Russell walked out of the precinct chief's office with the file in hand. For the next while, he did not need to report to the precinct. He would return to duty only after resolving the secret assignment.
Of course, the mission had a deadline. The chief had given Russell half a month. Once that time was up, no matter what the situation was, he would no longer have investigative authority.
To put it bluntly, this mission could not be handled openly, so the higher-ups had assigned it to the chief. And the first person the chief had thought of was Russell.
The New York City Police Department had seventy-seven precincts throughout New York. Traffic police, the Housing Authority, and even the police museum were all part of its departments.
Further divisions included special-function units such as tactical operations teams, harbor patrols, K-9 training, and narcotics enforcement.
Norman Stanfield!
Russell's target was a sergeant in the narcotics division. Because he had repeatedly cracked major cases, he could be considered a highly capable officer in New York law enforcement.
But now that this file had appeared, the major cases Sergeant Stanfield had solved were open to question. For example, he might have used his position to eliminate rivals and seize more drug distribution routes.
Whether someone stood behind him was unknown, and that was not something Russell needed to consider. Your position determined your perspective. The chief and whoever had assigned the mission to him were the ones who should be losing hair over this.
Russell only needed to gather evidence. It would be best if he could get Stanfield's confession and hand it all over to the higher-ups together.
To be fair...
It was easy!
Russell's outstanding personal charm had always been one of his shining points. His words were exceptionally