Chapter Thirty-One #2
“If you stick to the facts and resist the urge to editorialize or get drawn into questions that should be handled by his team, you should be fine.”
“Mmm-hmm. Okay. ‘Should be fine.’ Have you met those jackals? They must be salivating over our worlds colliding this way.”
“I have no doubt you can handle this assignment, even if you couldn’t handle being acting deputy chief.”
“That’s a low blow, Captain.”
“Truth hurts, Lieutenant. Before we get into the nitty-gritty on the bombing, what was that about with Hope just now?”
“We’ve got Gretchen Henderson’s ex-husband in custody as a person of interest in Ivanov’s murder.”
“Legit?”
“Possibly. We’re waiting for some video from the Naval Observatory that we think may show him lying in wait to take out Ivanov after the Russian spent yet another night with the woman Henderson describes as the ‘love of his life.’ Gretchen had history with Ivanov dating back to Oxford, and the ex-husband once heard her refer to Ivanov as ‘the one who got away’ while they were still married.
He’d certainly understand the implications of Ivanov spending nights with her when he was under the impression that he and Gretchen were working their way back to each other. ”
“I figured for sure it was a hit ordered by the Kremlin.”
“Not so quick, my friend.”
“Just when we think we’ve seen all the fucked-up shit there is, here comes some more.”
“Right? Okay, get me ready to face the jackals. I expect them to be extra feral today after one of their own was killed.”
“Understandably so.”
“Agreed, but let’s make sure I’m ready to deal with anything they might throw at me.”
Forty minutes later, Sam stood before the media in the parking lot where a makeshift podium had been positioned to put the gaping hole in the building behind her on full display, ensuring it was prominently featured in every video and photo.
“As you know, a bomb was detonated yesterday afternoon in the lobby of the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters. Three of our colleagues and one of yours were killed as a result of this act of terror.” Sam listed the names, ages and job titles of the four dead women and shared a personal thought about each of them.
“These women were simply doing their jobs when their lives were ended by people with an agenda that had nothing to do with them.
“In consultation with the federal government, we’ve learned that the bomb was delivered by two unsuspecting juveniles recruited by members of the Russian Embassy staff intent on recovering the body of murdered Russian opposition leader Sergei Ivanov.
They succeeded in creating a distraction that allowed them to enter the building, remove Ivanov’s body from the morgue and kidnap another innocent bystander.
Both the body and the bystander were later returned to HQ after the Russian ambassador was ordered to do so. ”
“By whom?” a reporter asked.
“By the president of the United States. The bystander was thankfully unharmed. One theory being put forth is that they were concerned about his murder becoming a call for regime change at home and wanted to prevent his body from being paraded through the streets of Moscow. That’s a theory—not a proven fact.
As you’ve seen in the headlines this morning, the administration demanded the expulsion of the Russian ambassador as well as those involved in the bombing, and it’s our understanding that the ambassador and four members of his team are currently on a flight back to Moscow.
The parties who carried out the bombing are in FBI custody and will be tried here on terrorism charges.
“The juveniles who delivered the backpack containing the device will not be charged, as they had no idea what they were bringing into the building and were interested only in the hundred-dollar bills they were given to complete the task.
“As for Ivanov’s murder, we are working on that investigation and will have more information as it becomes available. I’ll take a few questions.” She pointed to Darren Tabor, her friend from the Washington Star, hoping for something easy right out of the gate.
“First of all, condolences on the loss of your colleagues.”
“Thank you. Same to all of you.”
“I’m struck by your use of the words ‘federal government’ as if we aren’t talking about your husband and the strange turn of events in a case that includes both of you.”
“How do you think we feel?” Sam asked, sparking a ripple of laughter among the reporters. “This is certainly an unprecedented situation that requires involvement from his team and ours to deal with the various aspects of what’s transpired.”
“Is it a conflict of interest for you to work on a case that involves him?”
“Not this time. The murder of Sergei Ivanov is being treated as a separate case from the situation with the VP and the Russian delegation. The Ivanov murder falls squarely under my jurisdiction, and as such, we’re staying focused on the facts of that case.”
“Isn’t it obvious that Petrov ordered his murder?”
“We’re keeping an open mind until we know more.”
“Do you have any comment on the firing of your husband’s vice president?”
“Nope. Next.”
“How did the Russians gain access to the morgue through a door that’s normally kept locked?”
“We believe they came in as others were rushing out after the explosion.”
“And they were able to carry a body out of your building without being stopped?”
“The attention of everyone in and around the building was focused on the site of the explosion, which was their intent, of course. A young woman who was a witness in another case happened to be in the morgue when they came in, and our theory is that they took her to keep her from reporting the theft of the body the second it happened. We didn’t discover the body missing until about thirty minutes after the bombing. ”
“What security measures will be put in place to keep something like this from happening again?”
“That’s being discussed internally, but I expect to see greatly enhanced security, which is actually a sad development.
With our department’s focus on community policing, we’d prefer to have a welcoming, open atmosphere here at HQ, but keeping our team safe is an urgent priority, so appropriate measures will be taken as a result of this tragic event. ”
She was about to walk away when another reporter asked, “Were you concerned the bombing was targeting you as the president’s wife?”
The question stopped her cold. Did she tell the truth or blow it off? “Maybe for a second, but the blast was nowhere near where I work in the building, so that possibility was quickly dismissed.”
“But it was considered?”
“Not officially. Thank you all.”
Hopefully, she’d shut down speculation about the bombing possibly targeting her. She ducked into a side door adjacent to the main entrance and walked around the crime scene tape to get back to the pit.