by Robin Mahle
“How far back does this video go?” Garrett asked.
Nick studied the image and quickly pointed to the timestamp in the bottom corner. “Looks like this is from tonight.” He looked at Jameson. “Can you find an earlier file? Say from around nine o’clock this evening, and we’ll start there?”
Jameson closed that file and searched for another. They were labeled with the date and military time. He pulled up the file with today’s date that showed 2100. “Here it is.”
The same image appeared. A quiet storage room, devoid of any movement or sound. A few minutes passed and they waited. Something was going to happen; they just needed to wait. Kate cast her eyes between the agents and Gregor. She moved back toward the kid. “Still no word from Vito?”
He shook his head.
“Did you tell him we were waiting?” Kate asked in a hushed tone
“I didn’t want him to be caught.” Gregor raised his eyes to meet Kate’s. “He saved my life. Kovac would have killed me.”
“We could have helped your brother. Now he’s out there alone with no one to help him.”
“There, look.” Nick pointed to the screen. “They’re coming in now.”
Kate returned to the monitor, discouraged by Gregor’s admission, but she was hesitant to mention it to the others. “What is it?”
Jameson looked over to Gregor. “You know what Kovac looks like, right, kid?”
He nodded.
“Good. Come over here.” Jameson waited. “Is that him?”
Gregor studied the image. “That is him.”
Another man appeared in the video. “And that is my brother, Vito.”
“But you don’t know where they were taking the women?” Garrett asked.
“No. I don’t know anything more than I’ve already told you.”
Kate was beginning to doubt his words.
They continued watching the video when a few young women appeared, being nearly dragged inside the storage room. It appeared they’d already been drugged.
It was disturbing and Kate struggled to watch, but looking away would only draw the concerns of the men around her. She didn’t want to appear frail, because she couldn’t afford to be. Never again had she wanted to see pity in the eyes of the men around her. And they did pity her, even if they would never admit it.
These girls were hardly able to stand on their own two feet. Their hands were tied behind their backs. Kate watched as Vito appeared almost hesitant to continue, like maybe he’d been having second thoughts.
“Wait, hang on. Can you go back a minute?” Kate asked.
“Yeah.” Jameson began to roll back the video. “What is it? What’d you see?”
“There.” She pointed to the screen. The back door of the storage room was propped open as they were taking the women out back, presumably to a waiting vehicle. And Kate thought that she spotted a small trace of that vehicle. “What does that look like to you guys?”
“It looks like the front bumper of a car,” Garrett said.
“I don’t think it’s a car,” Nick began. “A van maybe? Take a look at the wheel well. Much larger than a car.”
“And it’s got a mud flap,” Kate continued. “I’m thinking it’s a van.”
“We need more. Keep going. Let’s see if we get a better view of the vehicle,” Nick said.
Jameson pressed play again.
They waited until all the women were loaded up. The men now stood outside the storage room, the door still propped open.
“Let’s go,” Kovac said.
“Turn it up. What’s he saying?” Nick asked.
Jameson rolled it back just slightly and pressed play again.
“Let’s go. We’re meeting him at the docks in thirty minutes,” Kovac said and then closed the door of the storage room.
“The docks,” Kate started. “What docks?”
Detective Garrett spun around to his desk and picked up the phone. “I need to contact the marinas. Both of them, but I’ll start with the commercial docks first. If they were there, we’ll have video and a shipping manifesto.”
Kate headed back toward Gregor. “Can you try your brother one more time, please? This could mean helping those girls. We need to find him.” She’d hoped he understood now what was at stake. That this was the only way to help his brother out of the mess he’d created for all of them, and perhaps, if the local FBI office was still running surveillance, they’d get a location.
Gregor called his brother once again. This time, the line answered.
“Gregor. I’m so glad to hear from you. Where are you?” the man on the other line asked.
“Where’s my brother? Where’s Vito?”
“Oh, he’s waiting for you. Don’t worry. He is occupied with one of the girls. I’m sure you can understand. Now, tell me, Gregor, where are you? We could use your help. It could mean a lot of money for your family.”
Gregor immediately hung up and looked at Kate.
She could already see in his face what he was about to say. “Vito’s dead, isn’t he?”
“He would never let anyone else answer his phone. He always kept it on him. Yes, I think he must be dead.” Gregor’s lips quivered, but he tried to keep it together.
“Who answered the call?” Kate asked.
“Kovac. He asked where I was at and that they could use my help.”
The boat pulled into the slip and was docked by two men standing nearby. Corbett recognized one of them as the Arranger’s security guard. The other, he’d never seen before tonight. The women would be transported from here via another van with others who’d already been taken by Corbett’s counterparts. The organization spread far and wide and Corbett was just a small piece of the puzzle.
Stepping onto the deck of the vessel, he waved a hand to the men below. “Hey, you two wanna give me a hand?”
The men climbed aboard and began transporting the women to another van that would take them to their second and final destination. One of them, Corbett had on reserve as an apology for the trouble brought to Druseburg’s doorstep. He’d hang on to her for a while until the feds realized they had nothing on his client and backed down.
These were large men who had no trouble with the limp cargo. They unloaded the women with ease and placed them into the waiting van.
Corbett didn’t know where they were going or who would take charge of them. It was how the business functioned. Different factions, operating in different areas. Corbett had a contact, the Arranger, and was given instructions from there. But so long as the money kept coming, he didn’t question it. And it had been his call to silence Vito Bjuric. He couldn’t risk him getting soft again as he had with his brother. Far too much was at stake and Corbett had a boss too.
“I’m keeping this one,” he said to the men. “I already checked with the big man. You can call him yourself if you don’t believe me.”
The man looked at Corbett. “Fine. If you say so.”
“It’s an apology to one of our best clients.”
“Whatever, man. I don’t give a fuck,” the muscular, bald man replied.
Corbett raised his hands as if a gun was pointed at him. “Okay, I hear you. Just wanted to let you know it was copacetic.”
The man began to walk away. “You’ll get a call with another order soon.”
Corbett agreed and jumped onto the dock to untie the ropes. He needed to get back to find out if Kovac had taken care of the kid. It would be a mess to sort out if he hadn’t. But if the kid was gone, no one would really notice. His brother sure as hell wouldn’t go to the cops, if he valued the lives of his family and his own.
“You should get back to the base,” Nick said. “I’m sure you could use a few hours of sleep. There’s not much more you can do here tonight.”
“What about Nicola?” Kate asked.
“Assuming Vito’s dead, and I’d say that was a safe assumption at this point, Garrett will get them home and post a patrolman at their house. Right now, Gregor Bjuric is th
e only person who can identify Stan Kovac, so we need to keep them safe.”
“What’s going to happen next?” Kate stepped away from the others to have a private word with Nick.
“I doubt we’ll find Vito’s body. Not soon enough anyway. Best bet is to get those phone records from Druseburg. Find out if he’s contacted Kovac or Corbett. We’ve still got a shitload of evidence on him.”
“Circumstantial,” Kate said.
Nick grinned. “Glad to see they’re teaching you something over there in Quantico.”
“You forget, I worked in evidence handling and spent a lot of time helping Marshall with some of his cases.”
“I didn’t forget. And you’re right. We don’t have anything concrete on Druseburg—yet, not enough to charge him with murder or trafficking. In the meantime, we’ll still try to track down Kovac and Corbett, but Druseburg’s phone records will be our best bet.” He picked up her laptop bag from beneath her chair. “You’ve got class in the morning. I’ll be in touch with you later.” He glanced at his watch. “Later today, by the looks of it. I didn’t realize it was so late. Will you be okay to drive back to base?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m fine. In fact, I’m not tired at all, actually.”
“Adrenaline. It’s some pretty powerful stuff. You’ll start to feel the drag soon enough. I just hope you get home before it hits.” He opened the door of Garrett’s office.
“I’ll see you guys soon. I’ve gotta head back to base,” Kate said.
Gregor pushed up quickly from the table.
“Don’t worry. Agent Scarborough will make sure you and your family are safe.” She’d wanted to be angry with him. After all, he knew about and participated in this latest drop. They could’ve already saved those women if he’d come forward earlier. But looking into his eyes, she could see he was protecting his brother. Although, in the end, it was his little sister who made it possible for them to have gotten this far.
“I’d like to say goodnight to Nicola.”
“Come on, then.” Nick walked with her down the hall toward the break room. He pushed the door open slightly. “Looks like she’s still asleep.”
“I’ll be right back.” Kate walked inside and headed toward Nicola’s mother. She knelt down in front of the middle-aged woman, who was stroking her daughter’s thick and beautiful dirty blonde hair.
“Your daughter is very brave,” Kate whispered.
The woman smiled, although her eyes expressed a fear that only a mother could feel. “Like her father.”
“Agent Scarborough and Detective Garrett will see that you are safe in your home.”
“What about Vito?”
Kate turned her gaze toward the girl because she feared that her eyes would betray her and reveal the truth she couldn’t bring herself to admit. “We haven’t heard from him yet. But Agent Scarborough will keep you and your children safe.”
“She looks up to you,” the woman said, glancing to Nicola. “She wants to be like you, I think.”
Kate pushed aside the feeling that was bearing down on her. The feeling that she’d believed her own child would have looked up to her someday. “Your daughter can be anything she wants to be. That’s what’s so great about this country.”
“Maybe your daughter could.” The woman stopped to look at Nicola again before returning her attention to Kate. “I don’t think mine can.” The smile on the woman’s face faded.
Kate rose to her feet once again. “They’ll be taking you all very soon and you’ll be able to get some rest. Good night, Mrs. Bjuric.” Kate turned and walked back to the door, the woman’s words reverberating in her ears. She looked back a final time, but the woman did not look up at her.
“You ready to go?” Nick asked.
“I’m ready.”
“Hey, everything all right? What happened in there?”
“It’s fine. I just feel bad for that poor woman. She came here to give her kids a better life. Doesn’t seem to have really panned out for them.”
Nick opened the door to exit the station and continued walking Kate to her car. “What you did tonight, disarming Gregor and getting him to confide in you. Kate, that was no easy task. I mean, shit, that was Tactical Training 101 right there. And you passed with flying colors.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Nick opened the driver’s side door for her. “Do me a favor. Just text me when you get home? I’ll sleep a lot better tonight if I know that you made it home safely.”
Kate slid inside the car. “You mean you’re actually going to get some sleep? Ha! I’d pay to see that.”
He pushed the door closed. “Yeah, yeah. Even us superhero special agents need our rest. You get it? SSA?” Nick leaned into the window, a wide smile on his face. “Be safe. I’ll talk to you later.” Two slaps of his hand on the car door, and he stood up.
Kate rolled her eyes at the terrible joke he’d made and waved a final goodbye before backing out and heading for the road. She watched Nick wave back in the rear view mirror.
Music would help keep her alert and so Kate switched on the car radio. She really wasn’t all that tired, but she hoped the music would drown out the thoughts in her head. Had Nicola’s mother been right? Would Nicola be afforded the same opportunities as any other American kid?
17
With frequent stolen glances at the phone discretely tucked between her thigh and the seat, Kate struggled to maintain focus on the instruction. She was operating on less than three hours’ sleep and needed to know what was happening. She was impotent to do anything from here and only wanted to go back to Richmond and find those girls.
“How would you handle that situation, Reid?” The instructor focused his attention on Kate, and now, so did everyone else.
Her eyes raised to meet his, embarrassed that she had no idea what he’d asked. “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?” Kate’s cheeks flushed in an instant.
“Are we keeping you from something, Reid? Do you feel this training is unnecessary in some way?”
“No, sir. I apologize.”
He looked at her for a moment longer. “Hewitt, how would you handle that situation?” The instructor moved on to ask the one person whom Kate had come to dislike and, of course, he provided an answer with no delay.
“Are you okay?” Will leaned over, trying to keep his voice low enough to not draw any more unwanted attention her way.
“It’s been a long night, that’s all.” If he was wanting a more comprehensive answer, it would have to wait because she was unwilling to suffer the wrath of an irritated instructor should she draw his attention once again.
This investigation was already causing Kate to slip in not only attendance, which she would have to make up, but if her distractions continued, it was likely her scores would suffer too. She was jeopardizing all she had been working toward.
“Tomorrow, you’ll be interviewing witnesses. Please prepare by reviewing the case files and have your questions ready. This is an important skill that you will need to master.” The instructor aimed his sights on Kate. “We will analyze your technique and you will be evaluated, so please do not take this assignment lightly.” His hold on her finally released. “You are dismissed.”
She’d been called out, and rightly so. Kate packed her things and prepared to leave when the instructor approached.
“Do you have a minute, Reid?”
At the front of the room was a small desk and the instructor took a seat on the edge, folding his arms, a sure sign she was about to suffer some sort of reprimand.
“I understand SSA Scarborough has you working on a fairly significant investigation, Reid, but that does not absolve you of your training. We had an agreement that assisting him was to complement what you are learning here, and to offer guidance on some aspects that you are struggling with. What I’m seeing now borders on a disregard for our rules here at the Academy. I cannot let the behavior continue. Some of your colleagues are also working outside of the tra
ining here and yet, I don’t see the same distractions coming from them.”
“I apologize, Agent Hawes. There’s no excuse, you’re right. Being here is what’s important to me.” While that was true, she couldn’t help but think about Nicola.
“We’ve discussed where we can improve on some of the areas you’re lacking in, Reid, but I need your cooperation. Do we need to refocus your energies? Maybe request that you take a less critical role in this investigation?” Hawes continued.
“No, sir. Again, I won’t let it deter my focus from class again. I can assure you that this training is my priority.”
“Okay. I don’t give third chances, Reid.” He pushed off the edge of the desk. “You are no more or less important than the other trainees.”
“Thank you, Agent Hawes. You’ll have my undivided attention from here on out.”
“Fair enough. Goodbye, Reid.”
The dormitory seemed a far walk as she drifted through the glass-enclosed breezeway, replaying the instructor’s words, knowing she was putting everything at risk. And for what? Did she think Scarborough and Jameson couldn’t handle the case on their own? Nick was under the impression that this investigation would shine a spotlight on her talents, whatever those were, and that everything else would just fall into place as a result. It hadn’t. And they needed her like she needed a hole in her head. Kate stopped and looked out at the grounds, her reflection in the glass staring back at her. She examined her lucent features. Who are you? Who do you want to be?
Marshall had made her out to be better than she was, stronger than she was, and it was time to stop seeing herself as he had. Her past did not make her special, it made her a survivor. She needed to come to terms with the fact that no one here would cut her the slack that he did. It was time for her to stand on her own two feet. She would need to convince Nick of the same.
Returning to her room, the long-awaited call finally came. “Reid here.”
“Vito’s body was found early this morning floating near the docks.” Nick spoke with urgency. “Garrett’s team is searching Kovac’s home now and we’ve got people posted at the diner in case he shows up. With two dead bodies linked to him, though, I’m not going to hold my breath that he’ll show up at either place.”
