Edge of Mercy (A Kate Reid Novel Book 11)

by Robin Mahle

  Perez was behind the wheel of the SUV as he traversed the streets, careful to avoid raising alarms. The National Guard didn’t take well to cars speeding around areas where people still searched for their loved ones.

  Fisher was in the front passenger seat and turned back to Kate. “There’s still time. We won’t let him leave this city, Reid. I’ll be damned if I let that happen.”

  “Who’s with Nick right now?” she asked.

  Perez peered through the rearview window. “I trust Gutierrez with my life. He will ensure your agent’s safety. And he is in the care of one of the best doctors in the country.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to be there with him?” Duncan placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder.

  “No. I can’t. I have to be here to help find him. I know Bishop. I know this is where he’ll be.”

  “You seem to have been right the first time, Agent Reid,” Perez began. “I will not doubt your word this time.”

  Perez pointed to the right. “This one here. This is the largest encampment near the epicenter. Close enough that Bishop could have fled on foot but far enough that no rescue workers would need to venture this way.”

  “Reid, you and Walsh take this one here.” Fisher looked at Perez. “I think it’s best if we split up to cover more ground. Is there another area close by?”

  “Yes, two kilometers ahead. It’s possible he might’ve chosen to move deeper into the city since he knows you’re looking for him.”

  “We’re on it.” Kate jumped out of the back seat and Walsh followed.

  Fisher leaned through his window. “Hey, keep close radio contact and do not, under any circumstances, leave each other’s side. I’ll be damned if we let him get the drop on one of us again.”

  “Roger that.” Walsh turned to Kate. “Let’s go.”

  Perez pulled away with Duncan and Fisher while Kate started ahead. “I’m not feeling as confident as I was earlier that we’ll find him here.”

  “You gotta keep the faith, Reid. If you don’t, then he wins for sure. We have to try.”

  She nodded. “Where should we start?” Kate peered ahead at the rows of makeshift tents. Poles with blankets thrown over them for cover. Blue tarps over pallets and crates. “My God. There could be a thousand people in here.”

  Walsh placed his hands on his hips. “At least. We have no choice but to get moving.” He stepped ahead and turned back. “Kate, we’ll find him.”

  She followed close behind and traversed through the tent city. A man clawed at her leg and she drew her gun in surprise.

  The man’s eyes widened as he held up his hands. “No dispares! No dispares!” (Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.)

  Kate exhaled a breath and holstered her weapon.

  Walsh quickly turned back to her. “Jesus. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I almost blew that guy’s head off, but other than that, I’m fine.”

  “I need you to keep a clear head. If we cause a panic in here, and Bishop just happens to be hiding out, we’ll lose him. Not to mention we might get caught in the middle of something we don’t want to be in. It’s just us out here.”

  Kate nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know you’re worried about Scarborough, but I need you here 100 percent. Got it?”

  “I got it.” She pressed on. “It’s a needle in a haystack.” Walsh didn’t respond and only pushed forward leaving Kate with no choice but to see this through. It was her idea and she’d put everyone’s life on the line insisting they would find Bishop in one of these places.

  She had to think. Where would he go in a vast tent city like this? Where could he get away with hiding? She doubted he spoke the language, making it even tougher for him to find shelter. “He won’t be in one of the tents. No one will trust him. He has nothing to offer these people.”

  Walsh turned back. “What do you suggest?”

  “Look for a natural shelter. Trees, dense shrubbery. Someplace where he could be alone until dark. That’s when I think he’ll find his next victim, but not in the light of day. Not when he knows we’re looking for him.”

  “It’s midday now. That gives us a lot of time to find him.” Walsh pressed on the radio. “Fisher, what’s your 20?”

  “We’ve reached the next encampment and are beginning the search.”

  “Reid thinks he’ll find a place to hide among the trees and greenery until after dark. Then he’ll hunt for his next victim.” Walsh listened as Fisher spoke to Duncan and Perez.

  “Copy that. That’s where we’ll start. Fisher out.”

  Kate looked toward the east. “Hey, over there. That looks to be a fairly dense area.”

  “And several folks are using it for shade too. Let’s check it out.” Walsh started ahead.

  They reached the edge of the tree-lined area where the homeless used the trees to string shelter between them. Kate moved in, stepping carefully between the shelters, peering down for any sign Bishop was there. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh shit. Do you see that?”

  Walsh looked ahead roughly 10 feet from where they stood. “Is that a medical bag?” He started forward with hurried, but cautious steps.

  They reached the spot, and both drew their guns. Kate scanned the area to the left. Walsh looked to his right.

  “I don’t see him. I don’t see him.” Kate’s pulse quickened. “He’s here, goddamn it. Bishop! FBI!” she yelled.

  “Kate, don’t.” Walsh grabbed her arm.

  “He’s here, Levi.” She continued ahead. “Bishop! It’s over. Show yourself!”

  A young woman emerged from beneath a blue tarp strung between two trees. The black medical bag lay feet from her. “Ido. El hombre se fue.”

  “What?” Kate squatted down. “Habla inglés?”

  The woman shook her head. She couldn’t have been older than her early 20s.

  “Don’t be afraid.” Kate searched for a word she might understand. “FBI.” She picked up the bag. “Man?”

  “Si. Uh, man.” The woman made a gesture with two fingers as if to indicate the man had run away. “Escapar.”

  “Escape?” Kate asked.

  “The woman nodded.”

  The radios they held buzzed to life. “Here! He’s here! In pursuit.” Fisher huffed as though he was running.

  Walsh jumped up and held the radio. “Copy.” He turned to Kate. “Grab the bag and let’s go. They’re in pursuit. We need to move.”

  Kate pushed up and both ran through the rest of the encampment until reaching an open area.

  “What now? We can’t get there. It’s a mile away.” Her breath was labored as she pushed her hand through her hair and shot her gaze back and forth. “Levi. What the hell can we do?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. They got this, Kate. They’ll catch him.” Walsh placed his hands on his face and rubbed hard. “Damn it. Damn it!” With the radio in his hand, he waited for an update. “Come on, man, give me something here.”

  Kate looked at the radio and then to Walsh. “What the hell is happening, Levi?”

  “Just hold tight. There’s nothing we can do for them right now. It’s on them.”

  Kate paced a small area of the sidewalk where they stood and looked like lost tourists. Finally, the radio came to life again.

  “We got him. Bishop’s in custody.”

  “Fisher?” Walsh answered. “What the hell happened?”

  “It was Duncan. She spotted him. He fled and she was in pursuit. Perez and I followed. She caught up to him. Duncan opened fire.”

  “Is he dead?” Kate asked Walsh.

  He shrugged when Fisher came through again.

  “Bishop took one in the leg. Perez is arranging for him to be transported to the nearest hospital.”

  Kate peered up at the sky in relief.

  Walsh smiled before pressing the button. “You mind giving us a lift out of here, then?”

  “On our way.”

  28

  The dust had settled and within
a few days, the team was back at Quantico. Fisher and Unit Chief Cole walked into the conference room while the team awaited an update.

  “We just finished a conference call with the State Department,” Cole began. “They are working with Mexico on an agreement to have Bishop returned to us, where he’ll be remanded into the custody of the Houston office for prosecution.”

  “What about the murder of the woman in Guadalajara?” Scarborough asked.

  “I don’t claim to understand the political maneuvering of the State Department, but suffice it to say, it was the outcome we had hoped for.” He studied Scarborough. “Are you feeling 100 percent again?”

  “Yes, sir. Doing just fine.”

  “We got lucky that the only thing Bishop got his hands on from the medical station was a sedative,” Kate said.

  “And that you got there in time before he had a chance to pump enough of it into Scarborough to kill him, like he did that girl,” Walsh replied.

  “I’d like to recognize Duncan for the work she did as well,” Cole continued. “You acted swiftly and without hesitation. Well done.”

  “Thank you, but like you said, it was a team effort,” Duncan replied.

  Cole nodded. “With that, I’ll turn this over to your Senior Unit Agent to finish the briefing. Congratulations, everyone.”

  After Cole left the room, Fisher began. “I just want to say that I am honored to be heading up a team of agents like you.” He turned to Scarborough. “You took decisive action when it appeared that we were losing ground. It almost cost you your life. Reid, your hunches were dead on with Bishop and the work you and Walsh did, along with the additional legwork you and Surrey did, it made all the difference.” He looked at Duncan. “And you took your shot when you realized it was going to be the only solution. You did it without putting anyone else in harm’s way.” He gazed again at the team. “That said, we got our man and I know Agent Palmero and the rest of the Houston office is damn happy we did. It also means we’ll be working closely with him to help him compile his case. Duncan, you and Scarborough will also be working with the Riverside field office again. They’ll supply evidence to build on Palmero’s case. So, we aren’t finished yet, but at least we’re home. That’s all I’ve got. Thanks, guys.”

  The team gathered their files and started to disburse. Kate turned to Nick. “I need to talk to Levi. I’ll check in with you later.”

  “Sure.”

  “Hey, Levi, you have a minute?” Kate turned to him as he pushed in his chair to leave.

  “Yeah. What’s up?”

  She pulled him aside. “I’m sure you can probably guess what I’m about to say, but there’s still the question of who was helping Carol Whitman and her son. I’ve had a chance to look into a few things since we got back.”

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?” Walsh replied.

  “Nope. So here’s what I know. Carol Whitman’s father, Theo’s grandfather, served with the Bureau.”

  “What? Walk with me. Let’s talk in your office.”

  Kate followed him as he headed out of the conference room. “I was just as surprised to find that out as you are.” She entered her office and perched on the edge of her desk while Walsh sat down.

  “How the hell did you find that out?”

  “It wasn’t that hard, actually. I ran a background check and discovered her maiden name was Gustafson. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia.”

  “Okay.” Walsh appeared to wait for the big reveal.

  “I discovered where she went to school and then onto college.”

  “You covered all the bases,” Walsh said.

  “I had to know the people she knew, the ones in her circle. People tend to stay in contact with college friends. They get letters of recommendation from professors, etcetera.”

  “Sure,” he said. “Go on.”

  “And here’s where it gets interesting.” Kate pushed off the desk and returned to her chair. “She attended Georgetown.”

  “Wow. Good school. Gotta be pretty rich to go there too.”

  “Yes, sir. Her father just so happens to have a building at the school named after him. He made a sizeable donation.”

  “That doesn’t tell me how you came to discover he was a fed,” Walsh replied.

  “Bear with me. When I realized he had a building named after him, I started looking into why. I found half a dozen old news articles on his FBI career. Turned out, he was integral to several high-profile investigations. Think James Ingram.”

  “The agent who helped with the investigation into JFK’s assassination, the KKK, and just about every major investigation the Bureau came across in the 1960s?”

  “Yep. Apparently, Gustafson wasn’t all that dissimilar. His contributions to the Bureau were well documented,” Kate added. “I have to assume the money must’ve come from speaking engagements, books, whatever, after he retired.”

  “Carol Whitman, formerly Carol Bishop, formerly Carol Gustafson, had connections at the Bureau?” Walsh asked.

  “Can you imagine the people she must’ve been introduced to when she was growing up? You can’t tell me some of those people would turn her away, given who her father was, if she asked for help.”

  “It would be unlikely, no doubt,” Walsh replied. “Who was it then? Who manipulated the data? Who changed the logs and altered timelines to give Theo Bishop enough time to escape? We’re talking serious crimes here. If it was someone inside the Bureau…”

  “If it wasn’t someone inside, then it was someone inside who knew someone else.” Kate shook her head. “I don’t know where that trail leads. In fact, I’m not sure I’m ever going to know. Carol Whitman has been arrested for helping her son. Given what her father has done, I’d be surprised if she served any time at all. They’ll figure out a way to make it disappear, just as Carol did for Theo.”

  “You’re right. They won’t touch her.” Walsh held her gaze. “Will you be okay with not knowing?”

  “I’d be crazy to flesh this one out. Going after one of our own? I might as well submit a letter of resignation now. Forget censure.” Kate stared off into the distance for a moment. “On the one hand, I feel like I got my answer. There wasn’t a chance in hell Carol Whitman could do what she did for Theo and not have an expert or two in her corner. Then I remembered something Jonathan Surrey said to me about being okay with not getting your man.”

  “But we did get him,” Walsh added. “We got Theo Bishop.”

  “Yeah. We did. That’s what I’m trying to remain focused on. Bishop can’t hurt anyone else. I have to be okay with that. I don’t like not knowing the full story, but even if I did, what good would it do me?”

  “You’re finally taking someone’s advice, huh?” Walsh smiled. “No, I hear what you’re saying and it’s the right call.”

  “Is it the call you would’ve made?” She asked.

  He raised the corner of his mouth in a crooked smile. “Does it matter what I would do?”

  Kate held his gaze and saw something in his eyes. The silence between them was enough for her to know his answer. “Well, I need to stop by Fisher’s office and talk to him about the hearing tomorrow.”

  Walsh got up from the chair. “You’ll get through it just fine. We’re all in your corner, Kate.”

  “Thanks.” She followed him into the hall where he continued to his office and she headed to see Fisher. Outside his door, Kate began, “Hey? Can I take up a little more of your time?”

  Fisher still stood at his desk and prepared to sit. “Of course. I have a feeling I know what this is about. You go before the Board tomorrow.”

  Kate sat down. “Partly, but I’m ready for that and I’ll accept whatever they decide to do. To be honest, I fully expect to be censured.”

  “Just to be clear, whatever the result, it will not end in your dismissal from this post. And if I have anything to say about it, you won’t receive the written reprimand at all.”

  “I appreciate that, but I know what I d
id, and I know it was wrong.”

  “Regardless, we’ve all made mistakes, Reid. In the grand scheme of things, yours pales in comparison to some I’ve seen go before the Board. Ruby Ridge, Waco. A lot of those guys were issued Letters of Censure and forgive me for saying so, but the shit that went down there? Way worse than tailing a colleague because he was trying to get dirt. Even Scarborough’s hearing was BS if you ask me.” He raised his hands. “Aside from that, what else did you want to talk about?”

  “You asked me what I thought about Surrey,” Kate replied.

  “And you said that you didn’t feel one way or the other.”

  “That’s not entirely true. I get that he’s very good at his job. He’s an excellent profiler. But more than that, I learned something about myself during this investigation.” She paused for just a moment. “We almost didn’t get him. Bishop, I mean. And I’m not sure I would’ve been okay with that.”

  “I’m not sure any of us would’ve been okay with that,” Fisher replied.

  She nodded. “No, but Surrey said a few things to me, particularly about my personality. My work ethic.”

  “What are you getting at, Reid?” Fisher reached for a toothpick and placed it between his lips.

  “I think I was wrong about suggesting Surrey was just okay. To be honest, I could absolutely stand to learn a thing or two from him. And not just as it relates to profiling. He seems to have learned how to compartmentalize. To keep his personal life separate. I don’t think I’ve figured that out just yet.” She inhaled a breath. “But I’d like to. If you want my opinion on whether I think Surrey would be a good addition to this team, I’d like to say that, yes, I wholeheartedly believe he would be a great addition to our team.”

  Fisher smiled. “That’s very good to hear.” He pulled up in his chair. “Then I assume you’ve spoken to Scarborough about your feelings?”

  “Well, no not yet.”

  “Oh.”

  Kate noticed the look on his face as though he’d revealed something he shouldn’t have. “What is it?”

  Fisher shook his head. “Nothing. I’m sorry…I…you should talk to him.”