by Ron Francis
Tor and Gunter turned and left as well, leaving John alone with his thoughts. He subconsciously rubbed his fingers around his bullet wound, and he hoped this wouldn't be one more thing to kill Thomas and Abby's dreams of a happy life. He vowed to himself that he wouldn't allow it. As soon as they were married, they would be spending a good deal of time outside of the country, where no one would recognize them and they wouldn't be asked to fight anyone.
Chapter thirty-nine
"Agents Edison and Barlow, the Director will see you now."
Melanie looked around at the receptionist area to their boss's office and decided it needed a little more personality. More like a complete overhaul. This was the Director of the FBI for crying out loud and his reception area looked like it had stepped right out of the seventies. The only thing missing was the shag carpet. Jason stood and began walking into the Director's office so she stood as well. She found herself thankful for the distraction of the ugly orange reception area, knowing they were about to be reamed for not making any headway on the case.
"Barlow, Edison, come in, sit, please," he said.
All right, what's going on? He is being way too nice. He should be a lot angrier. Where's the other shoe? Melanie was confused. Her tentative steps led her to a seat in a much more tastefully decorated office than the reception area would indicate.
"Thank you, sir," Jason answered, then he and Mel sat in the seats indicated.
"Let's get right to it." He said. "How's the case going?"
"Director Dixon, we haven't made much progress yet, sir. Every time I think we have a lead, it fizzles. Poor Diaz has had three or four good leads sputter out on her, and she's a great agent. I'm not giving up, but I suspect this is more of a long haul investigation than I first believed." Mel knew that answer wasn't going to sit well, but she figured she might as well just get it over with.
"That is a little disappointing; it's been over two weeks. Maybe we just overreacted, maybe there's not much to find because it's not as big as we thought." Neither Mel nor Jason could hide the surprised looks on their faces.
"It's possible, Sir," Jason began, "but I don't think so. I think it's more a case of the people involved being powerful enough to block all of our leads, which actually worries me more," he concluded.
"What do you think, Barlow?'
"I believe Agent Edison's theory to be closer to the mark, sir."
"I do as well, which is why I'm taking you off this case."
"What?" Mel couldn't believe her ears, not only wasn't she getting yelled at, but the director was giving them an out with no admission of failure. This was a very disturbing development. "Why, sir? We may not be very far along, but it's still only been two weeks."
"It has nothing to do with that, Agent Barlow, the Bureau has more pressing matters to attend to and I can't have two of my best agents tied up in something that may never be solved. Not to mention that you have eleven other agents tied up in it as well."
"We can cut the task force in half, Director!" Jason chimed in. "We understand there are other priorities, but we cannot ignore a crime of this magnitude."
"Crime? What crime? The only crime we have any evidence of at this point is illegal logging. We don't need thirteen agents investigating that. We don't even need six."
"Sir, you know that's not what happened!" Mel shot back, frustration evident in her voice.
"I know, but where are the bodies? Where are the guns that fired those bullets? For all we know, the loggers used some imaginative ways to bring the trees down."
"Sir?" Jason looked confused. "I know you don't believe that, what's really going on. This would usually be a meeting where you hand us our butts on a platter, but you're letting us off the hook. Why?
"Would you rather I chewed you out? Would you rather I rip you a new one?"
"No, sir, but I would like to know what's going on." This was one of the things Mel loved about having Jason as a partner. He was going to speak his mind no matter who he was talking to. She would never have had the moxy to speak to the Director that way. He looked like he was about to get mad, but then his face softened and he relented.
"The truth of the matter is, I've been ordered to close out this investigation and hand over everything we have to the NSA." Mel was practically out of her seat, but he waved her silent before she could speak. "And yes, I did fight for you guys, and no, it didn't work. Truth be told, I think your investigation has someone with a lot of power spooked. It is no longer within my ability to change this decision. It goes right to the top. I need all of your files packed up and ready for transport by the end of the day. I'm sorry, this in no way reflects badly on you two."
"But, sir..." Melanie was cut off before she could finish.
"Listen, Melanie, there really is nothing I can do. I can't stop you from investigating this further in your spare time if you want to, but we can put no more agency resources on this." He winked and then stood.
He must be serious. He called me by my first name in front of another agent. Director Dixon doesn't usually breach protocol, but he got my attention. He also let me know I could keep going if I wanted to. I wonder what Jason thinks? "Thank you, Director. I appreciate you standing up for us. I only wish it had a different conclusion."
"Me, too, Agent Barlow. My secretary will see you out." With that he was off to another meeting.
Once they were out of the Director's office, she looked at her partner and asked, "So, what do you think?"
"Probably some big military contractors putting pressure on their favorite senator."
"He said the top, Jason."
"Yes he did, Mel, which means if we do keep up the investigation on our own time, we need to be careful that we don't disappear like all evidence of that battle."
"What are you saying, Jason?"
"I'm saying that I think we have to let this one go. Believe me, I know it's close to home for you, but we're in a no win. The Director wouldn't have offered us an out if it wasn't in our best interest. Besides, the case is officially closed."
"What do I tell Tina? Did she go through that whole ordeal for nothing?" Melanie knew she was being unfair, but she just couldn't let it drop.
"Mel, you know I would do anything to protect Tina, but the reality is that she's not in danger anymore. In fact, aside from being scared, she's unharmed. She's resilient, she'll get past this, and we should, too."
"Maybe if we show the Director our other evidence—"
"What, and end up in the nut house? No thanks! I need this job, Mel, and so do you. Besides, that would expose Tina as well."
"Okay, you're right." She hated to admit it, but at least for now they needed a strategic withdrawal. She would keep a copy of everything on a thumb drive in her safe deposit box and maybe take another look when the heat died down. "We'll put it in a box and walk away, Jason."
"You promise, Mel?"
"Yeah, consider it dropped." For now, she thought.
*****
The big day had arrived, the day Abby Fitzpatrick had waited her entire life for. Even though she spent the final two weeks before her wedding day in a hospital bed, she oversaw every last detail with the precision of a conductor with an orchestra. Thomas couldn't believe the intricate details involved. He should have expected nothing less for the one female in the Fitzpatrick family. After five brothers and twenty-three male cousins, Abby's birth had been the crown jewel in the Fitzpatrick family empire. There were flowers everywhere. Abby's dress was beautiful, but not exactly traditional. It was an ivory gown, sleek and cut to show off all of her best attributes. While there was a veil, there was no train. She had chosen her four brother's wives and Kendra to be her bridesmaids, but the maid of honor position was reserved for her very excited grandmother. Thomas had chosen Abby's five brothers to be his groomsmen, each escorting his own wife or fiancée. He had picked Trevor as his best man, because he had known him the longest. John was to walk his daughter down the aisle and Aunt Laura along with Uncle Pete sp
orting a new leg and crutches were to sit in the seats reserved for the parents of the groom. Abby's grandpa, who was licensed to perform weddings, was to lead the ceremony.
Thomas had seen the wedding dress, but he couldn't wait to see Abby in the wedding dress. Her long chestnut hair would flow and her green eyes would sparkle. He stood up front besides Abby's granddad, and tried to ignore the comments coming from the peanut gallery, also known as Abby's brothers. He could see that Trevor was a bit nervous, yet beaming with pride to be chosen as Thomas' best man, and the thought hit Thomas that throughout all of Asa's scheming, he had unintentionally brought four very important people into his life. Five people if you counted little Sarah who was about to replace Abby as the jewel of the Fitzpatrick family.
Thomas had been told what was going to happen at the wedding as if he had just been handed an itinerary to an important meeting. Marrying Abby, of course, was far more important than any meeting he had ever sat in. He was perfectly happy to stand there in his tux and let every other detail be the product of the sixteen years Abby had spent thinking about this day. The ceremony was to be short but heartfelt and the reception would be almost three hours later. After the reception, they would be whisked away by limo to a posh Manhattan hotel for two days of uninterrupted pleasure followed by a flight to California. They would then spend three days in wine country; although neither one thought they would see much of it. The bulk of their honeymoon would be in Hawaii, two whole weeks. As Thomas thought about all of this, he looked out over the crowd of almost four hundred fifty people. All of them were either Fitzpatricks or the families of the women married to the Fitzpatricks. He thought about how much Abby loved her family. It made him grateful to think he was just a short while away from being an official part of that family.
Just then, the lights dimmed and the bridal march began to play. Abby was walking down the aisle, escorted by her father. She looked radiant. He could swear she was glowing. He could see her beautiful green eyes right through the veil and he couldn't wait to feel those perfect lips pressed against his. Her dress was even more beautiful than he thought it would be, and she was spectacular. John put her hand in his, and the ceremony began. He couldn't take his eyes off the only woman he would ever love, and she couldn't stop smiling.
Before either of them realized it, her grandfather was pronouncing them man and wife. He gently took her perfect face in his hands and kissed her in front of everyone. They both turned and smiled at the crowd. The reception was a blur. Well wishes from everyone, lot's of kisses at the request of the crowd, some dancing, some eating and a fair amount of drinking were involved. When the limo finally arrived to take them to their hotel, they knew her family would continue to celebrate long into the night, but they planned to celebrate longer.
The next morning, Thomas woke up first and as he lay in bed, looking over the most beautiful woman in the world as she slept, he realized he had never been more content. How in the world did I get so lucky? he wondered. Then he kissed her shoulder and got out of bed. Before they knew it, they were off to Hawaii.
Two weeks in Hawaii went by too fast. When they arrived back in Staten Island, there was a big party waiting for them at Jonathan Fitzpatrick's house. There was also the news that William and Kendra had gotten married while she and TJ were on their honeymoon. Grams was more than happy to split time watching little Sarah with her favorite uncle, Trevor, while Kendra and William were away. After a few days of Fitzpatrick family holiday fun, they were off to their new home to begin their life together.
Jonathan had thought it best that Thomas and Abby spend some time outside the country until he was sure the FBI investigation had died down, and Thomas agreed. After all, they had his description and his first name. The family had purchased a home for them in Toronto. Thomas was able to put his Greg Jordan identity away for safe keeping when Jonathan handed him a clean passport and license with the name Thomas Jefferson Hunter. It was the first time he had ever had identification with his real name on it and somehow he thought that was the best gift of all. Abby, for her part, still had her real identification, only now it was amended with the last name Hunter. She beamed every time she looked at it. Abby gave Connor an extra long hug, and he made Thomas promise to take care of his Little Tiger. Thomas obliged, though he knew that in reality they would be taking care of each other.