Last Word

by Robin Mahle

  Kate knew where to find Fraser and hoped he could spare a few minutes of his time. She continued through the much larger space and through the maze of cubicles and offices. Upon arrival at his office, she noted his door was open. “Excuse me, Agent Fraser?”

  He turned his attention to her. “Agent Reid? What brings you down here? Decided to slum it for a while? Come on in; take a seat.”

  “Thanks. I don’t want to take up your time. I know you’re busy.”

  “Not at all. It’s not often I get to see someone from BAU. What can I help you with?”

  “I’m working on a case involving multiple murders with similar markers. State lines were crossed and due to the nature of the deaths, we were asked to consult. The Baltimore Division is also investigating.”

  “Sounds intriguing.”

  “I wouldn’t know, frankly, because I’m working with a detective at Metro Police and he’s been less than forthcoming with information.”

  “I see. One of those who doesn’t like it when we roll in and start taking over.”

  “Normally, I’d say yes, that’s exactly what’s happening, but I think there’s more to it than that and that’s why I’m here.”

  Fraser leaned over his desk. “What do you need from me?”

  “I’m trying to work within the frame of legal and ethical morality…”

  “But…”

  “But I’ve got two dead victims and there could be more coming and I think this detective is working hard to keep whatever it is he knows quiet.” She tried to assess his reaction. While she’d crossed paths with him on the odd occasion, she would be hard pressed to call him anything more than an acquaintance. So, to help sway him, she had another card to play. “Also, I know you’ve worked with Agent Will Caison in the recent past. He and I went to the Academy together, and he mentioned you last time we met.” She needed to include a slight exaggeration to make her point, without it being an outright lie. “He said you were a hell of a good agent and a good man. That’s why I came to you.”

  “Do you have anything solid that would intimate this detective isn’t playing by the rules?”

  “No. He’s just dragging his feet and making things hard for me. But no, I don’t have anything concrete. It’s just a hunch.” He was silent for an uncomfortable period of time. She needed something more to convince him, a final ploy that often worked on her male counterparts. “Look, I know what you’ve done for this country. I know you were pivotal in the investigation into the death of the former member of State. I’m asking for your help in what I believe could be another potential cover up, albeit not nearly of the same degree, but a cover up nonetheless.”

  “Okay. I understand what you need and I’ll give it some serious consideration. As you know, it’s generally frowned upon to do what I believe you’re asking me to do. However, if you truly believe he is obstructing this investigation, I’ll consider it. I give you my word.”

  “I appreciate that, Agent Fraser. If you can get me what I need, I’ll take it from there. I won’t ask another favor.”

  “I’ll get back you.”

  Kate began to rise. “Thank you for your consideration. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “I’m sure there will come a time when I’ll need something from you too. I don’t know what, but it’s possible.” At this, he smiled. “It was a pleasure to see you again, Agent Reid.”

  The office of 4th District Representative Pamela Carter was busy with ensuring the latest bill put forth by the ranking house member would have the votes to pass. It was an arduous process that required a fair bit of quid pro quo, the staple of American politics. Heading up that effort was Carter’s legislative director, Meredith Bowen, a woman who had put in her time and was recently rewarded with the lucrative position that would finally allow her to pay off her student debt. However, her first priority was to keep making the calls and the latest one would be a check mark for the yeses.

  “Got another one.” Meredith replaced the cap on the white board marker and raised her hands in triumph. A round of applause from her colleagues soon followed.

  She returned to her desk, but before getting the opportunity to make another call, a man she hadn’t seen in some time appeared. “Hello. What on earth are you doing here?”

  “Just slumming it.”

  “You picked a hell of a time. It’s crazy busy in here right now.”

  “I see that. I’m sorry, but do you think you could spare just a moment of your time? I won’t keep you long.”

  Meredith looked around at the people on the phones. “Um, sure. I can give you a few minutes. We can go in my office.” Only a few feet down the hall, she opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her and her unexpected visitor. “I have to be honest with you, I didn’t think we’d cross paths anytime soon. What brings you down?”

  “It’s sort of a delicate situation that I hate to even discuss at all.”

  “Okay. Maybe you should step off those egg shells you’re walking on and just tell me what it is that brought you here?”

  “Meredith, I have to ask—have you been in contact with Grant recently?”

  “No.” The tone of her voice and the way her eyes darkened suggested this was an unwelcome question. “I can only imagine why you’re asking me. As his chief of staff, I assume you’re trying to avert a potential situation?”

  Phil held her gaze. “I know the two of you had history.”

  “That’s right. A not so pleasant history, which I’d just as soon forget as I’m sure Grant would as well.”

  “Please, I’m not here to upset you. I know you and he haven’t worked together in a long time.”

  “For very good reason.”

  “I know. I just—I just have to know that there haven’t been any recent efforts to make contact with him.”

  “Like I said, I haven’t talked to him, emailed him, or in any way made contact with him in over a year—not since I started here.” She began to rise. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really am very busy.”

  He stood. “I do know what happened and I know it wasn’t your fault.”

  Meredith marched firmly to within inches of him. “You’re damn right it wasn’t. That son of a bitch nearly ruined my career. And do you know how easy it would’ve been for me to turn on him? Pretty fucking easy. I’ll tell you that. But I didn’t. Because I know how things work around here. So, I sucked it up and dealt with it. So don’t you come here and start telling me to back off of him because I never backed on, you hear me?”

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. I hear you. I just had to know. I can’t tell you why, but I asked because I always believed you got a raw deal as far as that whole thing went down. But others, they might not see it as it really was.”

  “Yeah well, you’d better believe that I’ve protected myself.” She pulled open the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I really do have to get back to work.”

  “Of course.” Phil walked past her. “I’m sorry, Meredith—for everything.”

  She watched him leave and shook her head in anger. A final glance to ensure he’d gone from her sight and Meredith returned to the phone banks to finish what she’d set out to do.

  “You’re back.” A young assistant returned the phone to its cradle. “We did it. We got all the votes.”

  “Are you serious? We’re done?”

  “That’s right. Guess we won’t have to pull the all-nighter like we thought.” She looked at the time on her phone. “I might even make it home for a late dinner. You should go too, Mer. You did good today.”

  “We all did. The congresswoman will be thrilled. Has anyone told her yet?”

  “No. We thought we’d let you take the honors.”

  “Great. I’ll swing by her office on my way out. Goodnight and I’ll see you in the morning, on the floor.” This turn of events set her mind at ease once again and after a quick word with Representative Carter, she was ready to head home for what would be the
first decent night’s sleep in weeks.

  “Goodnight, Meredith. Thanks for all your hard work.”

  “Goodnight, Pamela.” With a nod and a smile, she was out the door and heading toward the nearest station to hop on the Metro. An event that had soured her evening was soon overshadowed by her success.

  Only a few stops from her apartment, the much less crowded train was just a short jaunt and she was already exiting onto the platform. The cross-breeze lifted her blonde hair, scattering it across her face as she made her way to the stairs and toward the exit.

  Upon reaching the top, the dark skies were clear even if no stars were visible. The city lights made sure of that. Two more blocks to her apartment and she could kick off her heels and change into her comfy clothes because all she wanted to do right now was sit in front of the television with a glass of wine and just veg out for a while. She’d earned it.

  With the keys in her hand, Meredith unlocked her door and stepped inside. The lights turned on as they sensed her arrival and her modern apartment illuminated with soft light that highlighted the cream-colored interior. She loved her home and she loved her job, even in the stressful times, though working for Pamela Carter was much less stressful than her time around Grant Copeland. It had almost been enough to send her packing, headed back home to Iowa and becoming a teacher.

  The earlier conversation with her former acquaintance, Phil Vega, returned to the forefront of her thoughts. And it was most certainly an uninvited arrival. She emerged from her bedroom in full comfort gear and headed into the kitchen for a glass of Chardonnay she so desperately wanted. Meredith wasn’t a big drinker, but there were those days when it was all she could think about and today had been one of those days.

  With glass in hand, she curled up on her sofa and switched on the television, but not before reaching for her laptop and reviewing the agenda. She’d lost track of time with her work once again when a knock on her door brought a tidal wave of deliberation that crashed against her skull.

  She reached for her phone to check the time. It was 11pm and she hadn’t been expecting anyone.

  Her legs slowly uncurled as she pulled herself up from the couch and shuffled in bare feet to the door. She peeked through the security lens and pulled back quickly. “What the hell?”

  Upon opening the door, her brow knitted tightly. “What are you doing here?”

  10

  Dispatch relayed the call of shots fired in an apartment building and the responding officer had arrived on scene. With the growing crowd of onlookers as the patrol cars and ambulance arrived, the officer needed to establish a boundary.

  Inside, the paramedics attended to the woman, whom they had identified as Meredith Bowen. Her wallet had been found in her purse, which hung on a kitchen chair.

  “I’m not getting a pulse.” The EMT looked to his partner.

  “Proximate cause of death, likely the GSW to the chest. Immediate cause of death, loss of blood. Take a look here.” His index finger lined the second injury. “Bullet graze on the side of the scalp.”

  “Like she was trying to dodge the shots. Body temp is at seventy degrees. She’s been gone close to an hour. Has anyone else seen this?” The EMT pointed to her mouth.

  “I don’t know. I’ll talk to the responding officer. He’s outside.” The paramedic headed outside to the cops pulling tape across the building’s entrance. “Where can I find the responding officer?”

  “Over there.” The man nodded in the direction of a group of officers huddled together.

  “Thanks.” On approach, he continued, “We need to remove the body, but I’ll need a signoff first. Who’s running the show here?”

  “I am. Detective Phelps. Officer Cook answered the call and notified me on arrival. What have you got inside?”

  Cook turned to the other officers. “You guys keep the looky-loos away and I’ll take Phelps in.”

  The men entered the building and headed back into the woman’s apartment. Officer Cook led the way toward the body. “Dispatch radioed the 911 call from a neighbor who heard the gunshots.”

  “Gunshots? Plural?” Phelps asked.

  “Yeah. She said she heard two but couldn’t be sure if there were more. She was awakened by the gunfire. Anyway, I was nearby and as soon as I arrived, I called you guys out. I had already ascertained the victim was DOA and I made no attempt at resuscitation upon determining there was no pulse. In addition, I noted the beginning signs of lividity in the lower extremities.”

  “No need to impress me with your use of medical jargon.” Annoyed, Phelps peered at the body. “But you did see this?” Detective Phelps pointed to her mouth.

  “I wanted to wait for CSI. I haven’t touched anything except to check for a pulse. This looks to be related to your active investigation of the woman found at the National Cathedral. That’s why I called you out.”

  “Don’t do anything until CSI gets here.”

  “Should be any time now.”

  “Good. Can we make sure the ambo stays until she’s released?”

  “Will do,” the EMT replied. “I’ve got plenty of paperwork to keep me occupied in the meantime.” He continued toward his partner as the two huddled for what appeared to be an update on the situation.

  Phelps pulled Officer Cook aside. “Listen, there’s no need for you to wait it out. I’ll stay until CSI arrives.”

  “That’s not really... I mean, I guess. If you’re okay with it. My shift ended an hour ago.”

  “You should head back to the station, write your report, and go home and get some sleep. I got this covered.”

  “Yeah. Okay, thanks. I’ll make sure those guys have secured the scene, then I’ll head out.” Cook walked toward the door.

  Detective Phelps began to examine the apartment and came across the victim’s cell phone. With a gloved hand, he picked up the phone and pressed the home button. Password protected, of course, but no notifications appeared on the home screen.

  Another officer approached him. “I’ve got the neighbor who called it in.”

  “Get a statement from her.”

  “Ten-four.”

  Phelps continued to make his way through the apartment. He knew what the note in the victim’s mouth meant and what it would mean to Copeland, assuming that this woman was tied to him in some way, which seemed an almost certainty at this point. His job now was to keep it from the Feds and that was going to be a challenge, considering Agent Reid had been up his ass since they came on board to help. “Help.” Irritation sounded in the huff that escaped him. “Damn Feds are just gumming up the works.” If it’d been up to him, this would have remained a local investigation. But that Brenner woman had been killed in another state. And that made things complicated.

  His problems were also about to grow exponentially when word got out that there was another victim with the note in her mouth. While he hadn’t removed the note to see what it said, he already knew. But was there a way to keep the Feds from discovering it? He could work this investigation his own way and keep Copeland’s name out of the press, at least for a while longer.

  Phelps returned to the body and knelt down. Other officers stood near but seemed preoccupied in conversation. If he was going to do this, the time was now. He would have to deal with Cook, but that wasn’t likely going to be a problem. And the EMTs. Again, a little green went a long way and he would know pretty quickly how it would play out with each of them. He was no novice.

  He placed a glove on his other hand and stepped closer to her head. Leaning over the victim, he lowered his hands toward her mouth.

  “Detective Phelps?”

  “Shit.” Startled, Phelps nearly fell over. “Christ, don’t sneak up on people like that.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Two officers identified as CSI entered the apartment. The man who spoke was the lead investigator.

  “Taking out whatever it is that’s shoved in this woman’s mouth.”

  “We’ll take it from here. Thanks.” Th
e officer continued his approach. “You’re welcome to hang out with us, but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. I’ll let you know when the body’s been transferred.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.” Phelps removed his glove and stood up again. “Bout time you guys got here anyway.”

  The investigator eyed Phelps with indifference. “Sorry. She’s our fourth one tonight. Been a little busy trying to help you guys out.”

  The call came in during the pre-dawn hours while Kate still lay next to Nick in their bed. Her phone lit up with the caller ID and she sat up while squinting at the bright light. A quick glance to confirm she hadn’t disturbed Nick and Kate rolled out of bed and padded into the hall. “Agent Reid.”

  “You need to come down here.”

  “Detective Phelps? What’s going on?”

  “Another body’s been found. Looks like the same M.O.”

  “The note?” She continued into the kitchen for a bottle of water.

  “Yes. CSI is still on scene and they’re gathering evidence as we speak. They’ll let me know when the body is transferred to the ME.”

  “Where do you want to meet?”

  “I’ll text you the address. I’m still here. How long will you be?”

  “Um, I can leave in ten minutes.”

  “Good.”

  The line went dead and Kate pulled her phone back to check they hadn’t been disconnected. It seemed Phelps hung up. “Okay then.” She returned to the bedroom and quietly dressed.

  “Hey? Where you off to?” Nick turned toward his nightstand. “What time is it?”

  “Early. Go back to sleep. I have to meet with Phelps. There’s another victim.”

  “He called you? I thought he was doing his best to keep you away?”

  “He is. I’m sure he’s got an angle. I just don’t know what it is yet.”