Blackwaters: A Kate Reid Novel (The Kate Reid Series Book 4)

by Robin Mahle

  Myers walked to the center of the room. “Our immediate assumption was that because he’d sought out his first foster parent, he could potentially seek out the others, at least the ones from whom he’d suffered some form of abuse. I believe he will also come to that conclusion. So, to answer your question Deputy Burgess, yes, I think he might seek out his other abusers, which in turn means that he will expect us to be there when he does, thus giving him access to Agent Reid, which might be his end-game.”

  “Look, whatever it is that you people need to do to get this crazed psycho off my streets, I’ll trust you to do it.” The sheriff’s impatient tone wasn’t lost on anyone, least of all the FBI agents in the room who were supposed to be trained on how to capture serial killers. “I’ve got the media hounding me and a community afraid to leave their homes. It’s one a.m. now. Put your plan in place. I want this asshole off my streets by morning.” Conroy stormed out of his own office.

  “I’m sorry. He’s normally a pretty decent guy to work for and a great sheriff. This just isn’t something that happens around here and with the media attention and scared citizens, it’s starting to get to him.” Burgess moved toward Kate, but looked at Myers. “What else was in that file about the other foster parents? I apologize, but I didn’t get through it before we left for Durham’s home.”

  “In the seven or so years Durham was in the System, he had a total of twenty foster homes. After he turned eighteen, the state lost track of him. While you all were trying to track him down, I had our team back in D.C. run a background check and he’s essentially been a ghost for the past six years. No tax returns, no bank accounts in his name. However, the social security number he was using to obtain employment was registered to a man named Arlen Tucker, who died in 1987.”

  “Okay,” Nick began. “Going back to the foster families, after Gustafson, who was the next family he had problems with?”

  Agent Myers retrieved her iPad and pulled up her notes. “According to CPS, he went to live with the Sutter family two years later and that was the second time an incident, later deemed unsubstantiated, was filed.” She looked at Nick. “Could be where he’s going.”

  “Or he could already be there,” Dwight replied. “There’s no telling how much of a head start he’s got on us right now.”

  “Do we have an address?” Burgess asked.

  “Yes. During that time, the Sutters lived in McLeary,” Myers replied.

  “That town backs up to the river, further east than where we were looking by about six miles.”

  “He’s got a thing for the river. Might be the first place he’d go,” Dwight replied.

  “Let’s put a plan in place and then we’ll head out.” Nick began to walk out of the room and raised his phone to his ear, but before he could make the call, Georgia approached.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Nick cast his gaze left and then right, ensuring no one had noticed that the two were speaking to one another. “Yeah, I guess, but only a minute.” He continued along the corridor, spotting an unoccupied office. He flipped the light switch and closed the door after Georgia entered. “What is it?”

  “Listen, I know this is awkward, but I really appreciate you not letting it get in the way of the job.” She raised her eyes to meet his.

  Nick folded his arms, trying hard not be provoked. “I think finding a serial killer is more important than pointing out the fact that you cheated on me with a former colleague.”

  “I’m sorry, Nick. I truly am. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  “Yeah, you know what? You said all this the other night. I really have no desire to hear it again. I’ve got a deranged man who wants to kill one of my agents, so I should really get back and try to figure out how to keep him from doing that.” He began to leave the room.

  “Damn you, Nick. Don’t you see it? You almost cost yourself your career for her. You think I don’t know what you did to get her assigned to WFO? You think shit like that doesn’t get around? Everyone knew that was why all those allegations started popping up after the Corbett raids. Okay, yeah, so Hughes instigated it, but that was all Campbell needed to put you in your place. You know as well as I do that nothing would have come from that shooting incident if you hadn’t screwed Campbell over.” Georgia appeared at her wit’s end. “All this time and you still don’t see it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” His contempt could no longer be contained if she insisted on hurling unwarranted accusations. “You thought I was on my way down, so you decided to kick me in the gut by fucking around with that asshole Lyons. And then what? You fell in love with him?”

  “My God.” Her eyes widened with astonishment. “You really don’t see it, do you? After Marshall died, you practically dragged Kate to Washington and made sure she got into the Academy. Even then, you made certain she got all the help she needed to pass. And then to top it all off, you went around Campbell to the Director and got her assigned to your field office.”

  “Because I knew what she wanted to be. What she’d wanted to be since the day I met her, but she’d stayed back because that was what she thought he wanted. Even if he’d insisted she go, Kate would never have left him.”

  Georgia inhaled a deep breath. “That’s because she loved him. And I think, at some point after Marshall died, you fell in love with her.”

  Nick threw his arms into the air. “Oh, here we go again.”

  “There were times when I’d picked up on it and I thought, ‘No, he’s just looking out for her.’ She’d been through a lot, God knows. But during the Corbett investigation and her training, it just became so obvious and yet I still tried to deny it.”

  “I don’t need to hear any more of this.” Nick reached for the door, but Georgia grabbed his hand.

  “When you were put on leave, I was there for you. I supported you. But I realized then that I was too late. I’d lost you—to her.”

  “You don’t have a goddam clue what you’re talking about, so don’t try to blame Kate for your mistakes.”

  She released his hand and he pulled open the door. As he began walking out, Georgia leaned into the hall. “She’ll realize it too, Nick. If she hasn’t already—she’ll realize she’s in love with you too.”

  Nick’s back was already turned to her, but he stopped at her final words. He froze, unable to breathe, and almost looked back over his shoulder. His legs found their purpose again and he continued—walking away from Georgia for the last time.

  TWENTY-ONE

  The white Toyota compact Durham had hijacked from the girl at the diner sputtered along the country road until he’d reached his destination. At the end of the long drive, he slowed to a stop and killed the headlights but left the engine running.

  He remembered this house as if he’d lived here only yesterday, except that it looked different now. Even in the darkness, he could see that it had been painted some hideous color and that they’d mowed down all the shrubs that had once lined a path to the front porch.

  It was obvious that the Sutters no longer occupied this residence. It had, after all, been nearly eight years. And Renee Sutter might have been a chain-smoking, bleached blonde whore of a mother, but Andy Sutter took pride in his home. He took pride in his own children too, but not young Zachariah, and probably not the other unfortunate kids this hellish family took in. No, he had a special place for kids who were not his own.

  Nonetheless, this was where the FBI would find him. He’d chosen this place as his last stand, so to speak, knowing they would bring her here, also knowing they would not let him leave.

  The old car idled forward, slowly rolling over the gravel beneath its tires, until Durham reached the top of the drive. The house sat atop a slight mound of property where the nearest neighbor was an acre away. He didn’t know how much time he had before the FBI would come for him, so he had to act quickly. The car rolled to a stop and Durham cut the engine. The pebbles beneath his foot as he stepped out crumbled under his
weight and the sound was louder than he’d expected. Perhaps it had been the dead silence surrounding him that amplified his own echoes.

  His first mistake after the skirmish with the female agent had been rectified. A gun he took from the manager’s office at that God forsaken diner would come in handy. He slid it into the back of his pants and closed the car door. It would be too easy if they’d left the front door unlocked, but Durham couldn’t dismiss the fact that they were way out in the boonies and that type of behavior was pretty common. People who believed they could trust other people were the easiest targets. Just like Hank. Old, fat Hank who was kind enough to warn him that a killer was on the loose.

  The girl at the diner was trusting too. She’d already been in the process of closing up shop when he pressed his hands against the door, twisting up his face and pretending that he had to take a piss. His expression begging for her to let him in just this once. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he was an attractive man and, well—she wasn’t an attractive woman. It took all the restraint he had not to kill her. The beast had wanted her desperately, but he needed the girl to deliver the message and dump the car.

  It was always that side of him, the side the beast controlled, who needed the kill. In fact, it wasn’t his favorite part at all. No, once they were gone, that was when the real fun began. He’d had absolute control over them. He could do anything he wanted and wouldn’t have to listen to them cry and whine and beg him to stop. That was what gave him the gratification he needed.

  With cautious steps, he climbed the few treads that led to the wooden porch. And although the worn deck creaked with alarming noise, he continued until reaching the door. His hands grasped the handle and Durham put faith in his own god that it was unlocked, and the handle turned. “Too easy,” he whispered, appalled by naïveté. He walked inside with his gun now drawn because there was no telling if someone might be in the kitchen sneaking food or getting a drink of water. The thought occurred to him that if it had been good ol’ Andy Sutter, he’d have been sitting on the couch with the light from his laptop shining on his face and his dick in his hands, watching porn.

  Durham’s senses would need to guide him through the darkened house until his eyes could adjust to the negligible light. The interior drew into focus and he began to remember the layout now. The furnishings were different, but everything else was the same. For a moment, he’d wished no one had been home because he only wanted the agent right now. But never mind, he could take care of any problems that arose. As he entered the hallway, he recalled which had been his room. The first door on the right past the bathroom. He walked past that door. Any adults in the house would have to be taken care of first, so he continued to the end of the hall. That was where Mr. and Mrs. Sutter shared a room and he figured the people living here now also shared that room.

  Durham stopped at the entrance and leaned his ear to the door, believing he heard whispers. The room’s occupants had been awakened and while that would make things more difficult, it would not be impossible. He released the safety and aimed the gun straight ahead, ready to take down anyone who might charge at him, or maybe fire at him. Everyone carried a gun in these parts. They left their front doors open, but they carried guns.

  He pushed hard on the door and it slammed into the wall, the knob catching the drywall and knocking a hole into it. A woman screamed while lying in the bed with blankets up to her neck, as if that would stop a bullet. The man stood next to the bed in only boxers with his hands in the air.

  “Please take anything you want, just don’t hurt us,” the man said.

  Durham’s first inclination was to laugh. “Unfortunately for you, what I want is for you to be dead.” He fired the weapon and the man collapsed to the ground.

  The woman screamed at the top of her voice until he turned the gun on her. “Stop that, now. There’s nothing anybody can do for you now, okay?”

  She fell silent, but trembled violently beneath the covers.

  “Is there anyone else in this house?” His tone was calm, almost soothing.

  Her head gently moved side to side, while her eyes remained locked onto Durham’s.

  “Don’t lie to me now. You ain’t got kids living here? ‘Cause it sure looks like you do, based on those pictures I saw.”

  “They’re not here.”

  “All right. I guess that’ll make it easier on me anyways.”

  » » »

  The sheriff’s office had been overtaken by bustling FBI staff and other deputies preparing for the confrontation with Durham. Kate and Dwight were plotting the locations where support vehicles would be placed so that Durham would remain under the impression that she was arriving on her own. Although no one believed he lacked so much intelligence as to assume they would send her in alone.

  When Nick entered the room, he’d made it clear to those inside that his fuse was nearly burned out. The argument with Georgia not only distracted him, it had pissed him off. “Where are we at?” He approached Kate and Dwight as they huddled around the monitor, a satellite zoomed in on the location.

  “We’re almost ready to head out.” Kate knew something had happened, but it was a discussion for another time. “There’s a family living here now and it’s not the same one as when Durham lived there.”

  “Do you think he’ll still go there?” Nick asked.

  “No doubt.” Dwight placed his hands on his hips. “He’ll be there because he knows that’s the only place we’d go.”

  Georgia walked past the room, briefly glancing inside. Kate caught her gaze, then looked to Nick. “Where’s she going?”

  “Back to D.C.” Nick’s curt reply was enough to let her know to move on. “We’ve got enough information now. She won’t be of any further use to us here.”

  He’d made his point and Kate continued, “We were strategizing on team placement.” She pointed toward the screen. “We’ll need backup here and here.” The two points on the screen flanked the north and south sides of the property and, according to the satellite image, would be obscured by trees.

  “Let’s get you equipped with a wire too,” Dwight said.

  “What about a body camera?” she asked.

  “I don’t want him to catch on and realize he’s being recorded, but you will wear a jacket,” Nick said. “Video, if he spots the camera, might entice him to behave even more erratically. This is a man on the brink, knowing there’s no escape for him. I don’t think he’ll hesitate to take as many lives with him as possible. And if it was on video, so much the better, according to him.”

  Burgess entered the room and headed toward the agents. “I’ve just contacted state police. They’ve indicated full support for our operation and will remain on standby.” He looked at Kate. “I’m praying to God y’all get there before he does. I don’t know if the family is home or not, but if they are, he’ll kill them. I tried Jenny Sykes’ cell phone, but she didn’t answer. Tried her employer too because she works odd shifts. She’s not there either. They did give me the number of the boys’ father and I contacted him. He said the boys are with him this weekend. Thank God. But you got to get down there now and save their mother. Please. Those boys have been through enough already.”

  “I just can’t believe it’s the same damn house,” Kate began. “I know it’s a small town, but for God’s sake. It’s like he planned this or something. Like he knew it was those boys who found her.”

  “It’s just one hell of a coincidence, Kate. It has to be. No one could have predicted this.” Nick glanced at his watch. “It’s 3:00 now. Sun will be up in a few hours. We need to get in and get out before then. Better to operate under cover of darkness.”

  Kate refused to believe it was merely coincidence. There had to be an explanation. Either Durham was watching the boys when they found the body, or had read something in the papers about it. Whatever it was, this wasn’t a coincidence, and she would find out the truth.

  Dwight checked his weapon before sliding it back
into its holster. “We’d better get a move on. There’s no telling how much time we have before he shows up there and I won’t risk more lives. Deputy Burgess, I think it’s best if Agent Reid takes a personal vehicle. Durham’s expecting us, yes, but I don’t want any curious neighbors approaching because they see a patrol car there. Do you have a suitable vehicle?”

  “She can take mine.” One of the deputies held out his keys. “It’s not much, so I don’t mind if anything happens to it.” He looked at Burgess. “Maybe the department will buy me a new one if something does?”

  “Thanks. We’ll be sure no damage comes to it,” Nick replied, swiping the keys from him.

  As they exited the building and everyone scattered to their vehicles, Nick pulled Kate aside for a moment. “You know we’ll be right behind you, right?”

  “I know,” she replied. “I’m okay with this—really. It has to be me this time and I’ll do what it takes to bring him down. You know, I saw something in his eyes, Nick. I’ve faced down some monsters, but this man,” she shook her head, “there was nothing behind his eyes—only blackness—and death. He won’t get away from me this time.”

  Nick studied her face and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know he won’t. None of us will let that happen.”

  Kate began walking toward Dwight, who still held the keys to the compact car owned by one of Burgess’ deputies. “I got it from here.” She reached for the keys and stepped inside the blue Ford.

  Dwight closed the door and slapped the roof of the car. “We’ll be right behind you, Kate.”

  With a final nod, she turned the ignition and drove to the end of the parking lot. Looking into the rear view, she made sure the others were poised to leave. She would have a three-minute head start and on her word through the headpiece, she would signal when it was time to get her the hell out of there.

  Kate pulled out onto the road and disappeared in the distance.