A Criminal's Mind

Unit Chief Shepard

Most of my Sunday is pretty uneventful, I clean up around the apartment and clean out some of my closet. I had some clothes I didn't even know I had, some I kept but under the requirement I could make a work outfit, comfy outfit or workout outfit out of them. I end up with two large boxes of clothes and shoes to donate. It isn't until later that night that I get a phone call, "hello?" I answer, before blowing some of my hair out of my face, my hair being up and some loose strands falling.

"Nancy, hi," I hear Ford's voice on the other end and I jump a bit.

"Holden, hey, what's going on?"

"Uh... Shepard wants us to meet him in his office first thing tomorrow morning."

"Uh oh, that can't be good."

"Well, don't get ahead of yourself, it could be good or bad."

"Holden, you and Bill have a student and a barely approved psychologist working for the two of you. I can't imagine it's great news."

"Either way, we'll find out tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, won't really have a choice will we." I chuckle, "should start updating my resume, maybe start apply for jobs."

"You can always wear that red dress to some interviews." Holden chuckles a bit, "I don't know if I told you or not, but you looked amazing last night."

"Yeah, I kind of figured when Debbie did anything she could to avoid my conversation until Wendy got there," I hop up and sit on my counter.

"She did not... she just... alright maybe she did."

"Yeah, but it's alright. Means you have someone who cares about losing you."

"Not cares about me?"

"Hey, you're an FBI agent, who wears a suit everywhere, take what you can get."

"Alright, have a good night, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good Night, Holden," I hang up the phone and place my wrist on my knee. Thinking about last night. I shake my head, remembering Ford is a colleague and in a relationship.

The next morning, the plan is to meet outside of Shepard's office, however, we time it just right and we all end up in the elevator. Carr is standing in the middle, arms crossed, watching the floors go up, "so he called you directly?"

Tench shrugs, "no, Andrea called. Said he wanted to meet with us."

Ford takes a deep breath, "any idea what this is about?"

"No. Usually, it's about finding clarity."

"But he asked for me specifically?" Carr looks over to Tench.

"All four of us," Tench nods.

I sigh and cross my arms, "hey, Bill, care to do an exit interview after this? Maybe write a letter of recommendation?"

"I told you last night, you're not getting fired." Ford looks back to me, since I'm leaning against the back of the elevator.

The elevator gets to the seventh floor, the bell dings and the doors open. Carr is the first to step out and I am the last. But Ford waits on me and places a hand behind my back to keep me moving, just like he did before we talked with Rissell. Bill steps in front of Carr and leads us to Shepard's office. When we get there, Andrea nods that it is okay for Tench to knock. It isn't long after he does that Shepard calls out, "come in." Tench opens the door and Carr is the first to walk in, "Dr. Carr, Unit Chief Shepard. Nice to meet you finally." Carr and Shepard shake hands as the rest of us enter.

"You as well," Carr smiles.

"Sit, please. All of you." Tench and Carr sit at the table in the office, Ford and I sit on the couch, while Shepard leans against his desk, "so how's everything? Progressing?"

"uh, yes, thank you."

"Fine thanks," Ford nods.

"Slowly, but yes," Tench shrugs.

"We're getting here," I nod.

"Can I help with anything?" Shepard crosses his arms. Tench looks over to each of us and we shrug, "is there anything I need to know?"

Tench shifts a bit, "sir, if this is about the car..."

"Nobody cares about the car, Bill. It was insured and I assume driven by your protege."

Ford straightens his tie, "it's not important who was driving."

"I agree."

Tench takes a deep breath, "is this about Nancy still being a student?"

"No, in fact, Miss Freeman is moving along quicker than we thought and should be able to graduate this spring, become a true Special Agent." Shepard shakes his head, "Dr. Carr, I'm aware of your consulting with Bill over the years and your help framing certain psychological concepts with the BSU."

Carr nods, "uh, yes, a handful of times. Special Agent Tench was..."

"I assumed that meant you understood how things were done here at Quantico. I assumed the same for your cohorts." We all glance to each other, "you might think it is my job to impede your progress with my insistence on timelines and established protocols." Shepard walks around his desk and sits.

Ford scoots forward, "no, sir. Not at all."

"That is not my job. My job is to provide guidance and quite a bit of protection."

Tench almost tilts his head, "I don't understand."

"Clearly... You have stepped outside the shade of my umbrella and you are now exposed to direct sunlight. I applied for grand money from several sources anticipating a response months from now. Much to my surprise, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration was already aware of our needs and activities."

"I see," Carr places her hands on her knees, "I had no intention of embarrassing you, Unit Chief Shepard. I was at a fund-raiser for the university and I was talking to some..."

"Yes, talking to people outside the FBI about something you were not supposed to be aware of. The LEAA explained that the application was anticipated. How could that be, I wondered. It seems they know more about what's going on in our basement than I was comfortable including in the application."

"I so apologize. It..."

"Sir, this is my fault," Tench interrupts Carr.

Shepard overlaps both of them, "your research has been awarded $200,000." We all stop and look up to Shepard, as if we didn't hear him correctly.

"What?" Ford asks.

"There's more. As I said, I applied to more than one place for funding. The National Institute of Justice heard about the LEAA, and they're in competition, so the NIJ has awarded you an additional $185,000."

We all look over to Tench, who shakes his head, "you can't be serious."

"This amount of money comes with considerable scrutiny. And I'm not talking about bookkeeping, although you will certainly be required to keep meticulous records. I'm talking about Congress having a real interest in everything we do. So much for the protection I might have afforded you. Congratulations, I suppose. Have a nice day."

"Thank you, sir." We all stand, thanking Chief Shepard before basically running out of the room. We get into the elevator and head down to the basement. As we move down, we all glance to each other smiling, finally a victory.