Chase

by Sidney Bristol

  “But that wasn’t their speed.” She tipped her head back and stared up at the ceiling of the car.

  “No, it wasn’t. Hey, call Matt. See what he knows.”

  Nikki pulled out her phone and dialed. She’d put her hair up once more, revealing the long line of her neck. He wasn’t about to tell her to take it down and cover the slight hickey he’d left there this morning. Of course, with the road rash on her knees and new bruises, the others might just assume it was another battle scar instead of a mark of passion. All the better. This was still just for them. Not for long. The others weren’t stupid, but right now they didn’t need anyone messing with what they had.

  “Hi, Detective Smith, this is Nikki—we’re breathing. How are you?” She pulled the phone away from her face and put it on speaker.

  “I’m at the scene of a . . . hit-and-run? Shoot-out? What exactly happened here?” Matt asked.

  Gabriel filled in the holes for Matt, using a few choice words but keeping it brief. The less Matt knew, the more deniability he had when it came to looking for the people involved.

  “Did you find a green and black car at the warehouse scene last night?” Nikki asked.

  “Yeah. It’s being processed,” Matt replied.

  “Think you could try to ID any bodies inside that car?” Nikki asked.

  “What are you thinking?” Gabriel asked.

  “If Hillary isn’t after us for Wilson, what if it has to do with whoever was in that car? Didn’t you say she had brothers?”

  “Shit. Yes.” Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut as they waited at a light.

  “I’ll work on that, but things move slow,” Matt warned.

  “How’s our patient? Any word there?” Nikki asked.

  “He’s lucid and talking, last I heard. Things have been busy, so I didn’t get a chance to swing by and hear what he’s saying yet.”

  “Think we should pay him a visit?” Gabriel glanced at her.

  “It’s better than anything else we’ve got going on.”

  Matt rattled off the address for them and hung up.

  Gabriel turned the car, heading deeper into the heart of Miami. The hospital they’d taken David Swiss to was a smaller establishment with less traffic. Probably to better monitor who came and went in an attempt to identify any friends of his. They parked and sat in the lot for a moment, watching the other visitors come and go.

  “Think they know he’s here?” Gabriel asked.

  “Hopefully not. If they did, I imagine Wilson would try to eliminate him. I’d like first crack at him. Something has happened to Wilson to trigger all of this.”

  “You’ll figure it out. Come on.” He got out and gave the Skyline a quick once-over. By some miracle, they’d escaped without a scratch on the car. Good thing, because with the GTO already in need of some TLC, he couldn’t lose this ride, too.

  They strode into the hospital and Nikki went straight to the admissions desk. She glanced around before pulling a slim wallet out of her bag. Inwardly he groaned, but couldn’t fault her for using the tools to get what they wanted in the fastest manner possible.

  Gabriel turned and kept an eye on the other people, ensuring none got too close while she flashed her credentials at the hospital staff. He couldn’t make out their hushed voices, which was for the best. If he couldn’t hear them, none of the others milling around could either.

  “Gabe, let’s go.”

  Nikki led the way to a bank of elevators. In the relative privacy of the nook, he edged closer. He didn’t speak until they were safely inside the compartment, being whisked up a couple of floors.

  “What did they say?” he asked, pitching his voice low.

  “They weren’t surprised to see me at all. I’m guessing Matt warned them we’d be by.”

  Gabriel reached over and took her hand, soaking in the simple pleasure of the feel of her skin against his for a few brief moments.

  The lift dinged and the doors slid open, dumping them out into a small, empty waiting room. The medical posters were sunny and cheerful and touted healing proverbs. The chairs were newer, the floor free from scuffs. This wasn’t one of the county facilities. What strings had Matt pulled to get David Swiss into a private ward?

  Nikki approached the desk, this one enclosed by a thick glass window. She spoke to a woman on the other side through a speaker.

  After a few exchanged words, the person on shift buzzed them past a locked door.

  This wasn’t just any hospital level.

  “Psych ward?” He glanced around, taking in the fresh flowers and colorful décor. It wasn’t exactly white padded rooms and fishbowls.

  “Makes sense to me.” Nikki gestured at a secure, metal door as they passed. “It’s got security, has cameras and a single point of entry.” Nikki stopped abruptly at an intersection of halls.

  “What are we waiting for?” he asked.

  A young nurse with a perky smile stepped out of a nearby door.

  “This way,” she said, clutching a folder to her chest.

  “How is Mr. Swiss this morning?” Nikki asked the young woman.

  “He’s doing well. I can’t tell you more than that.” She even said her apologies with a smile.

  “Understandable. Have you notified his family of his whereabouts?” Nikki had slipped back into her agent mode, and despite the clothing, she screamed Fed.

  “No, because of the safety concerns.” The nurse was quiet for a few strides. “Also, he has moments where he’s completely lucid and he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, but it’s not always the case.”

  “Meaning whatever he tells us is unreliable evidence.”

  “I’m sorry.” The nurse paused at another intersection. “His room is the third on the left. I’ll let you go in. He doesn’t like me very much right now. He might be calmer if I stay out here. I’ll wait here if you need anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  Nikki strode toward the room and Gabriel lengthened his stride to keep up with her head start.

  “Because he’s going to be happy to see us?” he said under his breath.

  “We need him to talk to us.”

  Gabriel couldn’t disagree. They were running out of leads, fast. Both of the events they’d checked that day were all wrong.

  Nikki pushed the room door open and hesitated in the entrance.

  David Swiss sat in a hospital bed, his arms loosely bound to the rails. The furniture seemed too small for a man of his stature, but Gabriel was willing to bet they’d held scarier patients. David’s wounds were bandaged and he looked younger without soot, blood, and dirt on his face.

  He stared at them, his eyes widening slightly and lips parting. It was better than screaming profanities or trying to attack them.

  “You’re real,” he said.

  “Yes, I am. Hello, David.” Nikki took a few steps toward the bed, but stopped well out of reach. “I’m Supervisory Special Agent Nikki Gage of the FBI.”

  “You got a badge?” David’s gaze was resigned. He glanced at Gabriel, and there was defeat there.

  “Of course.” Nikki produced the same badge she’d shown the hospital staff and in turn offered it to David.

  “Who’s he?”

  “You don’t want to know who I am.” Gabriel crossed his arms. “We want to ask you some questions.”

  David handed the badge back to Nikki and rested his fingers against the rails of his bed.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  “How are you?” Nikki set her messenger bag down in one of the guest chairs and took another step closer.

  A tactical maneuver. She appeared unarmed, the lesser of the two threats. Going for the personal approach would hopefully turn David sympathetic. But what did they really know?

  “They have me on suicide watch.” He lifted his arms and rattled the restraints. “How would you feel if you found out you were trying to kill people you knew?”

  “Your mother is very worried about you. She wa
nts you to come home.”

  “I’m the last thing she needs.” David scrubbed his hand over his face. He darted a quick, tortured glance at Nikki. “Did I—I hurt you, didn’t I?”

  Remorse. David Swiss regretted what he’d done so much he’d considered suicide.

  “No.” Nikki shook her head. “You did try, though.”

  “You screwed up,” Gabriel said.

  Both sets of eyes shot to him, Nikki’s telling him to shut the hell up. David nodded, agreeing to what he said. Good.

  “You can help fix it.” Gabriel stared hard at the man. It wasn’t David’s fault he’d been taken advantage of by a sicko like Wilson, but he’d carry the weight of this sin the rest of his life. If they didn’t give David the chance to redeem himself, he might actually hurt himself.

  “I’m guessing you don’t actually mean I’m going to get out of this hospital bed and go fix this myself?” David asked.

  “No, man.” Gabriel shook his head. He wasn’t without forgiveness, but if David thought he was getting out of that bed, Gabriel would slam his ass back into it. The man needed medical attention first and foremost. “You need to stay here. What would help is if you can tell us what you remember.”

  “It’s . . . it’s not all right in my head.” David stared at the wall, but he wasn’t seeing anything on this continent, that was for sure. “There’s whole chunks that don’t make sense. Other times, I was positive we were all back in the Middle East.”

  “That’s okay. We’re aware that anything you tell us may not be what really happened. But maybe something you saw or heard will help us.” Nikki’s statement seemed to put David at ease. The man had a long road to recovery ahead of him, if he stuck to it. This was just the first step.

  “When did you meet Wilson?” Gabriel asked.

  “General Wilson. He’s not a general, is he?” David’s face said he knew the answer.

  Nikki glanced at Gabriel before replying. “No, he’s not. He’s never been in any branch of the military or law enforcement.”

  “I met another guy, Keith, at the VA. We hung out, and he later introduced me to Wilson.”

  “Who was Keith?” Nikki asked.

  David spoke staring at the blanket draped over his lap. Every so often he moved his hand, but not often. “He was the real deal. Infantry. We hung out and he started talking about going back over there. Making a difference. Skipping the red tape. I was angry. It sounded like a good idea.”

  “What’s the deal with Keith and Wilson?” Gabriel asked, anxious to get to the point already.

  “Keith is one of Wilson’s top guys. Keith would get me and some others together, we’d hang out and he’d start talking shit. About how things are fucked up and we can do something about it.”

  “Keith recruited you,” Nikki interjected.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Tell me more about Keith, please? What can you remember about him?”

  “He’s an all right guy. Stuck to Wilson’s side, though.”

  “So he told Wilson everything you guys said or did?” Nikki took a small step forward. She was being cautious. They both knew that just because David’s wrists were tied down didn’t mean he was safely restrained. He was a trained, seasoned soldier.

  “Yeah.” David nodded.

  “Did something happen to Bradley? General Wilson? Something he’d talk about? Or maybe something he’s touchy about?”

  “No, no.” David shook his head, each side-to-side motion losing speed.

  “David? What is it?” Nikki asked.

  “There was . . . I think . . .”

  “Close your eyes for me.”

  David did as she asked.

  “Take a deep breath.”

  His chest rose and fell.

  “Okay, think about what you were doing when you heard about what happened. What are you doing?” Nikki edged to the foot of the bed and grasped the railing.

  “I’m cleaning my weapon,” David replied.

  “Good. Where are you?”

  “In my trailer behind HQ.”

  “Is Wilson there?”

  David tilted his head to the side and his brow furrowed. “Yes. He’s on the other side of the trailer. He just came back. He was away for a while . . . someone died. Someone close to him.”

  Nikki turned to Gabriel, eyes wide. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but apparently it was something.

  “That’s good, David, really good,” she said.

  “Do you know what Wilson is trying to do? We know he’s planning something, but not what or when,” Gabriel said.

  David opened his eyes and shook his head. “Plans changed all the time. Only person who will know what they’re going to blow up is Nico. He makes the bombs.”

  “Nico?” Gabriel frowned. He’d heard that name from Big Guy. “Who is that?”

  “Keith always kept us away from Nico. Said he was bad blood. Something about kids. Not a team player. I got the feeling he wasn’t there willingly.”

  “I guess it’s Nico we really want to talk to.” Gabriel glanced at Nikki. Nico wasn’t exactly a common name. What were the chances they could track him down?

  “How does Hillary fit into this?” Nikki asked.

  “Hillary?” David frowned.

  “Drives a pink car?”

  “Doesn’t ring a bell.” David shook his head.

  “This chick.” Gabriel thrust his phone in David’s face with Hillary’s racing head shot.

  “Wilson’s hooker?”

  “Hooker?” Nikki echoed.

  “Who is she?” David asked.

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Gabriel replied. A romantic relationship made sense. Hillary would be attracted to power and money. She might hop in and out of beds, but she was still relationship driven.

  The questions continued, but David’s answers became wilder and it soon became obvious that whatever lucid window they’d lucked into was shut now. They excused themselves and met back up with his nurse waiting for them in the hall. Nikki gave the woman a quick rundown of his behavior and they saw themselves out.

  “How much of that do you think we can use?” he asked Nikki as they stepped back out into the sunshine.

  “No way to tell what’s real and what was in his head. The names, I’d bet those were real.”

  “What was that about the dead relative?” Gabriel asked.

  “Wilson’s mother. She died a couple months ago. The pieces fit.”

  “Talk to me like I’m five.”

  “Okay, up until now Wilson has been someone in the background. He hasn’t called the shots. I’m willing to bet his mother kept him in check to some degree, and his sense of Munchausen by proxy would drive him to keep her alive. So until her death, they were codependents.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Mrs. Wilson was a colorful character. She spoke at a hearing for Wilson once, and I watched the tape. Without her there, he’s searching for something else to fix. He’s angry because he no longer has her to keep him in check, and the person aiming him is now this Keith person. It makes Wilson completely unstable.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it’s not.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ve got a text from Matt. He wants to meet us at the morgue.”

  “That’s not going to be good either.”

  “Do I need to ask if you know where it is?”

  “No.” He unlocked the Skyline and held the passenger door for Nikki, taking the moment to admire her legs. She was right. There wasn’t anywhere to keep a SIG Sauer in those shorts.

  He jogged around the car and got in the driver’s seat.

  “I feel like we’re spinning our wheels.” Nikki stared out the passenger window as he guided them back to the main drag.

  “We took a big hit last night. We’re making progress. We’ve got a name. Send that over to Emery.”

  Nikki tapped the screen of her phone, then dropped the device into her lap.


  “I hate Wilson,” she announced.

  “Right there with you,” he replied. It was a special kind of scum who could use a person’s own mind against them. Who knew how many people he’d trapped inside their own heads and manipulated to work for him?

  “This isn’t a clear-cut case anymore. We can’t turn this over to the FBI.”

  “Why’s that?” He was curious at her reasoning. Chances were, he’d already arrived at the same conclusion.

  “It’s more like a hostage rescue situation. We’ve got Wilson and his team holding people hostage and making them perform his acts of violence. But the FBI won’t see it that way. I’m not saying these men don’t need to answer for what they’ve done, but not in the way the FBI will make them pay. You know?”

  “Yeah, you read my mind.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We take care of it. Stop Wilson. The FBI is still going to take them all when it comes to arresting because you’ll be the agent on the scene, but your reports will change how they’re processed.”

  “It’s a lot of weight to carry.”

  “You’re up to it.”

  “Thanks.”

  He reached across and took her hand.

  They arrived at the morgue in short order. Matt’s SUV sat by itself, with the man in question standing out front, phone pressed to his ear.

  “He hasn’t slept,” Nikki muttered.

  “What?”

  “Look at his clothes. They’re the same ones he was wearing last night.”

  “I see.” And he had other theories now.

  They got out and met the detective between the vehicles.

  “What do you want us to see?” Gabriel asked.

  “Glad you two are alive. That was some stunt this morning. I didn’t want to be there, by the way.” Matt placed his hands on his hips.

  “You don’t want to know about this morning,” Gabriel said.

  “You’re right. I don’t. Come on.” Matt led the way into the morgue and flashed his badge, bypassing any questions the staff might have asked.

  He led them past rooms, down to the lockers where the bodies were stored.

  “This is going to be cold,” he warned, and opened a walk-in freezer lined with bodies on gurneys.

  “All of these from last night?” Nikki asked. She pulled a pair of rubber gloves from a box by the door and put them on.