Silver Justice

Chapter 18

Silver awoke, disoriented, in a strange bed with her head pounding. She peered at her watch, and then reality came crashing in on her. She must have drifted off to sleep at around four, and now with the alarm sounding at seven-thirty, she was back in a world that was as grim as any she could imagine.

The realization that Kennedy’s abduction had really happened, and that this was the next day, froze her on the bed. Her limbs were immobilized, and it felt like someone was standing on her chest. She couldn’t breathe for a few seconds, then started hyper-ventilating automatically.

Calm your ass down, she commanded herself silently. Your daughter needs you functional, not a vegetable. Knock this shit off and get up, take a shower, clean up, and head over to your flat to change into some new clothes.

She dragged herself off the mattress and stumbled half asleep into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror staring at a stranger’s red, bleary eyes. Steam began rising from above the shower door, and she stripped down and immersed herself under the hot stream, washing away the residue of the prior day’s ordeal.

As she lathered the hotel shampoo through her hair, she automatically began running a mental checklist of things she’d need to do — they would want to put a trace on her phone lines so when the kidnapper called they could triangulate him. She would have to call Miriam and let her know Kennedy wouldn’t be there, and also contact the school. She’d want to get the transcripts of any interviews they’d conducted last night and also go over the traffic cam footage. She’d need to coordinate with the agent running the Kennedy investigation and see what kind of help she could provide.

She shut the water off and felt marginally better — the mental exercise had centered her and given her a sense of purpose. But there were still troubling and puzzling unanswered questions, the largest being why Kennedy had been taken. She hoped it wasn’t anything to do with the man who had tried to kill her, but logic said it had to be. There was no other reason to snatch her daughter than to have a hold over her. But whoever had done it was misjudging the amount of weight that would be brought to bear — kidnapping an FBI agent’s child was unheard of and ranked right below kidnapping the president’s in terms of recklessness.

There was no other reason that made any sense. She wasn’t rich. Far from it, she was probably the worst person in the world to try to extract a ransom from. A broke single mom with a license to carry a Glock. Not smart. Not smart at all.

Once she was close to ready, she called Richard, and after a quick scan of the room, she took the elevator to the ground floor and signed out of the hotel. She dropped the key off at the front desk and waited in the lobby for him to arrive, watching the crowd move along the sidewalk, oblivious to her ordeal as they went about their early morning business. A few minutes later her phone rang.

“I’m swinging around the corner right now,” Richard said. “Traffic’s crazy. I’ll pick you up at the curb.”

The sun momentarily blinded her when she stepped out onto the sidewalk, and then she saw him, trying to force his way over in front of a persistent cabby who wasn’t giving an inch. The power struggle eventually went to the cab, and an angry blast of horns protested as Richard cut off a delivery van and pulled into the drop-off zone.

She swung open the door and slid in, noting that Richard looked like he’d gotten twelve straight hours of untroubled sleep even though he couldn’t have had much more than herself. He leaned over and kissed her, and she almost lost it as his lips brushed her cheek. He sensed the precariousness of her grip and let her have her space, focusing instead on the relentless stream of cars growling by.

“Friendly town here. Courteous bunch,” he observed, hitting his blinker and trying to edge back into traffic.

Silver didn’t respond for a second. “New York is known for that,” she finally replied, her voice tense.

“How are you doing?”

“About like you’d expect. I feel like a truck ran me over. You?”

“Same truck hit me and then backed over me to finish the job. Are we headed to your place?”

“Yes. I want to be there when the techs show up. And much as I like wearing my little black dress for days on end, I’m pretty sure I’ll be more useful in something more sensible.” She smiled grimly, trying to hit an upbeat note in the miserable situation.

Richard slammed on the brakes as a bicycle messenger shot in front of the car, missing the front bumper by a few scant inches. He exhaled and shook his head. Manhattan driving was an acquired taste.

“You want to stop for some coffee?” he asked. “I didn’t have time to pick any up. Sorry.”

“Can we? There’s a Starbucks up the block on the right hand side.” She glanced down at her bare legs. “We look like we’ve been out all night and are just getting in…” she trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

“There are worse things. You look great, by the way,” he offered.

She grimaced at the transparent lie. “Nice try, and thanks, but they have mirrors at the hotel.” She grabbed his arm and pointed. “Oh, look. There’s a spot out in front. Cut over — you’re clear.”

He veered to the curb and rolled to a stop, and they made their way inside, waiting patiently in the long line of half-asleep workers buying their five dollar morning jolt of wake-up.

“Brett wants you to call him once you get back to your flat. You know the drill. They want to monitor any calls that come in.”

“I figured as much. I’ll have to take the day off, I suppose. Hopefully the task force can fend for itself without me for twenty-four hours.”

Richard didn’t respond, seemingly engrossed in the pastry possibilities, and then it was their turn to order.

“I hope they can keep this out of the papers,” Silver commented as they waited for their drinks.

“So far I haven’t seen anything, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Bad news has a way of traveling.”

Her cell phone beeped at her. She glanced at the number and contemplated not answering it, but then thought better of it.

“I need to take this outside. Can you throw three sweeteners in mine?” she asked Richard, then pushed her way to the entrance.

“Hello.”

“Jesus. I just heard. What happened? Do you know anything?” It was Eric.

“No, Eric. I don’t. She was kidnapped last night from the flat. We don’t know by whom, or even what they want. But I’m on my way over there right now to meet the techs so they can record any demand calls and trace them.”

“The feds are coming to put tracers on my phones, too. How did they get her? And how did they get by you?”

“We don’t know how they got in, but the best guess is that they picked the locks.”

“But how did they make it past you?”

Silver considered the ten possible non-responsive rejoinders she could try to make his life miserable, and then just told the truth.

“I wasn’t there. She was with a babysitter.”

“What? You weren’t with her?” Eric barked.

“That’s what I just said, didn’t I?”

“Where were you? What was more important than taking care of our daughter?” Eric’s tone had gone dangerously ugly in a heartbeat. The insinuation was clear. If Silver had been doing her job as a mom, Kennedy would still be safe. Guilt slammed into her, but she banished it — that was precisely the effect he wanted. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Any remorse she had for having left Kennedy with the babysitter would be played out on her own timeline, not his.

“I was having dinner with a colleague from work. I do that once every year or so.” She really didn’t need this. She should have lied.

“So you were out on the town while someone was breaking into the flat? Is this some kind of nightmare? What in the hel-”

Silver depressed the end call button and then dialed Ben. She briefly explained the situation on his machine and asked him to call back as soon as he was in the office. She would just ignore Eric’s abuse until she could talk to him.

Her line rang again. Eric.

She answered, against her better judgment. “If you start down that road again, I hang up,” she cautioned.

He didn’t apologize, but he didn’t pursue it. “What are you doing to get her back?”

“We have a full team on it, and I’ll be with the investigators in a few minutes. I don’t know anything more right now. I’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop. Now I have to go.”

“Silver, don’t hang up on me again. I’m warning you. If you think you can-”

She stabbed the line off and switched the phone to silent. Her nerves really couldn’t handle this today. She would leave Eric to Ben.

Richard exited with their coffee and hesitated when he saw the look on her face. “You okay?”

“No, Richard. I’m not okay. My daughter’s been kidnapped, my life is a shambles, God knows what’s being done to her while we speak, and my asshole ex is going for my throat.” She stopped. He was on her side. “I’m sorry. I’m just raw.”

“I figured, and I completely understand. No problem. You want to hold these while I try to drive?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Sure.”

~ ~ ~

Sam was in the office early and heard about Silver’s situation within the first five minutes. It was all anyone was talking about — the biggest news to hit the building in years. One of their own had first been attacked by a gunman, and now her child had been kidnapped, all within a space of a few days. That was a threat to every one of them — most had families, and the unspoken fear was that if the job put their loved ones in jeopardy, that changed the playing field.

Sam sauntered to Brett’s office and knocked on his door. He looked like he’d been there all night.

“Yes?”

“I just heard about the situation with Silver. That’s unbelievable, sir.”

“Yes, it is. I’ve been working on it non-stop. We will be committing substantial resources to this case — agents to question everyone in the neighborhood, to review all the traffic footage, coordinate with NYPD…”

“I just want you to know that you can depend upon me to step in and pick up Silver’s load on The Regulator task force. We shouldn’t miss a beat.”

“Really…” Brett’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes. I mean, I know she’s going to be too distracted to run the task force effectively. She’s good, but she’s not superhuman. Nobody could expect her focus and concentration to be there. I know mine wouldn’t be…”

Brett considered Sam’s statement. “I’ve been too slammed to devote a lot of thought to it, but you make a good point.”

“Between the shooting, and now this…nobody could be anywhere close to a hundred percent. And with The Regulator’s killings heating up and more pressure coming from all directions…it wouldn’t be fair.”

Brett picked up his pen and resumed signing the stack of documents on his desk. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t be. Your readiness to step into the breach is noted and appreciated.”

“No problem, sir, I just wanted you to know that she’s got support systems in place.”

“Very well. Thanks. And please, close the door behind you.”

Silver climbed the stairs to her apartment and was greeted by two techs who had been let in by the departing agents that morning. They quietly and efficiently went about their mysterious business, and Silver motioned Richard to take a seat while she ducked into the bedroom to change.

As she was pulling off her dress, her phone lit up, and she grabbed it after catching a glimpse of the number.

“Ben. Thanks for calling me back so quickly.”

“Silver. No problem. Now what’s this about a kidnapping? Did I hear you right on the voicemail?”

Silver took him through the events of the last twelve hours, finishing with the call from her ex.

“All right. I’ll handle it. You’re right not to have any contact with him. You have more than enough to contend with right now without worrying about how every other word will be used against you later. Speaking of which, you’ll be happy to know that some of your money is paying dividends. I don’t want to jinx it, but we may have something that will shut down Eric’s bid for Kennedy.”

“That’s wonderful news, Ben. Although I would be more excited if I knew she was…that she was okay.”

“I understand. Leave everything to me. I still have his phone number. I’ll touch base and advise him to stop pestering you with calls.” Ben paused. “He’s quite a dick, isn’t he?”

“That’s the technical term. Yes, he’s relentless and totally amoral, and as vicious as a pit viper.”

“Snakes are my specialty. I’ll handle it. Silver, I hope everything turns out okay. I know it’s slim comfort at a time like this, but my heart goes out to you. This is a terrible, terrible thing…”

“Thanks, Ben. I appreciate the kind words.”

She disconnected and then completed her wardrobe change, selecting a pair of loose slacks and a button-up, creme-colored blouse. She slipped on a pair of sandals and dialed Brett’s number as she exited the bedroom.

“You want something else besides coffee?” Silver asked Richard.

He shook his head.

Brett’s voice came on the line, and she held up a finger.

“Brett. It’s Silver. I’m back at the flat.”

“How are you holding up?”

“So-so. The electronics team is here. No ransom call yet. It’s the landline they’ll need to use.”

“That’s good. Simplifies things. But we’ll still be running a trace on your cell as well — they might get the number from your daughter.”

She hadn’t thought of that — and it was basic procedure. She needed to pull herself together, or she wouldn’t be any good to anyone.

“I know it’s too soon to expect anything, but have you made any progress?” she asked.

“I’ve got a team assembled, and they’re going to canvass the neighborhood and see if anyone saw anything. That’s a good first place to start. You never know. It’s a relatively busy area, so we may get lucky. We’ve also gone through the traffic camera feeds, and one of the cams captured a suspicious-looking SUV.”

“Suspicious? Suspicious how?”

“The SUV triggered a stolen plate alert. A dark green Ford Explorer. I’ve put out an APB on it, so maybe we’ll get a hit.”

“I wonder how many cars on the streets at any given hour are stolen? I’m guessing it isn’t a lot.”

“Not that many. This is significant. It’s our best lead so far, but it’s still early. Silver, we’re going to throw the kitchen sink at this. Nothing will be spared. Absolutely nothing,” Brett assured her.

“I know you will. I appreciate it. Now tell me who’s running the team? Maybe we can compare notes.”

“It’s Art Phillips. He’s seasoned — has done a lot of these, relatively speaking.”

“Art’s good. That will help. Listen, I’m sorry to have to take time off from the task force. I know things are heating up there with the latest-”

“I need to talk to you about that. Don’t worry about the task force. Your priority should be your daughter.”

“I know, but I’m able to focus, and I’m planning to be back on line tomorrow. I really feel like we’re making progress now. With the traffic image and some leads on possible motivation…”

“Silver, that isn’t important. You need to look after yourself until this ordeal is over. I’ll assign someone else to run the task force.” Brett dropped the bomb as artfully as possible.

Silver took a few seconds of silence to absorb his words. “You’re pulling me?”

Brett hesitated, and then his voice grew in conviction. “I have no choice. With your daughter kidnapped, there’s not a chance in hell the Bureau will let you keep running it. You know how things work. We can’t afford to have anything but best efforts every step, and with all this other shit going on… Look, once we find Kennedy, you’re back in the saddle. You have my word on that. But for now, you need to concentrate on your family, not the task force.”

She swallowed, temporarily feeling like she was choking. “I…I can do this, Brett. Really. It will help take my mind off wondering what’s happening to Kennedy every minute of the day. The work will help.”

“I don’t doubt it, but running a serial killer investigation isn’t some kind of therapy, Silver. The victims need someone with no distractions. I wouldn’t remain in this office for two minutes if I let you continue. You know it.”

She felt blood rushing to her cheeks as he spoke.

“Because I’m a woman, and women are emotional, right?”

“Silver, that’s not fair. If you were a man, we’d pull you off just as quickly. It has nothing to do with gender — and everything to do with being involved in a crisis. Think about it. That you would even consider this is because of your sex is irrational. Which underscores my assumption that you aren’t going to be performing at peak while Kennedy is missing.”

Silver digested his words for a few moments. “You’re right, Brett. This is a massive body blow. I’m sorry for lashing out at you. It’s just that right now, the job is all I have. Without that…”

“It’s still your job. But you’re going to take time off. That’s an order. I don’t want to see you near this building until…until there’s a resolution on the kidnapping.” His voice softened. “Silver, if this happened to me I’d be a basket case. Stop forcing yourself to be Wonder Woman. Nobody could keep it together in light of what’s happened. Take the time to deal with this, and we’ll revisit things once…later.”

“Who are you putting in charge?”

“Sam Aravian.”

“No. Brett. Please don’t do that,” she blurted, her voice sounding borderline hysterical. Silver reined in her anger before she lost it. She needed to make a dispassionate case for not giving Sam the lead, not unload on her boss. “He’s not on the same page, Brett. He’ll take the investigation down an unproductive road. He’s fought me tooth and nail on virtually every decision for the last week. Why not Seth? He’s good, and he’s up to speed.”

“He’s also got three years’ less experience, Silver, and he’s not a Supervisory Agent yet. I can’t just bypass a resource like Sam and ask him to answer to Seth. Give me a break.”

Brett was right. He had to work within the framework of the Bureau’s playbook, and while Silver didn’t agree with the decision, she could see how it was the only one he could make.

“I get it. But with all due respect, you’re not going to get rid of me that easily. I want access to the computers while I’m off. If I don’t have something to work on, I’ll go stir crazy. Come on, Brett. Throw me a bone here. Don’t shut me out. I didn’t do anything wrong…”

Brett groaned and then capitulated. She could hear it in his exhalation.

“Fine, Silver, fine. All right. Your remote access will remain in place. But don’t wear yourself out. Your first priority needs to be to yourself right now. We’ll catch this serial one way or another. It shouldn’t be your overriding concern.”

“Thank you, Brett. I appreciate it. And I completely understand what you’re saying. But we’re all wired differently, and the work will really help.”

“Good. Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll be around today and tomorrow, and then I’m off to a conference in D.C. next week. Closed doors, so I’ll only be available in the evenings. Meanwhile, you can also have full access to Art. He’s expecting your call.”

Brett gave her Art’s cell number. “Give Art an hour — he’s going to be in a briefing first thing this morning. I’ve got to go give it, so I won’t be around, either. I’ll keep you posted on any progress. Again, I’m sorry this is happening, Silver.”

“Yeah. It sucks.”

“It does indeed.”