Wight ruefully looked at the baby-back ribs Jack was happily consuming, then sighed and kept eating his salad. Their corner table at Red Robin provided them with some privacy for their conversation.

"So, how much of the store are you planning on giving away?" Layla asked as she bit into an onion ring.

Wight widened his blue eyes and assumed an innocent look. "Give away?" When she snorted, he smiled. "More like…trade."

"Maybe I'm missing something, but what do they have to trade?" Cameron asked as he finished his burger.

Wight drank some iced tea, then leaned back in his chair. "I think we can agree they pretty much want everything we've shown them. Correct?" When the others nodded, he continued. "And I think we can agree they can't afford very much."

"That's for sure," Dante nodded.

Wight tapped his fingers on the table. "And I think we can agree that both Malenko and Shamrock are between a rock and a hard place. Well…so is the Mayor. But those two chiefs have to decide who gets the benefit of whatever they can afford to purchase. If one…or more…of their people are injured or die because they didn't have the protective gear, they're going to feel guilty as hell. And the Mayor is going to be the one to take the heat for not having enough equipment for everyone...and possibly face wrongful death lawsuits."

"They're doing the best they can," Jack mumbled.

Wight nodded. "True. But that's not going to mean much to those families." He watched Jack slowly nod and stare down at his plate.

"We can't save everyone," Layla quietly spoke.

Wight nodded. "Also true. But we can try."

Cameron chuckled. "You've got a plan."

Wight picked up his fork and stabbed a cherry tomato. "I do. A lot depends on what they come up with."

"Care to share?" Layla smiled.

Wight reached for his glass of ice tea, his blue eyes twinkling. "Pass out the folders, Dante."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brodie gloomily stared at the men sitting with him in the conference room. Box lunches sat in front of them, but none of them had eaten much. Brodie looked at Roode and sighed. "How accurate is this estimation?"

"As accurate as I can get," Roode admitted. "I checked with the CFO's of some other cities as to how much their insurance rates increased. Some had the same carrier we do and others didn't. I took the worse-case numbers of an increased insurance rate and applied it against our budget for equipment." He waved his hand at the file in front of him…the same file the others had. "As you can see, the numbers aren't good…and they might even be worse." He shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Right now, it's the best I can do."

"I'm sure it is." Brodie patted Roode's arm then looked at the others. "Options, gentlemen?"

Shamrock and Malenko exchanged a silent look. "Get what we can and hope for the best," Shamrock finally answered. "Our departments can share the body cam/GPS units. We can work that out. We'll split the difference in the SCBUs and fire shelters with the protective vests and helmets."

Malenko silently nodded. 'And pray like hell.'

Brodie looked down at the boxed lunch in front of him and silently pushed it aside…wondering what the cost would be to ask for a favor.

Cole cleared his throat. "I agree that's the best we can do for now. But we should leave our options open to purchase more equipment during the time the contract is in force."

"With what?" Malenko harshly demanded.

Cole smiled, not taking offense. "With Federal money."

Brodie leaned forward. "Federal money?"

Cole nodded. "I did some quick digging. Apparently, your predecessor…for whatever reason…never applied for Federal funding which would cover equipment purchases. He used the City's budget for those."

Malenko's dark eyes narrowed, thinking of how little money had been available to him.

"Unfortunately, we've missed the deadline to apply for this fiscal year," Cole continued. "However, we can begin planning for next year."

"In what way?" Roode asked.

Cole settled back in his chair. "Traditionally, the bulk of the Federal money available to cities for this purpose has gone to the big cities. Chicago. New York. Los Angeles. Miami and the like."

"Why?" Brodie demanded.

"Statistically, that's where there's a higher crime rate across the board," Cole explained. "And that gets the most attention from the press. Whichever city gets the label of 'Murder Capital' gets the lion's share." He bit off a piece of a cookie and continued. "Alone, smaller cities and towns get lost in the shuffle. So, I'm proposing we start working with other small cities to put a package together. Instead of Davenport speaking for our population of about a hundred thousand, if we get nine other cities with our approximate population, we're speaking for one million people. It'll take some research to match that population target with crime rates that would necessitate receiving funding." He met Malenko's eyes. "By going solo, we're at a disadvantage because our crime rate has gone down. We're sorta punished for doing a good job. And, if I can get more than nine cities on board with this, we'll have more population to work with."

Shamrock frowned. "Even with that disadvantage you mentioned, would we get more funds with this…coalition than if we went solo?"

Cole shrugged. "Since our late Mayor never applied for Federal funding, I can't say one way or another right now. I might have a better idea after researching then contacting those cities to see if they're interested in working together." He paused, then continued. "In either case, we'll have more money to work with."

Brodie silently nodded. "Work on that along with Mr. Roode."

"We talked about changing the length of the contract to five years rather than three," Malenko recalled. "Maybe that will change their price structure a bit."

Brodie silently nodded.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you out of your mind?" Layla hissed across the table. Then she glared at Dante. "And you agree with this?"

Dante shrugged his shoulders and pointed to Wight as if to say 'Talk with him'.

Wight enviously eyed the hot fudge sundae that Jack was wolfing down and inwardly sighed again. Then he shook his head at Layla. "No, I'm not out of my mind."

"Crazy like a fox," Cameron laughed as he closed the folder in front of him.

"What do we get out of this?" Layla demanded.

Wight finished his ice tea. "Free publicity."

Layla looked stunned. "Excuse me?"

"One thing cops and politicians have in common is they like to brag to their fellow cops and politicians," Wight explained. "We make this deal with Davenport, the next time Malenko goes to a law enforcement convention or say, a training session at the FBI, do you think he's not going to mention us…and what we've done for Davenport?"

"Malenko is former FBI so that could happen," Dante pointed out.

"And maybe not," Layla argued.

Wight leaned forward. "And the next time the Mayor goes to a Mayor's conference…maybe the national one? People are griping about budgets and crime rates? What's Davenport's mayor going to say?"

"He's going to brag like hell," Jack piped up as he scraped the bottom of his bowl.

"And provide our contact information," Wight added. "How many small cities that surround the large cities have their own budgets? Can't afford upgraded CSI equipment and rely on state resources where they get in line and wait for tests to be performed? Sometimes wait for months while their investigations are stalled waiting for those test results?"

Layla sat back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face.

"It'll be a slow build, but the potential for growth is tremendous," Wight concluded. "You just can't buy that publicity with trade shows and conference demonstrations." He reached for the check the waitress had discreetly placed by his plate. "We all know why this company was founded. Now's the chance to show it's not just a motto." He grinned at Layla as he stood and reached for his wallet. "While exercising fiscal responsibility, of course."

Layla rolled her eyes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here goes nothing," Cole muttered to Malenko as Brodie escorted the 3C members into the conference room. As he walked back to his seat, he noticed that only three people had walked into the room with Brodie.

"Dr. Grimes and Mr. Perry aren't joining us?" Brodie asked as he closed the door behind him.

Wight shook his head. "They're making sure all our equipment is secured for loading back onto our plane. We're flying back to Seattle this evening."

"More likely Jack's sleeping off that sugar rush he got from that huge hot fudge sundae," Layla smirked.

As they sat down, Wight noticed the resigned expressions on Roode and Brodie's faces. "First of all, I'd like to thank you and your associates, Mayor Lee, for inviting us to show some of our products and their capabilities. We appreciate this opportunity."

Brodie smiled and nodded.

"I'd also like to say that we understand your position," Wight continued. "Meaning no disrespect, Mayor, but you and your staff inherited tough positions. In our opinion, you all have done a tremendous job of lowering your crime rate and correcting some injustices. However, that's placed your city is a tight financial position."

"It has," Brodie quietly admitted as he passed a sheet of paper across the table to Wight. "This is what we will be putting out for bid."

Wight quickly scanned the paper before passing it to Dante and Layla. "You've got a provision to purchase future equipment during this five-year period. Do you expect your city's financial position to improve that much?"

"We plan to apply for and receive Federal funding," Cole smoothly answered. He saw Wight's blue eyes slightly narrow.

"You're not receiving that now?" Wight carefully asked.

"Due to a decision by the previous administration," Cole calmly answered, meeting Wight's eyes.

Dante repressed a smile. 'Cole's good…real good. Working with him could be fun.'

Wight took a deep breath before continuing. "As a former cop with both street and administrative experiences, I also recognize that you're faced with hard decisions and just how hard those decisions are." Wight glanced at Layla who nodded. "Historically, law enforcement has always been on the losing end where weapons have been concerned. During prohibition, gangsters were equipped with Tommy guns while law enforcement had pistols. During the Cocaine Wars in Miami, gangsters had Mac10's while law enforcement eventually were provided with Glocks and the like. Bullet-proof vests and helmets were improved for defense." He looked at Malenko. "Now the bad guys have Cop Killer bullets. Our company was founded to research and develop better protection for law enforcement officers. We've branched out into investigative and CSI technologies, but our core mission hasn't changed." He grinned at his companions. "And, believe me, that was a hard sell to the old guard…including our own fathers."

Wight nodded to Dante who opened his briefcase. "We realize all purchases have to go out for bid under contracts. I believe your equipment contract has been for three years, but you're willing to extend it to five?"

Roode nodded. "We believe the extended contract would perhaps create a discussion on costs."

"Dante, would you please pass those folders to these gentlemen?" Wight requested. "This is what we're willing to offer." He slowly smiled. "Based upon winning the contract, of course."

Roode must have been the fastest reader because he was the first to respond. He leaned past Cole and whispered to Brodie. The Mayor turned to the second page, then slowly sat back in his chair.

"Am I understanding this correctly?" Brodie spoke in a hushed tone of voice. "A ten-year contract where 3C will supply each police officer with vests, helmets, and GPS/Body Cams? And each firefighter with SBCUs and GPS? And those firefighters who are fighting forest fires also get fire shelters?"

Wight solemnly nodded. "That's correct."

"With equal payments over the ten-year period," Roode mused.

"Also correct," Wight nodded again. He folded his hands and patiently waited as the men on the other side of the table looked at each other.

"Okay, I'll be the one to say it." Cole closed the folder in front of him. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Wight answered. "I'll be blunt, gentlemen. We did our research on you and Davenport." He pointed at Malenko. "You came in and started cleaning up your department. We know there's a strong presence of both the Authority and Bloodline mobs here in Davenport, and no one likes to admit some cops are dirty. Yet, your broom has swept out a lot of those dirty cops." He pointed at Cole. "You were brought in to oversee new investigations when it was shown innocent people had been framed and sent to prison. Whatever resistance you encountered, you ignored or steamrolled right over it. Because not only were innocent people in prison, the guilty ones were walking free." He pointed at Brodie. "You became Mayor after your predecessor was assassinated. You have a good reputation, and you supported both Mr. Cole and Chief Malenko in continuing to correct those injustices. And you're committed to making all this happen without cutting benefits and services."

He wave a hand before placing it on the table in front of him. "I'm not saying this to impress or flatter you. I'm saying this as a matter of fact. You, your police officers, firefighters and your citizens need this equipment…and deserve it. To be honest, had you not been the type of people you are, we wouldn't have proposed this." He nodded to Dante and Layla who stood with him.

"I'm sure Mr. Cole and Mr. Roode will go over that proposal with a fine-toothed comb…both legally and fiscally," he continued. "We're open to negotiations, of course. Dante will take the lead on them."

"One more thing," Brodie quickly spoke and nodded to Cole.

"We'd like to write a one-time contract for your services in hopefully cleaning up a video concerning a murder investigation," Cole explained.

"We'll need to get Cameron's department involved on that," Wight mused. "I know we've had some success in doing that, but…" he shrugged. He leaned down and murmured to Layla, who rolled her eyes before nodding.

"Having discussed this with our CFO," Wight said, giving Layla a humorous wink. "Our fee will be one thousand dollars. Dante will give you his contact information. Send him the contract and video. We'll do our best."

"Done," Cole immediately replied.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure," Wight smiled. "Whether we win the contract or not, we certainly wish you and your city the best."

As everyone shook hands, Cole and Dante exchanged cards before Brodie escorted their visitors out of the conference room.

As they waited for the elevator, Dante glanced at Wight. "What do you think?"

Wight shrugged. "We've giving them as many reasons as possible to at least write a contract we can both live with. What you do think about Cole?"

"Smart. Probably ambitious," Dante admitted. "He's got some sort of plan to get a nice slice of Federal funding. It'll be interesting to see if it works. To be honest, I'd love to be there when he presents whatever proposal he works out to the Feds."

"Layla?"

She waited until they were in the elevator, and the doors had closed. "It's a gamble. A risky one," she warned. "I hope it pays off. Both in saved lives and our bank account."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brodie had barely returned to his seat when Shamrock spoke. "Can they do that? Can we do this?"

They all turned to look at Cole who took his time to speak.

"We can write the contract with provisions for payment," he began. "That's normal for construction of infrastructure projects. Normally, 25% down before anything is done. Then, 50% halfway through the project, and the remaining 25% due upon successful final inspections." He slowly nodded. "So, writing an equal payment schedule over ten years is within our rights."

"How specific do we need to be about what is purchased when and the payment schedule?" Roode added.

Cole thought for a few seconds. "I'll need to do a little research but I'd like to try for a one-time purchase committing the vendor to provide a certain amount of product and we commit to a payment schedule. Both with minimums and maximums." He shrugged. "I'll have to have more information before I can be more specific."

"Could we add possible additional purchases if we have the money with Federal funding?" Malenko asked. "Or would that require a new contract through the bidding process?"

Cole thought hard. "I'll need to research that," he admitted, jotting a note down on the folder in front of him. Then he glanced at Brodie. "If there's nothing more, I'd like to get to work on that one-time contract and preparing a copy of the video to send to Mr. Martin."

"Where are we getting that thousand-dollar fee?" Malenko curiously asked.

Cole flashed a quick grin. "From my budget."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While Malenko had always been the type to look a gift horse in the mouth, he was more than a little hopeful that a way had been found to provide better protection for those under his command.

He was surprised to see Bianca Belair and Darby Allin from the CSI/IT department waiting in his assistant's office.

"Your messages, sir." His assistant handed him several pink 'While You Were Out' messages. "And they have requested to speak with you."

Malenko nodded and motioned for the two officers to follow him into his office. "What can I do for you?" he asked as poured himself a glass of water before sitting at his desk.

Bianca put a flash drive on his desk along with a folded piece of paper. "We've checked it and found no viruses," she said. "Here's our official report," she added as Darby put a folder onto Malenko's desk.

"Any way of determining it's origin?" Malenko asked.

"It was downloaded from the cloud," Darby answered. "If you find the perp, we should be able to get a subpoena to determine if the originator has an account on the cloud and possibly backtrack it. The information on the drive was probably downloaded to a clone. No IP address for that."

"And this?" Malenko pointed to the folded piece of paper.

"It was included with the flash drive," Bianca answered. "Everything, including the packaging, has been examined. No fingerprints except on the outside of the package. Most likely belonging to the mail carrier and possibly your assistant. We're checking on that but I doubt whoever sent this was stupid enough to leave fingerprints or DNA. And the flash drive is a copy. We have the original logged into evidence."

Malenko nodded. "Thank you."

Bianca turned to leave, but Darby hesitated then pointed at the flash drive. "It's…nasty." Then he turned and walked out of the office. Bianca closed the door behind them.

Malenko grimaced as he plugged the flash drive into his computer. Then he opened the piece of paper and read the block lettering.

'You'll recognize the man. The girls are underaged.'

"Hell and damnation," Malenko swore. He saw a list of files on his computer. Some were pictures and others were videos. He began to watch the earliest dated video.

Malenko's assistant was started a few minutes later by the sound of something being thrown in Malenko's office. She hurriedly stood and ran to open the office door. "Sir, is there…" She stopped speaking more by the furious expression on Malenko's face than the shattered glass on the floor. "I'll see you're not disturbed." She quickly closed the door behind her.