Edge of Mercy (A Kate Reid Novel Book 11)

by Robin Mahle

  “It’s okay, Grandma. They’ll make sure Grandpa makes it out.” She looked at Redmond. “Where is he?”

  “I’m about to find out right now.” Redmond turned to Nunes. “I’m going back in.”

  “You sure, boss? It’s my turn.”

  “No, I got this.” Redmond plunged back into the water and reached the roofline of the second floor. “Bishop? Bishop, you all right?” He stepped onto the shingles and headed toward the window. “Bishop? What’s going on?”

  Bishop stood. “I tried. I tried to save him.”

  “No.” Redmond’s shoulders sank as he turned to the boat. The light shone in his eyes and he couldn’t see the granddaughter or grandmother, but they could see him—and the look on his face.

  “Help me get him out of here,” Bishop said. “We gotta at least do that.”

  The high school gym was half empty while many still searched for victims. Children had fallen asleep on the cots and mothers and fathers prayed.

  “What the hell happened out there?” The sheriff placed his hands on his hips and studied the team.

  “I thought I could save him,” Bishop began. “I tried. I just didn’t have what I needed to treat him.”

  Officer Redmond placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You did everything you could, man. It was rough out there. I’m just grateful we managed to save a few. It’s better than nothing.”

  “Once all the dust settles, the family will be able to bury their kin,” the sheriff added. “Regardless, y’all did a hell of a job out there. Others are coming back with folks too. We’re all doing the best we can.” He nodded and walked away.

  “Sheriff’s right,” Redmond began. “And once we get daylight, we’ll get right back out there and find more. But for now, you should get some rest. I wouldn’t mind closing my eyes either.”

  Bishop headed toward a chair against a back wall and slouched into it. He closed his eyes.

  2

  When the elevator doors opened into the parking garage, Special Agent Kate Reid felt the cold air nuzzle against her face. It was October in D.C. and autumn wasted no time kicking summer to the curb. Her grey peacoat flapped open for a moment until she pulled it around her and stepped over the threshold onto the concrete. As she headed to her car, Kate flicked back her long brunette hair while she hoisted the laptop bag onto her shoulder. The oversized bag looked even larger against her petite frame.

  She slipped behind the wheel of her Ford Explorer and started the engine. It’s six-cylinder motor rumbled, and the smell of exhaust seeped through the vents inside for a brief second. She pulled out of the garage and onto the road ahead, looking into the rearview mirror at the condo she shared with Nick Scarborough. It was difficult to tell from the growing distance, but she could have sworn Nick peered at her through the window of their bedroom that faced the road.

  These past few months, since their return from Rio and Nick’s demotion, the two had been walking on eggshells. Neither one was willing to admit the game had changed. Nick’s dream had been to run the BAU team at Quantico and he had done amazing things since he was given the post. It was his no more and they both knew it was of his own doing. If anyone was going to destroy Nick’s career, it was going to be Nick.

  Kate could admit Agent Noah Quinn lit the fire, but Nick turned it into a five-alarm blaze that had been doused by the Unit Chief on their return from the international case. The new person in charge? Nick’s subordinate, but longest-serving member of the team, Cameron Fisher. Today marked the day that it was to become official.

  Her own part in the challenges she and Nick currently faced was all on her. It had been Kate’s choice to put a tail on Agent Quinn to find out who he had been talking to. Quinn had done his best to uncover Nick’s problem with alcohol, having gone so far as to question Nick’s former girlfriend on the topic. It was a decision that was about to bring Kate before the Board to be issued a Letter of Censure for her actions. The impact on her own career was uncertain.

  She had made some excuse as to why the two needed to drive to the office separately today. Something about her being behind on paperwork after wrapping up a consult in Philadelphia last week. It was bullshit. The idea of driving together, sitting in silence on what would be Nick’s final day as Senior Unit Agent was like being a witness to an execution. Watching the death of a loved one’s dreams and life-long ambitions might as well have been just that.

  Scattered whispers filled the conference room as the team awaited Unit Chief Cole. It seemed the meeting between Nick, Cameron Fisher, and Cole was taking longer than expected.

  Levi Walsh sat next to Kate. The two had grown close since she was given permanent status with the team on the recommendation of a man who was no longer a part of it. Much like her former colleague, Dwight Jameson, Levi had been an ally. Kate wondered why she leaned on men like them. They weren’t old enough to serve as father figures, and she hadn’t even had a relationship to speak of with her father until just a few years ago in any case. She smirked thinking, then again, maybe that was exactly what they had been—father figures, regardless of their ages.

  Still, she was grateful to have Levi in Dwight’s place, though she had stayed in close contact with Dwight, especially through the troubled waters of late.

  Levi Walsh was the team’s investigative analyst and worked closely with local law enforcement. He looked rougher than he was. In his early forties, his leathery features were more a result of years serving in the deserts of the Middle East, but his slight Alabama drawl and blue eyes could win over the heart of any woman. Although, he never saw himself as a ladies’ man.

  He never treated Kate differently or special, even though most people thought she was very special. Having survived a past like hers did make her different but Kate never used it as a crutch. In fact, she’d fought back on that very notion her entire career.

  The new head honcho was slated to be Cameron Fisher. A rough around the edges ex-cop from New York, he merited the position. Some might say it should have gone to him in the first place. He’d been senior to the rest of the team and had earned the respect of everyone. Somehow though, Cole offered it to Nick. It had been well-deserved at the time, but the tensions between Cameron Fisher and Nick Scarborough didn’t melt away for quite a while. Fisher was handling all of this like the pro he was. No grudges.

  Although, with his new promotion, it could put a damper on his relationship with Agent Eva Duncan. Some could argue she was the conductor behind the scenes, guiding cases, sifting through leads. However, their still-newish relationship could be in jeopardy because the only reason it had been approved was that neither answered to the other in an official capacity. That was about to change. Eva had been hardened from the circumstances of her youth in Chicago which led her to take an all-business, no-nonsense approach to every case the team was assigned. She never let it get personal until she fell in love with Cameron Fisher.

  As Kate continued to survey the room, there was a noticeable absence. Noah Quinn. The very man who had given Kate the opportunity to join this team was gone. Transferred. There had been a lot to learn from him, but Quinn used Kate for his own personal gain. It was too bad because he was the best profiler she’d ever met.

  When Eva Duncan sat at attention, Kate, whose back was to the door, figured the three wise men were about to enter the conference room.

  Unit Chief Cole led the way with Cameron Fisher and Nick Scarborough two steps behind. Interesting that they walked side-by-side, as though both were either reluctant to take the lead or reluctant to give it up.

  “Good morning.” Unit Chief Cole stood at the head of the table while Cameron Fisher and Nick Scarborough sat down across from one another. “I’m sorry for the delay. I realize we should’ve started this meeting twenty minutes ago and I know everyone is busy, so please accept my apology.” Cole was in his late 50s and was a brilliant intelligence officer with a career that had spanned decades. “This period of transition has gone smoothly as far as
I’m concerned and that is a testament to the leadership of this team, both current and former. Respect was never lost, and a dereliction of duties never considered. We’ve all had time to reflect on the past. Mistakes were made. While it is only human to make mistakes, in this line of work, there is little room for them or the damage they may cause. These mistakes have been owned and every attempt at rectification has been made. However, as a result, changes must also be made, and those changes will go into effect today. From here on out, this team will be headed up by your new Senior Unit Agent, Cameron Fisher. SSA Nick Scarborough will take on a new role. He is still a senior member of this team and as such, deserves the continued respect you all have shown him over the years.” He surveyed the team again. “Any questions?”

  “What about Quinn?” Kate had an inkling to what this answer might be, but it needed to be stated in front of everyone—for posterity if nothing else.

  “He will not be returning. That isn’t new information, but it is official. This makes you, Reid, our resident profiler. Understanding that you were essentially Quinn’s apprentice, you will still be required to consult with SSA Scarborough and/or Senior Unit Agent Fisher on any of your case findings. There is protocol and it takes time to learn this job. There are no shortcuts. Reid, you will be the one the team turns to for analysis and in-depth profiling. The only difference is, you won’t have Quinn to bounce ideas off of, but you will still have the combined decades of experience both Fisher and Scarborough have to offer. I suggest you use them.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Kate replied.

  “So, if there are no further questions, we should all get back to the business of the day.” With a wrap of his knuckles on the conference table, Cole excused himself.

  Kate was the first to stand and offered her hand. “Congratulations, Fisher. I look forward to our new working relationship.”

  “It won’t be any different than before, but thank you, Reid.” Fisher returned the handshake.

  Walsh and Duncan left the room with Fisher close behind. It was just Kate and Nick. Just like it had been since a time in her past she didn’t like to recall.

  “You okay? You left pretty early this morning.” Nick smoothed back his dark hair that had turned just a little saltier and adjusted his dress pants that still fit perfectly against his trim waist.

  He had a few years on the 34-year-old Kate and was now just on the other side of forty. As she looked at him, he appeared the same as he had that day in his car, back in California. Although now he was a little more jaded and suffered from demons that had finally caught up to him. She was all of 28 then. Still young and damaged after the awful events of that year. It was the day he said she would make a great FBI agent. It wasn’t something she decided to tackle until a year later and solely a result of circumstances beyond her control, but he had seen in her then what she would become. Now, she could see that man. The one who had believed in her. The one who had loved her. Only now, he was also the one who had betrayed her. Not in the traditional sense one would think, but in the sense that he hadn’t kept his end of the bargain. He let his demons get the better of him at the worst possible time. A split-second decision to walk inside a bar in the middle of a dangerous investigation in a foreign country, leaving everyone to fear for his safety and their own. His team needed him. She needed him. After spending a year in AA meetings, he fell. Rightly or wrongly, Kate hadn’t yet forgiven him.

  She considered his question if she was truly okay and figured it wasn’t time for the truth. “I just needed some time to think and clear my head. A lot of things are changing, and I don’t really know how to take on those changes just yet.”

  “You know what to do. You’ve always known what to do. It’s only out of a responsibility to others that prevents you from doing it.”

  She formed a closed-lip smile. “Listen, I have to run out for a while. I’ll catch up with you later?”

  “Sure.”

  Kate walked away and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t look back.

  On the drive into work this morning, Kate had received a text message from Noah Quinn. At first, she considered not responding but eventually thought better of it knowing that the FBI was a tight-knit community and she might one day need Quinn’s help. She’d witnessed the burning of bridges Nick and Georgia Myers went through and while that was different, Kate wasn’t going to burn down any relationship. That didn’t mean, however, she was about to let Quinn get under her skin again. So, she agreed to meet him at a restaurant and had just arrived.

  Dupont Circle was always a nightmare for driving and parking. Kate disliked venturing into the neighborhood, but it was just like Quinn to want to be seen, and it was nothing if not that. The long drive from Quantico had been annoying and the fifth attempt at finding a parking spot sent her nerves on end. As she parked and fed the meter, Kate inhaled a deep breath to calm herself. She hadn’t seen Quinn in months and having her wits about her in his presence was paramount.

  The restaurant was quaint, more of a café, which Kate appreciated. The larger, historic restaurants were overcrowded, loud and filled with politicians and lobbyists. Kate approached the host stand. “Hi, I’m here to see Noah Quinn. Has he arrived?”

  “Agent Kate Reid?” The man asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Right this way, please.” The young man wearing all black led her to the rear of the café. “Here you are, ma’am.”

  “Thank you.” Kate nodded before capturing Quinn’s gaze. “Long time, no see.”

  He stood and extended a hand. “Reid, it’s nice to see you. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on short notice. Please, have a seat.” Quinn gestured to the chair across from him. He had a boyish charm about him and was a couple of years younger than Kate. In fact, he had been the youngest profiler BAU had ever employed. Coupled with his handsome features, it was no surprise Quinn was full of himself.

  Kate removed her grey peacoat and draped it over the back of the chair. She pushed her hair from her shoulders so that it would rest on her back. Upon taking her seat, she began, “So, I assume someone must’ve told you about the meeting today. Hence the text message.”

  Quinn cast his sights to his glass of water and took a sip. “I did hear that was happening today. How is Scarborough handling it?”

  “He’s a professional. He’s handling it just fine,” Kate replied sharply.

  “Good. That’s good to hear. And you?”

  Kate shrugged. “Fine here. The only thing that’s really changed for me is that you’re no longer my boss.”

  Quinn smiled and nodded. “It was what you wanted from the beginning.”

  “Look, I’m here because you asked me to be and I realize there will probably come a time when you and I will have to work together again. Out of professional courtesy, I’m here. So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

  “Good to know you’re not up for small talk, Reid,” Quinn began. “I thought you might like to know I’m being transferred to the New York field office.”

  “New York?”

  “That’s right. I’ll be the resident BAU agent. It is a step down, obviously, but hey, I don’t hold grudges.”

  Kate scoffed. “Well, you did try to blackmail a fellow agent. You also tried to manipulate me into trusting you with knowledge of my personal history. I’d say you got off easy.”

  “And what about you? What’s your punishment for having me tailed?” Quinn raised his index finger as if an idea had dawned. “Oh, that’s right. You got my old job. Someone with what, two years of experience?”

  “I’ve been with the Bureau for five years now, Quinn.”

  “Sure, and that makes you an expert.” It appeared as though Quinn was about to escalate the argument, but seemingly reconsidered. “In any case, I thought you’d want to know that I’m still just a phone call away, should you need anything from me. I’m offering you, as a professional courtesy, my wealth of knowledge, should you need it down the road.” />
  “I do appreciate that, Quinn.” Sarcasm laced her words. “Boy, I just don’t think I could get along without knowing you were just a quick plane ride away.”

  Quinn appeared resigned. “Kate, please. Can we just stop this? Despite what you might think, I didn’t ask to see you to fight. I truly wanted you to know that we can continue our professional relationship. In fact, I’d like to.”

  “Fine. Yeah, of course. I’m sorry.”

  Kate spent the next 30 minutes making small talk with Quinn. She ate a half-sandwich and a cup of soup and finished off her iced tea. They seemed to put aside their differences and instituted a policy of civility. From this point forward, Quinn would no longer be Kate’s adversary. Was he going to be a friend? Not unless it was over her dead body. But she could agree to a professional arrangement. Time would tell how long that would last.

  Eva stared at the television while it broadcast a mindless sitcom that she wasn’t watching in the first place. Cameron was next to her, his eyes glued to the screen. Both were obviously thinking of what to say, neither sure of what those words should be. With Cameron in charge, the odds this relationship would go up in flames increased three-fold. Not because of their own doing, but because of the example they were setting.

  Cameron had been reluctant to make it official to begin with, realizing that this could come to pass. Both had used Kate and Nick’s relationship as a guideline and accepted that it was within the rules to date primarily because Kate answered to Quinn. Now things were different for all of them.

  Cameron Fisher was the oldest member of the team, at forty-eight. Fine lines had deepened around his brown eyes. His beard, when it came in, was more gray than black. His hair was thick, greying and had begun to recede at the forehead. He reached for a toothpick from the side table as he sat on the sofa next to Eva and tucked it between his lips. It was a habit he picked up years earlier when he was with the NYPD.