by Robin Mahle
“Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Georgia closed the door behind her and began walking toward Nick, arms open. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.”
Nick stood up as she approached. His heart raced at the sight of her. All thoughts fled from his mind. All the words, so abundant as they perpetrated doubt—vanished. His arms remained bent at the elbow and his hands clung to the empty glass that served as a buffer between them. He would have to say something. “Welcome home.” He leaned into her embrace without lowering the protective barrier, resulting in an awkward and cold greeting.
Georgia pulled back, her face masked in bewilderment. “Are you okay? Did something happen at the office today?” She stepped back and placed her handbag on the side table, then proceeded to walk into the kitchen. “Looks like you could use a refill. Why don’t we sit down outside and you can catch me up on your first few days back?”
Nick had to force his legs to move. His reaction to seeing her face after thoughts of betrayal swirled through his head was more severe than he’d expected, never mind that his expectations were fraught with inconsistencies by this point. He put one foot in front of the other until he reached the kitchen where she stood, smiling, pouring each of them a drink. The words at last came to him. The burning question that begged to be asked was sitting on the edge of his tongue. But he was afraid to know the truth. A man who faced death and danger for the better part of his career was afraid of the words his girlfriend would say. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Jack Lyons?”
There it was— dangling in the air between them—the question she had to know would eventually come.
Only her eyes moved up to meet his, her head still lowered, she set down the bottle of booze. It sounded as though she’d begun to suck all the air from the room, seemingly to prepare a retort, but what came out was a whimper. And then with her eyes closed in a slow blink, she devised an answer.
“I figured it was you he was talking to yesterday morning.” She stepped out from behind the kitchen island and was only inches from Nick, who stood half a foot taller. “I won’t lie to you.”
He’d wanted to roll his eyes because he knew now what was coming—a barrage of excuses as to why she did what she did. “Then don’t. Don’t lie to me.”
“I met him a while back. We were working on a case together. This was before you and I started seeing each other. We made a mistake one night after getting a break on the investigation. It was just the one time and then, after the case was over, we didn’t keep in touch.”
“Until?”
“Until he called me after he’d heard about what happened with you that night during the raid. I guess he’d heard we were together.”
Nick grunted. Word travelled fast in this business when things went south during a takedown. “So, what? You thought since I was out of commission that you would pick things back up with him?”
“No. Of course not.” Georgia’s eyes glistened. “It wasn’t like that at all. It was just—things got complicated. You weren’t yourself. Drinking, depressed. For Christ’s sake, you bought a boat. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Well, fucking someone else probably wasn’t the best answer.” A disparaging grin appeared on his lips. “It wouldn’t have been on my top ten list of solutions.” He turned away, stepping back into the open living area.
She quietly moved toward him, touching his shoulder as he remained with his back to her. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
He turned back and tried hard to remember why he loved her. “Are you in love with him?” His eyes searched hers for the truth.
“I don’t know—maybe.”
ELEVEN
Although standard operating procedure, questioning the families did little to further the investigation. But Kate had been down this road before and understood that no detail could be overlooked. They couldn’t rely on the interviews conducted by the Atlanta field office and Agents Lyons and Faulkner. She was sure they were good enough at their jobs, but they weren’t BAU.
Kate was in awe of the way Dwight handled the families. They hadn’t really worked this closely before and so she’d mainly learned Nick’s systems and methodologies. But Dwight was different—perhaps cooler headed. She understood now why the two of them worked so well together. They were opposites who complemented one another, but her place in this inner-agency triangle remained to be seen as she had yet to carve her own path.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” The breakroom was quiet when Dwight approached Kate, who was stirring sugar into her coffee.
“Sure.” On the way to his office, Kate noticed Nick hadn’t arrived yet. His office lights were off and as it was almost eight a.m. Considering this was his first week back and he was prone to starting no later than seven o’clock, it was very curious and only added to the sensation she’d felt yesterday—that her friends were keeping something from her. “Have you heard from Scarborough yet this morning? I’m surprised he’s not in.”
Without turning, Dwight replied, “No. I’m sure he’ll be in soon.”
The chance that Dwight wouldn’t know Nick’s whereabouts was slim at best and only served to confirm what she already suspected.
“I would like for you to run on something.” Dwight waited for Kate to head inside and followed closely behind.
“Of course. What is it?”
“After I got home last night from the airport, I couldn’t sleep, so I started to do a little work. You remember when I asked the roommate about Ariel Nadal’s arrival in the States?”
“Yeah, I think so. What about it?” Kate perched on the edge of his desk.
“Well, she mentioned, as did the paperwork from Atlanta, that her family moved to Georgia in 2000.”
“Right, I remember that.”
“She also said that Ariel had spent some time in Florida with relatives after the family initially moved. And this would have been around the time Ariel would have been in middle school.”
“Her roommate did say she lived with relatives when she was twelve and then moved back in with her parents again after whatever issue they were having financially.” Kate considered what he was getting at and she soon began to realize his idea would involve a much wider search.
Dwight leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his broad chest. “I don’t know. I just gotta think there’s a reason why both victims wound up being discovered on the Florida side of the river. That just seems—extraordinary, considering everyone seems to think the bodies were dumped in a swamp several miles away.”
“The forensics does suggest that. So, what are you getting at? You think the bodies were dumped in the swamp, then recovered and placed in a location that would ensure they were found further along the river? Seems like a lot of work and to what end?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? Assuming I’m right and, at this point, I have no real basis to make that conclusion. However, I wouldn’t mind ruling it out. I think you should go down and talk to that sheriff’s deputy in Baker County. Maybe he can let us know if we’re way off base or not.”
“Sounds good. You want me to go on my own?”
“Are you telling me you can’t handle that?” He raised his brow.
“Not at all. I can most definitely handle it. When should I leave?” She’d almost blown her first shot at taking the reins on a lead, a mistake that would never happen again.
“Get hold of the sheriff first, tell him what you’ve got planned, then set it up. I’d like it to happen no later than tomorrow, if you can arrange it. We don’t have time to sit by while this maniac kills someone else’s kid.”
“Thank you. I’ll get it done.” Kate walked out of his office with a confident swagger she rarely displayed. It had occurred to her, however, that Dwight was either unconvinced of the validity of his own lead and thought what harm could it do to have her check on it, or he wanted to give her a chance to handle this on her own and see what she
could do. It was her hope that the latter was true.
Her concerns detracted her momentarily from the sight of Nick walking into his office. “There you are. I thought maybe you’d forgotten that you worked here.” A weak attempt at humor that clearly did not go over well. It was then that the hairs on her neck raised. “Everything all right?”
“I didn’t think there was much point in rushing in this morning when I don’t have a case to work on.”
Over time, Kate had learned to pick up on a few of Nick’s cues—his nuances. Although she wasn’t yet an expert, something had happened in the twenty-four hours since she’d last seen him. And his façade was transparent. He’d been through a lot these past few months and she thought they were over the worst of it. “Dwight is sending me to Baker County to talk to the sheriff’s office about Sydney Hawthorne. They were the ones to find her.”
“You’re going alone?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Good. I think that’ll be good for you. Listen, I’ve got to make a call, but I’ll catch up with you later. Okay?”
Nick disappeared into his office before she could say another word. “Sure. Okay.”
» » »
The Baker County Sheriff’s office was just ahead as Kate made her way from the Jacksonville airport. She’d booked the first flight this morning after speaking with Deputy Burgess yesterday and arranging the meeting.
It appeared as though the weather might be turning for the worse as Kate looked to the skies through the windshield. She’d hoped Burgess might escort her to the crime scene, but given that rain was in the forecast, it was an uncertainty that it would happen today. She wasn’t opposed to traipsing through the mud, but slick conditions could make it difficult to safely navigate the area and anything that might have been left behind would be washed away.
For now, the building was visible in the distance and Kate was ready for her first case inquiry on her own. Given the rural location, the facility was impressive. The large building appeared new and contemporary.
Her arrival was anticipated as she spotted a stocky man in a blue uniform step outside. “You Special Agent Reid?”
Kate closed the driver’s door after retrieving her belongings. “Yes, sir. Deputy Burgess?”
“That’s me.” He held the door open and waited for Kate to catch up. “I’ve been expecting you. Please, come on in.”
Kate immediately noticed his eye-catching appearance. He was of average height, but with a build that could rival a top WWE wrestler. Deep-set brown eyes and a clean-shaven face, he was both rugged and slightly boyish. The unexpected twinge in her stomach brought a trace of a grin to her lips. To say it was butterflies would be too generous, but it wasn’t far off.
“Follow me. My office is in the back.” Burgess led the way along the path between the cubicle walls. “I have to admit, I was surprised to hear from you. I’ve already spoken with Agent Faulkner in Atlanta.”
“Have you been made aware of the discovery another victim, Ariel Nadal, found in the next county, also in the Saint Marys River?” Kate asked.
“Yes, but like you said, that was in another county and so I haven’t had much to do with that. Again, it was my understanding that the FBI in Atlanta had been investigating.” Burgess pushed open the office door. “Here we are. Please have a seat.” He motioned her inside.
Kate placed her bag on the floor next to her and waited for Burgess. “The Atlanta field office has been handling this investigation. However, after further review of the circumstances regarding not only the discovery of the victims, but also the manner in which they were murdered, it has become evident that they were dealing with the same unsub.”
“I’m sorry. Unsub?” Burgess asked.
“Yes. Unknown subject. Apologies—the FBI has its own language. But as I was saying, once Atlanta realized that, we were contacted. I’m with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We generally handle these types of investigations.”
“Serial killings. You think we have a serial killer on our hands?”
“Yes, sir.”
Burgess leaned back and puffed out his already beefy chest with a deep breath. “Okay, then. What is it that I can do for you, Agent Reid?”
“I understand the first victim, Sydney Hawthorne, was discovered by two young boys. Would it be possible to get hold of their statements?” Kate opened her bag. “Also, we’re considering the likelihood that our unsub is targeting a certain age group of female victims. Acknowledging that we have only two victims, what has stood out to us was the fact that both were redressed in clothes that clearly did not belong to them.”
“Redressed? So the victim we discovered was found in clothes that were not originally on the body?” Burgess replied.
“No. We don’t think so.” She retrieved the photos of the second victim, Ariel Nadal, and placed the file on the deputy’s desk. “Have you seen the photos from the crime scene where the second body was found?”
“I haven’t.” Burgess reached for the file and opened it to see the photos of a young woman, badly bloated from the water. “So this girl was also cut up, is that right?”
Kate nodded.
“For God’s sake.” He began to view each picture carefully. “And these clothes weren’t the ones she wore when she disappeared?”
“Not according to the roommate. My partner and I interviewed her roommate the day before yesterday. And, if you’ll notice,” Kate placed her index finger on the girl’s shirt. “Both the shirt and shorts are very small—too small.”
“Well, she’s swollen all to hell, so that’s not hard to believe.”
“But it’s more than that. The collar of this t-shirt is torn at the back. I viewed the body and the articles of clothing when we initially consulted with Agents Lyons and Faulkner. It’s our assumption that the shirt was pulled over the head after the victim’s death because the collar is ripped. It’s possible it was already in such condition, but given the fact that this is still a child-sized shirt, it’s not likely she owned it.” Kate was having a hard time convincing the deputy of their theory.
“Okay, say the victims were put in different clothes after they were killed. Of what significance is that, other than you’ve established one of the killer’s habits, his MO?”
“You’re correct. This does help us in establishing a pattern of behavior. But in addition to that, and if you’ll see here,” she pointed to the logo on the t-shirt, “this is a junior high school shirt. Now, I’ve been searching around the area where the victim lived and could find no such school matching this mascot and that started with a W, as this school does.” She leaned back to make her final point. “My partner believes there was a reason both of our victims were discovered here in Florida, even though they lived in Georgia. Would it be possible to get a list of schools around the area, and I’m thinking specifically a fifty-mile radius from the river, so that I can try to find this school? I believe—we believe, our killer could be from the area and perhaps even went to this school.”
Burgess rubbed his smooth cheeks. “That’s a pretty big leap.” He paused. “But I’m happy to get you whatever you need, Agent Reid. Especially if y’all believe this sick bastard is from around this area.”
“Thank you, Deputy Burgess. It’s just a lead at this point, but we can’t afford to ignore it.”
“Of course.”
“Would it be possible, assuming weather permits, for you to take me out to the spot where Sydney Hawthorne was discovered?”
“Certainly. I think we’ll be all right unless we get a torrential downpour, but let’s head out now before it’s too late. Hard to say this time of year. We can get soaked pretty quickly.”
“I appreciate that, deputy. Thank you.”
» » »
The impulse to phone Kate crossed Nick’s mind more than once today, but he resisted. Dwight did the right thing by sending her on her own and he respected that. And if he was being honest, he’d admit that really what he’d wanted was for he
r to offer comfort. As much as he hadn’t wished that was true—it was. His heart was broken and while he wasn’t the type of man to sit at home and lick his wounds, Kate’s voice would have been enough to see him through the worst of it.
Dwight had suspicions of his own that arose during the course of the conference call that involved Georgia the other day. So when Nick came to him expressing his own suspicions yesterday, no explanation was necessary. He was smart enough to figure out that Jack Lyons was sleeping with Georgia and Nick confirmed it with a late-night call after he left Georgia’s apartment last night.
He glanced at the time, noting that Kate wasn’t due back until late this evening, according to Agent Vasquez. The two often worked closely together and it seemed as though she’d become more of a confidant to Kate than Nick had been over the course of his hiatus.
Why it mattered when Kate returned seemed an unnecessary concern anyway. Of course, her safe return was always a concern, but meaning that he had no intention of telling her what happened with Georgia. The primary reason was timing. Unloading this information would only burden Kate more and given that she was about to face an anniversary that no one would celebrate, it seemed almost cruel. Moreover, Georgia still worked in this office and while bad news always traveled fast within these walls, destroying her reputation was not something Nick had wanted. He couldn’t expose her misdeeds. He couldn’t humiliate her the way she humiliated him.
Exasperated, Nick knew he needed to shake out of this. What he needed was to work on Blackwater. Finally, he pushed up from his thick leather chair, deciding that something had to be done. ASAC Campbell couldn’t keep him behind his desk. He’d dry up and wither away if it continued, or drink himself to death—neither was a good option.