FIVE O'CLOCK NEWS

Garcia slipped two of the Polaroid's of Paco into his pocket and left the substation to meet his wife for dinner. His heart skipped a few beats as he got into his Nissan Maxima. Donna Juarez was his junior by ten years. Her older sister Rita was the star newscaster for Channel Five having made a mark when she was younger as a star investigative reporter. They were both beauties but Donna won hands down in the smile department. Rudy wanted to give her the good life and get them out of their South Phoenix neighborhood where fights, shootings, drug dealing was the norm. Although Donna didn't have a jealous bone in her body each time they visited Rita's new home on the top of Central Avenue Rudy couldn't help but be envious of her city view and luxurious trappings. It made their own modest home look even more pitiful in his eyes, and he guessed Donna felt the same.
The parking lot at El Charro was full. It was Saturday night and things were in full swing. Mariachis were going from table to table entertaining the who's who of the local Hispanic elite. People were flocked around Rita and Donna like they were both celebrities. Rudy took them in from a distance then joined them.
" What will you have?" Rudy asked pulling out his wallet. They all stood at the crowded bar, hoping for a table.
" Mai tai's." Rita answered. " Sis asked me to come along. I hope I don't spoil your plans for a romantic evening."
" Where's Jacob?" Rudy wondered.
" He had to go to St. Louis for a medical convention. I'm flying solo." She answered.
" We thought you were never going to show up." Donna said showing a trace of concern. "It's already seven."
" I know I'm sorry." Rudy hedged. "Something came up. I couldn't pull away. I think we got a lead on the Chop Shop killings."
Rita's ears picked up like she was a jackrabbit listening for a coyote hungry for dinner and she was the main course.
" What kind of lead? I thought that investigation had run aground."
" It had." Rudy bragged. "I just finished an interrogation of someone who said he used to work for Big Pete." Rudy was feeling important he fished out a picture and showed it to Rita. "His name is Paco Mendez."
A hostess came over and sat them in the terrace room full of palm trees and hanging Mexican ranch artifacts. They opened their menus though Rudy already knew he was ordering the steak El Rancho style, a tender filet pounded with cilantro butter and garlic served up with frijoles Negro and smothered in red onions. He could feel Rita staring at him waiting for him to divulge more. Donna could sense it too and grew exasperated at their little cat and mouse play.
" Rudy." Donna chided. "It's not fair to tease Rita. You know she is a reporter. Tell her the whole story would you?"
" I do that it'll be on the ten o'clock news. I'm not so sure this lead is going to work out the way I think it might."
Rita flashed red. "Look Rudy. You tell me now and I'll guarantee you'll be the one all over the news. So what if the bureau finds out about it later! It'll be kicked to headquarters anyway. You know the trail. First blood is best blood."
Rudy thought for a moment. It was his chance for a little limelight. How safe were the details? A Reverend, no reason for him to lie. An illegal alien who would be crazy to come forth if his conscience wasn't bothering him. The original investigation had run through the South substation but she was right - the juicier cases all got kicked to headquarters and this one was juicy; one half million dollars of missing gold coins, stolen Mercedes, BMWs, a body found at the dump and until now no suspects. Curiosity would be at an all time high. He decided to milk it.
" OK. Suppose I give you an exclusive for now. But I remain an undisclosed source until a few things get verified then you can start interviewing me. It'll give me a chance to check some things out with the fingerprinting records downtown." He extended his hand and glanced over at Donna. She was smiling. He had scored a few points of his own with the one he really wanted to impress - his wife.
Rita put aside her menu and took out a small notepad she still kept with her. " It's a deal. Now, from the top."
Rudy slid the picture of Paco over to her. "You didn't get this from me. Word from the illegal is he was hired by a friend of Big Pete to do mechanical work. He suspected after he got there the cars were probably stolen. After a day of working there he got woke up in the middle of the night and driven off dumped in Guadaloupe. Shortly after Big Pete was found at the city dump holding a gold Saint Gaudens, remember Big Pete's is only about five blocks from the substation."
" You talking cover-up?"
" No. Nothing like that but the amount of cars that were chopped up there was pretty extreme. We've got remnants going back six years parts from at least 500 cars. Fifteen million dollars of stolen merchandise. Everyone would like to bury this story along with the corpse."
" You think the kid was in on it?"
" The killing." Rudy thought. "I don't know. Could be. Could have been part of it and then dumped after the fact. He didn't come across the border documented so his story is hard to verify. Then again he didn't have to come forward anyway. If the minister wouldn't have encouraged him to come forward we would have never heard from him."
" Who was the minister?" Rita asked eager for another tidbit of information. 'A new lead-in for the evening news.' She salivated.
" Reverend Chi Chi Conchera of the Apostolista Evangelista. You remember the former lightweight boxer who turned to religion about ten years ago generally an all around good guy. He took the kid in and is letting him stay in a room behind the church in Guadalupe. You go after this kid immigration is going to come down on him hard. I don't want that to happen understand!"
Rita answered coldly. "It's a hard world. Supposing I don't go after him and he had something to do with it. What then? It's like a pillow we cut them open sometimes feather's fly. We can't get them all back but then again sometimes we find what is hidden underneath. You don't ask, you never know. Freedom of the press."
Rudy wondered at the wisdom of what he had done. He felt a little like Herod after Salome had asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
*

The next morning without any prodding by Chi Chi Paco decided to attend one of the services. He was surprised by the loud energetic almost frantic singing but after observing for a few moments was caught up in the spirit and joined in as well. Everyone around him welcomed him with hugs and handshakes and smiles. It made him feel good all over. When Chi Chi delivered the message about mankind's need for God for salvation Paco found his heart responded. He walked to the front during the invitation to come forward. With the help of a few others who guided him through he asked Christ into his heart. When it was done he had never felt better.
*

Rita wasted no time. With her husband out of town she started early Sunday morning and by that afternoon had interviewed everyone from the coroner to the sanitation truck driver. When Paco walked outside the church on Sunday the News Five Broadcasting Van was conspicuously parked right in front and Chi Chi was talking with Rita. It didn't dawn on him why they were there. He stood on the edge of the crowd listening to the conversation in English understanding nothing. Paco tried to slip away when he saw someone looking at him and comparing his face to the photo the man held. The assistant director with the photo tapped Rita on the shoulder and pointed at Paco. All of a sudden the cameras were pointed at him.
Rita spoke fluent Spanish and had no trouble speaking to him. "We understand you worked for Big Pete and told the Police you were abducted the night of his murder is that true?"
" I went to the police and told them I worked for him and that before he was killed I was woken up and driven out of there." Paco answered.
" Is that because you knew the police were going to find your fingerprints anyway and possibly implicate you in the killing that you came forward?" Rita directed shoving the microphone in Paco's face.
" No. I came forward because I wanted to help the police find who killed him." Paco snapped back.
" You claim you have only been in the United States a few weeks do you have any proof of that?" Rita asked.
Paco was in trouble he looked over to the Reverend for help. The crowd was too thick for the Reverend to get through. "No. I came across the border in Nogales."
" Were you aware that Big Pete had possibly millions of dollars of gold coins buried in his yard?"
" No. I only worked for him a day. I didn't even know he had been killed until I saw his picture in the paper.'
" Do you own a gun Mr. Mendez?"
" No. I've used my uncle's gun in El Salvador once but I don't own one."
" We understand that you weren't able to provide identification of your mystery abductors for the police. Don't you think the story is a little far fetched?"
" That is what happened." Paco looked over and saw that the Reverend had finally pushed his way through.
" Look miss. Paco is not a suspect in this killing. He came forward with information voluntarily because I encouraged him that it was the right thing to do. He didn't have to even talk to the police. It was my idea so please don't make of it more than it was - just a private citizen helping the police." The Reverend put his arms around Paco to steer him away from the questions.
" But he's not a citizen is he Pastor. He is an alien and an illegal one at that and you are harboring him aren't you?"
" Yes." The Reverend spoke back. "I found him outside sleeping by our garbage. I gave him food, shelter and clothing. If that is a crime I suppose I am guilty but I'd rather be guilty before men than guilty before God. The Bible says, 'Whatever we do for the least in the kingdom we do for him.' These people come thousands of miles to find work to survive. I don't think it is right that they violate our immigration laws, but I don't think it is right either to force them to starve just because they have. Now Paco will be applying for resident status and our church will be helping him but trying to accuse him of a crime for which you have no proof just to get good ratings is deplorable."
Chi Chi put his hand up to the lens and got in the van with Paco and they drove off. Rita ran after them thrusting the mike at the driver's window.
After they left Rita approached her assistant.
" You get all that?"
" Yeah." The assistant director said. "Great footage. A little editing and we'll have the lead-in story."
*

Channel Five had scooped everyone including the newspaper. All day long they ran teasers of the big break in the Chop Shop murder. By the time the five o'clock news rolled on nearly every pair of eyeballs was on their telecast. There was one man who was especially interested - Rollo. He stopped to watch just long enough to jot down the name of the church Paco was staying at.
" This is Live at Five with Rita Houng. Tonight's leading story - Have the police given up too quickly on the Chop Shop killing?"
The screen flashed a photo of Paco.
" This is a photo of Paco Mendez who walked into Police headquarters over the weekend offering up information on the killing of Big Pete the barrio chop shop owner who's body was found earlier in the week by a truck driver at the West side dump. This young man claims to have been mysteriously abducted before Big Pete's brutal murder. We caught up with Paco Mendez outside of the Guadaloupe church Apostolista Evangelista a local congregation who has taken him under their wing.
" I have used guns." Paco stated on camera. His words having been edited and dubbed into English.
" We're you able to identify who your mysterious abductors were to the police."
" No" Paco stated the rest of his sentence being edited out.
" Were you aware million of dollars of gold coins were buried in the backyard?"
At that point the clip cut to Chi Chi interrupting the interview.
" This boy hasn't been accused of anything." Chi Chi stated. "I believe the interview is over."
The video then cut to Rita chasing the van out of the parking lot.
Rita spoke from the studio live on camera. "Well you see that we were prevented from getting any more facts on the case by the Pastor of Apostolista Evangelista former lightweight contender Chi Chi Conchera. The real question is. Is there a cover-up?"
The co-anchor Brant Hoklin picked up his cue. "We're going to need to dig a little deeper into this investigation. Police haven't been too forthcoming with all the details of their investigation. It could be they are uncomfortable with the fact that such a large scale hot car ring virtually went undetected less than a mile from their substation for over five years."
" Well. Let's go now to local weather."
*

Rollo took out a pen and wrote APOSTOLISTA EVANGELISTA on a scrap of paper. He went outside and opened the trunk of his car. Underneath the spare tire he pulled out the thirty-eight wrapped in an oil rag. He tucked it in the back of his belt buckle and covered it with his short-sleeve khaki shirt and walked in the house throwing open the refrigerator and tossing down a beer. Teresa came in the room carrying their little boy Pablo. He was crying.
" Can't you shut that kid up Teresa?" Rollo said rudely pushing past her.
" He's not a kid Rollo. He's your son." She handed him to Rollo." Here you hold him he's teething. I'm going to the store."
Rollo looked down in the face of his son. He had stopped crying and was looking up with the biggest smile Rollo had ever seen. His heart was touched. For a moment the wall of hate and bitterness was breached.
" Little hombre. Your teeth are hurting hey! Well your momma will be back. How bout I get you some crushed banana that sound good little fellow?"
Rollo put him in a high chair peeled a banana took a segment of it crushed it and began feeding it to him. Teresa returned later surprised to see what was happening. The banana was all over his face.
" You're momma's little man. You are a good boy. Did daddy feed you sweetie." She smiled at Rollo and added. "Thanks Rollo."
" It's nothing. Take care of my homey."
Rollo walked out back and got in his car and headed for South Phoenix. He didn't know how but he knew he couldn't let Paco live. He wasn't sure how well the kid had seen his face but he knew better than to leave a live witness walking around.
*
Paco was up on a ladder painting the side of the church. He had decided to make good use of his time by doing much needed maintenance around the church. Chi Chi stopped by to see how he was doing. Paco came down to talk with him.
" I am sorry I ever told you to go to the police. I think it was a mistake.'
" It was the right thing to do wasn't it?" Paco asked.
" Yes." Chi Chi answered unsure where the line of questioning was going.
" It is always right doing the right thing isn't it? I mean with God. That is what He wants us to do." Paco looked at him with sincerity in his heart. "Well if what we did was right then everything will be O.K."
Chi Chi was stunned. The young boy had more faith than he did. He was looking at the outward circumstances. The boy was looking at God's purposes. None of what happened was a coincidence. God had orchestrated everything and would turn it around for good if they would only trust him.
" You are right Paco. I am worrying more than you are. I am not comfortable with them pointing the blame at you just because you came forward. I've seen the media twist people up before. It has happened to me. Sometime I will tell you about it."
Rollo pulled by the church sitting low in his car. His wool cap pulled down around his ears. He could see the young boy Paco talking to the Reverend. He patted the thirty-eight feeling no remorse about his intentions to kill Paco. He thought for a moment on how killing him would look to the police. Would they know that Paco had been telling the truth about three accomplices abducting him. His evil mind devised another plan one that would forever take the heat off him and pin the murder rap on Paco.
The backyard of the church bordered an alley. Rollo watched Paco walk back to his room and close the door. Quietly, Rollo walked up the alleyway and ducked into the churchyard. He took the thirty-eight wrapped it in a t-shirt and placed it into the hedges next to the room. He kicked some dirt over it and hurried back down the alleyway to his car. He drove to the phone booth outside the neighborhood convenience store and looked up the number for Channel Five.
The phone rang a few times. A male voice answered. "Channel Five News."
" Yea." Rollo stated quickly. "There was a lady newscaster with a Mexican Chinese name on earlier talking about a kid involved with the chop shop killing. I got a tip for her is she there?"
" Rita?" The man answered. "Yea she in makeup, let me see if I can get her on the phone."
Rollo waited for a minute it seemed like forever.
" This is Rita Huong can I help you?" The voice stated.
" No." Rollo answered trying to lower his voice. " But I can help you."
" Whom am I speaking with?" Rita asked.
" Let's just say I'm a concerned citizen and I'm interested in keeping America the land of the free and home of the brave. You don't need to know my name. I saw the interview you had with the kid. Well I was over by the church and saw him stash something in some bushes next to the room where he is staying. The kid is not as innocent as you might think"
" Do you know any other facts about the murder?" Rita asked hoping to get more out of her anonymous caller.
" I just know what I saw. I was just walking through the alley and saw the kid stash something. I don't want to touch it on account of fingerprints..." Rollo grew more nervous.
" Well thank you we'll send a team over to investigate."
Rollo hung up the phone he was covered with perspiration. He looked around some clouds had moved in and twilight with it. He decided to wait around until the reporters showed up.
Rita grabbed her mobile phone and her assistant. "Quick." She shouted to her producer. "I need the mobile broadcast truck and a cameraman. I've got a solid follow-up to our Chop Shop killing story."
" Hold on." Her producer shouted. "You're live in thirty minutes. Seven o'clock news anchor remember? You can't go racing off now."
Brandt walked up in the middle of the discussion. "What's up?"

"I've got a breaking story. A tip on what might be the gun from the Chop Shop killing. I want to get it live on camera."
" What if it's a hoax?" Brandt said. "The kid still isn't even a suspect."
" Well maybe he should be." She turned at looked at the producer. "Please can I go? Melinda can do my anchor spot. I know this is going to be big."
" Yea." He said reluctantly. "I'll get you Bobby but it's your neck if this is a hoax. You can explain it to Mr. Finney."
To avoid the last minute evening traffic they headed straight down Central to Baseline and then over to Guadaloupe. It took them under twenty minutes. Before Rita even got out Bobby was pushing the remote buttons and setting the transmitter up. She called in and he got out of the truck with a camera."
" Do you know where this something is hidden?" Bobby asked. "Are you going to look for it live on camera?"
" No." Rita thought for a moment. "Let's locate it now and then let the viewers think we are finding it live. That makes it more exciting."
A few people in the neighborhood gathered around. Bobby pulled out a big flashlight and they walked towards the hedges next to Paco's room. Rita got down on her hands and knees and found a t-shirt wrapped around something in the dirt. "I got it." She shouted getting up and opening the t-shirt. "It's a gun." She placed it back under the hedge.
" O.K." Rita said trying to look dignified as she dialed her mobile phone. "This is going to be big... Brandt.... Yea, it is there. I'll just stay on with you until they give us a live feed."
Rudy Garcia was at home watching television with Donna. He had missed the five o'clock news and was waiting for the seven o'clock when he heard about the news flash.
" This is Brandt Hoflin. We have a breaking story coming live from Apostolista Evangelista church in Guadaloupe. News reporter Rita Huang is live on the scene."
" Rita" Brandt stated. "I understand you had an anonymous tip about a hidden gun."
" Yes Brandt." Rita stated smoothly. "Behind me is the room where Paco Mendez the illegal alien who came forward with information on the Chop Shop killing over the weekend is staying. We had an anonymous tip earlier from a passerby that he had been seen hiding a gun in those bushes."
The camera followed her over to the bushes and she got down on her knees and started digging around. "I think I found it."
Rita crawled out of the bushes and held the t-shirt, which she unwrapped and showed the gun. Rudy nearly fell out of his seat. He grabbed his car keys, badge, handcuffs, and gun and rushed out of the house. He was glad he was only about ten minutes away. She had already tampered with evidence. He was sick to his stomach.
Paco was in his room. He heard commotion outside and saw the bright lights from the camera. He looked and she was holding up a gun. He freaked out. He immediately realized the implications. Somebody was trying to pin the murder on him. Before he could react he was caught again on camera, the bright lights were blinding his eyes.
Rita pounded at his door. "Do you deny that you just buried this gun in the bushes?" Rita stated firing off her question in rapid Spanish.
Paco yelled behind his closed door. "I've never seen the gun. You are loco. Leave me alone. I told Police the truth. I didn't kill nobody. I just come to United States to work for my family. I don't come here to go to no jail."
A large crowd of people crowded around. Paco stayed in his small room behind the closed door. He dropped to his knees and prayed. Outside, Rita continued her broadcast wrapping up for a few seconds. Bobby shut the camera and lights off and approached Rita.
" We'd better turn that gun into the police pronto." He suggested.
Just then Rudy approached them held his hand out encased in a surgeon's glove and took the gun from Rita placing it in an evidence bag.
" What kind of stunt was that?" Rudy stated. "You get a tip about a murder weapon and instead of calling me you end up grandstanding on the local news like Geraldo Rivera." Rudy held up the gun. "You don't even know for sure if this is the murder weapon. No ballistic tests have been run and you're accusing that kid of hiding it. You'd better hope he doesn't get hold of a good lawyer and sue you into kingdom come."
" Why else would the gun be hidden next to his place? Run the tests, you'll find out what I already know. It is the murder weapon."
" Just how do you know that?" Rudy challenged.
" Call it sixth sense, call it woman's intuition. I just know."
Rollo slunk back from the edge of the crowd. He didn't want to be seen by anyone who could identify him later. 'It was perfect.' He thought. 'The kid is going to take the rap for it after all. The police once they do the weapon's test will take the case to the county prosecutor and hang a murder one rap on the alien. Some poor overworked public defender will be given the case and the kid would end up frying.'
As Rollo drove back to his house the guilt for what he had done began to eat away at him. He shoved it aside and took a swig of the beer he had nestled between his legs. He glanced at the old couple sitting next to him at the stoplight glaring at them as if to say. 'Look at me again and I'll kill you.' They turned away and didn't look back letting him drive away.
*

Nothing went quick in police work but by calling in a few markers, Rudy was able to get preliminary ballistic reports from downtown on the bullets that had been taken out of Big Pete's body. He walked back and forth nervously wondering whether or not the gun would match up. The phone rang and he walked over to answer it. It was his wife.
" Rita wanted me to call you and tell you she was sorry." Donna said. "She knows now she should have asked you to find the gun instead of doing it on television. She's in hot water with the station owner because of the liability issue. Do you know whether or not the gun is the murder weapon?"
" So did she call you to apologize or is she just apologizing hoping I'll give her another news scoop?" Rudy said sarcastically regretting he was speaking to his wife.
" Rudy." Donna answered. "I don't know what her motivations are but I think she probably is sorry. That doesn't change the fact that she's my sister and is in trouble. Come on. Do you know?"
" No I don't. Not yet. I hope I find out soon before that kid slips back across the border and we never find him. I know this though. His prints aren't on the gun anywhere. The gun has been wiped clean. Look Donna tell your sister she'll be the first to know when I get the report. Maybe she was right. Maybe it'll turn out to be the murder weapon."