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FBI H EADQUARTERS

S o much for The X Files ,” Fields quipped as she and Carolan sat outside the FBI director’s office, waiting to see if they’d be called in.

“The whole X Files thing and putting us down in the basement was Gallo’s idea. He’s not going to burn us with any mentions of Russia. He understands what’s at stake,” replied Carolan.

“The reason we moved down to the basement was to stay off his radar. Now look at us. We’ve got a dead neo-Nazi in Baltimore, whom I shot, and a request to rope one of the largest bureaucracies in the United States government into a massive sting operation.”

“Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do, but it’s not like we have a choice.

Besides, Gallo wouldn’t have kicked this upstairs if he didn’t think it had merit.

And for the last time, this isn’t a sting operation.

I don’t want to lie to Russell. He may be a scumbag, but that’s not his kid’s fault.

I want him to walk in, of his own accord, and for us to be able to talk with him without worrying he’s going to go psycho like Weber did. ”

Fields shook her head. “There’s no telling if he’ll go psycho or not. All we’re doing is making sure he doesn’t have a gun in his waistband if he does.”

“As long as he doesn’t have a gun, we’ll be safe.”

“Do you have any idea how many other weapons can make it through a magnetometer?”

“A few,” Carolan replied.

“Tons, actually. So, unless you’re planning on conducting full pat-downs, which I know you’re not because it would be too suspicious, stop saying ‘we’ll be safe,’ okay?”

“There’s going to be an FBI SWAT team in the next room.”

“I could kill half the Bureau’s senior leadership, without a pistol, before the first SWAT team member made it through that door. You want to give this asshole the same opportunity?”

“Of course not.”

“Then don’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Expect the unexpected. He’s a piece of shit, just like Weber. Having a sick kid doesn’t change that. Don’t feel sorry for him. Don’t you dare.”

“For fuck’s sake, Jenny, I get it. Okay?” he replied.

Fields chuckled. It wasn’t often that she got a rise out of him, even with his renowned temper. It was less often still that she caused him to utter a grade-A curse word.

“What’s so funny?”

“Apparently, shit’s finally getting real. Sugar Bear just dropped the f-bomb.”

“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’?”

Carolan laughed. “We just got everything we asked for, so don’t be a pain in the ass.

As soon as Director Price gets confirmation from the HHS secretary, we’ll be able to put everything in motion.

In the meantime, we need to prep a script.

When we reach out to Russell, the pitch has to be absolutely perfect. Zero room for error.”

While Fields took a certain pleasure in pulling her boss’s chain, she knew he was right. Weber’s shooting had probably already been reported far and wide across the sword-and-tree community of lost boys. They needed to expect that word had made it to Russell and that he would have his guard up.

That was why exploiting his son was so critical. It was the only weak spot Carolan had been able to identify. If they could use the little boy’s infirmity as a way to open the door, Russell might crack it enough to let them all the way inside.

A half hour after returning to the basement, Fields and Carolan had an update from Gallo.

FBI Director Price had reached out to the secretary of health and human services.

Their request had been approved. The computer systems were in the process of being updated with the new information and the paperwork would be forwarded to the FBI as soon as it was complete.

In the meantime, Price asked that Carolan and Fields set aside the number two challenge coin for him and that number three be reserved for the HHS secretary.

The two FBI agents couldn’t help but shake their heads. After all the death and injury and destruction over the last couple of days, it was mind-boggling to see U.S. government agency heads preoccupied with challenge coins.

At the same time, if that was all it took to keep Price in their corner, but out of their hair, it was a bargain. When this was all over, they would design the coolest challenge coin the man had ever seen. In the meantime, they had work to do.

Now that they had the bait, they needed to place it on the hook, dangle it in front of Russell, and get him to bite.

However, years of experience had taught them both that getting a fish on the hook was one thing. Reeling it into the boat without your line breaking could be something else entirely.