Tough Justice: Countdown Box Set Page 11

  She didn’t know what it was like to have a close sibling. She had a half sister who was a year older than her, but they had no relationship other than the fact that Meghan hated her because her father had left Meghan’s mother to marry Lara’s mother. Despite the years that had passed, Meghan and Lara had never connected in any kind of friendly way.

  But, she’d often heard the love and pride in James’s voice when he spoke of his brother. She’d seen the way his eyes lit with affection when he talked about ball games they’d attended together and dinners they had shared. James had been so proud of his older brother’s success and now this.

  He reeled out of the room and Nick grabbed him by the shoulders. “James, if you’re up to it come on downstairs where we can talk,” Nick said.

  James drew himself up and gave a curt nod. She and Nick followed him back down the stairs and into the living room where he slumped down on the sofa. Lara sat next to him.

  “There’s no way in hell he’s our bomber,” James said, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion. “William would never do something like that. He wasn’t some crazy nut bent on killing people.”

  “So, you saw his note,” Lara said. “Did you recognize the handwriting as his?”

  James drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, it looked like his handwriting, but he had to have been coerced to write it. There’s no way he was responsible for what happened at the police precinct. Were there any signs of a break-in?”

  “No,” Nick replied. “We checked that first.”

  “Did he have any enemies? Is there somebody you know who might want to somehow set him up?” Lara asked.

  “He was a politician, for Christ’s sake. I’m sure he had plenty of enemies, but I can’t imagine anyone who would do something like this to him.” The look in his eyes told Lara he was barely holding on to his sanity with the grief that had to be slashing through him.

  He leaned back and drew in several long deep breaths. “I know William was a slick politician and there were times he had to look the other way and shake some corrupt hands, but he was a good person at heart. If he wrote that the bomb was his fault...he must have been dealing with some sort of bribery or blackmail or something that spun out of control.”

  He got to his feet suddenly. “Where’s Elisabetta?” he asked as if he’d just now thought about his brother’s wife. “I need to see her. I need...” His voice broke off as if the emotion churning inside him had momentarily stolen his words.

  “She’s upstairs in her bedroom with an officer,” Lara said.

  “You questioned her?”

  “We did, although she didn’t have much to give us,” Nick said. “She said she doesn’t have any idea about why William would have done this or why he wrote that note.”

  “I’ll go up to talk to her.” James left to go upstairs and at that moment the medical examiner arrived.

  It took a little over three hours for the body to be removed and for the scene to finish being processed. James stood heavy-lidded and stoic just outside of the study door during the whole procedure. Several times everyone told him to go home, but he refused to budge.

  He was not only grieving, but he had to be thinking about that note his brother had left behind, the note that implied William was the bomber who had killed and injured so many.

  It was just after two when Nick and Lara followed Xander and James’s car back to headquarters. “James seems to be holding up okay,” Nick said.

  Lara frowned. “That’s what worries me. He’s not holding up, he’s holding in, and sooner or later his emotions are going to grab him by the throat and drown him.”

  He flashed her a quick glance. “You should know all about that. You aren’t one to allow your emotions to surface very often.”

  “We aren’t talking about me, we’re talking about James,” she countered. The last thing she needed right now was to be psychoanalyzed by Nick. “Do you think his brother planted that bomb?”

  “I sure as hell hope not. If he did, then I’m afraid James will be completely destroyed.”

  Lara stared out the window, her thoughts filled with her teammate. They had to get to the bottom of that suicide note. More than anything James would need answers and she was determined to get them for him.

  When they reached headquarters, Lara beelined for Victoria’s office. They had called in updates as they’d processed the scene at William’s duplex, but Lara needed to touch base with her boss before the briefing that would follow.

  Victoria answered on the first knock and Lara entered the office and sat in the chair facing her. “I’m afraid for James,” she said without preamble.

  Victoria leaned forward and templed her hands on the desk. “Lara, last year you were tested in ways you never dreamed of and you came out on the other side as a better agent. Now unfortunately it’s James’s turn. He’ll be tested and he’ll either come out of this a better man, a better agent, or he won’t.”

  “I’m afraid he isn’t strong enough.”

  Victoria cast her a small smile. “There were many times last year when I wasn’t sure you were strong enough to survive what you were going through, but you dug deep and found the strength you needed. My hope is that James will do the same.” She stood. “Let’s head into the conference room. We have a lot to talk about.”

  Together the two women left Victoria’s office. James was already seated at the table, his eyes hauntingly dark and his face unnaturally pale.

  As the other team members entered the room they either touched his shoulder or murmured words of sympathy. He remained unnaturally calm.

  “James, you should be home right now,” Victoria said when everyone was seated.

  He shook his head. “There’s nothing for me at home. I need to be here.” His eyes burned with fervor and he raised his chin as if daring Victoria to kick him out.

  “Okay, then let’s get started,” Victoria replied smoothly. “Ty and Jennifer, you spoke with William’s neighbors?”

  “Yes,” Jennifer began.

  “Bernard and Sarah Wasserman live in the other side of the Walsh duplex. He’s a retired doctor and he and his wife were both home at the time. They heard the gunshot just after nine o’clock,” Ty said. “The 911 call came in at nine twelve, which is consistent with what Elisabetta told Nick and Lara.”

  “The medical examiner tentatively ruled it a suicide and he’ll be running drug and alcohol tests later today.” Lara kept her gaze off James. It was bizarre to talk about all this in front of him.

  “William didn’t do drugs and he was mostly just a social drinker,” James said.

  “Both the FBI and the police department have agreed to withhold the suicide note, with the connection to the bombing, from the public,” Victoria continued. “I’ve already had a phone call from the top brass wanting to pull us from this case due to a conflict of interest.”

  Everyone at the table erupted with anger. “He’s one of ours,” Xander exclaimed.

  “We need to be on this case,” Ty added.

  “Tell the top brass to shove it,” Xander said.

  “I did,” Victoria replied. “We’ve still got this assignment for now, but there can be no screw-ups. The higher-ups will be watching us closely.” She looked at Xander. “On another note, you and James questioned Cindy Wingate yesterday. What came out of that interview?”

  “Nothing worthwhile. She was walking her dog past the police precinct at the time of the explosion and saw several people running out.” Xander frowned. “Unfortunately, her description of those people was very vague. She saw a man wearing blue jeans and another one in a red windbreaker and several others she couldn’t describe at all. She was treated for some cuts from flying glass in the emergency room and then released.”

  “When we pressed her for more details she didn’t have any
to give us. She couldn’t tell us whether the men were tall or short, heavy or thin, or blond or brunette,” James added.

  “She was pretty much just another dead end,” Xander said.

  “Okay, finally I heard from Homeland and they got both Mohammad Johnson and Jeffrey and Miranda Connelly in custody within the last hour. Now, let’s get to today’s assignments,” Victoria said. “Lara and Nick, I want you back out today interviewing William’s business associates. Xander, I have Christina pulling up all the news stories and social media she can find on William Walsh and I want you to read it and see if you find anything that might help this investigation move forward. Ty, I’d like you to check with surveillance and see if they’ve uncovered any unusual activity around the bomb site prior to detonation. Jennifer, meet up with CSI and see if they’ve found anything other than the explosive that can help narrow down the bomber through his shopping list.”

  “What about me?” James asked.

  “I’ll see you in my office now,” Victoria replied.

  Everyone got up and once again Lara’s heart ached with the pain James had to be feeling. A suicide was bad enough but the suspicion that now hung over William made the whole thing even more excruciating.

  They had to find some answers that made sense of this horror, Lara thought as she and Nick headed to Brooklyn Borough Hall where William had his office as the president.

  On a Monday afternoon most of William’s staff should be at work and hopefully they could find somebody who knew what was going on in William’s life, both personally and professionally in the months or weeks before today.

  “Is it possible he could have been radicalized?” Nick asked as he maneuvered through the traffic. “We know that ISIS has been good at radicalizing people in this country through the internet.”

  “If that’s the case then his social media might point to that. He doesn’t exactly fit the profile of the disenfranchised young men who get radicalized.”

  “He also doesn’t exactly fit my profile of a mad bomber,” Nick replied. As yet no official profile had been forthcoming on the bomb suspect, although Dr. Oliviero, one of the FBI’s psychiatrists, was in the process of getting one together by visiting the bomb scene and talking to all the agents to assemble as clear a picture as possible.

  “It’s odd that we didn’t find a computer in his office,” Lara said thoughtfully. They had searched the entire room for a laptop, but hadn’t found any computer.

  “If we had his personal computer it would be a lot easier to see if somebody got to him or if he’d been radicalized,” Nick replied.

  “Maybe he left it at work for the weekend,” she said.

  They found a parking place near the entrance to the Brooklyn Borough Hall. The imposing building was in the Greek Revival style and had been built in the mid-1800s. The marble facade gleamed in the faint sunlight that had managed to pierce through the earlier gray clouds.

  A monumental staircase led up to the front doors and into a two-story rotunda with black-and-white marble floors. They checked a directory on the wall to find William’s offices.

  “This is going to be a shock to all the people who work for him,” Nick said.

  “Yeah, I hate to be the one to break the bad news to them,” Lara replied. “I can’t imagine that his suicide will be kept out of the news too much longer.”

  It was obvious when they entered William’s office that the news had already broken. A red-eyed, middle-aged receptionist greeted them. “We just heard a little while ago,” she said. She grabbed a tissue from a box on her desk and dabbed at her eyes. “We were wondering why he hadn’t come in this morning like usual. We’re all positively stunned.”

  “We’d like to speak to some people. Is there a room we can use to conduct some interviews?” Nick asked. He pulled out the notepad that held the names of William’s coworkers that Elisabetta had given them.

  “We have a small conference room,” she replied. She led them to a windowless room that held a table and six chairs. “Is this okay?”

  “Perfect,” Lara replied.

  “Could you send in Tanya Ware?” Nick asked.

  “Of course. Is there anything I can get for you? Coffee? Water?” She raised the tissue to her eyes once again. “I still can’t believe this. He was just here on Friday working as usual.”

  “Did you notice anything unusual with him?” Nick asked.

  “No, nothing. He was a wonderful man, a wonderful boss. He acted the way he always acted.” She backed out of the room as a sob escaped her. “I’ll send in Tanya.”

  Tanya Ware was an attractive woman in her midthirties. She was chief of staff and she also had trouble maintaining her composure as they questioned her.

  “This just all seems so unreal. He didn’t seem particularly depressed or upset in the last couple of days. I can’t imagine what would make him do something like this,” she said.

  It was the same story with each of the people they interviewed. They spoke to William’s communication person, his counsel and half a dozen others who were both horrified and mystified by William’s suicide.

  They talked about his commitment to public service, his ambitions to do more in politics and his close friendship with his senior advisor, David Larsen.

  It was close to six when Larsen came into the conference room. He was a handsome man in his late thirties or early forties. His dark hair had just a hint of gray and he had sad green eyes that were red and swollen.

  “I’ve been in utter shock all day.” He swiped a hand down his jaw where the shadow of new whiskers had begun to show.

  “Everyone we’ve spoken to here has indicated that you and William were close,” Nick said.

  “Not only did I serve as his senior advisor, but I also considered William a very close friend.” He winced, as if fighting back tears.

  “How long have you worked for him?” Lara asked.

  “Almost seven years.”

  “I assume you know William’s wife?” she continued.

  “Not well, but yes.” His gaze shot down at the table and then back up again.

  “Did William ever mention any marital problems with you?” Lara asked. Surely if they were close friends it wouldn’t be out of the question for the men to discuss such things.

  Once again David’s gaze left Lara’s and darted to the nearby window. “No, nothing like that.” He folded his hands on the table and his knuckles grew white. “She was a great asset to William.”

  It was an odd answer, at least to Lara. She sat back in her chair as Nick questioned David about business dealings and political enemies.

  Like the others they had spoken to, David insisted he knew nothing going on in William’s life professionally or personally that would lead him to commit suicide. “He was excited for his future. He had such big plans for himself. I just can’t understand this.”

  He broke down in tears several times as he spoke of what a great man the world had lost, the wonderful caring man he’d lost as a friend.

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something?” Lara asked at one point during the interview when the questions had come back around to William’s marriage.

  He paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I certainly have nothing to hide. As far as I know William’s marriage was just fine.”

  He said the right words, but his body language told her differently. She had the definite feeling he wasn’t telling them everything he knew.

  It was almost seven by the time they finished questioning David. The building was officially closed, but a security guard let them out.

  They didn’t speak as they went down the huge staircase out of the building. Lara mentally chewed over everything they had learned, seeking connections, possibilities and answers as to why William Walsh had committed suicide and written
that damned note.

  She didn’t care about exonerating William for any other reason than for James, who desperately needed his big brother to be a good guy.

  “Larsen seemed a bit sketchy to me,” she said to Nick once they were in the car.

  “Yeah, to me, too,” Nick replied. “Some of his answers were vague and I definitely felt like he was being cagey.”

  “I smell something fishy with William and Elisabetta’s marriage. I’ll tell you one thing, if I ever get married and one of my husband’s friends describes me as an asset to him, I’ll knock him off his chair.”

  “How would you want your husband’s friend to describe you?” Nick pulled out into the flow of traffic.

  “Hot, and totally into her man,” Lara replied. “Is it possible David and Elisabetta are having an affair?”

  Nick’s sigh was audible. “At this point everything is on the table. But, if that was the case it still doesn’t answer why William wrote that note. Is it possible William and David are our bombers? David fits the description of one of the whisperers...he’s tall and slender and has brown hair.”

  “God, I hope not.” Her stomach bucked and churned. “I’m sure a photo of David and William will be shown to our survivors.”

  Was it really possible William and David could have been responsible for the carnage at the police precinct? And what about the previous bomb at the smoothie shop? How did they fit into the raid that was executed the night before?

  Victoria said this would test James, just as Lara had been tested the year before. The problem was Lara feared if the evidence led to William being their bomber, that James wasn’t strong enough to pass that harsh test. She really was afraid that he would be utterly destroyed.

  * * *

  “I need to be a part of this,” James said to Victoria at the seven o’clock briefing the next morning. “Don’t send me home again today to twiddle my damned thumbs. If you keep me out of this I’ll go completely crazy.” His eyes shone with the intense glint of a man on a mission.

  Lara felt his need. She understood it at her very core. It was what drove her to continue to investigate her mother’s murder. It was the absolute driving need to find the killer, the need to find personal satisfaction in finding out the truth of what happened on that day and why it had happened.