A/N: Thanks, Bondopoulos for being my Beta. Much indebted.
Chapter 29
Paul apparently sang like the proverbial canary when Agents Krause-D'Amato and Clinton questioned him. Madison surely chose the weakest link in the FBI's armor. Within the hour, the Feds narrowed down the exact time Madison had left. They were now working on where she had gone. According to Paul, she hadn't told him her destination, only that she was in a hurry to leave. That she was fearful for her safety. His excuses didn't impress Veronica. Paul should have stood firm and not been moved by Madison's advances. Didn't they warn guards about that kind of thing happening to them? People played on people all the time.
She wished she could have talked to him even five more minutes.
Room-service had been sent up. Deidre must have decided they were wasting away, because it was not a light breakfast served on the platters. Everything from cereal to omelets was laid out before them. Veronica felt a bit sorry for Mac-she had to pick around the choices-but Veronica and Dick dug in. Bacon, eggs, sausage, crepes, pancakes. Utter deliciousness.
"Wow, Ronnie, we should piss the FBI off more often." Dick said between a bite of waffle. "If this is torture, sign me up full-time."
"I wouldn't push it, Dick." Veronica told him. "Maybe they're trying to ply us with greasy foods so we won't notice when the real interrogation starts." Her phone binged. It was Wallace telling her to call him in ten minutes. "Don't let me get distracted to where I forget to call Wallace. Ten more minutes."
Mac was nibbling on a strawberry and Dick was watching her with a lecherous grin. Veronica rolled her eyes. "If you two need a room I happen to know of three here in the suite. North, east, or west, whichever direction you need, Dick. Sorry there isn't one to the south."
There was a clatter at the door before either Dick or Mac had a chance to respond. Deidre let herself in, followed by the short agent that they now knew to be Bill Clinton.
"Mr. President," Dick coughed into his fist. Mac smirked.
The short little man didn't hear him, thank goodness. Veronica was glad one of them could be in a jokey mood. She felt dubious herself. Deidre was a good person to have in their corner but it still was no guarantee that would be enough to get them out of this mess.
"Good news for you three," Deidre began while she came to sit down at the couch. "The higher ups want to keep this as quiet as possible. I've been negotiating since Keith called me last night, but this new development with Agent Phelps has…well, it's fortuitous for you three. The FBI doesn't like to look bad." She turned to look at the shorter agent, who had come to stand over them. "I'll let Agent Clinton fill you in."
The little man cleared his throat. He rubbed his chin as if in deliberation. Veronica could see the guy was used to little power plays to make it look as if he were in control. She assumed that it was probably to compensate for something. Veronica tamped down a stab of impatience, digging her fingers through her pant leg and into the flesh of her thigh to keep herself from demanding that they tell her exactly what was going on. She waited, heart pounding in her ears loudly.
The agent looked at each of them in turn. His pudgy little fingers pulled at the sleeves of his jacket, and again he cleared his throat. Veronica sensed snark about to emerge from Dick's gaping mouth and she kicked him under the table, her gaze met his in silent warning. He tightly clamped his mouth down.
"In light of the recent events regarding…Agent Phelps," the little man started. Veronica was reminded of Mr. Smith from The Matrix and his condescending voice repeating: Mr. Anderson. She tried not to cringe at his tone. "The FBI has decided that the best course of action is to escort the three of you back to California. You are bound by law to relinquish all evidence and any information regarding the events of the past two days. If we find that you are withholding any information, you will be charged accordingly." Between his pause, the three Neptunians' looked at one another. "Each of you should expect a subpoena to give a formal statement. You are not allowed to talk to the media about today's events. With your agreement to not talk about these events, you will avoid any legal action against yourselves. You will leave later today after all informal interviews have taken place. Agent Krause-D'Amato will escort you back to Neptune to gather any evidence that you may have there."
"You're saying we're free to go after today?" Dick asked his tone skeptical. "How will you ensure that's true? And why does Mac have to sign anything? She's the true victim here."
The squatty agent squirmed. "It's in all of your best interests—"
Mac held out a hand. "Seriously not a problem for me. I'll sign whatever you want."
Agent Clinton gave a curt nod. "Thank you. We are going to interview you each separately. Miss Mackenzie, if you'll step aside with us."
Dick didn't like the president. He was a patronizing little prick on an ego trip. His beady little eyes took in everything with suspicion as if in wait for one or all of them to trip up their story. Dick could tell that it burned the agent greatly that it was the FBI's screw up in appointing weak, horny little Paul to their door. Because of that error charges wouldn't be held against Dick and Veronica. Agent Clinton was obviously itching to make the process of releasing them take as long as possible because of it.
The two agents had taken Mac into the unused room that Madison should have used for the night and closed the door securely behind them. Apparently Mac's victim status wasn't enough to hold off a private interrogation. At least the guy had let Ms. California in with them. Dick wished he could have at least held her hand while they questioned her, but with the click of the door, he knew that option was off the table.
Veronica excused herself to call Wallace and Dick was left to pick at the rest of the breakfast feast that sat before him. He was glad that he'd always had a good metabolism—and the feast here was a fat man's paradise. Inside, he'd always kind of considered himself a fat man inside a thin man's body. Food was his friend. He usually planned his day around his meals. And it would be a serious shame to let this spread go to waste.
Rubbing his hands together, Dick eyed his choices. He picked up a fancy little pastry that he knew not from whence it came or its name and took a large bite. Buttery goodness filled his mouth. Just as he took a second large bite, Veronica stuck her head out of her room and asked, "When you were tapped, Dick, was it Mark that approached you?"
Through a bite, he answered thickly, "Didn't we already talk about this? It could have been, hell, I don't know." He tried to swallow, but the ball of dough caught in his throat and he straightened. He moved his head around painfully as he tried to get the yeasty bread to go down. Or up. Either way would have been better than sitting in the middle of his throat, taunting him. He coughed. Cleared his throat. Swallowed again. Ahh….better. He took a moment to gulp down a chug of orange juice straight from the container, wiped his mouth and then turned to look back at her.
The look she gave him was a combination of amusement, disgust, and concern. "You gonna live?"
"Killed by a Danish. Or a doughnut? Croissant. Yeah, killed by a mystery pastry puff. Claim to fame. Death by yeast inflation in the stomach." He flashed what was left of the pastry he held. "Enough about me and my impending doom by breakfast. What about Mark Tennison?"
Veronica eyed the offending puff. "Looks like a good way to go." Her eyes met his. "Wallace said…said that he remembered the guy that tapped him…a few years older than him, the way he described him…I think it's Mark. Dark hair, beady eyes, athletic. Not affiliated with the Castle directly."
"So what does that mean?"
"When I asked Madison whether Mark was involved with the Castle, she denied it. But she said he was a gofer or something. That he would run errands. I'm thinking he was the person that approached the people they tapped for them. Or else maybe Alex Junior."
"That dude? He was old."
"Dick. We're talking nine years ago."
"Yeah, but still. He's on back order for a Jitterbug," Dick snarked. "If we're choosing between the two of them, Mark's your man. I didn't get a good look at him last night, but he's younger, right? I could be persuaded to believe that."
Veronica disappeared back into her room.
Having already lost interest in Veronica's questioning, Dick eyed the food once again. He rubbed his hands together and dug in once more.
"Dick's doesn't know squat," Veronica told Wallace. "And I really should just email you a picture of the Tennison's to be sure."
They had been discussing the events of the past few days, sans the kidnapping. Veronica took to heart what Agent Clinton had warned them about, so to tell Wallace on an unsecure line was iffy. Instead, she went right to the question of the Castle and what exactly Wallace remembered from college. So far they had only gotten to who exactly approached him.
"Do that. I have access here. No prob." Wallace sounded distracted with whatever was going on his side of the phone. "I'll take a look as soon as I get it."
"Wallace." Veronica was deliberating about how to ask him about the past few years. "I have to ask you something important. Something about …why you became a teacher."
"Yeah, hold on." Wallace obviously covered the mouth piece and Veronica could hear him yelling out to someone. Into the phone, he said, "Sorry. What do you want to know?"
"I thought this was a good time to call you?" Veronica asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "It's important."
"Give me a few minutes, V. I thought it would be a good time, but things change quickly around here."
While Veronica waited, she opened Mac's computer and accessed the Castle's roster. Mac had quickly shown her how to do a basic search and Veronica began typing in names just for fun to see if anything came up.
Casablancas. Echolls. Mars. Mackenzie. No hits. They'd already checked Muldoon and Tennison. She remembered what her dad had told the day before about the connection between Mark and Patrick. She typed in MacDougal.
"Yahtzee." Veronica pulled the phone away from her mouth but kept it to her ear. She bent closer to the screen and took note of the information.
George P McDougal, 1946-1950, Business Major—Own Business. Married 1950—Mildred A Thornton—Children—2—Mary, 1951, Carolyn, 1954.
There was the connection they'd been looking for. The maternal grandfather of the Tennisons and Muldoons was part of the Castle back in the day. Mark must not have been up to snuff. Instead he had become the group's little gofer, doing their bidding until he was grown up enough to start his own little business of white collar crime. This information came too little too late. But it at least proved a link between the Castle and Tennisons.
Wallace came back on the line just as Veronica typed in Krause (no hit). She typed Clinton.
"Sorry, Supafly. I'm back. And in the back office. What's your question?"
The bottom dropped from her stomach. Her mouth went dry. "Uh." She tried to get herself back on track. Closing her eyes, she pulled away from the screen and turned to stare at the door. "Why didn't you pursue becoming a mechanical engineer?"
"Uh…cause I sucked at that? You remember freshman year."
"You gave up basketball to get better. It was your first love."
"V, you know nothing about my first love. She was young and sweet and-"
"Enough. I don't need to know any more about any of my friends' love life. Please stop."
"All joking aside, V, what is there to say? My grades didn't cut it and that's that."
His voice was firm but Veronica didn't buy it. "So…if I had Mac get your transcripts, they would reflect what you're saying?"
He sighed. "Veronica…."
"No, Wallace. No. I am not going to leave it. I know what you're about to say, but no. This whole thing has opened my eyes to what exactly I had you do. If I ruined your chances.—"
"It was a long time ago, V. I'm happy where I am now. Who knows? I probably would be where I'm at no matter what."
She closed her eyes. She felt sick. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"What could I tell you? That something I willingly took part of was affecting my life? No. With everything that ever happened to you up until you left, V, I wasn't going to add to that. More guilt for you to carry? Hell no, V, I love you, and I refused to give that over to you. I knew what I was getting into when I went into the lion's den. I may have not realized the complete ramifications of that decision at the time, but it's done."
"Will you at least tell me what they did?"
The line was silent while he thought about it. Slowly, he answered, "I didn't get into MIT if that's what you mean. I focused completely on the program and, yeah, they made sure everywhere I applied denied me. The good thing is that basketball is kind of hard to deny or flub talent, so that made it impossible for them to completely keep me from totally succeeding. But I'm not exactly wearing a jersey."
"Say it isn't so, Fennel," Veronica groaned. "Please, no." She remembered when Wallace was being scouted. But then she never heard any more about it and had been a little scared to ask him why. Being out of his life everyday had made their friendship more distant than it once had been, and he had seemed closed off when nothing had come of it. They both moved on from that moment. Now she wished she had pursued her curiosity. That had all happened when she was actively pursuing being 'normal' and not letting every little thing become suspicious. The error of her ways. Never assume it's not suspicious. "I want to run these bastards to the ground."
"Just leave it, Mars. Nothing they can do can stop me from being happy. I have fancy shoes and get to play b-ball every day. I'm fine, Veronica. Fine." He sounded sure. "They haven't bothered me for years. I think their opinion is that it can't be much worse than being a teacher and coach. The joke's on them, though, because I actually like it where I'm at."
"But the point is that they did. They affected your life."
"No matter what I would have done, they would have been involved. If I would have been brought into their fold, I would have been no better than the guys you're chasing right now. I agreed to their terms when they tapped me. I was involved even before you were."
A tap at the door forced them to quickly finish their conversation. They hung up after Veronica secured a promise from Wallace to call her as soon as he was back home next week. Veronica minimized the Castle's roster on her laptop and headed out the door.
Mac stood on the other side waiting. Her face was fatigued. Veronica smiled at her. "Dancing on the ceiling takes a lot of calories, huh?"
Mac eyes narrowed and smile played at her lips. "More like Mr. President and Marilyn bustin' chops. Worn out."
"Well, I'm sorry to tell you that rest is not in your near future. Check out the computer. I have the Castle file open. Check out the name I left highlighted. And before I forget, can you get me Wallace's transcripts from Hearst?"
"Do I even want to know?" Mac asked tiredly.
"Nope." Veronica passed her. "I assume it's my turn to get my chops busted?"
"Yup."
Dick let himself into Veronica's room. Mac sat on the edge of the bed, intent on her computer screen. Turned on by her focused expression, he sat next to her and brushed his fingers up her arm. Goosebumps formed quickly under his touch. Encouraged, he tipped his head into her neck to nuzzle into her and lightly ran his tongue in circles against her pale flesh.
She jerked away. "Stop it."
Not one to be dissuaded, Dick placed his mouth to her ear and bit into the soft flesh of her lobe. He gauged in her reaction: her eyes slowly closed, her head tilted into him. He yelped though when the unexpected jab of her elbow into his ribcage made him jerk away.
"Seriously, Dick, I'm in the middle of something here." Mac said to him, still concentrating on the computer.
Giving in, he leaned back on his hands and looked at the screen. "Castle stuff again? We caught the bad guys, why are you looking at that?"
Her finger pointed out what she had been absorbed on. His eyes read the name there and sat up. "What does that mean?"
"It means Madison had a reason to be scared."
The interrogations were finally over once Veronica's wrapped up. The whole time she was aware that every little bit of information she was giving most likely would end up in the wrong hands. Agent Krause-D'Amato had been nothing but pleasant, but Agent Clinton had been a jerk. And she knew why.
As she stood from the chair that she had been sitting in during the interview, Agent Clinton turned his beady stare to her. "When you return to Neptune, all of your case files must be turned over to Agent Krause-D'Amato."
His voice made her skin crawl. Mustering every ounce of sweetness she possessed, she smiled. "Of course, Agent Clinton. I understand. I'm aware of the agreement. The authorities will get all of my case files." She hoped he didn't notice that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Or how her body language closed him off. "We want this cleared up as soon as possible."
His eyes bored into her. "That's a good thing, Ms. Mars."
Veronica might have failed to mention that they had the complete roster of the Castle's members up until the spring of 2007. There would be time to 'remember' that tidbit later. Agent Clinton didn't need to know that she had seen his name on that list less than thirty minutes before. She counted herself lucky that the Castle had barely entered into their interrogation. The Castle's affiliation with Patrick Muldoon had only come up in passing. Veronica preferred to keep it that way until she was satisfied they were safely out of harm's way. If Agent Clinton had any idea what Veronica actually knew he wouldn't be as keen to let her leave the state.
The other issue Veronica faced was determining whether or not Agent Krause-D'Amato was in on the take. The fact that Veronica's own father had contacted the agent on their behalf and that she was somehow related to Leo were strong factors in Veronica believing the agent was on the up and up.. But the fact that the agent thought Sacks' death was due to the drug cartel worked against her. Veronica felt relatively certain that Agent Krause-D'Amato was trustworthy, but that fact made Veronica wonders just how difficult it would be to convince the agent of a conspiracy theory.
Together, Veronica and the two agents exited the bedroom and entered the common area. Neither Dick nor Mac was there. "Do we have a time of departure?" Veronica asked, hoping she didn't sound too eager. "We all need to pack up. I can let the others know."
Diedre checked her phone. "We need to leave as soon as everyone is ready."
Nodding, Veronica went to her room, lightly tapping on the door before entering it. "You better be dressed, you two," she said as she pushed through the door. As soon as the door clicked back closed, she pushed her back against it and blew out a breath. Dick and Mac sat side by side on the bed, Mac holding the laptop upon her knees. "We're almost out of here. We've got to pack up and then we're headed to the airport."
The two on the bed replied in unison, "Thank God."
"I'll thank Him and probably even praise Him when I'm safely on California soil once again. Neptune as a place a refuge. Who'd have thunk it?"
"Can I just ask how their reaching hands go so far? These guys are everywhere." Dick said, his voice low so as not to carry through to the other room. "Why the fuck am I wishing that I had been tucked in Madison's bag last night? She's the smart one getting out of here."
"Me too," Mac agreed. "Veronica, are these people even agents?"
"The roster confirms it. He's legit, he's just…dirty, I guess. I don't trust him. And Agent Krause-D'Amato…I trust her. I don't think she has any idea of what is really going on here. Did either of you tell them anything you shouldn't have?"
Mac looked stricken. "I told them we had a roster…"
"Shit. Really?"
"I didn't know the guy was part of it." She defended herself weakly, "And I also said it was on a jump drive in my bag… they don't know I have three copies of the thing or that you were looking through it while they questioned me."
"Did they ask for it?"
"Yes…" Mac looked uncomfortable. "They made me hand it over. They'll likely subpoena the computer."
"That I can handle. That will take time to get the court order. I need to call Dad."
Keith confirmed that Deidre Krause-D'Amato was in fact tiny, blond, and nice. He didn't know anything about the D'Amato part of her last name. He had worked a case a few years before which involved the Feds and Leo was one of the police officers on scene, but that was the only connection he had between the two. He supposed hypothetically that the two could have hit it off. It wasn't unheard of.
Veronica felt pretty confident that Deidre had nothing to do with the Castle. It was the other agent she knew they couldn't trust. His name on the Castle's roster was proof enough for her. Plus He gave her the willies. And Veronica was an excellent judge of character.
Veronica questioned whether Madison had run scared because she recognized the agent or just because. It seemed that she may have actually known something. Veronica pondered that while she stuffed her suitcase up with the little she had strewn about the room. If Madison had recognized or suspected Agent Clinton, how had she known how to get by Paul? Most likely she just took a chance and it worked.
One last glance about the room confirmed that she had all of her things. She went out to wait with the agents while Dick and Mac finished packing up. Agent Clinton was standing near the door, facing the room, his eyes staring straight ahead. Agent Krause-D'Amato sat on the couch with her phone to her ear. Her voice lowered when Veronica chose to join her on the couch.
Into the phone, Deidre murmured, "I know…I will. Right. See you when I get home. Love you." She pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call. She glanced at Veronica. "You ready?"
"I am. The others should be soon." Veronica debated what to say next. Curiosity won out. "Talkin' to your hubby?"
Deidre nodded. "Yeah, just reminding me to pick up milk on the way home."
"Huh, I bet." Veronica's looked at Deidre's ring finger. A rock sat there. She took a chance. "Leo's good guy. How long have you been married?"
Deidre followed Veronica's glance to her hand. She stretched her fingers. "Uh…four months."
Blinking at the revelation, Veronica sat back. "Congratulations," she murmured. "Honeymoon stage. He'll forgive you if you forget the milk."
"I'm sure he will."
Mac and Dick bustled out of their room, bags slung against their backs. Mac met Veronica's gaze and nodded. "Ready."
Salt Lake International Airport was low-key for a Friday afternoon. It helped a lot that the FBI was escorting them; their tickets were waiting for them and the security check was minimal. They were finally going to say good-bye to Agent Clinton, who looked like he wished he could finagle a way to get on the plane instead of Agent Krause-D'Amato. But according to what Veronica had overheard, Bill Clinton was based here and therefore had no reason to escort their group to California since Deidre was based out of San Diego.
On the way to the airport, Veronica overheard that Agent Clinton would be in charge of looking for Madison. It gnawed on her. Madison might be a bitch but she still wasn't safe, and Veronica didn't feel good knowing that. If the FBI had people working for or with Mark Tennison, Madison would be found. Clinton mentioned that they had gained security footage with proof that she had left Agent Phelps by himself at her room and rushed down to the parking garage and through it out onto the street. Apparently, the car Madison had purchased was not parked there. The footage showed her hobbling away from the garage on blistered feet and out of the camera's range. Good on ya, Maddie, Veronica thought. You just might have an edge for a day or two. Hopefully Veronica could get a good handle on Deidre during the flight and they could make some headway once they landed and were safely away from Agent Clinton.
It annoyed Veronica how she was allowing Madison to affect her. She was supposed to hate Madison, right? Madison had never been anything but be horrible to Veronica. Madison had taken everything and anything she had ever wanted—but Veronica still felt like she owed at least the Sinclair's an answer. And even a little bit to Mac. It irked her that she felt sympathetic. Damn Madison.
Mac and Dick were in front of her, walking hand in hand down the terminal. It was a complete one-eighty from the way they had arrived in Utah. Mac didn't seem embarrassed by her sudden attachment to Dick. In fact, she seemed emboldened by it. Her smile had been priceless this morning. With everything going on, Veronica could tell that having Dick there was helping her friend through this ordeal. Dick, a comforting support? Surprising revelations seemed in surplus today. First Neptune as a safe haven, then Veronica still wanting to help Madison, and now Dick.
Agent Clinton stopped at the gate while they handed their tickets to the ticket agent. His clearance had allowed him through at security. Now Veronica turned to really look at him to watch for any sign that he knew they were onto him. She had been trying to say as little as possible to him. Hopefully he wasn't becoming suspicious.
The ticket agent ushered them through the gate to board first. As Veronica bent to pick her bag up from the ground, Agent Clinton's voice buzzed in her ear,"Ms. Mars." She swept around to meet his gaze and waited. "Don't forget the agreement we made. You hand everything over to Agent Krause-D'Amato. All of your information is imperative. We have to have it. When you turn over your evidence the charges against you will be…nonexistent."
Veronica felt her eyes narrow involuntarily. She held back the scowl that threatened to form and she forced a tight smile. "I'm very much aware of our agreement."
Dick sat by Mac while Veronica sat by Deidre. They had agreed on the seating arrangement before they had even boarded. It was a perfect arrangement for Veronica. She planned to work her magic with Leo's bride to figure out whether or not she was crooked. Based on what she knew of Leo she was positive that this girl of his was tip-top. The steely stare and ramrod posture Deidre carried standard told Veronica that she didn't take shit from anyone. Agent Krause-D'Amato seemed to have gold-plated balls just like her doppelgänger.
They received a few double-takes when they passed through first class. Apparently the two blonds effected attention. Great. Veronica found her seat and sat down she gave Mac a look over her seat. She and Dick sat in the row behind her. Mac raised her eyebrows and slid her gaze to Deidre in question. Veronica nodded in acknowledgment that now the tables were turned. It would be balls-to-the-wall for Deidre.
There were still quite a few people left to board. Sometimes Veronica felt that the longest part of flights was the loading and unloading. It entertained her to watch various people try to put over-sized carry-ons into the overhead bins by turning and jamming their cases aggressively and then discovering that there no way that it would it fit. She only ever enjoyed these scenes once she herself had ensured that her carry-on safely was in the bin far, far away from overzealous hands. Now however, the flight attendant rushed over to take the over-sized bags to check them.
Deidre cleared her throat to get Veronica's attention. "We have agents meeting us at the gate when we get to San Diego," Deidre told her quietly so that no other passengers could hear. "They'll have a car ready to take us to Mars Investigations and your apartment to gather the evidence that you have to turn over. I'll be with you the whole time. Do you have any questions or concerns?"
"Questions? No. Concerns? That's debatable." Veronica answered, her eyes tracking each passenger that went by. She was searching for anyone who might seem off. "Tell me how you met Leo."
A surprised smile turned wistful formed on Deidre's lips. "Uh…it was four years ago…that same case I mentioned working with your dad on…Leo was assigned to it originally, so I had to get him to turn the information over to me." The smile turned into a slight frown. "He told me he dated you."
Veronica let out a choked laugh. "Like, years ago, when I was a train wreck." She pointed at herself with both thumbs. "Still am. Don't get me wrong, Leo didn't really know I was a train wreck. I mean, I think he was warned, but he didn't listen." She gave Deidre a look. "It seems he has a type."
That elicited a laugh. "I can't argue with that."
"Anyway, it wasn't ever anything serious between us. But I've always really liked Leo. He's great. I'm glad he has you." She hoped she wasn't shooting herself in the foot with her choice of topic. "I'm also glad that Dad called you in. I feel like I can trust you."
Deidre caught the seriousness in Veronica's tone. "Do I need entrusting?"
Veronica didn't answer right away. Her eyes caught on a forty-something man, tall build, dark hair, in a dark suit, that passed them through the aisles, his eyes alighting on them for a moment too long. She pulled her attention back to the agent. "Have you worked with Agent Clinton before?"
"Uh..no, I have not. I had to pull some strings to get up here." Deidre answered. She arranged herself more comfortably in her seat. "The fact that you had already called in a few favors before all this went down is one of the reasons I was able to make this trip happen. You really do know everyone, and who you don't, your dad does."
Veronica smiled her appreciation to Deidre's comment. "The Marses' pride themselves on who they know."
Their conversation was cut short when the flight attendants began their spiel about buckling up, oxygen masks, and where to exit in case of emergency. Then they were taxiing down the tarmac and speeding up to take off. Veronica took advantage of that time up until the seatbelt sign blinked off to rest. When the noise in the cabin was at a minimum, Veronica took in their surroundings. No one sat in the seat next to Deidre. Most likely the FBI had arranged that, but Veronica was thankful for small favors. Having anyone listen in on this conversation could be bad.
She straightened in her chair. "So…Mac told me she mentioned the roster we had of the Castle's members," Veronica began nervously. She wasn't quite in her realm. Being thousands of feet in the air might have had something to do with it. "She said she turned it over to you."
"That she did." Deidre answered, head tilted down and turned into Veronica so she could hear her over the thrum of the plane. "I don't think at this point a secret society isn't really our priority. We have no proof that the group itself is guilty of anything. Just a few members that have branched out onto their own illegal paths."
Veronica nodded slowly. She played with the chunky bracelet about her wrist. "What if the list proved associations between people that until now have been unknown?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Veronica answered, keeping careful watch on Deidre's reaction, "What if the list showed men in powerful positions? What if said men had opportunity to alter facts that otherwise are unalterable in order to help other people on that list?"
Not sure where Veronica is going with this, Deidre answered slowly, "Well…we have the list. The FBI will have agents that will monitor and ensure that that isn't happening."
"But what if the person within the FBI monitoring the list is on the list?"
Deidre became guarded. "What are you saying?"
The 'No Electronics' light had gone off, so Veronica pulled out her computer and booted it up. She opened the Castle's roster and pointed to the name they had discovered that morning:
William (Bill) Clinton, 1981-1984, Law Enforcement, FBI 1991-present. Married 1986—Stacey Aldred—Divorced—1994—Children—0.
Deidre stared at the damning evidence. She visibly took in a deep breath. "You're saying—"
"I'm not saying anything. I'm showing you what I found this morning before you questioned me. The only reason I didn't turn this over to you then is because your fellow interrogator is likely doing damage control. I am thanking God right now that Dad called in favors and I think I understand now why Madison felt like she had to run off. I really don't know what would have happened this morning if you weren't summoned. Agent Clinton is probably being paid off. What did you do with the drive that Mac turned over?"
"It was determined before I got there where the evidence would go. It's to go into the case file and stayed with Agent Clinton. He's taking it in now."
"Not before he alters that list or erases it, I'm betting."
Deidre ran a hand roughly over her closed mouth. She stared at the names running down the screen. "There are a lot of men on this list, Veronica."
"You're telling me? I gave up thinking I could do anything about this list back in college and left it alone without a second thought. Some of the information here…" She motioned at the screen and explained about the sound bites and hell night. "These men are not fooling around. They mean business and it's not just a college fraternity that pours Jello into the quad's pond on a lark. They're in this thing for life and help each other out for the duration."
"You think that Agent Clinton is part of the Tennison scam?"
Veronica shrugged indifferently. "Does it even matter? Clinton's going to help get him off Scott-free just by association."
Deidre nodded solemnly in agreement. They didn't speak for a while as the attendants wheeled the beverage cart down the aisle. After they had each purchased a soda and poured it out, Deidre got back to business.
"Tell me about everyone you know who is involved with the Castle."
A/N: Thank you to every follow, favorite, and review. I've said it before, but I know you don't have to read this, so thank you. It's a real kick to read your thoughts, so thank you to everyone that takes the time to review. Winding this story down may take some time so I'm aiming at once a week posts for a few chapters to make sure everything that happens is believable. Tying everything together is challenging. I know what I want to happen, that's not the problem. Everything that has happened this far should (will) be tied up. I don't want any loose strings. Thanks again!
