The Big Bad Wolf

CHAPTER 59

A HUGE TASK FORCE MEETING was held in the SIOC suite on the ˙th floor of the Hoover

Building, which was considered sacred ground in the Bureau. SIOC is the Strategic

Information Operations Center, and the central suite was where most of the really important

powwows were held, from Waco to September 11.

I had been invited, and I wondered whom I had to thank for it. I arrived at around nine and

was brought in by an agent who manned the front desk.

I saw that the SIOC suite consisted of four rooms, three of which were filled with state-of-theart workstations, probably for researchers and analysts. I was led into a large conference

room. The focal point was a long glass-and-metal table. On the walls were clocks set to

different time zones, several maps, and half a dozen TV monitors. A dozen or so agents were

already inside the room, but it was quiet.

Stacy Pollack, the head of SIOC, finally arrived, and the doors were shut. Pollack introduced

the agents who were present, as well as two visitors from the CIA. She had a reputation inside

the Bureau for being a no-nonsense administrator who didn’t suffer fools and who got results.

She was thirty-one years old, and Burns loved her.

The TV monitors on the wall told the latest story: Live-action ?lm was up and running on the

major networks. Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, said the super.

“That’s old news. We have a new problem,” announced Pollack from the front of the room.

“We’re not here because of the screw-up at Beaver Falls. This is internal, so it’s worse. Folks,

we think we’ve learned the name of the person responsible for the leaks out of Quantico.”



Then Pollack looked right at me. “A reporter at the Washington Post denies it, but why

wouldn’t he?” She continued, “The leaks come from a crime analyst named Monnie

Donnelley. You’re working with her, aren’t you, Dr. Cross?”



Suddenly the conference room seemed very small and constricting. Everyone had turned

toward me.

“Is this why I’m here?” I asked.

“No,” said Pollack. “You’re here because you’re experienced with sexual-obsession cases.

You’ve been involved with more of them than anyone else in the room. But that isn’t my

question.”



I thought carefully before I answered. “This isn’t a sexual-obsession case,” I told Pollack.

“And Monnie Donnelley isn’t the leak.”



“I’d like you to explain both of those statements,” Pollack challenged me immediately.

“Please, go ahead. I’m listening with great interest.”



“I’ll do my best,” I said. “The abductors, the group or ring behind the kidnappings, are in this

for the money. I don’t see any other explanation for their actions. The slain Russian couple

on Long Island is a key. I don’t think we should be looking at past sex offenders as our focus.

The question should be, Who has the resources and expertise to abduct men and women for

a price, and probably a very large price? Who has experience in this area? Monnie Donnelley

knows that and she’s an excellent analyst. She’s not the leak to the Post. What would she

have to gain?”



Stacy Pollack looked down and shuffled some of her papers. She didn’t comment on

anything I’d said. “Let’s move on,” she said.

The meeting resumed without any further discussion of Monnie and the charges against her.

Instead, there was a lengthy discussion of the Red Mafia, including new information that the

couple murdered on Long Island definitely had connections to Russian gangsters. There were

also rumors of a possible mob war about to break out on the East Coast, involving the

Italians and the Russians.

After the larger meeting, we broke off into smaller groups. A few agents took workstations.

Stacy Pollack pulled me aside.

“Listen, I wasn’t accusing you of anything,” she said. “I wasn’t suggesting that you’re

involved in the leaks, Alex.”



“So who accused Monnie?” I asked.

She seemed surprised by the question. “I won’t tell you that. Nothing is official yet.”



“What do you mean, nothing is official yet?” I asked.

“No action has been taken against Ms. Donnelley. We will probably pull her off this

investigation, though. That’s all I have to say on the subject for now. You can go back to

Quantico.”



I guessed I’d been dismissed.