Page 86 of Edge of Honor

“Don’t start with me,” he warned. “Not now. And good Lord, definitely not here.”

Before anything further could be said between them, the door to the conference room opened and FBI Director Stephen Price, along with Assistant Director Gallo, stepped out.

“Is this her?” Price asked.

“Yes, sir,” Gallo replied.

Walking over to Fields, the FBI director extended his hand and said, “I saw the video from Baltimore. You were incredible. Do we teach all our FBI agents to shoot like that?”

“Thank you, sir,” she responded, shaking the man’s hand, not surprised that Gallo might have used the video to impress him. “We’re all taught to be prepared.”

“And we encourage them to practice as if their lives depend on it,” stated Gallo, “because someday, as you saw, it just might.”

“Let’s get a picture,” Price said, pulling out his phone.

Fields looked at Gallo, who shot her a look back that encouraged her to humor the new director.

After taking a picture with Fields, Price waved Carolan over and got one with him as well.

“Director Price is very pleased with the progress your investigation has made,” Gallo declared. “He knows that getting to the bottom of the attacks at the Vice President’s Residence, as soon as possible, will not only look good for the FBI, but will also look good for the President. To that end, the director has given his full blessing to Operation Switchback.”

Both Carolan and Fields were about to ask what the hell Operation Switchback was, but there was something in the new look Gallo shot them that told them not to ask.

“You have the green light,” said Price, smiling almost a little too broadly, as if he was giddy with the idea of approving his first covert FBI mission.

Going along with it, Carolan and Fields both replied, “Thank you, sir. We won’t let you down.”

“We’re going to get challenge coins made for this, right?” Price asked, referring to the commemorative coins popular in the military and law enforcement communities. “I want to give coin number one to President Mitchell.”

“Of course,” Gallo replied, signaling to Carolan and Fields with a tilt of his head that they had achieved their objective, the dog-and-pony show was over, and they were free to leave.

After thanking the new director for green-lighting Operation Switchback, which Price confessed he had named himself, they disappeared into the hall and headed for the elevators.

A long-standing rumor since the J. Edgar Hoover days was that every elevator at headquarters was bugged and monitored by the Bureau director. Though it was highly unlikely, Carolan and Fields wouldn’t be fully comfortable talking until they had returned to their office.

As an elevator arrived and its doors opened, they were surprised when Agent Kennedy stepped out. He seemed equally surprised to see them.

“Carolan. Fields,” he stated. “What are you two doing up here?”

“Shoot a Nazi,” Fields replied, “and you get to meet the new director.”

Sometimes Fields could be a little too flippant for her own good. Even though it was her way of dealing with having gone through a stressful,life-or-death situation, that kind of attitude could come back to bite her in the ass.

“The director wanted an in-person briefing on the shooting,” said Carolan. “What about you? What are you doing up here?”

“Same, except I’m here for the Naval Observatory shooting. He wants regular briefings, all in person.”

“Any updates?”

Kennedy shook his head. “Still collecting evidence, trying to catch a break.”

The elevator doors, which Carolan had been holding open, began to buzz. The trio said goodbye and Carolan and Fields headed down to the basement.

“Operation Switchback?” Fields asked as she dropped into a chair and her boss closed the door to their office.

“Gallo was smart to let him name it. Now the director has skin in the game. If he wants to show off for Mitchell, this is his chance.”

“Wouldn’t it have been more fun to call it Operation ‘Punch a Nazi’ or ‘Hang ’em Heil’?”