His Good Deeds (Kate Reid Thrillers Book 13)

by Robin Mahle

“I can’t wake him, if that’s what you’re asking. First of all, I don’t know if he would wake up, secondly, the amount of pain that man would be in…” she sighed. “He’d have to be so drugged up that I doubt he’d be able to answer any of your questions. I’m sorry. I really am. I can have the surgeon make contact with you just as soon as the surgery is over. But like I said, it could be hours.”

  Tillis nodded. “Yeah, okay.” He handed over one of his cards. “Please. Just as soon as someone knows something…”

  “I understand, Agent Tillis. I’ll do my best.”

  He turned on his heel and started toward the exit again, leaving Kate to catch up. The spark of hope that this might come to an end vanished from his eyes as they returned to his car.

  “He’s still alive. That’s the takeaway here.” Kate stepped into the car.

  Tillis closed his driver’s side door and slammed the steering wheel. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. We had him. We had him and he’s slipping through our fingers again.”

  “No. Not yet,” Kate replied. “We have no idea if the victim ever saw the man we assume is the bomber. And we won’t know that until he wakes up. What we do have is a promising link between the victims and the bomber. It’s time we explore that until we know otherwise. I asked Duncan and Surrey to meet us back at the field office.” Kate studied him for a moment. “I get it, okay? I know exactly how you’re feeling right now. Believe me. I’ve been close enough to taste the blood and still I couldn’t grab hold.”

  Tillis studied her a moment. “Maybe I was wrong about you, Agent Reid.”

  “I’ve been in the field, same as you. There’s no difference between us. It takes thinking like them to find them. And I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve learned to do that exceedingly well.”

  Danny pulled onto his driveway and stepped out, carrying a bag of fast food. He glanced up at the early morning sun, still wearing his baseball hat as he walked through the front door.

  He dropped onto the sofa and thrust his hand into the bag, retrieving an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Work waited for him and if he was late for his shift again, they might actually fire him this time. Danny still needed money. And if he lost his job, the court would never grant him guardianship over Mel. After his shift, he would go to see her. If he didn’t get her out of there soon, she might never get back to her old self.

  It was easy for him to compartmentalize his acts of violence. While he sat in front of his TV eating a breakfast sandwich, it was as though this morning had been just like every other morning. Mostly because he thought he was acting for the greater good. Partly because he hadn’t seen his victims as human beings.

  He shoved the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth and chugged back the cooled, bitter coffee. Danny walked into the kitchen and sat at the folding table where his computer lay. He put on his headset and logged onto the system.

  The company who had hired him was a chain store that operated three locations in the Pittsburgh area. Calls were directed to Danny from those in the area because he knew the local internet providers, the network’s capabilities as well as the cell phone carriers. It was easier for him to deal with local residents because he could direct them to the nearest store to buy new equipment when that was the end result of the calls. About 60% of the support calls he received required the customers to purchase some sort of upgraded equipment or service. It was all a big scam, but the customers never cottoned onto it. Or if they had, never said anything. The usual response was, “okay, thanks anyway.” Or “Where should I go to buy that?”

  After he started his shift, Danny opened a new window to check the news. Surely, the story had already broken, and he wanted to see how cleverly phrased the headlines might be.

  Danny got his news like everyone else—online, although he avoided social media sites except for his work. The version of truth available there was only what they wanted their users to see. Still, there was no guarantee any news site offered more than their version of the truth. Danny just played the odds.

  The site loaded and he figured it would be in the local story section, so he scrolled down until spotting it. “The So-called ‘Robinhood’ Strikes Fear in Quiet Community.” His face lost all expression as he read on. “What? No. No.” He swallowed hard. “No way he could’ve survived that.” He devoured the rest of the article, but that was it. The victim was in the hospital in critical condition. Nothing more. “He’s still alive.” Danny’s hands trembled. “That’s not possible. No one’s survived before. No one. How the hell?” He took in a long deep breath. “He won’t make it.”

  There was no way to be sure. And if Jeff didn’t make it, would he have had time to talk to the cops? “He wouldn’t remember me.” Jeff knew Danny’s name. A mistake he only now seemed to regret.

  14

  The phone records remained scattered atop the table inside the operations room that had been set up for the BAU team. Some pages had been marked with yellow highlights. Others waited to be scrutinized. More than an hour had passed since Duncan and Surrey returned while Kate had gone to the hospital with Tillis.

  Duncan checked her phone and read the text from Kate. “They’re on their way back. No chance to talk to the victim. He’s in surgery.”

  Surrey shook his head. “Damn. Then all we can do is continue sifting through these records.” He regarded her a moment. “You know, I haven’t known Reid or any of you for that long, but is it me, or have you noticed a change in her since the Lehmann situation.”

  She returned a chary gaze. “How so?”

  “You know her better than I do. You don’t see it?” he pressed on.

  Duncan glanced away. “I see that she’s taken the lead here and that’s never really happened before. She’s never been given the opportunity until now.”

  “Because of her husband, Senior Unit Agent Scarborough?”

  “Partly, but also because of Noah Quinn.”

  “Right. The man who attempted to blackmail Reid and Scarborough.”

  “I’d known Quinn for a long time and while I knew his ego was delicate, Reid’s abilities shattered it. He never could recover and now he’s not here anymore.”

  Surrey stopped what he was doing and held Duncan’s gaze. “But you’ve noticed Reid change since Lehmann?”

  Duncan pulled back in her chair. “We’re all aware of what you thought about her continuing with that investigation. Kate’s been through more shit than any of us. More than any agent I’ve ever known. I understand that’s not an excuse, and she would never use it as such, but she’s going through something right now and I don’t know if she’ll come through it whole. If she was ever whole to begin with. Frankly, who among us are?”

  “Do you think she’s compromised in some way?” Surrey asked.

  “No. Kate will always put the job first and that’s the real problem.” The door opened and captured her attention. Kate and Tillis walked inside. “Is he still alive?”

  “Last we heard.” Kate walked toward the table where they sat. “We just have to keep our fingers crossed. How are things going with this? Any luck?”

  “Maybe. There’s still a lot to look at, though,” Surrey replied.

  Kate pulled out a chair to sit. “Then we should keep going, unless you think differently, Tillis? This is still your investigation.”

  He dropped onto a chair. “Is it? I wasn’t sure.” He shook his head. “Hell, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I appreciate the work you all have put into this. We asked you to help and that’s what you’re doing. I’m just feeling the strain right now. We need this guy to live, damn it.”

  “It’s okay,” Surrey replied. “Reid’s right. We’ll follow your lead.”

  “There’s a lot of information here.” Tillis held out his hand. “I’ll take a share of it.” His phone rang in his pocket and he held it to his ear. “Tillis here. Okay. Did they recognize him?” He shot a look at the team. “Just the one-time purchase, though. No, that’s great news and we needed it. Keep me posted.
We’re closing in on him. Thanks, man.” He ended the call. “That was Stallard. His team got a hit on a small gun shop where a large canister of powder was purchased, with cash, about a week ago. ATF talked to the guy who rang him up and showed him a picture of blondie, he believed it was a match.”

  It was rare when Levi Walsh could put to use the skills he’d developed as an Army Intelligence officer. After having served in the Gulf, Walsh could easily have transitioned to the CIA. Instead, he’d chosen the FBI because he preferred to catch the bad guys, not just gather intel and hand it over for others to bring them in. He was always more of a hands-on type, and he also happened to be an expert at getting people to talk. It was time to call upon those slightly rusty skills to uncover who was behind Gordon Coletta’s illegal authorization to have the NSA partake in the aiding and abetting of a known killer.

  While the rest of his team hunted down a serial bomber, it was Walsh’s job to ensure his team remained whole. Never leaving any of them exposed.

  With a confident smile, Walsh approached the security desk at the J. Edgar Hoover building in D.C. FBI Headquarters. “Afternoon. SSA Levi Walsh, Quantico. I’m here to see SSA Jason Long.”

  “Of course.” The security guard viewed Walsh’s creds. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  Walsh stepped away from the desk. He’d met Agent Long a few years ago during an investigation. It had been a while, but the two had clicked and Walsh was going to use his talents to learn what Long remembered of Coletta, who had once worked here at this office.

  “Levi Walsh.” Long appeared with a smile and an outstretched hand. “Good to see you, brother. It’s been a while.”

  “Good to see you, too, man.” Walsh accepted his hand. “Hey, I appreciate you setting aside some time to talk.”

  “Yeah, absolutely. Let’s head over to my office and you can catch me up.” Long started ahead. “Still with BAU-4, huh?”

  “Yes, sir,” Walsh replied.

  “I’ll tell you, it takes a special kind of person to do what you all do there. I’m only dealing with corrupt public officials and companies. You’re dealing with a whole scary kind of crazy.”

  Walsh chuckled. “You could argue that public officials display the same kind of narcissism as some of the folks I chase after. It’s a thin line, brother. A very thin line.”

  Long opened the door to his office. “You have a point. Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink? A coffee or something?”

  “Nah, man. I’m good. I just wanted to talk about something that, well, I wouldn’t mind if you kept to yourself.”

  Long creased his brow as he returned to his desk. “Oh, sure. Hey, you know me. I got your back.”

  Walsh sat down across from him. “This is a somewhat delicate situation and like I said, I need to know it won’t make the rounds at the water cooler.”

  Long held his gaze wearing concern. “Do we need to take this outside?”

  “No. Listen, this situation; let’s just say that I’m dealing with some powerful forces possibly looking to keep something quiet. Something that almost cost us a case.”

  Long pulled back and cocked his head. His black hair was gelled neatly into place and his white button-down shirt and blue tie were pressed. “What do you need to know, man? I’ll do what I can to help.”

  Walsh pulled up in his chair and leaned in. “What do you know about SSA Gordon Coletta? Works in the Baltimore field office, used to be here in your department.”

  Long’s expression turned cold. “I know him.”

  “The look on your face suggests you know him pretty well.”

  Long shrugged but kept a cool mien. “In simplest terms, Coletta is the quintessential ‘yes’ man. I knew him when he was here. I was still green, learning the ropes, but what I saw in him changed my perspective of the Bureau to some degree.”

  “Was there a reason he made the move to Baltimore?” Walsh asked. “Agents don’t typically jump from HQ to a field office. It’s usually the other way around.”

  “Let’s just say that I don’t think it was voluntary. Coletta has friends in high places. His ass was covered pretty damn well. I think he was sent there to keep him from getting into more trouble.”

  “Who was his ASAC at the time?”

  Long glanced around as if he might be overheard. “Chansing. ASAC Leon Chansing. Retired now, but he ruled the roost in those days.”

  “You know who else worked under Chansing who might’ve been a similar thinker as Coletta? You know, looking to get ahead by doing whatever it took?”

  “I can get you some names of guys who, uh, well, let’s just say they hung around in the same circles. Needless to say, I wasn’t part of their circle. Levi, those guys—they’re not like us. They’re more like political operatives than agents.”

  “That’s what I figured. I just need names. I’m looking for a connection to an influential former head honcho, Gustafson, who’s long since retired and passed about 10 years ago. I have a feeling he still has a few disciples on the payroll.”

  Long folded his arms and held Walsh’s gaze. “Gustafson? He was a heavy hitter back in the day. What’s this really about, Levi? Is there a storm coming?”

  He shook his head. “This one’s not directed at me. But it is directed at an agent who doesn’t deserve it. I won’t let that happen.”

  “Then you’d better protect yourself and this agent, man. Because once you poke that bear, you might find that he’s awful hungry.”

  Kate stood outside the ops room on a call with Nick. “We’re still waiting on word from the hospital. The team is combing through the victims’ phone records. Nick, I’m sure this bomber is some kind of tech support guy. It just makes sense.”

  “Do Surrey and Duncan agree?” Nick asked.

  “Everyone agrees that it’s a possibility. And possibilities are all we have at the moment. Anyway, between us and the ATF, we’re narrowing in on our unsub. So, how’s things going on your end?”

  “Nothing new here.”

  “Nothing?” Kate asked.

  “Nothing I’m prepared to mention yet. Not until I know more. But that’s not something you should be thinking about right now. Your head needs to be in the game. You’ve got a serial bomber out there and it’s going to get ugly if his victim survives.”

  Kate grinned at the agent who brushed by her in the hall. “That’s what I thought. It’ll push him to the extreme because he’ll feel like the walls are closing in on him.”

  “Exactly. He’ll become erratic and unpredictable and when that happens…”

  “We will lose him. Yeah, I know.” She turned back when Tillis appeared before her.

  “The hospital called. He’s awake,” Tillis said.

  Kate returned to the phone call. “Hey, I gotta run. The victim just woke up. I’ll keep you posted.” She ended the call and looked at Tillis. “Can he talk?”

  “We’re about to find out. Let’s roll.”

  Kate walked back into the ops room and looked at Surrey and Duncan. “The victim’s awake. We’re heading down there now.”

  “Before you go, you might want to see this.” Surrey pulled aside two of the sheets in front of him. “This is our Instagram influencer, Sienna Page, and Tom Messena from the gym. Both contacted customer service for PivoTech Electronics in the recent past.”

  “The big box electronics retailer,” Kate replied. “And the other victims?”

  “I was still going through Delaney’s records when the call came in from the hospital,” Tillis said.

  “I hadn’t finished up my review of Hardy’s records either.” Kate appeared to mull over the results. “I say we reach out to the company and find out who in the Pittsburgh area works their tech support line. Specifically, male, mid-twenties. Let’s keep it as narrow as possible. They’re a huge organization and we don’t have the kind of time it’ll take them to hunt him down.”

  “We’ll get on it,” Duncan replied. “And if the victim can ID our unsub?”
>
  Kate eyed her. “Then we get out the information ASAP. If we get corroboration from the owner of the gun shop, we might just stand a chance at finding him.”

  Allegheny General Hospital came into view, and Tillis pulled into the parking lot. Without a word, he jumped out of his car and headed to the entrance, leaving Kate trailing behind. She hurried to catch up to him once again. “Hey, Tillis, you ever work with a partner before?”

  He marched on, reaching the entrance. “Not if I can help it.”

  She reached for the door to stop him. “Listen, we don’t know the kind of condition he’s in. We can’t push this man.”

  “We’ll do what we have to do, Reid, to ID the bomber.” Tillis headed inside with his badge in hand. “FBI. We need to talk to Jeff Hardy. Now.”

  The nurse behind the desk made the call. “The doctor is coming up to speak to you. If you’ll just wait a moment.”

  Tillis appeared agitated and Kate noticed. “I know we want this guy to point to our unsub and say, ‘yeah, that’s him,’ but we have no idea if he knew him. We need to be prepared for what’s ahead.”

  “I appreciate your advice, Reid, but I didn’t ask for it. This is my city and now four bombs have gone off, killing three. ATF is busting their humps to track down our guy and so are we. So, let’s just see what he knows before you shut it down, yeah?”

  Kate held up her hands. “You got it. This is all yours.”

  Tillis was smart but desperation radiated from him like bad cologne. He had more years at the Bureau than Kate, and it was a fine line she’d learned not to cross. But she knew how fragile the victim would be and pushing him wasn’t the answer. Maybe she’d misread Tillis’s intentions, but it appeared that he was going in full-bore and that was exactly the wrong way to approach the situation. She spun around with wide eyes and flinched when someone touched her shoulder.

  “Whoa, sorry Reid. Didn’t mean to startle you.” Stallard appeared behind her. “Tillis called me.”