The Penitent One (Boston Crime Thriller Book 3), Brian Shea [best non fiction books of all time .TXT] 📗

put a wanted poster with a person's face on it has not gone unnoticed. And at the higher levels, it's become this administration’s personal bout with the Jackal," Gray said.

Kelly understood Gray’s reference to Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, the elusive, legendary terrorist of ’70s fame fictionalized to stardom by the author Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series. The Jackal had managed to elude capture for nearly twenty years after numerous international manhunts failed. The fact the FBI’s upper management were making comparisons didn’t bode well for his case closure.

"Okay," Kelly said. "So he's public enemy number one to the FBI, and they're super guarded with what they release, but I thought last time you were here, you were given the green light to share everything with our squad."

"I was—to a degree,” Gray said.

Kelly didn’t like that answer.

“And everything I was able to share with you at that time, I did."

"But," Kelly said, knowing there was more.

"But there was a piece of Tomlin's death that I couldn't share, and it was one of the reasons why I was first assigned."

"I hope I'm not going to have to wait a few more months to hear the answer to this."

Gray offered a sheepish smile. "Like I said, I was following orders, and since they came from the top, I didn't have much wiggle room to break them."

Kelly also knew the dynamic Gray spoke of. He'd been privy to knowledge about a rogue cop, and he had been threatened from on high of the danger in exposing that. Not only to the PD, but to Kelly and his family.

He understood when weighing the balances of justice and your own personal survival, sometimes the latter won out. So yes, Kelly understood the politics at play in any case, especially a high-profile one. Apparently the Bureau played by the same rules. Guys like Kelly and Gray were just pawns in a much bigger game. Although even a pawn can kill a king if the timing and position are right.

"That work history file, or lack thereof that you've been searching for regarding Tomlin, there's a reason it didn't exist."

Kelly felt himself leaning forward, literally on the edge of his seat.

"The reason it didn't exist, the reason you couldn't find anything on him, is because he wasn't a priest."

Kelly shook his head, his subconscious coming to the forefront and battling with his conscious mind. It didn't make sense. He was a priest at Saint Peter's Church. Donny had served with him. "What do you mean, not a priest?"

"He was an undercover FBI agent. He was set up at Saint Peter's Church to eavesdrop and monitor Connor Walsh. It was a major play by the FBI's Organized Crime Task Force. They seized a window of opportunity. One of many that have been deployed in an effort to gather usable information capable of putting Connor Walsh away forever."

Kelly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

21

Inside The Depot, Kelly watched his squad’s faces as Gray laid out the truth about Father Benjamin Tomlin: that he was an agent with the FBI, assigned to Organized Crime, and was working undercover in an attempt to gather intelligence and information to dismantle Walsh's criminal organization. He followed his briefing with an apology for holding back the information.

Mainelli, who seemed the most hurt by it, had his arms folded and was wearing a pouty face. "So, how are we supposed to expect that you'll be on the up-and-up with us now? I mean, maybe that information would have been pretty important back at the time. Maybe we'd have leaned on some of Walsh's guys, put the heat on them, maybe some of our snitches could’ve worked their magic."

Halstead interrupted Mainelli's angry rant. "I understand your frustration, Detective Mainelli, but Agent Gray was operating on orders and following them explicitly. He told you what he could at the time.” He looked to Gray. “And he's here assisting us again, and from my understanding we are privy to all pertinent information regarding Tomlin’s death. No more red tape. Hopefully his partnership will shed light on O'Toole."

There was a finality in his tone, unlike his predecessor, Sutherland, who would engage Mainelli in a back-and-forth repartee. It had served as comic relief for Kelly on a frequent basis, but he saw that Halstead would not be engaging the members of his squad in that manner.

"Nothing saying we can't take that approach now," Kelly said. "Jimmy's got a good point. We know now that there’s a tie-in to the mob and that Tomlin was there to eavesdrop. Now we've got one of Walsh's top crewmembers dead. I think we can definitely say there is some correlation that needs further scrutiny. Let’s rattle some cages and see what falls out."

"I couldn't agree more," Halstead concurred. "Make sure you let me know your plan of action. And keep me posted on your progress with this investigation. I'll be stopping in from time to time. I don't know what you’ve heard about me from your friends in the department, those who have worked under me or with me. But I think you'll soon come to find that I support the men and women I serve with, as long as I know what's going on. I don't want to be caught out in left field where somebody above me or beneath me knows more than I do. I want to be the one who holds all the cards. That way I can protect you and, at the same time, protect this unit. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear," Kelly said.

"All right then, I'll leave you to it."

With nothing else said, Halstead left The Depot and closed the door behind him.

"Crystal clear, sir." Mainelli gave a mock rendition of Kelly’s response.

"He makes a good point. If he's privy to everything we know while we're working a case, he can best protect us against people trying to one-up us. He just wants to be in the loop. I don't see