table, everyone following my lead. “I know you have all been answering to Martin over the past several months.” The agents surrounding me nodded. “Not anymore,” I said, my voice firm and demanding, trying to demonstrate that I was in a position of authority. This was the first time I was leading a team this size. I had been part of protection teams in the past, but now that I was calling the shots, it was nerve-wracking. I was no longer following my brother’s orders. The success or failure fell on my shoulders, and mine alone.
“Eli will be running point here. Everything goes through him. He has been working this assignment with me since day one and is the only one, other than me, who is fully aware of all the intricacies of this case. He’ll bring you all up-to-date with what we know, so pay attention.” I nodded to him.
Raising himself, Eli stood in front of the assembled team. Pressing a button on his laptop, an image of Mackenzie’s father from his army days appeared on the large television monitor on the far wall. “This is Colonel Francis Mackenzie Galloway. He was our original target in this operation.”
“Original?” Benson interjected.
Nodding, Eli said, “Yes. Galloway was thought to have been the mastermind behind hundreds of acts of treason against the United States, including selling military arms and secrets to known terror organizations, drug cartels, anyone who would pay top dollar. Allegedly, his defining act was the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Liberia almost seventeen years ago.” A still of a charred building with dozens of bodies covered with dark blankets appeared on the screen.
“But you no longer think he’s responsible?” Maxwell, an agent with blond hair and medium build, asked. It was apparent he was rather intrigued by what he was learning.
Glancing at me, Eli hesitated briefly, waiting for my permission to proceed. I nodded.
“We’re not one hundred percent certain but, based on many suspicious events, we’re exploring the possibility that Galloway wasn’t the man behind any of these acts and was simply a scapegoat.”
“But if he was accused of all those acts in the first place, why is this the first we’re hearing about this guy?” Maxwell asked.
“We’re not sure of the details, but we do know Galloway was presumed to have died in the embassy fire he was accused of setting. A subsequent investigation, led by the team at Army Counterintelligence he had previously commanded, found evidence of his misdeeds. Communications with foreign terror organizations and drug cartels. Wire transfers into off-shore accounts, which they were able to link to Galloway. However, someone issued a gag order. With many unanswered questions still lingering, the case was sealed and all agents who had been working on it were ordered not to discuss what they had found with anyone.”
Returning his attention to his laptop, he pressed another button and Mackenzie’s photo appeared on the screen. “This, as you all know, is Mackenzie Delano. She was born Serafina Galloway.” Another image appeared on the monitor beside that of Mackenzie. “This is her mother, Magdalena Galloway. Shortly after the attack on the embassy, they went missing. A two-year search yielded nothing and it was assumed they were killed. Our theory is perhaps someone knew Galloway was being set up and needed to ensure his wife’s and daughter’s safety as a precaution.”
Pausing, he took a sip from his water bottle and surveyed the members of our team, their eyes glued to him. “Fast forward eight years. During her first year of college, Mackenzie began to date this man.” A photo of Charlie in his service uniform appeared on the screen. “This is Charles Patrick Montgomery. At this point, I’m sure you’re all aware of who he is.”
“Yes,” a petite woman with auburn hair I recognized as Gretchen said. “He’s wanted in connection with a string of murders.”
“Correct,” Eli replied. “He was working for Army Cryptology while he was dating Mackenzie and, from what we’ve been able to ascertain from his file and from Miss Delano, he was asked by an acquaintance to look into a missing person’s case – one Serafina Galloway.”
“Who was this acquaintance?” Martin asked.
“We don’t know. There’s certainly more questions than answers in this case and, unfortunately, the two people who could help fill in the blanks are in hiding. Now, it didn’t take Montgomery long to figure out Mackenzie was Serafina Galloway and he approached her to verify this. They dated for most of the year until, one