"I understand that, but I'm not most detectives, Sir."
"Why are you here, Casey?"
"What do you mean?"
"I told myself it was none of my business, but I have to ask. Why did you leave the FBI to work in a tiny stale room shuffling cold cases?"
Rian took a deep breath. "I didn't belong there anymore."
"I see."
"Captain, I took the job working cold cases because I don't want to work active cases. I don't care to be called to a crime scene in the middle of the night, or burning the midnight oil trying to catch a suspect."
"What do you want, Detective Casey?"
"If I can help potentially solve a crime and put away a criminal, that's great. That means I did my job, and my job here is to read old cases and try to find new leads. New leads for the active case detectives to handle, not me. That's what I want to do, Sir, the job I was given when you hired me."
"I can't say I understand, but there is no way of knowing what you did or saw working as a government agent that made you want to hide away like you do. I do know you're very good at what you do. No one can compare to the knowledge and training you have, so I hired you with the expectation that I could have you put those skills to use when I needed them. I don't care if you hide in cold cases for the rest of your life, but right now I need those skills. You proved to me this could be a serial killer and a very serious case and your help is needed until we either catch him or prove you wrong."
Rian nodded.
"You don't have to actively work the case. Quinn can come to you when he gets information and you can work together with Dr. Swanson. No one knows how to make a dead body talk like Leann does. Besides, like you said it's pretty much a waiting game until he strikes again."
~
"If I didn't know better I'd say you were hiding from me," Leann smiled when she walked into Rian's tiny office. Her rickety metal desk was surrounded by file boxes and you could barely see her in the middle.
"I'm not a fan of dead bodies," Rian said without looking up from the file she was reading.
"Uh huh," Leann laughed and set a cup of coffee in front of her.
"What's this for?" Rian said taking a sip.
"Friendly gesture I guess. So, do you have anything new on our case?"
"Nope, not since you asked me two weeks ago. Quinn's doing all of the leg work, if he's even doing it I have no idea. It's not my case and not my problem."
"What's got you all grumpy again? I thought we were getting past all of that?" Leann looked for a place to sit but decided to get out of the doorway and lean against the desk instead.
Rian looked up at her, but didn't say anything.
"What?" Leann asked.
"I'm sorry, I know you're trying to befriend me and I'm not really the befriending type. Not anymore anyway. I've had a lot on my plate lately and the captain is like a cat licking his balls. His management skills are severely lacking and I don't think he even cares anymore. So, I'm sure Quinn's probably not pursuing anything I gave him, which means the case is growing colder by the day."
Leann laughed. "I don't think I want to picture the captain with his leg over his head licking his balls. Anyway, you're right. Quinn can't stand you so I doubt he's even working the case at all. It'll come back on them when another body turns up."
"No, it'll come back on you and me because we'll have to do all of the leg work again while those two drag their feet," Rian stated.
"Why do you stay here? Someone with your talent could be doing anything. Instead, you chose to sit in a musty room reading old papers and looking at crime scene photos all day and doing the homicide detectives' dirty work. I don't understand it."
Rian shrugged. "I don't think it's for anyone to understand. I'm here by choice, that's it."
"I suppose dead bodies could wait around forever, but I should probably get back to work. Don't disappear in here." Leann smiled, tossed her empty cup in the waste basket, and walked back down the hall. Rian stared at the empty doorway longer than she should have.
~
A week or so had passed since the day Leann brought Rian coffee in the middle of the day. She was surprised to see her on the other side of the peephole with take out on a Friday night. Rian wasn't expecting her, she wasn't expecting anyone and hadn't in a long time.
"What are you doing here?" Rian said when she opened the door.
"I'm sure you haven't eaten, so I picked up Mexican. I wanted to show you something I found when I went back over our notes," Leann said as she pushed past Rian and walked towards the kitchen table. She dropped the bag of food when she saw the papers and photos all over the table. "What's this?"
Rian picked the bag up and handed it to her and began putting everything into a neat pile. "It's nothing, just an old case."
"An old FBI case," Leann said enthusiastically.
"Yes, and therefore none of your business. Now, what is it you need to show me? And open that bag I'm starving," Rian said as she put the pile of papers and photos back into the box and disappeared down the hall with it.
~
An hour later, the takeout bag was empty and Rian was yawning. Leann was leaning back in her chair watching Rian.
"I don't know if you have anything here or not. Monica Hillenbrand's long lost son may be our guy, but we have nothing to go on. Steven Monahan hasn't used his name, social security number, or anything else in five years. Either way, I think you found us a lead," she said with a thin grin that could almost pass as a smile.
"I'll let you take this to Detective Quinn because he cares for you so much. I'm sure he will love to see you may have a suspect for him," Leann said.
Rian shook her head. "Quinn doesn't scare me. I do have better things to do than deal with his idiocies so I will meet with Captain Burke first thing in the morning and pass this on. I hope this guy is caught, but it's out of my hands now that they may have a lead."
"So, do these better things have anything to do with that FBI file you're hiding from me?" Leann watched Rian lean her head against the back of the chair. "You look like you've been burning the candle from both ends. It's barely ten and you're falling asleep."
Rian rolled her head towards Leann and yawned again. "I've been dealing with a personal matter that's causing me to sleep less I guess."
"That's a pretty vague answer." Leann raised an eyebrow.
"The FBI has this little thing called confidentiality and that means that file is off limits to you and your curious mind."
"Oh come on, I may have solved your case for you, the least you can do is show me a real FBI case."
Rian shook her head. "You haven't solved my case. Number one, it's not my case it's Detective Dick's, and two it's not solved until the suspect is either dead or behind bars."
"Well, I found the first and only suspect."
"Oh come on, you sound like a kid begging for a new toy," Rian said.
"Is this case the reason you're not an agent anymore?"
Rian stared at Leann for a moment and sighed, "Why are you so drawn to my past?"
"Maybe I'm just drawn to you," Leann said softly.
"Leann," Rian turned her head in the opposite direction. "Don't, this isn't a good time. There won't ever be a good time."
"Something broke you, Rian. I'm sorry if I want to know what it is. I can't help wanting to fix it."
"Why? Why would you want to get involved in something you know nothing about?"
"Because I get the feeling you're only a shell of the person you used to be and that bothers me. I've become friends with you these past few months and maybe I want to help."
Was Leann a friend? Rian was so tired of being tired she didn't know anything anymore. She didn't know how long the grieving period was, but after close to seven months she thought she'd be further along than she was. Special Agent Walsh's new information surely set her back a number of months. Going through that file was like pouring salt into an open wound over and over.
Rian stood
up so fast it actually startled Leann and she backed away. Rian walked down the dark hallway without saying a word and returned with the locked file box.
"If you ever say anything to anyone about what is in this file you could become a threat and be killed with no questions asked. I told you I worked Organized Crime and this case is one of the highest profile cases the FBI has open. I was the senior agent on this case for two years before I retired...I was recently given some new information, that's what I've been working on late at night."
Leann sat up straight in her chair. "I understand. If you trust me enough to show this to me, than you trust me enough to know I'll take it to my grave."
Rian visible cringed and hesitated. "That's not unlikely," she said.
"What?" Leann said.
"Someone has already been killed over what's in this file. Someone who knew nothing about it," her voice was low and heavy. Rian flipped the file open and a picture of a balding man with hollow, light-brown eyes and a gray and white mustache and goatee slipped out. He was unaware of the camera, but seemed to be looking directly at it. Looking at his picture again for the thousand and some odd numbered time Rian still didn't see any resemblance.
"This is Fiorino Canturri. He's an Argentinean mob boss that runs guns and funds terrorist cells. I've been trying to get enough on him to have him extradited for over two years. He has a heavily guarded compound in Buenos Aires. This photo was taken from a satellite."
"Wow," Leann said as she looked at the picture.
Rian put the picture back and closed the file. "Seven months ago my fiancé was gunned down in a drive by while walking next to me on a sidewalk." Rian wiped the tear before it could fall. Leann watched the color drain from Rian's face and covered her mouth with her hand. She had no idea. She thought maybe Rian's working partner was killed or something, but not her lover.
"I'm so sorry, Rian."
Rian continued to stare at the closed file. "I found out a couple weeks ago that she was Canturri's daughter."
Leann gasped.
"I never knew. I mean I knew he had a daughter by a maid and he had the maid killed when she tried to run off with the kid. I never found out any other information on the kid. Apparently, she went to boarding school as a child and then a few years ago she ran off to the States. The woman I met looked nothing like him, didn't have an accent, and went by a slightly different name. I didn't even know his daughter's name until recently."
"Oh my god, Rian. That's crazy," Leann said.
"My fiancé and I were together for two years and she knew I was in the FBI, but she never once questioned my job. She wasn't interested. She loved life and wanted nothing to do with violence and crime. Her father had her killed because of me...I won't stop until I catch him or kill him, whatever comes first."
Leann sat in silence. The icy tone in Rian's voice sent chills up her spine. She couldn't imagine the hell this woman had been put through over the past months. She wondered how she survived it all mentally, especially these last few weeks.
"I don't expect you to understand, but maybe now you can see why I do things the way I do them," Rian said.
"Rian, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, and no you're right, I don't understand, who would? You're a stronger woman than I ever imagined." Leann waited for Rian to look her in the eyes. "I'm all in."
"What?" Rian raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever you're doing to catch him, I want to help. Whatever you need just let me know."
"Leann, you can't do that. This is an FBI investigation and I shouldn't even be involved anymore. The only reason I know the latest news is because my Special Agent In Charge came here to tell me as a personal courtesy. They don't know I have this copy of the file. I'm doing this all on my own."
"It doesn't have to be on your own."
"Yes it does. This conversation goes nowhere else. Don't bring it up at the department or anywhere else for that matter. Just forget what I told you tonight. It's for your own safety, Leann."
"Fine," Leann said. "When the time comes, I'll be here ready to help you."
Rian shook her head.
"Even Batman had a hard time accepting Robin's help, but look at them now. They're the dynamic duo," Leann teased. Rian shook away the grin on her face and locked the file box.
"What's your next move?"
"I thought I told you to forget everything," Rian said as she started down the hall with the box. When she returned Leann was standing by the front door.
"Easier said than done," she said as she shut the door behind her.
Chapter Eleven
It had been two weeks since Rian told the captain everything she and Leann found out about Steven Monahan, the missing son of the potential first victim. Captain Burke told her it was a long shot, but he made Carl Quinn pick up the lead to see where it would go with their limited resources. Rian wanted to slap the shit out both of them and bang their heads together to try and produce common sense. She often wondered why budget constraints were always the block in the road when it came to local and state police departments. If they wanted to solve crimes and put murderers behind bars, then cutting back their staff numbers or restricting investigations to certain monetary values was the wrong move to make.
She shrugged off her disappointment in the Portland P.D. and moved on to bigger and better things like booking a commercial flight to Buenos Aires. She told the captain she had a family matter to take care of back home and would be gone for a few days.
Rian was packing her bag when she heard the knock on her apartment door. She grabbed her gun from the nightstand and walked through the tiny space she still couldn't call home. Leann's distorted face was on the other side of the peephole. Rian tucked her gun into the back of her pants and pulled the door open.
"Can I help you?" she asked as Leann walked inside.
"That's what I came to ask you. I was in your building today and when I went looking for you I found out you'd taken a few personal days. What's up?"
"I have a personal thing to take care of. I'll be back in a few days," Rian stated nonchalantly.
"Where are you going?"
"Do you always have to ask me a hundred questions about everything? I should've never told you anything about my life. I'm starting to regret it."
"I know you're a very private person, Rian. I'm just trying to be a friend."
"I don't need friends."
Leann noticed Rian's passport sitting on the kitchen table next to a few papers. "Leaving the country?" she asked.
"Maybe."
"I'm coming with you."
"Leann," Rian sighed. "I don't have time for this. My flight is in a few hours and I have to be there early. This doesn't concern you."
"You're going to Argentina aren't you?"
Rian nodded.
"I can help you."
"I need to do this on my own. Please understand that. I'll call you when I get back in a few days. If you haven't heard from me in a week tell the landlord I passed away and pack my place up. Burn everything and forget you ever knew me."
"Rian, that's crazy!"
"Leann, just do it. You want to be a friend, well now is your chance. Come on, I really have to get moving before I miss my damn flight," she said as she shuffled her out the door.
~
Rian slept as much as she could on the eighteen hour flight. The rest of the time she studied the map to the Canturri compound. She hadn't really formed a plan. She was just going there to see if the man would even talk to her face to face. She had to know why he killed his own daughter. Maybe she was stupid for doing it this way. Maybe she was subconsciously planning her own death. Her life didn't matter to her anymore. She lived everyday only to see the day that bastard got everything he deserved.
When the plane was landing Rian couldn't believe how beautiful the scenery was. There were mountains everywhere with blue-green water in the background. She wondered how all of this beauty could mask such a horrible monster. She slipped easily th
rough customs and rented an SUV the size of a Smart Car.
She drove straight to the hotel room she rented by the ocean in the coastal town Pinamar. She wondered if Ari had ever been to this stretch of beach. She wiped the tears away when she thought about her sitting in the brown sand watching the waves splash in the distance. Rian tossed her bag on the bed and changed into her bathing suit.
It was almost noon when she slipped under the salty waves. She stayed in the water swimming and floating until the sun moved two clicks, meaning two hours had passed based on the position it was in. As she got out of the water she wondered what heaven was like. Perhaps she had just experienced it in the blissful sun surrounded by warm ocean water.
She'd waited so long to stand face to face with the man in the pictures that always seemed to be looking back at her. It felt weird being so close to him and at the same time so close to a part of Ari she never knew. A deep dark part she had kept hidden.
~
The next morning, Rian drank a cup of coffee as the sun rose over the ocean. She was unarmed and plainly dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. She knew exactly where she was going since she had spent countless hours learning the roads all around the compound. The Argentinean Army base was over an hour away and close to the mountains. There was no other civilization near the compound for at least a five mile radius.
Rian drove the two and a half hour drive between her hotel and the compound in silence. She made sure to toss her cell phone in the ocean before she left just in case he killed her and traced her back to the hotel. His henchmen would find her suitcase with some clothes. She hid her passport in a loose brick in the parking garage of the airport when she circled back during the hours she spent riding around the coast. There would be no way to trace her to Leann or anyone else. She also made sure the locked file and other personal possessions were locked in a safe deposit box and in the event that she didn't return within a week the key to that box was set to be mailed anonymously to Leann in six months with instructions for her to secretly destroy it. She hoped she covered all of her tracks in case this unannounced meeting went horribly wrong.
Love Loss Revenge Page 6