The In Death Collection Books 6-10 - J. D. Robb [489]
He watched Eve’s eyes flash and narrow and silently approved her control. “This is not a reflection on the work being done here. Rather it’s a statement as to the scope of the problem itself. I have a meeting this morning to discuss the progress of the investigation and to make the final decision as to whether a federal team should indeed be called in.”
“Sir.” Eve kept her voice level and her hands on her knees. “If they’re called in, which team heads the investigation?”
His brows lifted. “If the feds come in, the case would be theirs. You would assist. I don’t imagine that sits well with you, Lieutenant, or any of your team.”
“No, sir, it doesn’t.”
“Well then.” He moved to a chair, sat. “Convince me that the investigation should remain in your hands. We’ve had three bombings in this city in two days. What have you got, and where are you going with it?”
She rose, moved to the first board. “The Apollo group,” she began and went step by step through all the gathered data.
“Henson, William Jenkins.” She paused there as the square-jawed, tough-eyed face flashed on-screen. She hadn’t had time to closely review the data Roarke had accessed for her, so she went slowly here. “He served as Rowan’s campaign manager, and according to sources, a great deal more. It’s believed he acted as a kind of general in Rowan’s revolution. Assisting and often devising the military strategies, selecting targets, training and disciplining the troops. Like Rowan, he had a background in the military and in covert work. Initially, it was believed he was killed in the explosion that destroyed Rowan’s Boston headquarters, but several subsequent sightings of the subject negated that belief. He’s never been located.”
“You believe he’s part of this current group, Cassandra.” Whitney studied the face on-screen, then looked at Eve.
“There’s a connection, and it’s my belief he’s one of the links. The FBI files on Henson remain open.” She shifted gears and relayed the information on the maze of false companies inputted into the data banks.
“Apollo,” she continued. “Cassandra, Mount Olympus, Aries, Aphrodite, and so on. It all connects. Their expert manipulation of data banks, the high quality of the materials used in their explosives, the employment of a disenfranchised former soldier to manufacture their equipment, the tone and content of their transmissions all connect and echo back to the original group.”
Because it seemed so foolish, she let out a little breath before she spoke again. “In Greek mythology, Apollo gave Cassandra the power of prophecy. Eventually, they had a disagreement, and that’s when he fixed it so she could predict, but nobody would believe her. But I think the hook is she got her power from him. This Cassandra doesn’t really care if we believe her or not. She’s not trying to save, but to destroy.”
“That’s an interesting theory, Lieutenant. And logical enough.” Tibble sat back, listened, watched the facts and images flash on-screen. “You’ve made the connections, have at least partial motives. It’s good work.” Then he glanced back at her. “The FBI antiterrorist team would be very interested in how you came by a great deal of this information, Lieutenant.”
She didn’t so much as blink. “I used what sources were available to me, sir.”
“I’m sure you did.” He folded his hands. “As I said, good work.”
“Thank you.” She moved past the second board to the third. “The current line of investigation corroborates our conclusions that there’s a connection between the old Apollo group and Cassandra. Fixer believed there was, and though any evidence he may have gathered in that area is likely destroyed, the connection continues to hold through this second line. The tactics used by both groups are similar. In Dr. Mira’s report, she terms Cassandra’s political creed as a recycling of Apollo’s. Following this angle, I believe that the people who formed Cassandra have connections to or were once a part of Apollo.”
Tibble