"Where did you get that?" Said Carter more confound than a fly stuck in a spider web. He immediately recognized the company logo printed neatly on the corner of the lemon scented towelette. Two yellow lemons tied together like a pair of Christmas bells.
Vinny decided to drag this issue out. "You know, Jake the Snake was a back stabber and a dangerous man. It's probably good that he's dead. But you know, he taught me some things when we did time together. Let me give you an example. Where is your pen Agent Carter?"
"It's right here in my shirt pock-" Carter reached in his shirt pocket and noticed his pen was gone. When he looked back up Vinny threw his pen on the table. A few of the cops in the room chuckled and Carter's face turned crimson red. He tried to play it cool.
"Okay I get it. Jake the Snake taught you to pickpocket and now you expect me to believe that you pick pocketed that from my partner Paul Newman." He said pointing to the moist towelette on the table.
The Gadget Man turned cynical. "Hey, you're pretty smart genius." Said Vinny noticing that his cigarette had been smoked down to the filter. A lanky younger officer of the bunch brought him a styrofoam cup halfway full of water to substitute for an ashtray.
Carter tried desperately to put the pieces together in his mind but still seemed confused.
The Gadget Man continued with his little spiel. "Was your buddy at work the day your little Alphabet building went kaput?" He asked with an unhinged smile.
Carter did his best to reminisce back to that terrible day and did vaguely recall Paul had not shown up to work that day because it was his birthday. That stupid homo. What is he up to now? He thought to himself.
"I don't understand. He's with us. What would be his motive?" Asked Carter.
Vinny dropped his cigarette butt into the water and watched with great delight as it sizzled. "You! You guys are his motive. He secretly hates all of you and he's fed up with your gay jokes you guys make behind his back. There wasn't supposed to be any people in that building. That was his idea!"
Carter rolled his eyes and looked at his audience. They gave no response. "I find that hard to believe." He said with dubiety leaking from his voice. He was starting to tie up the loose ends in his alphabet boy mind.
Vinny gave it to him from the beginning. "I sent an E-mail to him long before it happened warning him what I was about to do. I was completely shocked at his response. He said it was a great idea and prompted me to do it but advised me I should have no mercy for the people inside that were all jerks. Then he complimented me on my work and begged for a chance to meet the one and only Gadget Man like I was his favorite villain hero. We met under a bridge and it went from there."
Carter was wishing he had a television remote that could mute Vinny from disgracing his partner. "What? What went from there?"
Vinny's smile grew bigger, almost reaching his earlobes. "He asked how he could help. I needed to plant some boosters inside the FBI building and he gladly volunteered."
There was some murmurs amongst the pigs in the room. This looked bad for law enforcement. Really bad.
The Gadget Man continued in his reverie of wooing his captivated audience. "How do you think I slipped Jake the Snake the note with instructions of how to break out of jail. Paul was in on that one too." He said lighting another smoke.
"How did he get the gun in?"
"Oh, that was my part. Pure genius. I got the idea from watching a show on the discovery channel where people were launching pumpkins thousands of feet with homemade air cannons. It's kind of like a giant BB gun. With the right calculations of applied air pressure and knowing the exact weight of the projectile, I can launch a gun thousands of feet at my target within a 10ft radius." Said Vinny pampering himself. He was very proud of his work.
Before Carter could start his next query, a lively officer bolted past the other cops and entered the room like he was Paul Revere. Vinny was surprised to see it was his brother Alvin ready and alert. Alvin seemed to be oblivious to Vinny's swollen eye.
"We need to end this interrogation now!" Said Alvin dropping the news.
Carter looked dumbfounded. "Why? What's going on?" Demanded Carter.
"The newsy Calvary is on its way! Somebody must've tipped them off. We've got to move this interview elsewhere." Stated Alvin.
"What about my immunity papers? I demand to see my immunity forms before I assist you ignoramuses any further. How long is it going to take?" Asked the Gadget Man.
Carter casted a malicious glance towards him for his selfishness. Not even realizing how he himself had deviated from the subject at hand, little 6 month old Clarence.
Max pranced in with the phony papers and plopped them in front of Vinny. The green vein throbbed in his forehead at the thought of complying with a cold blooded killer. Max unexpectedly double crossed his subordinate and pinned the dilly dally on Carter.
"Come on!" He barked, "We don't have time to question him to death! We have a 6 month old baby to rescue. Let's get going." Demanded Max.
The officers stirred around like cattle eluding the crack of the whip. Amidst the shouting Vinny had already begun scrutinizing the phony documents. To his dismay, Alvin swiped the papers from under him.
"Hey!" Shouted Vinny clearly irked. He shifted his gaze to the boss man, Max Trowell. Max wrapped his trench coat around himself like it was Saran wrap.
He pointed to Alvin. "Your little brother can read you the papers on the way. It is imperative we get out of here ASAP. Let's go!" He said walking towards the door.
Vinny reluctantly followed the phalanx out to the parking lot. Eight police cars revved up their big V-8 engines and unfortunately the notorious Gadget Man was in one of them. Tires squealed as they eluded the media circus just in time.