Chapter Four: Somebody's Watching
Queenstown, Picon
Queenstown Centre Apartments
CFIS Agent Catherine Odessa parked her car in front of the apartment complex and took in the view. The apartment complex appeared to be a group of old factory buildings that had been repurposed as residential buildings. She looked up to the top of one of the buildings and saw a sign that identified it as the one-time Jaston Behler Manufacturing Company.
"People will find a way to repurpose if they can't demolish," she said as she took in the sight of the gentrified area.
She had come here for one reason only, to follow up on the report on Colonel Artimus Bowman. There was no idea on how the proverbial chips would fall, but she had to see where it would lead. Bowman might not have seemed like a big fish for her to catch, but his relation to Scott Tolan made him more of a target for her.
'Okay, Odessa, you've stared at the building long enough,' she thought to herself as she made her way towards the entrance to the building.
This had been the main entrance to the factory, though it did not retain the utilitarian look it had held during its days as a factor. A set of glass doors framed by solid oak timbers gave it the appearance of a fancy rustic design.
"Can I help you?"
She caught sight of the man in the security officer uniform, and she had to chuckle to herself. The man wore what appeared to be black paramilitary attire along with a pair of reflective sunglasses. He could not have been more out of central casting in a movie if he had tried.
"I'm looking for one of your residents," she said.
"We have many residents, I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific," he said.
He wanted to flaunt his power, and she thought it was cute. For now, she could play along, but how far that went depended on the kind of attitude he gave her.
"I'm looking for Kayla Sawyer," she said.
"I can't confirm that I have a resident by that name."
"I know she lives here, and I need to speak to her about something important," she said.
"Lady, unless you give me a good reason to let you through those doors it's not happening," he shot back.
She took reached into her jacket pocket, and she saw his hand instinctively go to the gun at his belt.
"Easy there, champ," she said as she produced her CFIS badge and credentials, "I'm with the Colonial Fleet Investigative Services. So, are you going to open the door for me or are we going to continue to keep this little game going?"
He walked over and entered a number on the keypad and with an audible buzz the door opened slightly. The guard grabbed the door and pulled it open for her so she could enter.
"Mrs. Sawyer lives in Unit 4159," he said.
"Thank you," she said as she took a look at his badge, "Colten."
She entered the main hallway and started down the path that the signs displayed indicated would lead her to the elevators. This was a lead she was happy to investigate, especially if it provided her with more clarity as to what had happened back on the Daedalus.
Caprica
Tolan Residence
Scott Tolan looked over his appearance in the mirror and wondered how the Quorum would look at him when he came before them for the first day of his hearing. His Dress Grays had been dry-cleaned the day before and he made sure his awards had been affixed to the ceremonial sash that made up the uniform. He smiled as he looked at his replacement pin for Advanced Tactical Training. He had given Artimus his original one to thank him after their mission on the SLA base. A simple claim that his pin had been lost was enough to get him a replacement.
"It's almost showtime," he said as he took one final look at himself.
He turned around and took one last look at Emily. She was still asleep on their bed, and he smiled at the sight of her. Any day now she was due to give birth to their triplets, and he had remembered her excitement at the thought that she would finally be able to get into a comfortable position again when she slept. She would want to be there with him for this hearing, but the doctors had all but confined her to bedrest until her pregnancy was over.
"I love you babe," he whispered as he walked over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Love you too," she said half asleep before she settled again and had fallen back to sleep.
He closed the bedroom door behind him and walked down the staircase to the lower floor. His eyes caught the sight of Lacey seated at the kitchen table, a book in one hand and a coffee cup in front of her.
"Decided to give the Scorpia Blend a try?" he asked.
"It won't be a good look if I fall asleep during your hearing," she quipped as she reached for her cup and took a sip.
"Sorry Lace, I'll try to make sure you don't get too bored while I get grilled by the Quorum," he deadpanned.
"Uncle Artimus says I should drink tea instead, maybe I'll try it," she said.
He walked over and sat across from her at the table. Artimus Bowman had been an honorary uncle to her for some time now, and he knew that both him and Brooke had become a part of Lacey's life. There were still some rivalries between him and Artimus, if for no other reason than their respective histories as pilots in the Colonial Fleet.
"Artimus thinks Raptors are superior to Vipers, of course he'd be wrong about tea being a better drink," he teased.
"Are you sure the two of you having a friendly rivalry?" she asked with mock seriousness.
"It may be hard to believe, but Artimus and I have been through a lot together. It's the kind of things that forged our friendship," Scott said as he quickly thought to the mission to the SLA base where they had first met, "There's a natural rivalry between Raptor and Viper pilots, but we're still brothers in arms."
She sipped her coffee and set the cup down along with her book. Her watch beeped with an incoming message, and she looked down to see who it was from. He could tell by her body language that whoever it was that had sent her a message had left a smile on her face. The conversation from the previous night came back to his mind, and his protective instincts began to take over.
"Anyone we know?" he asked.
"It's Jeremy, he wanted to wish me a great day," she said.
He recognized that smile, it was the smile of young love, and all he could think of was that this Jeremy kid had some explaining to do once he had the chance to talk to him. Maybe, just maybe, the reminder that Lacey had blood ties to the Basileus could scare him off. After all, it was something he sure seemed unable to get away from.
"That's nice of him, maybe one day he can come by so we can meet him," he said.
"Right, so you can use every Basileus stereotype that's out there," she teased.
He feigned hurt at the comment, but humor was a part of their lives when it came to their family background.
"I will have you know that those stereotypes are true, and Jeremy needs to be aware of that."
Oxford, Caprica
Vaught-Hemmingway Fleet Air Station
Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman sat behind his desk and tried his best to focus his mind on the day at hand. In front of him was the envelope he had opened when he had checked the mailbox. The words echoed in his mind even after he had read them.
"Punishment is justice for the unjust," he muttered.
As much as he had tried to brush it off with Scott the other day, this was no prank by one of his students. This was someone who had decided to take a grudge to the next level. So much of the past had come back to him recently. The suicide of Caitlyn Watson, the questioning from CFIS, and then the mysterious note.
'Artimus, if you're going to live life to the fullest you have to take some risks,' the voice of Kayla Wilson whispered from the past.
His mind began to drift off into the past, and he was once again on Picon before the Daedalus was due to depart for its next deployment. He was back in Room 268 of the Harborview Resort in Queenstown, and she was there in his arms as they lay on the bed. The sounds of the boats on the water filtered in through their open window, and all seemed to be right in the world.
"Cate, you should have never found us," he thought before he shook his head and corrected himself, "I should have never allowed it to go that far."
Caprica City, Caprica
Palace of the Quorum
Tolan entered the antechamber that off to the side of the room where the hearing would take place. He paced back and forth as he mentally readied himself for what was to come next. The more he told himself that it was simply the first day and he had probably overthought things the more his mind tried to fight him on it.
"It'll be different once I'm out there and this starts," he said.
The sound of the door nearby caught his attention as it opened and closed. He turned and smiled when he recognized who it was that had entered the room.
"Scott, you look like you're about to go twelve rounds with Iron Craig Anderson," Lieutenant Colonel Tyrone Carter said once he had closed the door.
"By the time the Quorum is done with me that might be how I feel," Tolan said.
The two shared a warm handshake. They had started out as rivals during their time at the Fleet Academy, but a friendship had formed as they each worked their way up through the ranks of the Colonial Fleet. Their different postings had meant they did not see each other often, but when they did it was as though they were able to pick up from where they had left off.
"Knowing you though, you won't let them see it," Carter said before he asked, "Where's Bowman?"
"He has a group of students at Vaught-Hemingway he still needs to spend time with. If you're free tonight we can all go out for drinks," he said.
"The Leviathan is putting in for overhaul, so I'm here on Caprica for a few months while they update the computer systems," Carter said.
"Make sure you come by the house and see Em when you get the chance, you know she'd love to say hello," he told Carter before he added, "You may want to get up there to the gallery and have a seat."
CFIS Caprica City Headquarters
Caprica City
Agents Wendi Milone and Demetrius King were in the small conference room with reports from the Daedalus accident strewn about the table. With Odessa off to Picon to interview Kayla Sawyer, they had decided to focus on the other person from the Raptor squadron who was still in the Colonial Fleet.
"Major Gregory Eaton, currently stationed at Margam Fleet Air Station in Carthage," King said as he took a look at the man's information, "The only one who still falls under our jurisdiction."
Milone heard him, but her focus was on the report that Bowman had submitted.
"That's a win right there," she said absently as her eyes and attention stayed focused on the typed letters of the report.
Caprica City, Caprica
Palace of the Quorum
Tolan entered the large room and took in the sights of the room's walls. A collection of paintings and tapestries marking the history of Caprica adorned them, and there were marble statues on pedestals spaced evenly apart to give the venue more of a sense of grandeur and importance.
'Here we go,' he thought to himself as he crossed over to the spot at the table where he would be seated.
"All rise, the Quorum of Twelve will now enter the building," the Master-at-Arms announced.
He watched as the members of the Quorum entered from the door near the raised area where they traditionally would be seated. Some of them made eye contact with him, but others took their seats and seemed to focus more on the crowd in the gallery area.
"You may now be seated," the Master-at-Arms called out before he added, "This session of the Quorum of Twelve is now in session. So say we all!"
The refrain of 'So say we all' reverberated through the space and the high ceilings only served to amplify it. Tolan took his seat and remembered to keep his face impassive and focused on the members at hand. This was the moment of truth, if he got past the Quorum then he would be recommended to the Admiralty's Selection Board to finalize the promotion to flag rank. The one thing he had worked for all his career was within his grasp.
"Commander Tolan, I would like to begin by thanking you for your service to the Twelve Colonies. On behalf of Canceron, I thank you for keeping us safe," Delegate Gwen Rhodes said.
"I thank you for the kind words, Delegate Rhodes, I hope to continue to serve and represent Canceron with honor," Tolan said.
"While I have the opportunity I would like to go ahead and get this out in the open," Rhodes said before she added, "You have blood ties to the Basileus crime syndicate on Canceron. Has that ever caused any undue influence in your decisions?"
There was the hometown loyalty that he had expected from his home colony. He knew Rhodes would be a reliable vote for several reasons. A flag officer from Canceron played well with the colony's prestige, and he had no doubt it would be something Aunt Lydia would use if she needed to play the card of her status as a pillar of the community.
"In my years of service to the Colonies not once has the Basileus played a part in any decision I have made from my time as an ensign up until now. My last name is 'Tolan', and my family created and continues to run the Basileus on Canceron, but that is not who I am."
There was no denunciation of Aunt Lydia or the Basileus, but he hoped that the denial would be strong enough whelm the media's desire for more to the story.
"Of course, we would expect nothing less than a denial from you," Delegate Eron Ganani of Gemenon said before he added, "With that said, I do have concerns about your ties to the Basileus."
"I'd be interested in knowing what I can do to make these concerns go away," Tolan said even though in his mind he knew there was nothing that could probably make that happen.
"I can only speak for myself, but there is next to nothing that I can think of," Delegate Bianca Cantrell of Aquaria said, "While you may have managed to carve out a career with the Colonial Fleet, it does not mean you have the qualifications to serve as a flag officer."
The comment caught him off guard. He remembered the conversation with President Adar where he had told her she was a reliable 'Yes' vote, but that did not sound like someone who was going to give that to him. In that moment he had to wonder what had changed her mind. Regardless, it was a red flag that he could not ignore.
"I'd like to take this moment to enter into the record the awards and accomplishments of Commander Tolan," Rhodes said before she looked down as a piece of paper to continue, "Commander Scott Tolan has logged over 6,000 flight hours and accumulated over 2,800 battlestar landings. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, four Strike Flight Medals, and numerous unit, campaign, and service awards. Additionally, he was awarded the William J. Pendola Viper Attack Aviator of the Year award during his tour onboard the battlestar Galactica."
It was a diversion from the question about the Basileus, but he knew that it would find its way back to the forefront of the hearing. This was the first step of what could be a long and arduous process. The Colonial Fleet was the front line of the defense for the Twelve Colonies, and the Quorum served as gatekeeper to officers who hoped to achieve flag rank. For Tolan, it would be the culmination of years of hard work.
Caprica City, Caprica
Palace of the Quorum, Upper Gallery
Major Arthur Wallace stood near one of the entrance ways that led to the upper seating area of the gallery. He tried to watch the opening of the proceedings with a cool detachment, but he could still hear Admiral Stryker's words in his head.
'Never trust a Tolan,' he thought to himself.
"Hello Arthur," a familiar voice said from behind.
He turned to see Elizabeth Stryker, the wife of Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker and a woman who was every bit like a mother to him. The matriarch of the Stryker family carried herself with that dignified manner one would have expected for the wife of the man who was credited with saving the Twelve Colonies.
"Elizabeth!" he said and chided himself for his excitement at her presence, "What brings you here?"
It might have been bad small talk, but it was the first question that had come to his mind, and he was curious to her intentions. The two embraced in a hug, and after a momentary squeeze he released her so he could talk to her again.
"The same thing as you are, watching the circus perform," she said with a wry smile.
He allowed his gaze to go from her to the scene below where Tolan was seated at his table as he faced the Quroum.
"The whole thing is a damn farce," he admitted.
"Jonas feels the same way as you," she said.
That was an understatement, and he knew well how Stryker felt about the Tolan family. They were a group of criminals who had no redeemable qualities. Wallace had heard the stories as he grew up, and there was bad blood that stemmed from the Cylon War.
"Something tells me this is going to be livelier than most confirmation hearings," he said.
He looked and saw that Elizabeth had fixed him with a curious look. It was the look of someone who suspected something and had read more into his comments.
"Arthur, is there something you're not telling me?"
"No, I'm just saying that with someone like Tolan up for flag rank that we're going to get more of a show with his background."
There was something in her eye that seemed to search him for a hint of a tell.
"Okay, but if there is something you want to tell me you let me know," she said as she reached up to straighten out his tie and fix his collar, "At some point in time you're going to have to settle down and start a family."
"Right, one day that will happen," he said as he made a show to check his watch, "I just realized I have a phone call I need to make; I'll be back!"
Queenstown, Picon
Queenstown Centre Apartments
"Agent Odessa, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Odessa had held her badge and credentials for Kayla Sawyer to view as soon as she had knocked on the door. The woman who opened the door looked to be one of those who had been blessed with good genetics. Her blue eyes shined with a warmth that was accentuated by her blonde hair. Combined with a face that maintained an elegance that time had not diminished, she could see easily imagine a person's attraction to her.
"I wanted to talk to you about Garrett Armstrong."
She searched Sawyer's face for any sign that the name stirred an emotion in her. There was a flinch as the name hit home, and she saw a look of sadness in her eyes. She may have become a married woman with a fancy apartment, but there must still be feelings for her old flame.
"Of course, what can I help you with?"
"Caitlin Watson died recently; I wasn't sure if you knew that."
Odessa had interviewed witnesses at the funeral, and none had seen her there. If the other pilots from that day had given her any information, it was that Watson and Armstrong enjoyed a close relationship as friends and she had no doubt that Watson and Sawyer knew each other during that time.
"I wanted to, but I had commitments I couldn't get out of," Sawyer said before she added, "I would have only been in the way and drawn attention."
She wrote down her notes on her notepad as she took in her initial observations about Sawyer. The first and foremost was that she had something she did not want to tell her. The other was the fact that there had been some reason why she was not there for Watson's funeral.
"I understand," she said as she flipped through the transcripts of the different reports she had on her mobile phone, "There was a discrepancy on the reports that I wanted to have cleared up."
"I don't know what help I would be to you," she quickly replied.
That was another tell for Odessa, and she began to wonder just how badly this woman had made herself look suspicious in her eyes. Still, she needed to proceed with the questions she had to see if there was more, she could find out.
"The report from Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman," she began and that was when she saw something come over Sawyer's face, "He mentioned that there was nothing out of the ordinary before the Daedalus left for its mission."
"How does that differ from the other reports?"
'This woman looks more on edge than she did when I walked in,' Odessa thought to herself as she took in the woman's body language.
She looked more tense to her now, and she seemed to be gripping her hands together. Could she have triggered a memory of some sort?
"The other reports mentioned that there was a tension between both Watson and Armstrong, as in they could barely stand to be in the same ready room together much less the inside of a Raptor."
"I wish I knew what it was that happened between them," she said.
Odessa realized she had lied further, there was more to this story, and she had to fight the urge to smile at the success she had with her. Jaclyn Armstrong had been right when she pressed to have a deeper look at the accident where she lost her son. Now was the time to press further.
"Mommy, mommy!"
A girl who looked to be about three or four ran through the door as it opened followed by a man, she presumed to be Mr. Sawyer.
"Hey sweetie!"
Odessa watched as Kayla Sawyer's demeanor changed into that of a haunted woman to that of a happy housewife as quickly as though a switch had been flipped. She quickly jotted down some notes on her notepad, and she knew as she stood up to leave that she would be back to talk further.
"I've taken up enough of your time, Mrs. Sawyer, you and your family enjoy the rest of your day," she said as she removed one of her business cards and passed it to her.
Caprica City, Caprica
Vaden Plaza
"Arthur, why am I wasting my time on you?" Sydna Alcorn asked.
She sat on a park bench in Vaden Plaza with him as the two ate sandwiches and watched the people who walked by and milled about.
"You're not wasting time, you're having a bite to eat with a man you can't resist," he said to her with his best smile.
"My producer says that this story had better be worth all of the time and travel I've used up so far."
Wallace reached over to her leg and placed his hand on her thigh right below the area where her pencil skirt ended. The two had become close over the past few months, and she was useful to him. Their trysts in bed had only caused him to do one thing he never did with assets and that was to develop feelings. It had gone against everything he had been trained for with the Ministry of Intelligence, but he could not help himself.
"Last week on Aquaria you sure weren't complaining about time and travel," he teased.
"I said my boss was complaining, I never said I was unhappy," she said as she took a hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before she moved it away, "I just need this story to live up to all of the hype."
"You run this tonight and I promise you'll have a story like you never believed possible."
He smiled at her as she giggled at the phrase, he used to describe it, but he also reached into his suit pocket and retrieved a metal thumb drive for her.
"This story is going to have everything," he said as he waved it in front of her, "You have an officer of the Colonial Fleet who is under investigation by law enforcement, and this person happens to be friends with a fellow officer who is currently up for promotion to flag rank."
"You're telling me this involves Scott Tolan and the Basileus," she gasped in excitement as she reached for the drive.
He pulled it away from her and shook his head sadly. This was fun for him, and with the way his job could keep him at times he needed the release that came from a little levity with a beautiful woman.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid information like this requires some payment."
She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, and for an instant he found himself back in the bedroom of a villa on Aquaria where they had his last rendezvous. As she took the thumb drive out of his hands, she broke the kiss and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. The promises she made to him were enough to leave him momentarily speechless.
"Thank you, Arthur," she said as she kissed him again pocketed the drive inside of her purse.
Carthage, Caprica
Margam Fleet Air Station
Major Gregory Eaton stood at the podium as he wrapped up the pre-flight briefing for his squadron. Most of them looked at him with interest, but he knew there were those who either faked interest or made no efforts to hide their boredom.
"Okay squad, we depart at 1700 hours for our night maneuvers over the Antur Mountains," Eaton said as he hit the pressed the button to bring up the pictures of the area where the Raptors would conduct their flight, "We have our friends from the 19th Marine Regiment who have volunteered to play the part of downed pilots for us to rescue."
"Are you sure we can't just leave them there?" one of the pilots asked.
"I have a bet with Colonel Tigana that we'll have them off that mountain before they have to start a fire and warmup their rations, so don't let me down. Dismissed!" he called out.
The pilots filed out of the room, and he watched them leave before he turned off the display screen. There was a bet with a certain Marine officer that he was determined to win. He could Virgon wine that would be all his. The only thing was to make sure he did not show any signs of intoxication afterwards.
'Nothing my family can't make go away,' he thought.
He had not always had a problem with alcohol, but ever since the Daedalus he had found it helped to quite the voices in his head and make the dreams go away. That day when Garret had lost his life, and almost none of them in the squad had been the same since that fateful day.
"Major Gregory Eaton?"
He heard the woman's voice and looked to the entrance to the room. The woman was there along with a gentleman, and they both were attired in a way that could only be law enforcement.
"That's me!" he called out to them as pleasantly as he could.
"I'm Agent Andrea Milone from CFIS," she announced.
"Agent Demetrius King," the other man said.
They both produced their badges and identification, and he gave them a look to make sure they were legit. From his observation they both seemed authentic, and he was certain he had done nothing to warrant an investigation from the Colonial Fleet's police force.
"What can I do for CFIS?" he asked.
"We're here to talk about Colonel Artimus Bowman," Milone said.
While he tried to keep his voice and facial expressions neutral, his mind flashed back to the day of the accident. Suddenly he was behind the flight stick of the Raptor as he desperately tried to avoid the crash with the Cate's Raptor, and the knowledge that he had no way to stop it.
"What could Artimus have done to warrant your interest?
Artimus might have been a lot of things, but he had been the type to keep his nose clean and take next to no risks if he could help it. Well, except for that one time with Kayla, but other than that the man did everything he could to be beyond suspicion.
"This goes back to your time on the Daedalus," King said.
Milone closed the door and her and King made their way to a side table, where she motioned for him to have a seat.
"The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can be ready for your flight," she said.
Eaton knew there was no way to get around it, and he wanted to make sure everything was ready for the flight. Night flights had their own unique set of challenges, and he wanted to leave nothing to chance. He sighed as he walked over to take a seat with the two agents.
"What would you like to know?"
"How would you describe Colonel Bowman's relationship with the team?" King asked.
He thought over his answer as he banished the memories of the accident from his mind and instead focused on what the team had been like before then.
"Artimus oversaw the Raptor team, and he took it seriously," he said as he fought the urge to resist a chuckle, "Even if we thought he needed to unwind a bit."
"You're saying that he wasn't 'one of the guys' when there was downtime?" Milone asked.
"I mean, sure he would go out with us for drinks when were planetside but he always seemed to keep a respectful distance so that the lines between him being our leader and being a fellow pilot weren't blurred too much."
He watched as King opened a briefcase and removed three documents that he placed on the table. When he glanced at them, he knew exactly what they were, the reports from the day of the accident. It may have taken years, but they had finally discovered something. His heart sank at the realization of what was to come.
'Artimus, I'm sorry,' he thought to himself as he braced for what was to come.
"Tell us about anything unusual leading up to the flight," Milone said.
"Things were tense between Cate and Artimus, there had been an issue that had arisen the night before," he said.
"Do you have more details?" King asked.
He had been there at the hotel when Cate had made the discovery, and it had been nearly impossible to convince her to keep the discovery from Garrett. Only four people knew what had happened in that room, and it was hard to believe that the Artimus that had been discovered in that hotel bed with another man's fiancée was the man who had let them all be close but never too close.
"I'd rather not, I don't think it's anything that's relevant to the case," he said.
"Major Eaton, we have a statement that says that Colonel Bowman sabotaged the Raptor that crashed that day. If you have any information as to why he would do something like that?" King asked.
"May I also remind you that even your family connections can't save you if you lie to us," Milone added.
There it was…the moment he knew was coming when the agents entered the room had arrived. Now there was nothing else he could do except reveal what he had kept hidden for all these years. Even now, it felt like he was about to betray a friend to save his own skin.
"Her name was Kayla, and she was Garrett's fiancée," he began as he remembered the details that hurt him as badly as the accident, "The night before we were to deploy, her and Artimus met at this hotel and…Cate and I discovered them in bed the next morning."
'Artimus, what the hell is going on?'
Cate's words echoed in his mind. That day on Scorpia he had been down the hall from her when she entered the room. They had not stayed to find out more information about what had happened, but when she told him what she has seen it made him glad to have missed that. He never had been able to look at Artimus the same way, but when he did see him, he made every effort to hide.
CFIS Headquarters
Odessa read over the notes from the interview with Major Eaton, and a vision began to form in her mind. Bowman had an affair with a squad mate's wife, and then somehow sabotaged the Raptor. The question now was to connect the pieces together and find the evidence she needed. When that was done, she would make her next move.
"A routine day at the Palace of the Quroum where the confirmation hearing of Commander Scott Tolan began," the news reporter on the television announced.
"There's another person I would love to find some evidence on," she said as she poured over the notes in front of her.
"Recent news has come to light of an investigation into Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman, a known associate of Commander Tolan," the voice announced, "How this impacts the ongoing hearing remains to be seen, we'll return with a report from Synda Alcorn."
Her attention had now gone from the notes to the television, and she had to see what information this contained. This was akin to the storms that would come off the ocean and make landfall. This was going to be a hurricane of politics and law enforcement, and her investigation would be in the eye of the storm.
