back and handed him a different business card. Garrett looked at it carefully, and found his own name on it. Garrett Walters, Lead Field Agent—it said. The phone number wasn’t his. The office address wasn’t from his building on Hudson, rather on the west side, a Newell address on the 3rd floor. Below it were the initials FEI Garrett looked at it closely, wondering if the letter E was just a faded B.
The doors unlocked unexpectedly. Garrett wasn’t even aware they’d been locked. Garrett opened the door immediately and Pel followed suit.
As they both slammed the doors simultaneously, one of the men inside the car called out, “Be seeing you.”
Pel joined Garrett and they walked toward the scene together. “What the hell? I told you to go straight to the office and check that tape out.”
“An agent stopped me and said you were looking for me.”
“I would have called you.
“Sorry. It’s a fucked up night.”
Garrett sighed. “True. You got me there.”
The mayor’s people were standing around talking to Garrett’s bosses, Division Chief Harris among them. They didn’t look happy at all. Several more unfamiliar faces had joined the group.
Harris waved Garrett over. “Walters, this is Marty Tan, he’s with the anti-terrorism taskforce.” He pointed to the man next to him in jeans and a windbreaker. “And this is Kara Lanford, she’s with the ATF. Marty and his people will be taking the lead on this one, Kara will be helping out. I need you to fill them in on anything you’ve got so far and hand over any notes that might be helpful.”
Garrett looked closely at his boss’s face to see what he could read there. He wondered if Harris had any say in the decision to take the case away or if it was something forced on him. He couldn’t discern anything by looking, but he guessed the latter. “Are you kidding? I’ve been on this scene since the beginning. I’ve watched them carry the bodies, and bits of bodies out of the wreckage.” He moved closer to Harris until his face was a foot away. “And you’re going to just let them take me off this?”
Harris pulled Garrett away from the group and talked to him low. “Jesus, Walters. What do you want me to do? This falls into their jurisdiction. It’s not like it’s a quiet little crime where we can stand and argue about who gets what. This is big, you know that.” He nodded around to all the camera crews that were set up around the scene. “I’m sorry, but let it go. This is obviously something we need the terrorism team in on.”
Garrett pulled his arm away from Harris. He didn’t lower his voice like his boss. “Terrorism. Shit, this has nothing to do with terrorism. This is a mob hit, a plain old everyday mob hit.”
The group of people they’d walked away from looked over, very interested in what was being discussed. Garrett nodded at them.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Harris asked in his low tone. “Where did you get that idea from? Jesus, look around you. Where’s that coming from? Did you find something that might point to a hit?”
Garrett tried to identify the car they’d sat in, but it was obscured by a crowd of onlookers and an emergency vehicle. “Some agents gave me a heads up.”
“What fucking agents? WHOSE fucking agents?”
Garrett wanted to kick himself for not following up with their claims of where they were from. “The FEI?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Did they show you any evidence, or are you just going on the say so of some guys you’ve never met?”
“Pretty much just their word, sir.”
“So you’re shouting crazy, unsupported theories for everyone to hear based on nothing whatsoever? That right?”
“Yeah.”
Harris stared at Garrett hard for a minute. “I think maybe you need to get back to the office and help coordinate things there. And you’ll cover anything else that comes in. The next case is yours and you’re out the door, your involvement in this ends
The doors unlocked unexpectedly. Garrett wasn’t even aware they’d been locked. Garrett opened the door immediately and Pel followed suit.
As they both slammed the doors simultaneously, one of the men inside the car called out, “Be seeing you.”
Pel joined Garrett and they walked toward the scene together. “What the hell? I told you to go straight to the office and check that tape out.”
“An agent stopped me and said you were looking for me.”
“I would have called you.
“Sorry. It’s a fucked up night.”
Garrett sighed. “True. You got me there.”
The mayor’s people were standing around talking to Garrett’s bosses, Division Chief Harris among them. They didn’t look happy at all. Several more unfamiliar faces had joined the group.
Harris waved Garrett over. “Walters, this is Marty Tan, he’s with the anti-terrorism taskforce.” He pointed to the man next to him in jeans and a windbreaker. “And this is Kara Lanford, she’s with the ATF. Marty and his people will be taking the lead on this one, Kara will be helping out. I need you to fill them in on anything you’ve got so far and hand over any notes that might be helpful.”
Garrett looked closely at his boss’s face to see what he could read there. He wondered if Harris had any say in the decision to take the case away or if it was something forced on him. He couldn’t discern anything by looking, but he guessed the latter. “Are you kidding? I’ve been on this scene since the beginning. I’ve watched them carry the bodies, and bits of bodies out of the wreckage.” He moved closer to Harris until his face was a foot away. “And you’re going to just let them take me off this?”
Harris pulled Garrett away from the group and talked to him low. “Jesus, Walters. What do you want me to do? This falls into their jurisdiction. It’s not like it’s a quiet little crime where we can stand and argue about who gets what. This is big, you know that.” He nodded around to all the camera crews that were set up around the scene. “I’m sorry, but let it go. This is obviously something we need the terrorism team in on.”
Garrett pulled his arm away from Harris. He didn’t lower his voice like his boss. “Terrorism. Shit, this has nothing to do with terrorism. This is a mob hit, a plain old everyday mob hit.”
The group of people they’d walked away from looked over, very interested in what was being discussed. Garrett nodded at them.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Harris asked in his low tone. “Where did you get that idea from? Jesus, look around you. Where’s that coming from? Did you find something that might point to a hit?”
Garrett tried to identify the car they’d sat in, but it was obscured by a crowd of onlookers and an emergency vehicle. “Some agents gave me a heads up.”
“What fucking agents? WHOSE fucking agents?”
Garrett wanted to kick himself for not following up with their claims of where they were from. “The FEI?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Did they show you any evidence, or are you just going on the say so of some guys you’ve never met?”
“Pretty much just their word, sir.”
“So you’re shouting crazy, unsupported theories for everyone to hear based on nothing whatsoever? That right?”
“Yeah.”
Harris stared at Garrett hard for a minute. “I think maybe you need to get back to the office and help coordinate things there. And you’ll cover anything else that comes in. The next case is yours and you’re out the door, your involvement in this ends
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