Rick waited for the inevitable to happen. It seemed to take time for her to process what she had just heard. Looking across the table Tom had a sad look on his face and Mr. Upton was waiting just like Rick was for the crash. He turned to her and noticed her lower lip was quivering and he also saw her eyes starting to tear around her lids. He drew her close enough to lean her head against his shoulder and most of her body against him. At that point, she simply broke down. When she wept at first it was just above a whimper. As the discussion and the truth became her new reality about what really happened, she sobbed uncontrollably. He held her until she started to slow in her sobbing and when she stopped she was breathing in heavy pants trying to breathe.
Tom got up from his chair and got a pitcher of water and some glasses. He poured a glass for both Kate and Rick.
"Thanks, Tom." Rick said.
When Rick looked back to Kate's face, all he could distinguish on it was that it had taken on a lifetime of emotions. Her heart was breaking all over again. Her face showed it and more. Heartbreak, fear, anger, confusion, and the one he worried about the most about, vengeance. It had taken about an hour for her to regain what passed as being put together, but the first statement she made was the one he feared the most.
"I want him dead!" Kate growled out.
To say they were surprised would be the normal reaction. But instead, they understood and sympathized.
"Kate, we need to be realistic here. Since Mr. Upton has brought Mr. Black's indiscretions to our attention with these documents we can have him arrested and tried in a court of law." Tom told her.
"That's not good enough! He needs to go straight to hell. He had my mother murdered. He deserves to be dead!"
"Kate, listen to me…. Tom, Mr. Upton could you give us the room for five minutes after I check on Alexis?" Rick pleaded.
"Sure thing Rick." Tom said and they both left for his office and closed the door. Rick went to the outer office and looked in on Alexis who was coloring in a coloring book never once looking over to see him poking his head out through the door. The assistant nodded to him silently telling him that she would take care of her for him. He returned back into the conference room and sat back down next to Kate.
"Kate, I know that you want revenge for your mother's murder. Babe, you can't say things like that and think it's the right thing to do or say. I'm not trying to disrespect your mother's memory but going off half-cocked will only end you up in a situation where I'll never see you again. Kate, I love you. Please, can we rethink your death threat?"
"You love me?" This was all she heard.
He retraced his last conversation in his head and realized that he did not want her to run off and do something stupid and he said what he was feeling at that moment, he did not want to lose her.
"Yes, I love you."
She could only sit there looking into his eyes knowing what he told her came from his heart.
"Rick, he has to pay for this! There has to be a way that we can do something to him other than arresting him. How easy could it be for him to get a slick lawyer and get the charges reduced or even thrown out then what? He'd get away with murder and go free. No there has to be something that we can do."
During her talk with Rick Tom and Mr. Upton returned and quietly sat back down.
Tom started to talk while they were still talking to each other.
"Kate, Mr. Upton has a possible plan of attack for you. Now, I will sit in on this but I will offer no input on what he will tell you nor will I participate." Tom said in a serious tone.
"Ms. Beckett, when I had the opportunity to access Mr. Black's emails, he had a considerable amount of incriminating evidence to not only convict him but have a little fun with him in the process of getting you the retribution you seek."
Kate and Rick as well stared directly at Mr. Upton wondering what he had. They nodded for him to continue.
It seems that Mr. Black has an additional email account that was buried in the deepest parts of the web. It was hidden well enough that the novice would have overlooked it. But after further investigating I was able to access this account." Mr. Upton removes one file and slides it across the table.
"If you will kindly open up the file in front of you I will walk you what I have found."
Kate flips open the file folder and stares at the first page as Rick leans in.
"The page you are reading represents Mr. Black's total disregard for any human life. If you note the context in how he worded this agreement with the anonymous person, he states that whoever is in the building when the deed is started, he could care less if they perished in the blaze. The agreement is being offered with a ten-thousand-dollar value and the reverse side of the page is the anonymous person accepting the agreement, where the payment was to be sent and the method. The fact that he would consider nothing less than a success as a failure, he could care less about anyone perishing in this terrible accident and used the term "collateral damage."
"So, who was this person who committed arson? Kate asked hoping to take down everyone in this mess.
"Ms. Beckett, I'm afraid that's it not likely that those individuals who were given the dirty work will ever be identified, and I'm sure they will never be caught and tried. But I'm here to get you the facts that you need to end this disturbed man's way of thinking and then acting on these thoughts all the while thinking that he can do anything he pleases and escape the wrath that is coming his way. Now, if you'll look at the next page please…."
For the next three hours, they went over everything that Mr. Upton had found out about Mr. Blacks murderous, underhanded and immoral tactics. With the information presented them he would most likely spend the rest of his life incarcerated.
"Ms. Beckett, now, about your mother's unfortunate demise, it seemed from the documents in front of you that she gave him the most resistance to date. Unfortunately for him what he did left us the most incriminating evidence against him yet. Subsequent to a meeting he had with me he had taken matters further after I refused to render any type of assistance with his predicament."
"Kate?" Rick asked hoping for a response.
"Rick, what can I do? If I present this evidence to the police, they will ask how I or it came into my possession. Is this even admissible in court?"
"Kate, what Mr. Upton has cannot be used in court as evidence. Unless he is willing to testify that the evidence was received by you hiring him to look into his dealings, and you can legally say that because you hired me and I, in turn, hired him. He could be my forensic investigator."
"I did hire you, but will the court accept this then?" Kate wonders.
"I'm sure they will. If we have any issues along the way we'll figure them out then. Mr. Upton, what do you say?"
"Ms. Beckett, Mr. Black is guilty of a miscarriage of justice among other unmentionable crimes. I would be honored to aid you in your pursuit for taking his freedom from him. However, I am aware that nothing will ever be able to replace your mother or your loss. There is yet still another way that we can exercise our payback, so to speak… would you be interested in hitting him where it hurts?"
Kate could only look at Mr. Upton, then to Rick hoping that he understood that she wanted to hurt the man who had her mother murdered no matter the cost."
Rick knew right then and there that she wanted justice, and she would get it.