CHAPTER 3
Chris and Vin pulled into the ATF vehicle lot at 7:45. Their personal vehicles were still in the employee parking lot from the night before. They dropped off the keys for the SUV and made their way towards the elevators. Chris had wanted a few minutes before J.D. showed up to start his own report on the late night incident.
When they stepped off the elevator and into the bullpen, Chris was surprised to see Buck sitting at his desk. "What are you doing here?"
"You owe me big time, Larabee."
Puzzled by Buck's glare, he opened his mouth but soon found out why his normally jolly friend was not a happy camper.
"Hey, Buck, here's your coffee. Oh, hi, Chris, You're here early. And you're here too, Vin. Why are you here? Oh, I know! Chris stayed with you last night. Well, wait, not last night. It would be this morning. I mean, earlier this morning. Did Buck tell you we took care of the horses for you? It only took us about 30 minutes. Your neighbor Charlie came over and helped us out. He's a really nice guy. And I've got lots of information about that guy you wanted me to find."
"Stop, J.D. Take a breath." Chris turned to Buck. "Has he been like this long?"
Buck yawned. "He has been downing Cokes since you called. I lost count after the fifth one." He sipped at the coffee and grimaced. "Damn kid. How much sugar did you dump in here?"
J.D.'s face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice. I'll get you a new one." He ran off before anyone could say anything.
Vin noted, "Kid seems a might . . ." He looked to Chris. "I can't think of the right word."
"Hyper? Manic? Crazed?" Chris offered.
"Hey, he's just a little wired," Buck defended his roommate. "You know that kid would crawl to Texas and back on his hands and knees for the big boss man here." He looked to Chris. "When do you meet with Travis?"
"In about an hour."
J.D. returned from the break room with a new cup of coffee. "Here, try this one."
"Thanks, J.D. And I'm sorry for being short with you. I'm still a little tired."
"But I thought old people needed less sleep because . . . they're old!" J.D. dodged the slap to the back of his head.
Chris knew this could escalate quickly. "All right, gentlemen. I've got a meeting with AD Travis that I would like to be prepared for. J.D., where's that information on Carlisle?"
"Oh, I can tell you all about him. He was born May 25, 1968 in Peoria, Illinois. He won a wrestling scholarship, but went into the Air Force instead. When he was stationed in Texas in 1989, he got married. He flew during the Gulf War. He was given a hardship discharge in 1993. He divorced in 1994 and moved with his daughter to Chicago. He went through the police academy in 1997 and worked at the 27th Precinct until 2000, when they moved here to Denver."
Chris digested what he heard. "Did you find out more about the hardship discharge?"
J.D. looked through some printouts. "Um, yeah. Here it is. It seems that his wife was driving drunk and caused a three-car accident with some major injuries. She had the baby with her. The girl was only 2 years old. The wife had already had a suspended license, so she ended up in jail for a couple of months. Carlisle filed for divorce while she was in the clink."
"The clink?"
"Yeah, Vin. You know, the big house, the slammer, the cooler."
"No more gangster movies for you, kid. Could the ex have something to do with the kidnapping?" Buck asked.
J.D. searched for another paper. "I thought of that too. So I did a search for her, Elizabeth Carlisle, who changed back to her maiden name Elizabeth Hunter. She died from cirrhosis in 2002."
"How 'bout his caseload? Any connections to the Genovese family?"
"None that I could tell. The only thing I could find out is that he's a working with Crimes Against Persons Bureau at the 3rd Precinct."
The elevator bell sounded. The men looked over to see Ezra Standish stepped through. He was dressed as stylish as ever, despite the early hour.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Chris was not the only one surprised to see the team's undercover agent. Standish was not known to show up to work early.
"Good morning to you, too, Mr. Larabee. I see your disposition is as sunny as ever. Salutations to the rest of you gentlemen." He stepped up to the group. "AD Travis felt it would be best for you to have a colleague during the meeting this morning. He strongly suggested I be the one to accompany you."
J.D.'s face lit up. "You're his babysitter?"
Buck grinned. "Why would Chris be needing a babysitter?"
"I don't need a goddamn babysitter!"
Ignoring the outburst, Ezra continued, "There will be other participants in the meeting that may need protection from our illustrious leader's temperament."
"Who?"
"FBI Assistant Director Phillips and Police Commissioner Mancuso. I believe AD Travis is troubled by the possibility that members of law enforcement are divulging confidential information to the criminal element."
Chris nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing. That phone call came after Travis talked to Phillips and Mancuso. Someone with a badge is talking to the wrong people."
"Do you think it's this Carlisle guy?" J.D. asked. "No, it can't be him. He wouldn't have them kill his own daughter. Or would he? Maybe he didn't know who she really was? God, that would be horrible to find out that you helped someone murder your own daughter. Oh, wait. Maybe he's . . ." His last words were muffled by Buck's hand covering his mouth.
The smallest hint of a smile graced Ezra's face. "Has Mr. Dunne been exceeding the daily recommended amount of sugar . . . again?"
"I reckon he's jest shy of an OD," Vin drawled.
//Can you take care of the kid for a while?//
//Sure thing, Cowboy.//
"Hey, J.D., do ya wanna hit the gym with me for . . ."
"Wow, Vin. That would be awesome. I've been wanting to ask you to show me those moves you used on that guy on our last bust. You know the guy I'm talking about? He was huge and you dropped him so fast!"
Vin smiled at the other men as he led the hyped-up computer expert towards the elevator. He nodded at Buck who mouthed "Thanks, Junior."
The three remaining men used the silence to prepare for the meeting with AD Travis. Chris and Ezra read over all the information that J.D. had printed off about Peter Carlisle. Buck worked on the transcript of the surveillance tape and finalized his report of the night's events. J.D. and Ezra had finished their reports the night before. Chris wanted to bring as much supporting material to this material, now that Phillips and Mancuso were going to be part of this. There was no way that his team was going to take any blame for what went down. He would have preferred to have the girl's statement, but a quick call to Josiah ended that idea. The girl was finally sleeping. It had taken Josiah a long time to get her settled enough to rest, only to be disrupted by coughing fits and nurse visits. They decided to see how the meeting progressed before forcing her to detail what happened to her.
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It was almost 11 when Chris and Ezra finally returned to the 14th floor. The rest of the team, which now included Nathan, tried to gauge how the meeting went. Ezra, of course, was completely impossible to read. Chris barged through the office, his face as grim as ever. The only thing we said was,
"Conference room, now."
The four men followed them into the large room and filled in spots around the long table.
Buck was first to break the silence. "All right, give it to us straight. Are we getting raises or do I have to start charging my dates?"
"Like anyone would pay," J.D. snorted.
Even Ezra smiled at the look at Buck's face. Chris shook his head. Leave it to Buck to break the tension in his own way. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"All right, boys. What do you want first, the good news, the not-so-good news, or the bad news?"
Nathan spoke up. "It is Friday. Let's start with the good news."
"The FBI was so pleased with our investigative endeavors concerning the Genovese family that we have been given a complementary furlough."
J.D. squinted at Ezra. "What?"
Chris answered. "Since we were made, we don't have to stake out the warehouse anymore."
"OK. That's pretty good. What's the not-so-good news?"
"Well, the FBI is still trying to build a case against the family. They now want to include kidnapping charges. But since the family believes the girl is dead, the Feds don't want to take custody of the girl."
Vin started, "So that means . . ."
Chris sighed. "We will be the ones providing witness protection. We are on stand down until further notice."
He ignored the groans from the men around the table. After sitting in a hospital waiting room or hanging out in a surveillance van listening to criminals drone on and on, watching over a witness in a safe house was the third worst thing to do.
"Does that mean we get out of court next week?" J.D. asked eagerly.
Chris had to work hard on not smiling. It seemed that watching over a witness was the fourth worst thing to do. "No. Everyone except for Nathan is scheduled for the Chesterfield trial starting Tuesday."
"Why are they dumping her on us?" Buck demanded.
Ezra said, "It seems that the our law enforcement brethren concur with Mr. Larabee's theory that the source of the leak is someone within the police department."
Nathan leaned forward. "Do they have a specific person in mind?"
"Yeah. That's the bad news. They say it's the kid's father."
Buck whistled. "How did they come up with that?"
"That's what took so damn long," Chris growled. "Once we gave them Carlisle's name, we contacted his captain and had him come in. It turns out this guy is being investigated by Internal Affairs. The captain said it was an anonymous tip that Carlisle has been working with the Genovese family."
Ezra continued, "The powers that be feel it explains how this particular criminal element has been able to avoid legal prosecution for years."
"And the captain said that no one has heard from Carlisle since Tuesday night. He suspects either he's either on the run or is dead."
The men around the table sat in silence.
"But it don't explain the phone call. If he was the one who called, how the hell did he know about us?" Nathan asked.
"That's where Travis took control. He demanded to be kept informed of any developments. The FBI is going to launch a full investigation to find how our involvement got out. They want to question the girl and have her look through some mug shots, but Ezra was able to convince them to wait until Monday." Chris looked down at his watch. "Josiah's been at the hospital for almost 12 hours. Let's figure out a rotation for watching the kid. We still have to work to do."
It was finally decided that Ezra would relieve Josiah for the rest of the day. Buck followed him to the hospital to drive Josiah home since his Suburban was still at the office from the night before. They greeted the security guard at the door of the private suite and walked in.
Josiah was slouched in a chair next to the bed, his chin down on his chest. The girl was sleeping sitting up, the bed slightly elevated. She looked flushed and clammy. The bruise on her face was now yellowish-brown. IV lines ran from her left hand. Her right arm was wrapped and in a sling. She wore a nasal cannula, but it didn't seem to be helping. Her raspy breathing could be heard from across the room.
Before either man could say a word, Josiah whispered, "Morning, Ezra. Buck." He stood up and motioned them to leave the room.
"It's almost afternoon, 'Siah. How did you know it was us?" Buck asked quietly once they were in the hall.
"Brother Buck, I could hear you flirting with every nurse the minute you hit this floor. And your expensive shoes, Ezra, have quite a distinctive squeak."
Ezra sputtered, "I do not squeak. These floors have an unusual amount of varnish."
Josiah turned to the security guard. "You can take a break for a while. I think the three of us can hold down the fort." They watched the guard walked away. "All right, what's going on? What have you figured out?"
Buck quickly explained what J.D. had discovered about Carlisle and how the meeting with Travis went. "What have you find out here?"
Josiah stretched. "Well, Jill is a 15 year old sophomore. She plays the violin in her school orchestra and at her church. It is her dream to play professionally. She loves watching baseball but not playing it. Her favorite team is the White Sox. She's working extra hours at a music store to buy a dress for the prom next month. She's allergic to tomatoes and likes a rock group called My Chemical . . . something."
"My Chemical Romance," Buck supplied. "J.D. listens to them too."
"You have done an excellent job learning about our young ward," Ezra complimented his teammate.
"It wasn't just me. She answered questions from the doctor and the nurses. We've mostly talked about her father and Cecilia."
"Who?"
Josiah sighed. "A nurse had given the girl's necklace to me to hold. It turned out to be a medallion of Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians. Her father gave it to her when she made confirmation."
"And what has she shared about her father?"
"Typical stuff. He's too strict and doesn't understand what it's like to be a kid. He's got a weird sense of humor. But from the way she spoke of him, it is clear they have a very strong relationship. She is very proud of him." He paused and wiped his eyes tiredly. "I find it hard to believe that her father let this happen to her. And when she finds out . . ."
Buck patted Josiah's back. "She doesn't have to know all the facts yet. Hell, we don't even know if they are the facts or not. All I do know is that you're plumb tuckered out. You would be able to help that girl when you're dead on your feet."
"I must concur with our eloquent colleague. I will take up sentry duty for the next few hours."
"All right, Brothers. I'll just tell her I'm leaving." Josiah noticed the security guard returning with Rain Jackson and a nurse who was pushing a cart. "Is there something wrong?"
"I'm just here to check on Jill," Rain replied. "Hello, Buck. Ezra. Here to visit?"
"Hey, darlin'. I'm here to take Josiah home. Ez is gonna spend the night watching the kid." Buck held open the door to the room for her and the others.
The girl had woken up and was now blinking tiredly at the group in the room. Rain smiled at her. "How are you feeling, Jill?"
When Jill opened her mouth to speak, she started to cough. The nurse passed her a plastic cup with a dark liquid in it. After swallowing it, she grimaced and said, "I hate that stuff."
Rain nodded in sympathy. "I know, but it will help with that cough and the fever you've developed. How's your shoulder and arm? Any pain or throbbing?"
"Not really, ma'am, but my head hurts."
"Well, you haven't eaten anything since you've been here. We'll get you some lunch and see how you feel after that."
Jill looked at the nurse who was removing the IV lines from her hand. "Does this mean I can take a shower now?" She lowered her voice. "I mean, I'm pretty nasty."
"Sorry, sweetie," Rain replied. "I'm afraid that a shower would be too much for your injuries and your lungs. You're going to have to stick with sponge baths for a while. I can see if one of the nurses will have time to wash your hair."
Ezra stepped forward. "I would be happy to assist if no one else is available."
Buck chuckled. "I didn't know you were a hairdresser, Ez."
"I am not, Mr. Wilmington. But I do know what it feels like to be trapped in one of these horrid facilities without an opportunity to care for one's personal hygiene." He turned to Rain. "No offense, my dear doctor."
Rain smiled at the southerner. "I don't take any offense, Ezra. You've probably spent more time in a hospital than I have."
Josiah sat next to the bed. "Ezra is going to stay with you for the rest of the day, Jill. Is that OK with you?"
The girl looked down. "Will I see you again?"
"Of course. How about I come back tomorrow?" He was pleased with the small smile he got back in response. But that smile quickly disappeared. "What's wrong?"
Still looking down, she asked quietly, "Has anyone heard from my dad?" A tear fell down her cheek.
Rain could tell something was bothering the three men. But Buck quickly put a smile on his face. "Don't worry, little lady. I'm sure your daddy is just fine. You concentrate on getting better, OK?"
The girl nodded. Rain and the nurse finished their work. Josiah and Buck said their good-byes and escorted the women out of the room. Once in the hallway, Rain turned to Buck. "You didn't answer her question."
"I didn't want to tell her the truth."
"Which is what?"
Buck looked at Josiah, who nodded sadly. "That her father may never be heard from again."
A/N: I don't know what it was about this chapter, but I had a heck of a time getting it out of me. Let me know if it was worth the mental surgery!