Office to fill his coffee mug before making an appearance. He leaned against the counter and thought about what Abby had told him five days earlier in front of Kate’s room. He wanted to hunt down the murderer and make him pay, but he knew that’s not how his world worked. While taking a sip, he struggled to maintain the fine line between revenge and justice. Neither seemed adequate enough.
Abby would never understand his world. He could try to explain why getting involved would hurt the investigation more than it would help; he could try to explain he wasn’t a renegade cop ready to crack heads and kick in doors looking for the killer; he could try to explain there were rules they had to follow that the bad guys didn’t. Any explanation other than agreeing to exact revenge would fall on deaf ears.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” asked Hank Fuller, Grey’s longtime friend and senior agent on his team at the Bureau.
“Good to see you, too,” replied Grey, coming out of his trance.
“Don’t get girly on me,” said Hank. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon. I’ll give you a hug later, but how’s your friend?”
“He’s a fucking zombie,” said Grey. “He just sits in a chair in the waiting room and stares out the window. The only time he talks or moves is to tell us he’s going to the hotel across the street to get cleaned up. He’s a mess, Hank.”
“So why are you back?”
“I need to talk to the boss and get caught up on our caseload,” said Grey. “They haven’t released Caleb’s body, so it may be a week or so before the funeral. I just needed to focus on something else for a few days. It’s not like I can do anything to help down there.”
“Help the investigation?” asked Hank.
“Yeah, but his family is having a tough time with that. They look at me like I’m a piece of shit for not hitting the streets like Dirty Harry.”
“Of course you can’t,” said Hank. “Rules are rules, my man. It’s what separates us from them, and before you tell me that’s bullshit, I already know. What they don’t know is Perkins would have your ass sent to Alaska if you injected yourself in the case. Especially after that asshole sheriff specifically requested we don’t get involved.”
“Nice speech.”
“Don’t be a jackass,” said Hank.
“Is the boss in?” asked Grey.
“When isn’t he in?”
Grey and Hank walked into the “boiler room” where several other agents were busy at their cubicles in the large open space. Everyone stopped what they were doing to greet their supervisor. After a few moments of catching them up to speed on the details, Grey entered his office alone and closed the door behind him. He drew the blinds on the glass walls separating himself from the eyes of his team. He couldn’t remember the last time the blinds were drawn. He took a seat behind his desk and picked up the phone.
“Hey, Evan, it’s Grey.”
“ I take it you’re at the office?”
“ Yes. How is he? ”
“The same.”
“And Kate?”
“They did a few more tests on her this morning. The docs came out and said there’s a slight improvement, but her brain function is minimal. They didn’t come out and say it, but I know they’re trying to prepare Abby and her parents. She’s not going to come out of that coma, Grey. And if she does, she won’t be the Kate we remember anymore.”
“Prepare them for what?”
“Taking her off life support.”
“Jesus Christ, Evan!”
“You’re surprised?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little early to pull the plug on her? Paul hasn’t even buried Caleb yet, and they’re talking about killing his wife? You have to talk to Abby, Evan. I’m not kidding. If they let Kate go, Paul is going with her and you know that.”
“Okay, okay. But I can’t control what the docs say to them.”
“Yes, you can. The next time you see them you tell them that, Evan. You tell them to ease up on the family until after the
Abby would never understand his world. He could try to explain why getting involved would hurt the investigation more than it would help; he could try to explain he wasn’t a renegade cop ready to crack heads and kick in doors looking for the killer; he could try to explain there were rules they had to follow that the bad guys didn’t. Any explanation other than agreeing to exact revenge would fall on deaf ears.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” asked Hank Fuller, Grey’s longtime friend and senior agent on his team at the Bureau.
“Good to see you, too,” replied Grey, coming out of his trance.
“Don’t get girly on me,” said Hank. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon. I’ll give you a hug later, but how’s your friend?”
“He’s a fucking zombie,” said Grey. “He just sits in a chair in the waiting room and stares out the window. The only time he talks or moves is to tell us he’s going to the hotel across the street to get cleaned up. He’s a mess, Hank.”
“So why are you back?”
“I need to talk to the boss and get caught up on our caseload,” said Grey. “They haven’t released Caleb’s body, so it may be a week or so before the funeral. I just needed to focus on something else for a few days. It’s not like I can do anything to help down there.”
“Help the investigation?” asked Hank.
“Yeah, but his family is having a tough time with that. They look at me like I’m a piece of shit for not hitting the streets like Dirty Harry.”
“Of course you can’t,” said Hank. “Rules are rules, my man. It’s what separates us from them, and before you tell me that’s bullshit, I already know. What they don’t know is Perkins would have your ass sent to Alaska if you injected yourself in the case. Especially after that asshole sheriff specifically requested we don’t get involved.”
“Nice speech.”
“Don’t be a jackass,” said Hank.
“Is the boss in?” asked Grey.
“When isn’t he in?”
Grey and Hank walked into the “boiler room” where several other agents were busy at their cubicles in the large open space. Everyone stopped what they were doing to greet their supervisor. After a few moments of catching them up to speed on the details, Grey entered his office alone and closed the door behind him. He drew the blinds on the glass walls separating himself from the eyes of his team. He couldn’t remember the last time the blinds were drawn. He took a seat behind his desk and picked up the phone.
“Hey, Evan, it’s Grey.”
“ I take it you’re at the office?”
“ Yes. How is he? ”
“The same.”
“And Kate?”
“They did a few more tests on her this morning. The docs came out and said there’s a slight improvement, but her brain function is minimal. They didn’t come out and say it, but I know they’re trying to prepare Abby and her parents. She’s not going to come out of that coma, Grey. And if she does, she won’t be the Kate we remember anymore.”
“Prepare them for what?”
“Taking her off life support.”
“Jesus Christ, Evan!”
“You’re surprised?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little early to pull the plug on her? Paul hasn’t even buried Caleb yet, and they’re talking about killing his wife? You have to talk to Abby, Evan. I’m not kidding. If they let Kate go, Paul is going with her and you know that.”
“Okay, okay. But I can’t control what the docs say to them.”
“Yes, you can. The next time you see them you tell them that, Evan. You tell them to ease up on the family until after the
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