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

lost tourists. Finally, the radio came to life again.

“We got him. Bishop’s in custody.”

“Fisher?” Walsh answered. “What the hell happened?”

“It was Duncan. She spotted him. He fled and she was in pursuit. Perez and I followed. She caught up to him. Duncan opened fire.”

“Is he dead?” Kate asked Walsh.

He shrugged when Fisher came through again.

“Bishop took one in the leg. Perez is arranging for him to be transported to the nearest hospital.”

Kate peered up at the sky in relief.

Walsh smiled before pressing the button. “You mind giving us a lift out of here, then?”

“On our way.”

28

The dust had settled and within a few days, the team was back at Quantico. Fisher and Unit Chief Cole walked into the conference room while the team awaited an update.

“We just finished a conference call with the State Department,” Cole began. “They are working with Mexico on an agreement to have Bishop returned to us, where he’ll be remanded into the custody of the Houston office for prosecution.”

“What about the murder of the woman in Guadalajara?” Scarborough asked.

“I don’t claim to understand the political maneuvering of the State Department, but suffice it to say, it was the outcome we had hoped for.” He studied Scarborough. “Are you feeling 100 percent again?”

“Yes, sir. Doing just fine.”

“We got lucky that the only thing Bishop got his hands on from the medical station was a sedative,” Kate said.

“And that you got there in time before he had a chance to pump enough of it into Scarborough to kill him, like he did that girl,” Walsh replied.

“I’d like to recognize Duncan for the work she did as well,” Cole continued. “You acted swiftly and without hesitation. Well done.”

“Thank you, but like you said, it was a team effort,” Duncan replied.

Cole nodded. “With that, I’ll turn this over to your Senior Unit Agent to finish the briefing. Congratulations, everyone.”

After Cole left the room, Fisher began. “I just want to say that I am honored to be heading up a team of agents like you.” He turned to Scarborough. “You took decisive action when it appeared that we were losing ground. It almost cost you your life. Reid, your hunches were dead on with Bishop and the work you and Walsh did, along with the additional legwork you and Surrey did, it made all the difference.” He looked at Duncan. “And you took your shot when you realized it was going to be the only solution. You did it without putting anyone else in harm’s way.” He gazed again at the team. “That said, we got our man and I know Agent Palmero and the rest of the Houston office is damn happy we did. It also means we’ll be working closely with him to help him compile his case. Duncan, you and Scarborough will also be working with the Riverside field office again. They’ll supply evidence to build on Palmero’s case. So, we aren’t finished yet, but at least we’re home. That’s all I’ve got. Thanks, guys.”

The team gathered their files and started to disburse. Kate turned to Nick. “I need to talk to Levi. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Sure.”

“Hey, Levi, you have a minute?” Kate turned to him as he pushed in his chair to leave.

“Yeah. What’s up?”

She pulled him aside. “I’m sure you can probably guess what I’m about to say, but there’s still the question of who was helping Carol Whitman and her son. I’ve had a chance to look into a few things since we got back.”

“You don’t waste any time, do you?” Walsh replied.

“Nope. So here’s what I know. Carol Whitman’s father, Theo’s grandfather, served with the Bureau.”

“What? Walk with me. Let’s talk in your office.”

Kate followed him as he headed out of the conference room. “I was just as surprised to find that out as you are.” She entered her office and perched on the edge of her desk while Walsh sat down.

“How the hell did you find that out?”

“It wasn’t that hard, actually. I ran a background check and discovered her maiden name was Gustafson. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia.”

“Okay.” Walsh appeared to wait for the big reveal.

“I discovered where she went to school and then onto college.”

“You covered all the bases,” Walsh said.

“I had to know the people she knew, the ones in her circle. People tend to stay in contact with college friends. They get letters of recommendation from professors, etcetera.”

“Sure,” he said. “Go on.”

“And here’s where it gets interesting.” Kate pushed off the desk and returned to her chair. “She attended Georgetown.”

“Wow. Good school. Gotta be pretty rich to go there too.”

“Yes, sir. Her father just so happens to have a building at the school named after him. He made a sizeable donation.”

“That doesn’t tell me how you came to discover he was a fed,” Walsh replied.

“Bear with me. When I realized he had a building named after him, I started looking into why. I found half a dozen old news articles on his FBI career. Turned out, he was integral to several high-profile investigations. Think James Ingram.”

“The agent who helped with the investigation into JFK’s assassination, the KKK, and just about every major investigation the Bureau came across in the 1960s?”

“Yep. Apparently, Gustafson wasn’t all that dissimilar. His contributions to the Bureau were well documented,” Kate added. “I have to assume the money must’ve come from speaking engagements, books, whatever, after he retired.”

“Carol Whitman, formerly Carol Bishop, formerly Carol Gustafson, had connections at the Bureau?” Walsh asked.

“Can you imagine the people she must’ve been introduced to when she was growing up? You can’t tell me some of those people would turn her away, given who her father was, if she asked for help.”

“It would be unlikely, no doubt,” Walsh replied. “Who was it then? Who manipulated the data? Who changed the logs and altered timelines to give Theo Bishop enough time to escape? We’re talking serious crimes here. If it was someone inside the Bureau…”

“If it wasn’t someone inside, then it was someone inside who