Previously: Jeannie asks an important question and then realizes she has even more to ask.
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7:19 AM Monday, November 10, 2014
US Park Police Office, Ft Winfield Scott, The Presidio
The sunrise angled itself over the East Bay hills, aiming a white-gold beam across the water of the bay. Paco felt like it was exactly at eye level as he drove across the Golden Gate, making him squint into a smile. Taking the first exit into the Presidio just after the tollbooth, it was another quick turn to the left and he was already approaching the parade ground of Ft Winfield Scott and looping around to the parking spaces behind the building. Jeannie was emerging from her rattling old Mercedes as he pulled in to a space nearby.
“You’re early Jean —” he offered her a big smile which she returned.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged, shouldering her bag.
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep much either. I’m not sure why — I slept great all weekend. It’s gonna be a nice day today.” He bent his head back to look at the sky, clouds moving quickly over the deep morning blue.
A light honk alerted them another arrival — this time it was Owen and Steph in Owen’s Jetta.
“We got coffee!” Steph called out, trying to balance two trays of hot cups while opening the car door.
“I can see that.” Jeanne chuckled, reaching to help with one of the trays.
“Why’s everyone so early?” Owen asked, shrugging his cross-body over one shoulder.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Jeannie and Paco said simultaneously, laughing a little.
The roar of an engine made them turn to see a Mark’s dark SUV approach, with Raj in the passenger seat.
“What’s everyone doing here?” Mark asked, shutting the car door. Everyone looked around at each other and then burst out laughing a little. This weekend’s downtime was the first time the group had split up in over a week; they all seemed giddy to be together. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing. We all just got here early is all.” Paco explained. “How’s the new Dad?” Mark’s face broke into a rare broad smile as Paco tugged him into an embrace.
“Tired.” A round of congratulations and oohing over the photos on Mark’s phone commenced for the next few minutes, everyone in love with baby Hannah. “So, what did you guys do this weekend?” Mark tossed out with a grin. Jeannie rolled her lips, not wanting to take attention away from Mark. “What?” Jeannie held up her hand to reveal her ring. Steph let out a high-pitched yelp, with the boys making another round of hoots and congratulations. “He finally did it, then” Mark asked.
“I asked him, actually.” Another yelp from Steph, this time with a little spin of excitement. Jeannie bit her lip trying to tamp down her smile.
“Wow, the modern woman.” Paco said, pulling her into a hug of her own. “But it seems he had a ring ready to go, unless you bought that too?” Jeannie chuckled.
“Apparently he’s had it for quite some time.” She got quiet. “He — well, my Mom picked it out with him…a few years ago before she died.” She felt Paco’s hand squeeze her shoulder as everyone went still at this admission.
“That’s — that’s something really special, Jean.” Mark said simply, eyes wide. He moved forward hesitatingly, but gave her a smile before giving her a big hug. Jeannie realized it was the first time he’d ever made any kind of gesture of intimacy or friendship the whole week. “Apparently you aren’t supposed to congratulate the bride —” Mark stepped back, “but Chris is a lucky guy.” He nodded at her with a broad smile.
“Thank you, Mark. I’m the lucky one — I keep catching myself, you know, we were barely speaking ten days ago and now I’m marching him into City Hall to get married.” Mark gave her a deep chuckle and another smile. “You’re a new man today, aren’t you?” She laughed at him a little. “It’s nice.”
“Well, it’s a new world. And I’m always like this, just not at work.” Mark gave her a wink. “Should we move the office out here, or are we getting to work?”
“Well,” Paco began, “since we are here early, why not do a little team building?”
Five minutes later they were all at the top of the Batteries to Bluffs trailhead, making their way down the first set of steep stairs set into the cliffside. They made a single file group on the narrow trail with Paco and Steph leading the way. The cliff was still shaded in the early light, a slight dewy chill over everything.
“Go slow everyone — it’s slick.” Paco called back.
“Woah, this is steep — whatever happened to doing trust falls and shit like that?” Raj called from the back.
“Keep up, man, you’re making the FBI look bad.” Mark tossed at him, a few people ahead. Within another few minutes of steep switchbacks they’d made their way to the base of the cliff where the trail was built over a set of jagged rocks, and then quickly rose upward again in a series of tall wooden stairways set into the next cliff.
At the landing near the top of the stairway, Paco turned and gestured back toward the north before continuing on the path. Jeannie turned to look, knowing it was a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge, though rarely seen from this angle. The sheer face of the ragged green serpentinite cliffs spilling down to the foamy Pacific, and then the deco geometry of bridge towers stretching vertically made for a redoubtable scene. The early morning sun coming in at an almost horizontal angle lit up the famous international orange color with a shimmering gold, casting long shadows to the water below, while the golden peaks of the Headlands anchored it behind. Mark came up the stairs panting, pausing at the landing where Jeannie stood.
“Look —” Mark turned, and froze at the sight, mouth open slightly. It was too perfect; like a postcard. It didn’t seem real, but there it was, laden with the morning commute from Marin County. “They don’t have that in New York, do they?” Jeannie said smiling with obvious local pride. She turned and left him to himself, Raj soon joining him to appreciate the view.
“Welcome to Battery Crosby,” Paco began. “This is one of what’s left of the World War II coastal defenses, but nowadays it’s really just a big playground for kids — playground with a view, that is.” The team meandered around the brutalist-looking concrete slab, taking in the view of the Pacific stretching below them in a perfect shade of deep blue. Still in shadow, the cement underfoot seemed to give off a damp chill that went right through the feet and up the spine. “Just thought this would be a good place for us all to get some perspective before we wrap this case up.”
“You think we’re that close?” Owen asked quietly.
“We’re that close.” Mark assured. “A few more things to do, but we’re there. I’m hoping we can wrap up our last interviews today and write everything up for the Grand Jury tomorrow. Did anything come through on the tip line over the weekend?”
“Nothing much,” Steph answered dispiritedly. “I mean, some kids were leaving messages but it sounded mostly like a bunch of idiots with nothing to do on a weekend night, you know — like, slumber party pranks, that kind of thing. When I was that age we’d just send pizzas to people.”
“Can you double-check them to make sure?” Mark insisted. “There could be something there.”
“Sure, I’ll get on it.”
“Anything online?” Owen looked to Raj who looked back at Owen.
“Um, there were a few submissions of photos,” Raj said, “but kind of like what Steph said, sort of prank-ish. A lot of stupid trash talk. I didn’t look at the photos closely —”
“I’ll take a look,” Owen added, “I’ll see if I can add anything into the photo timeline.”
“Okay, good.” Mark nodded at him, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets to stave off the chill.
“Ownie — the photo timeline, there’s a few more details I want to go over.” Jeannie told him.
“Sure, no problem. Let’s meet when we’re back.”
“Now, I’m not sure if you guys heard, but on Friday night there were a few developments that were somewhat concerning.” Mark began. “First, we heard from the PD that Jennifer Tyson OD’d on some pills and is currently on a psychiatric hold.” Steph’s mouth went slack at this news. “We need to find out if she’s still at General or if she moved to a different clinic. We’ll need to talk to her — her aunt sent over a few screen grabs from her phone,” Mark looked at Raj, “some bullying messages from Tally Briggs — “
“Surprise surprise.” Raj tossed out wryly.
“I’ll send them to you. I want you to trace any other messaging between Tally and Jen — text, Pr3pSF, all of it. Whatever you can find. We’ll be talking to Tally later today so I want that lined up.” Raj nodded at him. “Pac — you and Amanda have any updates?”
“Not really, just beefing up the theory, making it make sense.”
“Okay, good. We’ll need it crystal clear for the Grand Jury.”
“So we’re going with Tally Briggs?” Owen asked. “What about Tripp Hartman?”
“Tripp’s still in play, but there’s federal interest there so the field’s pretty crowded. That was the second development over the weekend. I won’t give more details because it isn’t our case, but the Hartman family is getting a lot of attention right now.” Mark answered, omitting the suitcase of drugs at the Jesuit residence. That story would have to wait; at this point only Jeannie and Paco needed to know. “We’ll see what Tally’s willing to give up, if anything. Let’s make sure she does, okay? Let’s put the pressure on.” More nods. “And Raj, I want you to hone in on the Admin — go back to the beginning of the site and trace their IPs. See if the idea of the guidance counselor has any legs but I don’t think it does. I want that Pr3pSF site down as soon as we can make it happen, but not before we’re done using it. Get everything you can about Tally, Tripp, all of them — make sure it’s secure someplace because once we get that Admin I’m pulling the plug for good.” Mark looked at everyone in the group in turn. “So, are we good?
“Yeah.” Paco nodded in a wide stance, arms folded across his chest as he assessed everyone. “Yeah, I think we’re all good Mark.” He smiled at Greenberg. “See, team building works.”
“Good. I want to get home to my baby.”