"So, how's the school front looking for the kid?" Buck asked Josiah as he entered the bullpen.
"So far, so good. He says he's made contact with the gang, but they haven't really approached him or anything." Josiah shook his head. Their youngest team member was currently revisiting his high school days, undercover for a case that involved a local gang moving some not so local drugs. Things had been going slowly lately, and the kid had joked the night before that he just might have to do something drastic to get the gang's attention. Josiah hadn't been sure what qualified as drastic, but he didn't think Larabee would like it. Thankfully JD wasn't alone, Team Four, as headed by Lydia Meed, had agents in place as well. Nora Francis was the new secretary and Emily Thomson had gone under as a student as well.
Regardless, even though they knew that JD had back up in place, they expected the worse when Josiah's cell phone received a call from the high school later that morning.
"Hello," Josiah frowned, recognizing Nora's voice asking if this was Joel Saunders speaking. "Yes this is he." He picked up his coffee mug as he spoke, wondering just what could be wrong.
"Mr. Saunders, Mr. Forseburg requests that you come in later today to discuss your son's recent behavioral problems. Would 3:30, just after school releases, work in your schedule?"
"Behavioral problems? What has that boy done now? He hasn't been smoking now has he? Or drinking? He knows those are the devil's addictions and that I will whup him if he tries anything." Josiah ranted as was expected of him, garnering the attention of his fellow teammates.
"Actually sir, he was caught this afternoon..."
"Caught? You don't mean..." All the color rushed out of Buck's face as he considered the implication of those words as he listed to Josiah's side of the conversation. Josiah, however, was quickly made aware of his erroneous assumption.
"No sir, not what you think. He was caught in the janitor's closet with another new student. A girl named Erika."
Erika, but that was Emily, what was he doing in the janitor's closet with Emily? "In the janitor's closet?"
"Sir, I'll tell you the truth, they hadn't yet fully disrobed, both of the young people were still in the process of removing their shirts. So all the Principal can really do is give them both in-school suspensions. However, I am afraid that the whole school has been made aware of the situation."
"Not fully disrobed?" When the kid said he was going to do something drastic, he hadn't been kidding.
"No sir, now if you will just agree to come and meet with Mr. Forseburg and your son to discuss his actions after school we can put this whole incident behind us. Is 3:30 convenient for you?"
"Yes, I'll see you then." Josiah very carefully hung up his cell phone before looking over to his concerned friends. "Well, Brother Buck. When you said that you thought Brother JD was interested in Miss Emily you may not have been as far off as you thought. They were just caught, not quite fully disrobed, in the janitor's closet."
It was with a long-suffering sigh that Nathan wiped the remains of Buck's coffee from his face and shirt.
+ + + + + + +
JD couldn't help but give Josiah a little grin as they pulled away from Denver North High School after their little chat in the principal's office. Granted it had been more for show than anything else, although Mr. Forseburg did express his displeasure at finding two ATF agents necking in his janitor's closet. All he could really say was that at least is wasn't a student in there with JD.
But JD himself was ecstatic. He had finally gotten the gang to notice him. Chris had been close to pulling the plug on the case if it had gone much longer. The gang had just been too wary of newcomers. But being caught in an indelicate situation such as that with the very good-looking new girl – who had refused to give the gang's leader the time of day – had help immensely. He had impressed them, now all he had to do was get them to trust him enough to get the goods on them. Then his job would be done.
Still, the look on Josiah's face when he had walked in the office had been priceless. He hadn't known that JD, Emily and Nora had set it up so that Mr. Forseburg would find them. Nor had he known that they had made sure the rumor set out among the students was a bit more indecent than what had actually happened. Even now Josiah still looked at bit concerned over what had happened. "You can't say I didn't warn ya."
+ + + + + + +
Ezra eyed the janitorial supply closet as he headed back to the bullpen. After hearing Josiah regale JD's escapade at the High School he couldn't help but be suspicious of those rooms, even though the case had been over for several weeks. Especially now, he thought as he stopped and just stared at the closet door. There it was again; a rather distinct thump followed by what was clearly a moan.
He was still trying to convince himself that he hadn't heard those sounds when he entered the office. And immediately noticed who was missing. "Where, perchance, is Mr. Dunne at this moment?"
"Huh? Oh, JD went to go get something to clean up the mess he made in the kitchenette." Buck watched Ezra carefully as he reacted to the news.
"He went to get cleaning supplies?" Ezra gulped for air. "Oh my Gawd."
"Ezra, what's wrong?" Nathan was rather concerned at how pale the Southerner had suddenly gotten. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, I assure you that I am in impeccable health."
"Then what's wrong, Ez?" Buck asked from his desk, not sure what to expect.
"The sounds being emitted from the aforementioned supply room garnered my attention as I passed by. They were seemingly carnal in nature."
Astounded, the rest of team seven looked at him for any signs that he was pulling their leg. Seeing none, they all nearly knocked him over as they ran to the janitor's closet.
They could hear the sounds of a woman moaning from inside. As they tried to figure out if it really was what they thought it was, Josiah attempted to be the voice of reason. "I'm not too sure how I feel about spying on the boy."
"We're not spying on him," Buck explained, mesmerized by the sounds coming from the closet. "We're just checking up on him, making sure he's doing all right."
His explanation got him a whap on the head from Vin and a ‘shush' from Nathan. When they turned to Chris to moderate their he just glared them all into silence. The sounds from inside the closet continued.
It was in this position that Ryan Kelly and Kirk Gustin, of Team Eight, found them as they returned from their meeting with AD Travis. While Gustin was immediately curious as to why Team Seven was staking out the supply closet, Kelly was a bit more curious about the actions of one of his own team members. Just why was Brett Jordan standing in the doorway to the stairwell with a camera in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other? Seeing Brett say something into the walkie-talkie he figured he didn't have too long to wait to find out.
"Hey fellas," Gustin greeted them and was immediately shushed by Team Seven. Just as he was about to ask what was up he too heard the sounds from the closet. Only this time it was more than just moans.
"Oh, JD! Oh, my! Oh! Oh! Oh, yes! Oh! Ah-ah!"
Eight jaws dropped simultaneously. None of them noticed Brett snapping away at his camera.
"Was...? Was that a howl?"
"Was that Emily?"
Before any of the questions could be answered, a new round of howling came from the door. Chris had pretty much had enough by then. He raised his hand to knock on the door when it came open.
And the six members of Team Seven as well as two from Team Eight ended up covered with a bucket full of cold water courtesy of one JD Dunne. Emily ducked under the doorway too; snapping up her own set of pictures of the soaking wet agents to compliment those taken by Brett from behind them. Before the eight men had a chance to react other than gasp in outrage the door was slammed shut again and locked rather loudly.
"JD Dunne!" Buck yelled as he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to wipe the cold water from his face. "Don't even think you can get away with this! I know where you sleep!"
Behind them they could hear the door to the stairwell slamming shut as Gustin and Kelly went off after Jordan. Sounded like Team Eight was going to be planning a few reprisals of their own.
The End
