Special Agent Nick Fox was looking at the board. There was pictures everywhere of Nelson Karl. Ever since his arrest back in the day, his "death," his new identity as Uncle Carl, Nick was always on his tail. He was in the Witness Protection Program, after Karl's arrest, he was working behind the scenes, only working on the case.
He remembered the trail. But before that is when he met Jessica. God. Leaving her was the hardest thing he ever did. He was willing to go back to college to attend law school, but when that accident with that sorority girl happened, he knew there was more than just one lousy drug dealer.
This is a few years ago. He was undercover as a student at Sweet Valley University. As he walked through the hallways, he saw what he thought was the most beautiful woman he ever saw. Her light, it was like a spotlight shining down on her. He stopped dead in his tracks.
She was putting up a paper. He was thinking about how to get her number when he noticed the lettering on the wall. It was a general board for students. He could see she was about to walk away, when he went and inquired about the item she was selling.
"$100 for a TV? Sounds like a bargain." He cringed remembering that lame line. But when she looked at him with those gorgeous eyes he was looking at an angel.
That was the beginning of their relationship. They dated for a few weeks when Jessica was caught with a bundle of hard drugs. It pained Nick to slap the handcuffs on Jessica. Especially when she looked at him with pained eyes. She begged to anyone that would listen that she was innocent, and Nick didn't believe her.
At the time, he was sure she was guilty. But after a few days, he started realizing there was no way she was a major drug dealer. Unfortunately his bosses, the DA and the judge refused to grant her leniency. Frustrated Nick turned in his badge.
He was forced to become a private citizen. He felt guilty. It was his fault Jessica was arrested, she claimed she did it for love. Because he stubbornly refused to talk about himself, poor Jessica was forced to go to extreme lengths to prove who Nick really was.
Thinking back on it, it was funny. Not at Jessica's arrest, but on her thinking he was some kind of government secret agent. She wasn't wrong, she was kinda right. He was a undercover detective working for Sweet Valley's finest. Poor girl walked in a police sting. She thought the guy that she was meeting was delivering secret papers. Little did she know, the "package" contained cocaine.
Jessica looked terrified when his fellow officers turned their guns on her. For the rest of his life he'll never forget the look on her face. She was treated worse than a common criminal. She was treated roughly by the cops who threw her on the police car, then shoved in.
The DA showed no mercy. He was the same DA that almost convicted her brother, Steven Wakefield. He hated college students for some reason. Despite the only evidence being circumstantial, he and the judge were determined to be harsh as possible. Jessica was looking at 30 to 40 years despite being her first conviction.
Since the case was so popular, maybe because of Jessica's young blonde image, Nick had no time. He had to hurry. The trail was moving really fast. After he turned in his badge he went to look for more evidence to exonerate Jessica. First he looked at where Jessica bought the drugs. The guy, he walked away. For a long time Nick wondered why his bosses didn't arrest him. The question nagged at him.
Then while investigating, he heard of attempted fraud at a Sweet Valley bank. A woman was seen attempting to defraud Lila Fowler. Good thing her father saw her. According to the cop that interviewed the bank clerk, the woman had Lila's debit card. She successfully withdrew several thousand dollars. But why? When he thought about it, the true buyer may have been deeply in debt for buying drugs. He wasn't in charge of that drug ring, he was busy in SVU looking for a drug dealer. Whoever the woman was, she was desperate.
After sniffing around, he got a break. He recognized the dealer. A nerdy man that was nursing a broken heart. Using his library card, he demanded a interview. He was running out of time, the trail was about by start. He interviewed the guy, who gave him a name, Celine Boudreaux. He claimed that was his girlfriend.
He said she wanted him to pick up some papers for a environmental protest. He was terrified, because he felt like he was being set up. But be claimed he loved Celine. Nick hearing that, lost his temper. The guy fired back that he was bad with women, and when Celine paid attention to him he was flattered. He said the blonde traded him a box for his papers. Then when Celine demanded the money, he panicked. He spent his time refusing to come out of his room scared that the drug dealers that sold Celine the drugs, would come home for failing to pay.
Nick dragged him to the courthouse. It was just in time, Jessica was about to be sentenced.
Nick yelled he had new evidence and a witness. The whole courtroom exploded. The judge ordered the courtroom to be silenced. Nick saw Celine about to run and told everyone Celine Boudreaux was the real dealer. The judge ordered her arrest. Then after Nick presented the evidence Jessica was found innocent.
She and Nick started dating after that. Nick loved her, but was afraid she was in over her head. She accidentally walked in Nick's case. The thrill of the danger turned Jessica on. She was fantasizing about being the next Charlie's Angel. Nick was furious about her naivety. She only dreamed about the excitement, not the grunt work. She was almost killed.
Nick was determined to protect her. So he gave his noticed and quit the force angering Jessica. He already met her family, and he decided to attend law school. Jessica to get him back, went to summer boot camp to learn how to become a bodyguard. Nick and Steven made a friendly bet. Nick bet that she'll graduate, Steven countered that she won't. They were both right, Jessica almost finished, but accidentally uncovered a major scandal. The song called boot camp was a front for a illegal ring. After the leaders were arrested, Jessica went back to her old dream about becoming a famous actress.
Looks like her dream came true, Nick never missed a episode of The Young and Beautiful. Nick missed Jessica terribly. But he needed to stay away. While attending school, him and Jessica took a break. To Nick's disappointment, Jessica started dating a small time drug dealer Clay DiPalma. Nick tried warning Jessica about Clay, that he was very dangerous. Jessica refused to listen. She was still furious at Nick. Then her friend took some of Clay's party favors.
It was after Isabella's accident that Nick and Jessica realized how dangerous Clay really was. Nick had no choice but to return to the force. Jessica supported Nick, this time staying out of Nick's way. At least that was what she claimed. At first she kept her promise, but wanted to support Nick. What he didn't know Jessica was in the room when Clay was talking to an unconscious Nick admitting what he did.
When Nick found out he was furious with Jessica. But the evidence against Clay was overwhelming. There was a even bigger fish. He was just a dealer, the guy he was working for was a dangerous man. Nelson "The Nose" Karl, head of the notorious Karl family. Nick was determined to protect his girl. Especially since she proposed. He was in shock. He loved Jessica, and usually he would have grabbed her and married her in a Sweet Valley courthouse, but if she testified, she was dead. Nick had to protect her.
What Jessica didn't know, is that he was secretly in talks with several law enforcements. What he told the agencies, they all made plans to hide Nick. By faking his death. Nick was devastated. He knew that would kill Jessica. But she was strong. She'll get over him, so he thought.
After his testimony, Clay was sentenced. Nick used Jessica's testimony as his own. He gave a subtle nod to his "killer," a undercover agent, Rick Hunter. He, at the time had a thick dyed beard, he didn't want the twins recognizing him, since they attended school together. Nick "died" in that courtroom, devastating Jessica. She fainted and the authorities called 911.
Nick stayed in Sweet Valley for the time being. He needed to protect Jessica. Good thing he did, he was deeply worried about her. So was Rick. He told Nick that Elizabeth, her twin was overwhelmed by Jessica's fragile mental state. Nick was tempted to run to Jessica's side, and tell her the truth, that he was alive. But he couldn't.
He watched her quietly. He watched her for weeks. Until he discovered she was planning on killing herself. He called Elizabeth and told her what Jessica was planning to do. He then rushed to her side and whispered in her ear that he will always be with her. Jessica thankfully smiled. She allowed him to take those pills away. Then he saw her twin rushing to her side.
After he saw that smile, Nick knew Jessica would be alright. Especially when she said an "angel" saved her life. Nick took one last long look at her, then he turned around and left.
He left California, moving east. He joined the ATF agency, now called a fancy new name. But they were still called the ATF by many people. He rose through the ranks, becoming a special agent. He helped get Nelson Karl arrested. Then Nelson supposedly died. Yeah right. Nick wasn't fooled. The Karl family had deep pockets, a few bucks and some promises, and many people were bought.
His son, lawyers, medical examiner, the funeral home, they all said Nelson Karl was dead. Supposedly shanked in prison by rival gangs. A huge funeral was then planned. With many of Karl associates attending the service, Nick's bosses forbade Nick from attending, even though he wanted to, but he wasn't dumb. So they sent his partner, Special Agent Maria Santelli instead.
She pretended to attend as a grieving former lover. Nelson Karl had many girlfriends. Good thing she was a good actress. Nick doubted any of the Karl family cared, women in his life came and went like Kleenex. Easily disposable. She came back with a wealth of information.
The body they buried, it wasn't Karl. The family refused to open the coffin, claiming that the family was grieving way too hard. But Maria pretended to flirt with the security that was there and claimed to want to say goodbye by being the last woman to leave a mark. A kiss.
Maria admitted later she was extremely grossed out. But she did it. She kissed a dead corpse. The guy opened up the coffin and allowed, "Debbie" to say goodbye. Maria took a good look. She was quick, but she said the body was missing his hands. Can't get fingerprints of a corpse.
The guy was a good lookalike, but he was thinner than the real Nelson Karl. They couldn't exhume the body, it was immediately cremated after the wake ended. Maria pretending to be a jilted over, bitched at anyone that would listen, that Nelson was a cheating asshole. Of course people laughed, it was way more believable that a dumped ex would get her revenge by bitching about the dead, than a grieving widow.
After Maria got the info she wanted, she quickly left, pretending to be drunk. She passed the information to her bosses and Nick. Nick then started his decade long investigation.
He knew Nelson was still alive, but no one seen him since. So he set his eyebrows on his son, Marco. He convinced his bosses to contact the National Crime Agency, since Marco was attending university there. He then found out he started dating American citizen Cara Walker.
While dating Jessica, Jessica told him about her life, since he was friends with Winston Egbert. He heard of Cara from them, as well as Steven. He was ashamed to admit, he moved to Great Britain to watch Cara. It was very extremely dangerous, especially since Nelson Karl would be watching
He went as far as to enroll in that college, even faking a English accent to blend in, he even changed up his look. He was very careful not to approach Marco or Cara, but he watched them carefully. He teamed up with the local police to watch them.
So for three years he watched them. It wasn't until Cara was engaged, is when Nelson Karl finally made his appearance. The way he carried himself, Nick had no doubt it was him.
He obviously had work done, he didn't look the same. But even with coloured contacts, and liposuction, it was undoubtedly Nelson. He even went as far to fake his accent. When Nick informed his bosses, they all agreed to watch him.
It took some time, but when Interpol got wind that a buyer was lined up to buy some drugs, and the guy or organization was willing to drop several million on it. But when they found out how much was at stake, several police agencies around the world teamed up to bring the guys down. Interpol was in charge, leading many of the top police organizations around the world, including France, Italy, Canada, USA, Great Britain, and countless others.
They watched carefully. Nelson Karl was careful, but legally he was dead, it would be hard to prove that he was the main buyer. It took some time but as Nick was watching, Interpol Police raided the ship, as soon as Marco Karl and his cronies walked in with the suitcases full of cash.
They waited till the cash exchanged hands, then the police charged in. Nick wasn't allowed in, but he was watching. Marco and his pals were immediately arrested, along with the drug dealers. The ship was immediately sized and everything searched.
The amount of drugs inside. Holy shit. This wasn't a dealer hoping to make a few million, it was a organization. Interpol investigated, and they correctly assumed it was terrorist groups that were in charge.
Marco is currently sitting in a high security prison somewhere, and is being watched carefully. His ex, Cara was allowed back in the States for lack of evidence. Nick knews she was innocent, but she may hold some valuable information about Nelson, since his false identity about being the friendly uncle always being around.
Nelson was arrested in Sweet Valley. Nick took the first plane out to follow Nelson. He was smart, but sloppy. If it wasn't for the love for his son, he would have disappeared forever.
When Nelson was spotted in Sweet Valley, Nick, his partner Maria and the Sweet Valley Police were watching him. Cara thought he was there so Nelson can entice her to return to his son, but Nick knew better. He was there to shut her up.
When he ran through that stop sign, Nick made his move. He was no longer a cop, but he got special permission to arrest Karl. He smiled reading his Miranda Rights.
Nelson said it was bullshit he was arrested, just give him the fucking ticket, but when he saw Nick's face, he knew the jig was up. It took some time, but they proved Nelson was alive. The FBI and ATF plus every local enforcement in the area, proved it was Nelson Karl. Thanks to DNA evidence and a solid case.
Karl was looking at life. Unfortunately, his attorney, Lacey Frells had a solid defense case. He could get off on a technicality. It couldn't be proven he supplied his son with the money, for everyone knew, Marco did everything himself. Nick NEEDED Cara. Her testimony could prove Nelson was the main kingpin.
"Fox. Take a break. You been sitting there for hours."
"Santelli. You have no idea how I want this guy behind bars. I waited a decade."
"Don't burn yourself out. Here, I'm ordering some food."
Nick stared at the board. Elizabeth Wakefield's contact information was on it. Cara was in hiding, but the DA knew where she was. But he refused to say where. But Elizabeth knew. He didn't call Jessica, he wouldn't know what to say.