Summer
2007 Alphabet challenge at the Numb3rs Forum. Sequel to R is for
Retribution. AU, after Janus List. This is the 8th in what I hope
will eventually be a series of 26. Q is for Quagmire is the 1st.
There will be no further updates to this piece.
--
Colby kissed Hannah tenderly on her temple. Her even breathing told him she was still asleep. Not that she would have woken up, she was as sound a sleeper as there ever was. Shifting slightly to cradle her more comfortably against him, he glanced out the window at the rain beating against it to gauge if that was what woke him. Deciding that it was nothing he needed to worry about, he relaxed against the pillows in Hannah's bed. His body tingled, partly from the feel of Hannah against him, and partly from the remembered pleasure of their lovemaking. Idly, he ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair.
"Shhh," he murmured, when she stirred. Glad he hadn't woken her with his restlessness, he grinned at the thought of having to deal with a grumpy Hannah if she had woken up in the middle of the night for no real reason. She did not deal well with getting up in the morning, let alone when it wasn't her usual time to get up. Well, he supposed he would have come up with a good reason. He laughed to himself at his unintended double entendre.
Gently caressing her arm, he thought back to the few months since he'd got back together with her. He'd never been happier. He wondered how he ever managed to deal with the daily grind, when he found himself turning to her for comfort, refuge almost, each and every day. And he was grateful for her generous heart, that she included his friends in her circle of warmth and comfort.
His thoughts strayed to Luke and Fiona, and wondered with amusement how it had turned out for them that night. Luke had a look in his eyes that Colby recognized. He'd seen it often enough in his own eyes. Sean on the other hand was probably alone that night. Colby thought sadly of the stricken look Sean had tried to hide at the news that Liz was heading to DC. Funny, he'd always thought Sean was too much of a player to want just one woman, but perhaps he had just been looking for the right one.
Colby brought Hannah's hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to it. Then snuggling against her, he relaxed back into a dreamless sleep.
--
Fiona smiled as she gazed at a sleeping Luke. The hint of vulnerability on his face while he slept tugged at her heartstrings. She sighed softly as she rested her head on his chest wondering how all of this happened so quickly. She was irrevocably in love with him. He'd been a wonderful lover, tender and sensitive to her needs, and she quivered as she relived it over again.
"Can't sleep?" Luke murmured against her hair.
"Just a little restless. I'm sorry I woke you," Fiona quivered again, as she looked into his sleepy, bedroom eyes.
"Mmph, light sleeper," he mumbled as he hovered between sleep and awareness.
She pressed a kiss against his lips and whispered, "Go back to sleep."
"That might have been the wrong thing to do if you wanted me to go back to sleep," he murmured with amusement as his eyes became more alert. He laughed when he felt her tremble with suppressed laughter.
"I've just been wanting to explore your place," she told him solemnly, as she propped herself up on his chest. She loved his muscular chest, sighing softly to herself as she catalogued yet another thing she loved about him.
He looked amused, "Feel free." He watched her pull his shirt on as she get out of his bed, and found himself aroused by the sight of her in his shirt.
"No pictures," she murmured, as she ran her fingers over the books stacked all over the dresser and the bedside table.
"No," he replied quietly. "Sometimes it's best to leave the past in the past."
She paused at the doorway and looked out into the living room. Her only glimpse of it when they got there gave her the impression of a collection of eclectic things picked up from trips all over the country and all over the world. She debated between exploring the living room and getting back into bed and exploring Luke. No contest, she decided, and turned back towards Luke.
"Change your mind?" He grinned when she wrinkled her nose at him. It was one of her favorite expressions.
"Just thought of something else I'd rather explore," she replied loftily. But she dodged the hand he reached out to her.
"Will you tell me about Breston and Steele?" she asked. "Or is that too private?" She regretted her question when he tensed. "It doesn't matter, you don't have to answer it."
Luke willed himself to relax. She's only making conversation, he told himself. "I'm sorry. Old habits die hard," he murmured as his fingers gently brushed some stray curls away from her eyes and gently tucked them behind her ear.
"I didn't mean to ruin the mood," she said regretfully, squeaking in surprise when he reached an arm around her and pulled her onto the bed with him. She turned and glared at him.
He laughed, "You're cute when you squeak like that."
"I do not squeak," she tossed her hair back, catching her breath when he slid his hand through her hair to cradle the back of her head. Lord have mercy, my nerves are on fire just from that, she thought with wonder.
"We grew up together," Luke said, after he settled her comfortably against him. "Breston, Steele and I. I lived next door, same age as Breston. Steele was a little younger. We did everything together as kids, then they started to disagree more and more, and I found myself agreeing more with Steele." He was quiet for a moment, reliving the memories. "Then some things happened, with their dad and with mine, and Steele and I ended up working for DDFS while Breston went on to Quantico." He fell into a moody silence.
Fiona wondered what things happened but decided not to ask. There would be another time. She turned and smiled at him.
"What are you up to?" He asked in amusement at the sultry smile.
"Why don't you lean back and find out?" she purred against his ear.
"Oh. Dear God," was all Luke managed to say before he gave himself up to the pleasure she was giving him.
--
Sean gazed bleakly at the rain outside his window. One of the perks of working for DDFS was the significantly higher salary and that had helped him purchase his condo with the glorious view of the city. But the view did nothing for him tonight.
Smiling wistfully at his misty reflection in the windowpane, he thought it ironic that Colby and Luke were probably comfortably ensconced with Hannah and Fiona respectively, while he, the purported ladies man was home alone.
He tossed down a couple of fingers of Irish whisky, and wandered away from the window; taking a closer look at the condo he was rarely in anymore. There were too many memories of her. The woman he had loved and had hoped to marry. She had died too young, the illness had hit unexpectedly, but if there was anything he could have wished for, was that she could have died an easier death. But selfishly perhaps, he'd clung onto Sara for as long as he could, and she'd not complained about the pain to him. To this day, two years later, he still clung to some of her belongings.
Shaking his head at himself, he walked quickly to the home gym set up in the spare room and began to work out. Sara would not have approved of his maudlin thoughts.
Liz reminded him of a little of Sara, though in looks only. He wondered if he'd been so hurt about Liz's rejection because of it. It had never bothered him to be rejected before this. But Liz was tougher, harder even, probably because of her job, Sara had been warmer and gentler, her nature more similar to Hannah's, he reflected.
An affectionate smile curved his lips as he thought of Hannah. It was a shame Colby had found her first, he thought with humor. And an equal shame that Hannah was completely and utterly in love with Colby.
He smiled wryly at the direction of his thoughts, he needed to let go of Sara and move on. There was no replacing her. Only disappointment lay in that direction, and it wasn't fair to either Sara or the woman, whomever she may turn out to be.
Sean worked out for a couple of hours before he wore himself out enough to relax. He finally settled into bed, and fell asleep, still thinking of Sara.
--
"Did it help to press charges?" Alan asked Don as they relaxed with a beer in front of the TV. For once, the Dodgers were having a good game against the Giants.
"In a way," Don sighed as he thought of the day's events. "We've already discovered several levels to this case, and it looks like there's more to uncover."
"The conspiracy theorist's dream?"
"And then some," Don said moodily.
"And the G-man's nightmare, I take it," Alan teased gently, trying to pull his eldest son's mood up.
Don flashed a smile at his father. It never failed to amuse him when his father called him G-man in that tone. "Liz transferred to DC," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I thought that was going well." Alan looked regretfully at the sadness in Don's eyes.
"I thought so too." Don popped open another beer. "At first I thought it was Sean's fault. I'm sure you remember Sean," Don grinned at his father. He'd been shocked when he saw the cards they'd been using to play poker. But as his father had told him sharply, he certainly wasn't too old to appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw one, or fifty-two.
"Ah, yes," Alan grinned in return. He'd enjoyed playing poker with the young man and his cards. And he'd won too. Something about him concentrating on the cards, and Sean concentrating on the pictures. "Why did you think it was Sean's fault?"
Don shrugged, "Seemed like he was making the moves on her."
"And?"
"Turns out she'd had the DC job for four months now. All she needed were the transfer papers," Don tossed the cap into a nearby wastebasket harder than he needed to. He hadn't even known it was possible to accept a position without signed transfer papers.
"How did you find out?" Alan asked gently. Don had had the toughest luck with relationships.
Sighing, Don replied, "Her new lead agent called me, and told me I had taken long enough. Wanted to know what was up with that."
"Why hadn't he checked earlier? Did you tell him you didn't know anything about it?" Alan was indignant.
"Nah. By then it wasn't worth it," he quickly swallowed the rest of the beer. "And no sense stirring up the hornets nest, you know?" He looked at his father, glad that he was hale and hearty.
"What is it, Donnie?"
Don shook his head, "I just gotta say, that I think I understand why Colby did what he did. Sometimes..."
"Sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if it's wrong?"
"Yeah. Something like that," Don smiled at his father. "But in the meantime, it's good to see the wiseass once in a while."
Alan laughed, "But it'll be a cold day in hell before you let him know."
Finally Don relaxed enough to laugh, "Yeah. You got that right."
--
Across the country, a shadowy figure simmered in fury at the news that Miller was dead. "Fool!" he muttered. He would have to begin again to deal with the man who had been his nemesis from the beginning of his career.
But no matter, time was on his side, and there were no shortage of men willing to take this man down. Or at least, he thought with amusement, no shortage of men he had sufficiently damning information on who could be persuaded to take him down.
And where this man was, the other two would surely be.
--
"You two look disgustingly satisfied," Sean's eyes brimmed with amusement when Colby and Luke walked into the Director of the FBI's office.
Colby ignored him, he was used to Sean's ragging, but as well as Luke could control his expressions, he couldn't control the color that rose to his cheeks.
Steele only shook his head with resigned amusement. Sean was Sean. But Luke's sated look and flush at Sean's comment hadn't escaped his notice. He was pleased things seemed to be working out for Luke and hoped things continued to go well for him.
"Go through everything in this office?" Colby asked him, sighing as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Every single blessed thing," Steele replied.
Silently they went to work, each taking a section of the office, not just to review files but to search for hiding places.
"Would it compromise the investigation if I helped?" Breston asked tentatively from the doorway. He smiled in relief when Steele waved him to a section of the room.
"It's good to get reinforcements," Colby said. "I can't forget to pick up Hannah's birthday present. She'd have my head if I forgot." He ignored Sean's laugh, he had expected Sean to rag him. It was Luke's amused smile that made him roll his eyes. "Just you wait till her birthday comes around," he muttered darkly. "Do you even know when it is?" He grinned triumphantly at Luke's sudden look of alarm.
"And don't forget Hannah's favorite Candella roses," Sean said lazily, his eyes lit with laughter when that finally got Colby's attention.
"How did you know those are her favorite?" Colby demanded.
"I only listened to you whine piteously to one florist after another for hours that day in Alhambra," Sean exaggerated. He laughed at Colby's look of chagrin.
"I don't remember searching files being quite so entertaining," Breston murmured in amusement to Steele. He chuckled at Steele's long-suffering look.
"What did you get her?" Luke asked quietly. He saw Breston shoot him a startled look.
"So you do still speak," Breston said in jest. Luke hadn't spoken a word to him since the day they'd taken Miller down.
Luke glanced impassively at him, "When it's warranted." Breston flinched at the Luke's cutting tone.
"I got her a jade bracelet," Colby cut in hurriedly. He didn't understand the undercurrents between the two men, but he wanted to keep it light while they had to work together in the same room. "I went back to that jewelry store in Alhambra, where Hannah was taken hostage. She sells some of her designs to that storeowner, Mr. Lee. Anyway, he helped me pick something out and even gave me a discount." He glanced at Steele for a split second before looking back at Luke. "His daughter, Wendy, has been promoted and is moving to Orange County. Anaheim Hills, I think he said." He saw Steele's barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement on that particular piece of information. Wendy Lee was a Chinese double agent they were keeping tabs on. "His assistants are fine, no major aftereffects from the hostage situation. In any case, they're always very happy to see us."
"How do you know he's not just leading you on?" Sean asked curiously. "And besides, she's got a jewelry store of her own, her interest might just be for her store."
"Nah, I can tell when she's looking at something for her store. She gets this excited gleam in her eyes. When she likes something for herself, she just gets this wistful look in her eyes. I've been back with her since and there were several pieces that brought that wistful look to her eyes." Colby didn't like seeing that look in her eyes. He wanted her to be happy, always.
"I guess she pours all her profits back in the store?" Sean asked, a little fascinated. He'd never really thought about it. But his question was never answered.
"Hello, what's this?" Luke murmured in surprise when a wall panel slid open. He'd been feeling along the wood panels of the wall but hadn't really expected to find anything. He wasn't even sure if he knew what he did that triggered it to open.
Breston looked startled, "All the years I was in here and I never knew that was there."
"Someone knew," Luke said thoughtfully, as he carefully pulled out the contents of the hiding place and placed them on the desk where Sean had quickly cleared off a spot.
All of them crowded around the desk with avid curiosity, pushing their own files aside.
"A journal," Steele murmured as he picked it up off the desk. "How convenient."
"Hope it has what we're looking for," Colby said as he reached eagerly for it. "And a ledger. Recording payoffs, I hope!"
"Lots of files, including the missing files on Lacey's victims," Breston said grimly, when he saw some of the names that had become painfully familiar over the course of the last few weeks.
"Cash and a stack of various documents," Luke murmured as he divided those documents up between Sean and himself.
There was silence in the room as each went carefully through their own little piece of what had been in the hiding place.
--
"So Miller was working for some Senator he called the Mastermind?" Don rubbed the bridge of his nose. He really wasn't ready for this cloak and dagger stuff.
"Isn't that a children's game?" David asked incredulously.
"It's not just for kids. It's a code breaking game, but I don't think he used it in reference to the game," Steele took back the reins of the conversation. "I don't think Miller knew the identity of who he was working for, nor really if he is truly a Senator. But he believed the Mastermind was at some level of government. Mastermind was simply Miller's name for this mysterious man."
"What's Mastermind's role in all of this?" Megan asked curiously.
"Apparently, he believed the DDFS had turned into a Star Chamber of some kind," Steele said impassively.
"Star Chamber? Like the movie?" David frowned. The movie had been about a secret cabal of judges, a Star Chamber, that meted out its own brand of justice against those it feels have wrongly been set free.
"In a way, except that we're not made up of judges," Colby said quietly, not at all happy to be linked to the dubious movie. "He apparently thinks we take the law in our own hands."
"No, he thinks we've gone beyond our original charter," Steele corrected.
"Which was?" Don sat forward with interest, as did Breston.
Steele gazed coolly at them. "Which was to use whatever means necessary to create an outcome in the US's favor. Each case is evaluated and sanctioned individually. We do not have a blanket license to go in and do as we choose. Most cases deal with creating a conduit of information. Cases where we are required to use force are few and far between."
"Sanctioned by whom?" Breston asked.
"You don't have the need to know," Steele replied calmly.
"And don't forget, Miller said he was also out to take you down," Luke cut in coldly. "Whether he meant you personally, or the FBI, I think you need to look in your own backyard."
Breston's face set in anger as he struggled to control his temper, and if he was honest with himself, his jealousy. He was envious of Luke's loyalty to Steele. He'd once had the same loyalty from him, but he'd thrown it in Luke's face. Little wonder Luke barely responded to him.
The two men faced each other down, each for their own reasons. Luke, cold and impassive, and Breston blazing with anger.
"I think that's enough. We're on the same side, on this at least," Sean said mildly. He was surprised Steele didn't step in, but it seemed Steele was struggling to rein in his own temper. Sean exchanged a surprised glance with Colby.
"What about the finances?" Megan ventured carefully.
"Miller recorded his payoffs in a little ledger, and we found the offshore accounts where he stashed his money. Désirée's tracing the transactions now, though I'm sure all tracks were very carefully hidden. If the Mastermind missed anything, she'll find it." Steele looked at FBI agents in turn, trying to assess the feasibility of including them in the investigation.
"What's next? How do we fit in?" Don asked wearily.
"Do you still want to continue with this? It could get very ugly, very quickly," Steele asked, searching Don's weary face as though he could find the resolution of the case there.
Don glanced around at his team. "I'm in," he said quietly, "But I'll let my team decide for themselves. Like my father says, sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if it's wrong."
Both Megan and David nodded. They weren't about to drop out of what might be the biggest case of their lives.
"I'll square it with Frankovich," Breston said. "He's no fool. I think he's already figured out that there's more to Miller's death than what it seems."
Steele nodded, "We'll have to begin by investigating each Senator, and then each Congressman." He saw by the expressions on all their faces that they knew it for the arduous task it would be. "The more circumspect the person, the deeper you'll have to dig. It's not likely to be someone who's had publicized problems."
"And God only knows what else we'll dig up while we're about it," Colby muttered to David, who grimaced in agreement.
Except for Luke, each person groaned at the list of names they were handed. "Are you sure there's no way Charlie can whittle these down for us?" Colby grumbled. "At least an idea of where we should start to maximize our efforts?"
Don grinned at Colby, "Miss my brother, do you?"
"You bet," Colby said, "And I'm not too proud to admit it. Especially if it'll cut down on the amount of work I have to do."
Don glanced at Steele, "Well, it's not much to go on, but if you're okay with it, I'll see what Charlie can do."
Steele nodded in agreement and they broke up to get started, at least until Charlie gave them different lists to work from.
--
"Don, I'm not sure that's enough for me to go on," Charlie looked as frustrated as he sounded.
"Well, just do the best you can, okay buddy?" Don held his hands up when Charlie started to protest again. "Do your magic, you know? I mean, even Colby thought you could do something. That says something, right?"
"You really miss having him on your team, don't you?" Charlie asked curiously. There was something in the way Don kept struggling to deal with the situation.
"Well, in a way," Don tried to hedge. "The wiseass always lightened things up. David and Megan kind of played off him when he was there. Now, they're mostly quiet. Plus he was a pretty good investigator." Don wandered restlessly around Charlie's office, unwilling to say much more.
"Well, maybe if I could get a look at the papers and the offshore transactions, I'll have something to go on." Charlie was willing to give it a shot for the people who protected his father.
"I'll ask Steele, he'll probably let you look them over if you go to their offices," Don told him.
Several hours later, Charlie settled down comfortably in a DDFS conference room. He scowled to himself at the memory of Don's laughter when Charlie first saw Désirée. His jaw had dropped at the sight of the beautiful woman concentrating at the computer.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Don had told him. "Colby says she's Luke's girlfriend. Luke's supposedly their master assassin."
"Gee, thanks, Don," had been his only reply. Not that he would have done anything, he was pretty happy with Amita. Still, a woman like Désirée definitely turned heads and he wasn't immune to it.
--
"Some intel came in from Luchenko," Fiona said to Steele as she walked into his office. "He's heard that a US Senator is trying to cut some sort of deal with the Kremlin. The Senator apparently hinted at a shake-up in the upper echelons of the US government that is set to happen in the next few months."
Steele looked thoughtful, "I take it that's all he knows."
Fiona nodded, "He's going to keep an ear out, he's just treading carefully because he doesn't want it to blow up in his face."
"Fair enough," Steele replied. "Keep me posted. And let the others know to concentrate on the senators." He looked curiously at her. "How is Professor Eppes doing?"
She smiled, "He's so innocent."
Smiling faintly, Steele commented, "That's not exactly the kind of information I had in mind."
"I know, I know. Anyway, he's gone at it with some speed, ran some fancy calculations through his computer. Once he started to concentrate, I think you could have dropped a bomb in there and he wouldn't have noticed."
But she doesn't look too chagrined by it, Steele thought with amusement. She just likes to practice her wiles on every man she meets. I wonder how Luke is going to handle that on a consistent basis?
"Anyway, he thinks he'll have something in an hour or so." She smiled a little shyly, "I'm going to steal Luke away for a long lunch, if that's alright with you."
Steele eyed her impassively, but softened at her eagerness, "Steal away, if he's willing." He permitted himself a small smile as she sashayed her way out. He had high hopes for that particular outcome.
--
Sean nudged Colby and tilted his head to where Luke was working steadily at the other end of the large conference room they were in. Both of them grinned to see Fiona slide into Luke's lap. Luke's low laugh warmed their hearts and they went back to their own work when Fiona leaned over Luke and silenced the laugh with a kiss.
"Lord, she is one hot woman, isn't she?" Charlie said softly as he approached Sean and Colby.
Colby chuckled, "Don did warn you about her, didn't he?"
Charlie scowled at him, "Yes, he did, just after he laughed at me."
Both Colby and Sean laughed at that. But Charlie's disgruntled expression made Colby add, "What he didn't let you know is that he did pretty much the same thing." He grinned when Charlie's eyes gleamed. Colby wondered if Charlie would get back at Don for that.
"Did you have something for us, Professor, or did you just come by to lust after a dangerous man's girlfriend?" Sean asked lazily, his eyes gleaming with gentle humor at Charlie's flush. He chuckled when Charlie scowl at him in turn.
"I do have something for you," Charlie said with dignity. "I've come up with a list in descending order of probabilities from the hundred senators. These are the top five, Democrat James Stevenson of Colorado, Republican Michael Kannin of Pennsylvania, Republican Robert Lowell of Tennessee, Republican David Sorenson of Idaho, and Democrat William Digby of Montana. And here," he handed the list over with a flourish, "is the entire list."
"Only men in your top five?" Colby looked surprised.
Charlie eyed him sharply, "Numbers don't lie."
"I hear you," Colby smiled at Charlie's response. "Alright, we'll get started on those names." He glanced over to where Fiona and Luke were leaving and grinned. "Well, some of us will, anyway."
--
"What are you up to now?" Luke was still amused at Fiona's insistence for lunch away from the office.
She slanted him a sultry look from under her lashes, and purred a laugh, "It isn't all about you, hot though you may be. I just wanted some company while I shopped for Hannah's birthday present."
Luke's expression softened, "Alright."
"You know, I could get really jealous at how fond you are of her," Fiona said a little tartly.
Luke only smiled faintly. "Colby's getting her a jade bracelet," he said mildly, as a gentle reminder that Hannah already had a man she loved, but he caressed her arm, unable to curb the flood of pleasure at her unexpected display of jealousy.
They spent a pleasant hour shopping for a silk dressing gown that Fiona insisted Hannah needed, and he let her take the lead. Luke was amused that Fiona seemed to spend most of the hour shopping for herself, picking up items in colors that suited her own coloring. Yet when it came down selecting the gift, she unerringly picked something that would suit Hannah perfectly.
Happily swinging her package, Fiona leaned against Luke with a sigh, as they walked back towards the office. "Luke," she said thoughtfully, "Do you think this case has anything to do with what happened to Steele's and Breston's father? And maybe even your father?"
He stopped, and turned to face her, with a frown creasing his forehead. "What makes you ask that?"
Fiona shrugged, "I don't know what happened, but there seems to be a great deal of tension between the three of you. And this whole thing seems directly targeted at both Breston and Steele. I just wondered if it was a possibility."
"Everything's possible, I suppose," he said slowly. "Let's take a look at what Charlie's come up with, and I'll see what Steele thinks about it."
--
"Have a good lunch?" Steele murmured, smiling faintly when Luke flushed at his question. The happiness on Fiona's face was answer enough, but Steele was amused that Luke chose not to answer.
"Anything from Charlie yet?" Luke asked instead. "Fiona has a theory but I wanted to check what he had first."
Curious now, Steele indicated the conference room where even the FBI agents were now gathered, "I was on my way to find out."
Breston joined them, huffing a little, "Sorry, I'm late. Frankovich was giving me a hard time about using his agents for this. I think it's under control now though."
"Hey," Colby said in greeting when they came into the conference room that he and Sean had been using. "Charlie's given us a list ordered in descending probability." He indicated Don, Megan and David who were seated around the conference table, perusing their copies of the list, "Sean and I had started on the top two. Don, Megan and David just divided up the next three and were about to get started." Colby handed the newcomers each their own copies of the list.
Steele caught his breath sharply and looked at Luke. "Is this who I think it might be?"
"Very possible," Luke said, his eyes dark with remembered pain. Fiona slid her arm around him.
Breston looked at their reactions with some bewilderment, then took a closer look at the list. "It has to be a coincidence."
"After all your years as an FBI agent, can you honestly say you believe in coincidences?" Steele said dryly. He sighed and met the curious stares from around the conference table.
"Senator Michael Kannin," he said quietly. "Focus on him. I'll fill in the blanks once you're done, but I don't think you'll have any trouble piecing it together." He shook his head, muttering to himself as he left the room, "I can't believe I've never noticed before this."
Breston followed him with a frown on his face.
"What's that all about?" Sean asked Luke. "That can't be good," Sean murmured when Luke shook his head and went after Steele and Breston.
For a moment, Fiona looked like she would follow Luke. But instead, she settled at one of the computers set up around the conference table, "I'll check Kannin's financials, see if I can match Miller's payoffs to anything."
"I had thought we would be severely understaffed for investigating 100 Senators and 435 Members of Congress, but now I wonder if there are too many of us. Just to investigate one Senator," David said to Don as he sat down at another computer.
Don shook his head, "This Senator may not pan out, and we may still have to investigate further. It'll go more quickly if more of us delve into Kannin, find out if it's really what Steele thinks is going on. Whatever that is."
"I'm going to look for links to Breston's name," Megan said. "They seem to think it's someone they know."
"And Breston's is the only real name we know?" Don asked dryly, rolling his eyes when both Colby and Sean chuckled. "I don't know how you guys deal with not knowing each other's names."
Neither answered him as they went back to their own work. Neither felt capable of explaining that knowing someone's name didn't automatically mean he could be trusted, and not knowing someone's name did not preclude loyalty from those who worked for or with him.
--
A few hours later, Luke came back into the conference room, face tight and shoulders rigid with anger. He sat down next to Fiona, who raised a tentative hand to touch him on his cheek. He remained rigid for a moment, and then just as Fiona decided to move her hand away, he turned his cheek into her cupped hand with a sigh. Some of the tension eased from his shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Fiona asked.
"Some things don't change," he muttered, but refused to say more, despite the curious looks he was getting from around the conference room. He was helping her trace the financial transactions when Steele and Breston came in.
Breston was red in the face and obviously angry. Steele had his iciest look, which told Colby that he was furious. He'd been at the receiving end of that look enough times to know. A glance at Sean told Colby that he'd also come to the same conclusion.
"I know it's only been a few hours," Steele said abruptly. "But what have we got?"
"Michael Kannin, born Ryan Michael Carmody of Duquesne, Pennsylvania," Don said quietly. "His father, David Carmody, was a cop in the City of Duquesne Police Department." He glanced over at Breston. "The Chief of Police was one Gerald Breston. Chief Breston had two sons, one John Breston, and an adopted son, Daniel, his wife's son from a previous relationship."
"Chief Breston's closest friend and next door neighbor, also a cop on the City of Duquesne Police Department was Aaron Jameson. Jameson had a son, Luke. The four boys were about the same age," Megan picked up the threads of the background. "Daniel was the youngest, and John the oldest." She looked first at Steele then at Luke, "Daniel Breston and Luke Jameson, I presume?"
Breston exhaled in disbelief. "For God's sake, it's been twenty-five years!"
"Duquesne is a small town of about ten thousand on the outskirts of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area." David continued the story, "A drug operation moved in, reasons unknown. According to this, Chief Breston launched an investigation. There was a drug bust, and all three were shot, but Aaron Jameson was killed at the scene," David glanced sympathetically at Luke. "Chief Breston was critically injured. David Carmody sustained a flesh wound. In a statement, he indicated that Chief Breston and Sgt. Jameson were on the take from the drug operation, and the bust would only have affected the lower levels of the organization. It would have made the police department look good, and yet not affect the operation. Chief Breston died without knowing about these accusations." His sympathetic gaze went on to Breston and Steele.
"Unable to prove their husbands' innocence, and unable to bear the disgrace of the circumstances of their deaths, both widows moved themselves and their seventeen year old sons, away from Duquesne to the relative anonymity of Pittsburgh," Colby said quietly, his gaze on Luke's now impassive face.
"A year later, Ryan Carmody found his father dead in the garage," Sean took his turn. "There was a suicide note that detailed David Carmody's involvement with the drug operation. Experts confirmed that it was in Carmody's handwriting. He had stabbed himself with his tanto, the short sword in his daisho, a matched katana and tanto set. Since he was an avid practitioner of Kendo, everyone believed it was seppuku, or ritual suicide." He paused to look at Steele and Luke, then said slowly, "Ryan claimed that he saw Daniel and Luke arguing with his father earlier that day, claims which were later dismissed as the ranting of a distraught son because his mother, Tanya Carmody, insisted her husband had been alone all day. The Carmodys also moved away from Duquesne, and Tanya Carmody went back to using her maiden name, which Ryan later adopted when he legally changed his name to Michael Kannin."
"But he swore that one day he would prove Daniel and Luke killed his father," Breston said bitterly.
"Something which you easily believed," Luke shot back, just as bitterly.
"What was I supposed to think, Luke?" Breston lost control of his temper and shouted. "You were World Kendo Champion! At seventeen, you were at ju-dan level, the only kenshi at that level outside of Japan. You were better with the katana than Carmody could ever hope to be!"
"I was used to practicing with a shinai. Do you really think it's so easy to switch from using a wooden practice sword to stabbing at a person with a real one? What happened to innocent until proven guilty anyway? What happened to friendship and loyalty? Some best friend you turned out to be!" Luke's eyes blazed with cold fury, lending ferocity to his words. "My father was dead, and so was yours. And you refused to do anything about the disgrace that this man had brought to their names. Was it so easy to believe that our dads had been corrupted?"
"We were just kids! I left it in the hands of the authorities; you can't just take the law into your own hands. Besides," Breston said bitterly. "Who's to know what my father did, or yours for that matter?"
Luke launched himself at Breston, beyond fury at those angry words. Colby and Sean just barely got to him before he reached Breston.
"Please, Luke, calm down," Steele pleaded, as he also reached Luke. He saw Fiona touch Luke gently on the arm, and heaved a sigh of relief when Luke stopped fighting against Colby and Sean.
"Did you kill Carmody?" Megan asked Luke, standing her ground when he swung his furious gaze on her.
"No, he didn't," Steele said quietly. "I didn't either," he continued when all eyes swung to him. "We went there with some evidence that we'd turned up and confronted him with it. Only, he wasn't alone." He raised bleak eyes to Breston. "We were young and brash, and weren't thinking of anything but clearing our father's names. Tanya Carmody went white when we made our accusations."
"Oh, God," Breston said, aghast.
"She made him write out the confession. I don't know why he did; maybe he was worn out from carrying the secret around. Then they started to fight about it, he was claiming that he had done it because he couldn't afford the kind of spending she was doing, something along those lines. His tanto was on the counter where he'd been cleaning it. She picked it up and stabbed him with it." Steele sighed. "We did what we could to help her make it look like a suicide and we slipped away. Ryan never knew."
"Your fathers' names were cleared once the suicide note was found," Don said.
Steele nodded, "Yes, but life was never the same. Obviously, nothing could replace the loss of our fathers. I never saw Ryan again, that was particularly painful since we had been the best of friends. Luke and John," Steele nodded wryly at the two still bristling at each other, "well, you can see for yourselves. Luke and I stayed close, bound by our secret, I suppose."
Don nodded, "Well, that gives us the motive. But we still don't have anything that links Kannin to Miller. Or to anything other that the angry threat he made when he found his father's body."
"I found financial transactions linking Kannin to most of the payoffs listed in Miller's ledger," Fiona said quietly. "They went through a complicated route and I almost lost the trail several times, but the links are there."
"And our Russian sources have just sent us video of Kannin discussing a deal with the Kremlin, planning to replace several Senators and Representatives with those sympathetic with Russia. What he hoped to accomplish with that isn't immediately clear, but it'll be enough to expel him from the Senate and convict him," Steele sighed wearily.
--
Steele brooded in his office after he received news from his Washington-based agents that Kannin had been arrested without incident. His fingers rubbed rhythmically at his temples in an effort to ease his throbbing headache.
"Are you going to be alright, Dan?" Luke asked from the door.
He looks drawn and tired, Steele thought sadly. "I should be asking you that."
Luke shrugged as he sat down across from Steele, "It helps a little to be with Fiona."
"I had no idea you carried that resentment towards John all these years," Steele said, trying to search Luke's face for an answer before he slid it back into his usual impassive mask.
Luke closed his eyes for a moment, "I didn't either. But it all came spilling out with a vengeance." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Luke said, "You should come to Hannah's birthday party. She has a way about her, that makes people feel better."
"I've noticed the effect on the four of you," Steele smiled and nodded. He turned when his phone rang and put it on speaker. The single sentence that floated eerily out of the speaker sent chills down both their spines.
"Did you really think it would be quite so easy to catch a Mastermind?"
--
A/N: This story just keeps growing. Tune in to find out what happens next!