by Robin Mahle
He peered over her shoulder at the screen and shook his head. “We can’t pretend to understand what goes on in the mind of a killer and especially one who’s driven by a twisted notion of love.”
“Jameson’s right,” Quinn replied. “These emails between Sue Copeland and Phillip Vega display a desperate man who would do anything to get the woman he loved, while not admitting it outright. And she used that to her advantage. She was playing him.” He looked at Kate. “This is what we talked about the other night.”
“It is. Someone was pulling the strings and it was her. Although nothing in these emails proves she asked him to do anything. She’s playing the victim here. Look at her wording. Asking why her husband hadn’t come home on a particular night. Or why Vega kept him at the office to work late. Often suggesting that Vega come over for dinner, that she could use the company.”
“I think anyone reading these would come to the same conclusion,” Dwight replied.
“She manipulated him, that is obvious.” Quinn pointed toward the screen. “She was instilling in him the notion that whatever her husband was doing was taking its toll on her emotionally. Though not once does she outright say that he was cheating on her. She was convincing him that he was working for a dishonest and deceitful man through wordplay.”
“It appears Sue Copeland had set out to destroy her husband. Maybe she finally got fed up with his philandering,” Vasquez began. “And from what I see here, in these emails, she used every possible means at her disposal to get Vega to feel for her. And it worked. He developed affection for her. What do we want to do?”
“We need to move on this before much longer,” Kate added. “Once the Copelands are released from the hospital, Sue Copeland is going to know what we found and I highly doubt the woman will still be around waiting to be hauled off to jail.”
“We can bring her in for questioning.” Dwight moved back to his seat. “The problem, again, as I see it, she didn’t pull the trigger and there’s nothing in these emails to suggest she asked Vega to do it.”
“What about the 1am phone calls? Can we trace any of them back to Sue Copeland?” Quinn asked.
“You mean the calls we found on two of the victims’ cell phones?” Vasquez asked.
“If any one of those numbers traces back to her, we would stand a much better chance at bringing charges of conspiracy.” Dwight turned his attention to Kate. “You have the records handy?”
“I do. Most traced back to burner phones. How the hell are we supposed to know who purchased them?” Kate turned her sights upward, recalling the one person who just might be able to help. “I think I know someone.”
“Who?” Vasquez replied.
“Agent Caison. I ran into him a few months back. He’s been transferred to Headquarters, Counterterrorism.” She looked at Dwight. “You remember him?’
“Aside from the fact that he was instrumental in uncovering the conspiracy regarding the mall bombing, yes, I remember him. You two were at Quantico together. What makes you think he can help?”
“Because he’ll have contacts at NSA who will be able to trace those numbers and look up the registration information. Once he gets that, chances are very good he’ll be able to track down the buyer.”
Quinn noticed the time. “It’s almost 4am. Maybe we should all try to get a couple hours’ rest and then make contact with him.”
“What happens if the Copelands are released?” Kate asked.
“Let me take care of that.” Dwight began to leave. “I’ll make sure they don’t get released until later in the morning. But I can’t guarantee more than a few extra hours. You and Caison will have to work fast.”
Inside, the apartment was already awash with grey morning light and Kate knew there wasn’t much time to rest. Through the diffuse rays, she made her way to the sofa, not wanting to crawl into bed and chance waking Nick. But on approach, there he lay, taking up much of the length of the sectional. Her smile at the sight of him soon faded when she noticed the empty bottle of Jack sitting on the coffee table. Her heart dropped into her stomach.
So many times, she’d picked him up and dusted him off, and she thought all of that was behind them now. He’d gotten it under control again and her confidence in him had returned. Something had brought on this setback, but she could hardly think of anything that would send him reeling back so far. Things were going exactly as they had planned and they were happy.
Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions. Yes, of course. It was entirely possible he’d only had one or two and fell asleep awaiting her return. He deserved the benefit of the doubt.
“Nick?” She shook his arm. “Babe? Wake up.”
He began to stir and his eyes flickered, attempting to focus on her in the minimal light. “Kate? You’re home.” A sleepy smile formed on his lips as he sat up and was noticeably unsteady.
“Are you okay?” Calling him out for drinking was a difficult thing for her to do. She’d watched her father drink to excess and often found herself rousing him from a drunken stupor as a teenager. Of course, she hadn’t known the reason for his behavior until many years later. But it wasn’t an easy thing for her to confront, even now with Nick.
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I fell asleep waiting for you to come home.” He caught her gaze only briefly before looking away.
She knew he had been drinking and while he appeared to be mostly sober, there was no mistaking the slight redness in his eyes and sway as he sat up on the couch. Kate glanced at the bottle and back to him. “I’m sorry it’s so late. I only have a couple of hours before I have to get back. We think we’ve got the congressman’s wife on a conspiracy charge, but I won’t know yet until I can get some help from Will Caison.”
“Caison? I thought he was in Kentucky.”
“He was transferred to Headquarters earlier this year. I need his help to trace burner cell phone numbers. Geez, I’m sorry. I’m rattling on and you’re still half-asleep.”
“You should go put your head down while you can. Go on to bed. I’ll leave you in peace.”
She studied his demeanor but was much too exhausted to dig any deeper, though she should have. “Okay, yeah. I’ll set my alarm.” Kate leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Go back to sleep.” This was not over, not by a long shot, but it would have to be put on the back burner. Why he turned to alcohol whenever things didn’t go his way left her stunned. And what hadn’t gone his way lately? He’d gotten everything he’d ever wanted. His dream job, her. Was it still not enough? Would anything ever be enough?
“Kate?” Nick sat on the edge of the bed. “Kate? You slept past your alarm. Hon, you got to wake up.”
She opened her eyes to the bright morning light and Nick’s haggard expression and overgrown five o’clock shadow. “Shit. What time is it?”
“It’s 6:30.”
Kate shot up out of bed. “Damn it. I’m supposed to be at the office in thirty minutes. I have to hop in the shower.”
Nick moved out of her way. “I’ll put on some coffee for you to take.”
“Thanks,” she shouted from the bathroom.
He walked gingerly toward the kitchen and upon waiting for the coffee to brew, he rubbed his throbbing temple.
Within minutes, Kate rushed out of the bedroom. “I have to get out of here.”
He handed her a travel mug. “All ready for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Listen, about last night. I just needed…” It was clear he’d picked up on her disappointment and leaving the bottle on the table was a pretty clear sign as well.
“I have to go, Nick. I’m sorry.” She held his gaze. “I’ll call you later, when I know what’s going on.”
“Yeah. Okay.” He kissed her cheek. “Be safe.”
She left the apartment and walked along the corridor to the elevators. As the numbers lit up, she exhaled a heavy sigh. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
Her rubber-soled sneakers squeaked on the concrete floor of the parking g
arage, and once inside her car, Kate texted Vasquez that she was a few minutes late but was on her way.
The sun was fully awake and so were the thousands of people on the road impeding her progress. Will’s cell number was still in her contacts list and she made the call, hoping he would answer; figuring he would.
“Caison here.”
“Will, it’s Kate Reid.”
“Kate? Wow. Hello. How are you? I’m surprised to hear from you.”
“I wish I could say this was a social call, but I need your help.”
“Anything. Name it.”
“I’ve got some phone numbers I’m pretty confident came from burner cells. What are the odds you can get a trace on those numbers for the registration information?”
“I don’t have access to that. You’d have to get in touch with NSA.”
“I know. I was hoping you would know someone there. I’ve never had to ask them for anything. And, to be honest, this is urgent. So chances are my request would be put on the back burner in any case.”
“How urgent?”
“Oh, a couple of hours—at the most.”
“I see.”
“It’s important. If I don’t get this information, I have a sinking feeling my case will fall apart. Will, I really need your help here. Not that you owe me anything.”
“You know I’d do anything for you, Kate.” He paused. “Send me the numbers. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you. This means a lot to me. You have no idea how much.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
“I’ll text them to you now. I’m on my way to the WFO.”
“Got it. Like I said. I’ll do what I can and get back with you as soon as possible. Talk to you later, Kate.”
She soon arrived, travel mug in hand, and stepped out into the buzzing bullpen. Catching Vasquez’s eye, she approached. “What’s going on?”
She pointed toward the monitor mounted on the wall. “You aren’t going to believe this shit.”
Kate watched as the congressman, with his wife by his side, stood in front of the hospital where several reporters pointed microphones in their faces. “I thought they weren’t getting released until later this morning.”
Dwight approached her. “I tried, but the Copelands still have powerful friends, for now at least. I think our time’s up, Kate.”
“Our rights have been grossly violated.”
Kate watched the screen as Copeland spoke to the crowd, appearing frail.
“We have been treated as though we are the criminals in this, instead of the man who attempted to take my wife’s life and my own while he sought to lay blame at our feet for the murders of innocent women with whom I had professional relationships. Our home was ransacked. Our lives turned upside down. This will not stand. The man responsible has been killed in self-defense. My wife, the brave, amazing woman you see standing next to me now, saved both our lives. While we are deeply saddened by the deaths of these young women, we cannot sit by while our good name is dragged through the mud in an attempt to cover up the gross negligence by local and federal authorities.”
“What the hell is happening here?” Kate asked.
“He’s trying to look like the hero. He and his wife,” Vasquez replied. “Deflecting from the truth is all he has now. We know he didn’t kill those women, but the truth as to why they were killed is more detrimental to him and his political career.”
“What has Campbell said about this?”
“He’s in his office, getting his ass handed to him by the assistant director for allowing us to get a warrant for the Copeland house.”
“He should be talking to the judge then, not Campbell. And it was Quinn who put in the request anyway. I don’t understand. How the hell did Grant Copeland pull this off so quickly?” She paused for a moment. “Phelps. He had to have played a part in this. He must have his hands in so many pockets in this town. He had to have called in favors because if it got out he was paid by Copeland to sweep this under the rug, he would be in just as much hot water as Copeland.”
“That’s right.” Vasquez folded her arms and peered at the television. “If we don’t get something on Sue Copeland today, it’s over for us.” She turned to Kate. “And I don’t just mean this investigation.”
25
In the window of the café, Kate spotted him. “That’s Agent Caison.” She turned to Vasquez and Quinn, who’d gone along rather than face the music with Campbell.
“And you’re confident he’ll help?” Vasquez was generally a positive person, but after this morning’s press conference, things had gone south and fast.
“He already has. I don’t know how much he’ll have for us, but it’s better than nothing.” Kate raised her hand as he entered to gain his attention.
“I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon.”
Kate stood and greeted him with a warm embrace. “Neither did I. Thanks for coming down.” She turned to Vasquez. “This is my partner, Agent Vasquez, and this is SSA Quinn, BAU Quantico.”
“It’s an honor to meet you both. Reid asked me to trace some burner phones for you all.”
“Please, sit down.” Kate took her seat and waited for Will to settle in. “I’m sure you’re aware of the developing situation with Congressman Copeland?”
“It’s pretty hard to miss.”
“We were brought in to consult with Metro PD, but the detective there didn’t have much faith in us and has been about as helpful as a dead head of lettuce. And so we took it upon ourselves, or rather, I took it upon us, to delve into a theory that would link the congressman’s wife to the murders.”
“I thought it was some congressional staff member who was responsible?” Will continued.
“Directly, yes.” This time, Quinn stepped in. “However, we believe Sue Copeland was the principle influence and that’s why Kate asked for your help.”
“She sent me the numbers in question at around 7am. I reached out to my contact at NSA and asked him what he could do. However, I haven’t heard back from him yet. And frankly, I don’t know if what you’re asking can be done in such a short time frame.”
“We have to know if they trace back to the wife. And I’m afraid we have very little time to make our case against her,” Kate continued.
“Agent Caison, if you can help, it’ll mean putting behind bars the driving force behind the deaths of those women,” Quinn said.
“I’ll reiterate the urgency of the request, but it won’t just be up to me. It’s the NSA’s call.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask,” Kate replied.
“What will you all do in the meantime?”
“Keep a low profile, stay away from the media,” Quinn began. “Which won’t be easy. And we’ll continue to work the facts and see if we can come up with something more concrete.”
“We have emails, but Mrs. Copeland was smart enough not to implicate herself. Her words were vague, directions unclear, but we know what she wanted Phillip Vega to do,” Vasquez said. “We just need your help to prove it.”
Will stood ready to leave. “Of course. I’ll keep plugging away. Reid, can I have a quick word?”
“Sure.”
The two stepped outside as the hour approached noon.
“Thanks for coming down. I hope we’re not wasting your time.”
“Like I said in there, I’m not sure how much help I can be and I’ll use whatever pull I’ve got to get my contact at NSA to provide me with the information quickly, but in the event I don’t get it, or if it doesn’t trace back to Sue Copeland, what’s your strategy?”
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t have one. I can try to use the emails we have to hold her on charges, but any lawyer worth his salt will see that all we have is speculation and no judge will keep her after that. I mean, she’s still a congressman’s wife.”
“And the two were held hostage by the man who did kill those women.”
“Right. So I just have to believe those numbers
will point to her.”
“I’ve always known you had a knack for hunches.” He gently grasped her shoulders. “It is good seeing you again, Kate. I wasn’t sure, after we passed in the night, so to speak, that you’d get in touch again.”
“And you’ve become a national hero, so there’s that.”
Modesty revealed itself in his crooked smile. “I don’t know about that. I had plenty of people to lean on and work with. And one very determined woman, not unlike you, who wouldn’t stop until she got the truth.”
“I’d better get back inside. You’ll let me know as soon as you get anything?”
“Of course. Bye, Kate.”
She watched him walk ahead and step into his car. After he drove away, Kate returned to the others. “I guess that’s all we can do for now. You ready to head out?”
“I need to check in at Quantico. I don’t want to leave you in a lurch, though.”
“No, no, it’s fine. This isn’t your fight, but we really appreciate what you’ve done for us. I don’t think we’d be this far without your insight.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You two know what you’re doing. But keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything else I can do. You are on the right track.”
“Just need to get something solid,” Vasquez replied.
“Exactly.”
As he began to leave, Kate turned to Vasquez. “We might as well go back to WFO and take our licks.”
“I wouldn’t count Campbell out yet. We’ll tell him and Jameson what we’re working on and hope they can stave off the worst of the pressure from the Copelands and their five-hundred-dollar-an-hour lawyers.”
With a lingering headache, even after tossing back several tablets, Nick sat in his office, reviewing the testimony of his team in the Figueroa trial. He was concerned for Kate, especially after watching the news conference, but he maintained restraint and didn’t reach out to offer help or guidance. It was the only way he would be able to distance himself from the events of this morning when she’d found him passed out on the sofa. It wasn’t his intention and in fact was surprised by his own lack of self-control. It had been some time since that had happened. But it happened and he would have to make amends. The first step in that process was to not jump in and try to save the day for her. She could handle this. He knew that. Though he knew it could mean the end of her career if Campbell didn’t back her, but Campbell had changed and he would have the team’s back.
