by Robin Mahle
“There’s a lot of buzz at the office right now,” Bingham said. “Lots of people are excited to meet the experts from Quantico.”
“We’re only here to assist Palmero. This is his investigation,” Walsh said from the backseat.
“Well, I have a feeling you’re all about to get the star treatment. Just be forewarned.” She smiled.
They arrived at the Charlotte office where Bingham led them inside. Several agents stood in the lobby as though waiting for royalty.
“See? I told you.” She continued inside. “There’s nothing to see here, guys. Get back to work. Our friends from Quantico have to get set up.”
“I like her,” Duncan whispered to Kate. “She should be on the list too.”
“What list?” Kate asked.
“You know, to replace Quinn.”
“Maybe so.” Kate smiled.
“Right through here, everyone.” Bingham headed into the main open space of the first floor. “I’ll show you to the conference room and grab ASAC Jones for you. Does anyone want a coffee or anything?”
“I’d love one,” Walsh said. “But I can grab it. Just point me in the right direction.”
“Straight down that hall. It’s the second door on the left. Plenty of coffee and I’m sure you’ll find donuts in there too.”
“Count me in.” Kate followed him.
When they walked into the breakroom, Kate grabbed two mugs from a cabinet. “So, Bingham’s interesting.”
“She is.” Walsh took the mugs from her and poured the coffee.
“Not bad looking either,” Kate added.
“What?” He furrowed his brow.
Kate held up her hands. “I’m just saying. She’s cool. Cute, obviously smart.”
“Uh-huh. And lives how many miles away?” He took a sip. “Where are those donuts?”
“Seriously, though. We have to pull this off fast before Bishop catches wind of what’s going on.” Kate’s phone buzzed and she grabbed it. “What the hell?”
Walsh checked his phone too. “Oh shit.” He set down the coffee, nearly spilling it, and hustled out.
Kate was right next to him when they returned to the conference room.
Nick stood inside next to Bingham. “One of the local detectives called. He knew his captain was coming here for this meeting this morning. Apparently, they got a call about a body inside a car.”
“Okay.” Kate waited for him to elaborate.
“It was located at the EMS station where Bishop worked.”
“Have they talked to him?” Walsh asked.
Nick shook his head. “He’s gone. Cleared out. We just lost our window.”
16
In the parking lot of the EMS station, local police cordoned off the area. Agent Palmero stood in front of the black Mustang with his hands on his hips and his bolo tie flapping in the wind. “Damn it. He was right here, and we missed him.”
Nick stood near. “We were getting our ducks in a row, building a case so we could bring in Bishop for questioning. Something like this wasn’t even in our purview. If we weren’t sure of his guilt before, we sure as shit are now.”
Agent Bingham approached them. “Charlotte Police is getting a statement from the supervisor. He said someone played a joke on Bishop and put this up in his locker.” She held up her phone with a picture of the hand-drawn image.
“Nice. I’m sure that was what set him off,” Nick replied.
“You don’t think it had anything to do with the work we’ve been doing to track him down?” Palmero asked.
“No one knew about it. There’s a chance someone from the hospital where he worked might’ve reached out to him after my team made contact, but from what Walsh said, no one liked the guy. They all suspected something was wrong with him. And, nothing’s been leaked to the media.” Nick sighed. “I think this was a situation where Bishop lost control. It was bound to happen sooner or later. The lawsuit, being taunted by your co-workers. We’re not talking about a rational man here. Now one of his coworkers is dead.”
Kate walked around the car and returned to Nick’s side. “Scarborough’s right. The lawsuit must’ve been weighing on him. Then this guy makes a joke.” She turned back for a moment before continuing. “I heard the supervisor had mentioned something about Bishop just taking off for a few days. Then he comes back and does this.”
“Did he know what Bishop did during that time?” Palmero asked.
“He claimed it was a family emergency,” Kate replied.
“That’s something we should delve into,” Nick added. “For now, the priority is to find Bishop. He has to be stopped.”
Walsh examined the body while the Charlotte Medical Examiner prepared to load it onto the truck. “How long before you get back DNA results?”
“I understand the urgency, Agent Walsh, and my people will do their best to expedite the testing. However, it all depends on the lab. I’ll keep on top of them,” the doctor replied.
“Thank you.” Walsh retrieved a business card. “Call me as soon as you have something. Please.”
“Of course.” He looked to his assistant. “Let’s get him loaded up.”
The team gathered near the entrance of the EMS station and waited for the Charlotte detective to finish his interviews. It was time to make a call on the next move.
“You two know the most about him. What do you think his next move is going to be?” Nick asked.
“Levi, what do you think?” Kate respected the chain of command and Walsh was her senior.
“It has to be all-hands-on-deck. The Charlotte police, Bingham, you and your team and us. There’s no telling how long or if he’ll stay here. My guess is, once he sees this on the news, and he will,” Walsh pointed to the news truck pulling away, “I don’t think he’ll be stupid enough to stick around.”
“I think you all should set up shop in our field office,” Bingham began. “We let the local police be the boots on the ground and we work to find surveillance footage, banking transactions, anything we can to pinpoint a location.” She looked to Walsh. “Time is running out and from what you all have said, he won’t stick around.”
Bishop was wasting daylight. He needed a plan to get the hell out of Charlotte. Someone would’ve found his coworker’s body by now and the story would probably be on the evening news in a matter of hours.
Dr. Theodore Bishop was still a highly educated man. He could find a solution. And as he peered at the passport used to get him in and out of the Bahamas, the answer stared back at him. “Well, Mr. Eli Parnell, we meet again.”
He had the identity, some money stashed away, and now he needed a new ride. He was a doctor, not a car thief. The anatomy of the human body was ingrained in him, not the anatomy of a combustible engine or how to start one without a key.
This would present a challenge. He peered outside of his second-story studio apartment, sure the police would surround it soon. A bus stop was just below. “Public transportation.” Bishop zipped up his duffle bag that he’d only just unpacked a day earlier. Whatever medical supplies he had were tossed inside too. He’d used a lot of in Nassau and unexpectedly used some on his coworker. The plan had been to replenish his stores on shift tonight. That was out the door.
He walked downstairs and waited for the bus. It looked like the 210 would take him into downtown Charlotte. “Nope.” He peered again at the routes posted inside the bus stop overhang. “Raleigh? Maybe.” Eli Parnell could blend in there for a while. No one was looking for him. “Raleigh, it is.”
The bus was due to arrive at any moment and he was alone at the stop. He would avoid the commuters if he played his cards right. The bus plodded along the roadway and slowed as it neared.
When the doors opened, Bishop smiled and dropped the money into the slot. He would have to take this to the depot where he could slip onto another bus that headed into Raleigh. The plan was to be there before nightfall. It would be close.
Duncan slipped into the hall outside the room th
at had been set up for the team. “Hey. Thanks for calling me back.”
“What’s the latest?” Fisher asked.
“Bingham is coordinating her people in the hunt for closed circuit video, credit card usage, anything like that that will give us a clue as to where Bishop’s going.”
“That must mean he fled his apartment already?”
“Yes. Charlotte police headed there as soon as the body was found, but he was gone.”
“What about the media?” Fisher pressed on.
“The field office here has a media coordinator who has been working with the local news. So far, they’ve avoided giving them any idea that Bishop is tied to a wrongful death suit in Baltimore or is suspected of killing anyone else for that matter.”
“I want to keep it that way,” Fisher replied. “How’s Scarborough doing?”
“Same as always. He’s taken the lead, which is fine. He is the ranking agent. If you’re asking me if he’s got his head on straight, then yes, he appears to. Which leads me to my next question. We’ve got Palmero here from the Houston office, our team, and the Charlotte field office. That’s a lot of agents who might not be certain whose case this is,” Duncan replied.
“As far as we’re concerned, this is still Palmero’s investigation. He is who we will defer to. That said, it’ll be up to him to determine what role Bingham’s team will take. That’s not our concern. Our concern is finding Bishop. Let them decide who’s taking the credit, or the fall.”
“No doubt. We may want to steer clear of that should Bishop slip through our fingers,” she added. “I’d better get back inside. Will you be staying put?”
“For the time being but keep me up to speed. I don’t want to be the micromanager. We already had one of those.”
“Bye.” She walked back into the room where Bingham stood next to one of her agents. “Any hits yet?”
“Not a one. He must’ve had some cash on hand because no one’s found any transactions, bank or credit card. And he ditched his car. Charlotte police found it at his apartment.”
“Shit. We might be too late.” Duncan spotted Kate and the others huddled near the back of the room and made her way to join them. “Bingham says they don’t have anything yet.”
“We’ve been discussing our options,” Nick began. “It’s safe to assume since he’s ditched his car that he’ll be on public transport.”
“You don’t think he would’ve tried to get another car? Borrow one from a friend or something like that?” Kate asked.
“He’s new here,” Walsh added. “I’m not sure he had any friends. Not friends who would cover for him like that anyway. I think Scarborough’s right. He’s on the road. We should check the airport, and bus, and train stations.”
“Where’s Palmero?” Kate peered around the room. “This is his show. He needs to know what’s going on.”
“I’ll track him down.” Nick started out the door and into the halls of an office he wasn’t familiar with. Palmero stood just inside the office of ASAC Jones and noticed him approach.
“Scarborough. What’s up? Did something hit?”
“Not yet, but we have some ideas. You want to come join us?” Nick peered inside. “Sir.”
“Agent Scarborough,” ASAC Jones said. “Palmero was just filling me in on what’s been happening, but by all means, you two do what you need to do. I’ll be here if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” Palmero headed into the corridor again with Nick by his side. “That guy’s a piece of work. He tracked me down and insisted on hashing out who was going to be paying for this operation. Seriously?”
“I’m not surprised,” Nick added. “It’s part of the job—justifying expenditures.”
“Sounds like you speak from experience,” Palmero added.
“Sadly, yes. But no longer. Come on. We need to lay this out,” Nick opened the door and Palmero walked inside while he followed. “No one’s found anything that will point us to a location, but my team and I were discussing hitting up public transportation.”
“I like it.” Palmero joined the others. “What’s the plan, folks? I’m all ears.”
Bishop arrived at the bus depot in Charlotte and headed into the restroom. Inside his bag, he retrieved a baseball hat and slipped it on. It would be enough to keep his face hidden from the CCTV cameras dotted around the area. He opened his wallet and pulled out a bank card, twirling it through his fingers. “I can’t. They’ll find me.” He slipped the card back inside his wallet and pulled out some cash.
A final check in the mirror and Bishop walked out of the restroom and headed toward a kiosk. “One ticket to Raleigh, please. The next bus, if possible.”
The man behind the counter typed on his computer. “Looks like we have one leaving in an hour.” He peered at Bishop. “That’ll be $113.67.”
Bishop handed over the cash and when the man slid the ticket across the counter, he gave a final nod before leaving. Now he had to wait for an hour and the only way to ensure he wasn’t spotted was to keep his head down. He had shaved off the stubble grown for Eli Parnell, but his hair was still light brown. That might be enough to keep him from being identified if the hat came off.
He peered at his ticket. It was issued to Eli Parnell, Bishop’s new alias. This was who he had to be now if he wanted to break away clean. However, that meant no longer working as an EMT, or doctor or anything relating to the medical field at all.
As he waited for the bus, there was one person Bishop wanted to reach out to if for nothing else than to reassure her whatever she was about to hear on the news wasn’t true. He wasn’t who they would say he was. He had been engaged to her once a long time ago, before he started his residency at the hospital in Providence. Bishop held his phone and peered at the screen. She had loved him, though he had been incapable of reciprocating. He pressed the button and the line rang.
“Hello?” she answered.
“It’s Theo. How are you, Holly?”
“Theo?” She paused for a minute. “Why are you calling me?”
“Is this a bad time? Are you at work?” he asked.
“No. My shift doesn’t start for another two hours. Theo, I haven’t heard from you in more than a year.”
“I know. I just thought after everything…”
“You mean after I left you?”
“Despite what you think, we meant something to each other once, didn’t we?”
“Money. Is that what you need? Are you in some kind of trouble, Theo? After what they all said about you at the hospital. They all knew what you did to those two patients.”
“If I’d done anything wrong, I’d be in jail by now and I’m not. No one proved anything. I told you that long ago.”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, I think we both know the reason why that was. Theo, I don’t have any money to give you, okay?”
“I don’t need your goddamn money, Holly.” His voice was raised. “I thought… screw it…”
“Whatever feelings I had for you are long since over. I know who you really are, Theo.”
He heard the line drop. “Holly? Holly?” Bishop pulled the phone from his ear. “Bitch!”
“Bus 618, leaving at 3:42pm, headed for Raleigh is boarding now in Bay 15.”
Bishop pushed off the bench and walked outside to Bay 15 where his uncertain future awaited. “Raleigh?” He asked the bus driver.
“That’s right. Ticket?”
Bishop handed over the ticket.
“Thank you, Mr. Parnell. If you’ll take a seat.”
Bishop headed through the aisle and all the way to the back of the bus. He was going to make it out of Charlotte before the evening news aired when his face was sure to be plastered all over the city. Holly would know exactly who he was then.
Kate rubbed the back of her neck as she sat at the table alongside Walsh and Duncan. Nick had opted to go with Bingham and Palmero to check out the various locations where Bishop might attempt to flee.
“I haven’t foun
d anything,” Kate began. “No airline ticket purchases, no train tickets…”
“No bus tickets,” Walsh added. “Yeah, me either.”
“It’s like he vanished,” Duncan said. “I wonder if Scarborough and those guys are having any better luck.”
“If they had, I’m sure we would’ve been the first to know,” Walsh replied. “Scarborough was right. Our window closed. Dr. Theodore Bishop is in the wind.”
“No. There has to be a way to track him down. With the sheer volume of surveillance footage, he’s bound to turn up somewhere.”
“He’s smart, Reid,” Duncan replied. “You said so yourself. He’s a doctor who managed to slip through various jobs and training doing exactly what he’s accused of doing now, only he came out clean.”
“Because no one wanted to admit they screwed up,” Walsh said. “Everyone we talked to was so concerned about their own jobs, or lawsuits. Even the medical school allowed him to graduate with the allegations brought forward. They were afraid too. Everyone has turned a blind eye to what Theodore Bishop has done.”
“That makes it all the more important that we don’t do the same,” Kate said. “He’s been emboldened by inaction on the part of his superiors and the authorities. That’s what allowed him to slip into the volunteer sites virtually unnoticed. No one questioned his credentials. They needed help and who would think a doctor would be there to kill people?”
17
Twilight settled over the city as Agent Bingham drove back to the Charlotte field office. Traffic was heavy going the opposite direction as commuters headed out of downtown. Agent Palmero sat in the passenger seat while Nick was in the back. No one spoke. The mission had been a bust.
“I hate going back empty handed,” Bingham said. “I thought we’d pick him up on CCTV somewhere.”
“Bishop’s gotten used to being unseen,” Palmero replied. “He knows how to play the game.”
