by Robin Mahle
“I understand, but we also can’t risk some sort of shootout with his car full of explosives.”
“Probably something we should’ve hashed out before now, folks. How do you want to play this?” Surrey asked.
Kate eyed Walsh and he nodded. “We take the lesser of the evils.”
29
The headlights grew brighter as Danny’s car neared. Parked under a heavily canopied tree, Kate watched as it approached. “Be ready.”
The radio buzzed in again. “We’re at your 9 o’clock and coming your way. Suspect’s car is passing you now.”
“Tell them to drop back,” Surrey said. “We don’t need a bunch of agents coming up on him. It’s too dangerous.”
“Surrey’s right,” Walsh picked up the radio. “Walsh here. Fall back. It’s our turn now.”
“You got eyes?” Watford responded.
“Eyes on the suspect. Drop back now.” Walsh shifted the car into Drive and rolled down the side street until he reached the intersection.
“He’s going to the park, near the gazebo and café,” Surrey added.
Fisher’s voice sounded on the radio. “I want all teams to get to the park. All teams, make your way to PNC Park.”
Kate tried to pick up the radio, but Walsh grabbed her hand. “What are you doing? Fisher just gave everyone the go-ahead to come here. Levi, you told them to stay back, and Fisher is telling them otherwise.”
“Leave it. By the time they get here, this could be over anyway, and we may need them.” Walsh picked up the radio. “We’re trailing the suspect now. Be aware his car is loaded with explosives. I’d suggest everyone keep their distance until we have him in custody.”
“Walsh, you can’t go this alone,” Fisher responded.
“We already are. Those on their way, I ask that you stay back and let us get the situation under control first. We don’t need any dead agents tonight.” He dropped the receiver and continued to follow.
Kate’s breath echoed in her ears. She thought about Nick and Quinn and all that had happened. But Danny King was about to plant a bomb and she had to stop him. Kate had come across plenty of cold-blooded killers. King was different. He couldn’t see past his anger and grief and distrust in the system. She didn’t know how to talk down someone like that. If he was willing to kill people at random, not for personal reasons, not for his own gratification, but as a statement, how is it possible to combat that effort?
“He’s stopping.” Walsh turned to her. “Be ready.”
“I’m ready. Surrey?”
“I can’t be any more ready. Let’s end this city’s nightmare.” Surrey checked his weapon.
Walsh pulled to a stop at the nearest location that offered cover. He opened his door and turned to them. “Now’s the time.” He stepped out and cringed when the interior light came on. “Shit,” he whispered.
“He’s facing the other way. He doesn’t see us.” Surrey opened his door and stepped out.
Kate swallowed down her nerves and tried to slow her breathing. “You’re okay. He can’t get to you.”
Surrey eyed her and whispered, “What did you say?”
She shook it off and walked around the other side to join them. Her chest felt tight and sweat trickled down her neck. Kate wiped her hands on her pants.
“Jesus, Reid, are you okay?” Surrey asked.
“I’m fine.”
Walsh examined her for a moment.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Let’s just go before this kid blows up everything.” Kate started behind them. Her eyes suddenly burned as she blinked away the stinging. She wiped them with the back of her free hand while holding her gun with the other. Her hands trembled as they moved closer.
Danny King stood outside his vehicle, staring off toward the park. Almost as if he had been reconsidering his plan.
The agents moved in and it was lost on no one that King possessed a deadly explosive device. Kate stepped ahead of Surrey and aligned with Walsh. “I know him. I’ve been working this case for weeks. You need to let me talk him down.”
He stopped and regarded her. “Tell me you aren’t thinking about Lehmann right now.”
“I’m not. I’m here, Levi. It’s me. You know me,” Kate replied. “This is my case. Don’t take it from me. I know who King is. Who he really is and why he’s doing this.” She looked at Surrey with eyes that pleaded for his support. Surrey had been an ally but had also gone against her before. Whether for good reason or not, it didn’t matter to her in this moment. She spotted the hesitation in his face and locked eyes with him.
“Reid knows him. She’s got this, Walsh. I’ll back her up.”
Walsh appeared reluctant. “I do know you. Better than most.” He tossed a nod. “Go.”
Kate started on. As they closed in on him, she readied herself for what was about to come. Danny King would fight it because he had nothing left to lose. His sister would be taken from him and he would face prison. Turning someone away from death when prison awaited them wasn’t going to be easy.
She looked back at Walsh, almost asking for permission. He had been like a brother to her, and she’d learned a lot from him. She loved him, and his life was just as much at stake as hers. He offered a gentle nod and she moved forward.
Kate trained her weapon on him. “Danny King.”
The young man shot around with the box in his hand, appearing startled. Realization masked his face. “Let me guess, it was you. Not some reporter. You texted me the other night, didn’t you?”
“Put down the box, Danny. We tracked you inside the group chat. We know your plan and it ends here.” Kate raised her gun just a little higher to solidify her point.
“Just you three? I thought I’d draw a bigger response than that.”
“More are coming if you want to wait it out,” Kate added. “But it’s just us right now.”
He scoffed. “I knew this was coming. That’s why I thought I might as well go big or go home, right?”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s true. I think you wanted this, Danny. You wanted us to stop you. You don’t want to leave Melanie on her own,” Kate pressed on.
Danny’s eyes darkened. “What do you know about Mel?”
“I know she needs help. I know she can’t take care of herself, which was why she was in a home.”
“She was in a home because the fucking State didn’t think I could take care of my own family.”
“I know. And I know that you’ve shouldered a lot in the past few years. Your mom. Your sister. I understand why you felt the system failed you. It did.” And as if from nowhere, her hands jerked the gun before she quickly steadied them again. It was only a split second. Kate’s face masked in shock as she was forced to recall the moment she stood before George Lehmann with a gun to his head, just as she was doing now.
Walsh jumped to her aid after spotting her recoil. “Put down the box, son. That thing goes off by accident, you’ll be the one who ends up dead.”
Kate regained her composure and kept her eyes fixed on King. “He’s right. It’s over, Danny. We’ll go get Melanie and make sure she’s safe.”
“You don’t even know where she is. Only I do.”
“I know she’s at an old cottage your grandmother owns,” Kate began. “She must be really scared right now not knowing where you are or what you’re doing. So, how about we put this to rest and bring her back.”
“Well, I guess if you know where she is, there isn’t much point in any of this.” Headlights appeared to catch his eye and he glanced beyond Kate.
Walsh turned his head and waved them back. “God damn it.”
“Well, now. I think things just got interesting.” Danny nodded. “The more, the merrier, right?”
“Keep them back,” Kate said to Walsh, without letting down her guard. “He doesn’t care about his life now.”
“The lady’s right.” Danny smiled. “My life is over. It’s only Mel’s life that matters to me. All this time, I tried to ma
ke things better for her. But in this world, you either screw people over to get what you want, or they screw you over. There is no in-between. Someone needs to fix that. I tried.”
“You have a right to be angry, Danny. But you killed innocent people. You could’ve killed a lot more at the train station, but you didn’t,” Kate replied. “I have to think that’s because a part of you knows there’s still good in this world.”
“What the hell are you talking about, a train station?”
Kate lost all expression. Her eyes darted for a moment to Walsh. He had been right. The train station was her own damn people, including Quinn.
“Why would I choose prison? Either way, I’ve lost my sister.” Danny opened the box and picked up a cell phone inside.
Kate thrust out her other hand, leaving her gun trained on him. “Danny, don’t.”
“Step back, Reid.” Walsh grabbed her arm.
“Yeah, Reid. Step back or you might get hurt.” Danny swiped the screen.
“Wait. Don’t do this, Danny,” Kate insisted.
“Why not?”
His eyes bored into hers and for the first time, she saw a frightened kid. “Because it would hurt Mel. A lot, I imagine. I don’t think you want to put her in any more pain than she’s already been forced to endure.”
Walsh continued to glance back and make sure the other agents weren’t getting close. He spotted Fisher step out of his car with Duncan next to him. Behind them, Tillis rolled up. There were too many of them here now and this kid would get spooked. He already teetered. It wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge.
“She deserves a better brother than me.”
When he looked down at the phone, Kate knew this was it.” Danny!”
The explosion threw a bright light and forced Kate to stumble back, nearly falling into Surrey. They tangled into each other as he struggled to regain his footing.
Walsh shuffled back and used his arm to shield himself. “Get down!”
Debris flew inside the energy wave and Kate huddled on the ground, her back to the blast.
Fisher knelt down with Duncan by his side and when the worst of it ended, he stood. “I have to get up there.” He ran toward his team. “Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?”
“I’m okay.” Kate slowly got to her feet. “Surrey, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good.”
Fisher offered his hand to Walsh. “Come on, man. It’s over.” When they stood again, they watched the flames burn Danny’s body as he lay on the ground. The grass around him singed and flared up, but soon extinguished in the sultry air. “Christ.” He turned back as Tillis approached. “We need the Fire Department here now.”
Melanie King would soon get a visit from Social Services and find herself spending the rest of her days in the care of the State of Pennsylvania. Her grandmother had been too old to care for her. The local agents cleared the remaining locations and as a precaution, the areas were cordoned off for hours.
After the final briefing, the team boarded the plane and headed back to Quantico in the middle of the night. Kate buckled her belt and peered through the plane’s window when Walsh sat down next to her. She turned to him and revealed a tender grin.
“What happened back there?” Walsh asked in a hushed tone.
“What do you mean? The kid blew himself up. Didn’t livestream it. Didn’t kill anyone else. He knew it was over. We saved a lot of people tonight.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Walsh continued. “What happened to you back there? You flinched, Kate. You trained a gun on a man’s chest and you flinched.”
She looked away. “He didn’t know anything about the train station, Levi.” Kate turned back. “Were they going to kill me? Is that why they were there?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. They wanted us to see what they could do.”
“So they get away with it again. They could’ve killed someone.” She shook her head. “I knew Richard Lehmann was innocent, Levi. I felt it the moment Surrey and I brought him onto that plane. If he hadn’t attacked Surrey…”
“Then he wouldn’t have been killed,” Walsh cut in. “Kate, I’m sorry about all of this. You were targeted because of the Lehmann case. It was their best shot at shutting us down.”
“And Quinn?” Kate held his gaze. “Am I supposed to forget that he’s somehow involved in all this?”
“You want the truth? Yes. Kate, it’s not worth what they’re willing to do to you and to Nick.”
“To Nick?” she asked.
“I fully believe this was a ploy to get to him through you. It’s what I would expect from Quinn. He wasn’t running the show, but I have no doubt he put in his two cents.”
Kate pulled the elastic band from her hair. “What the hell am I supposed to do, Levi? Fold?”
“If you want them to stop, then yes. You fold. We drop the whole thing, and everyone gets on with their lives. No one loses their job. That’s what I suggested to Scarborough.”
“What did he say?” Kate asked.
“I don’t think he’d made up his mind. That might change now, I don’t know. But if it doesn’t, Kate, then you have to convince him. Ultimately, it’s you he’s been worried about. Same as me. The way you were targeted during this case.” He turned away for a moment. “Scares the shit out of me as to what they were willing to do to keep their secret. Don’t jeopardize this opportunity. You’ve worked too hard for it.”
“I know, but…”
“But nothing. Quinn wins if you’re out—if Nick’s out. I don’t think that’s what you want.” Walsh stood again. “And Kate, I think you should consider talking to someone.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re dealing with things I can’t imagine. And back there was the first I’d seen any hint that you might not be handling it well. The next time could cost your life or someone else’s.”
Kate finally arrived home. She walked inside the apartment to see Nick standing on the other side of the door. “You’re still up.”
“Of course I am.” He pulled her into an embrace. “I should’ve told you, Kate. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to pull you out of the game.”
“I know that you didn’t trust me to put the job first. That’s what I know, Nick.” She pushed him away. “They followed me, and I had no idea. Do you know what they could’ve done?”
“It was a scare tactic,” he added.
“You sure about that? Because I’m not. And now I have Levi telling me we need to scrap the whole thing. Let Quinn and the rest of them off scot-free. Nick, I don’t think I can do that.”
“Then it won’t end.” He turned on his heel and leaned against the back of the sofa sectional. “It won’t end until we drop it. The Mercy Killer is dead. We got justice for his victims. Maybe Walsh is right. I won’t let them force you out or me, for that matter.”
She folded her arms in defiance. “What do they have, really? Richard Lehmann attacked my partner. Tried to kill him, then he came after me. So what if he wasn’t guilty of murder. And, frankly, I’m not entirely convinced of that. I think Quinn and his people got to George Lehmann and made him change his story. So what do they have? Why can’t we fight it?”
“Oh, man, Kate. I—they’re too big. Too powerful. It’ll cost you everything you’ve worked for. Me? I’ve been the rising star and now that title belongs to you. This is what you’ve worked for. You took the lead in this case.”
“Yeah, and Fisher came running to the rescue.”
“Because he was worried about Duncan and he knew they were watching you. It’s his job to protect his team. Just like it’s mine,” Nick replied.
Kate dipped her head and sighed. Nick was right. If she pushed this, nothing would happen to Quinn. He was protected. But her? She’d lose everything. And so would Nick. So she could be selfish and push this to its bitter end, or she could let it go and hope that someday Quinn got what he deserved. The question was, who was more important in her life, Nick or
Noah Quinn? She looked up at him again. “Okay. We drop it.”
“Really?” He pushed off the sofa and took her by the shoulders. “This is the best we can do, Kate. Those guys aren’t worth it. I think I’ve finally realized that. You’re too valuable to the team and there are plenty of bad guys out there left for you to find.”
She relented. “Yeah. Maybe so. Listen, I’m exhausted. I need some sleep.”
Nick wouldn’t know and she’d be back tonight. So in the pre-dawn hours, Kate started on the long drive. She’d called into Fisher already and explained that she just needed to get her head together and that the final paperwork would have to wait until Monday. The King investigation took a toll. That was what she told him.
The George Washington Bridge came into view. It was Saturday and the drive hadn’t been as long as she had expected. By mid-morning, Kate was about to cross over into Manhattan. She knew where he lived thanks to a friend at the New York Field Office. Kate had worked with colleagues all over and had amassed quite a contact list since joining the BAU. Maybe Nick had been right. People inside the Bureau knew who she was. Her talents preceded her. Kate was a rising star, and it was time she remembered that.
She arrived at Quinn’s apartment building. He should be alone. From what she knew, he hadn’t had a serious girlfriend. Shocker. The man was an egotistical son of a bitch. Who the hell could put up with his manipulative tactics? Kate pulled to a stop at the curb and gazed up at the grey stone building. How could Nick possibly have expected her to give up? After all the bullshit Quinn had pulled.
Kate stepped outside and closed the car door. Her throat tightened and her heart pounded. “You have to do this. You have to confront him. He can’t get away with it.”
She’d spent the entire drive weighing the consequences. Quinn would be fired and would never find another job in law enforcement if she told them what she knew. His friends inside the Bureau could’ve killed innocent people. How was that okay? How could Nick and Levi be okay with that? Maybe it didn’t matter that it could end her career too. But as she considered it, in her heart, Kate knew she’d done nothing wrong in the Lehmann case. It would be an uphill battle, sure, but she was one of the good guys. Weren’t they supposed to win?
