Moment in Time Part 3
Chapter 65
Fidelis Ad Mortem
Part 3
Rick looks up as Kate walks into his office. "You're home!"
She holds up a takeout bag. "And delivering as requested."
He draws a deep breath. " Smells fantastic. Italian?"
"Linguine with meat sauce from Frangiano's."
"You are an angel from heaven."
"Some NYPD recruits may think I came from a much warmer place."
"Why?"
"Because I suspect that one of them killed Daniel Bardot. And tomorrow, I'm going to put them through the wringer. But it looks like you've been going hard into your research all day. Come up with anything?"
"I think so. Do you remember a guy named Sean Cillizza?"
"Sure. He cleared me into the AG's task force facility almost every day of my stint there. He's probably still in DC checking IDs."
"No, he's not. He lives in New York, in Hudson Yards, to be exact."
"Pretty expensive neighborhood for a civil servant."
"Yes, it is," Rick agrees. "But what's even more important is that he took a flight to LA during the time I was there. And he flew back to the city not long afterward."
"But weren't hundreds of people on those flights?"
"Thousands. But here's the kicker, Kate. He used a credit card to hire a car from LAX. It took him to the temple on Wilshire Boulevard. And he has a history with Reed. I also went deep into his background. His parents brought him up as a good Catholic boy. He went to Catholic school and everything. So why would he head straight for a synagogue?"
"Revenge on the nuns? Or maybe he was heading for what's beneath the edifice. But hey, we're both running on empty. How about if we dig into the linguine and see what we can figure out?"
Stiffly, Rick pushes himself out of his chair. "Sounds terrific."
"OK," Rick recaps as he and Kate split the last cannoli, "We know that while Reed was in Afghanistan, he was actively recruiting for his drug operation. As his aide, Cillizza could have been pulled in himself or even played an active part in bringing in others. And when he moved to New York, he decided he liked upscale living. So he continued working for Reed, perhaps even supervising operations like distribution out of the temple."
"But then, how do you come into it?" Kate wonders. "Why would Cillizza go after you?"
"Maybe it was a convergence of unfortunate circumstances," Rick suggests. "I'd been dropped off from my mission in Thailand, with a pocket full of cash to tide me over. But I was still fuzzy, maybe from faux Jenkins and company wiping my mission from my mind. Wandering around, I found the Hungry Orchard. But the temple wasn't far away. Perhaps Cillizza spotted me and thought I was onto him. So his people grabbed me."
"And they might even have shot you up with something that interacted with the drugs already in your system," Kate guesses. "Maybe they were planning to grill you and then dump you somewhere. But that's where the intervention Gray talked about came in. Someone got you away from them – someone Gray doesn't have a handle on."
"The GDS has a lot of data on CIA operations, as well as those of other intelligence agencies," Rick shares. "Through the years, many members have crossed paths with various covert operatives. I even saw a reference to efforts to recruit Ian Fleming. Too bad what I found didn't say if the attempts were successful. But given its massive cache of information, the GDS may know something Gray doesn't. I guess finding out will be the next target for my research."
"Sounds like we're both headed for busy days tomorrow." Kate licks sweet filling from her lips. "We might want to go to bed soon."
Rick's fingertips brush her cheekbone. "It's a little early to go to sleep."
She runs her hand up his thigh. "Oh, I think we can figure out something else to do."
"Yes," Rick agrees. "Yes, we can."
Kate's voice penetrates from the back of an academy classroom. "Fourteen suspects who eat, drink, and sleep police training techniques."
Recruit Dave Chambers scrambles to his feet. "Captain on deck!" The rest of the recruits quickly spring from their chairs and salute.
Sergeant Ortiz escorts Kate forward as she continues. "They spent months learning how to catch killers – which makes them uniquely equipped to plan a murder. So, we'll have to use every trick in the book to uncover Daniel Bardot's killer. Take your seats. It could be a long morning."
"Company 38," Ortiz announces, "for any of you who haven't yet heard, this is Captain Beckett of the 12th Precinct. Due to Daniel Bardot's tragic death, she will be joining us today as a special guest instructor. Respect her, or your ass will meet my boot."
Kate nods at Ortiz as he leaves the room. "Thank you, Sergeant. First, let me assure you all that I have my best detectives looking into Daniel Bardot's murder. That being said, unfortunately, this will not be the last time you will lose one of your coworkers."
Kate moves slowly between the desks, observing reactions to her words. "That is the reality of this job. You will be tempted to remain stoic in the face of adversity. You'll lock up your emotions to avoid appearing or even feeling weak. That is a mistake. Trust me. I've been there – more than once. Monsters lie in wait at the edge of that path.
"Now, look around. This is your team, and no one understands what you are going through better than they do." Kate stops in front of the first recruit to acknowledge her presence. "Officer Chambers, how do you feel?"
Chambers stiffens in his seat. "The city lost a great cop, Ma'am. We should all aspire to be a guardian of justice like he was."
Kate slams her palm on Chambers' desk. "Is that a PR statement for the Post? One of your brothers was gunned down. I asked how you felt."
"We're pissed off, Ma'am," Recruit Jamie Lopez interjects.
"Yeah, set us loose," Recruit Steve Takata adds. "Let us track down the sonofabitch who did this."
"Well," Kate replies, "Officer Decker already volunteered her services for that very role."
"The offer still stands, Captain," Decker declares. "And frankly, I didn't become a cop to get in touch with my feelings. I'm here because bad people exist in the world, and I can't wait to put them in prison where they belong."
"I believe, Officer Decker, that what you mean is that you can't wait to arrest them so that the state can try them," Kate corrects. "That's what cops are supposed to do. We're not judges, juries, or executioners. And if you can't remember that, you don't belong here. Now, all of you, get ready for a training exercise."
The first name Rick enters into a search box is Jackson Hunt. When he gets no hits, he's disappointed but not surprised. His father admitted the moniker was made up. God only knows how many legends the old spy has. Well, Rick remembers one more. He types in Anderson Cross. The readout displays Crosses's double cover stories, the financial expert and the rogue agent. But it also notes an operation in Iran and a possible other identity, Lowell Bateman. For years, Rick's found occasionally being taken for Jason Bateman both useful and annoying. Is it possible they're related? Could Bateman be Hunt's real name? Far-fetched as the idea may seem, Rick begins checking it out.