Bloodline (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Bloodline - Chapter One

Over the years, Jack had learned to interpret Myles' silences, and there had been a few during their short conversation. He wished Myles had given him more details over the phone, but he knew better than to press for information.

Stuck in Friday night traffic, Jack had contacted his team and asked them to reconvene in the bullpen as soon as possible. He guessed most of them would do what he did, they'd turn at the nearest exit or intersection, and return to the Bureau without stopping home.

A deserted bullpen welcomed Jack.

"Jack?" Bobby called from the hallway. "We're in the conference room."

Except for Myles who was standing, everyone else had taken a seat around the table.

Jack had been the last one to arrive. "What's up?"

"This." Magnified many times, a note appeared on the white wall. "I tried making copies, but I'm only getting blank pages. The composition of the ink is unstable and degrading by the minute."

Myles' explanation about the vanishing ink flew over Jack's head as he read and reread the note. "Tell me that's a joke?"

Across the table, Sue's mouth opened and closed, but she had yet to make a comment.

"I found the note in my mailbox when I got home from work." Myles displayed the envelope beside the note. "No address. I went to see Webber in case he'd seen someone lurking. He's always at the window, prying over everyone else's business, but he didn't see who dropped it off."

From behind her laptop, Tara waved at Sue. "I'm just starting here, but so far, I can tell you that John Blackburn, the border agent, has two bank accounts. His pay is directly deposited in the one he shares with his wife. The second account was open six months ago to his name only. Since then, someone has made weekly deposit raging from $5,000 to $8,000, for a grand total of $157,000. It could be a setup or it could be a payoff."

"Before we dig further, may I ask who is Mico Alvarez?" Confusion etched Sue's lovely face.

Holding a pen up, Dimitrius sank back in his chair. "Mico Alvarez is a Mexican entrepreneur who specialises in illegal trade. Drugs, explosives, weapons, money, people... anything that can be smuggled across the border. He's been on the FBI most wanted list for fifteen years, but no one has been able to touch him."

Bobby drummed his fingers on the table. "The DEA has tried for years to infiltrate his organisation. All their undercover agents are believed to be buried in unmarked graves or rotting at the bottom of the sea. Alvarez runs a tight ship, and loyalty is something paid in blood."

"If that's true, the person who gave that note to Myles took an awful risk." A lock of blonde hair had fallen over her eye, and Sue pushed it off. "We should take it seriously."

"Or it could be a trap." A way to lure Sue into a cabin, alone, but for what purpose? The scenarios his mind conjured up scared Jack.

"But if that's a trap, the question is why?" Tara's fingers clicked on her keyboard. "I accessed the border patrol schedule. John Blackburn is scheduled to work the graveyard shift alone from midnight to 6 am on Nov 2nd."

While it could as easily be a coincidence as it could be proof, it didn't explain why the informant approached Myles, and not him as he was the team leader.

"I'm not saying we should send Sue into that cabin," Myles avoided looking into Jack's direction, "but what do we have to lose by intercepting that pickup truck?"

"For one, mate, the truck could blow in our face. This could be a setup to discredit the Bureau. "

As Jack watched the note, the ink faded lighter and lighter.