Edge of Mercy (A Kate Reid Novel Book 11), Robin Mahle [freenovel24 .txt] 📗

“It is. She’s a beaut, right?”

“Sure is. I wouldn’t mind checking it out if you have a minute,” Bishop said.

“Sure, why not? Come on. I’ll show you what she’s got.” He grabbed his keys and walked into the parking lot. “It’s cold as shit out here this morning.”

“Yes, sir.” Bishop walked behind him a step or two until they approached the black newer-model Mustang. “Now that right there is a work of art.” He looked to the man. “How the hell did you afford something like this on our salary?”

“The wife and I live with my parents.”

Bishop eyed him, figuring he must’ve been in his mid to late 20s. “Oh, cool. You’re married, huh?”

“Two years. No kids though. Wifey wants to move out of the folks’ house before we start having kids.” He unlocked the driver’s side door. “Get behind the wheel, if you want.”

Bishop smiled and slipped onto the black leather seat. “Nice. Leather seats, too. Very nice.” He caressed the leather-wrapped steering wheel and ran his fingers across the buttons on the center console. “Man, I sure could use some wheels like this.” He stepped out again and pointed to his car. “That’s my piece of shit over there.” While the man gazed over at the car, Bishop grabbed the needle and plunged it into his neck.

He cried out as he grabbed his neck. “What the fuck, man? What did you just do? You crazy son of a bitch!”

“You think I don’t know it was you who drew that picture? You have no idea what I’m capable of.” He held the man’s gaze. “Well, I guess you do now.”

As the man’s legs wobbled, Bishop lowered him onto the driver’s seat. He checked for onlookers, but no one was around. Upon turning back to the man, he shook his head. “I’ll bet your parents will be glad you won’t be taking up space in their house anymore. Maybe your wife can find a real man.” Bishop closed the car door and headed to his own car, pulling away before anyone noticed what had happened.

It had been an impulse move. An idea he couldn’t shake during his shift last night. There was nothing he despised more than being mocked. These pissants who thought they were smarter than he was. If he’d planned it right, thought it through, he could’ve covered his ass, but the guy pissed him off. Just like his co-worker Lucinda had before he left for Nassau. She’d laughed at something he’d said at dinner. The first dinner he made for the department, and so he put eye drops in her chili. She missed two days of work and thought she had the flu. No one suspected a damn thing. This time wouldn’t be so easy to cover up.

The team was on the first flight to Charlotte. Agent Palmero was en route and scheduled to arrive an hour after their flight. A briefing had been arranged with the Charlotte FBI Field Office in order to bring up to speed the local office and the Charlotte Police.

On arrival, the operation would split into two. One team to go to Bishop’s apartment building and one team to go to his place of employment. In the early hours of the morning, Walsh had been on the phone with the Charlotte Police who said they would assist in Bishop’s arrest when he returned from his shift. No one wanted to spook him, and the operation had to be covert.

The landing gear dropped, and Kate flinched. She’d gotten better at controlling her nerves while flying and only occasionally reacted.

Nick squeezed her hand. “Almost there.”

She smiled in return. Last night had brought back the man Kate wanted, if only in the personal sense. He’d summoned a passion she hadn’t felt from him in too long. Maybe they were breaking through the wall between them. Maybe this was the first step, reestablishing the love they had for each other. It seemed as though that was never really in question. They could love. It was the rest of it that had begun to crumble around them.

The door opened and the team deplaned from the private jet operated by the BAU.

“The Charlotte Field Office sent a car for us,” Walsh said as he started into the aisle. “We’ll wait for Palmero there.”

“Good. Thanks.” Nick followed behind while Kate waited for Duncan.

“I expected to see Fisher with you,” Kate said as Duncan walked along the aisle.

“He decided to hang back and didn’t think we needed him to come along for this,” she replied.

“Oh.” Kate started ahead. “Guess I should get used to Fisher’s management style.”

“He might be wanting to play it safe for right now. Hands off and all that,” Duncan added. “But I wouldn’t count on it staying that way.”

They made their way down the staircase and onto the tarmac where a woman stood in front of an SUV.

“Morning. I think you’re our ride.” Nick offered his hand. “I’m SSA Scarborough. This is the team. Agents Walsh, Reid and Duncan.”

“Good morning. I’m Agent Bingham, Sarah Bingham. Hop in. I’ll take you to our office.”

Kate hadn’t worked with a lot of women at the Bureau, with the exception of a handful. Vasquez, for one and now Duncan. There was Georgia Myers, but Kate preferred not to think about her if she could help it. So she was always pleased to meet another female agent. She’d come to learn that it was sometimes easier to get certain things accomplished with a female counterpart than a male one. All stereotypes aside, it was no lie that male agents tended to assert themselves more. As if they felt less secure in who they were. Women didn’t do that so much, not from what Kate had seen so far.

“What area do you work in, Agent Bingham?” Kate asked as they stepped inside.

“CID. Narcotics trafficking.”

Kate nodded. “Nice.”

The FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, or CID, was part of a larger department inside the Bureau and handled a wide range of