The Judge slammed his gavel down on his desk half a dozen times to bring order to the courtroom. This had been one of the worst mass murder cases he had in a long time; the defendant Braxon T. Fenway had gone into the building where his wife worked, carrying two fully loaded Berettas. The second he came through the front door, he opened fire on the people in the lobby and the joining hallway. He killed thirteen people before he got to his wife's office, when he entered her office, he emptied the remaining bullets into her body and left before the police got there.
It took the police more than twenty-two hours to track him down and apprehend him by use of tazers. Three of the police officers were injured in the process and were taken to the hospital with broken bones, cuts, and bruises. After the fight Fenway was handcuffed and shackled for his ride to the county lock-up.
Now on the day of his sentencing, the jury had finished reading a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity. Judge Kyle knew that the public and surviving family members would be out for blood. He didn't blame them for one second, he would have loved to flip the switch on the electric chair and fry the asshole for what he had done but now his only hope was that Fenway would never see the free world, ever again.
Six Months Later
The Prosecuting Attorney Tucker Lewis, Judge Kyle and Agents Haley and Cavanaugh sat in the chambers of Judge Kyle looking over reports and records from the state mental institution where Braxon Fenway was currently being held.
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude but why are we here?" Jordan looked up from the file that she had been reading and directed her question towards the Judge and Attorney seated across from her and Drew.
A smile tugged on the corners of Tucker Lewis's lips. She had known Agent Cavanaugh from several prior cases and looked forward to working with the outspoken, stubborn FBI Agent again. Clearing her throat, she prepared her answer. "I'm sure that you both are well aware of the Fenway case that was tried here six months ago?" She watched both of them nod before continuing. "Mr. Rouick, Mr. Fenway's roommate, has brought some rather interesting information to our attention. It seems that Mr. Fenway's wife was just an added perk on the day of the shooting. His real target was..." She glanced down at a file in front of her. "Thomas O'Keefe. He was supposed to be in the building and apparently, when he didn't show, Mr. Fenway got bored." Tucker's voice was flat. She let that information sink in for a few moments before continuing. "Thomas O'Keefe, according to our records, is a mid-level drug dealer that has his fingers in a variety of other illegal business ventures. One of which happens to be the import and export of illegal arms with the intent to sell to foreign buyers. The man is dangerous. Or I should say that he was dangerous."
Drew read over the file in front of him and frowned. The woman managed to avoid Jordan's question. "As my partner has already asked, why are we here? The Fenway matter never included the FBI. From what I know of the case, it was handled by local authorities." He laid the file down on the table and folded his hands over top of it.
"I was just about to get to that Agent Haley." Tucker never had the pleasure of working for this Agent and she was beginning to thank God for that. The man had no personality and talked in monotone. If she were Agent Cavanaugh, she would have requested a new partner, long ago. "Thomas O'Keefe was discovered, two days ago, floating face down in Boston Harbor along with Gregory "Paulie" Carpandoro." The Attorney fell silent and waited for the explosion that she knew was coming.
Jordan blinked once then twice before she was on her feet and leaning over the table towards Tucker. "Carpandoro is dead." She stated calmly. Maybe a little too calmly. "How the hell did that happened? Wait, how the hell did he get to Boston without me knowing about it?" She was pissed. Paulie Carpandoro was the first case that she caught out of the Academy. It was also the case that she lost her first partner.
Jono Franklin was a handsome black man that had a smile that made all the ladies swoon. He also had a kind heart and gentle soul. He took Jordan under his wing and taught her the ropes of being a Field Agent. Jono was twenty-years her senior and had just as many years with the Bureau but no matter what, he treated her like an equal.
The Carpandoro case was supposed to be open and shut. There was a informant working on the inside, gathering information and evidence that could be used against Paulie. By the time Jordan caught the case, there was enough against the small-time mob boss to send him away from life. But something went wrong. On the day of the bust Paulie had been ready. He killed the informant and opened fire as soon as he caught sight of the FBI Agents. Jono wasn't the only Agent to lose his or her life that day. Out of fifteen Agents assigned to the bust, only seven made it out of there alive. On that day, Jordan swore to the bleeding body of her partner that she'd get Paulie and make him pay. Jono held on to hear her promise and to squeeze her hand. He died in her arms.
The funeral was a grim affair and Jordan found herself comforting Jono's window and two small children. Again she swore to find the bastard that took Jono's life. This oath was whispered to the widow as parting words. Almost a year and a half had passed since then but Jordan never forgot her promise. Now it looked like someone else beat her to the prize.
A frown formed on Drew's lips as he laid a hand on Jordan's arm. "Sit down, Jordan." He whispered. He knew of Jordan's promise. He knew of the close bond that had formed between her and Agent Franklin. He suspected that Jordan had looked at Jono as a father figure since her's was willingly absent from her life. His death hit her hard and almost cost them their marriage. Their marriage was only a few months old and Drew had doubted its strength. But Jordan proved him wrong and they eventually worked through the trauma and pain that she was feeling. Their marriage survived and now they both were thankful. But none more than him since they had two beautiful children to remind them that they survived and that their marriage and love had survived as well.
Jordan sat backdown, stiffly. She was coiled tighter than a spring right now and she was shaking with anger and deep sadness. "Your asking for our help on this case, correct?" She asked once she got her emotions under control. She once again projected that calm, cool, exterior that everyone was used to seeing.
For the first time since they had all sat down in the chamber, Judge Kyle decided to speak. " The Prosecutors office has come to me with a somewhat of an odd proposal. Frankly, it puts me in somewhat of a bind. A deal was given to Mr. Rouick for the information that he provided but in order of me to grant the terms of that deal...I need proof that the information was, indeed, valid. Mr. Rouick is not a nice man by any account and if I had my way he would stay in the mental hospital but his Psychiatrist, Blaine Thompkson, seems to think that he is on the road to reform." The man fell silent for a moment then continued. "I'm running for Senate next year and something like this could come back to bite me in the ass. So there lies my predicament."
"To answer you question, Agent Cavanaugh. Yes, we are asking for your help on this case." Tucker said, quiet. "I would have even gotten the FBI involved except for the Carpandoro aspect of the case and I'm not stupid. I know that belongs to you guys. We just need confirmation that everything is how it looks. How you handle this is up to you. It's yours if you want it." Sitting back, she folded her hands over her stomach.
Jordan suddenly felt drained. Here she was, two years away from Boston. A whole new life. A family. Husband and kids. And everything was coming full circle. She owed it to Jono to do this. She didn't care about some nut case in a mental hospital or some pompous Judge who doesn't want a bad decision to come back and haunt his up and coming political career. All she cared about was justice and this was her case. It was still on-going. Her stubbornness had forced it to stay open by bringing in little tidbits of information here and there to keep up interest. But could she really return to Boston? "Alright." She glanced at Drew who only gave her a stiff nod then she turned back to Tucker. "We'll do it."