I hope people enjoy this.

Chapter Eleven:

West and Darnel were summoned to Carlota's office just before their shift was about to end. Carlota was eating pasta. Attar was already seated.

"I've lived in this city for two decades and I still haven't found a good Italian place," she said.

"Imagine trying to find a place that makes good kibbeh," Attar said.

"Captain?" Darnel said.

"You two, sit," she said and wrapped up her meal.

"What is Dr. Attar still doing here?" West asked as they sat.

"We always suspected that Reid wasn't their first victim," Carlota said. "Let's find the other victims."

"Are you authorizing overtime for this?" Darnel asked.

"Here's what I know," Carlota said. "Reid's life has been turned into Hell. Reporters are going to hound him wherever he goes. A video of his attack will be circulating the net and there is no way to stop that. Then there is the look of doubt in the eyes of the people who do know about it. All the while, he is still trying to process the trauma."

"So, what do we do?" West asked.

"We investigate Malia Henderson, Max Andrews, and Tom Krieg. Federal investigators are going to be too busy trying to prove lack of consent that they won't be looking into the personal lives of the attackers."

"You haven't answered the overtime question," Darnel said.

"Roy, more people are going to get hurt if these three get away with it. Studies have shown that when an attack makes headlines where the perp walks free, victims are less likely to come forward. I can't authorize overtime on this, but I think working an extra hour for a few days won't kill any of us, not when so much is at stake."

"I'm in," West said.

"So am I," Darnel said.

"Captain Carlota and I have discussed my involvement. I will help however I can," Attar said.

"To be clear, we are doing this as discreetly as possible," Carlota said. "I want as few people to know about this case as possible, because so help us if the press get wind of it."

"So, what do we know about the attackers?" West asked.

"They're a trio of software engineers," Attar said. "They met in college. Tom and Max were in the same fraternity. Tom and Malia are married though Malia kept her maiden name for modeling purposes on the side. Max lives with them in a high-end apartment with views of the precinct, which is probably how they found Reid. They develop software for small businesses and make a nice sum off of it."

"So, what did you think of them when you saw them?" Darnel asked.

"A rare breed of narcissism," he said. "They showed no signs of guilty or even anxiety, with the exception of Max. His wording sounded rehearsed and slightly agitated. He is the weak link of the group."

"Did you use any of the old detective tricks to get him to open up?" West asked. "Such as, 'they're plotting against you Max, cut a deal?'"

"They're lawyer kept them on a short leash," he said. "Also, that woman is probably a sociopath. I'd treat her as a fourth perpetrator as she is willing to do anything to win in ways that make me think she knows bodies are buried."

"I don't like any of this," Carlota said. "Reid may be an FBI agent, but he is also a trauma victim. The fact that they're playing up his drug abuse is going to look bad for the optics of the FBI."

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" West said.

"What do we do?" Darnel asked.

"Put a pin in that thought for now," she said. "If you have influential friends anywhere, now would be a good time to call them up."

"I'll work on it," West said.

"Back to the main issue: An FBI agent was a prized trophy to these people. What other trophies do they have?"

"People who won't talk," Attar said. "Judges, politicians, business executives."

"What about a Texas Ranger?" Darnel asked.

"That is a special rank of law enforcement," he said. "That is another likely target."

"I want no tech teams involved," Carlota said. "Snoop without them as I have an unverifiable gut feeling the leak came from there."

"I'll work on the Texas Rangers," Darnel said. "My uncle was one. My godfather was another."

"How come you didn't join up?" West asked.

"I didn't fit well within their culture," he said carefully.

"Understood," West said. "Captain, can I contact Reid?"

"Tell him we haven't given up on him," she said. "Don't go into details, just assure him that he is not alone."

"So," Darnel said. "Should we get team jackets? Subverting the FBI to do a better job than them."

"Don't get cute," Carlota said. "We'll meet again in three days. I want info on the Texas Ranger angle, a detailed timeline for the whereabouts of those three for the past six months, and anything new from the Federal investigation."

"Anything else?" West asked.

"I'll let you know," she said. "We need to get these guys."