by Robin Mahle
“So we’re heading back to Richmond?”
“Yes, you and I are going down there first thing in the morning.”
“Got it. I’ll have to get a pass on my classes tomorrow then.” She didn’t think that would be too difficult. Saturdays were considered light by comparison being only half-days.
“You’ll have to make it up. If you think it’s too much, then let me know.”
“No. It’s not too much. I can handle it.” What she hadn’t wanted to tell him was that the more involved she became, the more she learned about the women who fell prey to trafficking, the more she connected with them and wanted to see justice done.
“Okay. Garrett’s sent over what they’ve got so far. Let’s take a look at it.” Nick punched a few keys and pulled up images of the drop house. “We need to check this with the other neighborhoods they’ve found these drop house in already. Find any similarities between them.”
“Similarities like how? Size or style?”
“No. Like community. How are these places being chosen? Are the areas known to be suited to a particular religious preference? What about culture? Ruxandra Sala’s Ukrainian. Are these locations in highly immigrant areas, like the ones Metro Police have found?”
Nick’s cell lit up on his desk as he spoke. “Hang on.” He glanced at the caller ID. “Hey, hon, you in town yet?”
Kate didn’t need to guess the identity of the caller and felt vaguely awkward for listening in on the conversation.
“I’m not sure when we’ll be done here. I just got a lead on the trafficking case and we’re going through it now.” Nick was quiet for a moment. “Kate.” He glanced at her and winked. “Okay, sounds good, babe. I’ll see you then, bye.” Nick ended the call. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It’s nice to have someone who wants to know what you’re up to.”
Nick stopped to look at Kate for a moment and pursed his lips. “You know what? I probably didn’t need to make you drive down here. I can handle this tonight and I’ll brief you in the morning on the drive down. Why don’t you go on home?”
It seemed he was feeling guilty about his personal life; the fact that he had one. Why else the reason for the change of heart only moments after Kate’s arrival? Had she appeared that desperate and alone that she couldn’t handle him talking to Georgia? If she hadn’t known him well enough, she might have taken offense. “No. I want to stay. Please.”
“Okay.” Nick rubbed his slightly rounded bristled chin, which was in need of a shave. “Then I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we pack this stuff up and we can head on over to my place? At least we can grab some Chinese and have a beer or two. Can’t get away with that here.” Nick cast a suspicious glance as if to imply Big Brother was watching. “Georgia will be there later anyway. This way, I won’t still be here when she arrives.”
“Yeah. Okay. That sounds good. I could use a beer.”
They both lived in Woodbridge, but he had a condo overlooking Belmont Bay, a slightly more exclusive area. She pulled up behind him to the expansive building that reminded Kate of row houses. It ran along a curved road across from the bay. She’d been here before and felt grateful to have found a parking spot while Nick continued on to the underground parking structure for the tenants of the building.
Kate stepped out of her car and grabbed her things, locking it up behind her. The air had a familiar scent and although cooler than when she arrived at the WFO, a slight breeze carried the scent of the bay with it and put Kate at ease. She continued along the concrete path to the building’s main entrance, where Nick would have to buzz her inside. The door clicked open after announcing her arrival and Kate walked towards the elevator to the fourth floor, where his unit was located.
Nick opened the door and she stepped inside his well-appointed home. He must’ve had a cleaner because no man she’d ever known would keep house so well. It was either that or the fact that it never got dirty because he was rarely home in the first place.
“Go ahead and put your things on the dining table. There’s a Chinese restaurant nearby that delivers. Pick what you want off the menu and I’ll call it in. Can I get you a beer?” Nick asked as he moved towards the kitchen.
“Thanks. That’d be great.” Kate was drawn towards the sliding glass door in the living room and she peered outside to the deck, casting her gaze onward towards the bay. The night was clear and the moon shone brightly, reflecting off the water and the boats that were docked. “You know, you really should get yourself a boat. I mean, what’s the point in living here if you can’t enjoy the bay?”
Nick held two opened beers in his hand and strolled up next to her, glancing through the same glass door. “What? With all my spare time?”
Kate took hold of one of the beers. “You have a valid point.”
They both looked out over the water in a long stretch of silence, as if each yearned to be out there, enjoying the evening on the bay. Instead, they had to find some connection between the drop house locations where it was suspected that a human trafficking operation was being conducted. It was a surreal way of life.
“Okay, let’s get to work.” Nick turned away from the calming view and booted up his laptop to retrieve the files.
Kate shuffled towards the table, not really wanting to depart from the scene, and sat down next to him. He spread out the photos of Ruxandra Sala, the first victim with which they’d come into contact. The bruises on her face and arms and chest made Kate wince as she had when she’d seen them in person. But the young woman had been brave enough to escape and, if she hadn’t, they’d have virtually nothing to go by. Now, another drop house had been located. This time, two women didn’t survive, although Kate had no idea how many others there had been, or if they were alive or not.
She began to run the locations of the two houses to search for any similarities. Both had been situated in poor neighborhoods and both had been abandoned. A buzz from the intercom fixed to the wall startled her.
“Must be the food.” Nick pushed up from his chair and pressed the button, confirming the identity of the caller, and quickly buzzed him in.
A moment later, he opened the door and handed the man forty dollars. “Keep the change. Thanks.”
The two continued on, eating, drinking beer, and working, for at least an hour, maybe longer—she’d lost track of time. Kate was beginning to feel like it was the old days, except that the old days were with Marshall, but it still felt good. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with the fact that she was here, training to become an FBI agent, a scenario that she’d played around with in her mind a long time ago, but never really believed it would happen. Part of her felt guilty for enjoying this moment—working on a case with the agent who helped save her life. Part of her knew she was only here because Marshall wasn’t.
The front door handle jiggled and drew their attention.
“Oh hell, what time is it?” Nick pressed the button on his phone. The time showed eleven p.m. “Dammit. That’s Georgia.”
Georgia walked through the front door and appeared surprised to see the two of them amidst a stack of papers and dueling laptops. “Oh.” She glanced to Nick. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“Georgia, I’m so sorry. I lost track of time. Kate and I got wrapped up in this case.” He met her at the door and leaned in for a kiss. Her long, red hair partially covered her lips and Nick pushed it back behind her ear. He turned back to Kate. “Why don’t we call it a night? We’ve got a long drive and I’m sure you’d like to get organized and get some rest.”
“Of course.” If there was ever a moment to feel like a third wheel, it was now. Kate quickly packed up her belongings in order to vacate without further disruption.
“It’s fine if you two need to work.” Georgia said, laying her purse on the sofa table.
“No. Really, I need to get home. You two enjoy some time together. I know you don’t get much of it.” Kate shoved her laptop into her bag and tossed it over her
shoulder. “I’ll see you at seven?” She passed by the two of them, noticing the puff of wind that raised Georgia’s hair in her wake as Kate practically ran to the door.
“I’ll see you then,” Nick replied.
“Goodbye, Georgia. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to hang out a little.” Now she just felt awkward. It was the look in Georgia’s eyes, like she was pissed that Kate had been there in the first place, an unusual expression that perhaps had some measure of truth behind it.
Nick closed the door after her. “I just completely lost track of time, babe. I am sorry. But now, I’m all yours. Can I get you a drink or a glass of wine? There’s some Chinese left if you’re hungry.”
Georgia continued to walk inside, standing in the middle of the living room. “I really feel like an ass here, Nick.”
“What? Why would you say that?” He walked into the kitchen to pour her a glass of wine.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was coming over?”
“I didn’t realize I had to keep you abreast of the details of my working arrangements.” He moved towards her, holding out her glass of wine. “Are you pissed at me or something? We’re working on a case, Georgia.”
“It’s just the more I think about it, it seems like you pulled a whole lot of strings to get her assigned to your office, and I’m just trying to figure out why.”
SEVEN
Despite being on the receiving end of an undeserved silent treatment, Kate understood that something had transpired last night after she left Nick’s place. The early morning drive to Richmond found her trapped in the car, feeling awkward, and although she’d attempted to engage in some lighthearted conversation, she soon realized it was entirely inappropriate, considering the destination they were approaching.
It was a failed attempt in any case and so Kate figured he’d talk when he was ready, but his reticence bothered her. They were about to confirm that the investigation had taken a deadly turn and they should have been discussing leads and coordination efforts between the jurisdictions. Instead, Kate spent the better part of two hours listening to talk radio, something she despised in the first place.
Upon arrival at the abandoned house where the two women were found dead, Kate began to notice something. She stood outside the home and looked along the road at the houses lined up and down the street. A few people came outside to check the happenings, having spotted police units parked in front of the home. As soon as she caught the stare of one onlooker, the old woman immediately turned away. A few young men stood outside another home about three houses down, and since the houses were close together, they were getting a pretty good view of the circus.
What she’d noticed was that of those interested neighbors huddled in conversation, she’d overheard a language that was definitely not English. Kate walked over to one of the local police officers who was taking pictures of footprints in the yard. “Hey, those guys over there, can you hear what they’re saying?”
The officer listened. “I can hear ‘em, but I don’t have any idea as to what they’re saying. Probably speaking Croatian or Serbian; they’re pretty similar. Not sure, but this is a highly immigrant area concentrated with eastern Europeans.”
“Makes sense. Thanks.” Kate walked inside and found Nick typing something on his phone. “Hey. How’s it going in here?”
“Good. It looks like these guys might have an identity on at least one of the victims. A young woman was reported missing last week and this one matches the description. They’re working on getting the family to confirm her identity, but she’ll have to be taken to the morgue first.”
“Does she match our victim profile?”
“I don’t know much yet. If she was here or her family was here legally, that doesn’t mean our theory is off base. It just means we got lucky to have been able to ID someone.”
“I was talking to the officer out there,” Kate began, “and he mentioned this neighborhood has a lot of Croatians and Serbians. Similar to the demographics of the other neighborhoods, including the one Ms. Sala managed to escape from.”
“Add it to the growing list then. Whoever is running this thing is starting to get careless. One escaped and now two are dead—assuming they’re connected. In my mind, that’s quickly becoming a certainty.” Nick watched the officers photographing the scene. “I’d sure as hell like to know why we haven’t found Corbett yet. I don’t know if he’s the head of the snake, but he’s a part of it, and we need to consider employing other methods to find him before more girls wind up dead or being sold off to the highest bidder.”
“I’m not sure which is worse,” Kate replied.
The Richmond Police Department’s forensics team was operating at full capacity, by all accounts. They were starting to bring the bodies down the staircase and take them to the waiting coroner’s office mobile transport outside.
“We can talk to some of the neighbors, find out if they knew the victims, once we confirm their identities, or if they knew the men who brought them here,” Kate said.
“That’s why you’re working with me,” Nick started. “I don’t know what the hell Georgia’s problem is.”
Kate suspected this had been the underlying reason for Nick’s standoffish behavior. “She doesn’t want us working together?”
“Hell, I don’t know. I think it’s just that she’s been away so much lately and you and I have been working closely.”
“Is she jealous? Of you and me?” A smile crept up on her face.
“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m quite the catch, you know.” Nick raised his hand to prevent her from issuing any sort of apology. “I don’t think she’s jealous, per se. I think it bothers her a little that I spend more time with you than I do with her. That’s all.”
Kate didn’t know exactly how to respond to this. The last thing she’d wanted was to get in the way of those two. She considered Nick a mentor and a friend. It was hard to admit that the men who meant the most to her in her life had been mentors at one point in time. The idea seemed to prove Georgia’s assumptions.
But the time had come for Kate to stand on her own two feet. And she couldn’t let Georgia or anyone else get in the way of that goal. She was fighting for her own existence now and refused to crumble under the weight of her own guilt.
A small glimmer caught Kate’s eye and she turned her head in the direction of the brief glow. An earring. A small, probably cubic zirconia, stud earring was wedged between one of the floorboards and the baseboard on the wall of the stairs. She leaned down to be sure.
“What is it?” Nick asked.
“Is that an earring?” She was careful not to pick it up. This wasn’t her first rodeo.
Nick bent down on one knee to get a closer look. “It sure as hell is. How did you see that?”
“I don’t know. The sun must’ve reflected off of it for just a second.” It was surely a coincidence that Kate had seen, on more than one occasion, a glimmer catching her eye from her own home. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and she didn’t know what it was, except perhaps her own imagination. It didn’t feel like it was her imagination any more.
“Well, it could be something, it could be nothing, but that’s a hell of a good eye you got there, Reid. Let’s get those guys over there to bag it and tag it. Might belong to one of the victims.”
“Or to one of the girls they took with them.” Kate turned back towards the front entry. “I’m going to have a walk down the road. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t think Nick heard her, but continued on anyway while he tracked a CSI down to collect the earring.
Kate stepped outside the home once again and walked across the dried, brown lawn and out onto the street. She began to head towards the men she’d heard talking earlier.
As she drew closer, their eyes followed her every step. Kate was in her NAT uniform, blue polo, light khaki pants, and black holster strapped to her waist. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “Hello. I’m with the FBI and I’m working with t
he local police at that house just over there.” She pointed to it.
One of the young men rolled his eyes at her gesture, then she realized it was fairly obvious where she’d come from. “Do you mind if I ask you two a couple of questions?”
“Nemamo pojma što govoriš.” We have no idea what you’re saying, one of them said.
A young girl stepped outside onto the porch of the home where the men lingered. “They don’t speak English. Not much anyway.”
“But you do?” Kate asked.
The girl of maybe twelve answered with a nod.
“Are they your brothers?” Kate asked.
The girl nodded; her thick hair falling into her face.
“Do you know what happened over there at that house?”
“Ono što je ona kaže, Nicola?” What is she saying, Nicola? the man asked, puffing on his cigarette, his eyes never leaving Kate.
The two exchanged several phrases that Kate had no way of following. She only waited patiently for the girl to translate.
“My brother says he knows that someone died there. A woman.”
“Two, actually,” Kate replied.
“He says he has seen the men coming and going from that house.”
Kate felt a surge of anticipation rise. “Does he know these men? Does he know their names?”
The girl spoke to her brother in their native tongue once again, leaving Kate on the edge of her seat for an answer.
“He doesn’t know them, but he has seen them at the bar where our cousin works.”
“Do you think your brother could take me to see your cousin?” Kate asked and again waited for translation.
“He says he will take you.”
“Good. Please tell him that I will be back in just a few minutes. I need to see my boss first. Please ask him to wait for me and I will return. I promise.”
