A Crime of Passion
Chap. 1-The Jason Gideon Detective Agency
The Jason Gideon Detective Agency
0900 Hours
Somewhere in Boston, MA
Jason Gideon entered his office, followed by his secretary, a petite, handsome woman called Billie King. He listened as she rattled off his appointments for the day-a woman who wanted her husband followed, a missing Marine, and assistance on a civil legal case. He told her to pass off the first appointment to his fellow investigator, Casey Kirk, and the missing Marine to their military liaison, Top* Chuck Stafford, who was a retired Marine himself. Finally, he delegated the legal case to Bob Jones, who was their resident legal advisor, and then excused the woman for the morning. He exited the office after he dropped his jacket and briefcase, and headed for the meeting room to meet with his staff.
He smiled at Caroline Steinberg, the newest member of his staff. The child, as she was only 24, was gorgeous, energetic, and a certified genius. She reminded him of one of his most favorite people, his former protégé, Spencer Reid. Probably because they looked similar; Caroline was a curly-haired brunette, with brown eyes and a big smile. She was standing in front of a chalkboard in the middle of the Bullpen, half of a complicated mathematic equation written across it, a look of frustrated annoyance on her face. She pushed her glasses up her nose, and smiled back at him.
"Good morning, Mr. Gideon." He chuckled, and replied.
"I have told you, call me Jason. Please join us for the staff meeting." She nods, and follows their boss down the hallway and into the meeting room. He realized that he ran his company much like he'd run the BAU, but then, the FBI had been his life for most of his adulthood, and so it was all he knew. He nodded once to his assistant, a former CIA agent herself, a woman called Jillian Godfrey. The woman had worked clandestine ops in the CIA, and thus, understood the way that Gideon ran his office. She spoke.
"Ok, people. Here is the plan of the day. Top, you will go meet with the Military investigator about the missing Marine; find out what kind of help they'll need. We can offer them general investigative help. Bob, you're going to the court in the Jackson family case, right? And finally, Kirk, you have the Marie Kinsman case. Caroline, Top has requested that you join him; apparently, the Navy needs some help with logistics. Finally, I will be here today; it is inventory day." Gideon nodded, and spoke.
"Thanks, Jill. Ok, people. Let's head out, and meet back here after lunch. I want to brief again then." There were nods all around, and then the gaggle of people stood and went various directions. He himself headed for his office. His goal for the day was to do some work on a cold case he'd become involved in helping on with the local PD. A few years ago, three college girls had been found, beheaded and sexually assaulted, in their dorm room. There was little evidence, and no major suspects, and the profiler in him desperately needed to solve the case. He grabbed his jacket, his firearm, and his credentials, and headed out of the building.
1315 Hours
Jason Gideon Detective Agency
Somewhere in Boston, MA
The staff of the Agency were gathered around the long table in the meeting room once again, and Jason spoke.
"Anyone get anything exciting or useful?" Top and Caroline raised their hands at the same time, causing the others to chuckle. Jason nodded, and indicated that Top should speak. The Marine does so, and his words cause the others to fall very silent.
"The Navy investigator is getting stonewalled by the local PD, so they're bringing in the Feds. Some people from the FBI will be joining the investigation, but the JAG officer asked me to stay on, at least long enough to brief the FBI people. They should be here tomorrow. We will meet them at the Navy outpost near Winchester." Gideon's eyes took in the man, and then the young woman sitting next to him. They weren't kidding, and so he nodded.
"Ok. Thanks. That's good work." He turned to the legal consultant, Bob Jones, and spoke again.
"How did the case go?"
"Our client was Mrs. Jackson. She won the custody battle with the photos we took. Her husband will be forced to pay more in child support and alimony than both my wife and I make in three year's time. But that's what happens when you're unethical, I guess." The others chuckle. Gideon nods.
"Yes. Ok, Casey, did you decide whether or not to take the Kinsman case?" The man shook his head.
"I don't think that Ms. Kinsman would benefit from our services. I think that she had a different idea of what private investigators actually do, and was sort of more or less looking for a hit man. I simply declined her case, and referred her to Mort Rodger's law practice."
"Great. Ok. It sounds like everyone had a productive morning. Jill has completed inventory, and any supplies you have requested should be in by week's end. Finally, I need you all to turn in to me your certification renewals by the 21st." They all nod; in Massachusetts, private investigators had to be licensed, and he required his staff to be re-licensed every two years, even though the law only recommended every three years. He excused the people to finish paperwork and finalize active cases, and then told them they could head home early. As each staffer filed out of the room, Gideon followed, heading for Top's desk, and speaking to the man.
"Hey, Chuck. How did Ms. Steinberg do?" The older, balding man looked up him, his blue eyes dancing, and smiled.
"Well, the JAG officer was a little taken aback, but actually, she did well. Set up their computer system, and even showed them some ways to maneuver around the police departments regulations." Gideon nodded.
"Good. I think she's picking it up quickly, don't you?"
"Certainly. The JAG officer asked that she join us tomorrow for the briefing of the FBI people. Oh, and he also gave me this-" the man extended a Post-it note with a name scribbled on it, and continued- "and I figured with your background, you might know that agent and be able to give her a little insight." Gideon nodded, and placed the paper in his pocket without looking at it. He replied.
"Take Caroline with you tomorrow; have her put together a dossier on our information for them. She's been trained in how to do them, and actually, does it well." The other man nods, and stands.
"Yes, sir. Anything else you need?"
"Not right now. Thanks, Chuck." The former Marine mock-salutes his boss, and turns to find the resident genius child as Gideon strides into his office and shuts the door behind him. He settles the files he'd taken from the lead cold-case detective that morning onto his desk, and then reached for the slip of paper in his pocket. He took a deep breath and looked at the name on it, and shook his head. What were the odds that, given the 500 agents that the FBI currently employed, they would be sending along Hotch and the others? He sighed, and settled into his desk chair, and turned it around to look out the window.
After a little while, he decided that it was time to tell his young employee about his FBI background, and ask her to keep it a secret when she met with the group tomorrow. He reached for his phone, tapped in her extension, and a few moments later, she appeared at his door.
"Come in. Close the door behind you." Caroline nodded, and did as he asked, but felt a little fearful. She knew that her colleagues believed that she and their boss were romantically involved, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Now, she was wondering if someone had said something, and he was going to fire her because of illusions of impropriety. She had desperately wanted this job to work, and so she showed up to work every morning with the goal of giving her all. She settled into the visitors chair he indicated, and adjusted her glasses before speaking.
"You need to see me, Mr.-Jason?" He nodded, and then changed his mind about what he would tell her.
"You may have heard that I used to work for the FBI. That is entirely true. I worked for a unit that caught criminals-mainly serial killers-through the use of psychological profiling. I am telling you this because I want you to understand that when you arrive tomorrow to meet with the NIS and the FBI, they will attempt to profile you. I worked with their team leader, and I know that once he catches wind that I am involved in this case, he will likely ask you about it. Now, feel free to answer however you feel is appropriate; I am not asking you to lie or not lie. Just rely on your gut, OK?" Caroline nods, unsure as to what her boss was specifically talking about. He continued.
"Also, there will be a member of their team there, a Dr. Spencer Reid. Befriend him; it will serve you well, and you two have a lot in common. Finally, I have asked Top to relay to the FBI people that we are on hand to help if they want us, if not, I'd like your help with this cold case I have been working on. Do you have any questions?" The girl nodded.
"Just one. About the dossier. How much information is too much?"
"None. As much information as possible will help the agents solve this case, OK?"
"I understand. Just one more question-how many folders should I make? I mean, how many agents will the FBI send?" He sighs.
"Six, most likely."
"Great. Thank you."
"Of course. Once you have finished the files, you may go home."
"Thank you, sir." He nods as the girl stands to leave. He watches her go, and sighs again. He turns on his computer and taps out a memo to Caroline and Top, reminding them that dress code for all cases is business wear, as that day, Caroline was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and furry boots. Top, being a former Marine, was dressed smartly, but Jason ran the office loosely, and even the Marine was casual-in a polo and khakis, with black shoes. They both responded back saying that they understood, and he turned back to his case files, letting himself become engrossed in the case of Lana Rink and her friends.
End of Chapter 1