Phoenix Arizona
So it is a bit of a surprise when Edmiund, Vanessa, Nikolas, and Chad all find themselves summoned into The SAC's (Special-Agent-In-Charge's) office. Each of them have met SAC Patrick Hobbson before. They know him as a stellar agent, well liked by his colleagues. He's a hard worker and demands that quality from his underlings as well, but he's never been anything but fair with all of them. Hobbson is also 56, very close to the mandatory retirement age of 57 that the Bureau maintains. He will be retiring in the next few months, and all know him to be looking forward to it. His passion for fishing is well known, and a running bet around the office is where he'll end up first.
Hobbson's office is neat, professional, and functional. The only personal touches are a photo of him with his wife, a calendar of "lake of the day", and a Garfield mug that reads Hang in There! from which he drinks his lukewarm coffee. He motions for each of you to take a seat across from him before getting down to business.
"Thank you all for coming. I know you're all eager to cut down on some of the work that the holidays have generated, but a...situation has developed that requires our attention.
"Have any of you read the tabloids lately? If so, you may have heard of the so called "Devil's Highway". State Road 70. In the last month no less than 13 individuals have vanished from it and the nearby San Carlos Indian Reservation. The National media is starting to pick the story up, and our aid has been requested by the local authorities."
He folds his hands in front of him. "Now I don't think I have to tell any of you that this situation is sensitive. If this is AIM's* doing this has the opportunity to become very politically charged. None of us want another Peltier*. So tread carefully. We're treating these disappearances as kidnappings for now, so you'll be under the authority of the local law enforcement. Advise them to the best of your ability, but understand that they have final say. We don't want this to become a turf war."
He looks down and consults his notes. "You'll have two liaisons on this operation. Major Frank Garrett with the Arizona State Police, who have jurisdiction over the State Road, and Sheriff Mangos Colorados of the Apache Tribal Police. You can also contact me at any time. I want daily briefings, given the nature of this case.
"Your first assignment is to drive out to San Carlos and meet with Colorados and Garrett. They'll be expecting you later this afternoon, and will brief you on the particulars. The Bureau is putting you up in the Apache Gold Hotel and Casino, located on the reservation. But this isn't a vacation, so try and avoid charging thousands of dollars worth of gambling to the expense accounts."
Hobbson waits to see if any of the agents have something to say, pausing to sip his coffee.