A/N: Slowly but steadily we're getting there! And there's a lot more to come. I'm still busy with exams, and this weekI suffered a great loss when my (last remaining) uncle died at 64. He will besincerely missed. But, we will move on, and so will this story, whichI find very entertaining to write. I hope youhave as much fun reading it. Please R/Rwhenever you feel like it. 'Stay Tuned'
Italics in between QM's are signed.
oOo
The Bullpen J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
935 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Monday 09.15 AM
When Jack entered the office after a meeting with Garrett he saw Bobby standing at Tara's desk, while she demonstrated something on her computer to him. Jack didn't think much of it, he was busy, he had to go over the details for tonight's stakeout once more.
Besides, he kept on thinking of the events of the weekend, the party at Gallaudet, the dinner at Galileo's, especially the dinner at Galileo's. There was definitely more fire in that kitchen than just on the stoves. He smiled to himself. Then he reluctantly put himself back to what he was supposed to do, and what he got paid a million bucks for.
'All right, I can see everybody is busy, that's good, it means you actually work for a living.'
'Yeah, we do all the work and you get the credits, you mean', Bobby chimed.
Jack smiled, 'I have to lead this team, and believe me I'm heavily underpaid to do so. Just having this office run at all is a monumental job.' He winked at Lucy who began to smile and he looked at Bobby who put up a sulking face.
'I know, Crash, you do your best in your hapless Down Under style. No just kidding', he said chuckling when the tall Aussie shot him a dark look. 'You're doing all right, as long as your not behind the wheel of a newly issued government car.'
The others laughed, even Bobby grinned. 'I crashed it, but you took a swim, and reported to everybody in DC when doing so. So at least I managed to keep my suit dry, and didn't sound like a public fool', he replied and gestured towards Jack.
'Your turn again, mate.' Jack raised his hands in self-defense, smiling.
'Very touching this display of mutual affection, and correction. But perhaps can we skip through America's Funniest and fast forward to business?', Miles interrupted. He looked round at the others, 'or am I the only one in this office thinking this way?'
Jack looked like he was going to say something but D. beat him to a pace.
'I think no-one will ever think like you, and that's probably for the best.' Miles opened his mouth to say something and closed it again without having said anything.
Sue lifted her eyebrows in amazement and looked at the New Englander, who -at least to her knowledge- was never that easily deprived of his cutting wit. 'Wow, I never expected to see the day Miles was rendered speechless. It's almost frightening, shouldn't we do something?', Sue said, the others began to laugh.
'Ah, no worries, Sheila, it won't take long', Bobby replied.
'May I remind you, all here present mocking my personality, that I've received my education at the utmost privileged boarding-schools. To top it off with Harvard, cum laude graduated thank-you-very-much, it is no wonder no-one thinks like me. Except when they were raised under the exact same conditions I was, and perhaps even then...'
'Miles', Jack said laughing, 'it's okay.' He walked over to the projection-screen. 'Okay, about tonight, what do we know about it?'
oOo
'Well, as our Dutch friend indicated it could be anywhere between Point Breeze and Lazarette Point', Bobby said.
'Baltimore, blue collar, docks, exactly the setting most of you would fit in perfectly', Miles quipped.
'Ouch, somebody's toes have been stepped upon', Tara replied.
'It's only Miles' but they're equally long', D. said.
'Miles contacted the Port Authority and they, reluctantly, gave us a list with all the ships they had docked, were about to dock or they were expecting to arrive anytime between noon today and noon tomorrow', Sue said, bringing the subject back to business.
'And there are some ships that might be interesting.' She gestured to Tara, 'could we have some images, Tara?'
The screen showed four different ships. Sue pointed at the first. 'This is the Northern Star, owned by Bahama Shipping Ltd. It's a bulk-carrier that usually ships Iron Ore, or Bauxite from Surinam, but it's been in Liberia, near Sierra Leone recently.'
She pointed at another ship. 'The Morissa, owned by the same company, also believed to have been in the vicinity of Sierra Leone recently. Then there's the Allisson, a Liberian ship, it has been in Freetown last week.' Sue pointed at the last picture and she let Tara enlarge it.
'This one, however, is interesting, the La Cité de Sulima, a container-ship owned by Atlantique Nautille S.A. in Marseille, France. The interesting part is that this company has a Freetown based branch, and has been known to ignore UN-amendments about non-trade on a regular basis.'
'It carries various loads in it's four-hundred containers. It has been in Freetown for about a week, and is now heading for Baltimore after a short stop in Willemstad on Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles. Port Authority said they had an incomplete list of it's cargo, especially what was loaded in Freetown.'
Sue looked round at the others, 'Well, what do you think?'
It was Jack who responded. 'I think I'm impressed by your research.'
Sue smiled, 'I knew you would.' And she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
'I think Sue has given us four very likely suspect ships, and like her I favor the last one, but we cannot rule out the other three. That means we have to keep our ears and eyes open.'
He looked at Miles, 'At what time are they expected to dock?' Miles picked a sheet of paper. 'The Northern Star around eleven tonight, the Morissa half an hour later. The Allisson says here, is expected to dock around midnight. But La Cité de Sulima is listed to be docked around one-thirty a.m. at the Container Terminal at Point Breeze.'
He gave the piece of paper to Jack, and he tapped his chin with his index-finger. 'Every fiber in my body tells me this is the one to look out for, once loaded off, there's an easy escape through Highway 695 and the Francis Scott Key Bridge.'
'I'm with you on that, mate', Bobby said, 'once they're on the road they can go anywhere.' Jack nodded, 'that's why we go in heavy. Tara has arranged surveillance equipment, and D. got us backup.'
D. walked towards the screen. It showed a map of the area of Lazarette Point and Point Breeze, the Fort McHenry Channel and Dundalk. He pointed at the Terminal's Main Entrance at Broening Highway, 'We have SOG watching this entrance and exit, and we have chokepoints at Keith Avenue near Ponca Street and Vail Street. These are points they have to pass, so no-one will go in or out unnoticed. Whether they dock at Lazarette or Breeze.'
He pointed at the cranes, 'There are seven of them, and at this point we don't know which one is going to be used. But Bobby and I will go undercover as dockers...'
Miles' face lit up with an unholy glee 'How suiting...'
But D. ignored him and continued '...and monitor the activities from nearby. The main surveillance unit is located near those two buildings. That's where Tara, Sue, Jack and you Miles are going to stay. We also have various agents driving around the area to give back-up whenever we need it.'
oOo
Jack looked around to the others. 'Any questions?'
Sue raised her hand. 'Yes, Sue?', Jack said. 'What exactly are we going to do when we find them, you still want to follow them? Maybe there are too many suspects to follow.'
'Good question, we will follow only the vehicles that actually leave the premises, and I suspect they'll be using van's or small trucks to ship out whatever they got. Once those vehicles have left, we close in on the others still near the ship or the containers.'
'But how do you know which one is the one with the cargo?', Sue asked.
'That's where you come in, Miss Thomas. Somehow they have to move the stuff from one to another, and my guess is they'll be discussing it. Any hand-over is suspected, and I want you to take a close look at what they're saying.' Sue nodded, but then frowned again.
Bobby saw it, and he chuckled. 'You not done yet, Sheila?'
'What? No...I mean we're discussing four ships here, because we still cannot rule out the others.'
Jack smiled, 'Don't you just love her?' Bobby began to grin mischievously, 'I know you do, mate', he replied. Jack suddenly turned slightly red, a bit baffled by his remark. 'I...eh...'
'Ah, dunnowhattosay, Sparky?', Bobby said in a childish tone while laughing broadly. 'But, as usual Miss Thomas, you're asking the right questions.' He smiled at her, her cheeks slightly colored too.
'We have been told that Obanyon's right-hand man, James 'Fingers' Beyroux will be there tonight.' The screen showed his picture. 'He's Obanyon's trustee, that is if ever Obanyon trusted someone it'll be him. They did time together when they were just two-bit con-men.'
'Apart from this sentence they were never convicted of anything else. They're called the Teflon Boys because nothing seems to stick. But he's dangerous, armed and apparently not afraid to use his tool.' He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the other. 'Wherever he shows up, you can bet you buck it's where the transmission will take place.'
Jack nodded, relieved Bobby hadn't continued when he began to stammer, but he was so wrong in assuming the Aussie let him get away.
oOo
'Righto', Bobby clapped his hands enthusiastically. 'Now we've discussed this matter, there's still another case, or mystery if you like, to solve.' And he looked at Sue and Jack. 'Tara, if you would be so kind...'
The picture went blank and then it showed a picture Jack and Sue had been afraid of. It was the picture Bobby took with his cell phone a week before. It showed Jack and Sue wrapped in a passionate kiss at Sue's desk. 'Oh, god...', Jack managed to stammer, while Sue just sat down, feeling flushed.
'I present you exhibit A', Bobby said looking rather pleased. 'And you know what strikes me? It looks just like their 'encounter' of last Saturday. However there are some mayor absurdities between those two events. Remember what his excuse was the other day?'
Miles raised his hand.
'Miles?', Bobby said.
'He had to comfort her during the darkness, when the lights went out', Miles answered.
'Spot on, mate. Now what's preposterous?'
'The lights are on', D. said.
'Righto, the lights are still on. However that still could be a coincidence, maybe the lights had been off...some fuse blew. Hmmmm... possible, yes. Likely? I think not.'
He waved for Tara to change the picture. Once again it showed Jack and Sue in the same (or another) breathtaking kiss.
'I present you exhibit B. Whoa, same kiss, lights still burning... Wait I hear you thinking...' He pointed at a row of numbers at the bottom of the screen.
'What do we have here? Miles?' The New Englander cleared his throat and took a close look. 'It seems this event occurred two minutes prior to the previous picture, exhibit A.'
Bobby patted him on the shoulder. 'That's right, and what does this tell us?'
Tara raised her hand. 'Whatever they were doing in the first picture, started either now or even earlier. In which case this kiss would've lasted for at least two minutes.'
'And then there's the light, it's still on. Strange...'
'If you take in account the reason he provided us last Saturday it will most definitely struck as preposterous. Hey! What's going on here, Sparky?', Miles teased.
'And no more lame excuses, this time we want the truth', D. added
oOo
Jack felt sick with nervousness for the first time in years.
When Bobby showed the picture it felt like solid ground suddenly went liquid. He always kind of knew Bobby would be capable of a stunt like this. In the back of his mind he had expected it, but was still surprised he had actually managed to do so.
During Bobby's exhibition his eyes looked for Sue, and when he did see her he could see she was flushed, but at the same time it looked like she was proud of it as well. Now they couldn't deny anymore what was going on between them. He decided to make it public.
oOo
Sue was equally shocked when Bobby started. All eyes on the picture and then on her. But strangely enough she didn't want to deny it anymore.
Like she showed Saturday in the kitchen, and later on at the table.
Somehow they both got cold feet and decided not to tell, what had been simple and pure in the kitchen still was difficult to admit to their team members.
It's a big difference whether you'll have to work with them every day, taking into account the rules, or just once. Now, she felt ready, actually feeling proud about it. She looked at Jack and into his eyes. I want to tell them, Jack, you're important to me. I want them to know, please...
He read her mind in her eyes and smiled tenderly. It was time.
