21
Blaisdell Holmes pulled up a news report as she waited for Frankie Cash to arrive in her office. She wanted to make sure she had all the details of this fuckup at her fingertips when she reprimanded the agent. She had let a day pass, to help her cool down and think through how best to deal with the situation.
The television news report popped up onto her computer screen. The reporter was walking down the sidewalk of a small mountain town, passing by shops and a lone movie theater. “There’s usually not a lot going on in the sleepy town of Burns, Colorado,” they began in the matter-of-fact voice that reporters used. “Located along a remote stretch of the Colorado River, the town boasts a nonexistent crime rate—until recently. The grisly murder of a man named Willy Grooms has deeply shocked the community. Grooms, seventy-five years old, was found dead in an unauthorized cabin on Solitary Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness. A source close to the investigation indicated that the body was shrouded in white and there were signs of torture. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has taken the lead in investigating what has become known as the Shrouder murder, led by Agent in Charge Frankie Cash. She is being assisted by the sheriff of Eagle County, James Colcord. Investigators claim they are following up on leads and have ‘persons of interest,’ but won’t say more—and there are apparently no actual suspects at this time. But that isn’t the only problem with the investigation.” The reporter stopped in front of a church, giving a flourish of their hand toward the mountains rising behind them. The camera zoomed in dramatically on the reporter’spale face. “Agent Cash has been accused of aggressively questioning and making highly offensive comments to a beloved local priest, Father Timothy Moore.” A scene change occurred, and then the reporter was in a church, now sitting next to a diminutive man on a bench in front of an altar. The priest had his hands clasped piously in his lap. There was an arrogant air about him that Holmes found off-putting.
“Father Moore, tell us what happened with Agent Cash.” The reporter held the microphone close to his face.
“Of course. Agent Cash visited my parish—the Church of Saint Mary’s—on June 16. She had some questions about one of my parishioners, Mr. William Grooms, and I was happy to cooperate. What should have been a simple interview turned into an aggressive interrogation. Not only did Agent Cash suggest that I should report on the activities of my parishioners—outside of the sanctity of the confessional—but she also needlessly disparaged the Catholic Church regarding recent controversies and called me an,ahem, an obscene and offensive expletive, which I naturally decline to repeat.”
The scene changed back to the reporter walking alone on the main street of Burns. “We managed to get in touch with Agent Cash, who hadthisto say about the incident with Father Moore.”
The camera skipped to a bedraggled-looking Cash, standing in front of a gas station in the rain. She had the wide-eyed look of a wet dog being scolded for shaking.
“He was being uncooperative,” Cash said into the mic.
Holmes winced.
“He also claims you called him an obscenity that I cannot repeat on air. What do you have to say to these allegations?”
Cash merely stammered something unintelligible.
Holmes closed her eyes as if willing it to go away. What the hell had Cash been thinking?
The reporter’s voice continued as the camera panned across a picture of a squat building, which Holmes recognized as the Portland, Maine, CID office. “This isn’t the first concerning incident involving this law enforcement officer. Agent Cash has a history of aggressive and allegedly discriminatory behavior. Sources indicate that ten years ago, Agent Cash was terminated from the Portland, Maine, CID for behavior termed as‘racist’ by some reports, when she fired a Taser at a homeless French Canadian man, resulting in his death.
“Furthermore, Agent Cash’s investigation seems to be going ‘off planet.’ I have confirmed that a UFO expert named Javi Castillo was allegedly questioned by Agent Cash as part of the investigation. Mr. Castillo had previously been fired from his position as professor of exobiology at San Francisco State University. Mr. Castillo has claimed that aliens were responsible for Mr. Grooms’s murder. With all these problems surrounding the investigation, the question remains: Is the Colorado Bureau of Investigation handling the investigation of the Shrouder murder in a competent manner?”
The reporter continued to speak, now in front of a green screen. “In other news, the controversial Neander search headed by the FBI remains at a standstill. The Neanders appear to have vanished. Sources close to the KBFR Investigative Beat report that the special agent in charge of that investigation, Roger McBride, is being replaced by AIC Makoto Ota, a decorated agent with over twelve years of experience and known for a firm hand. Will the FBI finally make headway, or will the Neanders continue to roam about the Rockies unchecked?”
Finally, the camera panned back to the reporter. “Robin Twen, reporting for KBFR Investigative Beat.”
Robin Twen… a new reporter on the scene. Twen was making the CBI look like a bunch of blustering idiots. Furthermore, how in the hell had Twen known about Castillo, the UFO angle, and the torture of Grooms?Shrouder murder.Ridiculous name. Twen had a source somewhere—she hoped it was in the sheriff’s office, notorious for leaking, and not CBI. She was pretty certain it wasn’t Cash. Nevertheless, Holmes needed to respond firmly to Cash’s mishandling of the public relations side of the investigation.
First came a dressing-down. Holmes had to admit Cash was a good agent: competent and smart. But she had her drawbacks. She could be a pain in the ass, hotheaded, and she talked too damn much. This thing with the priest was a perfect example. If she nipped this in the bud now—showed Cash that Director Blaisdell Holmes was not going to tolerate any outbursts or wildly inappropriate comments—then Cash might think twice before opening her mouth.
Second, Holmes needed Cash to prepare a statement for her to present during a presser. She had thought about making the statement herself but figured it would be more effective coming straight from the AIC. Make her stand up and be accountable. Holmes smiled at the thought. Having four kids of her own had taught her that. Most CBI agents were like kids; if you forced them to clean up their own messes, they were less likely to reoffend.
Third, she needed to make sure Sheriff Colcord made his own appearance at the presser. The public would be reassured by his good-old-boy presence and see that Cash was not the only one on the case. Colcord had a calming drawl that would look good next to Cash and help cancel out that clusterfuck of a news report.
As if on cue, a rap sounded through her office door. Blaisdell closed out of the news report, straightened her beige pantsuit, and sat up. She pretended to busy herself typing something on her computer. She decided she would be pissed, but not too pissed.
Cash poked her head through the door crack, looking apprehensive.
“You wanted to see me, ma’am?”
“Yes. Thank you for coming. Please sit.” Holmes gestured at the chair in front of her desk. She kept typing for several minutes, letting Cash sweat a little.
Holmes finally pushed her keyboard to the side and folded her hands in front of her. “About that news report night before last, Agent Cash.”
“Right… the one with Robin Twen. I just wanted to say—”
“Agent Cash, let me start with a question.” Holmes raised her voice—but only a little. “Is it true you called the priest a ‘prick’?”
Cash colored. “Um, yes. A sexist prick, to be precise.”
Holmes stopped herself from asking what had triggered the comment—that was irrelevant. She took a deep breath. “Good God. This is truly unacceptable deportment from a CBI agent in my bureau. I expect my agents to behave with civility and professionalism. From my understanding, Father Moore is an important person in Burns. You grossly mishandled what should have been a respectful interrogation by allowing yourself to be provoked. I expected you to be smarter than that. And that’s not the worst of it.” She paused, studying Cash for a reaction. The agent was tense, as well she should be. Holmes continued, “Father Moore has filed aformal complaint that I’m required to refer to Internal Affairs. Notwithstanding that, itappearsyou have a history of overly aggressive behavior from your time in Portland, Maine. I have a copy of the CID file with the Taser incident.”
Cash sat like a statue, a hint of anger playing across her face. A little anger was good. Get the blood boiling, make her feel like Holmes was doing her a favor—make her grateful to be here.
