by Robin Mahle
“That’s one hell of a find, Agent Reid,” the chief said. “Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat.”
“Thank you, Chief. I just got lucky.”
“My guess is luck didn’t play into it.” He eyed her as though he knew what she was capable of. “As you likely already heard, we found another unfortunate soul. Only this one doesn’t appear to be related. The body was collected and sent to the morgue. I need to make a trip to see the boy’s folks. Something I can’t fathom having to do yet again.”
“And we’re sure it’s unrelated?” Quinn asked.
“The doc will run a tox screen,” Fisher began. “But it doesn’t appear the boy was a victim of the unsub. Like the chief said to us earlier, they get their share of ODs here.”
“Seems awful damn coincidental to me,” Slocum emerged from the back of the station. “I got y’all set up in the breakroom. Couple tables and your LAN connections. Should do for now. Better than squeezing everyone out here. Chief, you want me to accompany you to the Cavanaugh’s?”
“No. Best if I go it alone. What’s the plan for tomorrow? I assume you folks will need a place to put your head down for the night?”
“We will, Chief,” Fisher chomped down on his toothpick before turning to Agent Ness. “You’ll take the evidence Reid found and rush it through?”
“I will. I’ll run it out now and expedite its processing. I’ll head back down here at first light.”
“Okay. We’ll all meet up back here in the a.m.”
“Then it’s settled.” The chief turned to Lazaro. “You mind getting these folks situated with some accommodations?”
“No problem, Chief.”
What could scarcely pass as a motel appeared to be the only lodging in town. Either that or Deputy Lazaro was having a laugh at the FBI’s expense. The team stood in front of the two-story building, its vacancy sign shining a bright green just below the name of the motel, the Moonlight Inn. Of course, Kate had seen worse and the day had been long, so none of it really mattered to her in light of their current situation.
She opened the door to her room and switched on the light. As she stood in the doorway, Quinn peered inside.
“Looks okay. You’ll be all right in here on your own?”
“I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine. Good night.” She turned to Walsh and Fisher. “Night, guys.”
Once inside, Kate secured the lock and retrieved her phone. A quick call to Nick to update him and she would turn in. Tomorrow was going to a long day too. But before she could press the call button, a knock on her door stopped her. Kate stood up and peeked through the fish-eye lens.
“Reid, it’s Quinn.”
She opened the door. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah. The guys and I were just talking and noticed that bar and grill across the street. Thought we’d see if their kitchen’s still open. Maybe grab a beer too. Care to join us?”
“Why not? Sleep is overrated anyway.” She followed him out, slipping her cell into her pocket.
They walked across the street, noting the parking lot had no cars in it.
“Geez. This place even open?” Kate asked.
Walsh pulled open the door. “It does appear to be.” He waved her and the others inside before making his way to the bar and greeting the bartender. “Evening. Any chance you’re still serving food?”
“Let me check. I’m sure they can whip up something. We sure are glad y’all are here.” He started back toward the kitchen.
Walsh returned to the bar top table where the agents now sat. “He’s going to check to see if they can make something for us.” He pulled out his stool and sat down. “He says the people around here are glad we’re on the job.”
“Don’t they trust what the chief is doing?” Fisher asked.
“Didn’t say, but maybe they think he’s in over his head.”
“He’s a good man, but he might be. Which brings to mind, Reid, Ness got the sample into his lab. Got the call just before we left.”
“That was a hell of a find,” Walsh added. “You must’ve gotten out into the field a fair bit at the WFO.”
“I—we did, yes. I prefer to be hands-on.”
“Well then, I’m not entirely sure you’ve come to the right place. Don’t get me wrong, we get a decent amount of field action, but to be honest with you, there’s a shit ton of paperwork, analyses, court appearances.” Fisher looked at Quinn. “Must be why you were lucky enough to get help. Meanwhile, the rest of us are like chopped liver.”
Walsh turned his attention to the approaching bartender. “What’s the good word, barman?”
“They can do y’all up some sandwiches, chips. But that’s about it. I can still get y’all some beer.”
“That’ll do us just fine. Thank you,” Walsh replied.
11
The heat inside the room must’ve been set to eighty. In the early hours of the morning, Kate kicked off the thin bedspread and jutted her legs from beneath the sheets. “Good Lord.” With sweat dripping down her hairline, she marched to the window where the heating unit blew out stifling air and shut it off. She then tried to open the window, but it was stuck. Looked to be painted shut. This motel was top notch for sure. “Well, now that I’m awake.” Kate returned to the bed and her mind already began to spin with the investigation and how the day might pan out.
For a moment, she considered making that call to Nick as she’d failed to do before having a beer and sandwiches with the team. Nevertheless, it was 4am. They were at least in the same time zone, but it seemed too early to call, and what did she really have to say anyway? Nothing new. No big breaks in the case. Not yet anyway. And she was tired. Her return from the fine establishment across the street last night had been much too late. The beers—too many—for her. It had been fun, though. Unexpectedly so. She was beginning to gel with these guys. It felt good.
In the end, guilt prevailed and Kate reached for her cell phone. “Hey. It’s me. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No. I’m up. You doing all right? I was concerned I hadn’t heard from you.”
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call you last night. It was—well, it was a little crazy, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“I can. How’s it going down there? Any new developments?”
“Fisher didn’t fill you in?” She soon recalled the time he left as well. “I suppose it was too late for any of us to call. We ended up grabbing some sandwiches and a beer at this dive bar across the street. It was a very long day. But I will tell you, we are making progress. I discovered a potentially significant piece of evidence at one of the crime scenes. Agent Ness with the Pikeville office submitted it to his lab last night after we all broke up for the evening. It could open this up for us.”
“Why am I not surprised it was you?” He chuckled. “Listen, I know how it can get when you’re working a case. I haven’t forgotten. But just do me a favor and try to keep me in the loop. Or at the very least, have Fisher do it.”
“I can’t exactly tell the senior agent on the team to call you. How would that look?”
“No. I suppose not. I’ll contact him myself and make sure he understands. I know he does, but I’ll just make my point a little clearer.”
“Okay. I’d better get going. I’m sure the others will be up soon.”
“Hey, Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m proud of you.”
“What for? I’m just doing my job.”
“I know you are. I also know what you’re up against down there. And I don’t just mean the investigation. I want you to know that I have no intention of stepping in unless I’m asked to. This is your deal.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep in touch. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
No sooner did she end the call than a text arrived while she still held the phone in her hands. It was Walsh.
“Be ready in twenty.”
“That’s my cue. Four am. These guys don’t mess around.”<
br />
Lynn Floyd stood at her kitchen sink and filled the coffee pot with water. “You heard them FBI people are here now? Some kind of specialists, I gather.”
“I heard.” John Floyd folded his morning newspaper and set it on the kitchen table. “I don’t know what to think about that. Seems to me Chief Tate’s starting to grasp at straws.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think they’ll be leaving anytime soon. Might get pretty tough for us to move product with them nosing around.”
“I doubt they give two hoots about us, Lynnie.”
“Not yet.” She poured the fresh brew into her cup and then John’s before handing it to him. She joined him at the table. “How much we got left now?”
“Enough for another few days. Let’s hope they leave by then.”
“I got a feeling they’ll be monitoring the busses, all things considered,” she added.
“At least the ones going to Florida. Maybe Ohio too. Right now, we need to just take this one day at a time. Let them do their digging around. Wait until we feel it’s safe to continue.”
“What if we can’t wait?” Lynn sipped on her coffee.
“Don’t you worry about it just yet. It’ll all sort itself out in the wash.”
Lynn stood again. “I best be getting ready, then.”
“Why? You got work today?”
“Just for today, yes. They called and said they needed someone at the school. Just some janitorial work. I have to do it or they’ll pull our bennies.”
“I know. You just be mindful of who you’re around and what you say.”
She began to leave. “I always am, John.”
John drew in skimpy disability benefits along with his Social Security and Lynn had to pick up the slack. The added income from their recent venture, however, had proven helpful, relieving much of the stress they’d shouldered since their daughter’s death last year. They were still paying for her funeral.
But neither of them was the same. They’d become numb to their surroundings, cared little for anyone else, and had pulled away from the community and church with which they’d once shared a close bond. It all changed the day they got the call. But that was neither here nor there anymore.
Lynn arrived at the school and checked in with the manager in charge of the janitorial staff.
“Thanks for coming in today, Lynn. It’s good to see you out and about. We haven’t seen much of you or John for a while.”
“You know how it is, Chuck.” Lynn reached for her bucket and mob after slipping on her overalls. “Things just don’t mean as much to us as they used to.”
“I understand. Well, thanks again for being here. You’ll be a big help.” He handed her the keys. “You just let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.” She pocketed the keys and rolled her bucket out into the corridor, toward the gym.
School was due to start in about thirty minutes, which meant she had little time to get it ready for the breakfast crowd. Most kids here were in the National School Lunch Program, meaning they got free breakfast and lunch. So the place was usually packed for the free pancakes, French toast sticks, and chocolate milk.
Lynn worked her way from the front of the gym-slash-cafeteria, toward the kitchen where others prepared the meals. And the women behind the counter appeared upset about something. Lynn wasn’t much of a socializer anymore, so she just listened as she moved the mop back and forth.
“I heard they found themselves another one the other night. Down at the old Mill Creek house,” one of the ladies began.
“Do they know who it was?”
“I reckon they do; they just ain’t telling nobody yet. They want to tamp down our fears,” the other replied as she scooped scrambled eggs into the catering-size tin server.
“From what I heard, somebody bashed him in pretty good, but that’s just a rumor.”
Lynn listened to their conversation with growing interest. It wasn’t until she stopped mopping that one of the ladies turned to her.
“Morning, Ms. Lynn. How are you doing?”
“Oh fine, thank you. And you?”
“Well, about as good as could be expected, all things considered.”
“I suppose so. Terrible what’s been happening around here. You and your family managing?”
“Just about. Time will tell. I swear, they find anyone else dead in this town, I might just hole up in my house. This ain’t right. It ain’t right and it seems our chief can’t stop it. Like he said the other night at the meeting.”
“It’ll be okay. We’ll all get through this. This town’s survived a hell of a lot. We’ll survive this.”
“I hope you’re right, Lynn.”
The bell rang.
“Them kids’ll be coming in soon. Best get back to work.”
Lynn offered a perfunctory smile before seeing to her work again. Everyone around here was afraid. Rightly so, she supposed. It was a hard thing to face—losing all these kids, mostly to drugs and worse. She could speak to that first hand. Not too many around here knew what she and John had gone through.
Oh, there were others who’d lost their children to the opioid epidemic. Most of them, however, left town shortly after. No point in staying in a place that offered up so many reminders. But Lynn and John Floyd stayed. And their plans weren’t changing anytime soon.
Chief Tate spotted the Feds’ black SUVs roll into the parking lot. “Looks like they’re fixin’ to get an early start.” He turned to his deputies, who were sitting opposite him at his desk. “Best you fellas follow up with Ness and that lab and see where they’re at. That’ll be their first question. I guaran-damn-tee you.”
Lazaro and Slocum exchanged a brief glance before Slocum started, “I’ll get on the horn with the doc. Lazaro, you want to give Agent Ness a ring? See if he’s got anything new?”
The boys left the chief alone. He watched as the agents exited their cars and headed toward the entrance. It was as if he was trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever the day held. Seemed every day since all this started had gotten more upsetting than the last. “What more could possibly happen?” He stood up, inhaled a breath, and walked into the main bullpen awaiting their arrival.
The door opened and the chief plastered a warm smile on his face. “Morning. How’d y’all sleep last night?”
“Just fine.” Walsh held open the door for the rest of the team.
“Wanting to get an early start?” Tate nodded. “I like that.” He clapped his hands and turned toward the deputies. “I’ve asked the boys here to put in some calls in hopes of getting answers ready for you, which I’m sure you’d appreciate.”
“Absolutely. Thank you.” Fisher walked toward the coffee machine. “Mind if I help myself?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you, Agent Ness. We’ll see you real soon.” Slocum hung up the phone and looked at the others. “That was Agent Ness. He says he’s got some preliminary findings on the tox screen from Andy Walcott Doc ordered and that pill y’all found in Steven Schiller’s car. He’s heading down now to discuss. By the sounds of it, he reached out to the DEA. Says that’s the best way to find out if they know who’s dealing this shit these kids are taking.”
“Any luck on the wood sample from yesterday?” Kate asked.
“According to Ness, not yet. Lab’s still analyzing the blood and fibers. They’re hoping later today, if not first thing tomorrow.”
Kate appeared disappointed by the delay, but not surprised. These things were rarely completed in less than forty-eight hours. Expedited or not. It was just the way the system worked. “It’s all we can hope for.”
Agent Ness arrived by mid-morning and he was not alone. “I apologize for my late arrival. However, I brought reinforcements.” He looked to the man who accompanied him. “This is Agent Brent Tucker, DEA.” As they entered the bull pen where the others waited, Ness began making the introductions. “This is Supervisory Special Agent Fisher, Agents Walsh, Quinn, and Agent Reid. All wi
th BAU in Quantico. I reached out for their assistance in light of the circumstances surrounding the multiple homicides in Crown Pointe. And this is Chief Tate, along with his deputies, Lazaro and Slocum.”
“Pleasure to meet you all, though it’s unfortunate that it has to be under these circumstances. However, Agent Ness has filled me in on the investigation as it now stands. And I think I can offer my two cents.”
“Thank you for joining us, Agent Tucker,” Tate said. “Forgive me, but we haven’t seen this sort of activity around here before, let alone having two different federal agencies getting involved. I don’t mind saying that I think my boys and I are beginning to feel outnumbered.”
“That’s certainly not my intention by being here today.” Tucker looked at the others. “Like my other Federal colleagues, I believe we want to expedite a resolution to this investigation before any more lives are harmed. And we’ll defer to your judgment on any decision-making. This is still your town, Chief.”
“Thank you.” Tate cast his gaze around the room. “First of all, I suppose we should discuss your part in this, Agent Tucker. You’ve seen the forensics on the chemical makeup of these opioids?”
“I have. And I had an opportunity to run it through our system to see if we’ve come across this before. I understand there is some consensus these deaths are being caused by a cartel attempting to move in?”
“That is the prevailing theory, though not definitive,” Quinn added.
Tucker moved toward Slocum’s desk. “Pardon. You mind if I set my things down here?”
“Be my guest.”
Tucker opened his carrier bag and retrieved a file. “About a year ago, we began seeing a synthetic version of an opioid called ‘shady 80s.’ Genuine OxyContin tablets are available in 80 milligrams and are marked with an ‘80’ on the tablets themselves. These synthetic pills, which are bluish-green, contain a compound known as W-18, a highly potent chemical over 100 times stronger than fentanyl. We believe the precursors are coming in from China, however there is a Canadian company that manufactures W-18. But here’s the real kicker. The compound isn’t even listed as a controlled substance in the US. Hell, it’s not even on the DEA’s list of ‘drugs of concern.’”