SPIKES

Untitled Part 5

All of the team had taken Detective Rodriguez at his word regarding the safety of their respective families. Gena Pollock who lived with her widowed mother had decamped her to her sisters home in Buffalo for an undetermined length of time. Now she was on her own. Until recently Gena had a boyfriend, he broke her heart, she broke his jaw. It was that kind of relationship. Her focus now was on getting an audience with Judge Randolph Pratt in order to obtain the exhumation certificate. He was unfortunately out of town for a few days, therefor that avenue had stalled. Agent Charlie Delano was another singleton, her home address was in Washington DC and it would be almost impossible for an FBI outsider to obtain an agents details without top class clearance. Having no relatives in DC for Delano the coast was clear. Clarence Weldon had a wife and three kids all under the age of ten. His wife Maria was Mexican and even after living in the States for twelve years she still spoke very little English. Therefor trying to make her understand that a trip home to see her elderly parents during a School term was proving very difficult. Weldon decided on reverse psychology and called her sister Chia who unlike her older sibling was fluent in the King's English. He vaguely outlined his reasons and she agreed. Chia then contacted Maria from her home in Monterrey Mexico informing her that their parents were becoming old and frail and it may be a good time to pay a visit. A suggestion to which Maria reluctantly agreed and headed south with her children. Leslie Santori had unwittingly become part of the isolate your family group and bought into it 100% for although at work she was a difficult hard nosed Forensic Scientist, at home she was a devoted Partner and Mother. She lived with her longtime partner and her young son who was the product of a fling she had with a Language Professor she met during her day's at Brown's University. Leslie explained the situation, although not in great detail and her Italian Partner Cristoff Berttoli was only to willing to oblige being that he already worked from home as a freelance Play-write and he moved with her son to a Cottage they jointly owned in the Town of Erie on the banks of the Great Lake bearing the same name. The greatest problem lay with Manny Rodriguez and his large family. His issue's were not with his wife and the two youngest children still at home who would leave that very morning for Boston, but with his four offspring currently living in different locations in and around New York. His first point of contact was Jason his second oldest who had followed him and joined the NYPD. He was stationed in Up Town Manhattan were he shared an apartment with his wife Georgia and four year old daughter Casey. After listening to a brief outline of the situation Jason suggested that he privately face-time his brother and two sisters to explain what was going on, and would it be possible for them to move in with friends for a few weeks. He and his family would stay with his in-laws at their home in Cony Island.  Ryan Peterson being the Tech genius of the team and a self confessed nerd lived in his own words , completely off grid. He lived in a world of anxiety and paranoia changing his phone number and computer pass words as often as you change your socks. He was on every Social Media account possible, all under different code names and was registered at no less than six different addresses. Good luck with that one SPIKES.                                                             

 When the team next met they were all in a much safer frame of mind and determined to see the job to a conclusion. Gena had obtained her certificate and the body of Mitchel Burroughs had been exhumed and examined by Leslie Santori. "Just as the others" she explained, "We have the letters Z,P scratched into the scalp beneath the hair line. This displays the arrogance of this group and the ultimate belief they they are untouchable" "Remind me again" said Manny Rodriguez, "Who was Mitchel Burroughs? "Mitchel Burroughs" answered Clarence Weldon," was a high profile producer in the Porn Film industry who was awaiting trial on multiple child sex offences. It was widely expected that the case would collapse as he had retained  the services of Rudi Galliano the most expensive Lawyer in New York. On top of which witnesses and victims were disappearing fast on the back of back door remunerations. It would seem that the SPIKES gave him options which were never taken seriously and he paid the ultimate price" "Where do you see our next move? asked Rodriguez turning to Agent Delano. "I see us in a position to release Thor" she replied. "But we must be very careful, no suspicion must come our way. We all agree that the SPIKES motivation is originally  to halt the progress of certain criminal activities, ie they are vigilantes. Therefor what ever we do must replicate their original intentions. Question? How do we disguise committing a fictitious crime when by all intent and purpose these people are involved in our legal system, and therefor would be able to confirm or reject any claims made by Thor" There was almost thirty minutes of silence as the question posed by Delano threw up more complications than any of the five ever envisaged, that is all except one. "We create a monster" said Ryan Peterson, "Just as we have created Thor" The four people facing him stared in silence. "We invent a criminal gang" he went on, "Possibly handed down to us from the FBI in Washington. There must be someone in your department you can trust Delano. We chase them down for crimes committed in other parts of the US. I'm guessing that the SPIKES only have influence in the State of New York. Thor hunts them down, even kills a few with names not known to local law enforcement and claim responsibility" "Your brain is frazzled Peterson" said Gena Pollock. "Yeh, so frazzled it just might work" said Clarence Weldon. "I need coffee, does anyone else need coffee, you are all fucking nuts" said Leslie Santori heading for the machine. "Rodriguez was next to speak. "I think there is mileage in what you say Ryan" he began, "The criminal activity must be something not usually associated with New York otherwise the local NYPD would be investigating. It must be big, we will get only one chance at this therefor what ever Thor  must catch the attention of the SPIKES. It must be brutal, brutality is what led us to them. What ever we do they will attempt to check out therefor we need someone in higher authority to verify any statements that we make. Is there anyone in Washington you trust 100%? he asked turning to Charlie Delano. "Someone who could take this whole Thor thing on board and roll with it without too many questions? There was silence. "What are your thoughts? asked Rodriguez. "I know the very person" she answered, "I am trying to explain to myself how I could make any sense of this to someone else" "Just tell him the truth no matter how stupid it sounds, and believe me in my mind it sounds stupid" said Leslie Santori, now on her fourth coffee in one hour. "It is not a he, it is a she and yes I do trust her 100%." said Delano, "She was my mentor and subsequent friend in my younger day's at the Agency" "Who is she ? asked Rodriguez. "I would rather not say" answered Charlie Delano, "But where she is the buck stops there" "Ok, Question" said Clarence Weldon, "What type of crime is never or very rarely heard of in New York City? The problem was that in a City of twelve million people was there such a crime. The consensus around the room was that there probably was not and if there was a factitious box then they should be thinking way outside of it. The suggestions were so few that Rodriguez was in a mind to terminate the meeting and come back in a few days time with hopefully fresh ideas, when out of the blue the most silent and unlikely voice spoke up. "People smuggling" said Gena Pollock, "Have you ever heard of People smuggling in New York? "Never" answered Ryan Peterson, "It sounds a bit lame to me" "But what if Organised Crime, for example the Mafia were using this as a cover for gun smuggling. The Coast Guard never search these small boats they are only interested in the human cargo" All present just stared at Detective Pollock. "Fucking brilliant" said Rodriguez, his head now working overtime, "We need a fictitious name, someone connected to the Mob, possibly from Los Angeles. An Italian name, hard to pronounce. Give him two acquaintances. Gena this is your Idea, work with Peterson and Weldon, you have three days to create a crime. Delano, build a profile of these guy's, give it to Gena and speak to your contact in DC. Santori start writing details of the brutal slaying of three Mafia gun smugglers from LA, as gory as you like" "What about you Boss" asked Delano. "I'll get to work on a statement from Thor the new kid on the block. Explaining in detail how he gave them three ultimatums which were completely ignored and in the words of the great Genghis Khan, "The ultimate price must be payed" "Have you been fucking practicing that speech" said a bemused Ryan Peterson, "I'm just a genius" answered Rodriguez, "Now get to work"                            Charlie Delano was the first to leave. She would head home pack an overnight bag and catch an Uber to John F Kennedy Airport where she would board the 11pm Red Eye to Washington DC. Her intentions to arrange a meeting with her friend and mentor Jocelyn Chabatti the most honest, fiercely patriotic, constitution worshiping woman she had ever known. Jocelyn was the daughter of a Nigerian immigrant family who rose through the ranks of the FBI at a time when male domination was prevalent. Now in her role as assistant Director JC as she was known to everyone around her had no peers only the ultimate respect of those around her. But Delano had a Monkey on her back, that Monkey being Jacob Clark. He had been texting her relentlessly over the past three days suggesting a third dinner date. Charlie Delano did not order the Airport Cab instead she arrived at Barney's Bar and Dine at 8pm sharp knowing all to well what the outcome of the evening would be. The conversation was no longer about the case but how do you feel about how you feel, which led by 10,30 pm to rampant sex at his place with Jacob Clark using his medical knowledge to press all the right buttons. 8am the Airport Cab at last arrived and for Charlie Delano it was a night to reflect on a business as usual.