The Investigators
Chapter 3

Copyright© 2014 by carniegirl

Day 3

After a stop for a bacon egg and cheese biscuit Eddie arrived at the address fifteen minutes before the nine o'clock starting time. He had time to scout the abandoned parking structure. He would have but he couldn't get in.

The gate to the eight foot chain link fence with barbed wire on top was locked. Eddie looked around, since he couldn't believe he had the right place. He was sure that he had the right address, since the whole block was occupied by the parking structure. The sign on the gate informed him the area was not to be trespassed upon. It also stated that failure to adhere to the rule would result in arrest and prosecution. The parking garage was the property of the United States Government. There was a phone number on the sign, but Eddie decided that if no one else showed by 9 AM, he would be heading home.

Just as Eddie started the car the first of them showed up to work. It was Lucille obviously the others didn't care about first impressions. Well, it wasn't his team so if Lucille couldn't be on time then no one would, including Eddie in the future. Lucille unlocked the gate.

Lucille: The others here yet? (walking past his car)

Eddie: I have no idea. I have been waiting since before nine and I have seen no one. What the hell are we doing in a parking garage?

Lucille: I thought you would approve of not drawing attention to ourselves. The Dog has friends in high places.

Or high friends in low places, he thought but said nothing. Eddie stayed in his car and followed her inside. They drove up the parking garage to the third level just below the roof structure. On the stairwell side of the third level sat an enclosed structure that looked a lot like a double wide mobile home. The enclosure turned out to be big enough for eight desks and a bathroom. Much more impressive was its state of the art communication center.

Eddie: (after looking the place over) Did you have that awful graffiti painted on the outside.

Lucille: After 911 Dick Cheney got paranoid about security. He wanted small operation centers everywhere. This is just one of them. It has never been used till now. The Senator requisitioned it for office space last year. You and the others are why he did it. He didn't know your names, but he knew what you were going to do.

Eddie: I see. So where are the others?

Lucille: That's a very good question. We give them ten minutes then we start looking for them.

Eddie: If we have to look for them, I'm out. Do you understand? An investigator's hours maybe erratic, but you must have confidence that someone is available to support you when you call.

Lucille: Don't be such a Prima Donna.

Her voice was sharp and cutting. She knew she was allowing her anger and disappointed to show it. She also knew Eddie was correct, but she didn't like being threatened. She knew that all this was on her. She had assembled the team of misfits. She could have gotten a squad of Federal Police to do the investigation, but she would have no control over them. It looked as though she had none over the team she had assembled.

Lucille: I'm sorry I snapped at you. You are the only one taking this seriously it seems. I will get them here on time tomorrow, if I have to carpool every fucking one of them.

Eddie: You were five minutes late. Maybe you should lead by example.

Eddie took a closer look at his desk. Both he and Lucille's desk was set up to look over the others. It was on a lightly raised platform. The simple stage must have been built as a place for a briefer. Eddie didn't like it but it was there so he would live with it. That is if there was anything to live with.

May (Addressing Lucille as she entered): Sorry boss, I had to stop by the dry cleaners. (Actually she had to go home to shower and change)

Lucille walked her outside the door into the parking garage.

Lucille: What do you think people will say when I fire you. How is that going to look on your resume? You pull this shit again and I am going to terminate you on the spot. Now you can quit right now and it probably won't look so bad on you, or you can stay and do your fucking job. What you will never do again is to embarrass me again. Do I make myself clear?

May: I will think about it.

Lucille: Don't bother just get back in your car and go back to DOJ. I'll call ahead and advise them it didn't work out.

May: Wait a minute, it won't happen again. I really want this task force on my resume. I promise to play nice.

Lucille: If you can't get up in the mornings on time then sleep in your own fucking bed. Now get in there and make nice with your new boss.

May: Hold on I didn't sign up to work for a fucking cop.

Lucille: The door is still open. If you can't play nice, do us all a favor and walk out of it now.

May didn't answer. She just turned to walk into the office area.

Lucille followed her inside. She put her briefcase down on the second desk on the stage area.

Lucille: (throwing the files on Eddie's desk) Those are files on your team. Now I have to go round them up.

Eddie just glared at her, but he opened the files and began to read.

Lucille (into the phone): Where the fuck are you? (There was no way she would hide her anger) You bet you skinny drunk ass I'm pissed. I can fire your ass even faster than I hired you. You are a fucking consultant, not a government employee you are not protected. So get sober and get in here.

Eddie: Wesley I presume.

Lucille: Yeah he may prove to be unmanageable.

Eddie: Yeah sometimes they can't be resurrected. Give him one more try but only one. 'One more chance' can also be an addiction.

As they spoke a middle aged woman walked into the 'Hole in the Wall'.

Lucille: It's about time. What's your excuse?

Salina: I stopped to pull a bully off a three year old. Here is the cops badge number, since I'm wearing this thing he thought I might need it.

Lucille: Okay yours is the desk with all the monitors by the wall.

Salina: I don't know shit about computers. I can use one, but I can't find anything more than porn or a movie.

Eddie: The monitors are the CCTV for this office. There might be other feeds from time to time but someone will show you how it all works. You are a smart lady you can handle it.

Salina (smiling at Eddie): Thanks boss I'll give it a try. (Eddie nodded)

Lucille: I just have to go get our computer genius.

Michael: No you don't. My mom finally found the place. We have been looking since nine.

Lucille: You call ahead next time, or the next door you hear slam will have bars.

Eddie (opening the door to the stair well.): Lucille, could we have a talk? (When they were outside) I will have a talk with them. We just need to get everyone to work now.

Lucille: You are suddenly less angry than me.

Eddie: I'm sure you have a reason for tossing me in with this gaggle of misfits and losers. I will do my best to make some order of it all. That's what I do best.

Once back inside Eddie went from desk to desk meeting and then explaining each person's task for the day. Mostly it was going to be a get acquainted with the equipment and create working relations with other branches of the Federal Police and computer archive systems.

Eddie: Michael, pull up all the files on the Carlos Delgado murder five years ago. Then run a search for the word cartel and copy any names that come up. Pull the intelligence file on that Cartel so we can read the background.

Then give it all to Salina. Salina did you hear that. (she nodded) I want you to read it all and pick out anything that stands out to you. Look for paramilitary type operations against the cartel. It is operations that are unexplained or unauthorized that interest us.

Salina: Right boss. You looking for black ops?

Eddie: Any kind of raid pulled off like a combat operation. (he turned his attention to May) May call your friends at DOJ and find out if there were any rumors as to why the investigation was canceled. Not the facts we know but any rumors.

May (surly): I know what you want and I don't think that will do my career any good.

Eddie: Fair enough, would you mind taking out the trash and sweep the floor.

May: You are kidding right?

Eddie: Not at all it's the only totally safe job we have here. Everything else carries some kind of risk.

May: I'll make the call. But I will not risk damaging my career for some pie in the sky investigation.

Eddie: That's fair. You are young still and have a future, unlike the rest of us. You should remember careers are made not on the safe track, but by standing out. Sometimes you have to bend the rules to get noticed.

 
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