Page 39 of Operation: Valiant Angel

“Razor, have the Digital Team dig deeper into Senior,” Cooper ordered. “When you finish there, wake Bubbles and Doc and have the two of them head over to the home to follow Senior.”

“Roger that Coop,” Garcia acknowledged. “You nearly done in there, Taco?”

“Yeah, and no computer,” Wilson answered.

They left shortly thereafter. Once in the car, Wilson dialed Michael. Michael’s groggy voice answered on the third ring. “Yeah?”

“Good morning, sunshine. Wake Doc. We need you two to get to work.” Michael woke Doc and put the phone on speaker. Wilson filled them in on the events of the day so far.

“That’d be just like Mason, have us investigating the wrong damn target because he won’t give us enough info to conduct a thorough investigation,” Doc grumbled, the first words from his mouth.

Juliette

Sunday arrived with the team having more questions than answers. As enlightening as Saturday had been, the reason for their investigation was still not clear. Although Madison and Cooper tried to befriend Bianchi, he remained standoffish. Cooper even followed him into the men’s room at one point but discovered the man used a stall rather than positioning himself at the row of urinals to pee. Cooper even remained at the urinal, giving Bianchi a glance as he opened the stall door. Bianchi kept his gaze averted throughout his handwashing and retreat from the otherwise vacant men’s room.

The Digital Team came up with very little on Bianchi Senior. As far as his weapons, he had never completed a firearm application with the state of Maryland or anywhere else. He also had never been arrested, charged, or convicted of any crime. The man had never even had a traffic ticket. He looked as squeaky clean as his son.

“We’re missing something,” Doc said as they recapped what they knew and all they didn’t know. “If I didn’t do this job, I would have guns and wouldn’t have any of them registered with the state either, so that isn’t an issue for me that Bianchi Senior has weapons in his footlocker. At least they were unloaded and locked up. I find his gambling more of an issue.”

“Yeah, he spent hours at the tables last night and it looked like he was losing,” Michael said. They’d followed him to the casino when he left his wife’s care home.

“Especially if he lost big to the wrong people,” Wilson agreed.

“Bianchi Junior is ripe for being blackmailed if he’s trying to keep the gay porn shit under wraps,” Cooper said.

“I almost feel sorry for him, so repressed. No real friends at work and it appears none in his personal life. The bartender confirmed he never talks to anyone in the bar besides waitstaff,” Madison said. “Has to be lonely. And if his dad doesn’t know he’s gay, how much do they really interact in the house?”

“Well, they’re on different schedules with Junior working overnights,” Wilson said. “So maybe not much.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Garcia said. He had his tablet open in front of him. The split screen displayed Bianchi’s kitchen on one quarter of the screen, his bedroom where he still slept below it, the camera that aimed at the front door that was hidden in the cold air return across the room was in the upper right section, and the image from the camera in Senior’s room focused on his still form in the bed in the lower. “It’s nearly fourteen hundred. One or both of them should be getting up soon.”

“As soon as they’re up, we deploy to cover their movements, same assignments as yesterday. If we don’t find something today, Shepherd’s pulling the plug on the investigation,” Cooper said.

Wilson couldn’t say he was surprised. But he also had a gut feeling this was something. They just hadn’t figured out what it was yet. He voiced his thoughts and was thoughtful for a moment. “If it’s going to be shut down, maybe a direct approach is what it’s going to take,” he said. “I mean, if we makeBianchi believe we know what the case is we’re investigating that involves him and a Saudi businessman, maybe he’ll spill it.”

“Hell, it’s worth a try,” Cooper said. “Okay, we proceed as planned. If nothing shakes loose, we confront Bianchi Junior at his home after he leaves the Little Falcon today.”

“And Senior?” Doc asked.

“If he’s there, we confront him too,” Cooper said.

“Without outing Junior to Senior,” Madison spoke up. “If his dad doesn’t know he’s gay, it’s not our place to out him.”

The rest of the team agreed.

Garcia and Wilson tailed Bianchi all over town. It was his errand day. He hit the grocery store, pharmacy, and the public library to return several books, and he ran his car through the carwash. Then he ended up at the Little Falcon, where Cooper and Madison were already two beers in.

After another day of tailing Senior to the casino, Doc and Michael were happy to hear that Bianchi Junior finally ended up at his favorite watering hole. They hoped he’d return home after his meal and two beers. Senior was still sitting at a table and losing.

Madison and Cooper again tried to engage Bianchi in conversation. Again, they failed. He ate his meal, drank a few beers, and then left. Wilson and Garcia followed. When it was clear he was heading home, Cooper and Madison left the bar, heading there as well.

Upon arrival in front of Bianchi’s house, Madison and Cooper slid into the back seat of the car Wilson and Garcia were in. They discussed the tactic they’d use. Then the four of them approached the house. It was deemed no risk that Bianchi wouldflee, so no one was needed at the back door. Madison stood in front of the others. She rang the doorbell.

When Bianchi opened the door, his surprise was unmistakable. When Madison produced her FBI badge, that surprise turned to confusion and fear. “I, I don’t understand,” he stammered.

“May we come in?” Madison asked.

Bianchi stepped back, shaking his head in utter bewilderment. The team followed him in. Wilson was the last to enter. He closed the front door behind himself. Bianchi stood in the living room awkwardly.

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