The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (31 page)

“For those of you who may not know Special Agent in Charge Anderson, he’s the head of the New Orleans FBI Field Office.” Gregory looked unsure if he were happy about the new wrinkle in the room. “Now that the dog and pony show is over we can get down to business. Deputy Jones would you please bring us up to speed on the case.”

Jones stood and grabbed a remote which dimmed the lights and lowered the projection screen. He began with the standard background information, starting with the purchase of the farm by Creepy George ten years ago, during which time it had been cited on several occasions by the local authorities for building code violations until the entire farm was condemned six months ago. CSI recovered a laptop in the upstairs bath that had been encrypted in layers, the first of which their techs already penetrated allowing them access to emails and other files. The second layer of encryption was military grade software and protected a partitioned section of the hard drive which Jones assured us would be penetrated soon.

There were two emails in particular that were of interest which revealed official FBI files and photos of the two previous crime scenes in New Orleans. What made them of particular importance were the threats of violence in the body of each of the emails. The SOG had already secured a warrant to track the IP address of the person who created the now defunct email, but there was little hope they would find whoever did this in time to stop Gullveig. Unfortunately it was all we had at the moment. Jones concluded his part of the presentation and handed the remote to Pete who quickly delved into the details of the latest victim before turning the room over to yours truly.

“Deputy Jones if you could please have someone access this address.” Handing him a piece of paper with the web address and password for the cloud drive we waited until the file opened. Unfortunately for me I didn’t have a clue on how to work this particular clicker so I faked it with the O.D.I.N. interface and opened the files at the speed of thought. “We’ll backtrack a little to lay the groundwork for where we are today.”

Photos from Maine came into view as we discussed some of the basics of how we came in contact with the Fenrir or ‘the wolf’ Cult. I had the unpleasant task of informing them that one of the five missing leaders of the cult had been Helena. Disbelief and anger could be felt throughout the room. No one likes to be used and the Marshals as a whole were no different. With Helena, Dr. Galvez and Creepy George dead it left two unknowns still walking free, which meant that Gullveig only had two henchmen left at her disposal. The sooner we were able to discover their identities the quicker we would be able to track down her whereabouts.

Confirming what many in the room were beginning to suspect I revealed that it appeared that we had someone inside our investigation feeding her information. The room was surprisingly quiet at the revelation allowing me to theorize that it was the same person who leaked them information twenty years ago. Though she could have recruited someone new during the past 20 years I didn’t think it likely. Suddenly my phone alerted me to a new message, which surprised the hell out of me since I was forced to turn it off before entering the building. Excusing myself, I opened the phone to find a message from Mir.

‘Sire, I was able to access the files on the laptop recovered from the farm. Please review these photo’s to see if you recognize anyone.’

The first photo was of Helena, Galvez, Creepy George and Smith all posing for a group photo as they held Gullveig’s cane in the air like it was a trophy. Swallowing hard I closed the screen. “Exces me, Agent Anderson, can I have a moment of your time before we continue?”

“Is it important?” Anderson was surprised at my request. “If it’s something to do with the case go ahead and share with the room.” Stepping over to him I clicked the screen open on my phone to privately reveal the photo.

“If you will excuse me for a moment I need to make a call. Please continue in my absence.” Anderson stormed out into the hall to make his call.

I continued, pretending to click the pointer and displayed the photo on the big screen to the entire room. Anger erupted from everyone in the room except Gregory, who turned several shades of gray. He picked up his phone and quickly dialed. A phone rang under the conference table. Gregory dropped out of site for a moment and returned with a phone in hand. “That son of a bitch!”

“Smith?” Anderson asked as he returned to the room. “If he shows up at the office they have orders to arrest him on sight.”

“He had to know we would find out or he wouldn’t have left this.” Gregory tossed the phone across the table at me. “Any idea’s where to start?”

“Same as any other criminal!” Anderson seethed. “Only we need to keep it out of the press, for the safety of everyone involved as well as the public.”

“Agreed,” Gregory nodded at Jones who quickly left the room presumably to issue a bolo for Smiths’ car and an APB for the man himself. Anderson made a call to activate the GPS tracker for his vehicle which was quickly found abandoned on the side of the road in the East. Smith had years of training on how the FBI or any other governmental agency would try to hunt him down and he could hide from them indefinitely if the need arose.

It was time I played my trump card as I focused on what I needed from Mir, who was able to access all available cameras, whether it was cellphones or traffic cams throughout the city to track Smith’s movements. While the Marshals and the FBI could legally access these options they lacked the resources needed to view them in real time. Mir however could. The fact that Smith would never make it to trial was left unspoken yet understood throughout the room. He had far too many strikes against him, starting with the fact he was in bed with a homicidal body jumper and ending with the fact he had betrayed his fellow law enforcement brethren. It was only a matter of time before we found him, and once that occurred someone was going to have a really shitty day.

It was nearly noon by the time I was able to extricate myself from the hornets nest I created with Smith’s photo. The Marshals, FBI and the Local Law Enforcement (LEO’s) had quietly launched a massive manhunt for Smith who was, for the moment at least, eluding detection. I was offering two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for information which lead to his capture. That should help any reluctant CI to step forward with any helpful details. It didn’t take long for word to spread through the city. Hell, this place is known for its gossip. The most intriguing side effect was the fact that nearly all criminal activity came to a screeching halt as they reluctantly joined forces with law enforcement. Smith had little hope of finding safe harbor and the odds continued to stack against him with each passing hour.

Stepping out of the elevator into the garage I found that there weren’t any CSO’s present. They were possibly tightening security around the perimeter of the building. One less thing for the Marshals to worry about as they focused their search for Captain Douche. Unlocking the car door I let my mind wonder as I absently left the garage, headed for the office. It would appear that Smith left his cell on purpose, using it as a listening device to ensure a head start if he were discovered.

The lack of traffic this time of day made my rather short commute pass even faster. As I turned into the drive I quickly discovered that traffic hadn’t been light they were just all jammed into my parking lot. Kira’s pink Hummer was at the far corner, Katherine’s Mercedes was next to it, and Rex’s SUV was across the lot along with a few other vehicles I recognized. My security teams were visibly making their presence known as they patrolled the area. Something told me that whatever the issues were inside the building, it had little to do with Smith.

I barely made it through the brass doors before Justine frantically waved me over, forcing me to ignore the shifting crowd on the second floor for the moment. “Good afternoon Justine.” I gave the crowd above us a hard look before turning my attention back to Justine who appeared to be highly stressed. “I take it we have visitors.”

Her face was strained. None of the usual levity touched her delicate features. “You could say that.” she snapped. She glared upstairs as she pointed at my office. “Katherine and Kira are waiting for you. It would seem they’re at the center of this whole mess!” She was clearly angry about the current state of things.

“Any clue what’s going on?”

“Not really.” She pushed the sign in sheets to one side in a huff. “Its the entire MCC.” She waved her hand at the banister. “Every single one of them are here, waiting to see you, Kira and your ‘EX’-wife.”

I guess I was having one of those days that just kept piling shit onto my plate. As if I didn’t have enough to handle at the moment the two of them had to go and add to it! “I guess there’s nothing left to do but see what’s behind door number one.”

“I’m sorry?”

She seemed confused by the expression. Granted I’m old but I know that this was at least a semi recent reference. “You’ve never heard of Monty Hall and ‘Let’s Make a Deal’?”

“Before my time, I would imagine.”

Of course it was. “Right then, off to see the wizard.” She rolled her eyes at yet another old man reference. Making my way up the stairs and through the throng of waiting Kings and Queens I was finally able to squeeze into the office, closing the door behind me. Rex and Zulu filled the two chairs in front of the desk while Katharine and Kira stood on either side of my desk chair, silently waiting for me to take a seat.

No one was willing to start the conversation which was really starting to piss me off. “I must have forgotten we had a meeting today, please forgive my tardiness.”

Rex was more than a little amused at the situation as he glowed with excitement. Zulu on the other hand was much more subdued, almost contrite. My daughter wore an expression devoid of any emotion which meant she was desperately trying to hide something. Katharine however looked to be thoroughly enjoying her new found power and prestige as she thrived on the attention being heaped upon her.

Rex leaned forward giving me a sly wink. “We have come due to our need for a new Gatekeeper.” He paused as he gave a sideways glance at Zulu before continuing. “Several members would like to violate the laws of Comus by having, the ‘Progenitor’, you, serve in such a capacity.”

Zulu was quick to take over as he got to his feet. “Many of us would like to see you take over in a more active manner.”

And there it was! Damn! “Have you ever considered there might be a reason that particular rule was created?” I’d always thought it obvious that no one should be entrusted with absolute authority. That’s why I’d created a system with checks and balances. “We need to maintain the balance to ensure that no one, not even me abuses their position.”

Zulu’s voice was full of reverence as he spoke. “You could at least consider it for a moment, think of all the things you could accomplish.”

Zulu’s reaction to the news I was Comus was the real reason I’d never wanted to take control of any of the organizations. As I was unique among men people always had the same reaction. I was either an angel or a devil and either way I lost what I valued most which was the relationship between men. Not the relationship one has between what they perceived as divine or evil incarnate for that matter. Either way those around me would stop looking for answers for themselves and rely solely on my judgement.

Standing up I walked around to the front of my desk where I leaned hard against the heavy oak frame. “While I appreciate the offer, I honestly do, there is just no way I could accept. There is too much that could go wrong.” Pushing myself off, I paced around the front of my desk. “For all that you think I am... I make mistakes.” I watched as Zulu’s face sank and I suddenly felt like the guy who kicked his dog for no reason. “The Gatekeeper is there to temper the will of Comus, to guide the courts and show them the way.”

Zulu wanted to object but I laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Sometimes the Gatekeeper is an ass or just wrong, but that is why Comus exists, to bring in new leadership.” This was probably the most frustrating part of being discovered. “Usually this is taken care of in the natural order of things, as power structures evolve over time. The courts have governed themselves for nearly two hundred years and giving me the role as Gatekeeper my voice would hold too much influence.”

Bowing my head I felt the weight of my actions over the years bear down upon me. “I live to serve others and not to rule over them. It’s my duty to fight along side the brave men and women who stand in harms way. Please allow me to remain as an advisor and a soldier to continue to serve those under our protection.” Returning to my seat Kira placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as she squeezed, letting me know she was proud to be my daughter.

Silence reigned throughout the room as everyone considered what I had said, Rex leaned back in his chair as he chose his words carefully. “While none of us believe you would abuse your power, the fact of the matter is that you are uncomfortable with the situation, and we should respect that.”

Zulu’s shoulders slumped as he hung his head in defeat. “If you don’t wish to be Gatekeeper would you help us choose a new one?”

I felt Kira’s grip tighten as she tensed, letting me know she had been waiting for this moment. “While I’m sure Viktor would be happy to assist the courts in their quest, my mother and I would like to go on record as wishing to forego such consideration since it might be seen as favoritism.”