David Golemon - Ancients

"Someone crooked at ATF, Jack?"

"Okay, we know where two of the weapons used against our people came from, but what in the hell does that get us?" Jack asked, instead of answering Carl's question.

"Europa, query: have you yet acquired access to the NYPD mainframe?" Collins asked.

" Yes, access was gained through unsecured backdoor in Albany, New York, used for the NYPD Widows Welfare Fund. "

"Pretty good," Everett said, looking at Robbins.

"She has her ways," he said proudly.

"Has a ballistics report been issued on bullets removed from Event personnel?" Jack continued.

" A report has been generated by the team of officers assigned to case number 4564893-23 for Boston Police Department Robbery-Homicide Special Investigations Division. "

"Why Boston?" Robbins asked, and then caught himself. "Europa, query: is there a case in Boston that warranted such a request for ballistics information?"

" Boston Police Department requested any ballistics match through the National Crime Database and received the NYPD report. Expended 5.56, 7.56 and 9 millimeter ammunition used in NYPD report matched exact specifications of ballistics report generated by Boston Police, Robbery-Homicide, dated this day. "

"The bastards hit someone else up in Boston, Jack," Everett said as he leaned closer to the glass.

"Europa, query: is there a report of the crime filed by BPD?" Collins asked hurriedly.

" Formulating. "

As the three men watched, crime-scene photos started to pop up at an incredible rate on the large monitor screen. Scenes of murder filled the frames. The corpses lay on bloodstained carpets in grotesque stillness.

"My God," Dr. Robbins said aloud.

"Looks familiar," Jack said beneath his breath.

"Europa, query: what is the location of the Boston crime scene?"

" Crime committed at the law offices of Evans, Lawson and Keeler, Attorneys at Law, located at 4967 Wayland Avenue, Boston. Thirty-seven known deaths occurred at approximately one forty-five Boston time. "

"Europa, query: any motive stated for the murders at this time?" Everett asked, heading Jack off.

" Robbery has been listed as motivation for the deaths. "

"Round up Mendenhall and Ryan, tell them we're taking a quick trip out to Boston. I want to see could have been so important that these bastards committed another slaughter of innocent people. Tell them to draw side arms and ammo from the armory. Inform Alice we need ATF identification. That should get us through the front door of wherever we need to go."

"You got it," Everett said.

"Is there anything I can do, Colonel?" Robbins asked hopefully.

"You've done enough, Doc. Just get back to Pete and help him. He seems lost without you in the comp center."

"Colonel, you watch your ass. From the looks of things, whoever these people are, they don't let anyone get in their way."

"Hmm, I know some people just like that, Doc."

Robbins watched the colonel leave and knew exactly whom Jack had meant. Everett joined Collins at the door and the two men left together to meet up with Ryan and Mendenhall.

"Yeah, I guess we do have people that are just as serious as those murdering pukes," Robbins said to himself and then closed the terminal with Europa.

Collins, Everett, Mendenhall, and Ryan stood outside the offices of the law firm Evans, Lawson and Keeler, easily identifiable to the public by the lines of bright yellow police tape surrounding the old brownstone. The Boston Police Department had several bright-light stands placed in front of the building and several uniformed patrolmen were watching the bystanders closely.

The black windbreakers the four men wore had ATF on the back and on the left breast. Jack walked to the front of the building and presented his identification.

"ATF out of New York," Jack began. He found that he didn't need even that small opening for the policeman standing on the large stoop leading into the offices. The man just pointed to the double front doors.

"Robbery-Homicide is set up right inside the lobby, mac. Coffee's there too."

"Thanks," Collins said and gestured for his three men to follow him.

The smell of death hit Jack as soon as he stepped inside. The fluorescent lighting illuminated the reception area of the prestigious firm and belied the fact that so much violence had taken place there less than twenty-four hours before.

"Coming onto scenes like this is getting to be a habit I can really learn to live without, Jack," Everett said, pulling his ID as a detective walked in from the long corridor behind the reception and eyed them.

"Still a hard world," was all Collins said in return.

"Can I help you?"

Jack looked at the man in civilian clothes with his shirtsleeves rolled up and saw that he was wearing a shoulder holster.

"ATF. Our people called today and spoke with a Captain Harnessy. We had a match hit on the ballistics report filed by your department."

"The warehouse thing, right?" the detective said.

"Can we have a look around?" Everett asked as he started to skirt the detective.

"We haven't finished the CSI yet, so--"

"Look," Jack leaned over and looked closer at the man's badge, "Lieutenant, we're willing to share our information and we do have a lot of it. Willing as long as we don't have to play any of these jurisdiction games. Believe it or not, we're on the same side here."

The lieutenant looked around and then nodded. "All right, but I go with you, and don't touch anything. My captain is a real stickler for this clean crime-scene stuff."

Jack smiled and started through the reception door. "I know what you mean; our director can also be a stickler for rules."

As they passed through the door, Carl stepped up and whispered, before the Boston cop caught up to them, "Especially if he knew we were here."

"Oh, man," Ryan hissed, as he saw the first bloodstain on the carpet, where the first victim had been killed.

"They capped the security guard here. The rest of the victims were split into six different offices and shot execution-style."

Jack walked through the first door he came to, which was the main conference room. It looked to Collins that four or five people had been killed in the large room. There were stains on the carpeted floor and on the wall.

"The second batch of people died here, we think. One man, three women, all popped once in the head. The ladies were shot execution-style against the wall."

"Jesus, who in the hell are we dealing with here?" Ryan asked as he stepped from the room.

Mendenhall didn't say anything as he joined Ryan. The exact same thoughts had crossed his mind when he saw the death at the warehouse, and after two days he still could not fathom the type of man who would kill so callously.

"You claim the motive was robbery?" Jack asked as he followed the detective out of the room.

As they entered the hallway, several crime-scene people walked past with large cases. At the end of this line was a man in a white coat who snapped several pictures of a large bloodstain on the wall. As the five men walked off, the police photographer took several more shots and then left. He did not hurry or otherwise attract attention to himself as he made his way to the front after picking up a black case. He nodded at the uniformed officers outside and then moved past the onlookers, walked easily across the street, and disappeared.

Collins and the others were led into a very well-appointed office. A large bloodstain had soaked into the beige carpet in front of the oak desk. The detective pointed to a large portrait that stood out from the far wall. Jack saw the open safe built into a cavity behind it.