Endangered (26 page)

Rachel began to sob with her head buried against his chest. She raised her forearms and made fists and began to pound against him. Not to cause him pain, but to release hers.

“Do you have anyone who can stay with you today? At least until we can get Jake out on bond?” Kate asked. “For his sake, you should stay here with your son.”

Rachel pulled away and wiped her tears. “You think they’ll still let him out on bail?”

“That’s what we’re going to work toward.”

“My mother is here. She’s upstairs with Scott.”

“Good. We should get down to the station and make sure we’re there to hear Jake’s official charges. We’ll meet with him and his attorney to discuss what the options are.”

“I will call you when I know something, Rachel,” Nick replied. “But if we’re going to act, then it has to be now.”

“Okay.” She walked toward the front door. “Please, let me know as soon as you find out anything. I’m counting on you, Nick.”

Kate began to walk toward her car and Nick followed.

“We need to get him out of there, Kate. I have no idea what Mason’s planning on doing or the D.A. This isn’t our area of expertise.”

“I know, but we’ll figure out something. We can’t let Stroud harm this family any more than he already has.” She unlocked her car.

Nick jumped into his SUV and pressed the call button. “We’re going to head down to the station to see Detective Mason. You want to meet us there?” He was silent while it sounded as though Dwight was typing away, probably dealing with the mounds of paperwork that accompanied multiple jurisdictional cases. 

“I’ll hang back. Between coordinating with Baltimore PD and gathering the statements, I’m going to be at this all day. You two go. Sort this thing out and get Jake Talbot back home where he belongs.”

TWENTY-SIX

Apparently, the reporters hadn’t taken the night off and were now in even greater numbers as they huddled outside of the station. The agents arrived via the rear entrance and made their way through the building to find Detective Mason waiting in the lobby along with the district attorney. She turned her attention to them as they approached.

“Good morning.”

An unusual expression on her face caught Kate’s eye. It was as though she already knew something and they weren’t going to like it.

“I don’t know how good it is,” Nick said. “I suppose that depends on how this discussion turns out.” He offered his hand to the D.A. “I’m Special Agent Scarborough.”

“Agent Reid.” Kate greeted the middle-aged, tall and slender man with a firm handshake.

“Pleasure to meet you both. I’m District Attorney Robert Olmstead. Shall we get started?” He turned to the detective.

“Yes. Follow me.” Mason led the way to the conference room that had been used as the makeshift command center only a day ago. She closed the door. “Please, have a seat.”

“First of all, Agent Scarborough, the work you and your team did, including Detective Mason’s team, was above exemplary. You saved that boy’s life.”

“Thank you, Mr. Olmstead, but I’d like to just jump right in. A dear friend of mine is facing serious charges. Not to mention that he lost his youngest son at the hands of Lyle Stroud.”

“Of course.” Olmstead turned to Mason. “Has Mr. Talbot spoken with his attorney yet?”

“No. He’s due in at ten a.m., after our meeting here. I’m hoping to be able to offer him a deal and I believe the agents would like to ensure the same.”

“Our office is willing to work something out. None of us want to see this man who has already suffered so much serve out a murder sentence for taking the life of a wanted child serial killer.”

“Then what do you propose?” Scarborough asked.

“If acceptable to Mr. Talbot and his attorney, our plan is to offer him the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.”

“What kind of sentence are we looking at?” Kate asked.

“The circumstances here would merit leniency by a judge and jury. Sentences range from one to ten years, however, in this case, they would have the discretion to impose a sentence of less than one year. They might also impose the Class 5 felony fine of $2,500, but I highly doubt that.”

“So he could serve less than a year in prison?” Nick asked. “What about getting his records sealed so he wouldn’t have to worry about future employment?”

“I’m afraid Virginia wouldn’t allow that under these circumstances. And in fact, it is rarely allowed and only if the person was wrongfully convicted.” Olmstead appeared to study each of them. “This is the best-case scenario for Mr. Talbot.”

Nick turned to Mason. “Can I see him before his attorney arrives?”

“We can’t discuss this with him until his lawyer is present. You understand?”

“Got it. I just need to see him.”

Mason stood up. “Okay then. Mr. Olmstead, are we finished here?”

“I think so. I just wanted to let the FBI know where we stand on things. I’ve got a few things to do before the meeting with Mr. Talbot. Is there an office I can use in the meantime?”

“Certainly. I’ll point you in the right direction.” She turned to Nick. “Agent Scarborough, if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you back there.”

“Would you like to see him, Kate?” Nick asked.

“No, actually. I think I’ll wait for you out here.”

“Okay. I won’t be long.” He followed Mason out of the room.

Kate remained in the conference room while the D.A. and the others got on with business. She wasn’t sure exactly why she didn’t want to see Jake Talbot. Maybe she felt it was best to let Nick deal with his friend alone. He didn’t need her to be there and in fact it might just make it awkward for Jake to express his feelings. And she could only imagine they were overwhelming for him right now anyway. In truth, Kate had felt the need to offer support to Nick, but he seemed to be handling things just fine. He always did when people were looking.

She was pleased that Nick seemed relieved by the D.A.’s offer. Although it wouldn’t be as slam-dunk as she expected. The problem now was would Jake be allowed bail or would he be required to remain in jail until his trial? That could take months. Then again, it would be counted as time-served. But she’d wanted him to have a chance to be with his family right now. Rachel would be forced to come to terms with the death of her son all on her own. And Kate wouldn’t wish that on anyone, for it was something she’d sentenced herself to some time ago.

The time had passed quickly and Nick returned to the conference room. “You ready to go?”

Kate was brought back into the moment. “That’s it? What happened?”

“I told him about Stroud. He was understandably upset, but—and I know I wasn’t supposed to mention this—I told him what we discussed with the D.A. and he seemed relieved.”

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to tell him?” Kate stood up and began to gather her things.

“Because his lawyer wasn’t there to ‘advise him.’” Nick’s use of air quotes was rare. “You know how all this legal bullshit goes.”

“That I do.” She walked toward him. “Better get back to the office and give Dwight a hand.”

“Actually, you go on ahead. I need a minute to speak with the detective.”

Kate felt that there had been something between the two of them and his wanting to hang back seemed to prove it. Maybe it was just her, but the way Mason responded to Nick was that of a woman who’d slept with him. She’d seen it before. “Sure. I’ll see you later.”

Kate walked outside and stopped for a moment. She turned back and noticed that Detective Mason was standing in the lobby now with Nick and he had his hand on her arm. She observed the two of them and recognized the look in Mason’s eyes. “I was right.” Kate smiled and continued on toward her car.

» » »

Mike stood on the front porch with flowers in hand shaded beneath a blazing mid-day sun and knocked on the door. Kate answered with mild surprise. “Wow, thank you.” She took them from his hand and stepped aside. “Come in. I’ve been looking forward to this all week. I’ll go put these in some water.”

Mike removed his weekender bag and tossed it on the couch. “How’s Jake Talbot doing?”

“Considering the circumstances, pretty well, I guess. He was arraigned on Monday and entered a plea of No Contest. According to the D.A., he’ll remain on house arrest until his trial.”

“Wow. That’s pretty lenient, considering the crime.” Mike walked into the kitchen where Kate was placing the flowers in a vase. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that for a murder charge.”

“It’s voluntary manslaughter and both the judge and prosecutor have no desire to provoke a negative public response from this. Jake killed a murderer and a molester who should never have been released from prison to begin with. No one wants to keep a man like that behind bars until his trial.”

He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of beers. “I suppose the political ramifications of that alone are worth avoiding.” He opened them up and handed one to Kate as she turned away from the sink.

“Thanks. These flowers are beautiful. You’re very thoughtful.” She reached around his neck and kissed his lips.

“I’m glad this case is over, though. I was really missing you.”

“Me too. Let’s go sit down.” She took hold of his hand and led him to the sofa.

“Listen, now that this is over and you’ve had a few days to get back to normal, I was hoping we could finish our conversation we had last week. You know, the whole moving house thing?”

She hadn’t thought about it much, if she was being honest. Lives had been at stake and her closest friend was suffering, so it hadn’t seemed a priority. But she didn’t want to dismiss his feelings. He deserved to know where they were headed. Even if it hadn’t been on her agenda for tonight and certainly not within minutes of his arrival.

“Well, you know, my lease will be up soon and of course, I’ll be off probation in the coming months, so I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll be staying at WFO for a while.”

Mike nodded.

“I guess the real question is, would you be happy living here, in D.C?”

“I told you before that I have no problems moving here. I can get work; I’m not worried about that. I mean, I’m kinda well known now, thanks to the Blackwater case. So, I’ve proven I can work with the big boys.”

“Oh, you mean like me?” She laughed.

“Yeah. Just like you.” He reached for her hand. “I know we haven’t been together that long, but I knew from the moment I met you. The moment I saw you standing on the slippery banks of that river, drenched from the rain and still trying to find clues. I knew then I wanted to be with you. That you were someone special.”

He was laying it on pretty thick and doing a good job of buttering her up. Kate adored the attention. It was so very welcomed. And he would understand when she had to work late or didn’t come home at all because of a case.

But moving from this house and buying something, presumably with him, meant a level of commitment she wasn’t sure she was ready for. She looked at the picture of her and Marshall that still sat on the side table and wondered if he was bothered by it. Bothered by the constant reminder that there had been a man in her life who had meant everything to her. And there was still the one thing she’d never mentioned to him before. The thing she’d never mentioned to anyone, except Marshall. And if she was going to make him move up here, then he had a right to know what his future would hold.

“You’re very special to me too, Mike.” A deep breath preceded the words she needed to get out. “But you need to know something about me.”

“Whatever it is, it won’t change how I feel about you.”

“Just wait, because this is important. We talked about how I came to know Nick and about my former life in San Diego.”

“And about what happened; yes, we did.”

“Well, there’s one thing I left out and it was only because it’s incredibly personal for me and it isn’t easy to talk about.”

“I’m listening.”

“Mike, when I was abducted by Hendrickson the first time, when I was six, he did assault me.”

He nodded and his lips tightened as though pained.

“And the result of that. Well, let me start by telling you that I was pregnant several months before Marshall died. But I lost the baby.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.”

“The reason I lost the baby was because I suffered irreparable damage as a result of that assault. I never knew because I’d always been on birth control and never even tried to get pregnant. But accidents happen as they say, and well, I got pregnant. And I was happy and Marshall was happy.

“But then, very early on, the pregnancy had to be terminated. It was ectopic as a result of the damage suffered during the assault.” She paused. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that, according to the doctors, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to get pregnant, at least via the old-fashioned way.”

“Okay. I’m not seeing a problem here. I mean, and this would obviously be down the road, if we were to consider a child, but there’s fertility specialists who offer services for things like this, right?”

“There are, yes. But there are no guarantees and it’s incredibly expensive.”

“Kate, I appreciate how hard it must have been for you to come to terms with this, honestly. But, for me, it’s a non-starter. I want you. And if down the road we want a child, we’ll find a way to have one.” He caught her gaze for a moment. “Any other excuses you can think of?”

Kate smiled.

“I’m only joking. I know that wasn’t easy for you to tell me and I appreciate you wanting to be sure that
I’m
sure about this. I am, though, Kate. I really am and I hope you are too.”

He appeared so hopeful, eyes bright with a future he envisioned with her. It could be good. Hell, it could be great. “Well then, I guess we should start looking for a place.”

Mike’s eyes lit up even more and his smile nearly blinded her. He pulled her close. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that.” He leaned back but was still inches from her face. “I know I can make you happy.”

A tender kiss followed and Kate was happy. She’d taken a leap at an opportunity that she never believed would come again. The time had come to finally put away the ring and although she no longer wore it around her neck, it was always in her bedside table. Now it would be returned to the box that contained a few remaining mementos of a time long since passed.

The two rose from the sofa and began to walk toward the bedroom. Mike closed the door with his hand above her head as she stood against it. He leaned into her and pressed his lips against hers once again, only this time with more vigor.

Kate wanted to let the moment sweep her away and so she tried hard to keep the thoughts from forming. The ones that so often seeded doubt and fear of what might happen should she let her heart belong to another again.