Chapter 4
The Chicago office of JOCT was located in the same building as the FBI’s Chicago office, in the Federal Building on south Dearborn in downtown Chicago. Ali and Megan walked into JOCT headquarters and headed for Ali’s office. They were about to enter when Ali heard a familiar voice.
“Krieger”, the voice came from behind her.
Ali closed her eyes and swore under her breath. The voice belonged to Mary A. Wambach, head of the Chicago office of JOCT and her direct supervisor. Ali got along well with Wambach, but the fact that she was in the office at 11pm on a Sunday night meant that something wasn’t good. She turned around and smiled. “Hi boss, how’s your Sunday night going?”
“I want to see you in my office. Now.”
Ali sighed. “Okey Dokey.” She turned to Megan. “Wait in my office. I’ll be right there.” Megan gave her a mocking scared look and a “good luck” thumbs up and went into her office. Ali entered Wambach’s office and closed the door.
“So, boss, you’re here late. Need some privacy while you catch up on Dawson’s Creek reruns without Sarah around?” Ali quipped. “I mean, Katie Holmes…damn! I’d definitely take a swim in that cree-“
“Alright Krieger, cut it out”, Wambach said, as she took a seat. “What the hell happened down there tonight?”
Ali dropped the charade and turned serious. “Alberto Costello and Vincenzo Pazzarelli got hit.”
“I know who got hit, Krieger. I want to know what happened. Who did it, and why and how.”
“I don’t know. Detective Solo thinks it may have been a sniper. Two taps, one to each victim.”
“A sniper?" Wambach asked and raised an eyebrow. "Okay…who sent the sniper?”
“We don’t know.”
“Okay, if this was a sniper, how did he do it?”
“It could have been a she”, Ali said, and Wambach frowned. “And we don’t know, but maybe he or she hid on the rooftop of one of the buildings across the street.”
“What?!" Wambach was incredulous. "Krieger, I know that street. The nearest building to the restaurant that would work for a sniper is a condo building halfway down the fuckin’ block. You’re telling me that a sniper sat up there, waited for these guys to come out of the restaurant, and then whacked both of them from a thousand feet away with just two shots, while they were sequestered amidst six security guards that are bigger than the offensive line for the Chicago Bears?”
“Uh, we don’t know, boss, but that’s a possibility.”
“Okayyyyyy…” Wambach rolled on, “And when is the last time that either the mob or a street gang hired a sniper?”
“Uh, don’t know that either, boss.”
Wambach pounded her fist on her desk. “Well, what do you know? I mean, so far, you, Solo, and that FBI girl Pinoe...Pinhead...whatever the fuck, have come up with one theory that sounds like Jason Bourne hit these guys. Please tell me you have something more solid than this.”
“Uh, nope. At least not right now.” Ali shrugged. She felt bad, not being able to give her boss anything more, but at the same time she was trying not to laugh. Seeing Wambach get upset reminded her of when her teachers in high school would become upset at students throwing pencils around the room or doing anything other than paying attention. For some reason, that had always made her laugh.
Wambach put her head in her hands and sighed. Then she looked up at Ali. “Look, Ellis just called me like twenty minutes ago and fucking reamed my ass.” Jill Ellis was the Director of JOCT, and Wambach’s boss. “The press is having a field day with this. They’re dubbing it an "all-out mafia versus gang war". They’re drawing parallels to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Ellis wants this thing wrapped up quickly, and, as much as she and I disagree sometimes, I’m actually with her on that. The last thing we need is for this city to panic, thinking that their beloved hometown is turning into a war zone. You know what’s gonna happen if people start thinking that? Law enforcement will lose the public’s confidence, and then we’re gonna have everyday citizens going out, buying guns, and taking matters into their own hands.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it boss. Wrap it up quick, I know.”
Wambach stood up. “Krieger – you’re the best JOCT agent we have in this city. Get control of this before it spirals into chaos, find the shooter or shooters, and put them behind bars.”
“Thanks, boss,” Ali said. “No pressure there.” She started to leave and then turned around. “Can I do anything else for you while I’m at it? Maybe get you a cup of coffee? Or maybe a sandwich?”
“Out. Get to work,” Wambach said and pointed to the door. Ali gave her a mock salute and then left for her office.
********
“How was your chat with Wombat?” Megan asked as Ali walked into her office. Megan didn't like Wambach. The feeling was mutual. Good thing those two didn't have to work together much, Ali thought. She looked at Megan and rolled her eyes. “That good, huh?” Megan said.
“I don’t wanna talk about it”, Ali said. “She's on edge right now. Ellis called her and threw the heat on her, so she just threw the heat on me. Look, I’m tired, so let’s just review what we know, and then I’m going home for the night.”
“Okay”, Megan said. “So, if we’re sticking with the lone sniper theory, which, the more I think about it, actually seems plausible…well, then, this person could be anyone.”
“No”, Ali said. “Not just anyone. First and foremost, this person is well trained. Think about it: the sniper was three hundred yards away, shooting at night time. First off, you need a certain kind of weapon to make that kind of shot, and not many people know how to use that kind of a weapon. Secondly, you need serious skills to make that shot. He or she had maybe five seconds to get two shots off, before their targets were in the cars, which, by the way, I’m sure are bullet proof. Plus, the targets were surrounded by bodyguards the size of houses.”
“Okay, I’m following you on all of that”, Megan said.
“Also, think about it – the sniper wasn’t there by chance tonight. He or she knew that Costello and Pazzarelli were going to be there tonight, eating dinner at Salvatore’s. The sniper probably knew that those two dined there every Sunday night. The only way that the sniper would have known that was through tracking and surveillance. That kind of tracking and surveillance would have taken at least a few months to establish that pattern. Also, this sniper knew the best building to set up on. In addition, this sniper would have needed to know who his victims were. Like, we know who Costello and Pazzarelli are, but we’re in law enforcement. Those guys aren’t exactly household names. If we go with the fact that this sniper isn’t related to either the mafia or a gang, then that means that whoever this is knows how to do some research, and maybe even crack a law enforcement database, which suggests that he or she knows a thing or two about computers.”
“Right. Okay”, Megan agreed. “So, where are you going with all of this?”
Ali thought for a moment and then looked at Megan. “Where I’m going with this is that…this person is a pro. And there’s really only one place you learn to execute like that, and that's in the military. If I were to guess, our sniper is either army or marines. Those are the two branches that produce the best snipers. And”, Ali said while digging in her pocket, “I’m betting it’s the army. More specifically, Army Special Forces.”
“What makes you say that?” Megan asked, and thought: here goes Ali, spiraling into another wild theory again…
“Because I found this”, Ali said, and pulled out the hair that she had found on the rooftop.
“Is that…a…hair?” Megan asked, pulling up closer to take a look.
“Yup. It’s a hair. A long hair, and a fine hair, so it’s probably from a woman.”
“Okay…” Megan said. “Keep going…”
“I found it on the rooftop, right near the edge. It’s possible the sniper had been lying there. Also, in case you don’t know, the army is the only branch of our military that currently allows women to serve in special units. Both the Rangers and the Special Forces started letting women join around ten years ago. The Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics and Marine Force Recon haven’t adopted the policy yet, which personally I think is dumb, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, within the army, snipers usually serve in the Special Forces, not the Rangers. The Rangers fight more direct action, close quarter combat. Sniping falls under the umbrella of unconventional warfare, which is what the Special Forces are trained for.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“My brother Kyle served in the army.”
“Okay”, Megan said. “So, just say you’re right, and we have an army, or maybe an ex-army Special Forces soldier, who knows how to track targets, perform surveillance, work a computer, and squeeze off multiple kill shots from three hundred yards away. The question I have is – who and why? I mean, if this person is not from another mafia family, and is not gang-affiliated, then who is this person, and why are they doing this?”
Ali looked at Megan. “I don’t know. I honestly have no clue, and I couldn't even hazard a guess right now. But”, she said, as she stood up and yawned, “we are gonna find out.”
“Alrighty”, Megan said, as she got up from her chair. “I’m followin’ your lead on this one.” She looked at Ali and winked.
Ali smiled and then said, “Let’s call it a night.” “The two of them walked out of the building together and got into their respective cars.
“See you tomorrow morning”, Megan said. “I’ll come by around 9, and we can draw up a plan.”
“Sounds good”, Ali said. She got into her car and drove home.
********
Ali arrived home ten minutes later at her apartment in the Pilsen neighborhood, just south of downtown Chicago. She took off her jacket and shoes and then went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer. She was bone-tired and needed some sleep, but she was too wound up to hit the sack just yet, so she popped the top, took a swig, and then wandered into the living room. She thought about turning on the TV, but as she reached for the remote, he eye fell on the photo of her mother, her father, and her brother. Her brother lived a mile away, just down Halsted Street. Ali looked at her mother and father and a tear formed in her eye as she thought about the tragedy that had befallen her family. It was a senseless tragedy, caused by someone doing something stupid, not following the law. Laws need to be followed, Ali thought. Laws need to be followed, or bad things happen, so she had committed her life to enforcing the law. I miss you, Mom and Dad, she thought. She stared at the photo for another moment, and then she went out onto her balcony. Warm summer air blew across her face. She looked up and down Halsted, and her eyes settled on a young couple coming out of a bar. They were holding hands and laughing. The girl on the left leaned sideways and kissed the girl on the right, and the girl on the right giggled and nuzzled her head into the neck of the girl on the left. It must be nice, Ali thought, to have someone in your life like that. She wondered if she could balance a relationship and a career in law enforcement, with its crazy hours. It may be possible, she thought. It would just have to be with someone really understanding, who believed in what I was doing. Ali sighed, finished her beer, and went back inside. She laid down in her bed and her thoughts turned to the case. Who was this mystery shooter? What had brought him or her in? How had he or she pulled this off? And why was it that, more and more, I’m starting to get the gut feeling the shooter is a woman? Too much to comprehend right now, Ali thought as she shut her eyes. Right now, I just need some sleep. She let her thoughts wander for a few more minutes and then drifted into dreamland.