'Bob Delaney?' Hawke looked at Michael on the video link and frowned. They were all crowded into the front of the Airwolf cockpit for the communication. 'He's good.'

'Very good.' Michael said. 'He provided me with everything the NSA has on Bening.'

'Why?' Dom asked mistrustfully.

'Seems someone called Hawke saved his life once.'

Dom and Caitlin looked at Hawke.

He shrugged. 'That was a long time ago, Michael. Are you sure the information is solid?'

'Solid as a rock.' Michael gestured at them through the lens. 'I checked it myself. I don't think Delaney likes Bening.'

'Like I said, he's good.' Hawke said.

'So what exactly did he give us, Michael?' Caitlin asked.

'The NSA has had Bening under surveillance for some time. They believe a lot of the money he's collecting to fund his political ambitions is coming from unfriendly quarters.'

'Terrorists?' Dom asked horrified.

'At least three known foreign groups,' Michael confirmed, 'and a white supremacy organisation here in the US. It's all carefully hidden behind dummy organisations but you follow the money and the signs are all there.'

'Unfortunately,' Marella said moving into view, 'Bening could claim he had no idea about the true nature of the companies he received donations from.'

'But it could still give us leverage with the President. If we can show him Bening isn't someone he should be trusting, it may lead him to rethink his strategy regarding Airwolf.' Michael concluded.

'Anything else?' Hawke said impatiently.

'The NSA dossier also gives us a possible avenue we can use to go after Bening.' Michael said. 'Once they suspected Bening, they did a deep background check on him. It's more detailed than the one currently held by the FIRM.' He nodded at Marella sitting by his side.

'Professionally it substantiates the FIRM's findings. Ruthless but nothing we could get him on.' Marella tapped the folder in front of her. 'There is however one very suspect incident in his personal life.'

'Well don't keep us in suspense,' Dom gestured at the screen, 'what is it?'

'Bening was a suspect in the murder of his wife, Katherine, in sixty-one.' Michael said.

'Katherine was murdered in the garden of the family home, shot to death with one bullet between the eyes. Clear military kill shot.' Marella expanded. 'But there was no evidence linking Bening to the murder and he had a cast iron alibi.'

'Got one of his boys to do it.' Caitlin concluded.

'That would be my guess.' Marella sighed.

'But,' said Caitlin leaning forward excitedly, 'it still gives us a possible line of attack on Bening. If we can prove he ordered the murder of his wife…'

'We can discredit him.' Marella concluded.

'Better than that we can jail him.' Caitlin returned. 'But it's a very cold case. It'll take a lot of digging to get to the truth.'

'But you could do it?' Marella asked.

'Sure…'

'Maybe we should just leave you two to it.' Michael said interrupting.

'Y'all feel free to jump in any time.' Caitlin said her cheeks heating at the indulgent amusement in Hawke's and Dom's eyes.

'The murder thing…it's a long shot.' Michael warned them.

Hawke glanced back at the screen. 'It's the only one we have unless you can make the money trail stick; get Bening to admit he knows the true identity behind the contributors.'

'I agree.' Michael said. 'I'm sending you all the information we have. In the meantime, you guys need to keep a low profile.'

'Don't worry, Michael.' Hawke said. 'We got the message yesterday.' He shifted abruptly. 'Send us that info on Bening's wife. We'll take that angle, see what we can dig up.'

'Right.' Michael stroked his moustache. 'Marella and I will work the dirty campaign money.'

'Sounds like a plan.' Dom commented.

Michael leaned back in the white leather chair. 'Good luck.' The video image winked out.