of the car. Just before Agent Cooper entered the car, he had noticed the blonde woman who had intrigued him last night. She hurried out of the front door of the hotel and stepped into a waiting cab. The cab pulled away from the curb immediately. Within seconds, the government sedan was also underway and it began to travel in the same direction as the cab, just two cars behind. He couldn't help but wonder what brought her to this distasteful and uninteresting part of town. Both vehicles sped east making a sharp right two blocks from the hotel. The car seemed to be following the yellow cab for a while. No one in the vehicle said anything. Three blocks south, the car took a left and then a quick right and continued on without turning for a while. The cab had disappeared into the city and before Evan could once again concentrate on the direction of his vehicle, it was stopping mid block in front of an old office building. A yellow cab pulled away as the vehicle in which Evan was riding pulled to a complete stop. The two Agents began moving to exit the vehicle as Evan looked for a lead from Swift. The agent obliged signaling with a simple head-nodding gesture. The three men moved swiftly into the building and headed for the elevator. Ian Cooper pushed the button. No one spoke. When the door opened, Cooper stepped in and Agent Swift motioned for Evan to follow. The three got off at the ninth floor. There were several offices within sight of the elevator. People were milling around, going from office to office. Some were waiting on benches in the corridor. With Evan Judd in toe, Agents Swift and Cooper moved steadfastly down the corridor and turned right at the next corridor. At the end of the corridor, they turned right again and stopped in front of a set of double doors. "Hope you're in shape, Judd. We're climbing on foot from here." The trio climbed five flights of stairs before Cooper and Swift led him through a doorway onto the 14th floor of the building. This floor was quiet compared to the lower one. The trio walked a few feet down the hallway. Agent Cooper opened a tall, solid, walnut door and held it for the other two to enter. The room was huge. Evan nearly gasped as he saw what appeared to be a hundred men wearing guns in holsters strapped to their chests. The escorting agents took Evan Judd to a hot, stuffy, grey waiting room and left him there. The décor was standard government issue steel grey metal chairs with plastic vinyl seats, grey metal desks, grey metal ash trays on pedestals all in a green-grey room with grey linoleum floors. Time passed slowly. Occasionally, someone would come in and announce to Evan Judd that someone would be with him soon. Each time, Evan made an unsuccessful attempt to tell the messenger how important his time was, but the person simply walked away without comment. A one week old penny saver sat on the edge of a chair, but other than that, there was nothing to occupy his mind. All he could do was sit or pace and wipe the perspiration from his face. There was no air in the room. Evan could barely breathe.