by R E Gauthier
Nikki hadn’t tried to figure out Washburg’s motives for making Mack appear to be dead. Washburg had said Mack got what she deserved. Nikki never tried to discover what he meant by those words. When he said it, Nikki got the distinct feeling Washburg spoke about Mack’s demise like it was a story and not as part of something he did or witnessed. Has Washburg orchestrated the car crash and Mack’s apparent death, or did Washburg only play a small role in someone else’s larger plan? Nikki shook her head. “I never thought about it.”
“No, you went headlong into this investigation of yours without thinking about the fundamental reasoning behind Washburg’s motives. Is there a way for someone to make it appear as if Washburg sent those texts? And how did Washburg get the phone? When Washburg got arrested, they took his phone away.
Nikki searched her foggy brain for an explanation for why she found evidence of texts sent from the phone, Washburg had in his possession, and if someone else had sent them. “Someone could have hacked the phone and given it to Washburg.”
“Can you look for evidence that someone had done this?”
Nikki nodded. Why didn’t I think of looking for that myself? Nikki knew the answer to that unspoken question; she didn’t go looking because she believed Washburg had been responsible. Nikki wanted Washburg to be accountable so she could find him and the answers to her questions easily. The alternative was people or person, who Nikki may never locate.
“Can you think of anyone who may have had a motive and opportunity to go after Mack and make her appear dead?
Nikki nodded. She still hadn’t told Deb and Torres about the attack on Mack at the London airport. “You’re not going to like this, but I have withheld more from you.”
Torres shook her head. “Why am I not surprised.”
Deb walked into the room and announced that she had dinner.
“Great, I’m famished,” Nikki said as she walked over and helped Deb with the paper and plastic bags filled with takeout containers. “What are we having? You look like you bought one of everything on the menu.”
Deb’s raised eyebrows went unanswered as Nikki avoided the questions in the blonde’s eyes.
Torres grunted. “Not so fast. Nikki was just about to tell me what she’s been keeping to herself.”
The questions in Deb’s eyes changed.
Nikki knew her time was up. “I made Mack a promise...,” she began.
Chapter Four
Behavioral Cold Case Office, April 2, 2012
“I promised Mack that I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Nikki repeated her earlier assertion. Torres and Deb stayed silent while she explained what happened when Mack arrived at the London airport. Torres's stern look and shaking her head made Nikki feel the need to explain herself once again.
Torres rolled her eyes. “You said that, but don’t’ you think that when Mack didn’t turn up the other day and when we learned her SUV was involved in the crash, you should have come forward with this little gem of information?”
“Mack didn’t want Miranda and her grandmother to know about the attempt on her life in the UK,” Nikki explained why Mack didn’t want anyone to know someone took a shot at her in London.
“I understand why Mack didn’t want to worry her fiancée and grandmother about her troubles while she was in the UK investigating her family’s deaths. I think you should have told us, so we could have been on the lookout for evidence that people were watching her once she got back. We’re a team, and we cannot protect each other if only some of us are privy to all of the information.”
“I’m sorry, but everything happened so fast after Mack got back, I thought she would have the time to tell you both what happened. Then when she disappeared and the accident…I don’t think I need to tell you I had too much on my mind to sit down and explain what happened then.”
Deb grunted.
Torres scoffed.
Nikki felt some the weight that Mack must have felt when she took over as the Cold Case Behavioral Unit Chief; having people look to you for leadership or guidance was a heavy burden to bear. “Can we at least have something to eat; I feel like I haven’t eaten in…well, forever.”
“Probably because you haven’t.” Deb teased.
“We’ll have something to eat, and then you’re going to tell us everything. Deb and I will be part of your investigation into Mack’s disappearance, no more going off by yourself. Is that clear?” Torres admonished.
Nikki nodded dutifully. “Does that mean you believe that Mack isn’t dead? That is part of why I haven’t included you two in my investigation; I didn’t want to be bogged down by your lack of faith.”
Deb and Torres both held out their hands toward Nikki.
“We have faith,” Deb said.
Torres nodded. “If you say she is still alive, then we’ll help you find her.”
Nikki took the two women’s hands. “All for one and one for all?”
Torres and Deb nodded and repeated the mantra.
“All for one and one for all; we’ll work together until Mack is back home with us.” The three women said as one.
***
“You’re sure you cannot enhance the image of the woman for an identification?” Torres asked.
“Not with the programs I have on hand, but I can send the video to a friend of mine to see if she can.” Nikki hadn’t the time to investigate this further when Mack returned from the UK, but she had the time now. Torres and Deb had convinced her that pursuing the investigation into Paul Washburg may be what someone wanted Nikki to do.
“Who do you think we might be looking for that wanted to stop Mack?” Deb asked.
“Mack and I didn’t have much time to discuss our theories; Mack was shot at the airport after she asked me to contact Investigator Amy Linden to look into Stephen and David McColl’s work within the Mi6.”
Torres took a bite of her apple pie before she asked Nikki. “Did you ever find out what Mack’s uncle and his father were working on for Mi6?”
Nikki shook her head. “I found out that Stephen McColl left the UK and came to the states where he began working for the CIA. There was talk about a joint taskforce between Mi6, Interpol, and the CIA, but the director of the CIA expressly told me to stop my investigation.”
“The CIA, Mi6, or Interpol would have the means and motive to order an attempt on Mack’s life. The problem I have is why would they try killing her in the UK only to make it look like she was killed here in the states?” Deb queried.
Torres began to comment when Nikki spoke up.
“They may have thought it was best to capture her and interrogate her for the information she may have before they kill her.”
Torres nodded. “That sounds like something the CIA may do.”
“But she’s a US citizen and FBI; why go to such extremes?” Deb asked around a bite of her fudge brownie.
“Spooks have been taking US citizens to Black OPS sites for years. All in the name of National security, they explain it’s necessary to thwart international spies and terrorism on home soil and abroad.” Torres explained that during her career with the FBI, the CIA and the FBI were in a secret war with one another. They differed in many policies and the very culture of their agents and training. “The agency won’t care if an individual is FBI or not. The fact that you and Mack were investigating something that the CIA deemed important to them, that made it their territory and not the FBI’s.”
“I heard about the rivalry between the two agencies, but I didn’t think it was as serious as they would capture and torture an FBI agent.” Deb put down the last bite of her dessert. “Where can we find our answers if the CIA is hiding something?”
Nikki knew that her searches into Mack’s uncle had included some non-legal methods. Deb and Torres may not be up for pursuing those avenues. “I have someone who can help us, but I’m not sure once I ask for her help, the two of you will want to be involved in this investigation.”
“Red, what does that mean? I’m assuming that
your friend doesn’t work inside the confines of the usual legal means.”
Nikki nodded to confirm Torres’s concerns. “Couldn’t use my FBI computer to do something illegal, but I did need someone that could color outside of the lines to find the information I needed. Mack wasn’t happy because she thought our actions got that Mi^ agent killed.”
“Well, there is a reason why we don’t use illegal hacking or viruses to find the information we need to make an arrest or locate evidence. If we want legally convict criminals, we need to conduct a full legal investigation. But we’re not dealing with our usual suspects so that we can color outside of the straight lines a wee bit.” Torres took out her phone. “I may have someone who can help us with securing a more secret location. Once we begin down this path, we cannot have the same people who went after Mack, coming after us.”
***
Nikki attempted to track the call made to Paul Washburg’s phone again. Sure, that the caller used some rerouting program, she used a new algorithm she was working on to trace the routes. So far, the routing took Nikki to Canada, Russia, Nigeria, Indonesia, and now to the UK. One IP address looked familiar. Excited, she had a possible lead; she looked up to find Deb’s head down, speaking softly into her phone and Torres scanning her laptop. Smiling because, for the first time, she felt like they may be making some progress.
Torres let out a loud whoop. “Yes, we have it!”
Nikki looked up to find Deb smiling, and Torres fist-pumped the air. “What do we have?”
“I got a man who knows a man, and he found us the perfect place to do our clandestine work to find Mack.”
“How about…?” Nikki began before Torres interrupted her.
“We have everything you’ll need. This guy has a tech guy who can get you all of the state-of-the-art computer equipment. They’ll be wiped clean, no viruses, no tracking, and best of all, they’re at a great price.”
“I hope that means…” Nikki chuckled as Torres stopped any further comment with a raised hand.
“The best price is for free.”
“But how?” Nikki and Deb asked together.
Torres smiled brightly. “This guy owes me a favor.”
“Must be a huge favor because that sort of equipment doesn’t cost peanuts; I know because I saw what the FBI paid for all of this.” Nikki indicated with a wide-open hand motion. “Mack told me I’d better use it all because we almost blew our next three annual budgets.”
“I worked with many CI’s during my career with the FBI, and one man got grabbed for…, let’s call it; illegal procurement of illegally bought equipment.”
Nikki chuckled. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
Torres smiled. “Yes, and he has ties to many illicit auction houses. I haven’t bought one piece of technology since he started working with me.”
Deb feigned a gasp. “Torres, are you saying you buy illegal goods?”
Torres shook her head. “I don’t buy anything. This guy has been my CI for years, and he owes me big time. This phone is untraceable; I have two more at home. As a PI, I need total and seamless anonymity. With non-traceable videography equipment, surveillance gadgets, and phones, I can do my work and never worry about someone tracking me down with the equipment I use.”
“That’s brilliant, Torres. Where is this perfect place?” Nikki asked. She was genuinely impressed by Torres’s ingenuity and connections. With a location and the equipment, Nikki would be able to use Speedy to help her find Mack.
“It’s here in Pittsburgh. I thought you’d want to remain close to Mack’s family and Miranda.”
Nikki smiled. Without even discussing her plans, Torres knew her needs. It was going to make what she had to do next even harder. Nikki woke up that morning with one thing on her mind. She had to find a way to send Deb and Torres as far away from her as possible. Going forward with her investigation, she knew it would be dangerous, and Torres and Deb had family and friends who could get caught in the cross-fire. Nikki had no one close to her, who the CIA or Mi6 could hurt to get to her. Once she squirreled herself in this remote location to locate Mack, Nikki would be a ghost.
Torres explained that the place her CI found was a hole-in-the-ground located in the industrial area of the city. It was initially built to be a post-nuclear bunker.
Deb stood up and pushed back her chair. “Wow, this is great, Nikki; we’ll be able to hide out there completely undetected from everyone. Even the CIA will have a hard time finding us.”
Again, Nikki felt the pang of guilt. Looking away, Nikki said, “yes, no one will be able to stop us now.”
The rest of the day sped by as Torres and Deb made plans to move to the new location.
Nikki did her best to think of ways to extricate herself from the two women’s presence long enough to put the next part of her plan into action. Nikki fidgeted when Deb or Torres looked her way and cleared her throat often when either of the two women directed their questions about their ideas in Nikki’s direction. Nikki’s stomach ached, and she felt a constant thickening of her throat. Before long, Nikki would need to come clean. Until then, she allowed the two women to continue thinking they were part of her investigation. All for one and one for all rang out inside Nikki’s head, but it was drowned out by the promise she made that night, Mack’s SUV burned down in the ravine. Those words began a steady cadence said over and over inside Nikki’s head. I’m not sure how, but I’ll keep looking for you until I bring you back home.
Chapter Five
Behavioral Cold Case Office, April 4, 2012
Nikki woke with more determination than she had the day before. With Torres’s friends finding the location and the equipment for Nikki to dive deep into the underbelly of investigating what happened to Mack, nothing or no one could stop her. Nikki had to put the final part of her plan into action.
“Deb, can you go down to the diner and get us some lunch?”
Deb nodded, and Torres cocked her head.
Without commenting on the question in Torres's eyes, Nikki gave Deb money to buy them all food. Once the blonde had left the room, Nikki turned toward the large window overlooking the busy street.
“So, why did you want to get Deb out of the room?”
Smiling, Nikki said, “I cannot fool you, can I?”
“Many wiser and older people have tried. What has you so tense today?”
“I didn’t tell you, but Manley called last night and informed me the FBI had reassigned Deb.”
“I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Why now?”
“They declared Mack is missing and presumed dead. Dr. Tufts cannot definitively prove the body they found in Mack’s SUV isn’t Mack.”
“I’m sorry, Red. It cannot be easy hearing them declare Mack dead when you know she isn’t.”
“I have no proof only my faith and this connection Mack has with me, Miranda, and Nanna.”
“So, where is Deb being reassigned?”
“Lucky for her, she won’t be going far, and she’ll be working under one of the best agents besides Mack.”
“Red, you sell yourself short; you’re an excellent agent.”
“Yeah, but not excellent enough for the big brass to allow me to head up the CCBU while I bring Mack back to run it. They’ll be dismantling the unit.”
“Shit, that’s just adding salt to the wounds. Good thing they cannot make me go away.”
Nikki saw her opening and took it. “The FBI cannot, but I can.”
Torres’s brow lifted, and she dropped her hands to her side. “Don’t do this, Red; you won’t win.”
Nikki immediately took up the challenge. “I need to, and you know why. They cannot get to me through family and friends. You and Deb will only be liabilities if you continue to work with me.”
“So, you’re going, rogue?”
“Not exactly. I needed to find a way to work outside the confines of the FBI and do it in such a way that I wouldn’t draw attention to myself. You gave me the means t
o do that.”
“I thought you and I would be working together to find Mack.”
“You know why you cannot. The work I’ll be doing will be so far outside the lines, and I’ll be breaking every federal and international treaty law, known to me and then some. I cannot let you go there with me.”
Torres dragged her hands through her hair. “You cannot do it alone, either.”
“I won’t be. I know someone I met before I decided to join the FBI; she’ll keep me safe and help me more than you and Deb can. Where we’re going; you and Deb would only get lost.”
“What is she, a hacker?”
“She likes to call herself a cyber doctor. She finds or diagnoses illness within the mainframe of the cyberworld and uses her skills to cure that illness.”
“What she does is illegal.”
Nikki smiled. “As illegal as buying stolen equipment.”
“What she does is the same as terrorism. People like her use computers to wage a Cyber-war on unsuspecting people like me.”
Nikki knew it would be challenging to convince Torres that Speedy wasn’t like the people who broke into computer systems to steal top-secret information and sold it off to the highest bidder. “Without her help; I would not have found the information about Mack’s uncle’s alias and—”
“Someone wouldn’t have tried to kill Mack, and that Mi6 agent wouldn’t have had to die.”
“That agent died because Investigator Amy Linden asked for him to help her find information. What I…what my friend found didn’t get him killed.”
The sound of Deb’s footfall, outside the door, stopped any further discussion on the topic.
***
Nikki, Deb, and Torres ate their lunch in relative silence.
Torres sent Nikki several loaded glances, but she never brought up the conversation they were having before Deb arrived back with their lunch. Nikki decided to give it the rest of the day before she would broach the topic of Deb leaving for her new assignment.
Torres began a discussion about surveillance equipment, and Nikki chimed in about the FBI Lab’s new Latent Print analyzer. In moments their conversation turned to include FBI protocols.