Chapter 9
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"Hey," Martin greeted Danny as he walked into the bullpen. Danny looked up and saw that he was eating a donut and had some powdered sugar residue on his cheek.
Eyeing the sugary pastry, Danny asked, "Did you bring enough donuts for the whole class?"
Polishing off the donut and licking his fingers, Martin replied, "I thought about it but I know Viv is cutting back on her sugar, Elena and Sam are always 'watching what they eat,' and I thought you and Jack would still be tied up in the interviews with Risto and Sanya."
"Didn't work out the way we hoped," Danny replied, pointing to the powdered sugar on Martin's face. "You got some donut on your face by the way."
Martin grinned sheepishly and used the back of his hand to wipe off the smudge. Plopping himself down on the seat across from Danny, he asked, "So what happened?"
"JTTF came down ordering us to cut them loose," Danny replied in an annoyed tone as he clicked on the keys of his laptop to get his form processed for Sherman. He tried concentrating on filling out the blocks but his mind kept drifting to places where he could get a hold of donut. He was pretty sure that the accounting department kept some boxes in their break room. If he hurried he was certain he could stop by and get one on his way to drop the form off with Sherman.
"What do they have to do with any of this?"
Yanked from his donut daydream, Danny asked, "Huh"
Grinning, Martin asked again, "You said JTTF is involved and I asked what they have to do with the investigation?"
"Not totally sure yet but apparently they are working with ATF investigating Risto for arms dealing," Danny replied with a shrug, his eyes focused on the form. "Draper came up and basically ordered us to back off or else."
Martin nodded thoughtfully. "So if we're backing off what are you working on?"
"This is Jack, do you really think he would have us back off?" Vivian said as she walked into the bullpen carrying a small stack of file folders.
"I guess considering all that happened in the last year I thought he would..back off, that is," Martin replied, leaning back in his chair.
"You know Jack," she replied as Martin shifted over so she could sit down. "Once he gets his teeth into something he just shakes it until its dead."
His eyes narrowing in concern, Danny leaned forward. "Viv, you okay with this…after all that happened?" he quietly asked, suddenly realizing that she might take issue with Jack stepping on the toes of another investigation considering her own history with Jack.
She sighed with a knowing smile. "At least this time he's keeping us all in the loop so it's progress." She shook her head and added, "Besides, Draper can be a real horse's ass so anything to put him in his place is fine by me."
Martin chuckled softly and reached over, grabbing one of the folders. "So what's all this?"
Opening up a folder of her own, Vivian replied, "Any background information I could pull up on Ivo Komsic; his profile from Homeland Security after he was granted citizenship, credit check, information on old places of residences. It wasn't easy, this guy seems pretty squeaky clean."
"Ivo Komsic?" Martin repeated. "Risto's business partner?"
"One and the same," Danny replied, looking up to face Martin. "Jack wants us to finish up whatever we already have on Risto as well as start looking into Ivo."
"Why?" Martin asked, puzzled.
Danny proceeded to fill in all the details on his and Jack's ill-fated interview of Sanya, from the smoking to learning about Nina's pregnancy by Dian all the way to the interruption by Draper from JTTF. "So we're not going to go talk to Risto and Sanya directly but since he didn't mention anything about Ivo…" he trailed off, knowing that Martin got the gist. "Anyway, he and Elena went to go talk to him about a half-hour ago so he wants us to finish up anything we started on Risto and Sanya without attracting JTTF's attention as well as start digging up anything we can on Ivo."
Martin checked his watch. "Well, in that case, I should have Risto and Sanya's financials by now." He stood up, walked over to his desk and moved the mouse around, bringing his monitor to life.
A short while later, Danny finished typing up the form for Sherman and walked it downstairs three hours before Sherman's imposed deadline of 6:00 p.m. He even had time for a brief detour to the accounting offices only to find that they were participating in a 'Biggest Loser' challenge and the only food item resembling something sweet was a bowl of oranges. Disappointed, Danny dropped the form off to Sherman who looked displeased that he couldn't reprimand Danny for waiting until the last minute to get it to him. The look on Sherman's face at seeing Danny arrive so early almost made up for his not getting that donut.
When he came back upstairs he found Viv still reading through the files while Martin was intensely focused on his computer monitor.
Walking over to Martin's desk, he asked, "Alright, fess up, where did you get that donut?"
With his eyes still fixed on his computer screen, he replied, "Tech room. Lucy's brother works at a bakery." Danny smiled and started to turn towards the tech room when Martin added, "Don't bother, I took the last one."
Deflated, he scowled at Martin and sat on the end of his desk. "So where are you on Risto's financials?"
Shaking his head, Martin sighed and leaned back in his chair. "No where. I've been trying to open up the Cayman Island files H.S. sent over to me but my computer keeps freezing up."
Danny nodded. Pre-9/11 Cayman Island accounts were off limits but thanks to the Patriot Act, the bureau could now get limited access to balances, deposits and wire transfers but it all had to be done directly through Homeland Security.
Frustrated, Martin reached down and rebooted his computer. "You know what, this is useless. I'd get them faster just going down there myself." He stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "I'll be back in about an hour."
"Do you want me to go with?"
"Nah," Martin replied, shrugging on his jacket. "No sense the both of us wasting our time."
Danny watched as Martin exited before heading back to the conference table. He sat down and looked over at Vivian. "Need any help?"
"Always," she replied with a smile, snapping the folder she had been reading shut. "But I'm all done and I didn't find anything that stands out. Not a parking ticket or even a late bill payment. I've been reading for the last hour and he's looks cleaner than Mother Theresa."
Danny smirked. "That just means you're not looking hard enough."
"Who's not looking hard enough?" Samantha asked as she breezed into the bullpen.
"You," he joked. "Where have you been? Slacking off in day care again?"
She laughed. "Hey, it's not easy being a Special Agent and mother. I've become another paranoid mother who insists on checking up on her only son whenever she can," she replied, before stopping in her tracks and shaking her head, still slightly surprised that those words were even able to come out of her mouth.
"How is David?" Vivian asked, glancing up from her reading.
"He's great. Getting bigger everyday," she replied with a proud smile before switching to special agent mode. She sat down next to Viv and grabbed one of the folders. "So what are we doing?"
"Nothing much apparently," Danny replied, motioning to Viv's folders as he updated Samantha on where they were on the case. "So I guess we just wait until Martin returns with financials or Jack calls after talking with Ivo."
"I don't know about that," Samantha replied as she stood up and walked up to Martin's desk just as his monitor lit up, indicating it was up and running again.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Sam laughed. "Martin likes to think he is tech savvy but you should see him try to set his TiVo." She clicked a few keys and to Danny's surprise, she even knew Martin's password. "Okay, I'm in," she stared at the screen and moved the icon to click on the file, "I don't know what he was complaining about. It's working fine now."
"Just like going to a car mechanic," Viv quipped. "Your car rattles and shakes when you drive it but take it to the repair shop and it runs like new."
Sam nodded with a wide smile. "Well, I think I know why it was giving him problems. There are pages and pages to filter though." She clicked a few keys and said, "I think it will be faster if I print it up and we divide it between the three of us."
As soon as the pages were printed, they divvied them up and started to look for any repeating patterns. Danny read and cross listed for any irregularities but it seemed like a majority of Risto's transactions were on the up and up. Each time he noticed a large deposit, when he checked them against Risto's business records it was a perfect match. Vivian hadn't been kidding when she said that they kept their files looking squeaky clean.
He began to flip to the next page when he noticed Draper, Jenkins, and another agent he recognized from JTTF headed straight for them. He quickly shoved his stack to the side and quietly warned Sam and Viv, "Heads up."
Both women followed his lead and hid the pages under files.
"I'm looking for Fitzgerald," Draper announced as he neared; his tone low but urgent.
"He's out in the field," Danny replied, carefully placing his forearms over the pages he had been reading moments earlier. "He won't be back for a few hours," he lied. He knew Martin would be returning any moment but he wanted to buy some time to contact Jack and let him know that Draper knew they were still investigating Risto and Sanya.
Draper stared back at Danny for a beat, a calculating expression on his face when he turned to Jenkins and the other agent, pointed to Martin's computer and ordered, "Pack it all up."
Danny, Viv and Sam all shot up from their seats.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Viv asked as Jenkins began unplugging the wires from the back of Martin's CPU while the other agent opened Martin's drawers and began removing his files and notepads.
"I know that Risto Mistojovich's financials were downloaded to Agent Fitzgerald's computer," Draper replied, his eyes flicking back and forth between them and his own agents. "I thought I had made myself clear to Agent Malone that Risto is no longer his case but considering the new information I can understand his…zeal to keep his findings to himself."
"What are you talking about?" Danny growled, watching as Jenkin's pulled Martin's CPU out from under his desk. He shoved his seat back and stormed over to Martin's desk. "You can't touch that!"
Draper stepped in front of him and put his hand on Danny's chest, effectively blocking his path. "Cool it, Taylor. This is not personal: I'm just doing my job." He fixed his eyes on Danny's and coolly added, "I suggest you let me."
Fuming, Danny looked over at Samantha and Vivian. Both women were watching helplessly as Jenkins and the other agent carried off Martin's CPU and files. He decided it was futile to protest. If they were after the financials downloaded to Martin's computer they already had hardcopies.
He shot Draper a final chilly look before stepping back. "Fine."
Draper studied Danny for a beat, uncertain, before nodding and walking out of the bullpen. Danny followed him with his eyes and as soon as he was out of sight, he spun around on his heels and looked at Samantha and Viv. "We better find out what they are after fast. They're hustling and I want to know why."
Both women nodded at him and sat back down, pulling their stacks back out and reading them.
With her eyes on her files, Sam commented, "Well, Martin probably isn't going to mind that they took his computer. He's been complaining about it freezing up on him for years now." She shuffled the sheets around and finished, "Maybe now Jack can get him the new computer he's been wanting."
Danny chuckled softly, glad that Samantha was trying to make light of a tense situation.
"I think I have something," Vivian announced. "In June, September and November there are wire transfers for fifty thousand moving from Risto's Cayman account to a money market account at Chase Bank." She turned the pages around to show them to Samantha and Danny.
"Are you sure the account doesn't belong to Risto or Sanya?" Samantha asked.
"Not according to our records but there's one way to find out," she replied, standing up and crossing to her desk. She picked up her telephone and into the receiver she said, "Special Agent Vivian Johnson calling for Mike Daniels." She paused, on hold and then began speaking again, "Hello, Mike. Listen I need your help. You know all those bank records you provided for me earlier? Yeah, well I need you to give me the name on another account." Danny listened as Vivian rattled off the account number, excited that they may have found a new lead when he noticed Vivian's expression fall as she said, "Are you sure you have the right name? Just double check." She lowered her eyes and turned around so that Danny couldn't see her face anymore. "What's the mailing address and phone number on the account? Um, no, I'll let you know, thanks."
Danny watched as Vivian hung up the phone but still hadn't turned around yet. He turned and shared a look with Sam, who seemed as concerned as he felt by Vivian's odd behavior.
"Viv, everything all right?" he asked, standing up and walking over to where she stood.
She turned and looked up at him, a worried expression on her face. "No, no it's not. I think I know what Draper was after."
"What is it, Viv?" Samantha asked, concerned.
Watching as Viv hesitated, looking pained by whatever information she had learned, Danny leaned forward and urged, "Just say it. Whose name is on the account?"
Viv bit her lip, sighed heavily and breathed, "He said the name on the account was Martin Fitzgerald."