Full Disclosure by Eddie (Wnnepooh)
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Act II
"I don't understand it. I know it's there. I PUT it there!"
Blair took a deep breath and settled his head back against the truck's bench seat. "You may have put it there, but it didn't stay there. I checked exactly where you said it should be. Nada! As in, 'nada thing!'"
They'd been arguing over the whereabouts of the fly rod since they pulled out of the CPD garage. Blair was at the point that he wanted to just buy Jim another rod and have done with it. But Jim was insistent, not to mention stubborn. Several times he'd tried to shift the subject, twice asking about the delivery from the military. Each time, Jim returned to the fly rod issue with gusto. Sandburg sighed and smiled to himself. Typical Ellison avoidance technique.
"When we get back to the loft, I'll go down and get the thing myself," Jim said flatly.
Blair nodded in agreement, but was stopped from commenting by the sound of his cell phone. Pulling out the phone, he hit the ON button. "Sandburg."
Jim watched him talking quietly on the phone and relaxed for a few minutes. He didn't want to discuss the fishing rod any more, but it was better than discussing the package from the military. When he felt like talking to Blair, he would. It was something he had to deal with on his own first. It wasn't a matter of if he would tell Sandburg, just when. And that would be any time after they got back from their fishing trip.
"... Right. I can be there in a few minutes. No, I don't think it'll be a problem. You just need to show us something, right? Fine. Give us about twenty minutes."
Jim listened to his partner talk and got a sinking feeling in his stomach. The last thing he wanted was for Blair to get stuck at the University. Going in to talk to someone usually led to the library and research, which eventually led to postponing things. Not this time, though, if Jim had anything to say about it.
Hitting Blair lightly on the shoulder, Ellison waved his hand at the younger man, silently asking for some recognition and information.
"Hold on, Jack." Blair set a hand over the phone before speaking to his partner. "I know what you're thinking, man, but it won't take that long. Kelso's got something to show us. US, as in both you and me. He says it's important. C'mon, it won't take that long."
Blair's argument was cut short by another ringing, this time from Jim's phone.
Blair could tell by the look on Jim's face that it was NOT good news. "Uh, Jack, I'll have to get back to you on this. I know, I know. But something else is going on. I'll explain when I get more information." He disconnected the call just as Jim was finishing his own conversation. The clenched jaw was not a good thing.
"What's going on, Jim?"
Ellison slapped down his visor lights and hit the siren before answering. "There's been a break-in at the loft."
"No, sir. We don't have them, but we're very close." He winced at the string of expletives that came through the phone at him. "We'll handle it. No, sir. You don't have to tell me what exactly is at stake here."
There was another string of expletives, peppered here and there with threats.
"Of course I understand the importance of this mission," he said in a placating voice. "We'll get them for you, sir." The colonel exhaled slowly, trying hard to control his anger and his fear. "Or die trying. Yes, sir."
The voice calmed.
"Right, sir. Understood." Hitting the off button, he closed his eyes and attempted to gather his thoughts. He picked up the radio and spoke urgently. "Rabb. The name on the delivery sheet: have you made it out yet?"
The radio crackled a bit before Rabb's voice came through. "Looks like Sandburg, colonel."
"You're sure?" There was no turning back at this stage. He had to get this right.
"It's either that or Soundbug," came the reply.
Jester gave a short laugh. "Soundbug. That's kinda stupid. Of course, if it's Sandburg, that makes sense."
"Of course it makes sense," he gritted out.
Jester nodded. "Yeah, cause Sandburg lives there with Ellison."
He turned and looked at the man curiously. "Say that again, lieutenant."
"Sandburg lives at the place on Prospect -- with Ellison. When I was tossing the small room under the stairs, there were a buncha envelopes with the name Sandburg on them," Jester explained, and smiled for his commanding officer. "They were all to the same address as Ellison."
"And you didn't think to mention this before?"
Jester shrugged. "Was it important before?"
He wanted to scream. "Well, kind of."
"Then it's important that this Sandburg guy left just after the courier did?" Jester winced in anticipation of the smack to the back of his head, but it didn't come. When he opened his eyes, he found the colonel gripping the dashboard. "Sir?"
He gritted his teeth against the anger, causing a shooting pain in his jaws. With as much restraint as he could muster, the colonel quietly inquired, "How well do you know this Sandburg character?"
Jester gave a small smile. "While we were standing down by the mailboxes, I saw this guy head out of the elevator and leave the building. I didn't know who he was until we were in Ellison's place. That little room under the stairs has a buncha pictures and stuff, all Sandburg's."
He had to resist the urge to bang Jester's head against the window. Picking up his radio, he gave Rabb a call. "You and MacRaney head back to Prospect and see if you can get a line on Ellison or Sandburg."
"Got it, colonel. We'll call in when we're in position."
Turning to face Jester, he sighed and sat back in the seat. "Back to base for now."
Jester nodded and headed the van toward their temporary home. "You think we could get some pizza or something, sir?"
He nodded absently and mentally reminded himself once more about the man's better qualities.
Jim made his way to the middle of the loft's living room, pushing through the multitude of uniforms standing around. The entire place was in a shambles. One of the sofas was overturned, books were pulled off the shelves and nearly every cabinet was open and emptied. Even without his sentinel sight, he could tell his room upstairs had been tossed just as haphazardly. And there was no way he was setting foot in Sandburg's room.
"OH, maaaaan."
Jim looked toward the kitchen. Blair stood next to the cooking island, shaking his head. "You said it, Chief."
"Mr. Ellison!"
Jim turned to find his downstairs neighbor scrambling towards him. "Mr. Paulson, what can I do for you? Are the officers bothering you?"
Shaking his head, Paulson motioned to the officers standing around him. "No, no. I called them. There were two men. Dressed nicely: suits, overcoats. I thought it was funny they were in overcoats since it was so warm today. Irene had the back windows open, said the place was getting stale. She just gets cabin fever about this time each year, and I tell her not to open the windows all the time cause it'll drive up the heating bill."
Jim touched the man on the shoulder and waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Mr. Paulson, the men in overcoats? What did they do? How did you know they were here?"
Adjusting his glasses nervously, he continued his narrative. "Oh, I heard some racket up here, thought that nephew of yours was playing his music again or something, so I came to see. I knocked, but there was no answer. I was on my way back down when I ran into Mrs. Shorter on the stairs. She was pretty winded, but she won't take the elevator. Says it breaks down so much, she'd have a better chance of getting stuck than of getting married again. I don't really believe all that, but the elevator is out of service quite a bit and Doreen ain't getting any younger..."
"Mr. Paulson, please," Jim begged. He'd leave the nephew comment for another time. "How did you find out the men were in here?"
"Oh," he said with a lopsided grin. "Well, like I was saying, Mrs. Shorter was coming up the steps, since she'd heard some noises, too. That's when she tells me she saw young Blair leave and that you were already at work. We were just about to the end of the hall when I saw someone go into your place. I left Doreen standing there and ran right in the open door here. I saw the place was a mess and the back door was open, so I ran towards it. Just as I stepped out onto your fire escape, the one raises his gun and shoots at me! I didn't hear anything, but something dinged and sparked off the metal railing so I ducked back inside. I figure the gun had one of those mufflers on it."
"You mean a silencer?" Blair had been listening from a spot just by the kitchen table, but moved closer when he heard the last part of Paulson's story. "You said there were two guys, but you only saw one come in here."
"Right," Paulson confirmed. "When I went downstairs and told Irene, she told me she saw a guy in a suit in the alley. When I described the one I chased, hers was different and ran a different way. I figure they were working together."
"I'd say you figured right, Mr. Paulson." Jim looked around his home. He didn't like the sound of things. The story Paulson relayed was just a tad too familiar. "Did you happen to tell the first officers on the scene what you just told us?" Seeing Paulson nod, Jim gave the man a small smile. "Well, I think you should go make sure Irene is safe. She might be a little traumatized by this whole thing."
Paulson gave a laugh. Ha. This is nothing compared to the last whacko you had in here. She's a tough lady, my Irene. But I guess I should go make sure she's got those windows locked down." He pointed a finger at Jim. "Never know if those boys will be back."
"No, you don't." With a nod and smile, Jim watched the little man leave before he crossed the room to the kitchen area. He needed some aspirin, desperately. "Uh, Chief, anything missing from your room?"
Blair shook his head and followed Jim to the kitchen, only to run into him when he stopped abruptly in front of the refrigerator. "Whoa, Jim! Give a guy some warning." But Blair couldn't finish his thought. Something on the floor held Jim's attention. Stepping carefully behind him, Blair watched as Jim knelt next to a mess of spilled herbs and loose tea. The smell wasn't so much potent as it was undeniably inharmonious. Several empty spice containers littered the floor. In the midst of them sat Blair's favorite tea tin, completely overturned.
Blair knew instinctively that the sentinel was reading something on the floor. "What are you getting, man?"
"A headache, mostly," he replied, not surprised to feel Blair's hand settle on his shoulder. Using the touch to help balance his senses, Jim scanned the tea mess again and picked up a better idea of what he'd already discerned. "I can just make out a couple footprints here. He must have dumped the tea, stepped on it, then moved away. There are tiny bits of tea and spice going toward the balcony." Following the trail, Jim stood and carefully followed the footprints.
"What the hell happened here?"
Sandburg and Ellison turned to find their captain heading into the fray, Megan not too far behind him. Exchanging uneasy glances, they greeted their colleagues then explained what they knew so far from their neighbor.
"This isn't unfamiliar, Jim," Simon commented rather bluntly. "I hate to say it, but I'm getting the feeling we've been here before."
Blair ran a hand through his hair and tried not to let panic seize him. He'd been thinking along the same lines. "We're missing the bullet holes in the doorframe. Oh, and me being chased."
"I'm not following, Sandy." Connor looked to the three men for an explanation, her gaze falling on Blair.
Blair was suddenly completely dry-mouthed. He wet his lips, took a deep breath, and tried to explain as concisely as possible. "Couple years back, one of Jim's old army buddies calls outta the blue and says they need to meet. Well, a couple hours later, Jim's missing and a couple guys IN SUITS show up for target practice here at the loft."
"Let me guess," Megan interjected. "You were the target?"
Giving a nod, he continued. "The whole thing boiled down to a plot to kill an undercover government agent. He had information that would cripple a rogue unit working with some huge drug cartel. The leader of the rogue unit, Colonel Oliver, was in charge of the whole thing. He and Jim had crossed paths before."
"Something personal, I suppose?"
"Extremely," Simon replied, catching Jim's gaze. "But Oliver's dead. I don't see how he could be connected to this."
A shiver worked its way down Blair's spine. "Unless he's not really dead."
Simon gave a grunt of disbelief. "He was shot and fell off the top of a building. You don't just get up and brush yourself off after something like that. He's very dead."
Not that he wanted to be right, but Sandburg was getting that horrible deja vu feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What about known associates? Graf Technologies was pretty much decimated by the time the arrests were finished. Could they have missed anyone? Or are any of them out of jail yet?"
Jim didn't like the way the conversation was going. Colonel Oliver's front company, Graf Technologies, had been closed down a long time ago. If just one of those mercenaries had been released, he knew he was in trouble. And not just him: Blair, too. After all, Blair's testimony had been just as damaging to the covert corporation.
Surveying the loft's state of dishevelment, Jim realized his partner's fears were very justified. It was definitely too familiar. "Chief, call Kelso. Tell him you'll be over to the campus in a while. Don't mention anything about this, but ask him if he's got a few minutes to answer some questions for me."
Banks wasn't surprised to hear that somehow Kelso had gotten into the mix. "I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I'm ordering you two to stay in Cascade until this thing is cleared up. Consider your fishing trip on hold until we get some answers."
Neither Blair nor Jim protested.
He was about to continue when a uniformed officer tapped him on the shoulder.
"Uh, Captain Banks. I've got some information for you or Detective Ellison." He looked over at the large man standing with his arms crossed over his chest. "The alarm system was by-passed, looks professional, and the mailbox downstairs was popped. Looks like they used an old-fashioned lock pull. Effective and fast, but very crude. Especially when you figure your front door lock was picked."
"Picked? You're sure?" Jim asked.
The officer nodded. "Pretty sure. I found some unusual scrape marks on the lock face, completely unlike typical key scoring. Add to that the fact that the jamb is still in tact -- not fractured or stressed -- and it makes sense."
Simon nodded as he considered the information. "Quite a contradiction, don't you think, Jim?"
"Not really," Ellison replied. "You can't take the time to pick a lock in a small, public area like the lobby. Picking a lock in a secluded, upstairs hallway is different." He took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest, letting the situation sink in a little more.
Megan looked at the three men around her, at the gloom that was starting to creep into their faces. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. So many things that had happened before her arrival seemed to affect things now. It was a bit overwhelming to think that Jim and Blair had made so many enemies in so few years together. Guess that's what happens when you're the best.
As she watched the uniforms wander around the loft, then slowly disappear , Megan tried to focus on the information brought to light. The trashed loft and the popped mailbox were the most glaring facts, and her mind returned to them repeatedly, until she was forced to ask. "Jim, why on earth would someone want to filch your letters? I don't know about you, but the coupons in my mail aren't worth pinching."
Jim sighed and looked around the apartment. The only uniforms left were stationed in the hallway. He shut the loft door with the uniforms outside, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed the envelope off the table before heading into the living room. "They were after this."
Jim stared at the package as if it could give him the answers he needed right through the envelope. He set it on the coffee table, then walked to the windows.
Blair studied his friend, noting the arms crossed protectively over his chest. He stepped around Megan and took a seat next to Simon on the one upright couch. "Why would they want it? What's in it?"
Jim couldn't answer since he really didn't know. It was easier to explain why the package was important to him. "I never really knew everything about the accident in Peru. It bothered me for a long time after Colonel Oliver's death. Between what Kelso told us and what Oliver bragged about to me, something still seemed missing. I was in Covert-Ops, and I was in the Army. Two different ways of handling things, with one significant parallel: There was always someone higher up who knew the plan." Taking a quick breath, he tried to control his thoughts and words, hoping neither would betray his anger.
"I don't remember exactly when -- I think it was around Halloween -- I was watching something on one of those academic channels Sandburg likes. Something about the Freedom of Information Act and December 31st, 2000 being the cut-off for requesting classified files to be opened."
Simon looked to Blair. "Did you know anything about this?"
"Not a thing." The hurt in his voice was evident to everyone in the room, especially Jim. Blair didn't mean it that way, but he saw his friend flinch.
"I did some research, found out that FOIA didn't cover certain high-risk documents. I contacted the local recruiter, too, to see about having the documents made available for me to read securely, like on a base. He checked me out. Turns out I still have some security clearances. Benefits of my bizarre-circumstances discharge." He turned and pinned Blair with a stare. "In addition, as the only survivor of the crash, I was entitled to a Survivor's Inquiry." Turning back toward the windows, Jim uncrossed his arms, settling one hand on the back of his neck, the other in his pocket. "I filled out all the paperwork for the requests but figured I'd never hear anything."
Connor was confused. "Why would you request something if you thought it wouldn't come through?"
"Confirmation," Banks replied, catching Jim's almost imperceptible nod. "You figured if you didn't hear anything, then there was someone still hiding things. And if you did get the documents, then you'd have the information in hand."
Jim nodded and turned just enough to glance at his partner.
Blair stared at the floor, his elbows resting on his knees, one foot tapping incessantly against the coffee table leg. He didn't understand Jim. Didn't understand why his friend hadn't let him in on such an important quest. The events that led up to the crash were just as significant as the events after the crash. Both had an effect on Jim's sentinel abilities. Those documents could hold the key to unlocking Jim's repressed memories of the Peruvian jungle. In turn, those memories could give Blair insight into Chopec society, Incacha's role as shaman, even Enqueri's acceptance by the tribe. Those papers, those files, they weren't just about Jim's past, they were about his future. Why would Jim keep the information from him?
Jim tried to study Blair's face, but the long curls fell like a curtain around it. He could only imagine what was going on. "I got confirmation in December that my requests had been approved. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I put it out of my mind. With everything else that's happened since then, it was easy to just forget about it. Until today."
"That's great, man. Really great." Blair pushed himself off the couch and headed for the kitchen.
Sensing that it was time for his best team to talk in private, Simon stood up and motioned for Megan to join him at the doorway. "I, uh -- I think maybe we should run down to the station and see if the forensics team found anything."
Blair headed for the front door immediately. "I'll go with you."
Megan stopped next to Jim, locking gazes with him. She set a hand on his forearm and squeezed lightly. "I'll take Sandy with me, captain." Even though she could see the pleading in Ellison's eyes, there was also a touch of anger. "Why don't you and Jim go over the loft again, see if there's anything the lab boys missed?" She headed for the door, setting her hand on Blair's back as they left.
Once they were gone, Banks took a deep breath and headed for the fridge. "All right, Jim, you wanna talk or you wanna clean up this mess?"
Ellison kicked a throw pillow across the floor. "Are those my only choices?"
"You want to talk about it, Sandy?"
Blair sighed and stared out the passenger's side window. He was thankful Megan had waited till they were almost to the precinct before asking. If he said no, then the uncomfortable silence to follow would be brief. If he started talking, he had the benefit of knowing he could get away with the short version.
Connor took the next corner a little fast, smiling when Blair grabbed the seat and dashboard.
"You've been taking lessons from Jim," Blair managed with a smile.
Megan winked at her passenger. "Glad you approve."
"I didn't say that," he countered.
Letting go of the dash, he settled his head back against the seat. There were so many things that he felt needed to be said, but Megan wasn't the one who needed to hear them. He could have stayed at the loft and hashed it out with Jim, but the timing was wrong. By avoiding the conversation, he wasn't avoiding the topic, just the possibility of hurting feelings.
Mainly, Jim's.
After all, my feelings are already hurt.
She could only imagine what was going through his mind. There was no way she could ever truly understand the bond the sentinel and shaman shared. But she could understand friendship -- and betrayal. She had to admit she was proud of Sandy for avoiding a scene and managing his anger. Harsh words wouldn't have helped anyone.
Deciding to test the waters, she took a chance that Blair was open to some help sorting out his feelings. "I don't think Jim was right to keep things from you."
"He had his reasons," he replied quietly.
"But you're his partner," she countered. "You deserve to know."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Blair shrugged and replied as honestly as he could. "This isn't really about me. It's about Jim, and his past."
"Which could have a bearing on his immediate future." Megan glanced at Blair. He was staring out the window once again, but his hand was pulling at the cord on his jacket hood. "Aren't you the least bit curious about the contents of that envelope?"
"Hell, yes," he admitted. The question for him, though, wasn't whether he was curious or not, and he told her so.
"Then what IS the question for you?" she asked softly.
"I don't know, yet. It's something I need to figure out." Sandburg looked up as they pulled into the CPD parking garage. "Then I need to tell Jim."
She pulled into a parking spot just a few feet away from Blair's Corvair. "But you will tell him. Right, Sandy?"
Giving Megan a bright smile, he nodded. "Like I can keep quiet?"
They laughed before exiting Connor's car. Megan walked around the back of the vehicle, meeting Blair by the trunk.
"You coming in with me?" she asked, nodding her head in the direction of the garage door.
Blair thought about it for a moment or so, then shook his head. "I've got a couple things I need to do, then I'll probably head back home. If I let Jim clean the whole place, I'll never hear the end of it."
"Rabb, reporting in, sir," came the voice through the radio.
"Tell me you've got the kid," he demanded.
"Affirmative, colonel."
He smiled and hit Jester in the arm in celebration. "Bring him in, Rabb. Bring him in."
"Uh, sir?"
The colonel shook his head and refused to hear any more. "I said 'bring him in.' I mean 'bring him in.' I'll expect you at base in forty-five minutes." That said, he put down the radio and pulled out his phone, then hit the speed dial for his boss.
The voice on the other end was gruff and bothered. "This better be good news."
The colonel smiled wide. "We're sixty minutes away from your documents, general."
"Get them and return to base ASAP, colonel."
He nodded out of habit. "As you wish, sir." He disconnected the call and placed his phone back in his pocket. "Company's coming, Jester."
Blair pulled the Corvair into a spot near the Political Science building, then exited the car and headed for the door. He'd called Kelso from CPD garage to confirm that he was still at the University. Whatever the ex-CIA operative wanted to tell Sandburg earlier that day had taken on greater importance.
That deja vu thing was starting again as he headed down the hallway to Jack's office.
Seeing Blair approach, Jack smiled. He motioned him toward a chair then went back to his phone conversation.
"Right. I understand. I can get that information to him, if necessary." Jack scribbled some notes on a pad of paper in front of him. "No. I wouldn't trust that to the computer. You never know who's tapped in. Of course I have a scrambler on my phone, but it doesn't work on a computer." He rolled his eyes in disbelief, then continued his conversation. "Yes, you're right. It's too much of a coincidence. I'll take care of it. You're welcome."
Blair watched Jack as he talked. The way Jack glanced at him every few words didn't reassure him. As soon as the receiver touched the cradle, Blair sat forward in the chair. "I got here as soon as I could."
Kelso nodded. "Look, I know this probably isn't a good time for this, but I've got some information you and Ellison need to know."
"Does it have anything to do with Jim's accident in Peru?" Jack nodded and sat back in his wheelchair. "And let me guess: Colonel Oliver's involved."
Jack gave him a curious stare. "Oliver's still dead, Blair."
Exhaling slowly, Blair sat back in the chair. "Thanks for confirming that. If anyone would know, you would. Guess Graf Technologies is still out of business, too, huh?"
"No," Kelso replied. "That's why I called you. Graf has been re-opened under new management."
That unsettled him. "I think I should get Jim over here." He pulled his cell phone and tried to make the call, but the battery was too low to maintain a signal. "Damnit."
"S'okay. You're better off using my phone, anyway." He held out the receiver and smiled.
They'd covered half the building already. The problem with following a college kid on a college campus was trying to keep track of him. They'd let him enter the building before closing in, but they hadn't counted on the number of students that swarmed the stairwells and halls. Twice they closed in on a person with long, curly hair and a blue nylon jacket, only to find out neither was the right kid.
By the time they disengaged the chase on kid #2, they'd lost twenty minutes. In order to keep from losing each other, they'd walked the floors together. As if the students weren't enough of a problem, the building further complicated things with four floors, not including a basement, and two wings. It took an additional twenty minutes to search, and they'd only covered half the building.
Now, as they stood in an open, student gathering area off the main entrance to the building, they stopped walking long enough to take stock of their situation.
MacRaney tapped his partner on the shoulder. Once he had Rabb's attention, he pointed to the directory on the wall. "There's a familiar name."
Rabb recognized it immediately. "What are the odds?"
They noted the office number and headed for the elevator. They lucked out and found themselves alone. As the car descended, they checked their weapons, then returned them to their holsters just as the elevator came to a stop.
MacRaney smiled as the doors opened to reveal an empty hallway. He pointed to the directional sign on the wall. "That way."
Rabb pulled his weapon and followed his partner down the hallway. Even if the kid wasn't there, he was certain the colonel would be happy to have Kelso taken care of.
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This page last updated 3/25/01.