Chapter Six

MCAT Office-The next morning.

Chris was in misery. He hurt everywhere and those blasted crutches were a pain in the ass. No one had any lead on "Bitsy" or Carter. Additionally, with Buck gone, Ezra undercover, the work was piling up on his desk, and he still had a meeting with Hunter. He had spent the past two hours in Travis's office going over plans for the new units and being prepped for his new role of Associate Director of MCAT Operations. Apparently it was not enough for him to be Commander of one unit, now he had the added responsibility of overseeing three. Granted, it was a supervisory position and he would not have to be involved in the day to day running of the teams. Each would have their own SAC, Special Agent in Charge, and thanks to Hunter's role for the Texas unit, Chris would not have to travel back and forth to San Antonio. Nevertheless their success or failure was on his shoulders. Slowly making his way back to his own office his dark mood emanated before him and everyone moved out of his way.

When Hunter had arrived earlier, instead of being secluded away in an office going through paperwork, he had suggested that for the next couple of days he be allowed to shadow the senior agents as they went about their daily jobs. While he would not be an active field agent for the San Antonio branch of MCAT, he still wanted to know the ins and outs of the various departments within the main unit. Once Chris Larabee had given him the all clear, Teaspoon had chosen to follow Josiah Sanchez around. His view of the bullpen from the agent's desk afforded him the opportunity to observe the reactions of the others when Larabee entered the area.

Josiah stopped going over the intricacies of the criminal mind when he realized he had lost Teaspoon's attention. The large man glanced up in time to see Chris finally make it to his office and winced as the door slammed shut behind the MCAT CO. "Did someone forget to mention that Chris is a tad bit temperamental at times?"

His question focused Teaspoon's attention on Larabee. Teaspoon found it amusing to observe the other MCAT agents give their CO a wide berth as he awkwardly maneuvered himself through the bullpen to his office. It was apparent by the scowl on Larabee's face the man was in a sour mood. Given the multitude of injuries he had sustained in the incident at the Carter place the day before, he was certainly in a world of hurt and should have been taking it easy at home. Instead, here he was working, and while Teaspoon admired Larabee's dedication to his job, he couldn't help shaking his head at the foolishness of youth. He answered Josiah, "No, but I think I just got my first glimpse."

"Hunter, you haven't seen or heard nothing yet," Josiah corrected with a wide grin. "Larabee's been known to bring grown men to their knees with just his glare."

Teaspoon chuckled. "That must be a sight to see."

"It is." Josiah agreed, "So long as Chris's anger isn't directed at you. Now, where were we...?"

As the other man started back on his diatribe regarding the criminal mind, Teaspoon heard Larabee bellow, "Hunter, my office."

Josiah looked up from his paperwork and grinned. "Ah, the Larabee summons. Don't worry; usually his bark is worse than his bite."

"Usually?" Teaspoon asked. "What about the other times?"

"You don't want to know," Josiah shook his head. He was smiling though as he watched Hunter leave to room.

Larabee's office

Hunter was barely seated before Chris began. "I've read your jacket and agree with Orrin about your qualifications. You obviously have the experience to lead and you're more than qualified to handle putting a team together."

"I hear a 'but' in there," Teaspoon's brow arched as he leaned forward in his chair. "Just spit it out, Larabee. What is it you think I don't know?"

Chris studied the man in front of him for a moment before answering, "Your history of military service, being a DPS Officer, and a Texas Rangers is excellent. But they all have one thing in common; they are all traditional, established institutions with defined procedures. MCAT is…different. We have a lot more flexibility and room to maneuver than any other agency outside the CIA. More than that, being an MCAT agent is not just a job, it becomes a way of life. Our work affects our families, disrupts normal routines, can be extremely dangerous, and is also one of the most important positions any of us will ever have the opportunity to hold. We push the envelope hard, and often. The past three years have taught me that the only thing to expect is the unexpected."

Teaspoon nodded, "After bein' here for only a couple of days, I already sensed that. I have also followed your progress since MCAT began. You've been through the fire and fought against many obstacles, some from within your own team. Yet you've managed to create an extraordinary unit. While it is well-organized, successful, and imposin', this team is made up of agents who really want to make a difference, are the best at what they do, and who care about one another. You, Sir, are responsible for that and it's what I hope to duplicate for the Texas team."

"I was fortunate enough to start with a core team consisting of men who are the best I've had the privilege of working with." Chris stated proudly.

"Team seven," Hunter acknowledged. "Their reputation is legendary. I may not be able to duplicate them, but I'm positive I can come damn close."

"Then let's make it happen, "Chris answered. He liked the attitude he was hearing from Hunter, but seriously doubted he could ever come close to matching his 'Magnificent Seven'. "Do you have anyone in mind to lead the new team?"

Grinning, Teaspoon reached across, picked up a folder from a pile on the corner of Chris's desk, and passed it to him. "As a matter of fact, I do. I took the liberty of leavin' his file here this mornin'. His name is Sam Cain."

"I've already read his file and I approve of your choice, "Chris said. He picked up a large stack of folders, passing them to Teaspoon. "Josiah has already selected some possible candidates. These personnel files give you a good start in finding who you need. In fact, I think you and Sam could begin putting your team together as soon as possible."

Teaspoon nodded. "I'll have these couriered to Sam so he can start readin' through them. I plan on stayin' here until the end of the week. "

Setting Sam's file on top of his inbox, Chris agreed. "Stay as long as you like and talk to whoever you need to, but there are some pressing matters I need to tend to."

Teaspoon relaxed. "Those pressin' matters personal or work related?"

"Work, guns and gangs," Chris shook his head. "Never a good combination, but someone wants to push it. I want that someone." A knock on the door interrupted him. "Enter."

"Chris I…," JD stopped when he saw Teaspoon. "Sorry, I didn't know you were busy."

"Come on in, JD. What have you got for me?"

Handing Chris a stack of folders, he explained, "The forensic report on the bomb is on top along with a detailed workup on Lorene Fowler. I also finished the backgrounds on everyone who works at West End Junior High. The ones I thought you would be interested in are listed first and then the rest. I duplicated a set for Ezra and he'll be picking them up after school closes for the day." JD fidgeted while he debated with himself about saying more in front of Teaspoon.

"What else?" Chris prodded.

Taking a chance on igniting the infamous Larabee temper, JD blurted out, "Chris, you look like hell and should be home resting. We can handle things here and Josiah is ready to take you to the ranch."

His first impulse was to snap and say he was fine, but his body said differently. Sighing deeply, Chris nodded, "Tell Josiah I'll be out in five minutes and JD…thanks for putting in the extra time on this one."

JD nodded, not sure how Chris knew he'd put in the extra hours last night, but not surprised that he did. Chris always found out everything, one way or another. "If I find out more, I'll give you a call." He left to give Josiah the message.

Teaspoon observed the interaction between Larabee and Dunne and laughed. "I was certain you were too stubborn to give in, but I'm glad you decided you weren't superman after all."

"Stubborn, I'll admit to, but not stupid," Chris grinned. "Another twenty-four hours and I'll be fine. Have JD give you a crash course with CASSIE. It's been an invaluable tool for us and will be for you too." He gathered the files he wanted to go over with Vin and prepared to leave.

"I think I'll do just that," Teaspoon stood. "Let me carry your briefcase, so you can concentrate on those crutches." He followed Chris out of the office and handed the case to Josiah. "See y'all tomorrow."

Chris and Josiah headed toward the door while Teaspoon sought out JD.

Later that afternoon.

Vin finished his conversation with Josiah and left the profiler's office in search of JD. He found him sitting in front of his computer attempting to explain some of the intricacies of Cassie's program to Teaspoon. When he neared JD's desk he caught a glimpse of the puzzled expression on Hunter's face and stifled a laugh. Noticing Vin's approach, Teaspoon and JD glanced away from the monitor and focused their attention on him.

The older man caught the smirk Vin quickly tried to hide, and couldn't help but smile back. "I do good to remember what my password is when usin' a computer, all this newfangled mumbo jumbo is beyond my skill level. "

"That's why we keep him around." Vin patted JD on the shoulder. "We don't understand it either, but CASSIE is an invaluable tool we can't do without."

"Nice to know I'm wanted for something other than my good looks," JD quipped.

Vin rolled his eyes skyward. "Are you channelin' Buck again?"

"Yep, and I'll keep reminding you…now that Buck isn't here...the role of devilishly handsome rogue falls on my shoulders."JD's grin was wide as he chuckled and ducked a swipe from Vin.

Hunter observed the easy banter between the acting CO and the MCAT agent and recognized that like the other members of the founding team, there was more than just a professional relationship between the two men. During his career in law enforcement he had witnessed the working dynamics of quite a few squads, and none of them could hold a candle to the way this unit interacted with one another. It was a rare thing to witness.

All banter disappeared and Vin became serious. "JD, I need you to do a spider search for me. Start with Royce Carter and Lorene Fowler, cross check with Carlos Chavez. Then take what you find and run it against any connection to upcomin' weapons shipments by the military." He nodded and smiled. "Let's see who or what we can snag in our web."

"You got it, Vin." JD turned back to his monitor and as Teaspoon and Vin looked on, his fingers practically flew over the keyboard as he typed in the names of their three suspects into CASSIE.

"Score," JD exclaimed with an enthusiasm that made Teaspoon chuckle. "There's a large shipment of munitions scheduled to leave Ft. Carson on the 21st."

"Anythin' else?" Vin inquired.

"It appears that Fowler and Chavez have an interesting connection."

"Really?" Teaspoon was intrigued at how fast Agent Dunne had been able to come up with this viable bit of information.

"Yep." JD turned in his chair to look at both Vin and Teaspoon." Lorene "Bitsy" Fowler is the daughter of Louise Fowler Chavez, Carlos' ex-wife."

"Keep diggin', JD," Vin ordered. "I want to know every detail you can find on any of 'em. I especially want to know what Chavez has been doin' since the last time we tangled with him and who he's been doin' it with."

Teaspoon studied Tanner and asked, "You know somethin' or just have a hunch?"

"Right now it's just a hunch, but you never know," he shrugged. "You wanna take a trip over to the lab?"

"I'm game," Teaspoon readily agreed. He hadn't had an opportunity to check out the forensics division of the MCAT headquarters until now and was anxious to see how it was set-up. He and Vin walked over to the hanger which housed the MCAT lab.

To say he was impressed with the facilities was an understatement. As he followed Tanner into the building adjoining the HQ, Teaspoon found himself gazing around in wide eyed fascination. The cavernous room was separated into sections by glass partitions that allowed open access to anyone with MCAT authority to view. He easily picked out the area setup for autopsies to be performed by the big red warning on the door. Another section held equipment which he identified as being used to work with fingerprints. Tanner pointed out the area where all manner of DNA was tested and recorded, as well as the ballistics area and incendiary forensics. Whoever had engineered the design of the lab, as well as the rest of the buildings and training facilities that made up the whole of MCAT headquarters was ingenious.

"There's Nathan, "Vin nodded to the right and quickly joined Jackson. "Hey Nate, what have you found out about the bomb?"

Nathan greeted Teaspoon and Vin before explaining his finding. "Apparently the explosives were meant to destroy the underground storage area. We were lucky it failed or Chris and Kelli would have been buried alive."

Vin felt a shiver race down his spine when he thought about what could have been, but he forced himself to shrug it off. "So it was not newly installed?"

Shaking his head, Nathan picked up a scale model of the Carter property. "I would say the explosives were placed there about the same time the storage area was constructed. At least five…maybe six years ago," he said as he pointed out their location on the model. "Every bomb maker has a signature and when I reconstructed this one I ran it against known explosive devices, I found a match." He set the model back on the table and handed Vin a sheet of paper. "This bomb was made by Ray Montoya; he's been associated with Carlos Chavez for the past ten years."

"Ray Montoya, now that's a name I've run across a couple of times back when I was with the Rangers," Teaspoon commented as he studied the scale model Jackson held up. "He's a slippery snake who has slithered his way through prison bars more times than I can count."

"He's about ready to get a rude awakenin' then," Vin spoke up." Nathan, keep at it an' let me know what else you turn up that can tie Montoya into all of this."

Teaspoon nodded and gave the lab one final look before following Vin out and back into the bullpen. Vin headed straight for the CASSIE station where JD was still working on the assignment he gave him earlier.

"JD, add Ray Montoya to your list," Vin instructed him. "Put out an APB on him, and then get me all his connections to Chavez, Carter, and Fowler."

"You got it," JD jotted the name down and began to work his magic with CASSIE. He made a mental note to call Casey and let her know he would probably be home late…again.