Thanks for the reviews and Personal Messages. This post is considerably less steamier. I realize the rate of posting on this story is rather slow, I'll try to update sooner. Meanwhile, thank you for reading.

The Bullpen, J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building

935 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 09.00 AM

'I thought we were supposed to take the lead in this case,' Myles fulminated.

'We were, but we cannot control everything,' Garrett said.

'I know, but up until now, we have ceased to get a firm grip on this case. It's like a Greek Tragedy; the harder we try the more we're surprised.' He looked at his supervisor. 'And I think I've established that I hate to be surprised in matters like this.'

'I know, Myles, and truth be told, I'm as much frustrated as you are, as you all are,' said Garrett. 'I have two members, important members of this team in a safehouse, hiding from people we're supposed to put behind bars and throw away the key afterwards. Instead of helping us here, they're gone for god knows how long. That's what pisses me off.'

The news that on the docks near Hathaway Island in Baltimore, the bodies of ten unknown Africans were found, shot, in what seemed to be a rip deal had hit like a bombshell. Instantly they knew it should be the RUF rebels they had seen earlier unloading cargo from the trailer in DC, and that, whatever had happened, had to do with Aalbers and Solanovich.

The inability to share the news with Jack and Sue, combined with them not knowing just where they were -Garrett had not said a word, nor was he planning to- added to the overall atmosphere of irritation and fatigue. It had been the umpteenth setback they had encountered working this case. Seeing the empty desks didn't help taking away the down atmosphere.

'All right, lads, just going over what we've got,' said Bobby. 'We know ten men were murdered sometime last night. We have established they're Africans, so that makes our hunch, of them being the RUF yobbo's we had wanted to get, plausible.'

'That's right,' said Garrett. 'We have two Baltimore teams down there making sure everything worthwhile is send this way and any information they get, we get.'

'There is no one who knows what has happened exactly?' asked Tara.

Garrett shook his head. 'No, anyone who would've has been popped and the location is rather remote, and no one comes there, especially not after dark. They were only noticed when a passing freighter saw a dead body floating in the water and radioed Harbor Patrol.'

'Do Jack and Sue know?'

'Not yet, I haven't spoken to them yet. But I would like to focus on the things we know and are currently investigating. How are we in establishing who took the photographs? What did our snitches tell us about last night's shooting, the high-end meeting that's going to take place? Aalbers? Those lone wolf Nation of Islam madmen? Anything?'

'Yeah, phones have been busy.'

'They better be,' responded Garrett. 'Upper floors are starting to become slightly annoyed with the lack of results so far.'

'I'm waiting on the results of the requests I've made to find out about possible locations in DC where Aalbers might have been. It would come in today, they said,' Tara remarked. Garrett nodded. 'Good, get the pressure up some more, we want it like yesterday.'

'About the shooting, the one on Jack and Sue that is, my snitches have said an action like that could only've been undertaken on direct orders from Solanovich,' said Bobby.

Garrett rubbed his chin, thinking it over. 'Anyone specific about the guys involved?'

'No, but I could be getting a call anytime soon now about where to look, who to blame. Maybe even for where to start for the Baltimore massacre.'

'Now, let's put things in a logical perspective, what do we know thus far,' said Garrett.

'We know Aalbers stays or has stayed in DC, under a false name, most likely a Dutch/Belgian or Germanic one. We have two Dutchmen in custody, Nico and Cor, who have worked for him, and have ties to him. We have a shipment of SAM missiles come in. In which Mr. Gaines' K&K plays a central role in distributing their cargo, also one of his truckers has said to have met Beyroux possibly and Koné certainly,' Dimitrius summarized.

'We also know that they're capable of eliminating witnesses, most likely through direct orders from Solanovich. As far as we know, he's still in Russia, out of harm's way. We have strong indications a meeting is coming up between high East Coast organized crime bosses. We have heard rumors that Solanovich would take control in the high-end negotiations it carries with it,' Tara added.

'We also know, the attacks on Sue and Jack were carried out by different people than the one on Nico. We have been misled in Norfolk as the next meeting, which has, last night clearly reveals, been Baltimore instead,' said Bobby. 'And something went either horribly wrong, or was planned and carried out with deadly accuracy.'

'What more do we have?' Garrett informed, 'what red line is visible in all these, seemingly, loose facts and events?' He looked round to all his agents. 'There has to be a pattern.'

'Information,' said Myles.

'Information?'

'Yes, once they found out, we had Koné and Nico, they acted. With ever more brutality. Up until then, we were ahead of them, ever since, they're leading the waltz and we're left behind. It's a clear pattern. We get Nico, he talks, we're monitoring the cargo shipped, and arrest Koné. Beyroux gets away, alerts either Obanyon, or Aalbers, who have Koné killed. Then, there's the attempt on Sue, the stabbing of Nico, then Jack and Sue are shot at, and we have a massacre that makes the St. Valentine's one look bleak.' He rubbed his brows. 'It seems they know more about us than we do about them, judging that they knew when Sue and Jack left, where she lived, or went to for shopping.'

'Don't forget they called,' Lucy put in.

'Right, and then they called. To warn us to back off, or else. To me, it feels we're close, but we haven't had the breakthrough that will give us the insight we lack until now.'

'You know, just thinking out loud here,' Dimitrius began, 'why would they shoot all these men last night, if it wasn't meant to be a message of some sort?'

'You think it was planned?'

'It bears all the symptoms from what we've heard and seen. It would be downright stupid to eliminate your contacts with the RUF this way, shooting one's members is not good for continuing business as usual. I think Solanovich wanted to give a signal, either to the RUF or, when this Mob-meeting is for real, to show the Italians he's powerful enough to do so. Or perhaps both.'

Garrett nodded. 'It does make sense.' Then he stood up again from the desk he had leaned upon. Jack's desk.

'Let's get to work with ever more determination to get ahead of them. We've got Gaines in custody. I have a feeling we're going to break through soon, just stay focused on the 'thin red line': what would be, judging the events that have passed, the logical next step. We have double manpower to get results. Get me them, preferably soon.'

'Ehm, Sir, about Jack and Sue,' Lucy began.

'What about them?'

'Will they be back today?'

He shook his head. 'No, not today. They're safe for now. Only I and the Director know where they are.' He paused to look at each and every Agent that was present in the room intently. 'Gentlemen, in all the decades of the FBI's existence, we've never let any misfortune drive us away from obtaining our objective: to get our man. We're one of the world's most powerful law enforcement agencies, let's get the message across the FBI is not to be threatened off. It's time to take control, get Aalbers and the others and let's bring them home,' he said as he gestured at Jack and Sue's empty desks.

'Guys,' Tara said suddenly. 'NCIC got one of the men on the CCTV pictures. I'm downloading the info right now,' she said.

The screen showed the picture of the man sitting in the car, adjacent to another one, a mug shot with information.

'Meet Dmitri Scriabin.'

'The other talented scion, albeit his musical influence is perhaps limited,' Myles quipped. The others frowned. 'Come again?' Bobby said.

'Oh, it's nothing, just the name that had me carried away….never mind.'

'You know his family?' Bobby asked.

Myles raised his brows, and amused smirk on his face. 'The classical Scriabin, most certainly.' The lost looks of his colleagues made him explain. 'Alexander Scriabin, Russian composer and pianist around the fin-de-siècle. Although this Dmitri seems like someone who uses his hands too, the Scriabin I know is probably not, at least I sincerely hope so, related to this mobster.'

'Right….'

'But do continue,' he added as he winked to Tara.

'Thank you Myles, for this once again useful and inspiring side-note,' she quipped. 'He has a nice rep sheet by the looks of it, racketeering, multiple counts of aggravated assault, loan sharking.'

'Your average, friendly next-door mobster,' said Bobby.

'Where can we find him?'

'Last known address is 1250 O street NW.'

'Book 'm,' said Garrett. 'Now. Make him bleed.'