Detectives Kirkland and Richards arrived in the briefing room for their assignment with the DEA.
"Gentlemen, this is Detectives Kirkland and Richards. They are on loan to us from the NYPD homicide division." Once Agent DeFrancisco introduced them to the agents involved in the operation, he turned things over to the agent in charge, Pete Vinnelli, who started the briefing.
"All right, gentlemen, settle down and let’s get to business. Our objective is Mike Black. We have information that he is a major player in the drug traffic in this city, and has been for years." Detective Kirkland immediately raised his hand. "Detective?" agent Vinnelli said.
"Can you share the source of that information?"
"Oh, agent DeFrancisco failed to mention that the detective has been investigating Mr. Black for years and doesn’t believe that Mr. Black has any involvement in drug traffic. He thinks we’re wasting our time here," agent Vinnelli said, not hiding his contempt for Kirk and his involvement in this operation. The other agents looked at Kirk, and the grumbles began.
"Settle down, gentlemen. I’m sure that despite his personal opinion about the objective, the detective will give us one hundred percent. Besides, I think that his involvement will give this operation a certain objectivity, as I’m sure the detective will be quite vocal if anything we do doesn’t pass the sniff test. And I want this operation run by the book. Are we all clear on this? That means no shortcuts, no slip-ups. I don’t want this asshole to wiggle out of this because we fucked up," Vinnelli said to everyone before turning his attention back to Kirk.
"Now, to answer your question, detective, no, I can’t share the source of the information. What I can tell you is that a meeting was held at a club in the Bahamas yesterday. That meeting was between a couple of middlemen from a Peruvian drug cartel and DEA agent Roman Patterson. The meeting was held at a club called Black’s Paradise, and it is owned, as the name indicates, by Mike Black."
"Was Black present at this meeting?" Kirk asked.
"No, but his wife, Cassandra Black, a.k.a. Cassandra Sims, a.k.a. Shy was present at the meeting. At that meeting, agent Patterson was murdered, along with one of the middlemen that Patterson was able to kill before he was murdered. Now, your job here, detective, is to detail for us everything you know about him and his operation. Where he does business and who he does it with. And I wanna know right here, right now, if we can count on you, detective."
"You got something you’re tryin’ to say to me, agent Vinnelli?"
"My office, detective."
Kirk got up and followed Vinnelli to the door. Richards got up too. "Where are you goin’?"
"He’s my partner. You got something to say, you say it to both of us," Richards said defiantly.
Vinnelli took a deep breath and opened the door to the briefing room. "By all means, detective. Why don’t you join us." Kirk and Richards walked out of the briefing room and Vinnelli followed them out, slamming the door behind him. He led them across the hall to his office and slammed that door as well.
Vinnelli stood face to face with Kirk. "I’m gonna lay it on the line for you, detective. I don’t want you here. I believe your presence here compromises the success of this operation."
"And why is that, agent Vinnelli?"
"You’ve been investigating this asshole for drug-related murder after drug-related murder for years, and you’ve never made a case, never even arrested him. Why is that, detective?"
Kirk stepped to Vinnelli’s chest. "What are you trying to say?"
"I’m not trying to say anything, detective. I already said what I have to say."
"Fair enough. Now, let me tell you something. I’m gonna do my job, agent Vinnelli. And if it turns out that Black is involved in drug trafficking, I wanna be the one to put the cuffs on him." Kirk started to walk away, but turned around quickly. "And if you ever call me out again, I’ll kick your fuckin’ ass."
"Fair enough."
"Glad we understand each other," Kirk said and walked out of the office, followed closely by Richards and Vinnelli.
The three men returned to the room, and Vinnelli continued his briefing. Then Vinnelli turned the briefing over to Detective Kirkland, who broke down in more detail than anyone on the team was prepared for, everything he knew about Mike Black.