Aztec Treasure
Justice Department

FBI Commander Irene Lindstrom’s POV

Denver Airport

My head was still spinning as I boarded the FBI jet heading for Washington.

I’d called the Night Duty Agent at the Task Force for help. She was the only one in the office now, as we weren’t going 24/7 anymore, but we kept a presence to answer phones and wake people up if needed. I told her to lock up the office, step outside, and call me from her private cellphone. My instructions were specific and urgent; she was to lock herself into the office and not let anyone else into the room until FBI technicians swept it for bugs. I told her to contact all agents by text and instruct them to take the day off. When the sweep finished, she was to call me back the same way.

I’d already called the Los Angeles ADIC (Assistant Director In Charge, responsible for the FBI Division) to inform him of my suspicions and actions. He was waking up his technical directors and sending them in immediately. He was shaken by my call, especially after hearing the Packs had access to his computer network. He was calling in his Counterintelligence group to search for and track the bugs. “I’m on my way to Washington to speak to the director in person,” I told him. “This breach is directed at my task force.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll deal with it. I won’t be in your hair much longer.” The conversation was unpleasant, but the one I’d be having in a few hours? More so.

I buckled in as the door closed, the flight crew already cleared to taxi. I was asleep shortly after getting airborne and woke just before touchdown at Andrews A. A driver was waiting, and I caught up on messages and made a few phone calls on the way downtown. Instead of taking me to the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, we went to the Justice Department. “The boss kicked this up a level,” I thought to myself as I entered the Attorney General’s office.

The FBI Director was standing near Attorney General Marisol Guttierez’s desk when I walked in. “Ah, Commander Lindstrom. How are your agents doing?”

I’d gotten an update message from Frank Donovan when I landed, so I had the latest. “Special Agent Steiner will be released from the hospital later today and should return to desk duty once the administrative leave is over; the shot passed through his arm cleanly. Special Agent-In-Charge Bennington’s injuries from her two gunshot wounds were much more severe; we almost lost her. Claire is stable now in intensive care. She’s facing months of rehabilitation on her shattered hip, and a return to duty status may not be possible.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

Director Patterson spoke next. “I’ve already spoken to the Denver ADIC; he wasn’t happy about being out of the loop on something that resulted in his agent getting shot. Can you explain why you didn’t bring him in on this?”

I explained what we’d learned about Maria and Maritza. Both people already knew from my updates that the leading families of the Sons were Jaguars. “After what happened with Julio Salazar, I felt Maria and the baby might be in danger. Our team found a lead indicating that her lawyer, Christian Portman, was helping her hide. I sent two members of my Task Force to speak to him; Claire Bennington and Frank Donovan of the DEA. I asked the Denver ADIC to help my people speak to a potential source; I didn’t expect that my office was compromised, and the bad guys would get there before my agents did.”

“You’ve confirmed the compromises in your office?”

“Yes, ma’am. Technicians found listening devices in my office and multiple other offices within my task force area. The computer people confirmed two backdoors with multiple accesses going back months.”

“That’s not good,” Hugh said.

“Frank Grimes admitted that one of his hackers in the Werewolf world had been monitoring my Task Force since its inception, and he didn’t apologize for it. His people aren’t the ones who took Julio, and they only want to protect Maria. What he told me confirms my gut on this; the CIA is behind this all. What I don’t know, and why I came here today, is whether this is a rogue operation or an authorized one.”

“I’ve heard nothing indicating it is authorized, and I’ll be kicking asses all over Washington if they left my agencies to hang out to dry on a CIA operation,” Marisol said. “Can you prove it?”

“We’re working on it,” I replied. “The bugs are sophisticated, but we can’t prove who installed them yet. Our computer people are trying to trace back the hacking.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the NSA is involved in the hack,” Director Patterson said with disgust. “The CIA fits; they were very interested in the werewolves for spycraft and angry that Colletta flat-out rejected working with them overseas.”

The Attorney General got us back on track. “Irene, what have you done so far with this knowledge?”

I told them about the office closure, turning over the search for Maria to Frank Grimes, and my decision to stop investigating Julio’s disappearance. Hugh was impressed. “I can’t fault you for any of those decisions. Maria Meztli isn’t a suspect, and you’ve made an attempt to warn her she is in danger. If she contacts us, then we will protect her.”

“I don’t think she will ask us,” I replied. “She must know about her cousin by now. If we can’t protect him, why would she trust us with her safety? I hope she accepts the Werewolf Council’s offer if they can replace her.”

“What else should we do?”

I gathered myself for this since it was a big move on my part. “I think we should immediately disband the Sons of Tezcatlipoca Task Force and transfer all remaining cases and investigations to the local FBI offices,” I said evenly.

Hugh was shocked. “Why would you do that? Your Task Force has put hundreds of these men in prison already!”

“Sir, the Task Force has been fatally compromised. The CIA and NSA have been part of the team from the start, and they didn’t share our goals. We gathered all that information, and they used it to further their plans. In the process, they made us look like fools. If the compromise of our Task Force becomes public knowledge, it makes everyone look bad. It would be better to declare victory and go home.”

“Damn,” Director Patterson said. “You’re right, though. What about your active investigations?”

“I can send the Task Force members to the local offices to conduct turnovers of those. The US Attorneys already have the case information they need, and prosecutions won’t be affected.”

“Hold a press conference, hand out a few commendations, and send everyone home sounds good right now,” the Attorney General said. “Your team has been working non-stop for months.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The AG looked at me over her reading glasses. “Can we trust Frank Grimes and the Packs?”

“I hate to say it, but I trust Chase and Rori far more than I trust CIA Director Sinclair,” I replied. “Frank serves two masters, but he is a man of courage and integrity. The Sons would still be active without their help; most of our work has been following up on the evidence their hacker gave to us.”

She nodded. “I didn’t like the idea of having Frank in Homeland Security, but it has had its advantages, and he works cheap. It’s been good public relations for both sides. Hugh, anything to add?”

“I want my counterintelligence division to continue their investigation into the breaches. We’re all assuming CIA, but it could be the Cartels or others. They will replace out, and they won’t leak the results.”

Marisol stood up. “Leave the CIA to me; I’ll meet privately with the President and replace out if she’s authorized an operation against the remaining Were-jaguars. Hugh, take care of shutting down the Task Force.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Irene, you’ve done a fine job, and you showed good instincts bringing this directly to us. When the Task Force disbands, take some well-deserved vacation. I’m sure Hugh can replace a worthy next assignment for you.”

“Thank you, Madam Attorney General.”

Hugh walked me out of her office, and we talked in the limo on the way back to the FBI building. “The driver will take you to the airport; get back to the office and call me from there. The official line is that the Task Force is being closed down because its work is complete. We don’t want your CIA and NSA people to end up at an overseas black site before we can interrogate them.”

“I understand, sir.” I slept the whole way back to Los Angeles.