A Thief in the Night

An Agents Joy

New York City's FBI White Collar crimes unit sat in the middle of a skyscraper. The view was nice, but only the AIC and conference rooms had a view. At least there was a lot of natural lighting as those windows were floor to ceiling in the two story office. Agents buzzed around checking files or typed at their computers. One such agent was wearing a Brooks Brother's suit, the jacket sling over his chair, and large red tie. He was about forty and had an eighty percent closure rate, an impressive one.

Thomas Laugherty sat at his desk, finishing up the latest case of mortgage fraud. He hated all these financial crimes. He understood that it was the bulk of the job, but he longed for something closer to his wheelhouse. He had a masters in art history and had certifications in gems, that's what he wanted to investigate. He had been following the San Diego case closely. She had struck again last night. He coveted that case, thinking about it often. He wanted to get her in a pair of cuffs, but in a purely professional way.

AIC Hunt descended from his office and dropped a large file on his desk with a loud thump. Smiling at him, he said, "Dream come true, Laugherty!"

Tom looked up an eager smile on his face. "San Diego?"

"Carmen San Diego," he confirmed. "You up for it?"

"Of course I am! I just finished up a case so I have an opening."

"Excellent," he signaled someone over.

The woman he gestured to came over. She wore a fashionable blue pant suit, and had short red hair. Her makeup was impeccable and she looked to be in her mid-thirties.

"This is Agent Whitney Paige," Hunt said, "she's joining us from Miami for the duration of this case. She worked on Diego's robberies down in Florida. She will be a great help to you."

"Thanks, Jim."

"Good luck." Hunt returned to his office after a quick nod to Paige.

Tom invited Agent Paige to take the free seat next to his desk. "You've been working on her earlier robberies?"

"You could say that." Her voice was a melodic alto. "We believe that the robberies began much earlier than we assume, there just wasn't any cctv footage until Miami. She was clearly practiced before reaching Miami. She was in Miami for about three years before moving on."

"You think it's a pattern? Hang around an area for three years or so then move on?"

"It's possible," Paige mused. "There were a string of robberies in Boston that fit the MO for several years then stopped when the robberies in Florida began. With her two believed heists, and this newest one, it lead us to believe she'd moved here.

"It's a pretty big difference going from one city to covering an entire state, then to another city."

"Maybe, like I said it's a theory."

Tom had been doing this long enough that he wasn't going to discount any idea that could lead to something. "It's a good theory."

He lifted the file off his feet and began thumbing through it. "There's more here than I expected."

"You've been following the case?"

"A rather large interest of mine. I'll admit, I didn't know the extent of her alleged work. Nine suspected robberies of museums and two gem thefts. Impressive resume."

"She was busy."

"So were you, impressive work."

"Thank you."

Tom stood up, throwing his jacket on. "Come on, let's grab some lunch. There's a great Chinese place around the corner."

At lunch they shared how long they'd been with the bureau. Tom had been there for twelve years. Paige had been there for seven years, though only the three were as a special agent. Before that she was an analyst.