“These folks are successful because they’re fluid, they’ve got a huge network, they’re not burdened by bureaucracy, and yet they respond to a chain of command. They’re also loyal to and trusting of one another, within their individual organizations, and that’s where we hope to have the advantage. Using the broader resources and connections within this room, I think we can beat this particular group at its own game, and maybe set an example that other law-enforcement people can learn from.”
He made a small, self-deprecating gesture and concluded. “Okay-end of speech. Just something I wanted to get out.”
I smiled at his style. In short order, Walt Frazier had just rallied the troops, established the theme of our cause, and declared himself our leader, all without becoming either domineering or pompous. And it was on that note that both Gibbons and McMasters took their leave-content to be periodically updated by the regular reports that we all knew were soon to regiment our lives-letting the rest of us get down to nuts and bolts.
Dan Flynn began with the basics. “A couple of housekeeping notes. Since the point of this task force is to be as fast on our feet as the opposition, there is not going to be an official home base. There’ll be a central post office instead, and that’ll be me, or Digger, if I’m not around. We’ll coordinate the flow of information, and my secretary’ll make most of the paperwork neat and tidy. If something crops up in the middle of the night, nobody’ll be here, since we’re basically eight-to-five, but we’ll have open computers, phone machines, and a teletype. Digger and I always check them first thing every morning.”
He pulled several business cards from his pocket and handed them around the table. “That’s got my and Digger’s home and pager numbers, just in case the shit hits the fan-not that we’d be able to do much about it till we got back here-but I thought you might like it anyway. The way we’re going to handle things from this end is to notify all the departments in VCIN that a special anti-Asian crime task force has been set up, but that it needs all the help it can get. Same rules will apply to them as before-they’ll retain their own information through the pointer-card system-but since this is a federal deal, any participants who give up jurisdiction will get a piece of any seized assets, along with official letters of commendation. That ought to encourage participation.
“From our end, we’ll keep in constant touch with Lester and Joe, and anyone else you two recommend, so that anything we learn can be acted on immediately.”
He paused a moment, as if to shift gears. “From my viewpoint, it’d be nice if all information was routed through here, but I realize you might have to do things differently in a pinch. If so, all I ask is that you let me know as soon as you can.”
He was looking directly at Lester Spinney as he said this, a small ghost of resignation in his voice, which told me that Spinney’s renegade reputation was still intact.
Spinney smiled and gave an almost imperceptible nod of the head. Flynn accepted that response at face value and yielded the floor. Next, Margaret “Maggie” Lanier passed out business cards. “The same holds true for me, only you don’t have to wait for the shit to hit the fan, or until morning for me to act on your request. If you need a search warrant at 2:00 A.M., either call me at home or on my beeper.
“Now, first off, have either one of you worked on the federal level before?” Spinney and I exchanged glances. “Nope,” I answered for us both. “I’ve had some training in procedures.”
“Me, too,” Spinney added, “but not much.”
Maggie smiled. “Then you’re in for a treat. It’s a liberating experience.” She pulled her briefcase up onto the table and extracted two thick folders, one for each of us. “These contain some of the basics. We made them up for occasions just like this, where we don’t have the time or the leisure to send you to Washington or wherever for the standard crash course. Basically, they’re a kind of question-answer primer consisting of the most frequently encountered differences between what you’re used to and how we operate.
“You’ll find ours is a more pro-prosecution system, with fewer constraints, more flexibility, and total mobility. If you have any doubts or questions along the way, though, especially given your inexperience-and nobody’s available to advise you-just act according to the state rules you’re used to. There’s no way you can screw up. Vermont is so pro-defendant, and your regulations so restrictive, I’m amazed you people put anyone in jail.
“Anyway, if you think you have probable cause at any point, call me and I’ll help you write up the warrant application. You can give me the facts over the phone, send them in a fax, or deliver them in person, but whatever method you use, at some point you’ll have to appear in the flesh to sign at the bottom. I can’t go to a magistrate without that signature.”
Spinney looked at her quizzically. “What if I’m sitting on a house in the boonies behind Lunenberg?”
Lanier didn’t relent. “Find somebody to do the sitting while you get to me in Burlington. If Walt gives you a federal vehicle, most of them have car phones with scramblers. You can call me on the way, give me what I need to know, and I’ll have the application ready and waiting when you arrive.” She paused to address his skeptical expression. “The good news is that you can get a warrant at the drop of a hat-probable cause is not what it is at the state level-and in some instances you don’t even need a warrant where you did before. Also, you don’t have to ambush a judge in the men’s room during a break in some trial. I can roust a magistrate just like you can roust me.”
“Well,” Walt cautioned, “don’t get carried away, either.”
Maggie shook her head impatiently. “All right, all right. But you’re still going to hate going back to the state system after all this is over. I’ll guarantee you that. Another big item I should mention: When you want to interview someone who could’ve told you to take a hike in the old days? Now you can hit them with a subpoena to appear in your office for a deposition. They don’t want to do it, they’re in contempt and it’s off to jail. Same thing with documents. If you think they won’t cooperate, you can walk in with a subpoena and seize what you’re after. And if push comes to shove, you also have the grand jury, which sits on alternating Thursdays in either Rutland or Burlington. If a witness refuses to talk to you, you can haul them in front of the grand jury and then I’ll be the one asking the questions. If they still refuse, the judge can find them in contempt and jail them for the remainder of the term. Since grand juries are convened for up to two years at a time sometimes, that can be a convincing threat.”
“Of course,” Walter weighed in again, cautioning against Maggie’s brisk optimism, “I would tread carefully there. Just because that particular tool is available, doesn’t mean it should be overused.” I could sense the sweat of his distant masters, and wondered if Maggie Lanier-usually the more conservative, as a prosecutor-was using this opportunity to indulge in a little playful chain-pulling. Politics, I knew, ran hot and heavy among the various federal branches, and you never knew who might be sore about someone else-and who might use you as a convenient, if unwitting, cudgel.