“Okay then.” Kate opened her files and placed photos of the victims on the table. “We’re dealing with an angel of mercy, or angel of death, it depends on your school of thought, but both are essentially the same thing. A person in a position of power over another, specifically in a medical setting. That person then exerts his or her power to bring harm to the victim. Now, there are different types of these particular murderers. Some truly believe they are showing mercy by putting someone who is terminal or otherwise in a great deal of pain to death. Then you have the ones who create a health crisis in a victim only to save that victim to look like the hero.”
“Which one do you think we’re dealing with here, Agent Reid?” Palmero asked.
“The third type, which is the one who exerts power over a victim just to watch that victim die. This person seeks out the most vulnerable. The ones experiencing a crisis that will result in death without medical intervention. Or even precipitate that crisis to expedite the victim’s demise. This person is completely without mercy. He or she has the means, the skillset and the desire to be a god. And, if you’ll note, the victims have been killed through various means. Poison, asphyxiation, medicine interactions. He’ll use whatever he has at his disposal. We will find no consistent pattern among his victims. No commonality.”
“That won’t make it easy for us to find this killer,” Walsh said.
Kate nodded. “So, what else is new?”
9
As the new guy, Theo Bishop wanted to impress his colleagues and the firefighters at the Charlotte firehouse, so he volunteered to cook the night’s meal. Everyone took their turn cooking for the ten or so men and women but the next in line willingly gave up his turn for Bishop.
“I hope you guys like chili. I don’t cook for myself much, but I used to make this for the study group back in med school.” He ladled out hefty portions for everyone. “There’s some cornbread on the counter too.”
“Thanks, Bishop. This looks great,” one of the EMTs replied. “Glad to have you on the team.” The man reached for the TV remote and turned it on. “News okay with everyone?”
“Sure. Maybe there’s a fire we don’t know about yet,” another added with a chuckle.
When all the bowls were served, Bishop sat down in the back of the room.
“Hey, aren’t you eating?” A firefighter asked.
“Chili gives me a bad case of heartburn. I’ll just eat the cornbread.”
“Suit yourself. It is damn delicious, though.” The fireman set his sights on the television mounted on the wall and shoved a spoonful of chili into his mouth. The evening news began to broadcast. “Oh, good. Janine’s on tonight. I like her.”
“You like her ass,” a woman replied.
He creased his brow. “I can’t even see her ass. She’s sitting down!”
“A wrongful death suit has been filed in Baltimore this week by a family who claims an employee of an ambulance service failed to resuscitate their elderly mother. The victim had a history of heart problems and the Emergency Medical Service in Baltimore says it will fight this suit.”
“That figures,” one of the EMTs began. “You do the best you can and you get sued. I mean, can you believe this shit?”
Bishop remained in the back of the room with his eyes glued to the TV. The reporter had already moved onto another story, but her words replayed in his head. “Wrongful death. Lawsuit. Baltimore.” While he couldn’t be certain it was the same woman who ended up as a DOA, it sure sounded like it had been. This was bad. How long would it take for his old boss to find him here? He would be dragged into court. He was sure of it. Then they’d look into his history.
Bishop shot out of his chair and headed into the bathroom.
A co-worker noticed him leave. “What crawled up his ass?”
“Who knows? Maybe he just has to take a dump,” another said.
At the end of the day, Fisher had decided to treat the team to dinner, including their guest, Agent Mitch Palmero. They arrived at a bar and grill in Quantico that was frequented by agents and trainers at the Academy.
“Man, it’s kind of weird all these Feds hanging around,” Palmero said. “I leave my office in Houston and go out and… hell if I see anyone. But here, it’s like you’re surrounded by them.”
Scarborough laughed. “It takes some getting used to.” He pulled out a chair at the table set up for the group.
Kate sat next to him and Palmero took his place across from her.
When everyone managed to find their seats, Palmero began. “I’m impressed by what you’ve come up with so far, Reid. You’re very talented. I can see why Scarborough dragged your ass to Quantico.”
She glanced at Nick. “I wouldn’t say he dragged me here. I wanted to be here and learn from the best.”
The waiter placed glasses of water in front of everyone. Palmero took a sip before adding, “Well, I can only imagine your past experiences must play a role in your current insights. You see these people for who they really are. These killers.”
“It’s what I was trained to do.” She took a drink. “But I can’t deny that what I’ve been through has given me a unique perspective.”
“Kate’s come a hell of a long way,” Nick added. “I don’t think we’d be as good a team if she wasn’t here.”
“I second that.” Walsh raised a hand.
Kate’s eyes were drawn to the television when the closed caption displayed words and a banner scrolled across the screen at the bottom. “Baltimore.”
“What’s that?” Nick asked her.
“The news. Something about a wrongful death suit filed against a Baltimore EMS firm.” She turned to him. “Dr. Valente said the EMT who brought in a victim wore a Baltimore EMS uniform. Don’t tell me that’s
