The Search

Agent Cooper Donaldson sat in the dark, dusty office. A cargo train whistle sounded loudly and the coffee cups began to rattle slightly. It also disturbed the months of dust built up. He wished he had remembered to bring a mask. The only good thing that came from the pandemic was that there were always gloves, masks and an abundance of hand sanitizer. ‘Coop’ as the other agents called him was known as a ‘neat freak’. His OCD habits were probably what made him the top agent in Washington D.C. Now he was known by those in the FBI as a ‘cleaner’. He traveled all over the country helping agencies that have young, inexperienced officers. Now here he was in an abandoned construction trailer about to look through the desk of the owner.

This was an easy case but he had a harder task. The agent in training was the daughter of the Midwest Regional FBI Director. Sometimes the legacies are so eager that they are horrible and make mistakes. They can also be so manicured and confident that they think they know everything. He was ready for anything. Even the worst prospects could be trained if they were willing.

The trailer used to be Three Brothers Trucking Corp. a month ago. That was until the middle brother, Ken Watermark, was named in a cybercrime plot to smuggle guns to Montana. Local cops had arrested the oldest brother, Lawrence, for drug possession. It was not the first time Larry had been in trouble so he was looking at hard time. He told detectives he knew of his younger brother trading guns on the internet and wanted to get immunity for snitching. The authorities got a warrant and seized the home computer of middle brother, Ken. They could not get a warrant on the business because the youngest brother, Chris, was fighting it as he had the most stock and ownership in the company. Cleveland police cyber-crimes unit found information that ken was definitely using some of the trucks to move guns out of state. They knew the contraband was going to Montana but not to whom. It did not matter as once the out of state link was made the FBI was called in for further assistance.

FBI Agent “Coop” was assigned to the case along with a new agent trainee, Keira Swift. Coop had already had the office computers sent to their computer forensics department. Chris, the owner indicated that he has one program for the company and it is regularly monitored. Making it unlikely that Ken used his work computer for his indiscretions. Regardless, Coop wanted to search the trailer himself. Ken had been taken into custody and invoked his right to an attorney.

Coop placed on his gloves and swiveled in the office chair to get a look at his general surroundings. Keira handed him a mask. He smiled. She had passed his cleanliness test. He continued his initial visual sweep of the trailer. It had been closed up for about a week waiting for the agents and right to search. The trailer had seen better days. The little furniture and décor looked like something out of ‘Barney Miller’. Three desks in the middle were missing their computer towers that left clean, shiny spots in the dust. An old hat rack sat by the door with winter coats containing yellow safety vests. There was a small bathroom that looked like several men used it and he was not looking forward to that part of the search. Next to it was a small door that was marked as storage. It had three Closed shackle padlocks that looked brand new. Why would they have such secure locks on a storage closet. The agency could have just used an axe or other tools to break down the door. Coop did not prefer this method as they may damage what is inside. Worse than that what if it was set up to keep people out. Coop has seen many things in his career and he did not want to take chances. Maybe they can locate a key.

Old paintings of landscapes hung on the wall with the occasional framed business certificate and award. A coffee bar stood in the corner with a half full carafe and a small microwave. Coop almost expected to see a pin up poster to complete the stereotype of an old blue-collar business.

“Ok Agent Swift, welcome to your first search. While you will need to keep an open mind, look for the obvious first. Papers with names relating to Montana or out west. Invoices that don’t seem to match the cargo count. Extra phones or burner phones. References to girlfriends or names not known to be associated with the business. No detail is too small. Use your intuition for anything that appears out of place for the circumstances. This is not class at Quantico, this is the real world. What we do here affects real citizens and families. The guns can get into the hands of domestic terrorists and hate groups. Do you understand?”

Keira nodded in agreement.

“Any questions?” Said Coop. He noticed that she was very attractive but simply dressed. That was good as this was not a spy movie or the CIA. He admired her professionalism. He was not surprised as her father was a very understated but smart leader.

“No sir, I will do my best. Thank you.”

Agent Cooper started with the first desk. He always began with the obvious, checking anything face-up on the desk. There were only some old lotto tickets and crew assignments. This must have been the elder brother Lawrence’s desk. His name was on all the staffing materials. He also found a rolled-up dollar bill with white residue. He would have it bagged up as evidence but he was not looking for drugs right now. He continued with the drawers. Checked under the desk for any compartments. Nothing of significance located. The next desk was very organized. There were numbered files with all the contractors. Permits and registration for all the trucks. This was definitely the youngest brother’s desk, Chris. He seemed to be the only legitimate owner.

Officer Swift had finished searching the coffee area. There was nothing there but cheap coffee and ants. She was anxious to make a good impression on the older agent. She had her eye on the Washington DC office and a good review from Agent Cooper could be what she needs. She moved onto the coat rack. She decided to check the pockets. In the one marked Ken she checked inside as well and felt something in the lining. She took out her kit from her bag and located a small knife. Through the old rayon lining she cut a small hole and pulled out a folded piece of paper .She opened the page and it was series of letters but in a zig zag pattern.

“Agent Cooper, I believe I found something here. ”She handed him the paper. Coop read it and laughed, “they are not very sophisticated, are they? Can you tell me what kind of code this is?”

Swift thought for a minute and retrieved a sheet of paper from the ancient copier. She then wrote out a name and gave it to the Agent. “It is a simple transposition cipher via a rail fence. It is a common name, Benjamin Baker.”

“Interesting Agent Swift, now what else do you infer?”

“Well, the coat was Ken’s so that falls in line that he was probably the only brother involved with the gun trading. He has to have some sort of contact, even if he does not know their real identity. He is not the most educated person, but he did try to conceal it in the lining. So, he is somewhat careful in keeping it from his brothers. He is using the company trucks so he had to account for their travel and the charges for shipping. This small business is perfect to hide it. Now, except maybe his brother Larry figures it out. He doesn’t want to snitch on family at first. However, he is up for real time with the drugs and he ‘sings like a canary’.” Swift finally took a breath and looked at Agent Cooper like a child wanting approval from their parent.

Keira wanted to appear put together at all times. However, she was super nervous. Swift hoped he did not see her hand shaking. Here she was a new agent and 25 years old. She remembered seeing Agent Cooper when she visited her father at the office during high school. He was an imposing figure. Tall, handsome and intelligent. Now here he was older and probably the most decorated agent in the nation.

Cooper stood and said, “I think you may be onto something there. Not bad. Don’t get over confident and go too fast. That is when important information gets missed.” He walked over to Chris’ desk where the client files were. He gave Agent Swift half and motioned for her to sit.

After about twenty minutes of searching, Coop stood up to stretch. He walked over to look at the wall. The old paintings reminded him of a funeral home or his grandma’s house. Another train whistle could be heard. The pictures vibrated on the wall. He heard a low rattling and listened intently. He removed one of the service award plaques from the wall. A key was taped to the back. He held it up so Swift could see. He tried it in the first two padlocks and nothing. However, the third padlock opened smoothly. Swift smiled and continued searching the files.

Copper was checking the air returns and ceiling tiles. He would have given anything for an evidence suit to cover up his expensive suit. He could see something shiny in the a/c vent.

Then Agent Swift called out, “Agent Cooper, I think we have something else here. ”Coop came and looked over Keira’s shoulder. They both instantly noticed the close proximity. Coop backed up a little and waited. Keira started, “Here is a client file. It looks normal except that the delivery point is in Montana. Also, one of the receipts is signed by a B. Baker. This Norway Trucking Company does not exist. It looks like they have paid for 2 shipments that were completed to Helena, Montana.”

Coop took some pages from the file and examined them. “There is an order form for another fake shipment that is outstanding. He must have the guns stashed somewhere. Maybe even behind that old door with the shiny new locks. If that is guns or explosives, we definitely do not want to force that door open. Let’s keep looking.”

Cooper took a screwdriver out of the kit and opened the air return. He took off his jacket and rolled up his dress shirt sleeves. After feeling around the dust and possibly mouse droppings, he located an object taped inside. It was a key. After he washed his hands and cleaned up Keira tried the key and it opened the second padlock. “Easy as pie” Swift said with a smile.

“Remember, do not get cocky. Even if our guns are out there, we need to figure out who the real recipient of the guns are in Montana.” Just pray that we don’t have to go out West. It is a wasteland and they are not fond of the law. This has the makings of a ‘doomsday’ group.” Coop then continued in the files.

Keira had to admit that she did not hate the idea of going on a work trip with Coop. Right now, she wanted to focus and make good decisions and observations. She stretched and rubbed her eyes. What had she missed? This guy was not a mastermind. She had to think like a working-class guy who is breaking the law to get money. Maybe he wants to get out of the city. He wants better for his kids. His older brothers run and own most of the business. Maybe he wanted to be the bigshot for once.

She leaned against the desk. There was a snow globe of Florida Keys. Keira smiled as she used to collect these. He father would bring them home from whichever city he was working in at the time. She picked it up and was tossing it from one hand to another. Agent Cooper looked up at Keira. She looked so innocent as she had not yet been jaded by all the crooks and jerks, she will work with in the future. He hoped she never lost her smile doing this work. Suddenly he noticed an object in the globe that was moving. Coop said, “Hold on Swift, something’s moving inside there.”

She looked, “Yes, Agent Cooper, the snow.”

“No, there’s something else.” Coop grabbed the globe and pried it open with the screwdriver. There was a key under all the snow. “I knew it was odd that a Florida scene had thick snow”

They both looked at the locked storage door at the same time. “Ok, Agent Keira Swift, I will give you the honors. ”He motioned for her to go before him. She put the third key in the top padlock and it opened. Keira removed all the locks and the wooden door opened with a creaking noise.

They entered a hallway and heard the following announcement.

Congratulations to team Cooper-Swift you have escaped from the FBI agency room in less than an hour. You are now in 2nd place overall. We will see you next week for the Superhero Room. Thank you for participating in the tournament at the Cleveland Escape Room Studio.

Keira hugged and kissed Cooper and continued to the Exit. Coop thought he was so lucky to find this phenomenal woman that enjoyed this activity with him. He was going to propose after they win next week.

He smiled, placed on his sunglasses and walked out into the Sunshine.

The END