First Impressions
Part 37
By Kellie
Michelle began to shiver sitting out on the deck in the darkness. She could hear the water lapping up onto the beach as she looked out from the deck. She was sitting on the deck with her back against the wall as her book rested against her knees. Hearing a car door slam, she assumed Frank and Danny were finished with their conversation, so she began to try and rise while gripping the railing in front of her. Before she could get to her feet, she heard several more car doors. She peered out into the darkness surrounding the lighthouse. She could make out several shadowy figures in the darkness, but could not tell who was there. Michelle hurried to the doorway and rushed inside. She could hear Danny and Frank’s voices carrying up the stairs. Michelle called out, "Danny…"
The pair turned to watch her descend the stairs. "Michelle, what’s wrong?" he asked as he caught sight of her rushing down the steps.
"Danny, there’s someone out there. I heard several car doors shutting. I couldn’t see who was out there, but I could see some people standing by a car down by the beach."
"It’s probably some kids planning a party out on the beach. That happens all the time," Frank remarked.
"Frank, kids play loud music, shout out to anyone they see, and don’t wear three piece suits. There’s someone out there," she said as she descended the stairs.
"Michelle, I called in to my superiors a few minutes ago. I’m sure it’s the agents my boss sent out to secure the premises before he arrives to talk with me," Danny said as he met her at the bottom of the staircase.
Michelle let out a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Danny stroked her hair for a moment as he tucked her head under his chin. "I’m should have told you they were on the way so you wouldn’t have been frightened by their arrival."
"It’s alright. I’m going to get a blanket and then I’ll go back out on the deck while you and Frank meet with them," she said.
"No, I want you to stay. I want you to know exactly where things stand, especially if we want to keep seeing each other after this mess is over."
"Okay," she answered as they heard a knock at the door.
"Danny, do you want me to stay?" Frank asked.
"Frank, you know just about everything – there’s no reason for you to be left out of the loop at this point," Danny replied as he released Michelle and headed towards the door.
Danny opened the door to a trio of men in suits. The middle one spoke, "Santos, you said we needed to meet face to face."
"Yes, sir," he answered the agent. "Special Agent Munson, this is Detective Cooper of the Springfield PD and this is Michelle Bauer," Danny said as he introduced everyone.
"What do you have for us?" Munson asked.
"Sir, before I explain the information in this folder, there’s something I need to discuss with you," Danny began. "I came back to Springfield on leave to help my grandmother, and I thought my mother, deal with my brother’s drug addiction. I had no intentions of becoming involved in any investigations into my family’s business dealings. I’ve spent my entire career trying not to have to make the choice I’m now faced with – my duty to the bureau versus my loyalty to my family."
Agent Munson put his hand on Danny’s shoulder, "Son, I understand that you’re in a difficult position. What exactly do you want to do about this?"
"Well, part of the evidence in this folder isn’t going to do you any good unless I testify about how it was obtained. That places me in the position of being a key witness against my own mother. Despite the fact that I’ve learned that she sold me out, she’s still my mother and doing this is difficult."
"What do you mean when you say your mother sold you out?" Munson asked.
"Well, the Miami investigation where my cover got blown. We never figured out how they found out I was an agent – I found one of my mother’s men in some surveillance photos from the file. It’s a guy that I had never met, but he had seen my picture in my mother’s office. Right before that case, I had finally told my mother about my career with the bureau. Needless to say, she was furious. Until she and my grandmother called me about Mick’s drug problem, I had barely spoken to her and had not seen her since. I assume that when guy working for her recognized me, he called her and she blew my cover."
"What exactly have you decided to do?" he asked.
"Well, I want to know if we can offer my mother a deal. If I can convince her to turn state’s evidence and plea guilty to some lesser charges, I can avoid having to testify."
"I can’t make any promises on that until I see what you have and talk with the Attorney General’s office about the charges," Munson replied. "I’ll see what I can do, though."
"That’s all I can ask," Danny answered before opening the file.