"Actually, Maas came up to me after the exercises with an interesting request."
"Yeah, what's that?"
"He wanted to know if we could set up an exercise that's a little more competitive. I think that was the word he used."
"More competitive?"
"Yeah. He wants us to put a couple of live rounds in the simulators, random feed, random mags, and then let him run the course on his own."
"What?"
"Said if we were willing to do that, he thinks he can make a four-oh. Added stimulation. Heightened awareness. Shit like that."
"Christ!" MacDonald whispered.
"Yeah, that's roughly what I said," Brickard nodded. "And I'll tell you what. The more I think about it, the more I'm about half tempted to let him try it."
"Any particular reason?" MacDonald asked after a moment.
"Just one," Brickard said as he reached for the back door to the main cabin. "I'm starting to think we ought to let the robots put this guy down while he's still on our side."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wednesday June 5th
Walter Crane, chief investigator for the firm of Little, Warren, Nobles and Kole, waited until Albert Bloom, Lisa Abercombie, Dr. Reston Wolfe, and the other five members of the ICER Committee were seated around the teak-and- rosewood table in the quiet, luxurious, and tightly secured conference room.
Then he picked up the crisp manila file folder containing his summary notes, glanced through the first page briefly, and discreetly cleared his throat.
"This is an interesting case," he began, showing the lack of discernible emotion that most of his audiences seemed to find comforting.
"If I were to summarize all of the facts in one brief statement, I would say that our clients apparently stumbled into a federal undercover investigation being conducted by a team of special agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Law Enforcement.
"The team, which seems to be comprised of six special agents operating under the code designation 'Bravo,' is a part of the Special Operations Branch based out of the central Washington, D.C., office.
"I should note here," Crane said, pausing to look up at his audience, "that the Special Operations Branch is authorized to conduct undercover operations throughout the United States. There is no question of illegal or improper jurisdiction on the part of these agents. Or," he added significantly, "at least none that we are aware of at the moment."
"At any rate," he went on when there were no comments from anyone around the table, "the essence of the case is that on or about June the second of this year-which is to say, last Sunday afternoon-three brothers, named Alex, Butch, and Sonny Chareaux, took a Mr. Henry Allen Lightner, and of course our clients," Crane added without the slightest suggestion of sarcasm in his voice, "out on a guided hunt that turned out to be illegal."
"In what sense?" one of the ICER Committee members asked.
"Illegal in the sense that several protected, threatened or endangered animals-specifically, two grizzly bears, at least four elk, three whitetail deer, one peregrine falcon, one red- tailed hawk, and two golden eagles-were illegally killed, transported, and or possessed within or near the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park," Crane explained.
"But can they prove that all of these animals were taken by our clients?" the same man asked.
"That may be the relevant question," Crane nodded. "Right now I can tell you that some of these animals were subsequently found in the possession of Alex and Butch Chareaux at a local Montana taxidermist shop owned and operated by a Mr. Roberto Jacall. We also know that federal agents and state wardens spent several hours in the supposed hunting area taking photographs and collecting evidence. We are still waiting to receive copies of these crime-scene reports. Also, as far as we are aware, none of the individuals involved in the hunt had any hunting licenses, tags or permits that might have allowed them to take or possess these animals legally."
"But this is a federal case, and not state?" Albert Bloom interrupted, his normally tanned face looking pale.
"It is predominantly a federal case, although I would expect the state of Montana to be involved at some level, if for no other reason than a desire for mutual cooperation among federal and state agencies," Crane explained. "The initial arrests were made by Montana State Fish and Game officers, based upon the observations of two Stillwater County sheriffs deputies who responded to Mr. Lightner's nine-one-one call. The case was then transferred in fairly quick order to the local federal agent, who appears to have gotten into immediate contact with members of the Bravo Team."
"Which suggests that these federal undercover agents were almost certainly involved in all of this from the start," Bloom said, favoring Reston Wolfe with an ominous glare.
"Yes, it does," Crane nodded, "although I would caution all of you to keep in mind that it is still early in the process and that not all of the facts are in a format to be discoverable."
"What exactly does that mean?" another of the ICER Committee members demanded.
"While the case has been filed with the U.S. Attorney," Crane explained, "not all of the follow-up reports have been completed. At least two of the agents involved in the investigation are recovering from rather severe injuries and have not yet been able to put together all of their supplemental reports.
"But I should warn you," Crane added, "that while the investigative efforts of these agents have been summarized in detail by their supervisor-and there is no reason to think that any new information will be revealed in their final reports-there is always the possibility that additional charges could be filed as a result of these reports."
"When will we know about that?" the Committee member asked.
"That's difficult to tell," Crane shrugged. "Considering the nature of the injuries sustained by these officers, I would expect the judge to be very lenient in approving requests for continuances."
"One interesting aspect of this case, however," Crane went on, "is the readily apparent fact that there would have been no seizure of evidence, and certainly no arrests, at either the state or the federal level," he emphasized, "had it not been for a series of accidental events.
"These being," Crane raised three fingers in succession, "the very severe wounds sustained by Mr. Henry Allen Lightner during the hunt itself. The subsequent accident in which Mr. Butch Chareaux was seriously injured during the process of unloading the carcasses at Mr. Jacall's taxidermy establishment. And the fact that one of the responding deputies-whose brother happens to be a Montana State Fish and Game officer, and is therefore somewhat familiar with hunting regulations- found himself in a position to notice the carcasses in the back of Mr. Chareaux's truck."
"Incredible!" Albert Bloom shook his head.
"An unfortunate series of events at best," the chief investigator nodded.
"What charges have been brought so far?" another ICER Committee member asked.
Crane turned to the seventh typed page of his summary notes.
"So far," he said, "Alex, Butch, and Sonny Chareaux have been charged with a total of seventeen felony and five misdemeanor counts. These include assault on a federal officer, resisting arrest, and violations of the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Lacey Act, and the Airborne Hunting Act.
"In addition," Crane said after pausing for effect, "there are indications that other charges, such as kidnapping and the placing of an explosive device on a passenger airplane, may also be filed against one or more of these individuals at a later date."
"Jesus Christ!" some member of the committee whispered under his breath.