by Robin Mahle
She viewed the card and turned her sights to the door. “Good night then.”
Both agents retreated to the porch where Quinn awaited orders. He seemed pleased Scarborough had failed in his efforts. “Do you want to have a look around?”
“Damn it. I thought he’d be here. Where the hell else would he go?”
“I don’t know. The team might already have set up the tracking. We can head back there and put our heads together.”
“We’ll have a quick walk around the perimeter to see if she’s lying to protect her son, like any mother would do. If we get nothing, we’ll head back to base.” Scarborough started around the left side of the home. “You take the right and I’ll meet you back here.” He made his way to the side yard fence and turned on the flashlight on his phone, aiming it at the ground in search of fresh footprints, but he saw none. “Damn it. Where the hell are you?”
He soon returned to the front of the house where Quinn waited by the car. “Nothing?”
“No. You?”
“No.” Scarborough approached the driver’s side door and stepped inside. His phone buzzed. “It’s Reid.” He pressed the answer button “Tell me you have a location on Brooks. He’s not at his parents’ house.”
“His parents’ house? What are you doing there?” she asked.
“I’ll explain later.”
“I asked Marc Aguilar to send him a text to throw him off. He didn’t take the bait. However, we were able to home in on an area but we lost the signal too quickly to pinpoint an exact location. I think he must’ve figured out when he got the text that we were tracking him,” she replied.
“He must’ve turned off his GPS. Any calls we can trace to a tower?”
“We’re working on that now, but we have nothing for you. How did you figure out where his parents lived?”
“Cain. Doesn’t matter because it was a bust anyway. Quinn and I took a brief look around for footprints but saw nothing. We’re going to head back to the precinct now.”
Kate was quiet on the other end for a moment.
“Kate? You still there? Kate?”
“Sorry. Hang on. I think...” She trailed off and muffled voices sounded in the phone’s speaker.
“Kate? What the hell’s going on?”
“Nick, we just got a hit on a location. He’s at his sister’s home.”
“How do we know that? You said he turned off his GPS.”
“You’re never going to believe this. He bit. It just took him longer than expected. Nick, you two need to get back here.”
“We’ll go to the house. Where is it? We can’t afford to let him slip through our fingers now.”
“Queens. It’s going to take you too long. We’ll assemble our team and head there now.”
“Text me the address. We’ll start that way. I won’t sit here while you all take him on.”
“Fine. I’ll text it now. Be careful.”
He ended the call. “They found him. In Queens.”
“We won’t get there in time. It’ll all be over,” Quinn said.
“We’re going anyway.”
This was Detective Sievers’ jurisdiction. The BAU team had been trailing after a killer for the better part of three weeks, globetrotting and evading gangs and corrupt government officials, and no one could dispute the facts. This was New York and this was going to be the detective’s collar.
“We can only offer backup, if he asks,” Fisher began. “That’s the deal.”
“We’ve been after this guy for weeks. Wylder, anyway. They tried to have us killed. You can’t think we’re just going to sit here and wait it out,” said Kate.
Walsh stood up from the table. “We’re the ones who know what Brooks is capable of. They don’t. He won’t go down without a fight. He has nothing to lose.”
“Look, all I can do is ask. Technically, this should be an FBI matter given the crimes and the international situation.” He turned to the local field agent. “Would you agree?”
“I’ll be honest, this isn’t something I want to put my two cents in. It’s clear there’s a serious situation going on that involves a whole host of jurisdictions. I’ll sign off if you want to pull this from the detective. But I don’t think you’ll win over too many friends and we might need their help. They can dispatch air support and backup quicker than we can, if it becomes necessary.”
Detective Sievers returned to the communications’ room. “Well? What’s the good word? You folks coming with or not?”
“If you need us to provide support, we’ll be happy to offer it,” Fisher said.
“Good. Hey, I’m not looking to cut you folks out of the deal. I get what you’ve been through to find this guy. I’m just staking my claim, you understand?”
“We understand.” Kate strapped on her tactical gear. “It’s time to come together on a plan to bring him in.”
The sister’s address had been pulled up on Sievers’ computer and the home was displayed on Google maps. Sievers viewed it in 360-degree mode. “We can see there are two entrances. Front and rear. Simple enough.”
“And neighbors in close proximity.” Fisher studied the map. “We’ll have safety concerns.”
“I’ll have my guys ensure the protection of the immediate neighbors while we approach the suspect in the home.”
“We’ll want to flank the sides and have a man posted at each exit.” Walsh peered at the team. “It’s going to require all of us to make this happen swiftly and without incident.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Kate turned to Sievers. “I think we understand what we all need to do. So, with your permission, detective, we should move out.”
“Listen to the lady, folks. Let’s roll out,” Sievers replied.
Scott replied to the text as a last-ditch effort to offer a diversion. Anything he could do to delay what appeared to be the inevitable. But maybe there was a way out of this. He’d always wanted to live in Sweden. They were neutral, right? Did that mean they didn’t extradite? Perhaps he should look into the countries where he could get safe harbor instead of taking a shot in the dark. He wasn’t the strategic one of the bunch. Wylder—he was a calculating son of a bitch with a dark side that couldn’t be rivaled, except maybe by Ted Bundy, and he was dead too.
The sound of exploding glass pierced his ears and forced Scott to jolt upright. A heavy thud hammered above his head. He set his gaze to the ceiling and his heart beat through his chest from an adrenaline overload. “Oh God. They found me. They fucking found me.” He sought frantically for a place to hide in the small basement or maybe a way out through the window well. Yes, maybe he could make it out through the window well. He hurried toward it, but an iron grate was fixed to the outside. “What the..?” Weren’t they supposed to be accessible as a means to escape? Christ! Can’t anything go his way?
Jarring footsteps broadcast above. Loud, deep voices shouted. “They’re in. No. No, this can’t be happening. Denise!” He cried out to his sister as if she could do anything to stop them.
“Down there!” Another voice cried out.
Scott froze in place and raised his arms. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I didn’t do anything.”
Officers in riot gear, tens of them, rushed the stairs.
“NYPD! Stay where you are. Keep your hands up!” One of them screamed.
Denise cried aloud upstairs and Scott listened, impotent to offer help. So many cops were there, he couldn’t count them all. So much noise, it was like a movie and he knew what that would look like. “I’m not moving. Please don’t hurt my sister.”
Detective Sievers descended the steps and confronted him. “Scott Brooks? You’re under arrest for the murder of Mason Wylder, Adriana Santos, Rosella Ortiz and countless other crimes.”
“Wait. I didn’t kill anyone. I swear it. It was Wylder. He’s the murderer.”
An officer pulled his arms behind him and locked cuffs on his wrists. He pushed Scott ahead and guided him up the staircase. The officer pressed on hi
s radio button. “Coming up now. Suspect is in custody.”
Kate waited in the living room upstairs, her gun face-down in her hands. Walsh stood near while Fisher assisted the other officers. Duncan held back the sister, and they all looked on as Scott Brooks appeared at the top of the stairs.
“I didn’t kill anyone. It was Mason. He was a psycho. It wasn’t me,” he pleaded.
“It was you who tried to have us killed,” Duncan began. “So, you’re looking pretty guilty from where I stand.” She continued her grip on Scott’s sister. “I don’t think she’ll forgive you either.”
Scott’s head shook fervently in denial as the officers escorted him outside to a waiting patrol car.
“Now we need to get him to tell us where the rest of the bodies are buried. Here and in Rio.” Fisher started outside. “Sievers wants this collar, that’s fine. But we’re getting those sons of bitches in Rio who tried to take us out.”
Kate emerged from the home and waited for Duncan to place the sister in another patrol car. On her approach, she began, “somehow I thought this would end differently. I thought Wylder would see justice.”
“So did I, but we both know things don’t go as we plan.” Duncan turned to her. “The good news is, it’s over.”
“What about the missing girl from the café? Is it over for her?”
“I don’t know. I think it probably is.” Duncan craned her neck to see outside. “Hey, is that Scarborough and Quinn? Jesus, they got here fast. Too bad they missed the whole thing.”
“Better late than never.” Kate started ahead, but Duncan reached for her arm to stop her.
“Hey, whatever happens after this. After we close this investigation. I want you to know that I’m with you. You understand? Whatever you decide, I’ll back you up.”
28
Scott’s brow dripped with sweat in the sweltering interrogation room of the 10th precinct. It was clear his discomfort was intentional and used as some sort of tactic to get him to talk. Little did they know, Scott was more than willing to sing if it meant saving his own ass. He’d already proven himself a man who lacked integrity or any sort of moral authority.
“I’m telling you, I don’t know who Mason paid off in Rio. You’d have to talk to his accountant or something. I wasn’t party to that type of information. I was a grunt. Nothing more.”
“And yet you brought women to him, like lambs to the slaughter,” Fisher said. “He must have trusted you enough to believe you wouldn’t squeal to the cops about it. You had to have known who was getting the kickbacks to look the other way.”
Kate observed the questioning from the other side of the wall via a live monitor. “Did you tell Cain we got him?”
“I did,” Scarborough replied. “He thinks if we can get some solid intel on the corruption, he might be able to take it to his bosses.”
“He actually thinks it could go somewhere?” Walsh asked.
“He believes something good can come from all this. What that is, time will tell. I just want to see this asshole fry for helping Wylder the way he did,” Scarborough added. “We should probably head back out there. It’s time to clean up now that the party’s over. We’ve done our part, now the local office is going to have to jockey for position with NYPD and the press that’s going to converge on this place in droves.” Scarborough opened the door and stepped out into the stark corridor while Walsh and Reid followed. “There’s something Reid and I need to take care of back at Quantico.”
This was news to her, but by the look on his face, it appeared to be a priority. “You’ll keep us posted about whatever happens in there?” Kate thumbed to the room they had just monitored.
“We will,” Walsh replied. “Go. We can tidy up things here.” He patted Scarborough on the back.
Quinn, who had waited in Sievers’ office, stepped out into the hall upon noticing the two emerge. “How’s it going in there? Are they getting anywhere with him?”
“They appear to have things under control. Reid and I are heading back to the shop. We’ll take a commercial flight. You guys can take the plane back when you’re no longer needed here.”
Quinn studied them for a moment. “Um, before you go, can I talk to you both for a moment, in private?”
He and Kate exchanged worrisome glances before Scarborough answered, “sure.” He walked inside Sievers’ office and Kate followed.
Quinn closed the door. “I’ve had some time to think about things. Things I’ve done. Things I’ve said. And I’ve had a chance to think about the future that I want for myself. This isn’t it. I have struggled, admittedly, with the idea that my place on this team isn’t what I thought it was, or what I wanted it to be.”
Kate bared a cynical gaze. Quinn had already proven himself a liar and a blackmailer. Nothing he could say would sway her. His words, whatever they were, would fall on deaf ears.
“I was wrong to do what I did,” Quinn continued. “Searching for something I could use against you, Scarborough, in particular, because I believed Cole wasn’t doing enough to rein in your actions.”
Scarborough folded his arms across his chest. “I didn’t realize they needed to be reigned in.”
“I suppose that’s how I perceived it. I think it was more of a case of envy than anything else.”
“Do you seriously expect me to forget what you did, Quinn?” Kate asked. “You went behind my back. You dug into a painful past for your own gains. And you tried to blackmail me.”
Scarborough looked at her. “Jameson told me what happened.”
She eyed him for a moment. “Regardless, you have a lot of nerve asking for forgiveness now. Why? Do you think you’ll be fired? Is that it?”
“Kate, I’m just saying…”
“Don’t call me that. You don’t know me. I’m not your friend.”
“Calm down,” Scarborough placed his hand on her shoulder.
“I won’t calm down.” She pulled away and confronted Quinn. “You believe this is how you get away with what you’ve done? To issue a half-assed apology?”
“No, but I think it could be the start of my admitting I was wrong and selfish and a prick.”
Kate shot a glance to Nick. “You don’t believe him, do you?”
“I’m hearing him out, which is what you should be doing.”
She smiled caustically. “Go on then. Shovel some more bullshit our way. Try to dig yourself out of that hole.”
“Maybe this is the wrong time to be discussing this. We’re all tired. It’s been a long few weeks,” Quinn added.
“That’s right. Weeks that saw us nearly killed. So yeah, maybe I’m not in the mood to hear you out right now.” Kate’s tone dripped with contempt.
“Fair enough.” He opened the door and held it for her. “Maybe another time.”
Scarborough followed but stopped short and turned to him. “I told you it wasn’t me you had to worry about.”
Kate fumed as she waited in the car for Nick. She spotted him exit the precinct and watched as he walked toward the car and step into the driver’s side. “Can you believe him?”
“I figured we weren’t finished with this.” He keyed the ignition.
“You’re damn right we’re not. Quinn tried to blackmail us. I know I should’ve told you, but I thought I could handle this on my own. Dwight helped me out and well, I guess he must’ve contacted you about it.”
“It was me who called him. He didn’t want to tell me, but I knew something was up and I dragged it out of him. Look, Quinn is in the wrong here, but the fact of the matter is, he does have damning evidence. Proof that I’ve hidden my battle with alcohol. I don’t know how Cole will react to that.”
“Probably better than he would knowing his own agent tried to blackmail a Senior Unit Agent.” Kate huffed as she peered through the passenger side window.
“What do you want me to do, Kate? I have to work with him. You have to work with him.”
“Why? I don’t understand. What would have to happen fo
r him to actually pay for what he’s done?”
“He hasn’t done anything. That’s the problem. So he talked to Georgia. She’s a colleague. What am I supposed to do with that? Tell Cole that hey, Quinn talked to my ex?”
She felt she was losing this argument and it annoyed her even more. “Well, maybe if you hadn’t jeopardized our safety in Rio by stopping in the local bar while we were running from gangsters…” she trailed off.
Nick kept his eyes fixed on the road.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just angry,” Kate replied.
“I can tell. Good to know how you really feel.”
She regretted it, more than anything, but as they say, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. It was out there. Maybe that was how she really felt. She was angry with him too for disregarding everything because of booze. He’d done it before. Why should she be surprised?
Kate pushed her hand through her brunette hair that had now grown past her shoulders. She felt as though she’d lost control of everything. Quinn was after her, Nick betrayed her trust. She was losing it and wanted to break down in tears, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d start crying in front of him. He would only try to console her and feel as though he was the big strong man offering comfort in her time of weakness. Well that wasn’t going to happen. Kate was tired of feeling weak and used and lied to. “Let me out.”
“What?” Nick said.
“Pull over the car and let me out. Now.”
“Here? We’re almost at the airport. Come on, Kate. It’s a short flight back to D.C. and we’ll be in the office in a few hours. We can sort all this out there.”
“I swear to God if you don’t stop this car, I’m going to scream.”
Nick pulled over to the side of the road and didn’t say a word.
Kate opened her door and ripped her laptop bag from the backseat before slamming both doors shut. And in the early morning light, she walked with no idea where she would go or what she would do. But she wasn’t going to look back.
“Kate?” Her friend and former colleague, Dwight Jameson called out to her while she rested on his sofa. “Kate? Your phone’s been ringing off the hook. It could be important.”
