by J. C. Fields
“Ahh….”
“Want my recommendation?”
“Yes.”
“Cooperate. We’ll work out a plea deal.”
“How many years if I don’t.”
“You don’t have that many years left.”
***
Having flown into Dulles International Airport late the previous day, Kruger prepared to interrogate Senator Jordan Quinn. He noticed the man already had his attorney present. While not his favorite scenario, it would help shorten the process.
Ryan Clark followed Kruger into the interview room located at the DC Central Detention Center. Both had the FBI credentials on a lanyard around their neck. As they entered, the attorney stood and said, “I must protest the inhuman way my client has been treated so far. Until his treatment is improved, he will not be making a statement.”
Kruger looked over his reading glasses at the tall, middle aged lawyer and dropped the heavy file he held on the table between them. It landed with a loud thump. “Wise advice for your client, counselor. However, I’m not here to ask questions or get a statement. I’m here merely to inform.”
The two men locked eyes for a dozen seconds before the attorney nodded and sat next to the Senator.
Sitting across from Quinn, Kruger opened the file and took out a series of photographs. He arranged them side-by-side facing the two men across from him. Once he finished arranging them, he folded his arms on the table, remained quiet and stared at Quinn.
The attorney said, “What is this, agent?”
Without taking his eyes off the Senator, Kruger said, “These are the faces of men and women murdered as a result of your client’s complicity with a man named Kevin Marks, also known as Kreso Markovic, a Russian national.” Watching Quinn’s reaction was Kruger original goal and he was not disappointed. The Senator’s eyes widened as he stared at the pictures which included Alan Seltzer, Thomas Shark, the FBI agents killed at Monk’s cabin in Wyoming and the other victims tied to Dorian Monk.
Kruger continued, “We can link Senator Quinn to Kevin Marks with both phone calls and financial transactions. Funds for those financial transactions can be directly linked to the individual who murdered twenty-one of these victims.”
The attorney chuckled. “Agent, surely you don’t expect us to be intimidated by hearsay and innuendos, do you?”
With a smile, Kruger said, “It is not my intent to intimidate, counselor. But there is one more piece of information I’ll mention.”
“We’re listening.”
Extracting two additional pieces of paper, Kruger continued, “Four days ago, Senator Quinn received an envelope via courier from a DOJ employee, who, by the way, is under arrest tonight and talking freely. This envelope contained the address of an FBI agent. That FBI agent’s home was invaded less than twenty-four hours later by an intruder whose intent was to murder said FBI agent and his family. I might add, this intruder was a Russian national who was in this country illegally. The exact timeline and communication sequence of this event are spelled out on the DOJ complaint.” He slid the paper across the table to the attorney. During this entire conversation, Kruger’s eyes remained locked on Quinn, who sat quietly with his head down concentrating on the tabletop. “That’s your copy of the complaint, counselor.”
“Interesting theory, Agent, but I don’t see the connection to my client.”
“Look harder, Counselor. We also have in custody two county officials from Fremont County, Wyoming who are providing details about the organization ran by Kevin Marks. The extent of their testimony is providing a clearer picture into the scope of a larger conspiracy.” He took his eyes off Quinn and looked at the attorney. “Your client’s name is mentioned and referred to frequently within their testimony.”
The attorney skimmed the two pages, looked up and said, “We want a deal, Agent.”
“I’m not in a position to offer one, but I can put you in touch with someone who can.”
Chapter 50
Springfield, MO
One Week Later
With the house repaired and everyone settled again into their normal routine, Kruger and Stephanie cleaned up the kitchen after the family’s evening meal.
She said, “You’ve been unusually quiet this evening.”
A nod was her answer.
“Care to share your thoughts, Mr. Kruger?”
Kruger finished placing plates into the dishwasher, smiled and said, “I’m struggling with a decision.”
“That’s obvious. Is this a new one or one we’ve discussed before?”
“Oh, we’ve discussed it.”
“Your retirement?”
“Yes.”
“Sean, if you’re worried about how this last incident made me feel, don’t. You protected your family.”
“I know, but it’s the frequency of them that worries me. Randolph Bishop hiring someone to kidnap you and Kristin, Dmitri Orlov hiring the assassin who ran you off the road and now a home invasion. I can’t put you through that anymore.”
She did not respond.
He continued, “The other factor is this new team’s a success. Now Congress is clamoring to expand it and make it a fully funded part of the FBI.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Not really. What it means is if I stay, I’ll have to work out of the Hoover building. Which means we have to move. That is not going to happen.”
Once again, she chose not to respond.
“The third issue is, Kevin Marks has disappeared. The bureau doesn’t have a line on him, nor does the Royal Canadian Mounted police. Even JR can’t find a trace of him. Poof, he’s turned into smoke.
“Finally, Sandy and Jimmie are sitting on numerous contracts willing to pay them a lot of money. They’re holding off on signing them until I make a decision.”
She smiled and placed a hand on his chest. “What do you want, Sean?”
“The dark trail I’ve been going down these past few months has taken its toll. I’ve come to the realization all I’ve ever wanted to be is an agent with the FBI. That’s not possible anymore.”
“So, the problem is you can’t have what you really want.”
“Yes, that’s the problem. I have to face the cold hard reality of it. I have to get used to the fact my career with the FBI is over.”
“Can you?”
He shrugged. “I have to.”
She folded her arms. “I’ve never seen you fail to overcome a challenge, Sean. You will this one too.”
“I know. I just have one more challenge before I let Paul know I’m officially done.”
“What’s that?”
“Find out why Alan started looking at cold cases.”
Epilogue
Washington, DC
One Week Later
“Thank you for meeting with me, Paul.”
“I hope this isn’t about the restructuring of your division, Sean.”
“It is.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“As you and I have discussed numerous times, I’m not moving to Washington, DC.”
Stumpf just nodded.
“Ryan Clark is the perfect candidate to take it over.”
Another nod.
“He deserves the promotion, Paul. His law-enforcement background and the experience he’s gained during his time with the FBI make him the perfect candidate. There really isn’t any one I can think of with a more solid resume.”
“I agree.” He paused and removed his glasses. “Did you ever determine what started Alan’s investigation into the cold cases?”
Kruger nodded. “Another reason I wanted this meeting.”
“What’d you find?”
“First, I want to make sure everyone knows, Alan was a very happily married man and devoted to his family.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Not what you think.”
“Okay, go on.”
“One of the victims in Atlanta was his ex-wife.”
Stumpf frowned and sat straighter. “Ex-wife? I never knew he had an ex-wife.”
“Not too many individuals did. Last week, when I was going through his papers again, I started Googling the victims’ names, hoping to find connections to Alan. One of the references identified the maiden name of a victim in Atlanta. Alarm bells went off. I had to think back to a conversation he and I had while we were roommates at the academy. We’d both consumed a few more beers than we should have one night, and he told me about the failed marriage.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“A little. It occurred their senior year in college. Alan was pre-law and she pre-med. After being turned down by four medical schools, she decided it was time for a new career path so they decided to get married. Two months after their wedding, she received notification she’d been accepted to med-school at Tulane in New Orleans. Alan already knew he was going to law school at Boston College.”
“Long distance marriages are challenging.”
“Yes, they are. Both realized their career goals were more important to them than being together. So, after six months of marriage, they got a non-contested divorce and went their separate ways. She married again after her residency and became a very successful heart surgeon in Atlanta. I spoke to Linda about all of this and he was always open with her about his previous marriage. She knew he still cared for the woman, but she also knew he loved her. It was just something he didn’t tell others about, there was no need.”
“Understandable.”
“Alan also knew another of the Atlanta victims.”
Stumpf’s eyebrows rose.
“A friend of his from law school.”
“He knew two of them?”
Kruger nodded. “The man’s name was Roger Johnson and the circumstances of his death were similar to Alan’s ex-wife’s murder. We knew about Johnson from the start, I just didn’t connect the ex-wife’s murder until I discovered her maiden name.”
“I wish he would have consulted with me about this.”
“We may never know why he didn’t.”
“So how did Monk know Alan was investigating all of these cold cases?”
“That’s a question I can’t answer. But I have my suspicions.”
“I’m listening.”
“You know I don’t like coincidences.”
With a chuckle, Stumpf said, “You’ve always said there are only connections. Are these?”
“Maybe, but I’m working on a theory. Within the pages of Monk’s manifesto, he reveals a seething hatred of successful black people. Alan’s ex-wife was a prominent heart surgeon and Johnson was a high-profile attorney with the Coca-Cola Company. We can’t find evidence that Monk ever interacted with these two victims or with any of his other victims for that matter. But they were all highly successful individuals.
“Alan was promoted to deputy director while Monk was in California. If you remember, there was a tremendous amount of media coverage when it happened.”
Stumpf nodded.
“We’ve determined Monk moved to Cincinnati several weeks after Alan’s promotion. We think it was the closest job he could find to Washington, DC. He had his sights on Alan for a number of years.”
“In his mind the ultimate prize, killing a successful black FBI agent.”
Kruger only nodded slightly.
“Thank you for clearing that up, Sean.”
“Remember this is just a theory. I don’t have any facts to back it up.”
The FBI Director gave Kruger a half smile. “What about you? What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to hang it up, Paul.”
“That was what I thought you would do. Can I talk you out of it?”
“No.”
Stumpf reached over his desk and offered his hand. Kruger shook it and the Director of the FBI said, “It’s been a pleasure to work with you and to call you a friend, Sean.”
“Thank you, Paul. The feeling is mutual.”
“I have one last favor to ask before you leave the bureau.”
“Sure.”
“Find Kevin Marks.”
About the Author
J.C. Fields is the award-winning and bestselling author of The Sean Kruger Series. He is active in numerous writing groups and serves on the board for the Springfield Writers’ Guild.
With a degree in Psychology, five years in the computer industry and a long career of dealing with individuals possessing quirky personalities, J.C. has incorporated these experiences into his writing.
The Sean Kruger Series has won numerous awards. His first six novels have been presented with the Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Plus, The Imposter's Trail was awarded Best Mystery/Thriller at the 2017 Ozark Indie Book Fest. Three of his books have been awarded medals in the Readers' Favorite International Book contest. The Fugitive's Trail won a Silver Medal in the Fiction - Suspense genre in 2018 and both The Cold Trail (Fiction – Thriller – Conspiracy genre) and The Assassin’s Trail (Fiction – Suspense) won Gold Medals in 2019.
He lives with his wife, Connie in Southwest Missouri.
Other Publications
By J.C. Fields
The Sean Kruger Series:
The Fugitive’s Trail
The Assassin’s Trail
The Imposter’s Trail
The Cold Trail
The Money Trail
The Dark Trail
The Michael Wolf Saga:
A Lone Wolf