Page 33 of Operation: Valiant Angel

“That’s hard to believe,” Cooper countered. “Italian families are all connected in some way, through business affiliations, if not socially.”

“This guy seems to be an outlier,” Garcia said. “Which could be suspicious in itself.”

“Keep the Digital Team looking into him,” Shepherd ordered.

“Shep, can you press the CIA for a direction? Are we talking weapons, bitcoin or other untraceable currency, links with known terrorist groups, or another angle as simple as drugsor money laundering? Going into it without any direction is asinine,” Doc complained.

“My discussions with Mason are ongoing,” Shepherd said.

Beauregard Mason was the deputy director at the CIA and Shepherd’s contact. He was also a cagey sonofabitch who habitually didn’t share info that would make their job easier.

“I’ll push Bianchi’s bio and what the Digital Team found on him out to each of you to study. Try to get to it before the flight to Baltimore,” Garcia said. “Michael and Wilson, you’ll want to catch a nap at some point. The three of us are going in as new employees from the contractor service the transfer facility uses to acquire staff. We’re on from nineteen hundred tonight until seven hundred tomorrow. They pull twelve-hour shifts.”

“Madison and I will staff our onsite HQ, run down leads if needed, and find a few hours in there for us each to sleep,” Cooper said.

“Your onsite HQ will be a Residence Inn a few blocks outside of the Port of Baltimore. Angel could only book you a one-bedroom unit. You’ll be hot-bunking it,” Shepherd said.

That didn’t matter to Wilson, and he was sure no one else would have a problem with it, either. “Are there metal detectors the employees have to pass through to gain access to the job?” Wilson asked. If he could carry his weapon was more of a concern to him.

“Negative,” Garcia answered. “Unfortunately, that means anyone else could be carrying as well. If anyone suspicious pops up in our onsite interactions, you can run them through the Digital Team as well. But try not to overwhelm them. Down on the docks, we won’t run into many choirboys.”

The team chuckled.

“Okay, questions?” Shepherd asked. He was wrapping up the briefing.

All replied in the negative.

“Okay, keep me apprised of your progress, Coop. We’re only going to give this three days onsite and if nothing obvious pops up, we’ll pull the plug on it. The Digital Team has already put in a total of sixty hours on this and found nothing concerning about this guy. If Mason doesn’t give us more, we’re not wasting too much more of our time on it.” He stood.

The team followed suit, and all came to their feet as well. Wilson followed the others out of Shepherd’s office. Cooper was the last out. He closed the door. “Okay, we meet in the garage at thirteen hundred.”

Wilson took advantage of the free time to go downstairs to sub-basement level two, to the gym. He needed a good workout. He put himself through an intense routine of cardio and weighted machines in solitude, earbuds in, his classic rock playlist blasting. Physical exertion always helped him focus. After a shower, he settled in at his desk in his office to do an initial read-through of the file on their target that the Digital Team had put together.

Garcia wasn’t kidding. There was zilch on this guy that could be thought of as concerning. He appeared to be a model citizen. He even paid the rent and living expenses for his elderly mother in an assisted living facility and his elderly father moved in with him the year before when his mother had a stroke and required round-the-clock care. At work, his evals were always above expectation in the ranking by his superiors. He rarely called in sick, used his vacation time, and appeared to be your average Joe in every way.

What could have shown up on a CIA surveillance job concerning this guy, or about an associate of this guy? Saudi business dealing was what Garcia had said. It could have been a legitimate business communication that the CIA mistook for something more nefarious. It wouldn’t be the first time they got it wrong.

Next, he Googled what crime was most prevalent in Saudi Arabia, even though he was pretty sure it was corruption and fraud. Uncle Google confirmed his memory was correct. Corruption in the form of nepotism and using middlemen to secure business dealings was common.

Maybe that was it. Maybe Bianchi was a middleman who helped facilitate business, which would be considered a crime in the U.S. and a sketchy gray area that passed muster in Saudi Arabia. And of course, if it involved product shipping either way, the legality of the product could be questioned.

Wilson met the remainder of the team in the garage at the appointed time and they quickly loaded the two vehicles they’d take to Chicago Executive Airport, where the Lear would meet them. Once on the plane, they buckled in to accommodate the fast turnaround time the pilots had planned. It wasn’t until they were airborne that the team discussed the case.

“Since this case is linked to Saudi Arabia, we can discount it’s drug related,” Garcia said.

“The population as a whole has little involvement with drugs,” Doc argued.

“But that doesn’t mean a particular business man isn’t helping another trafficker from a different country move their product to the United States,” Cooper spoke up.

“I’m more inclined to think our unlucky target is a middleman, taking bribes to help this Saudi businesses product clear customs,” Wilson said.

“What product?” Madison asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Accepting bribes to help shipping containers clear customs is a crime,” Wilson answered.

“Even if the product in them is legal, it’s a crime to accept a bribe,” agreed Madison.

“What product does Saudi Arabia export besides petroleum and petroleum products? Very little else,” Cooper said. “And petroleum isn’t coming through the Port of Baltimore within Bianchi’s job function. It’s something else.”

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