4 Not a two-man job
"Baltimore," Fornell whined. "I wish I could go to Baltimore with you. We could eat BLTs from the Lexington Market like the real cops do. Or better still, get crabs at Phillips. They're still in season."
"I don't understand why everyone loves crabs," Gibbs said. "So much work, so little food."
"I wouldn't expect a man who considers a cold can of beans to be a meal to understand. One of these days you're going to make some gastroenterologist a millionaire."
"I'm interested in the Mob, not millionaire doctors."
"Ah, the Baltimore Mob. Interesting that topic should come up. I had a query about them a few months back from Baltimore PD."
"Why were they interested?"
"There's a bit of shooting war going on, as I understand. The Baltimore Mob is a sad, vestigial thing these days, Jethro."
"Speak English, Fornell."
"Their glory days are behind them. The docks were their bread and butter, but the Baltimore dockyard is dead nowadays—they don't do much besides unload shiny BMWs for DC lobbyists to lease. The state lottery killed the numbers game. They never had the garbage contracts, and there's not much construction in Baltimore City these days. I think they still have a piece of the vice game down on the Block."
"Drugs?"
"Did very well in the 70s and 80s when the carriage trade wanted very pure cocaine and was willing to pay very good money for it. They're probably still handling the carriage trade for prescription drugs. But crack ruined the old drug markets. Crack, meth, and cheap heroin. Now everyone's in the drug business. I hear the margins are terrible."
"Meth?"
"My understanding is that's what the shooting war is about. Rising local talent going against the dinosaurs."
"So why isn't the FBI there?"
"Priorities. You know that Freeh got caught up in the Khobar Towers investigation. Our organized crime work was a lower priority. And I'm hurt that you didn't send a thank you note when we brought in those Khobar indictments."
"I'm not interested in indictments. I'm interested in incarcerations."
"You're not really interested in incarcerations, Jethro. Sadly, we can try in absentia but we can't punish in absentia. But you never know. We tracked Kasi for four years and got him in the end. Anyway, priorities. Baltimore just didn't seem to fit."
"But the shooting war?"
"It's Baltimore. It's nowhere near as bad as it was the late 80s, when the crack dealers discovered automatic weapons."
"The Mob can't be that sad if they're shooting it out. And I think they might be importing some new talent."
"That would make things interesting. Why do you care about the Baltimore Mob?"
"We caught a petty officer smoking meth in the Yard. His dealer is from Baltimore, and he's got Mob connections."
Fornell laughed. "Oh, Jethro. Taking down the Mob isn't a two-man job, even if one of the men is you. It takes months, sometimes years, of research, planning, learning the connections, wiretapping…and you have to have someone inside. No one will ever take you for a goombah."
"I've got Pacci," Gibbs said.
"A straighter arrow never walked the earth. He'd be even less convincing than you. Well, I look forward to hearing about your adventures in mob-busting."
"I'll still be having more fun than you," Gibbs said. "Go through anyone's trash today, Tobias?"
"That extra B really is for bastard, isn't it? I'd better go. Diane hates it when I talk to you."
"Keep an eye on your bank account."
Gibbs and Pacci were in the office by 7am, gearing up for a day of poking around Pat Montefiore's life. Abby had searched the Baltimore papers online for stories about the reported shooting war but hadn't turned up much. "Not everything's online yet, Gibbs," she said.
"Do we still have any interns around?"
"I think there's one in legal."
"Good. Send the lawyer to the library and let him dig through the real newspapers. And Abby, see if that T thingy can turn up anything more about the Baltimore mob or organized crime in meth production."
They were almost out the door when Pacci's cell rang. The conversation was brief. Pacci was pale when it was done. "That was a Homicide detective in Baltimore. Montefiore's dead."