Chapter 1
Part 1
The birds chirped loudly as Kelsey poured her third
cup of coffee that morning. The previous night had
been a bear. A city fundraiser was the current occasion, and Kelsey had prided herself in playing her part to the letter. Lots of hand shaking, agreeing, and blinding them all with her brilliant smile.
"Phooey," she said under her breath as she dropped
in the chair behind her large oak desk. But in the end, she knew it was worth it. When she was elected as the first female mayor of Denver, she would be able to really get things done.
For years, Kelsey watched the injustices that were
permitted to go on because of corrupt politicians,
unorganized leadership, and misappropriated city funds. Denver could be great and she knew it. Her father had worked his fingers to the bone for the bureau and all it represented, but even his position as Director of the FBI did little to influence that of the city's leaders. She needed to get in control. "Then I could really make a difference," she said wistfully as she glanced out the window, her chin resting in the palm of her hand.
She was close, and she knew it. She had made real
progress in Denver and was bound to win the mayoral
election in November. Kelsey had been instrumental
in the safe return of the Whitmore boy when he was
kidnapped only three months earlier. "Not to mention
the bank surrender," she said to herself as she sipped
on her coffee.
Setting her cup down, Kelsey smiled. Her election
was a sure thing. She had worked too hard for it not
to be. Picking up the morning paper, Kelsey flipped
quickly to the local news. "Let's see what's going on
around MY town," she said with a smile, leaning back
in her chair as she folded the paper open to read.
As she settled back, Kelsey saw her career crumble
right before her eyes. There is was, in black and white,
on the front page of the Denver Post......
"ATF raid gone wrong. 9 dead."
"OH GOD!!" she exclaimed as her eyes greedily
drank up the information.
The article continued.....
7 civilians and 2 ATF agents were killed on Saturday in a bust gone bad.
"This can't be happening," she said as she laid the
paper down. Dropping her head in her hands, her
eyes fell upon a smaller article on the bottom of the
page.
"Another victim of the Westside strangler."
Kelsey felt as if she would throw up. All her work, all the months of campaigning...all down the tubes.
"What the hell is the ATF doing?" she shouted to the
empty room, slamming the paper down on the desk.
"I will not go down because a bunch of bumbling idiots
can't get their shit together." Kelsey moved from her
desk, folding her arms across her chest as she began
to pace the floor. "I've got to do something. I can't let
all my work be for nothing."
Suddenly an idea struck her, as brilliant as it was
simple. "If they can't do it themselves, call in for
reinforcements," she said with a smirk as she
crossed to the black speaker box that rested
on her desk. "Mary?"
"Yes, Miss McAlister."
"Get me Agent Teaspoon Hunter in Nebraska."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll patch him through as soon as
I get him."
"Thank you Mary."
Kelsey stood, flipping her long reddish brown hair
over her shoulder as she turned toward the window.
The mass city of Denver lay out before her in its
sprawling grandness. It reached for miles, surrounded
by the most beautiful mountains Kelsey had ever seen.
Though she was born and raised in New York, to
Kelsey, Denver was home.
"Miss McAlister?"
The squeaky voice cut through the silence of the
room, causing Kelsey to jump. "Yes," she said
strongly, her voice steady despite the hand that
clutched her chest.
"I have Agent Hunter on line 2."
"Great," Kelsey said, smiling like a kid. Agent
Teaspoon Hunter had been like a father to her.
He and her own father went back many years,
and Kelsey had known him for her entire life.
But with her own rise in the bureau and her
political career, she had lost touch with him.
"Thank you Mary. Hold all my calls. This is
important."
As Kelsey settled back in the plush leather chair,
she prepared herself for what she needed to do.
Teaspoon Hunter was like family, and she knew
he was going to politely refuse her request. But
her career came first. Things would be done her
way regardless of how Teaspoon Hunter or Judge
Orin Travis felt. "All right," she said as she rubbed
her sweating hands along the length of her gray
rayon skirt. "Here goes everything."
Team 7 sat in the conference room, their eyes
fixed on the TV set in front of them.
"Our special ATF team will be working closely
with the FBI in an effort to bring down the criminals
that keep this city a prisoner. Our streets will be
safe to walk once again. We will not have to fear
for our children's safety any longer."
"Who the hell is that?" Buck asked with little interest,
turning his attention toward Chris.
The stone faced leader stood by the head of the
table, his strong arms folded across his chest as
he watched intently. Chris shrugged his shoulders.
"Judge Travis called. Told me to gather everyone
and watch the press conference. She's some
diplomat, deputy director or something. All I
know is that she is running for mayor."
"So what's that got to do with us?" JD asked,
antsy to get back to work.
"I'm not sure but....." Chris began, but was
interrupted as the conference room door was
pushed open. "Excuse me..."
"Good afternoon gentleman," Kelsey said as
she walked toward the head of the table, casually
nudging the leader out of her way as she placed
her hands on her hips. "My name is Agent McAlister.
I'm the Deputy Director of the ATF and have recently
taken over the investigation of the Castillo drug cartel."
The men of Team 7 exchanged curious glances as
Kelsey began to pace the floor, her face a perfect
mixture of strength and determination. A younger
gentleman in a cheap navy suit began passing
out manilla folders.
"As you know....Team 5 had been assigned to this
case, and due to Saturday's fiasco, are no longer.
Now, your team will take over," she said matter-of-factly
to Chris. "What you have in front of you is the entire
case file that Team 5 had built. We have bios, photos,
witness testimony....everything that they have been
able to gather. As you can see gentlemen," Kelsey
said with disgust. "It isn't much."
"Now, I also believe that the Westside strangler
is somehow involved with the Castillo drug cartel,"
Kelsey said as she stopped in front of the table.
"As such, an FBI unit from Nebraska, Team 9, is
being reassigned to Denver in an effort to assist
with bringing down, not only the drug cartel, but
the Westside strangler as well."
Several hands went up as uneasy glances were
exchanged among the men. Holding out her hands,
she motioned for the agents to lower them. "Team 9
is highly experienced with criminal tracking. Their
profiler is one of the best in the business."
"But we don't need any help Miss McAliste...." Buck
started to say, but was stopped by the stern look
he received from her.
"That's Agent McAlister," she barked. "And I don't
believe this was a 'would you like to or not' situation
Agent Wilmington. This is a direct order."
Kelsey brushed off the irritation she felt. "This
situation has gone on long enough. I want Fernando
Castillo brought in and I want the Westside strangler
found, and I want it done as soon as possible."
"You mean...by November," Ezra said under his
breath. Nathan held back the laugh that threatened
him as Agent McAlister focused her attention on
Ezra.
"What was that Agent?"
Chris closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Oh hell."
Ezra cleared his throat. "I said, you want it solved
by November, correct? Isn't that when the election
is?"
Kelsey folded her arms across her chest, smiling
as her dark eyes scrutinized the handsome agent.
"That's right Agent Standish. I do want this solved
by November. I want this solved by tomorrow. But
I can't seem to find a competent ATF team that
can get their heads out of their asses long enough
to get anything accomplished."
Buck chuckled as the smile slipped from Ezra's face.
"I've been told that Team 7 is the best in the bureau.
Now, I'm beginning to wonder," she said, her voice
dripping with sarcasm. Shaking him off as if he
was nothing, Kelsey turned toward the rest of the
team. "Team 9 will be arriving this weekend. They
will be staying at the Four Seasons hotel until we
can make other arrangements. I want desks set
up for them by Monday in your bull pen."
Again, members of Team 7 were about to protest
when Kelsey held up a hand. Turning, she started
for the door. "Now, I've got another meeting. Look
over the files, see what you can come up with before
then. As I understand it, there may have been a
witness to the latest murder. Find that person."
Kelsey stopped at the door, her entourage standing
behind her. "We will meet again Monday, both
teams, at 8 sharp to get familiar with the case.
Good day gentleman," she said with a brilliant
smile, leaving a room full of angry agents behind
her.
"Denver? What the hell is in Denver?" Cody asked,
throwing the folder he held down on the table.
Jimmy shook his head, his arms wrapped tightly
around his chest. "I just caught the tail end of the
conference call. Some lady, Deputy Director of the
ATF I think is what she was, was telling Teaspoon
that we were being reassigned."
"What for?" Ike asked solemnly, his face expressionless
as his deep voice cut through the chatter.
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Some case the
ATF can't solve. Drugs or something."
"We don't do drug cases," Buck Cross said as he
took the chair next to Ike. "Why start now?"
Irritation flushed Jimmy's face. He could completely
understand his men's concerns. He didn't like the
idea of going to Denver, much less working with a
bunch of uppity ATF agents. He knew as well as
anyone the deep competitiveness that ran between
the two agencies. "I guess there's more to it; a
serial killer that they believe is somehow connected."
"Well, I'm not going!" Cody said definitively as he
folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm afraid there isn't much choice here boys,"
Teaspoon said as he stepped into the small
conference room. In his hand, he held airline
tickets. "We leave tomorrow...noon."
"This sucks," Kid said in a huff, dropping in the
chair he stood next to.
Teaspoon shrugged his shoulders. "I know you
boys don't like working with other teams. But
think of it this way," he said, a mischievous smile
on his face. "They specifically requested Team 9.
Guess you boys are famous, even in the West."
Silence fell over the men of Team 9 as they mulled
over the notion. Smiles spread across their faces
as they looked to one another. "Guess it couldn't
hurt to lend our expertise," Cody said with a smile.
"Now go home and get things in order. We'll be
out there for at least a couple of weeks." Watching
at the team funneled out of the room, Teaspoon shook
his head. It was going to be interesting. "And don't be
late tomorrow. If you miss the plane, you're walking,"
he said with a smile. ~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~
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Part 2