Lethal Exposure

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Friday, 9:38 p.m.

Fox RiverMedicalCenter

Craig stood by Julene Goldfarb’s side, a hand on her shoulder as they looked down at her husband’s hospital bed. Paige waited directly behind him, and Jackson knelt with one knee on the floor in front of the bed-the tall, lanky black agent looked very uncomfortable in the awkward position. Ben Goldfarb’s two girls fidgeted on chairs at the other side of the room, doing their absolute best to be good and stay quiet. Outside, a powdery snow whipped against the windows.

Craig felt a flash of dèja vu-four hours ago he had stood with another family, two floors away, as they grieved over Georg Dumenco’s death. Luckily, this situation wasn’t nearly so tragic.

Craig watched his short, curly-haired partner wince as he tried to roll over on his side. Hanging from supports above the bed, two intravenous tubes ran into his arm, while others disappeared under the sheets. The numerous tubes and diagnostics made Goldfarb look like a mannequin supported by thick strings.

Jackson stood up, helped position his partner, then stuffed a pillow behind him to support Goldfarb while lying on his side.

“Thanks,” whispered Goldfarb. “I feel like one of those lab rats.”

“I’m not sure the doctors want you to be off your back, Ben,” said Julene.

Goldfarb snorted, then started coughing as it tickled his throat. “Everybody wants me off their back.”

“Sounds like he’s in pretty good shape to me. ” As Paige leaned over to Craig, he caught a hint of White Shoulders perfume; he felt strangely giddy with her face so close to his.

Jackson turned to the dresser and picked up a paper Starbucks cup covered with a white plastic lid. “Brought you something, big guy.” Removing the lid, he waved the cup under Goldfarb’s nose. “Bet you hadn’t tasted this for a while.”

Goldfarb’s eyes lit up. “That coffee smells heavenly. Bring it over here!”

“Randall Jackson!” Julene leaned over to pluck the coffee cup away. “You know he’s not supposed to have any caffeine.”

“I was just going to let him smell it, ma’am,” protested Jackson, taking the cup back with a swift movement. “Let him inhale.”

“Starbucks is potent enough to have a jolt just in the fumes,” Goldfarb said wistfully.

“Mom! Mr. Jackson’s spilling on me!” Goldfarb’s oldest girl pushed back in her chair as Jackson swung the hot cup of coffee over her. Jackson put a hand under the cup to keep the liquid from sloshing out.

Craig started to laugh when his pager beeped. Digging it out of his suit jacket, he checked the number. June Atwood, calling to check in.

Craig dialed the number from Goldfarb’s bedside phone. June sounded anxious and curious. “I got your summary of the events regarding the incidents at Fermilab-but you didn’t tell me how Ben is doing!”

Craig smiled at the clear concern behind her stern voice. “I told you it was an incomplete report, June.” He glanced at the commotion in the room. Jackson alternated between sweeping the coffee under Ben’s nose and keeping it at bay from Julene. Julene resorted to folding her arms and staring coldly at him.

“I think Ben’s made it over the hump. Remember how much he moaned about breaking his pinky finger in Nevada -he’ll probably milk this for a promotion, or at least a bonus.”

“He’s lucid?” asked June. “Is anything the matter? I can hear some sort of commotion in the background.”

Craig smiled. “Uh, it’s nothing. Just a difference in opinion on post-traumatic recovery procedures. He’ll be fine. Another few days and he’ll be able to fly home.”

“I really should have come out myself.” June sounded guilty.

“ Jackson coordinated everything at the hospital. And you wouldn’t have been able to do anything out here- Jackson wouldn’t have let you. They’re quite a team.”

“You all are. Including that Ms. Mitchell. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

Uh, oh, thought Craig. “Uh, I doubt you’ll have a chance to do that, June,” he said. “She’s working out here in Fermilab.”

Paige looked at him curiously. Craig just shrugged.

“For the time being,” said June dryly. “But we’ll see about that.”

Now Craig was really confused. “What do you mean?”

June sighed. “I don’t know how you two manage to do it, but the breakthroughs you and Paige Mitchell have made on the last few cases-even though you’ve been thrown together by circumstances rather than any conscious design-have gained attention as a model for inter-agency cooperation. Both rhe Attorney General and the Department of Energy have already spotted an opportunity.”

“An opportunity? What are you talking about?” His boss must have been working on this behind the scenes for a long time, completely without his knowledge.

“An opportunity to quickly solve high-tech crimes, just like the ones you’ve been working on with Ms. Mitchell. We feel that such a cross-disciplinary government team will not only get the job done because of your joint experience base, but it also costs less money than creating a separate agency. In short, you and Mitchell working together-with assistance from special agents such as Jackson and Goldfarb-is a good idea.”

Craig raised an eyebrow at Paige, who stood with her arms crossed looking at him. She tilted her head quizzically; Craig held up a finger as June continued.

“And that brings me to this call. The Director is appointing you as the Bureau representative to an inter-agency mobile technical investigative task force, effective today.”

“What does that mean?” asked Craig. Earlier, he had received the Shield of Bravery, had been promoted to Relief Supervisor for Squad 22-high-tech investigations-and had solved several major cases. Maybe he had attracted too much attention to himself.

“From now on, you are on-call for these types of highly technical investigations, like the ones you cracked at Livermore, the Nevada Test Site, and now at Fermilab. You’ll head up a small inter-agency group that has the authority to pull in additional experts, as needed. They’re going to be more common, and more difficult to solve.”

Craig blinked. The assignment was so unusual he didn’t know if he should be happy or wary. It sounded interesting, but there were other considerations, like Paige.

He snapped his attention back to the phone as June Atwood continued. “… you’ll still be based out of the Oakland office, with your own case load, and Jackson and Goldfarb will be part of your support team. But any time you get the call, this task force takes precedence over your other duties. We’ll discuss details later, but you’ll start as soon as you get back.”

“This sounds great, June,” said Craig. “But what does Paige have to do with this?” She hovered beside him, anxious to know what the conversation was about.

“The Department of Energy representative is going to be Ms. Mitchell, if she agrees, of course. The Secretary of Energy will detail her with an DPA assignment to the FBI-Intergovernmental Personnel Act, good for up to four years, effective immediately. With your track record, you two will continue to work together in the future.”

The news made Craig feel both warm and uneasy at the same time. It was great knowing they’d be investigative partners, and this time in a planned, official capacity instead of letting chance throw them together. But then again, he wasn’t sure if they would have a chance to develop a real, personal relationship; working together on a professional basis might put a damper on that.

Or perhaps the opposite would happen.

Craig nodded into the phone. “I’ll head back to San Francisco tomorrow, then. I think Agent Schultz at the Chicago office can do-”

“No,” said June immediately. “We don’t need you back here until Wednesday, so take some time off- maybe you and Ms. Mitchell can coordinate your long-range plans. You’ve got to talk her into this position, after all.”

“I think I can handle that,” said Craig, glancing at Paige.

“And one more thing. A representative from the State Department will escort you to the Indian consulate tomorrow afternoon. India is making a formal apology for Mr. Chandrawalia’s behavior and wants to officially distance themselves from his radical Liberty for All party. They’re taking the unprecedented step of waiving Chandrawalia’s diplomatic immunity, and they intend to cut off the clandestine weapons work going on in Bangalore, so they’re pulling out all the stops for you. They’re even bringing out a Dr. Punjab, director of the Sikander Lodi Research Institute, to testify that Bretti was involved in smuggling p-bars into India for weapons research.

“And since you were the arresting agent, their Ambassador is flying from D.C. to Chicago tomorrow to give his personal thanks.” June paused and added dryly. “I don’t know how you do it, Craig, but between the Russians and the Indians, you’re making quite the splash internationally. Just be on your best behavior.”

Craig grinned. “Right. You’ll get a full report next week.”

Hanging up the phone, he glanced up at Paige, who looked entirely curious, impatient, but hopeful. He gestured for her to join him out in the hall. As an orderly shuffled by, and an intercom announcement rang from the ceiling, he ran a hand through his hair.

Paige crossed her arms, waiting for him. “Well?”

Craig drew a deep breath. “Got any plans for the next few years?” Then he explained June’s offer.

She stepped close, so that her blue, blue eyes were within inches of his face. He could feel her breath lightly on him. She swept strands of her blond hair over her shoulder. As she was bringing back her hand, Paige rested it lightly on his lapel. “I always thought we should be working together,” she said, finally breaking the silence. “Who says the government can’t do things right?”

“Given enough time,” Craig said.

“I saw you saying goodbye to Trish,” she said, fishing. “It looked permanent.”

“It was something I had to do.” Craig’s eyes focused on the elevators down the hall. “She was an important part of my life, but that’s over now. It’s time to move on.”

Paige pressed her lips together, nodding. “You know, I think I feel the same way about Fermilab. After what happened last year with Uncle Mike, I couldn’t bear to go back to Livermore -there were just too many memories for me to deal with. But after living here in the Midwest for a year, and now after all this with Nels and Dumenco and Bretti, I think I’m ready to go back.” She ran a hand through her hair and smiled. “But as teammates with you this time.”

Craig nodded and tried to keep his broad grin from making him look like an idiot. “The Bureau is big on partners. June wants me to stick around here for a couple of days to relax before I head back-maybe we can talk about a few… details? We’re going to be plowing new ground, setting a standard for interagency teams.”

Paige looked up at him. She put a hand on his lapel. “Then maybe we should try to set a new way partners work with each other-starting this weekend. What do you think? You’ve got a lot to see around Chicago, and this may be my last chance to do some of the important sights. They don’t dress up as much in the west, either.”

Craig flushed, then laughed at his own embarrassment. He thought he was really going to enjoy this new assignment… no matter how things turned out. “Yes, ma’am, whatever you say. And speaking of dressing up, got any plans for tomorrow afternoon? There’s an Embassy function I’d like you to attend. You might find it interesting.”

Paige’s eyes grew wide. “Sounds exciting, Special Agent Kreident,” she murmured. “I’ve never been in an Embassy before. You must be an important man.”

Craig shrugged, more to shake off the giddiness he felt from her presence than anything else. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’ll fill you in on the details on the way over tomorrow afternoon.”

Paige looked up with her blue eyes. Her voice was so soft Craig had to strain to hear the words. “If you’re not busy, why don’t we start tonight?”