Robert Jeffries, from the Bureau's Office of Public Affairs, walked to the podium in a large room in a building off Nassau Street at exactly 12:00 noon, about the same time that AJ, Lizzie, and Michaela arrived at the trading floor. The press filled most of the room with cameras and notebooks, and the podium overflowed with microphones. Jeffries felt calm and in his element. Not many Bureau employees relished public appearances, particularly since they usually took place after unpleasant events, but Jeffries truly loved his work. He enjoyed talking while telling people as little as possible. He also enjoyed treating it like a really fun game, although he'd never admit it so blatantly to anyone. Some might call his attitude perverse, but he thought of it as job satisfaction.

The room quieted as he mounted the podium and pulled out his notes, dividing them into two neat piles on the podium. Then he looked up at the gathered crowd and began.

“Good morning,” he said, and some in the crowd returned his greeting.

“My name is Robert Jeffries. I am the new Director of Communications for the local district office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As most of you know,” he began, “the FBI raided an apartment in lower Manhattan last night to rescue a 14-year-old female held there against her will. We are withholding her identity because of her status as a minor and because the case remains under investigation. Shortly after her release from the apartment, an unknown gunman fired a shot at street level which hit a civilian standing in the street. Fortunately, the victim, a 41-year-old male, is in good condition. Once again, we intend to withhold his name because the case remains under investigation.

“Members of the New York Police Department participated at the scene and played instrumental roles in bringing the situation under control after the shooting. We don't yet know the identity of the gunman, although our investigation continues to move forward. I have no other information for you at this time. I'll take your questions now,” Jeffries concluded.

About 30 voices shouted, “Mr. Jeffries!” and he recognized a woman in the front row.

“Mr. Jeffries,” she yelled, “Anne Franklin, News Channel 4. Witnesses told us that the shooting victim was a vice-president at Hanover-Rush. Can you confirm the truth of this report?”

“I cannot confirm any specifics of the case at this time.”

“A follow-up please,” Franklin shouted as others tried to gain his attention. “We also have witnesses who told us that the girl rescued from the apartment was the daughter of the bank officer. Can you confirm this?”

“Again, I cannot confirm any specifics of the case,” Jeffries intoned as the crowd yelled for recognition. He pointed to a man in the third row.

“Mr. Jeffries, I'm Jack Clark, 1010 WINS News. We have reports that FBI agents took the teenage girl and a young woman from the scene immediately after the shooting. Are they in custody, and who is the woman?”

“I'm sorry,” Jeffries repeated, “but again I cannot comment on the specifics of a case still under investigation,” as the riot of voices clamored for attention once again.

The next person he called on said, “Mr. Jeffries, Leslie Simpson for the Daily News. What can you tell the people of New York who fear that their streets lack safety even with the police and the FBI present?”

“Let me assure the people of New York that we will work diligently to track and capture whoever initiated this attack. I would also point out that we contained the scene of the crime within minutes of the attack, and APBs went out within seconds thereafter,” Jeffries said, as the chorus of voices clamoring for his attention grew louder. Two reporters tried to call their questions over each other without waiting for recognition, with the result that nobody could clearly hear either one. Jeffries ignored them both and called on someone else in the back.

“Mr. Jeffries, I'm Jason Holt from the Village Voice. We have a report of a car chase in Harlem late last night, shortly after the attack you described. Can you tell us about any link between the two events?”

“I have no information regarding any such event at this time,” Jeffries said to another group cry for attention, but Holt refused to let Jeffries push him aside so easily.

“Our informants tell us that the car chase ended when a large, bright flash of light led the trailing car to plow into a parked car by the side of the road. The trailing car, a black sedan, resembled very much the car that took the teenage girl and the woman away from the scene earlier in the evening. Can you confirm whether it was the same car?” Holt asked.

“I have no information about that,” said Jeffries to a storm of cries of his name, and he called on another man in the second row.

“Mr. Jeffries, Kit Powers, WOR: has the bullet used in the shooting been recovered yet?”

“We recovered a .22 caliber rifle bullet in good condition at the scene.”

Powers followed up over a chorus of cries, “If you recovered the bullet at the scene, do you know if it penetrated the victim's body?”

“I can't comment on that at this time. Suffice to say that the victim's condition is good, and he’s expected to make a full recovery.”

Powers had much more to say. “What’s the condition of the bullet?”

“As I said, the bullet's condition was good,” Jeffries said and called on another woman.

“Susan Walker, Mr. Jeffries, from the Wall Street Journal. We have information that the victim was Justin Knight, Vice-President of Operations at Hanover-Rush. Does last night's shooting have something to do with the current financial crisis?”

“As I said earlier,” Jeffries replied, unruffled, “we won't release any of the names of the victims in this case at this time.”

“But don't you think that if last night's events have something to do with the financial crisis, the public has the right to know the connection?”

“The FBI,” Jeffries answered smoothly, “does not comment on financial events. We focus instead on law enforcement and public protection, not economics.”

He called on another journalist who didn't identify himself but merely asked, “Do you have any information about the shooter?”

“And you are...?”

“Ronald Jeffries, WPIX-TV,” the reporter answered to a chorus of chuckles.

“Really?!” Jeffries asked, bemused. The reporter grinned.

“I seem to have a long lost brother here,” the FBI spokesman observed puckishly, and the reporter laughed along with the crowd.

“We haven't identified anyone as the shooter as yet, Mr. Jeffries,” Jeffries added, still amused.

“Has the weapon the shooter used been found?” the reporter followed up.

Agent Jeffries shook his head and said, “We have found no weapon yet.” He pointed to a young woman in the crowd and said, “I hope your name isn't Jeffries, too!”

“No, Mr. Jeffries. I'm Shandra Howard, TV9 News.”

“I'm relieved to hear that,” Jeffries said, to even more laughter.

“Have police identified where the shot came from?”

“We believe the shot came from the second or third floor of a building at the other end of the street. We don't yet know which building. FBI investigations continue as we speak, including a search of the buildings nearby.”

“A follow up, sir, if I may,” she shouted as other reporters shouted for recognition. “Why hasn't the rifle been found yet? Police ran immediately in the general direction where the shot was heard. Surely they could easily have spotted a man running with a rifle in hand.”

Jeffries shook his head. “I have no further information regarding the shooter or the weapon at this time. I won't answer hypothetical questions.”

“When will you have more specific information about the shooter and the rifle?” Shandra followed up a third time.

“As soon as possible,” Jeffries said, turning deliberately to another reporter on the other side of the room.

“Hi, Mr. Jeffries. I'm Lana Page, from the New York Post. Numerous witnesses listening on police band scanners report that an APB was issued immediately following the shooting for a black sedan carrying a woman and a teenage girl. Other witnesses at the scene report that two men dressed in FBI jackets moved the woman and the teenage girl into a black sedan which promptly drove from the scene. Were those two men FBI agents, and if so why was an APB issued?”

Jeffries hesitated a moment, then said, “Again I can't get into specifics.”

Ms. Page interrupted him and plowed on. “You have given us information regarding the bullet. Why can't you give us information regarding the black sedan?”

Jeffries felt the flow of the press conference slipping out of his grasp, but he said, “Once again I can't get into specifics regarding an ongoing…”

Again Ms. Page shouted, “Mr. Jeffries! Were the unnamed woman and teenage girl kidnapped by two men posing as FBI agents?”

A hush fell over the crowd. All eyes stared at Jeffries.

Though clearly caught off-guard, he paused by taking a deep breath and said, “I'm sorry, I can't comment on that.”

He immediately walked off the podium as hundreds of reporters shouted follow up questions regarding this newest and most surprising revelation amid a blinding flood of flashing bulbs.