https://www.literotica.com/s/if-youll-believe-in-me Chapter 1 Friday -- September 25, 2026 3 -Chase Kramner- 4 It was never difficult to avoid my sister all these years. Until recently I had never visited my father, and Quinten knew full well my animosity so never dared arrange something behind my back. He also never spoke ill of her in front of me. We have a different relationship with Nicole, and I respect that. My relationship with Nicole was abusive, and it started after our mother died. 5 Our separation was so abrupt because I remember us being close. I never had any significant friends in school, but I had Nicole. Her alleviating the devastation of no one coming to my seventh birthday party by playing with me. Building pillow forts in the living room. Embarrassing dad when he had formal company over. Quinten was already being groomed as the eldest son and that created the space for Nicole and me to be hell raisers. I think it helped us get through mom's episodes. Quinten was already sent away to boarding school, so he had a completely different picture of her than we did. He was only permitted to come home during her lucid periods. 6 Then mom died, and Nicole changed for the worst. Everyone did. How couldn't we? It started with distance, and I never felt more alone in my life. Suddenly my fiery sister became a stereotypical mean girl. I was suddenly the stupid annoying little brother, and I didn't know why. 7 When I was twelve, I advanced beyond my math lessons, and started to read Nicole's calculus textbook. After discovering I could competently do it, she blackmailed me into doing her homework for her by threatening to spread rumors of me at school. Junior high is bad enough as it is, the last thing I wanted was my older sister telling people she found me stealing her underwear and all other weird stuff. 8 Our father saw me doing her homework once, and I thought it may be some relief, but it turned to be the opposite. His investment into Quinten wasn't paying out. Quinten was not the shining example to exemplify the Kramner name. Now dad had a twelve-year-old who taught himself calculus. From that point, my life was planned. 9 I needed to have all the right clubs in school. Be athletic to have Rhode Scholar as a possibility. Attend Georgetown Prep and graduate Valedictorian, and then of course Ivy League, preferably his legacy of Princeton, followed by JD at Yale. Even my playdates were planned to mingle with the right kids. 10 My first taste of independence was Dartmouth, but even that was regulated to some extent. He picked my classes, my fraternity -- I absolutely would be in one, I was told -- and my extra curriculars. All for the legal track. He likely had my first job lined up. 11 In the middle of that, Nicole's abusive blackmail didn't stop. Every chance she had to force me to do her schoolwork, she acted on. She'd tell my Fraternity I was a pedophile. All kinds of bad stuff. I wrote her entrance exam into Columbia, then three years later wrote her thesis for graduation. 12 After all my father's effort to mold me into him, I was the only kid to not become a lawyer. I was the one who pushed back. His disappointment was so thick, he never pursued me when I left. I just stopped being his son. 13 I'm getting too old for these grudges with my family. My father and I are finally on the path of reconnection. At a bare minimum, understanding. This was helped by my stepmother Carrie, who is gentle and sensible. Two traits she has that I appreciate more as an adult than I ever did when I was a child. She tried hard to be our mom, but I think we all were too far gone. Nicole especially. 14 I haven't spoken to Nicole since my third year of college. I had to arrange something through Carrie because I didn't know how to contact her. All I knew, was that she lived someone near D.C. Carrie told me Nicole was taken aback by my offer. Nicole had accepted we would never speak again. Then suddenly, I was willing to meet her halfway. 15 Today is the day I talk to my sister. I lean against a waist high wall across the street from the steps of the Supreme Court where Nicole works as a Clerk for Associate Justice Samuel Alito. There is a disposable coffee cup in both my hands, and I sip the one in my left. Nicole and I agreed to three in the afternoon, and it is currently five after the hour. When it starts to annoy me, I see someone that matches her form trotting down the stairs like they're late for something. She zigzags her way through a group of teenagers protesting the issue of the day. Nicole looks both ways and crosses the street, and this is the first time I can positively see it is her. 16 Nicole weirdly looks more like dad than mom, but she isn't mannish in any way. Her facial structure is nothing but dad, and she inherited his height like I did. The same dark Kramner hair, though she has the rougher texture from mom's side, unlike my fine feather softness. Like a Kramner she is lean without effort. Her fashion is Nordstrom Rack suits combined with designer shoes and jackets. 17 Nicole makes it to me and is surprised when I hand her a coffee. Call it a peace offering. She nervously thanks me and takes a drink. Her face expresses curiosity when it's the way she likes it. 18 "I asked Carrie what you liked," I explain, and she nods. She is scared, I can tell. Of what I don't know. "Care for a walk?" 19 "Sure," Nicole says, and I gesture for her to lead. "So...how's...how's it going?" 20 "Well enough," I reply. "You?" 21 "Great...excellent...this is horrible," Nicole says, and stops to groan while rubbing her forehead. "Are we really pretending the last ten years didn't happen?" 22 "They happened. The years before that happened too," I say, to make her aware I remember the way she treated me. 23 "I was a cunt," Nicole says, lowing her hand. "I had a mental moment a few years ago. Not full on mom, thank god, but pretty close. My doctor helped me sort it out." 24 "What happened?" I ask. My bullshit meter is on now. Instantly I think this is a manipulation. Make me sympathize. 25 "I hate my job. I never really wanted to be a lawyer," she says. Weird effort to manipulate me. "You know, dad." 26 "Dad didn't force that on you," I say. 27 "He didn't have to. You got the raw end of that. I'm not saying you didn't. But I was starved for approval. Quin just couldn't live up to it, but then he jumps straight to you. Bypasses me entirely, like I didn't exist. What made that so much worse, was that it looked easy for you." 28 "It wasn't easy," I say, and she says she understood that far too late. 29 Nicole resented me because of dad. I never once thought about how all his attention on me, could have affected them. Quin likely never cared. Nicole on the other hand, did want his approval. She likely could have lived up to it but was never given the chance. Then realized she never wanted it after she lived up to it. 30 "Mom dies, after trying to kill us, and dad remarries less than two years later. I found out they were engaged before I knew they were even a thing. I was a sixteen-year-old with a stepmother, not proud of how I treated her either," Nicole says 31 "She's a sweetheart," I say. 32 "Goddamn is she diabetes sweet," she says, while trying to find her train of thought. "I tried sabotaging you to help me, so maybe he'd lose interest like he did with Quin and maybe I get a parent who isn't ignoring me or trying to kill me." Nicole nearly rambles herself out of breath. 33 "You know what I want to remember?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "Pillow forts in the living room. We'd make tea and read books by flashlight. That's what I want to remember." 34 "Your favorite book was Through the Looking-Glass. I'd read it in a posh British accent, and you memorized every time in the first chapter Alice would say..." 35 "...let's pretend!" I say jovially, making her laugh. "Still my favorite book." 36 I haven't read that book in such a long time. I couldn't read it without thinking of Nicole, so I let it collect dust. Sometimes we need to pick up our favorites things and remember why we loved them to begin with. 37 Nicole doesn't say she's sorry, but I know she is. I don't have to say I forgive her because she knows I do. Coffees in hand, the March Hare and the Hatter strolled through the forest to give testimony before the King of Hearts on who stole the tarts. 38 -- Monday -- October 12, 2026 39 -Chase Kramner- 40 Some moments of life feel like hours but are seconds. The time it takes for Marlene's body to land in the entryway of the courthouse I measure in days. Marlene's blood sprays onto my face, and I drop my coffee in shock. The cup and her body impact the ground at the same time. 41 "Down!" I shout. Time has now sped up. 42 Henry Silverlake and Hugh Willard collide in a scramble of self-preservation. A second round goes off and Hugh drops dead next to Marlene. Silverlake stumbles over the bodies, likely saving his life, as a third round misses, shattering the glass wall which Silverlake then sprints through. A fourth bullet hits the building just above the frame of the wall. 43 Summer Pillsbury screams as I pull her and Zillah Calvin to the ground. I instruct them to crawl toward a bench for something resembling cover. I crawl with them to cover, and the shooting appears to have stopped. I call the dispatch desk sergeant and put the phone to my ear. 44 "Dispatch, Sergeant Collins." 45 "This is Sergeant Kramner. I'm under fire!" I shout into the phone, taking a quick look over the hedge. 46 "Shit, where are you?" Collins asks. 47 "Outside of the courthouse," I say. 48 "North or south?" 49 "Uh...south," I say after thinking for a moment. "Send ambulance. Two civilians down. Shooter likely has a long rifle." 50 "Are you hit?" 51 "Negative," I say, and peek over again. I don't see a shooter, but I feel the heat from a bullet zip over my head before it thuds against the building. "Shit!" 52 "How many people are with you?" 53 "Four, including the victims," I say. 54 "Stay down, three nearby units are coming up fast. They'll jump the curb to form cover. Stay on the line with me until you see them," he says. Now we are back to the world going by in slow-motion. I take the chance of looking, but still do not see a sniper. My best guess is the third or second floor above a restaurant across the street. 55 "They're here," I say, and end the call as I see three squad cars jump the curb at the intersection. It felt like forever, but it was only a minute. The officers drive up bumper to bumper and stop in front of the building. I pull Summer and Zillah to their feet and hold their heads down as we move to the cars. "Stay low." 56 Officers jump out of the cars and aim toward the opposite side of the street. I secure Summer in a vehicle while another officer takes care of Zillah. An officer and I check Marlene and Hugh, but they're both gone. 57 "Leave them, this is a crime scene. Get the civilians out and make a call to get this place cordoned off," I say. The officer nods and gets to the car. 58 "You coming?" 59 "Keep me covered until I get across," I say, then draw my weapon and sprint to the other side of the street. No shots. This shooter might already be gone. I run around a parked car and put my back to the left of the windows. A female officer sprints across as well. Once with me, she spins her finger above her head, and the officers mount up and leave. 60 "You got an idea where it came from?" she asks. Her sleeve has Sergeant chevrons on it, and her name plate says Sergeant Donner. 61 "No, happened too fast," I say, then lean over while looking up. "I'm thinking straight shot. This building." 62 "We kicking?" she asks, looking around me and at the restaurant's windows. 63 "I don't think the shooter is going out of the front door," I say, and look down both sides of the street, looking for the shortest route to the next intersection. "We'll head around back." 64 Sergeant Donner and I keep low past the windows. The alley is a short distance, and we turn into it. 65 "Third building," she says to remind me as we run. We both hear a thud above us and see someone jumping onto the third floor of the fire escape. "Don't move!" The suspect fires at us with a handgun. Donner and I duck down behind a dumpster. She then leans out and fires a round up, but the suspect jumps into a window. 66 "Suspect is in building immediately across the street from courthouse," Donner says into the radio. "You get the building number?" she asks me. "Requesting additional units." 67 We both hear a metallic ting against the concrete, and something roll toward us. I see a stun-grenade and try to throw myself and Donner away from it. 68 "Grenade!" I shout as I squeeze my eyes shut. I am instantly deaf as I pull us to the corner where the dumpster meets the wall. I open my eyes and Donner is muttering something, but I cannot hear her. She looks dazed and is trying to find her radio. I look up to the fire escape and see the suspect on the second floor. I fire a round to force them back inside. 69 "Don't you fucking move!" I think I shout. I can't hear myself. I stumble away from Donner with my gun up. I put my shoulder to the wall directly under the escape. I see a shadow and fire. 70 Something touches my shoulder, and I reflexively turn, but stop when I see some reinforcements have arrived. I point at my eyes with two fingers, and then point up. He nods and I try the door just ahead of me, finding it unlocked. Before I enter, I open my mouth wide, trying to pop my ears. The silence is gone, but it has been replaced by that deafening ring. My head is throbbing so much I feel ready to puke. I try my best to shake myself loose, then enter the building. 71 I walk into a kitchen area, and see the staff crouched low to the floor. Two chefs in white coats, and a waiter in a green shirt and black vest with his back to a door and a bag lying in front of him. They must have heard the firefight outside. I move my jacket to show them my shield. 72 "Stairs?" I ask, and I see the lips move on the waiter. "Point." He points to a door directly across from himself. "Stay down." I nearly trip over his bag and kick it out of my way to reach the door. 73 The door is unlocked, and I aim up the narrow stairwell. How did the shooter get up here without anyone seeing them? They likely entered through the fire escape too. I try popping my ears again, then slowly begin to ascend the stairs. To the right are two doors on opposite sides of the hallway that ends at a broken window. The left door has been left ajar. 74 I quickly look down the opposite end of the hall and see it leads to a large open room with tall windows facing the courthouse. Could be the sniper's nest. 75 "Police, surrender now!" I shout and wait for the response I likely still can't hear. I hate clearing rooms. 76 I maneuver to the open door and put my shoulder to the wall. I push it open with my non-dominant hand and aim inside. Right side clear. I ram the door fully open as I step in and aim left, and behind the door. All clear. I see a shadow join mine too late. I could not hear the steps. 77 I aim back, but the suspect grabs my hand, then chops me in the throat. My wrists are held as I stumble back, so I squeeze off a round, but the suspect pushes up and the bullet hits the ceiling. Before I can do anything else, I am kicked in the groin then flipped over their shoulder. I crash to the ground but manage to control my gun. Before I can fire, my gun is punted out of my hand and across the room. I roll backwards and connect a mule kick square to their chest, knocking them back several feet into the frame of the window and breaking it. 78 I scramble to my feet, still dazed from the throw and the dick kick. This is the first moment I can really look at this person. Full black tactical clothing complete with a black mask with side respirators. I can see their eyes are blue, and that their blonde hair is wrapped into a bun. I felt an armor plate when I kicked. On the chest I see the curve of a bust. This is a woman. 79 The assassin draws her knife and holds it properly. Solid stance. She knows how to use that thing. My training helps me react without thinking, and I pivot to grab her wrist. I watch as she drops the knife intentionally and moves to attack high. She slides under my arm, jumps onto my back, and locks a choke hold. She predicted I would guard low and leave myself open. 80 My fingers try to dig under her arms, but I cannot wiggle them to my own neck. Last ditch effort, I jump and fall straight to my back. My hearing is coming back because I hear her grunt, but she keeps the hold. I reach over my shoulder and find her head. I grab her hair and punch straight back onto the top of her dome. She is not giving up. 81 I roll us to my stomach and buck forward with everything I have left. She flips over me, releasing the hold. I push myself to my knees and cough. She tries to kick me in the face, but I catch her foot and push straight back to get some separation so I can get back to my feet. She draws a handgun from her ankle but is shot a moment later by Donner at the door. 82 The woman falls to the floor and her gun slides into the corner. Donner and I secure her on the ground. Her plate caught the round, but a shot will still mess you up. I know that from experience. We cuff her, and Donner holds her down with a knee to her back. 83 I remove her mask, and see I am correct. It is a woman. Young, Caucasian female with blue eyes and blonde hair. No freckles or blemishes. Sharp and lean features. 84 Donner gives her Miranda, but the woman just stares at me intensely. "Do you understand!" Donner shouts. 85 "She understands," I say, and Donner drags her away. A few more officers arrive to escort her out, and I advise keeping a gun on her with six feet of standoff. 86 -- Monday -- October 12, 2026 87 -Midge Appletree- 88 I never imagined I would have to investigate the murder of the person who I investigated for murder on the day of opening statements. Should be a short investigation, considering Chase caught the likely shooter. I am joined by Sergeant Jeffrey McCants from the formerly independent Missing Persons department. I must work with Jeff because my partner William Kaiser cannot touch the case, and neither can Lieutenant Ito because Chase was involved. This is why I don't date cops. 89 Jeff is a big lovable oaf. He stopped caring about his health ten years ago and is a decidedly rotund man. Two divorces, three kids he doesn't see, and he is a functional alcoholic. Temporarily quit the force to join the Army after 9/11 and did one tour in Afghanistan. Has floated around every department in the Investigations Division but spent most of his career in Violent Crime. Not ambitious for command and has been on the force for thirty years. 90 "Goddamn," Jeff says as he watches CSI take pictures. I look across the street and see people in the windows on every floor, looking for the sniper's position. Jill is in the courthouse trying to find the angle while Heath is trying to pull a slug intact out of the wall. At the corner I see Chief Whitaker talking to press while other officers are holding onlookers back. 91 "Officers," we all hear Mayor Maxwell say as he approaches us. They say being the DA is just an audition for being the mayor. He has the worst qualities of both a politician and a lawyer. And after one bad Tribune article, a 15% approval rating going into the election next month. His only saving grace is that his challenger is embroiled in a sex scandal with his daughter's high school friends. The only thing worse than being a corrupt prosecutor twenty years ago is screwing teenagers last week. 92 Chapter 2 "Mr. Mayor," I say. 94 "I want this crime scene completed as fast as possible. Not great to leave two bodies on the steps of the courthouse in full view," he says. 95 "Also not great to have a sloppy investigation because of politics," Jill says from inside. "Don't tell me how to do my job, and I won't tell you your poll numbers." I see everyone nearby physically clench from holding back laughter. 96 "Just get it done," Maxwell hisses and then walks towards the cameras he knows better than to explode in front of. 97 "Damn Jill, use a dick why don't ya," I say, and she laughs. 98 "Fuck him," Jill says, the resumes her work. 99 "Anything weird?" Jeff asks Jill. 100 "Besides an assassin sniping people in broad daylight? Not really. Five shots fired. First is a through and through headshot. Female victim is dead instantly, falls to the ground. Second shot has similar trajectory, hits the male victim. Third shot shifts to the right, shattering the window and impacted the floor of the hallway leading to the elevators, tumbled, and went through the doors on the opposite side. Frankie is looking for it. Fourth shot hits the building exterior just above the frame of the glass wall. Last shot was either to take off Chase's head or keep his head down. Shooter couldn't have been higher than the third floor with the angles." 101 "Do we assume someone specific was the target?" I ask, and Jeff looks at me. 102 "Doesn't look like it. Looks like they were trying to get everyone," Jeff says. 103 "You got a caliber?" Jill asks Heath. 104 "You can't rush this boss," Heath says, now sawing a square from the wall with the bullet in the center. "They find the rifle?" 105 "She ditched it somewhere in the building. They can't find it," Jill says. 106 "She?" I ask. 107 "The sniper was a woman. At least, that's who Chase fought. She was in military tactical clothing with a ballistic vest. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's not a coincidence," Jill explains. I ask where Chase is, and she points to the building. "Second floor." 108 "Jeff, you got it here?" I ask, and he nods. "Witnesses are still at the station. After I debrief Chase, we're talking to them." 109 "Who's the Sergeant here?" Jeff asks. 110 "Don't argue, I'm pregnant," I say and start walking across the street. 111 The street is completely blocked by police, and media starts shouting at me as I cross. I ignore them and enter McGee's after signing the logbook to keep track of who was coming and going. 112 The room looks like a typical Irish Pub with booths on both sides with several standing tables. The bar is a large semicircle surrounded by tall chairs. Five televisions hang above the bar, and I imagine they show sports during hours of operation. 113 At the other end of the dining area of the pub is an officer keeping guard at the swinging doors. He is under strict orders to inform me I need to glove up and extends a box to me. 114 I push the gloves into the recesses between my fingers as I walk up the stairs. To my right a photo snaps and I hear movement of the CSI analysts. Left of me is a large, empty room with tall windows facing the courthouse. It looks like an empty office space. Chase is sitting on a chair as an EMT is checking him out. His wounds appear superficial, but I can tell he got into a hard fight. 115 "Heard you got beat up by a girl," I say, and Chase laughs as the EMT is touching his throat to check for something. 116 "That hurt?" the EMT asks. 117 "A little," Chase says, his voice noticeable hoarse. 118 "He good to talk?" I ask the EMT who nods. 119 "You'll likely get some bruising, but you should be okay," the EMT says and leaves the room with his medical bag. 120 "What happened?" I ask, and he exhales. "Let's start with the perp." 121 "She's in custody, so I'll save you time with the description," he starts, and I nod to say that was fine. "Competent combatant, highly trained." 122 "What do you mean?" I ask. 123 "If she was of comparable strength to me, I'd be dead," he says. Chase is not a push over in a fight. "She didn't get a carotid hold on me, but she was trained. Nathan's level of training." 124 "Could you tell nationality with an accent or something else?" 125 "Couldn't tell you because she never spoke. I'd guess military or police background, leaning more on the military side. How many countries allow women in Special Operations?" Chase asks. 126 "Not many. It should narrow it down," I say and write that in my notes. "She got a choke hold on you?" 127 "She managed that by feigning a knife strike," Chase says, and I do not follow. "When she drew the knife, I took this stance," Chase says and demonstrates. "This stance screams 'I know how to react to a knife'. If it came down to a force on force struggle for it, I'd win. She knew that, so didn't go force on force. She feigns low and across the body, then drops the knife. My reaction leaves my non-dominant side open, and she gets around to sink the hold, but couldn't lock the carotid. Textbook. Like I said, she's trained." 128 "Why were you nearby?" I ask. 129 "To gloat, I guess. To watch Marlene walk into the courthouse," Chase says, then claps his hands. "Bam! Both, right in front of me." 130 "Which bullet got Marlene?" 131 "The first. I counted five. Three followed the first, and the last was meant for me. I don't think she was the target," Chase says, and I ask him who was and why. "Hugh Willard got hit while him and Silverlake got tangled up. The next two shots were going after Silverlake." 132 "You think Silverlake was the real target?" I ask, and he nods. 133 "Best guess. At least in addition to Marlene. Where is he?" Chase asks, and I shrug. "Almost like he knows it was meant for him." 134 "We got a BOLO out on him already. He'll turn up," I say. "You good?" 135 "I'll be fine," Chase says while rubbing his throat. 136 "I'm going to head back to the station. CSI looks like they'll be a minute. Call in, head home if you can," I say, and he says he will. 137 -- I have a feeling the rest of my day is going to be interviewing people. Four people saw Marlene Black and Hugh Willard take a bullet. Three people heard the gunshots from within the building they were fired from. I have never had so many direct witnesses to a murder. 138 Jeff and I have tried our best to keep the two isolated until we talk to them. Chase, I interviewed on site. Zillah Calvin and Summer Pillsbury, we keep in different rooms. Henry Silverlake ran and kept running, but we'll find him. 139 "Just tell us what happened," Jeff says to Zillah. He is postured against the wall next to the open interview door. Lawyers have a tendency of being extra squirrely, so the door is open to create a more open atmosphere. I am sitting on a chair across the table from her, leaning back and resting my hands on my belly. Even after evacuating under fire, she appears pristine and unaffected. Form fitting porcelain white office dress somehow unblemished from crawling, squeezing her porn star tits together. Perfectly manicured nails with a naked finish. I can smell her European perfume. Sometimes I hate being married; the shit I would do to this woman. 140 "What is there to tell? I was escorting my client to the courthouse when someone shot her and my partner," she says in a huff. She just looks annoyed. Lawyer hasn't called her lawyer. She knows better, so I find that odd. 141 "How many shots did you hear?" I ask. 142 "I think four. At least three," she replies. It's common to get contradicting stories on the amount of shots. I show her a surveillance snapshot a moment before the first shot was fired. The camera at the door which captured everyone standing near, or in the process of entering the courthouse. Zillah's hand is on Marlene's back. "Detective Kramner and her had a history. He seemed to be there for no other reason than to antagonize my client. I was attempting to push her through the door and not let him provoke her." Chase admitted as much. "Perhaps he even tried to stall her at the door," she suggests. I had a feeling she would go there. 143 "Let's stay on topic," I say to prevent her from taking control of the conversation. "Did you see the shooter?" 144 "No," she says. 145 "Did you see what floor they were on? Which building?" 146 "No. You can ask that ten different ways, my answer will still be no. In this photo, I am clearly not facing the street," she says, spinning the photo around and sliding it back across the table to me. 147 "You are facing a reflective surface," Jeff says from behind me, and that caught her off guard. She wasn't prepared to answer that, so she takes time to contemplate her reply. 148 "I suppose I am. But at that moment, I wasn't observant for something like that because I had no reason to be concerned for my safety," she says. 149 "I know Marlene Black was your client, but what was the relationship with Henry Silverlake?" I ask. 150 "Defense Investigator. Common practice," she says. 151 "Even after that article on him?" Jeff asks. 152 "You mean the unsubstantiated hit job written by the same person slowing our entrance into the courthouse?" she replies, pointing at Summer Pillsbury standing next to Chase. Jeff snuck in one 'gotcha' and thinks he will get another. He won't. "What about him?" 153 "Where is he?" I ask. 154 "I haven't left police observation since the shooting, why would I know?" she asks. 155 "Do you have an idea why he would run?" Jeff asks. He is accustomed to asking narrative questions with victims. He hasn't sat at a homicide desk for years, and it is showing. 156 "Are you kidding?" Zillah asks. 'Why would a man being shot at, run? Surely you jest detective.' She didn't say that, but her posture is highly expressive. 157 "He has evaded all attempts to contact us, or be contacted," I say. 158 "His problem, not mine," she says, and I decide we need more on Silverlake before we can start pressuring the others on his absence. I like Silverlake for the target, but I need him in a room first. "Can I go?" 159 "Sure. Keep your phone on," I say, and she leaves. "Next." 160 Summer Pillsbury is still trembling hours later. She recovers, however, and asks for a quote. I cut her loose and instruct a uniformed officer to escort her all the way out, so she doesn't start roaming the halls. The two cooks from the restaurant do not speak English, but Jeff's Spanish is good enough. I have to trust that they don't have much to share. We both agree to release them even though they were illegal aliens. Not our case. The final person we have left to interview is the waiter Saulius Grybauskaitė. 161 Saulius "Saul' is an immigrant from Lithuania. He is six feet and change and slim like a swimmer. His dark hair is pulled into a bun to keep it out of his face. Thin facial hair encircles his mouth. I see the start of tattoos on his wrists, covered by the sleeves of his shirt on both arms. I see some foreign lettering I cannot make out on the back of his hands. Several of his fingers have rings tattooed on them. 162 Saul has his visa on him, and hands it to us at the beginning of the interview. It is a U non-immigrant visa, and I do not know what that means. I ask Jeff to run down some of the information while I conduct the interview. 163 "What kind of visa is that?" I ask, and he hesitates a little. "Saulius?" 164 "Please, just Saul," he says with a thick accent. It could easily be confused as Russian, but I know it isn't. He knows English, but I have a feeling I will ask him to repeat things or say them differently a few times. He leans across the table invasively, elbows down, hands supporting his chin. I cannot determine if he is trying to be intimidating, or coquettish. Either way, I don't like it. 165 "What kind of visa? I've never heard of a U non-immigrant," I say, and he shifts in his seat a little, but keeps his forward lean. 166 "I'm not sure how much I can say," he explains. 167 "Detective?" I hear from behind me. One of the uniformed officers' hands me a handwritten message on a sticky note. U Non-immigrant Visa: Victim of Criminal Activity. Jeff sent that to tide me over. He could be a witness under protection. I wonder which agency is going to call us today. 168 "Victim of criminal activity?" I ask, and he nods. "I won't ask any questions about that, until it's relevant. Just tell me what happened." 169 "Starting when?" Saul asks. Fair question. 170 "Start from when you arrived at work," I say. 171 "Sure. I park in front of building. I am also shift manager, so open for the day. Clean, set up tables, things like that," he explains. The longer his sentences are, the more broken they become. He fiddles with his hands, and I see an additional tattoo of an eye on his palms. 172 "About what time?" I ask. 173 "I'd say six thirty. I let the cooks in at seven thirty..." he says, then clams up. He does come across as somewhat overconfident and cocky, but he is concerned about outing his employees. 174 "The immigration status of the cooks is immaterial to us. We already let them go," I explain, and he nods in gratitude. 175 "They start their day. Then I hear gunshot. Three gunshot," he says, holding up three fingers. Plurals are not his strongest attribute, and neither is counting. "Fast, but not, very fast, if that makes sense." I think he is trying to explain the rate of fire, so ask him. "Yes. Like, pop-pop-pop." Semi-auto rifle. Bolt action is unlikely with that rate of fire. 176 "Where did the shots come from?" I ask. 177 "I don't know for sure. Sounded above. Like the second or third floor," he says. 178 "What is upstairs exactly?" I ask. 179 "Unrented office space. We don't use it. Not me at least. The cooks like to smoke up there when the weather sucks. Just don't tell boss that," he says, then winks at me. That confirms the intent of his posture. He is a flirt, but something else is making me uncomfortable, and my radar is usually accurate. He isn't looking at me like I'm a person. His eyes look like someone admiring food to be devoured. 180 "Who is the boss?" I ask. 181 "Anton," he says, and I ask for the last name. "Mamedova." 182 "He Lithuanian as well?" I ask. 183 "No. Georgian," he replies. I ask if he is the owner, or manager. "Owner. Big boss." 184 A Lithuanian works at an Irish Pub, with Latino cooks, that is owned by a Georgian. No matter how weird my day gets, nothing will beat that. 185 "What did you do when the shots were fired?" I ask. 186 "I was in the basement waiting for tablecloth to dry. Our washing machines are there. When shooting start, I was downstairs," he says. 187 "You heard the gunshots, from the second or third floor, from the basement with a dryer running?" I ask, and he nods. 188 "Loud. Pop-pop-pop." 189 "Uh huh," I say, and he looks like he knows I don't believe him. 190 "I get upstairs, then hear the gunshot from the alley. Police come in, I direct him upstairs," he says. Doesn't mention the stun-grenade. Do I, or do I not ask him if he heard it? Fuck it, he's already suspicious. 191 "Did you hear a bigger boom?" I ask, and he tilts his head like a dog following a bone. Hurry up Jeff. "A concussive boom?" 192 "Concuss?" he asks, confused by the word. 193 "Did the blast...could you feel it in your chest, or stomach. Like a drum being pounded," I say while slapping my chest at the collar bone. 194 "Oh, yeah. Before the shooting," he says. That doesn't conform with Chase and Sergeant Donner's stories. They fired, then got stunned. I'll lean on that later if I must. 195 "Midge," I hear from the door, and turn over my shoulder to see Jeff gesturing for me. I politely excuse myself, then push my pregnant ass off the chair and waddle into the hall. "We got some shit." 196 "What kind?" I say, and he takes us even further away from the room. "What?" 197 "While I was digging into our boy, I got a call. Guess who?" 198 "Just tell me." 199 "FBI," he says. Goddamn Feds. 200 "That guy is an FBI informant?" I ask, and he shrugs in reply. 201 "They didn't give me details. They said let him go," he says. 202 "Fuck," I say, and he nods. "We cutting him?" 203 "We got nothing to hold him on anyway," Jeff says, and I don't disagree. "What was your read?" 204 "I like him for something. He's not ignorant of what happened," I explain. I really hope I don't need to pull him back in later. I walk to the door and step inside. "Thank you for your time Mr. Grybauskaitė." I butchered that. "If you think of anything, give me a call." I extend my card to him from the tips of my fingers. 205 "Thank you. I will help," he says as he takes the card. "Have a good day." 206 I leave the room and join Jeff in the hall. 207 "What now?" Jeff asks as we walk to the elevator. 208 "Warrants for camera footage, start going through it. I was already investigating Marlene Black for murder, but let's give her a once over again, then move to Silverlake. You got that FBI Agent's number?" I ask, and he nods. "Send them the picture of the assassin. See if they know of her." 209 "Got it," Jeff replies. "When do you want to interview the shooter?" 210 "Let her strew for a little more. Labs are trying to get an ID, so let's hold off. I want to least go in there with her name," I say, and he agrees. 211 -- Tuesday -- October 13, 2026 212 -Jennifer Ito- 213 Detectives Appletree and McCants give me a run down on the status of the current courthouse murder. The case Midge would have been testifying for in two weeks. That Chase would have testified in next month. So much for that. 214 "Silverlake?" I ask after they inform me one of the key witnesses is still missing. He is also likely the true target of the assassination. My first question is naturally who wants him dead so bad they would hire a sniper to kill him? 215 "In the wind. Ran into the courthouse south entrance and straight out the north side. APB out, but nothing so far," Midge summarizes. 216 "We're going to try and talk to the assassin again in about an hour," McCants says. They have already spent hours trying to get a word out of her. The woman hasn't even cleared her throat. We have no ID on her. 217 "Do it while you can," I say, and they both ask what I mean by that that. "Chief is trying to make the FBI take the case." 218 "Why?" Midge asks. 219 "Two reasons. One of the witnesses might be an informant, and because that woman is an assassin and we have nothing on her in terms of print or DNA. Nothing. She is a ghost," I say, and they both look at each other. "She is dangerous, without a doubt. Someone trained her, and someone may not like where she is." 220 "What does he expect to happen?" Jeff asks. 221 "No idea, but I agree. She might be a higher risk than we can handle," I say. 222 "Just because she beat up your boyfriend?" Midge asks with a laugh, and I bite my lower lip to contain myself. 223 "Just don't expect to have the case for very long. Get to it," I say and they both start leaving my office. "Appletree, stay a moment, close the door." Midge does as requested after Jeff leaves. 224 "What's up LT?" she asks, then takes one step toward me. 225 "Leave my personal life out of work discussions. At home, he's my boyfriend. Here, he's Sergeant Kramner. Understood?" I ask, and she nods. 226 "I didn't mean anything by it," she says while holding her hands up defensively. 227 "I know. It's bad enough I was IA. I already have enough problems commanding authority as a woman, without you reminding my Sergeants where I spend my evenings," I say, and she nods. "Do you understand?" 228 "Yes ma'am," she says, and I dismiss her. 229 It's difficult enough trying run things being a woman. Add the fact people still see me as the IA snitch who investigated their friends and ended careers. Multiply that with me sleeping with a Sergeant in a different department. To top it all, my ex-husband is the Captain of Patrol Three. That is a perfect storm for insubordination. 230 The layout of the new unit is four teams: the dedicated Homicide, Violent Crime, Missing Persons teams, and the floater team. Four Sergeants, each partnered with a junior detective. I run Sergeants McCants' and Kaiser's teams. Kaiser is still partnered with Midge, but I do not like the optics of Kaiser near Marlene Black, so ordered a swap for the time being. 231 Chapter 3 After an hour of email and budgeting overtime, I decide to walk the office and see the progress of cases. Kaiser is working with Detective Ingrid Hazel on a domestic assault case. The case board for the murder has some new information I haven't been briefed on. They still haven't found the sniper rifle. The assassin had two handguns; a SIG P266 and a Berretta NANO she concealed at her ankle. To round out her kit she also had a Chris Reeve knife. We also found one expended M84 stun grenade. I had to deal with Chase being nauseous all night because of it. 233 Black plate carrier with ammunition chest rack. That is our only indication of what rifle she could have used. On her person we found one twenty round magazine of 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. There is a long list of rifles compatible with that cartridge. 234 Chase said this woman was highly trained. Special Operations level of lethality. She is so proficient we don't know conclusively where she made that shot from. My money is that she sanitized it before leaving, which is why Chase was able to catch her. She took time to clean up the place and ditch the weapon. Where the hell is that rifle? 235 As I examine the murder board, I see Heath from the CSI lab enter with a folder. I have noticed when the CSI lab finds something potentially crucial, they come in person to brief the preliminary findings. Or they ask us to come to the basement. 236 "Something new?" I ask Heath who nods. Midge and Jeff both hear me, so begin to migrate over. "What do you have?" 237 "Only one round fired toward the courthouse stayed intact. Likely the first one. The second, fourth, and fifth shattered, while the third we never found. The one I could recover, I can confidently say seven-six-two," he explains. 238 "Anything else?" Jeff asks. That kind of information only helps a prosecutor. Digging after an ammunition purchase is too much of a haystack. 239 "The ammunition we pulled off her, all reloads," he says, and extends the file out. Midge and Jeff both reach at the same time, but Midge forgot about her belly and leans back after a brief struggle. 240 "Reloads?" Midge asks. 241 "Reused shell casings to make her bullets. Her seven-six-two, and her parabellum, were all reloads. Crimping gives it away," he explains, then points to the pictures he had printed. Jeff hands it off to Midge who examines it next. 242 "What do you think that means?" I ask. 243 "The only brass we found was from her handgun, not the rifle. She cleaned that brass up before trying to get away. Like the rifle itself, not there. That tells me she is either a sport shooting enthusiast, or a professional killer. We're still trying to identify her tattoos." 244 "Where did she take the shot from?" I ask. 245 "Chief is thinking third floor, second to left window. She preemptively saturated every room facing the courthouse with cleaning chemicals on the second and third floors. We're going off chemical dissipation to get this conclusion, and general angle trajectory. Half decent defense attorney can pick that assessment apart." That's not a coincidence. 246 "You were saying about tattoos?" I ask, and he requests that Midge flip to some pictures in the back. 247 "Her clothing obscures some of them, but she is significantly inked. We can only record the ones we can plainly see. Need a warrant for a full body examination. I have only seen this kind of ink on organized crime. This case, I'd say Russian," Heath explains, and I order them to get a warrant. 248 "Russian, or Soviet?" Midge asks, and Heath turns his entire body to her. "Our Lithuanian witness had tats as well. Couldn't see them in detail, but he had them. Owner of the Pub is Georgian. Lithuania and Georgia, both former Soviet." 249 "I'm not a Russian crime expert," Heath says, resisting the urge to make assumptions with charisma just to impress us. Being able to say 'I don't know' is healthy. 250 Midge hands me the pictures of her tattoos. Her hands are colored, as are her arms until they crawl up her sleeve and out of view. There appears to be rings tattooed on her fingers, as well as Russian letters on the back of her left hand. It looks like barbed wire is wrapped up her left arm, and a snarling leopard is on her forearm. On the back of her right hand is a grinning Cheshire cat wearing the Hatter's hat. Her right bicep is partially obscured, but I can see the point of a blade with several drops of blood dripping. 251 "Do we know what these mean?" I ask, and Heath shakes his head. 252 "I'd recommend sending them to the FBI. Look at her hand, that script is Cyrillic. Russian. I did a little research, and the cat makes me assume Russian organized crime," Heath says. What the hell does a cat have to do with anything? 253 "I'll just trust you on that. Thanks," I say, and he quietly dismisses himself. "Tattoo warrant, now." 254 "Is that even a thing?" Midge asks. 255 "Call legal, find out," I say, then return to my office. 256 -- Tuesday -- October 13, 2026 257 -Derek Whitaker- 258 I hate my days when my officers are in the midst of a high-profile murder case. Not because of the victim, but because of the circumstances. I start and end my day with a presser, which means full blues and stars and my stoic face as I try not to tear apart reporters who ask stupid questions. Election years make it worse because Maxwell is up my ass more than he usually is. 259 After this morning's presser, I enter my office and immediately dress down to my suit. I place my uniform neatly on hangers and return to my desk when my phone rings. 260 "Jared?" 261 "You have an unscheduled visitor sir," he says, and I pause for a moment. "He says his name is Wallace Trapper." 262 My least favorite campaign advisor. He stopped by my office, along with several other campaign surrogates, several times in the last few months to convince me into endorsing a candidate for mayor. I gave them all the same answer; no. I am not politician, and I have no interests in getting involved, even to endorse someone. 263 "Let him in," I say. Let's just get it over with. 264 Wallace is a white-haired gentlemen with a portly body squeezed into a suit too small. Talks fast and can convince a stripper to tip him for the conversation. Thankfully, I am not a stripper. 265 "My opinion hasn't changed," I say from my desk as he walks in and has a seat. 266 "Mine has," he says, and I raise my eyebrows. "This election is going to be a disaster." 267 "When your candidate is caught in an affair with his daughter's cheerleading team, that tends to happen," I say. They were eighteen, so the most we investigated was if they were underaged at any point of the affair. Peter Nicce isn't completely stupid, at a bare minimum. 268 "My former client. That's choice A. Choice B is the incumbent who wrongfully convicted five men in a single year. And likely covered up the fact his nephew murdered a girl. Those are the options right now; a corrupt politician and a pedophile." 269 "And you want me to endorse one of them?" I ask. 270 "No. Like I said, former client, and my opinion has changed. What the city needs, is a dark horse," Wallace says, and suddenly I realize why he's here. He wants me to be an independent candidate. 271 "Firstly, I'm not a politician. Secondly, what the hell makes you think I'm a viable candidate less than a month away. Am I even eligible?" I ask. 272 "You let me worry about that, I wouldn't be here if you were ineligible. You wouldn't ask those questions if you weren't interested," he replies. He is good, but I still doubt I would have a chance if I were interested. 273 "You already jump off Nicce's ship?" I ask, and he confirms a third time. "I'm not viable." 274 "I've been doing a bunch of focus groups, to gauge public perception. When asked Maxwell, Nicce, or anyone else, seventy percent of respondents said anyone else. When asked to decide amongst a group of possible contenders, I added your name. You're popular. Extremely popular. Sixty seven percent said they'd back you." 275 Wow. 276 "Six thousand likely voter sample size. Thirty thousand people voted in the last election. I'd say that's pretty goddamn representative," Wallace says, and watches my reaction. Do I have a shot at being mayor? Do I want that? 277 "I'm not a politician." 278 "Everyone says that until they're a politician. That's part of your appeal. Military veteran. Police officer, and not a politician. A no nonsense doer, not talker. Youngest police chief in the city's history, crime is going down, minus the occasional sniper, but people trust you to handle it." 279 Do not get me started on that goddamn sniper. I have a bad feeling about her. She is a ghost, and I do not like what that implies. I'm honestly surprised the CIA or something similar hasn't shown up to collect their rogue asset. 280 "I'll think about it," I say, and he smiles. "That's not a yes." 281 "I have until Friday to file the paperwork," he says, standing up from his seat. "Look what you've done with this job. Hand pick your successor and get the red tape out of their way." 282 That does sound like something I could get behind. 283 -- Tuesday -- October 13, 2026 284 -Chase Kramner- 285 It took a little convincing, but I did talk Jenn and Midge into letting me interview the assassin before we lose her. I study the case board for an hour to gather the information I need, then call her from holding to put her into a room. Secured to the table by steel chains. 286 I am already leaning against the two-way mirror when she arrives. Her expression does not change when she sees me. The officers secure her to the table, and in the process of her lifting her arms, I see a tattoo of hands holding her sides, with an eye in the palms. The woman's eyes find mine, and we begin a staring contest. After a minute, she looks at the table, and keeps her eyes there. 287 "Who trained you?" I ask, and she keeps looking down. "Most people in the military have their DNA on file. Nothing for you. No prints either. I double checked with SOCOM, just asked for a yes or no. Didn't ask for details, just, do you know her? They said no. No facial recognition, nothing. You don't exist anywhere in the United States military or law enforcement data bases. Your tattoos suggest Russian." 288 The assassin says nothing. 289 "Foreign?" I ask. Nothing. Next pivot. 290 "Knife handling technique was good. I did a lot of looking last night. Marine Corps style, right?" I ask, and her head tilts up, just a little. That is a response. I'm getting somewhere. 291 "Maybe not a Marine, but you were trained by one," I say, and she fidgets in her seat. Getting warm. "Dad was a Marine if I had to believe something." 292 "If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you," she mutters to herself. She speaks. 293 "What was that?" I ask. Her head rises, and our eyes lock. 294 "If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you," she says, then slowly grins. I want her to keep talking so I can nail down an accent. 295 "What's your name?" I ask. Back to the silent treatment. 296 'If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.' That is cryptic, but weirder still, is that I have a burning feeling I know that phrase. What the hell triggered that response? It sounded almost Pavlovian. Something tells me this woman is not playing with a full deck mentally. 297 The door opens behind me, and I see Midge gesture for me to leave for a moment. I do and close the door. 298 "What?" I ask. "I got her to say something, just let me keep going." 299 "I just searched that phrase. It's from Alice in Wonderland," Midge says, and shows me her phone. I resist correcting her phrasing of the title. 300 "Well, now that we have seen each other," said the unicorn, "If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you..." That's not from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; that's from Through the Looking-Glass. The Cheshire-cat is from the former. 301 "What does that mean?" I ask, and she shrugs, admitting she also has no idea. 302 "Does she seem like she isn't all there?" Midge asks while touching her temple. 303 "Oh yeah," I say, and look at the door over my shoulder. "Should I play to Alice in Wonderland?" Great, now she has me saying it too. 304 "That's the only time she's spoken. Worth a shot," Midge suggest. 305 I return to the room and sit down across from her. She has not moved an inch. 306 "May I call you Alice?" I ask, and her head shoots up to me. We make eye contact again, and she smiles. 307 "Yes," she replies. Holy shit. 308 "Where did you put the rifle Alice?" I ask, and she shrugs. "Don't remember?" 309 "Down the rabbit hole," she replies. I am comfortable with saying American accent. Slight twang to it. 310 The door opens behind me again, and this time I see a man with a briefcase. What now? A middle-aged man with thin hair and a suit that is wearing him. He looks rather silly with a tie covered in red hearts. 311 "This is my client and she will no longer agree to interview without my presence," the man says, and I rise from my chair to face him. 312 "She hasn't asked for a lawyer. She's barely said a word." 313 "He is my lawyer," Alice says. Fuck me. 314 "Unless one of those words was waiving her rights, I'd like the room with my client," the lawyer says, and I look through the glass and motion to cut the cameras and microphone. I exit the room and slam the door shut behind me. 315 "What the hell just happened?" Midge asks. 316 "The assassin has a lawyer." 317 -- Wednesday -- October 14, 2026 318 -Midge Appletree- 319 That rifle just straight up vanished. At best we have Alice for the attempted murder of a police officer. Until we find that rifle, we cannot prove she killed Marlene Black and Hugh Willard. We believe we found the rabbit hole she mentioned. The building used to be a residential structure before the city gentrified the area and remodeled it. The laundry chute was in the halls and led to the basement laundry room. She takes the shot, cleans up, and drops the weapon to the basement. After searching it and finding nothing, we assume she had an accomplice who smuggled it out. I want to interview Saul again, but the FBI is shielding him now. 320 Today she was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and is being held on bail for one hundred thousand dollars. The first thing I suggested was looking into the lawyer who showed up. Anthony Young. At best he has a case history of being an ambulance chaser. We're not sure about the worst. 321 Silverlake still has not been found. No one has seen him. Our initial theory that he was the real target is looking more correct. Silverlake himself seems to know those bullets were meant for him. The questions we need answers for are, who wants him dead, and why? I guess we'll know more if we ever find him. 322 Jeff had the officers do a surveillance walk around the block, so we know where cameras are and who to request footage from. McGee's on the ground floor is our priority. There are two ways in and out of that basement; the alley and the kitchen. The footage from the pub could provide us with some leads on the accomplice. Snipers do not work alone after all. 323 The pub handed over their video without a fuss, and that is the extent of my day. There are a dozen cameras and hours of film, before and after the shooting. Jeff is working the courthouse cameras, and the officers are working on nearby businesses. I scale it back an hour before and an hour after and focus on the two internal cameras after we see no one leave or enter through the alley. Jeff cannot help much because the courthouse camera is canted too low, so the best he can see across the street are the tires of a car parked on the curb. The car belongs to Saul. 324 Anyone carrying a bag out of the building is a priority. There are no patrons because McGee's was not open. The cooks and Saul are preparing food and tables. Three people in the building besides the shooter. I can identify the cooks by their white coats, and Saul is wearing a green shirt with a black vest. There is small blind spot at the space between the kitchen and dining area. The doors leading upstairs and to the basement are both in that blind spot. Saul was in the basement when the shots were fired. I see his shoulder when he returns. It is hard to conclusively say when because of that blind spot. 325 I spend hours watching and re-watching the footage again and again. Is the rifle still in the building? Did Saul hide it in the basement, and we couldn't find it? 326 "Shots go off, staff ducks and covers," I narrate to myself. This camera is above the door and shows the entire seating area. 327 "Here's Chase, three minutes later," I say. I'd say no more than two minutes to disassemble the rifle, pick up the brass, sanitize, throw a bag down the chute, and then escape. The second interior camera is in the kitchen and has a narrow angle that does not have the basement door in view, creating that blind spot. Not so narrow that it would not catch someone leaving after two or three steps. 328 "Anything?" I hear a voice ask and turn my head over my shoulder. Chase is prowling around with nothing to do either. 329 "Does your girl...Lieutenant Ito know your hanging around?" I ask. 330 "She can pull rank on me later. Anything good?" he asks. 331 "Three hours before and after. Nothing conclusive." I say. 332 "Go back further." 333 "How far?" I ask. Time is too critical to waste. 334 "Snipers can hold a position for days at a time in the most difficult environments. I'm sure she could hold down an airconditioned room for longer than three hours," Chase says. That is a good point. "Could she have entered off camera somehow?" 335 "Sure," I say. "You can get to the roof from the fire escapes. Do it a few buildings down, cross the roofs, come back in through the escape above the camera." 336 "That's good. You're a cop, she's an assassin. If you thought about it, she probably did to. You guys do a surveillance sweep?" Chase asks. 337 "You know we did, hence the map," I say, pointing to the case board which has a map around the area. I stand up and wobble to the board to show him. We had put a diamond on the board for every camera with dashed lines to show approximate field of vision. 338 "This is just one giant jigsaw puzzle. Each camera is a piece. You check this one?" Chase asks, putting his finger on a camera across the street and facing the alley. The opposite opening from where Chase and Sergeant Donner entered. Labeled camera five. 339 "Who has camera five?" I ask the officers, and a hand pops up. "How far back are you going?" 340 "Two hours before," the officer replies. 341 "Back it up further. Like midnight," I say, and the officer groans at me. "Officer?" 342 "You got it detective," he says dismissively. 343 "How about you do it without the attitude," a voice says from the door. 344 "I said I got it..." the officer starts to say, then sees the person who said that is Chief Whitaker. His face twists, like he shit himself. 345 "On your feet," Lieutenant Ito shouts from her desk. 346 "As you were. I need an update before I go to the press. What do we have?" he asks and then looks at Chase and sternly says, "Sergeant Kramner, unless you're here to give your statement, get out." 347 "Yes sir," Chase says and leaves the room. 348 "Jeff?" Lieutenant Ito asks. 349 "Sir, I'm going to be straight; we got dick," Jeff says. 350 "Describe the dick," Chief says with a straight face. I pretend to cough to hide my snort. 351 "We can't even conclusively say where she took the shot from. Each room facing the courthouse, was cleaned recently with the same chemicals. We know the angle of the shot suggests it couldn't have been higher than the third floor, and the first is just not in the equation. Third floor is most likely, but the second is still possible" Jeff explains. 352 "So, second or third floor. Find the rifle?" Chief asks. 353 "No." The Chief looks incredibly frustrated we haven't. "We're working a few more angles." 354 "Work them fast. Did the name Alice narrow anything down?" he asks. 355 Chapter 4 "Nothing, and we cross referenced that six ways to Sunday," I say. 357 "Do we have any evidence the rifle got smuggled out?" Chief asks. We look at each other, agree without speaking, and say no. "Get a warrant to start breaking the drywall." 358 "Yes sir," I say. 359 "Lieutenant, I want progress reports every six hours or significant discovery," Chief says, and she replies it will be done. "Get to work." 360 I am exhausted from looking at a screen all day with so little progress. Where the hell is that rifle? To feel like I'm doing something productive, I announce I'll work the warrant to start breaking down walls. Within the hour I have it submitted and start to watch tape again. 361 "Holy shit," that douche bag officer says from his desk. "Detective." 362 I shuffle over to his desk and look at what he found. At one in the morning the camera caught a figure entering the alley. The quality isn't great, but I can clearly see someone enter with a bag slung over their shoulder who starts climbing the fire escape until they exit frame. Got her. 363 "Back track. find out how she got there," I say, and he nods. Suddenly he's not a dismissive asshole anymore. 364 -- After a long day, the only lead we have is that Alice entered the building by crossing the roofs to avoid cameras. We're going into the building tomorrow with the warrant to start busting down walls for that rifle. For now, I go home and build a puzzle with my kids while Gianna is working late. 365 Wendy is too cool to help with a one-thousand-piece puzzle, but Wesley and Preston are up to the task. We made the rule she must at least be in the living room for family time. No going to your bedroom. You can be on your phone, but you must be here. Wendy spends the entire time texting on her phone, but at least she is present. 366 Preston's method of puzzle building is segregating colors into neat piles on the table. This frustrates Wesley who is working the frame with me, constantly having to push his piles out of the way. The frame is complete, and Wesley starts looking for key features on the picture and trying to build it. I work from one corner and try to work away from it. The space above the table is a fun tangle of our arms trying to have our method dominate the activity. Within the hour, it is clear Preston is winning. 367 "It looks like it fits," Wesley says, trying to force a piece down. It does look right, but the shape does not conform to the surrounding pieces. I stop him from slamming his hand on the table in anger. 368 "Calm down, set the piece aside, and look around," I say, then start explaining that the color transition doesn't align. "See that?" 369 "Yeah," Wesley says, and starts scanning again. He finds the correct piece in Preston's pile and connects it. "Got it." 370 "Hey!" Preston says. "That's my piece." 371 "No one owns the pieces," I declare. 372 The boys keep working, and I say I need to go to the bathroom. I kiss their heads and walk toward the hall, playfully moving my hand over Wendy's head. She slouches into the chair so I can't touch her. 373 After I pee, I start washing my hands and feel the baby kick when I'm hunched over the sink. 374 "Motherfucker," I say, holding my stomach. "Keep it down in there." 375 It looks like it fits. I think about Chase saying the cameras were a giant puzzle. Put the pieces in the right order and they can tell a story. It looks like it fits. 376 I have a thought, and call Chase's desk phone. It is late, but I have a feeling he's there. 377 "Kramner," he says. 378 "It's Midge." 379 "What's up? You still here too?" he asks. 380 "No. Weird favor. Could you pull up the videos from the shooting, align the clocks and show them on a single screen? Then tell me if anything looks out of place?" I ask. 381 "Uhhh, sure," Chase says, and I hear his mouse click. "You guys put the videos in the share drive?" 382 "Yeah. We haven't migrated the folders over yet, still just under homicide," I explain, and I hear a lot of clicking. I give him to the passcode to the file when he asks. I'll be burning those to a hard media tomorrow. 383 "Case number?" he asks, and I provide it. "Surveillance...which ones?" 384 "Do the kitchen, the dining area, and the south courthouse camera facing the restaurant," I say. I hear clicking again. 385 "Give me a sec to align them," Chase says. "Back up this video five seconds, this one three seconds, and play." Chase is likely making sure the time stamps are the same by pausing them seconds apart, letting one play, then playing the next when the time reaches the same position. 386 "Gunshot goes off and the cooks duck down. I duck down," he says. 387 "Anything out of place?" I ask. "A piece that doesn't fit?" 388 "Nothing jumps out," Chase says, and I sigh. 389 "Thanks anyway," I say and nearly hang up. 390 "Wait," Chase says, and I hold my breath. "The waiter vanishes before the shots are fired. Just as the defense team arrives across the street. You said the basement door is just off camera, right?" 391 "Yes," I say. I already know this. 392 "He returns into frame, two minutes later. I can partially see him the rest of the time because he hides near that door. I was flash banged a few seconds before, so it's a little fuzzy, but remember him. I came in and his back was to that door. He was the one who directed me upstairs. We then lose him again after I run upstairs, but he is still present when back up arrives. Did we interview the waiter?" 393 "Of course. Don't ask me to pronounce his name," I say. I interviewed the pub's staff with Jeff, and the stories more or less added up. Even Saul's inconsistency isn't too egregious. Not like the FBI will let us talk to him again. 394 "I'm not sure what I'm looking for," Chase says. "Did you guys search the basement?" 395 "Yeah. Thanks for looking," I say, and he says he might look at it for a little bit longer tonight. "Go home and fuck your girlfriend," I say and hang up. 396 -- Thursday- October 15, 2026 397 -Jennifer Ito -- 398 Judge Selene Rook rejected our warrant to strip Alice to photograph her tattoos. Nowhere in the warrant could we claim we were searching for additional physical evidence for the crime of which she was accused, and she didn't buy our argument to see if she could be connected to another crime. She called back and said, "Tell me you believe this woman who you couldn't identify by any other means, is going to be found because she once committed a crime while topless." I said she could have had her tattoos photographed by a different jurisdiction. They would have also needed to fail at fingerprinting her. Rook held her ground and refused to sign off. 399 Right after that, I receive a worse call; Alice was released on bond. In the unlikeliest of events this happened, we had plans to surveil her. The officers on that detail let me know a car picked her up and drove her to an apartment. Her bond was posted anonymously. 400 "Alice is out!" I shout over the commotion of the office. 401 "What?" Midge asks. 402 "You heard me. We got eyes, but exercise a little more caution than usual," I explain, and the office resumes their work. "Midge, anything on the videos?" 403 "Nothing that we didn't know yesterday," Midge explains. 404 "Warrant to search the building again?" I ask. 405 "Waiting on Judge Rook," Midge says. Judge, please do not fuck me twice in a single day. 406 "Keep me informed, I'm updating the Chief in two hours," I say, and my phone rings. I lean over my desk and pick it up off the cradle. "Ito." 407 "You guys had a BOLO out for Henry Silverlake?" the dispatch Sergeant asks, and I confirm we do. "A patrol car is saying they found him." 408 "Where?" 409 "Sleeping in a vehicle behind a bar. Want them to knock on his window?" he asks. 410 "Field test him. If he's drunk, bring him in for DUI. If he's not drunk, bring him in for DUI," I say, and then hang up. "They found Silverlake. He'll come in for a DUI in a few hours." 411 "Warrant just came back, we're good. I'll be busting down walls with uniforms," Midge says as she removes the warrant from the printer. 412 "Don't have too much fun." 413 -- Thursday -- October 15, 2026 414 -Chase Kramner- 415 I am back to the beginning. Silverlake was likely found, passed out, in his car behind the same bar Amanda Hopkins worked at. Sergeant Donner gave me a call a short time ago, letting me know her team found him. I asked her to give me first dibs. 416 My car is parked across the only exit of the parking lot. The first place my eyes go to is where Amanda's body was found. A few employee vehicles are parked around Silverlake, who is taking up two spaces. The owner called the police and asked to get him removed. Patrol sat on him for me and are still parked next to his car. 417 Looking down into the car, I see it is in fact Henry Silverlake asleep in the driver's seat. His chair is leaned back all the way, and he looks completely disheveled. 418 I knock on his window, and Silverlake does not even squirm in his sleep. After knocking two more times, I am fed up. The patrol officer leaves his vehicle after I gesture for him to join me. 419 "Unresponsive. Smash it," I say, and he is hesitant. "Anyone asks, say I did it." 420 "Alright," he says. The officer draws his baton, moves his face away, and shatters his window in one swing. 421 "What the fuck!" Silverlake shouts as he jumps up so fast, he hits his head on his ceiling. Before he can gather his bearings, I reach through the window and open his door from the inside. "What the fu..." I pull him out of his car by his shirt and throw him to the ground. "I get the point!" 422 "Get up," I say, and he grunts so hard he coughs. Silverlake staggers to his feet, falling backward to his car. I pick him up straight and push him back into his car. "Where you been?" 423 "Go fuck yourself Kramner," he says, pushing back against me. I grip his jacket tighter. "Tough guy. Hit me or back off." 424 "Why are you running?" I ask. 425 "Just taking a few days off." 426 "Behind a bar? In your car?" I accidently rhyme. 427 "I will hang out in a box with a fox if I want to," he says sarcastically. 428 "Alright Dr. Seuss explain why an assassin took a shot at you. You ran like you know why she was trying," I say, and he looks around, then back to me. "Who is Alice?" 429 "Never heard of her," he says. In my frustration I push him into his car again. "You're a cop. I know what you can do, and what you can't do. Believe me, I'm more scared of the alternative than I am of you." 430 "What's the alternative?" I ask. 431 "Arrest me, or fuck off," he says. I lean over and directly observe an open container in his car. "For that weak ass shit?" 432 "You smell alcohol on his breath officer?" I ask, and the officer sniffs loudly, and then nods. "I smell it too. Under arrest for suspicion of DUI." 433 "In a parked car?" he asks. 434 "Intent is a prosecutor's problem, not mine," I say, and pull out my handcuffs. Silverlake curses to himself as I squeeze the handcuffs closed. "Officer, bring him to HQ. Drop him off to Detectives Appletree or McCants." 435 "You got it," he says and escorts Silverlake to the cruiser. 436 -- After arresting Silverlake I return to my office and start watching the videos again. Last I knew they were going to let him stew until Midge got back from researching the building with a warrant to start breaking walls. I am an hour into my work when I hear my door slam shut. Jenn is leaning against the door with her arms crossed over her chest. Something tells me she is not here for a romantic rendezvous. 437 "What the fuck were you thinking?" Jenn asks. I pause the video. "Did you think I wouldn't know you went to Silverlake yourself?" 438 "Jenn..." 439 "...you're not talking to Jenn. You're talking to Lieutenant Ito," she says with the tone of slap. "How are we supposed to get him to talk when the person who picks him up smashes his car window and strongarms him?" 440 "I'm the bad cop. Send in a good one," I recommend. 441 "Chase..." 442 "...Sergeant," I say reflexively. I hate my own pettiness on that one, but she started it. 443 "Sergeant," she says, realizing how she began the conversation. "This is a homicide case. The Chief has made it clear he wants you nowhere near it. If you won't listen to him, please listen to me. We can't have a witness being arrested by the boyfriend of the Lieutenant overseeing it, who is also the ex-boyfriend of the victim." 444 All good points. 445 "That bullet could have taken off my head. She was a moment away from killing me. Pardon me if I take that personally," I say. 446 "I understand. But this is Jenn asking you, to let me do my job," Jenn pleads, and I exhale, then nod. "Please just back off a little." 447 "I will," I say. Jenn then walks around my desk to kiss me before returning to her office. 448 I tap my spacebar to play the video again. What am I missing? There is no way that weapon got smuggled out. Rubbing my hands downs my face in exhaustion, I playback the tape one more time. What am I missing? 449 Sometimes narrating footage helps, so I mumble the script as I watch. 450 "Bang bang bang, shit, duck and cover. Police arrive, and I run across the street, Donner follows. We run to the intersection..." I say aloud, watching the seating area of the pub. I do not see shadows run across the windows. "...wait." I run it back again. "Where am I?" 451 I can see the shadowed silhouette of the cars outside, so I should be able to see my own shadow dart across. However, I don't. Looking at the time stamp I see they are aligned properly. 452 Did they give us a doctored video? 453 I type McGee's into Google maps and see three pins land on the map. It is a franchised pub. I click on the one next to the courthouse and scan it over once. When I look at another one on the other side of the city, I notice the interiors are nearly identical. They gave us the footage from a different pub, spliced together to hide the activity in the dining area. Like Saul walking through it with a rifle bag. I also notice the silhouettes of two cars instead of one, then it jumps cuts back to one. 454 "You motherfuckers," I say, and start to call Midge, but stop dead when I remember something. I tripped over a bag in the kitchen next to the stairs. I kicked that bag out of the way. I kicked the fucking murder weapon! 455 "Motherfucker!" I shout and punch my monitor off my desk. It flies across the room, the cords pulling my laptop down with it. 456 "Jesus Christ, what the hell was that?" Doll says from the down the hall. 457 I finish calling Midge, still seething, and hear the walls being broken down over the line. 458 "What!?" Midge screams over the thudding. 459 "I found what we were missing!" I scream back. 460 "What!?" 461 -- Midge continued to bust down walls, just in case, and returned to the station within an hour. By then I had compiled the information into something actionable. Using Doll's computer because I'm paying for a new one. 462 "I know Chief told me to cease and desist, but consider this my statement," I say to Midge and Jeff McCants while Jenn watches from her officer door. I told her I would back off as well, so her eyes are stabbing me right now. 463 "What's wrong with the video?" Jeff asks. 464 "I'm not in it," I say, and Midge laughs. "No, seriously." 465 "Should you be?" Jenn asks. 466 "The time is aligned, right?" I ask, and everyone nods. I narrate up to the point where the video at the courthouse shows me run across the street. I then point to the right window on the pub's feed. "Sergeant Donner and I run across the windows, low, but not fully under the windows. We did that, less than ten seconds after we crossed the street." I let it play. "Ten seconds." And play. "Twenty seconds." 467 "You sure that's right?" Midge asks. 468 "Thirty seconds. How many cars were parked in front of McGee's?" I ask. 469 "One," Jeff says, and I point out the two cars parked, and the jump cut. "Holy shit." 470 "McGee's is franchised. They added footage from one of the other pubs," I say, and we can all hear Midge literally growling. "It gets worse. I tripped over the fucking bag getting to the stairs." 471 "How'd you forget that?" Jeff asks like I'm stupid. 472 "I got hit by a stun grenade fifteen seconds earlier. Pardon me if I don't have perfect recall," I say harshly. 473 "Knock it off, both of you," Jenn says to keep the peace. "Midge, I want someone in handcuffs for this tape, today." 474 "Obstruction?" Midge asks. 475 "Obstruction," Jenn replies, and Midge says she will get it done. "Jeff." 476 "LT?" Jeff asks. 477 "I'll make some calls to deal with the FBI. Grab a uniformed officer and find Saul," Jenn says and Jeff nods. "Chase, get out." 478 "While they're working, you want to grab some lunch?" I ask The Kaiser, who pops his head up from his desk. He gives me a nod after checking his watch. 479 -- The Kaiser and I have not been able to sit down together for months. I do not recall the last time we had lunch during a workday. Part of me thought I was sneaky by picking a place near Saul's, but The Kaiser saw right through that. 480 "You can't keep pushing your luck with keeping distance from this case," The Kaiser says after he orders a sandwich. I get a cobb salad. "She isn't dumb, and you seem determined to test her patience." 481 "Saul smuggled the rifle out. I kicked the fucking bag. Probably moved it the moment I went upstairs. Dropped it in his car and went back inside. Right under our noses," I say. And right under my fucking feet. 482 "Whoever gave us the footage is in cahoots with Alice," The Kaiser says, and I nod in agreement. "Why? And why Marlene? Or Silverlake?" 483 "I'm thinking it has something to do with Calvin," I say, and he ponders the suggestion. "She's mob lawyer. Have we interviewed her?" 484 "Just about what happened, nothing deep," he says. "Stop asking. Not your lane." 485 "She almost killed me," I say. 486 "Trust them to do their jobs," The Kaiser says, and I put my radio on the table. I brought the roamer in case something happens nearby. "Turn that off." 487 "Not with an assassin in the wild," I say. Some dispatch traffic comes in, and The Kaiser sighs while shaking his head. "When is Abigail due?" 488 "Two weeks," he says. 489 "Gender reveal?" I ask. 490 "The birth will be the reveal," he says with a smile. Kid number two for him. I need to catch up. A few years ago, I would have feared something like that. Six months cannot pass fast enough now. "Any plans with Jenn?" 491 "Not for a few months at least," I say, and he grins. "What?" 492 "Nothing," he says, and we both laugh a little. Then Victor-Charlie-2-1 calls up a 10-54 over dispatch. Possible fatality. "Victor Charlie. That's Jeff." 493 "Shit," I say, and we listen. Requesting medical to the scene, then calls a 10-33, closing the line for only emergencies. "Saul's dead." 494 -- Thursday - October 15, 2026 495 -Jennifer Ito- 496 When I arrive at the scene, Jill Whitaker is crouched over the body of Saul Grybauskaitė. Sergeant McCants went to talk to him with some uniformed officers, only to find his door left partially open and obstructed by his corpse. Shot twice in the head at close range, once while upright, then again when on the floor. Just to make sure. 497 The entryway of his apartment is a shallow pool of blood. Jill's crew has placed a small bridge over the blood so they can still move without contaminating it. I have never seen a CSI flex so much authority to keep a scene clean. Jeff is the only officer she has allowed in, and I understand, so I hang back in the hallway. 498 Jill tells us the killer likely entered the house because the right foot appears to scrape across the ground from the door pushing into it. It is then dragged again when the door was pulled back, but his foot blocked it from being fully closed. The killer didn't bother moving his foot out of the way, so it was left open. 499 "Talk to me," I say to Jeff. I see his shadow moving around before he steps into my view. Jill has him wearing a haircap and booties. 500 "Nothing appears stolen. No home security. No evidence of a struggle," Jeff says from inside. "I'm thinking ding dong, bang bang." 501 Chapter 5 "Neighbors?" I ask. 503 "The unis are still asking, but no one wants to talk," he says. Of course, because that would be useful. "Silencer?" 504 "This isn't a movie, suppressors are loud," Jill says from her perch on the bridge. "I can tell you this shooter was shorter than the victim." 505 "How so?" I ask. "Aren't there too many variables to assume that usually? Arm extension, posture?" 506 "The shooter likely fired at full arm extension. There is blood on the door on the inside from the first gunshot, but none in the hall," Jill says. That means the door was cracked open and the killer shoved the gun into his face from the opening. "Angled up, round exits and hits the ceiling. I'll finish the ground before I start digging slugs out and having the debris contaminate the scene. His face is blown into the door, and his body recoils backwards when the shooter kicks the door open." Jill points out the damage on the door about the size of a foot. "Shoots him one more time when he's on the ground." 507 "How does his face move against the round?" Jeff asks. 508 "Physics," Jill says. "More energy is exerted from the exit wound than the entry. Bone and brain shooting out is like a propellant. It's why I roll my eyes at Kennedy conspiracy theorist who claim his head moving backwards is proof of something other than his face being the exit wound." 509 I did not know that. Jeff silently goes back to looking for indicators. 510 "You guys talked to him before, right?" I ask and do no hear a reply. "Jeff?" 511 "Huh?" I ask again. "Yeah." 512 "And?" 513 "FBI called us before we could get anywhere. Midge was suspicious." 514 "Rifle?" I ask. 515 "If it was here, it isn't anymore. The shooter might have come to get it," Jeff says, and I agree that's a possibility. 516 "Time of death?" I ask Jill, who looks up at me. "Estimate?" 517 "He's ambient temperature. Definite maggot eggs, but no hatchlings. Rigor mortis has set in. Ten to twelve hours if you need a ballpark," Jill explains. 518 For nearly half a day his neighbors have walked past his broken door with a visible body, but no one called the police. That is some potent fear. 519 "Lieutenant," I hear from down the hall. Chief Whitaker is walking toward me with a second man in a suit and gun behind him. "I figured I'd get the last update in person." 520 "Last update?" I ask, and then look at the other man. FBI. "Turning the case over?" 521 "We are," he says, and the agent steps around the Chief to shake my hand. 522 "Special Agent Shelby, Organized Crime," he says. 523 "Lieutenant Ito," I reply. "Best we have here so far, is about ten to twelve hours ago." 524 "We'll let them finish up before we talk about this one. Is the courthouse sniper still under observation?" Agent Shelby asks, and I shake my head. 525 "Once this was called in, I had the officers knock. She's escaped while under surveillance. Do you know who she is?" I ask. 526 "Not for this room," Shelby says. They do know who she is. "Mind if I get in there?" he asks Jill. 527 "See my bag next to the door?" Jill asks, and he replies that he does. "Put some booties on." 528 "You got it," Shelby says, and then starts doing as ordered. When I imagine the FBI taking a case from the locals, I pictured more condescension. I do not know if Shelby's courteousness is his own demeanor, or a testament to our relationship with the bureau. 529 "They only sent one guy?" I ask Chief Whitaker who directs me to walk with him down the hall. "Sir?" 530 "We're still involved. Our involvement is through SI now. Shelby asked for Chase in particular," Chief explains. 531 "Does he know?" I ask. 532 "I told him, but he doesn't care. Shelby's worked with Chase before, so there is already a relationship. It is still a homicide, so he will liaise with you. Will that be a problem?" he asks, and I think for a moment. Will it be a problem to work directly with my boyfriend? 533 "Maybe," I say, and he appears surprised I answered that honestly. "Chase shouldn't be on the case, and I've already kicked him back a few times. Now he's running point on it?" 534 "I feel the same, unfortunately it is what it is. I can assign it to Bryan if you think it'll cause tension. Professionally or otherwise," he says. I have this aching feeling to both appreciate his consideration and detest the patronizing context. I doubt he would have this conversation with a man. He does come off as somewhat uncomfortable to ask the question. Almost annoyed he must ask his officers if they can behave like grownups. 535 "We'll be fine," I say after a small deliberation. 536 "Okay," he says, leaving his trust in me to take care of it. 537 -- Thursday -- October 15, 2026 538 -Midge Appletree- 539 I brought three uniformed police officers with me after sending a letter to Judge Rook alerting her to the fact Anton Mamedova tampered with the evidence she ordered him to provide. She gave me the arrest warrant and within two hours we are escorting Anton out of his home. 540 While one officer waits at the squad car, I enter his home with two others to conduct a search. It is an upper middle-class townhouse, like my own, but his has a Jaguar parked out front. I glove up, and refrain from touching anything unless I plan on examining it with intent. 541 All the paperwork in his office is dull and inconspicuous. Nothing in the living room stands out. His kitchen has the dark granite countertops I want but can never convince Gianna to spend the money on. His guest rooms are nicer than my master bedroom. 542 "Detective," one of the officers says as I am digging through a closet. 543 "What's up?" 544 "Check this out." I follow his voice to the living room, where the officer knocks on the coffee table. It sounds somewhat hollow. "Hear that?" After a moment of searching, we figure out how to make the top panel slide off, revealing a hidden storage compartment. Inside are a few guns and bags of cocaine. 545 "What's in there?" I hear from the door of the house. Chase walks in while pressing gloves to the pits of his fingers. 546 "Get the fuck out before your girl...before my boss has an aneurism," I say, then watch him look at the find. 547 "Funny story. My case now," he says, and I laugh a little. Then I realize he isn't messing with me. 548 "Special Investigations liaison with the FBI?" I ask, and he nods. "Great, your problem." My gloves make a snapping sound when I pull them off. 549 "I get one person from homicide to help me," he says. 550 "I'll get Will caught up," I say, because I know he is going to take Will with him. 551 "Still your case," he says. He is kicking Jeff, not grabbing Will, but keeping me? He seems to notice how confused I am. "Will won't challenge my presumptions as much. I need someone to keep my bias in line. I trust you to handle me, more than Will would be ready to." Chase is acutely aware of how much he shouldn't be here. 552 "Fine, deal," I say, then look at the coffee table. "If one of these guns did Saul, little too convenient if you ask me." 553 "The person who moved the rifle is killed by the person he worked for?" Chase asks, and I nod. We watch the guns get bagged. We'll find out, but I don't think Anton did it. "The rifle is still missing. Why?" 554 "Because it's still needed," I say, and Chase thinks for a moment. 555 "Why not just get a new rifle?" Chase asks. "If this gun is a plant, why not also plant the rifle as well?" 556 "I don't know. We're not playing with a full chess board yet. Let's regroup, sit down with the FBI, maybe they'll actually share something we don't know," I say. Chase agrees we need to get more information before we start forming theories. "When do we get a briefing? How does this work exactly?" 557 "I'll fill you in when you get done here," Chase says, and joins me for the rest of the search. 558 -- I'm told to get a good night's sleep, because we'll be working with the FBI on this case on all cylinders tomorrow. I am grateful Chase brought me into this possibly career making case, by the smell of it. Shadowy snipers with Russian tattoos with a penchant for Lewis Carol. A Lithuanian FBI informant seemingly killed by his Georgian boss. What the hell am I about to get into? 559 Spending one last sane night at home is a comforting thought. Even Wendy is nicer to me than usual. Part of that is she now has a sense of where I'm coming from. She's open to the concept of finally getting to know me. Took her four years. 560 When I get home after a long day of booking Anton, the boys are already in their rooms. Gianna is working nights this quarter, so I'm greeted by Wendy sitting on the couch watching some mushy CW show. 561 "You're home late," she says, and I check my phone for the time. Almost eleven. "Are you working that sniper case at the courthouse?" 562 "Neither confirm, nor deny," I say. 563 "That's a yes." 564 "No, it isn't," I say. I remove my gun still in the holster and place it in the safe on top of the fridge and secure it. My shield I put on the counter. "But if I was working it..." I tease. 565 "I'm surprised they're letting you work," she says, referring to my state of pregnancy. "Don't they normally put injured or pregnant cops on a desk?" 566 "I can't execute arrest warrants, but I can calmly wait in the car until the scene is clear," I say and then sit next to her. "Gonna be a lot of long nights for a while. You up for taking care of your brothers? We really need you to step up." 567 "What's my incentive?" she asks. 568 "We don't hire a babysitter who puts you in timeouts," I reply. 569 "Fair enough." 570 "And one hundred bucks a week," I offer. 571 "On top of take out allowance?" she counters. 572 "Fifty, on top of take out allowance," I say. We both pause and say "Seventy-five" at the same time. 573 "Why the late nights?" Wendy asks. 574 "Big case. I'm not even sure how big yet," I say, and I can tell I have piqued her curiosity. 575 "Promotion big?" Wendy asks. 576 "Career making big," I say, and she reaches to pat my shoulder to congratulate me, but her hand hesitates. I grab her hand and place it on my shoulder. I haven't fully explained my boundaries with her, but I deeply appreciate her consideration of them. "I am comfortable with some people touching me. You're one of them. All I ask, is you get my attention first. If I know it's coming, I don't get scared." 577 "Okay," she says, and then pats my shoulder. We smile at each other. One of the first real moments of understanding and respect we have ever had. I'm making progress with her. 578 "You said I could tell you things, just us?" she says, and I nod to confirm. "You don't tell mom. No judgement." 579 "I'll try my best," I say. She takes a deep breath, then exhales. 580 "I lost my virginity today," she says. I was prepared for that. Besides drugs, what else was it going to be? 581 "I have one question," I say. 582 "He wore a condom, and I started my pills a month ago," she says, and I nod. 583 "Jesse?" I ask, and she nods. My boss's son is fucking my daughter. Since I caught them last time, Jesse has become a regular face here after apologizing to me. Wendy spends time with his family too. As promised, I didn't tell Gianna that I caught them. I strongly encouraged she does. All I said, was make him earn it. Not to let him pressure or guilt her into it. Turns out she had nothing to worry about because she was pressuring him into it. Kids these days. 584 "Have you ever, you know..." Wendy asks. It takes me a moment to understand what her question is. 585 "Yes...but..." I start to say, and she grabs my hand. 586 "You don't have to say it. I understand," she says. 587 "No, I...I need to have the courage to say it more. I was raped," I say, and Wendy squeezes my hand after I say that word. This is the first time I'm telling her this directly. 588 "Is that when you became a lesbian?" she asks. 589 "What, no?" I say with a small laugh. "I was a lesbian long before that. I was never really in the closet." 590 "Oh. I thought that, some women become lesbians because, you know. Things like that," she says. I don't like how she's treading on eggshells. This is why some women don't talk about it. Guilt and shame are certainly reasons, but I mostly just didn't want the pity. 591 "Sure, there are women who experience trauma from men that affects their romantic fondness of men forever. I'm not one of them. Even today, my best friends are men," I say, and that's the truth. 592 "Shane?" she asks, and I nod. "Have you two, you know?" 593 "Shane and I have been sexual, but we never had sex," I say, and she blinks a few times. She is trying to figure out what I mean by that. 594 "Okay," she says, and to my surprise doesn't push the topic. I think she's just satisfied that I'm not lying to her. 595 Wendy is trying to understand sex. It is a confusing time of her life. I think she's trying to figure out what the big deal was. Short answer, there isn't a big deal about it. I do have a few things to go over with her. 596 "Have you noticed, how I always call you a young lady, and your brothers young sir?" I ask her. She thinks for a moment, then nods. "Do I ever sound patronizing? Do I ever talk down to them? Or you?" 597 "No," she says. "You talk to us like we're adults. You don't use the same words, but you use the same tone." She has been quietly appreciating that for years. 598 "That is what respect sounds like. People who are respected, respect others, and themselves. So, I'm not going to bullshit you," I say, and she adjusts her posture a little. She's getting prepared for what I have to say. "You're too young to have sex. That's my opinion." 599 "I respect your opinion," she says, and we both hold back a smile before laughing. Who is this young lady? What has she done with my daughter? "I'll tell mom. It's not fair to ask you to keep that from her." That is the most considerate thing I've ever heard her say. 600 "Look at you, all grown up," I say, then stand up from the couch. She stands up to make sure I get up without incident. I might promote her to ma'am. "I got an early morning and a long day. Love you, don't stay up too late. School night." 601 "You're not telling me to go to bed?" she asks. 602 "You're an adult," I say. Wendy says she'll be in bed before midnight. 603 -- Thursday -- October 15, 2026 604 -Zillah Calvin- 605 On the first of October, a black Tahoe pulled in front of my office as I left for the day. A man in a pristine suit and hands covered in tattoos held open the door for me. He said nothing, but he didn't need to. The gesture wasn't polite; it was an order. As required of me, I entered the vehicle. Not a moment after the door shut a black hood was thrown over my face, and headphones blasting heavy metal music was placed over my ears. 606 I have no sense of space or time until the headphones and pulled off. My ears try to adjust as I am nudged out of the car. My movement is controlled by a hand on my shoulder. The sounds of a utility elevator, and the jolt of a sudden ascension follow. They have never taken me this far. It's usually to a garage used as a chop shop that distorts audio from any bug that could have been planted. This is something big. 607 The hood is pulled off my head in the elevator, and I blow the hair off my face. I am encouraged to move by that same hand when the elevator opens. I'm led down a hallway that looks under construction. Men are present in hardhats and reflective vests. People are reading off architecture schematics and discussing plans. At the end of the hall is a door that I am instructed to enter. 608 This room is complete and fully furnished unlike the rest of the floor. A sleek, modern, white and red aesthetic. The floor and walls are white. Red leather chairs sit before a redwood desk. Several works of art carry the red motif further. A painting of a field of red poppy flowers. Another displaying a woman protecting herself from a red rain by a small umbrella. On the desk are red and white roses. 609 Standing behind the desk, looking out the window is a man I haven't met before. From here I can see a shiny bald head shaved by a razor. Dress slacks and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His blazer is on the back of his chair. The manner I was brought to him makes me assume he is more important than the underlings I usually work through. This man is high in the organization. 610 "Sit," he said, and I did as told. I crossed my legs and placed my hands on my thigh. He continued to look out the window for nearly a full minute. I see his reflection watching me. He is trying to size me up. 611 "We haven't meet. I'm..." I began. 612 "...did I say talk?" he asked, then turned to me. "I know who you are. Did you think I told them to grab someone I didn't know to bring them here?" I am fluent in Russian accents, and his was thick. "Speak." 613 "I'm Zillah Calvin. You are?" I asked. At first, he looked perturbed, then slowly he looked impressed. He liked that I didn't appear scared of him. My reputation as a cutthroat needs to be accurate. In truth I was waiting to get shot and dumped in acid. That's a concern I always have. Occupational hazard. 614 He sat down on his high-backed red leather chair. The top three buttons on his shirt were open, and I saw his shaved chest displaying his tattoos. To the mafia, that's his resume. The buildings with multiple onion domes told me he had done considerable time in prison and the star showed he was a high-ranking member of the Russian Mafia. I knew his name before he said it. The leader of a Vory syndicate. 615 "Imran Krasny," he said, and offered me a drink. I accepted because I never had a choice not to. Not with these people. He poured us both a shot of vodka. We downed the glasses in one hearty gulp, and he poured himself another. 616 "It's highly unusual for someone of your status to be in the United States," I said. 617 "I like America more than most Americans. The government here must prove you're guilty. Your criminals don't know how good they got it," he said with a laugh, and drank his second shot. 618 "I assume you had me brought here for a reason," I said, and he nodded. He opened a drawer on his desk and slid a folder across the polished wood to me. I leaned over to pick up. Inside was a picture of Henry Silverlake. A dirty PI who had dirt on one of the DAs witnesses for an upcoming case. In my business, you work with people as dirty as you. Innocent people don't hire me. "What about him?" 619 "Keep looking," he said, and I scrolled through the pictures. One picture had him meeting in a car with another man I didn't recognize. 620 "Who is that?" I asked. 621 "He's the aid of the Georgian Ambassador to the United States," he said, and I keep flipping photos. "The same ambassador whose daughter is in our care to assure her cooperation. This PI is working to find her daughter. He has no idea how close he is because she's in a property that is so kindly owned by you. Not directly of course." 622 "Shit," I said. 623 "You let a fox in my henhouse," he said. 624 "I didn't know. He came to me on a separate matter. Seemed on the level because he had personal reasons to hate the guy too. What needs to be done?" I asked. I don't make recommendations. I just execute or keep the people who execute out of jail. 625 "Plans are already in motion to eliminate him. However, we need cover. Doubt needs to be cast on him being the sole target. So, when you all enter court, him, and your client, will be taken care of. Leave the how to me. Just make sure both are there on the first day of court," he said. 626 I didn't exactly love my client, but I don't like the hit to my reputation. Some things can't be avoided I suppose. I made sure both were there. 627 When it happened, I stood to her side as a precautionary measure. Marlene's body hit the ground and Silverlake appeared to know what was happening, because he pushed through Hugh who took the bullet for him. Silverlake tripped over Marlene's dead body which again saved his life and managed to avoid the next two shots. To make matters worse, their shooter was captured. I thought I was working with professionals, not people who kill my partner. 628 Chapter 6 We are forced to find a lawyer with no scruples who would defend the assassin. One big deposit later, I was instructed to give the lawyer a tie with red hearts on it, so the shooter would know why he was there. The assassin is represented and released on bond. I only had to get the rifle Saul had smuggled out of the building. At least something went right. Just go to Saul's and pick up a bag. I was specifically told I couldn't outsource this job. 630 I never feel nervous in this part of town. People see someone like me in their neighborhood, and they think they can't afford me, or afford what happens if they touch me. They're right either way. 631 It's near one in the morning when I arrive at his apartment building. I'm down the hall when I hear Saul's stupid accent talking to someone. 632 "Didn't get enough the first time? Miss me?" Saul says tauntingly with a sickening laugh. I turn the corner and see a blonde woman standing at his door. I hover to listen. 633 "Give me the bag," she says. 634 "I was told someone else was getting it. You've been a bad girl. Do I need to straighten you out again?" Saul says, and I see the woman's hands shaking. Fear or rage, I can't tell. 635 "Give me, the bag," she says. Her voice is quiet, and she tilts her chin down to not face him. 636 "Baby need her pacifier? I got something for you to suck. I can give you some new tattoos, same as before," Saul says. I see his hand stretch into my view and grab her side above her hip. "I got my eye on you." 637 "Just give me the bag. It's my bag," the woman nearly cries, gingerly trying to brush his hand off her body. 638 "Nothing is yours, and you're ours. Never forget that," Saul says. The woman grabs her right wrist with her left hand to contain her quaking. "You can come in and watch the video in case you forgot. Maybe we'll have to make a new one." The woman doesn't reply. "Go away." 639 Saul shuts the door, but the woman blocks it with her foot. I blink, and the woman reaches behind her back, grabs a gun at her waist band and aims it through the crack of the door. I flinch from the gunshot, and two more times when she kicks the door open, and fires again. 640 "Fuck," I say, and press my back to the wall. Who the hell is she? I try to work up the courage to move, but I'm paralyzed. I hope she's here for a different bag. 641 When I feel I've waited for an adequate amount of time, I lean out to look, and she's standing right in front of me with the gun raised. 642 "Please don't!" I shout. I trip over my own feet and stumble into the opposite wall. I put up my hands in surrender. "I didn't see a thing." 643 "He was a bad man," the woman says. I know for certain she's not lying. 644 "I believe you, trust me," I say. "Put the gun down, please." 645 The woman slowly does as I request. In her left hand is the bag she wanted back. I have a feeling that's the bag I need. "What's in the bag?" I ask, and immediately regret it, because the gun returns. "Don't tell me, not my business." 646 "My bag," she says in the tone of a child. 647 "Sure thing, all yours. It's your bag," I ramble out. She lowers the gun again. After a brief, but intense staring contest, she walks past me and down the hall. When I can't see her anymore, I crumble to the ground. 648 "Holy fuck," I exhale. 649 -- Friday -- October 16, 2026 650 -Chase Kramner- 651 Jenn has not come out and said it, but I can tell she is pissed that this case went to me. Yesterday after work she did not even stop by the apartment. At all. Just sent me a text saying she would see me tomorrow. This is our first real fight. Her battle plan is avoidance. It's weird, because she's not like this in any other circumstance that I have witnessed. 652 Shortly after waking up, I am scrolling through the news on my phone as my coffee finishes in the Keurig. Atticus jumps onto the counter and begins to fight for my attention. He swats at my phone to lower my hands. 653 "Alright, you cry baby," I say, then pick him up. Jenn is correct when she calls him a cuddle bucket. Not many cats like being held, but he whines if he's not. "Gotta be the center of attention, don't ya?" 654 My door knocks, and I ask who it is. Jenn replies. I walk to the door and snap the deadbolt, then slide the chain. Jenn walks in, immediately starts making kissy faces at Atticus and takes over being his caregiver for the moment. 655 "Good morning, cuddle bucket," she says and rubs his belly. He pretends to hate that and kicks at her hand. She puts him on the counter, and he is all over me again. 656 "I just needed the night," Jenn says. I offer coffee that she accepts. "I'm fairly direct. When I know I'm going to be a bitch, I'll isolate myself. I don't like being a bitch to people I care about. I wasn't trying to avoid you last night. All I wanted, was the night so when I do talk to you, I'm not talking at you. Does that make sense?" she asks. 657 "Perfect sense," I say, and she smiles before kissing me. My last girlfriend would try to dominate the fight. The one before that was a literal murderer. I like this style the best. "I'm receptive." 658 "You were being a nosy asshole, nudging your way into a case not only I, but the Chief told you to back off of," Jenn says, and I don't deny that. "Then, it seems like you're rewarded for not listening to authority. Not only do you get onto the case, I get off it. My first, big case, as a lieutenant. To really show off my leadership skills. Then I get cock blocked, by my own fucking boyfriend." 659 "You're still involved..." 660 "...I'm not leading it though. It was my case to close. The worst part is, I can't even be mad about it like a normal person. Normally I could bitch about it at HQ. Because it's you, I can't. It just looks like I'm dragging my home drama into work," she says, and I never thought about it that way. Her concern is valid. It also sounds like this concern has a history. Her ex-husband perhaps? I just know he's a cop as well, she hasn't told me more than that. Do I ask? 661 "That sounds like you know this from experience," I say, and she hesitates to reply. She takes her time preparing her coffee, and the quiet is making me anxious. 662 "My ex-husband is the Captain for Precinct Three," she says. 663 "Meadows?" I ask. Captain Dominic Meadows has a reputation for being a little too friendly with female patrol officers. 664 "Yeah," she says, then takes a drawn-out sip. "He was my superior, and we got married so he couldn't get cited for an inappropriate relationship when his Captain found out. I was dumb. More than once, the precinct would make a big arrest, and he'd downplay my part, and increase his own. Told me, because we were married, it helped both of us. He gets promoted, and I get cheated on. 665 "And I know, this isn't the same, but the knife doesn't feel any different," she says. It is refreshing to have a woman just tell me what's wrong. When I know what's eating at her, I can help. "Thank you for taking Midge." 666 "She was my first-round draft pick anyway," I say. 667 "Why not Kaiser?" 668 "Nothing against him, but Midge is smarter. The FBI will do most of the heavy lifting. I needed brains," I explain, and she laughs a little. "I know Special Agent Shelby. I worked with him during the Irish bust. We couldn't have busted Texada without him. He knows there is plenty of room on the podium." 669 "Just promise to take care of my very pregnant detective," she says, and I say I will. I'm more concerned for people who get on Midge's bad side. 670 -- Midge and I drive separately to the FBI field office for a briefing on Russian Crime. The attendant at their parking garage had a list of approved personnel, so he checks us off and we park. Shelby said he would meet us in the parking garage, make sure we had visitor badges, and take us to his office. My badge is light blue, but Midge's badge is red. That's because I have a security clearance, and she doesn't. 671 "We'll work on a probationary clearance, but in the meantime, people might avoid talking to you," Shelby says to Midge. A few times as we walked down the halls, we hear people shout, 'red badge!'. We're taken to the third floor where a small corner office handles organized crime. Just Shelby. 672 "Why only one agent for organized crime?" I ask. 673 "How much organized crime is there in this city? Most of it is street level gang crime, and the bureau doesn't give a fuck about gang violence, unless it's MS13. Even then, that's mostly DEA and DHS anyway. Organized crime desk is where your career goes to die," Shelby says and leads us into his office. All walls, no windows, mismatching furniture. 674 "Your career hasn't died," Midge says. 675 "I continue to exceed expectations," Shelby says and unlocks his cabinet with a key from his ring. He pulls open a drawer and hands us both a large white binder you'd see being touted around by a student. Slipped under the plastic is a sheet of paper labeling it the Russian Crime Cram Book. "Start reading. I got a high side one with personalities as well. That one you can take home." Midge flips it open and starts glossing over the table of contents. 676 "Bitch War?" Midge asks. I look at it myself, and she is referring to the title of a subchapter. 677 "Read it tonight, it's fascinating," Shelby says, then takes a seat at his desk. "Let's start. When you think Russian Organized Crime. Russian Mafia. What do you think of?" 678 Midge and I both say we know nearly nothing. "Empty cups, excellent. The Russian Mafia is old. Centuries old. Going back to Tsarist Russia where most crimes that could be committed, were crimes against the state. Because any action was a criminal act, these criminals existed in an almost, folktale, Robin Hood like perception to the populous at the time. You were fighting the government by being a criminal. The society they existed in was so secretive, they also developed their own dialect of Russian over time. Thieves of Law, or in Russian, the Vory. 679 "Then the Russian Revolution happens, and most of these criminals were purged by Lenin. Stalin gets power, and then he puts the remainders into Gulags. These criminals then just, essentially take over the Gulags, and it turns into a culture of its own. This is where you get prison tattoos. I can talk for days on that alone. Each tattoo is part of a story. There are themes, but one tattoo on two different people could have radically different meanings. They're personalized." 680 "What does a Cheshire cat mean thematically?" I ask. 681 "Where on the body?" he asks. 682 "Back of a hand." 683 "Was it wearing a hat?" he asks. 684 "Yes." 685 "Vory, or someone who works with them. What do you mean by Cheshire?" he asks. 686 "Alice in Wonderland. The big grinning cat who can vanish," I explain. 687 "Someone is just being clever with their tattoo. What other ink did you see? I'll assume you're asking for a reason," he says. 688 "I saw the tip of a knife, drops of blood coming off of it," Midge says. 689 "If I was betting money, they're a killer. Each drop of blood is someone they killed. Who did you see these on?" he finally asks. 690 "The courthouse sniper," I say. "Alice." 691 "Not wasting time getting to her," Shelby says, and rolls his chair to a locked safe behind his desk. After unlocking it by spinning the dial then pushing a handle down, he pulls out the classified version of the binder he gave us. He tells Midge she didn't see this. "Is Alice your name for her?" 692 "No. She responded to references to Alice in Wonderland. She said I could call her Alice. Don't know if it's her name, or that she just liked being called Alice, but she engaged with it. Why? What do you call her?" 693 "Funny enough, we've been calling her Cheshire," Shelby says, then finds the correct page in the binder and shows us. "Interpol has linked her involvement to two assassinations in separate countries. This was her third that we know of. That surveillance picture of her uncovered hand is all they had. Figured Russian sniper. You talked to her?" 694 "Yeah. She's either good at hiding an accent, or she's American. Even had a southern drawl to it," I explain. 695 "Southern is the go-to American accent for people trying to hide their foreign one," Midge says, and Shelby agrees with her. After thinking about it for a moment, I also agree with her to a point. Alice never came across like she would know to bother with something like that. 696 "Before we dive too deep into her, let me tell you the general status of the current situation," Shelby begins, and we prepare to take notes. 697 The Russian Mafia had been moving assets into the city for the last year, starting immediately after most of the Irish were taken out. At first Shelby believed this was a void being filled, but over time he concluded there never was a void. Several of the businesses he had originally linked to the Irish Mob's money laundering schemes didn't crumble or fall apart. They stayed about the same. The cash flow was not disrupted because it was not the Irish's cash. The only thing that changed was management. The names running the businesses gradually went from Seamus to Stalin. 698 "The Irish were laundering the Russian's money?" Midge asks, and Shelby gives a tentative that is my assessment. 699 "They'd never say they worked for the Russians, just with. Pride and all. The only difference is now they don't have a front to hide their activity, at least not as well. The Irish were a good shield for them. Once the cleaners were gone, they had to move in their own people. Enter Saul and Anton." 700 "You called McCants, didn't you?" Midge asks, and Shelby admits he did. "Why was Saul flagged by the FBI?" 701 "He was not an asset. I just pushed back so he wouldn't be taken off the board," Shelby tries to explain, but Midge is not following. Neither am I. 702 "Who was he exactly?" I ask. 703 "We need a little time to explain Saul," he says, and finds his part of the binder. "He was a lieutenant, but primarily he was a human trafficker." 704 "No wonder I had a bad feeling about him," Midge says. 705 "Sex trade mostly. Often starts as smuggling and ends in trafficking. Girls end up in California, New York, and Nevada mostly. This city is a traffic stop for the girls in route. Haven't stopped a shipment, but I know they're coming through." 706 "Why did the State Department grant him that visa?" I ask. 707 "You'd have to ask them. He must have given them something, but he likely feed them misinformation or opposition intelligence on the competition. I wanted him in the open because he was clumsy and careless. I didn't want them changing their procedures so I can bag a piece of low hanging fruit. Or I did, until someone took him out." 708 "Any ideas on who or why?" I ask. 709 "Saul's murder looks like a Russian hit. Russian's do their hits in broad daylight. I'll assume you've also concluded Ms. Black was not the target." 710 "Why was Silverlake?" I ask. 711 "I'd love to ask him," he says, and we all know our next move. "How much longer can you guys hold him?" 712 "About twelve hours," Midge says. 713 "Let's go talk to him," Shelby says, and we pack up to do just that. 714 -- Henry Silverlake looks even worse than the last time I saw him. He has sobered up but looks even more inebriated. Red eyes from being awake too long. Sweat staining his shirt. Hair hanging off his head like an ill-fitting wig. That is what nearly two days of being in custody does to someone. 715 Not once has he made any overt effort to leave custody. He never asked for a lawyer or threatened to leave. If anything, he has been cooperative. Something tells me he would rather be safely behind bars than on the street. 716 Midge is in the observation room in case he gets physical. Shelby sits on the table with one leg elevated and his arms crossed. I sit across from Silverlake with my hands resting on the folder I brought in with me. The first thing I do is place a picture of Alice on the table and slide it over. Silverlake looks at it and seems confused. 717 "Who the fuck is that?" he asks and slides the picture back toward me. Maybe he doesn't know who she is after all. 718 "That's the sniper that missed you," I say, and he looks down at the photo again. "You gonna tell us why an assassin with Russian tattoos is gunning for you?" 719 "No idea," he says, and Shelby takes over. He opens the folder and slides across a picture of Saul. 720 "What about him?" Shelby asks. We will omit the fact he is dead for now. 721 "What about him?" Silverlake repeats. 722 "Do you know who he is?" I ask, and his eyes slide to me, then back to the picture. 723 "Saulius Grybauskaitė," he says, and I force down my shock. His pronunciation was spot on too. "Lithuanian, but ethnically Russian. He's a human trafficker who runs women to the west coast and Vegas for a Georgian underboss named Anton Mamedova, who works for a Russian boss named Imran Krasny." 724 "You know who that is, what he does, and who he works for, but also don't know why someone is taking pot shots at you?" I ask, and he shrugs. "How fucking stupid do you think I am?" 725 "You don't want me to answer that question," Silverlake says with a grin so irritating, I am close to smashing his face against the table. 726 "Why does an American private investigator know so much about the Russian Mafia?" Shelby asks. 727 "Why does the FBI know less than me?" he asks, and he sees my hand clench. "Easy tiger." 728 "Fuck this," I say, then stand up to leave. 729 "Chase..." Shelby starts to say. 730 "...fuck him. Put him back on the street, whatever happens, happens," I say and open the door. 731 "Alright," Silverlake says, and I close the door. "They want me dead because I was getting close to finding where they keep the girls between transport." 732 "Why were you trying to find it?" I ask, then walk back to the chair, but do not sit. I place my hands on the back rest and lean down. 733 "A client's daughter was taken by the Russians," he says, and Shelby starts looking through the file. "That client is a foreign diplomat." 734 "Bullshit," I say and consider leaving again. No one that important is hiring him. 735 "They took her about a month ago. Her parents through their own means found out she's likely here. They hired me to find her," he says. I can tell Shelby doesn't believe him either. 736 "Why the hell would a diplomat hire a washed-up PI like you?" I ask, he shakes his head in annoyance. "If this girl was taken a month ago, she's already in Vegas taking five dicks an hour." 737 "If she were just another girl, you'd be right. This girl is leverage. She is the daughter of Natia Nozadze, the Georgian Ambassador to the United States," he says, and Shelby calls a time out. We both leave the room and shut the door. 738 "How likely does someone just know an Ambassador's name off the top of their head?" Shelby asks. Not likely in the slightest. He is not completely bluffing. "What do we believe?" 739 "We believe he knows enough to make them want him dead. He certainly doesn't want to be on the street," I say, and Shelby nods in agreement. "Where does the lawyer fit in?" 740 "Not sure, but let's find out," Shelby says, and we both understand the priorities. 741 "Where does Calvin fit in?" I ask as I take back my seat in the interview room. Silverlake taps the picture of Saul with his finger. 742 "She's his lawyer. We all know that she represented the Irish. When they got taken out, none of the Irish businesses folded. That told me the Irish were the managers, not the owners. Coincidence some of the businesses were owned, at least on paper, by the firm Calvin & Willard, I think not. I offered them some dirt for the Marlene Black case, and they brought me on board. I was trying to use my access to find out property holdings they could be using to store the girls or keep someone hostage for a long time. Saul was there frequently and must have gotten suspicious of me." 743 "Dirt on who?" I ask. 744 "On you," Silverlake says with an arrogant smile. Shelby takes a side glance on me but ignores the comment. What could he have on me? 745 Chapter 7 "Why did she hit Hugh Willard too?" Shelby asks. 747 "We ran into each other trying to flee, and his head was a fortuitous accident," Silverlake explains. My thoughts exactly. 748 "Why not get out the moment you think you're compromised?" I ask. 749 "I didn't figure they'd try shooting me in the open," he says. 750 "They're Russian, not cartels. A cartel will kidnap you, bring you across the border, torture, maim, mutilate, and murder you. Then hang you off a bridge in Juarez. Only the end is public. Russian's assassinate people in the open. The act itself is the spectacle, not the result. It says you are not safe, anywhere." 751 "Well, fuck me then," Silverlake says, then crosses his arms. 752 "Do you have a case file?" I ask, and he nods. "Where?" 753 "My office. Safe under my desk. Combination is ten-eleven-twelve," he says. Just like that. 754 "Why are you being so helpful all a sudden?" I ask. 755 "I get out of here on my own, I'm dead. This way, maybe I get out alive, and find my client's daughter," he says. I knew part of it was self-preservation. 756 "Look at that camera, and give us permission," I say, pointing to the camera over my shoulder. He forces a frustrated smile. 757 "I, Henry Silverlake, give permission to search my home and office. I additionally give permission to search in a safe under my desk. You guys already have my keys. We done here?" 758 "For now. Don't go anywhere," I say and walk out with Shelby. Midge exits the observation room and holds her phone out. 759 "Jill is saying they found something in Saul's apartment, wants one of us downstairs. I'll take care of that if you take care of Silverlake's safe?" she asks. 760 "We'll compare notes when we get back," I say, and we split up. 761 -- I honestly expected his office to be ransacked. It isn't, and that might be worse. Disorganized criminals would trash the place looking for something. Competent criminals make it look like they were never there. The feeling that someone has been here does not subside, so I am leaning on the competent criminal assessment. 762 "We searching broad, or specific?" Shelby asks. 763 "Let's just get the contents of the safe," I say and walk to the office down the hall. The office looks clean too. The same semi-organized structure he entertains clients in. I sit on his chair on the opposite side of the desk. Beneath the desk is a small miniature fridge filled with soda. I do not see a safe under the desk like Silverlake said there was. 764 "No safe," I say, and start pulling drawers. The rack of shelves on the right don't move, and I notice a keyhole under the lip of the desk. After a moment of trying keys I find the correct one and tug the top drawer. Turns out it is a single large drawer, and inside is the door of the safe he mentioned. Digital lock with a six-digit code. Ten-eleven-twelve, unlocked. 765 "That was easy," I say while pulling it open. As advertised, it is filled with case files, and I start scanning for the one we need. I see mine as well, so pull it out. They were making a case I have anger management issues because I punched a patrol officer. Considering that I punched something else today, they might have had a case. 766 "Take them all, we'll sort it out later," Shelby says after getting frustrated. A sheet of paper slides out of the first file and floats under the desk. As he reaches under the desk, something violently grabs his attention, and he grabs my shoulders to force me down on the chair. "Chase. Don't. Move," he says in a panicked voice trying to sound calm. 767 "What?" I ask, and he pushes me down when he thinks I am about to stand up. He leans down and looks under the chair, then curses. I almost shit myself when I realize it. "Please tell me I'm not sitting on a bomb." 768 "Dead-man switch by the look of it. Otherwise, we wouldn't be talking," he says, and starts making a call. "This is Special Agent Shelby. I need a bomb squad." 769 "Get out of here," I say, my breathing going erratic. My hands grip the chair in case I accidently slip off because I'm shaking so hard. "Shelby, get out." 770 "I'm not going anywhere," he says, then provides the address. 771 "Don't be an idiot, man," I say, clinching my eyes shut in terror. I already feel the sweat slithering down my neck. My knuckles are white. "Only one of us looks dumb in the headline. Two officers killed by a bomb. Should have been one, but the other one was really fucking stupid." 772 "Ten minutes," he says then puts his phone back onto his belt clip. "You gonna be around when they get here?" 773 "Fuck you," I say with a desperate chuckle that makes me a cry a little. 774 -- Ten minutes feels like a goddamn decade. I was half tempted to just jump and pray, if not for the fact I was too petrified to move on my own volition. A fart could literally kill me right now. 775 Shelby is pushed out the door, and I cannot help but look at the SWAT officer behind the riot shield. He is doing a wonderful job at making me nervous as hell. At least they sent SWAT Sergeant Nathan White to alleviate my anxiety. Lord knows he isn't a sarcastic asshole. Man after my own heart. He is the only ordnance disposal technician in the city. The FBI field office keeps him on retainer. 776 "Good thing you've gained some weight, otherwise you'd be a lot lighter right now," Nathan says from the floor. He is on his back, shining a small flashlight onto the device. He is remarkably calm when you consider the yield might be small enough to just blow off my legs that are dangling from the chair. Nathan is without a doubt, dead, in that scenario. 777 "Don't you guys have robots?" I ask. 778 "Too expensive," he says as if we were just talking in a bar. 779 "How are you so calm?" I ask, my voice so shaken it sounds like I am speaking into a fan. 780 "If I fuck it up, it's not really my problem anymore," he says, then wiggles backward to look at me. "Let me tell you what's going on. Dead-man switch. This IED was unarmed until you sat on it, so, well done dumbass." 781 "Not in the mood," I say, and he smirks. 782 "Relax. I mean that literally. The only reason this goes off right now is if you attempt to move off it. So, don't move. Just relax," he says, and starts shining his light on it again. 783 "Cut the red wire," I say as a joke. 784 "Not how IEDs work," he replies as if I was serious. "Besides, these wires are green." There's his trademark banter. "I know you like learning new things. Does me walking you through it help you not freak out?" 785 "Sure as shit is better than waiting for silence to be interrupted," I say. 786 "IEDs have four components. Initiator, initiating explosive, bulk explosive, and a container. Variations of course, but that's the general rule. Basically, I'm trying to find the most effective means of disrupting the explosive train. The train is the process of a power source to an initiator, setting off the initiating explosive which sets off the bulk explosive. You following me so far?" 787 "Something like a blasting cap is an initiating explosive?" I ask. 788 "You are a quick study my sweaty, scared shitless friend," he says, and shifts under me to look at the other side. "It's crude, but functional. I don't see any indication of an anti-tampering device," he says, and I ask what that is even thought it sounds self-explanatory. "You know the expression duct tape fixes everything?" He asks after keeping me mentally occupied through conversation for five minutes. 789 "That's a comforting question," I say. 790 "Well, electrical tape fixes some problems too. I bet you were wondering why this thing didn't go off the movement you sat down," he says. Up until this point I was too preoccupied to care. "They wanted the victim to arm this thing. Safer for transport and placement. Whether it goes off when you sit down, or stand up, is immaterial to them. You're fucked either way. You got lucky that someone noticed." 791 "The electrical tape has me intrigued," I say. "Could you get to how it saves my life please?" 792 "When you sat down it depressed a copper spring which allowed a plastic divider held by tension to swing out of the way. When the spring goes back up it will..." 793 "...complete a circuit from the power source to the initiator," I say. 794 "I'm going to disrupt that, with some electrical tape. Those two points will then not touch, and you get to walk out of here. Sound good?" he asks. 795 "Why not just, disconnect the power source?" I ask. 796 "Because I don't know where it is. There are no obvious anti-tampering measures, but if there was one..." 797 "...that's where they'd put them," I say, and he nods to me. 798 "I'm going to tape this bitch up, and you're going home. You got it?" he asks. I nod like it was a compulsion. "Let's do it." 799 I can hear Nathan pulling tape like he was separating Velcro. My body is starting to go numb, which creates this insane feedback loop where it feels like I'm falling. I see the puddle of sweat -- I hope it's just sweat -- that filled at my crotch after dripping off my hair and chin. Can I trade this experience with being stabbed again? Please? 800 "Alright. Either I fucked up, or you live. No gray area," Nathan says, and I awkwardly laugh. 801 "How confident are you?" I ask, and he shrugs. 802 "Meh," he says and slaps my shoulder. You know that feeling of pinpricks when a limb goes numb and slowly comes back to life? Imagine that shooting through your entire body. After noticing my response to that he says, "I'm trying to ease the tension. Stand up." 803 "Get out first," I say, and he shakes his head. 804 "That's how confident I am. Stand up," he says. 805 Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My legs don't work anymore. 806 "Stand up," Nathan orders. 807 "I'm trying, I can't move," I say. He positions himself over me and slides his hands into my armpits. 808 "Grab my vest," he says, and my quivering hands reach around and loosely grab on. I do not have much strength left to secure myself to him. "On three. Ready?" I gasp and nod. "One. Two. Three." 809 I'm up, not dead, and my body goes completely limp in relief. I think I lost consciousness for a moment. 810 "Clear a path, coming back with him," Nathan says while dragging my lifeless body out of the room. My feet scrape across the ground as he carries me to safety. Now out of the room, he places me on the ground, leaning me against Silverlake's reception desk. 811 Feeling aches its way back to my body, and I start crying like a baby. Grown man, openly weeping. The fact I cannot stop myself from crying, makes me cry more. Nathan sits down next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. My head drops to his shoulder like a magnet sticking to metal. 812 "You sat on a bomb for an hour. Anyone who judges this can suck a porcupine's dick," he says, and I laugh the last of the tears out. 813 -- Friday -- October 16, 2026 814 -Zillah Calvin- 815 Imran Krasny is understandably angry that I failed at such a simple task. That task being merely picking up a bag. I tell him a blonde woman got there first and shot Saul in the face. Twice. What was I supposed to do? Imran states he will correct my mistake himself and hangs up. It's time to execute my escape plan. 816 With the clientele I've accumulated over the years, I figured it was only a matter of time before one of them figured I knew too much. The question was, would I recognize the end of my usefulness before they do? You prepare for that by buying a new identity. 817 This is pricy, but when you're trying to start a new life under the expectation of trying not to die, you don't want to be stingy. There is a guy who does nothing but this. For half a million, he makes you disappear. Hugh and I both paid in advance. Some of the money is used to create the identity, the rest, he places into untraceable accounts for you to access when you arrive wherever it is you're going. You don't get to pick where that is. 818 Today I called him. He told me to pack a small bag and wait. Two days. In two days, I climb into a van and vanish. 819 For now, I call into work and say I'm taking a few days off. I pack my bag and place it in the top of my closet before taking a shower. Two days. 820 I leave the shower in a towel with my hair wrapped and step into my living room. I jolt back when I see Imran sitting in my home with company. Including the blonde woman who killed Saul. She is still clutching her bag. The same men who picked me up in the Tahoe are standing over Imran's shoulders. 821 "Can I least put some pants on?" I say, and Imran doesn't reply. "That's the woman who killed Saul by the way." 822 "He was a bad man," the woman says, but Imran holds up his hand, and she bites her lip. There is something not whole about this woman. 823 "My dear Alecia is very apologetic for her actions to my associate. Aren't you dear?" he asks, and she nods rapidly. 824 "I got upset. I apologize," she says, exactly like a scolded toddler. I can't tell if she has Stockholm Syndrome or an Elektra Complex. Probably both. "I also apologize for missing my target. It won't happen again." She was the sniper. They sent her? 825 "For that, you are correct. It won't happen again. Silverlake has been located. The police found him first," Imran says, clearly aggravated by that. 826 "Finding him wasn't my job," I say. 827 "Good thing it wasn't, with what you've accomplished thus far," Imran says and stands up from the chair. This guy has no self-awareness to his own failures. "Will Silverlake talk?" 828 "He's a songbird," I say. Silverlake will always look after Silverlake. 829 "Then there is no time to waste," Imran says, and snaps his fingers. Alecia steps toward me and extends the bag. "Take it." 830 "Why?" I ask. Alecia keeps the bag raised, and as I watch her, Imran punches me in the stomach when I'm not looking. I grunt and fall to the floor, coughing so hard I nearly puke. 831 "I say do something, you do it. There is no why," he says as I cover my body for safety in case I'm hit again. Alecia drops the bag next to my trembling body and takes a step back. 832 "There is a silver lining to Saul's demise," Imran says as he crouches above me. "The police need someone for his murder. Alecia will turn herself in. Ask why." I hesitate to ask for obvious reasons. "Ask. Why," he repeats slowly. 833 "Why will she turn herself in?" I groan. 834 "Because it's the fastest way into that building," Imran says. He returns to an upright posture and walks toward my door. "Keep that bag. We may need it later. I hope you can handle that." 835 The group leaves my apartment. I crawl to my couch and pull myself onto it. "Two days. Two days. Two days. Two days. Two days," I chant to myself. 836 -- Friday -- October 16, 2026 837 -Midge Appletree- 838 I arrive at the CSI lab, and Jill immediately takes me into her office and shuts the door. "Have a seat," she says, offering her chair to me. 839 "You guys found something?" I ask, and she points to a large binder on her desk. It is open, and I can see it is full of burnable discs. The evidence bag next to it indicates it came from Saul's apartment. 840 "The guy wasn't even hiding it," she says. "I'm not sure on your comfort level, but I've watched enough of them to get the gist. They're films of young women, being forced to strip and twirl for a camera. Like they're merchandise being advertised." 841 Silverlake's claim that Saul was a sex trafficker is now credible. Fuck credible; it's true. I don't want to watch them. But this is my job. I will scream in private. 842 I see she has a video pulled up on her screen, and I tap the spacebar to play. As she explained, it is a terrified woman crying as she is taking off her clothes. Someone off camera is yelling at her in a language I cannot understand. Most likely Russian. After I also get the gist, I tap the space bar again. You can rape someone with fear too. 843 "How many?" I ask. 844 "In that binder? Over a hundred," she says. I think about sitting across a table from this man. How he leaned over in the same way someone hovers over a steak they want to smell. "They go back a few years. One was missing." 845 "What?" I ask, and Jill flips a few pages. There is a vacant slot. "How are they organized?" 846 "Chronological order as far as I can tell," she explains. I take a closer look to see how they're labeled. Name and date. Suddenly I have a thought. 847 On Jill's computer, I quickly conduct a search for the Georgian ambassador to the United States. Natia Nozadze. I ask Jill to flip pages and look for that last name. Silverlake said she was taken roughly a month ago. August 22, 2026. Ana Nozadze. 848 "Son of a bitch, he might be telling the truth," I say, confusing Jill. "Silverlake. He tried telling us some bullshit that he was hired by an ambassador to find her daughter. This might be her." 849 I eject the disc currently in the drive and Jill slaps my hand when I reach for it without a glove. I nearly jump out of the seat. "Sorry, but gloves. Do not contaminate the evidence." 850 "Sorry," I say once my heart stops racing from the shock of being touched so firmly and suddenly. 851 "Here," she says, and loads that disc. I open the file, and it is different than the last one I watched. There is no stripping, or twirling. Just a girl holding a newspaper dated August 22, 2026. It's a proof of life video. Silverlake was telling the truth. 852 "Why not take this video?" I ask. "What video was more important than the ransom video for an ambassador's daughter?" 853 "It's not more important to the person who took the other disc," Jill says. What the hell does that mean? What made that disc special? 854 The PA system of the station begins to alert the building of an active shooter. 855 "What the fuck?" I ask. 'Bunker in place until an all clear is confirmed'. "Is there a drill today?" This is not a drill. 856 "No," Jill says. And we bunker in place. Every five minutes for a half hour the PA system repeats the message. We pass the time mostly talking about the kids. Particularly Wendy and Jesse. I wonder if Jesse had the balls to tell Jill that he got laid. I decide that's their conversation to have on their terms. 857 "How are the twins?" I ask, and she pulls out her phone to show me the latest pictures. They look like perfectly beautiful one-year old girls. Other pictures show Jesse looking annoyed when he is told to help with them, but I can tell he loves his sisters. He is sitting on the living room floor as they crawl over him, and he's a great big brother. All I have ever seen is the awkward angsty Jesse, so it is nice to see some dimension. 858 "I miss six-year-old Jesse. But this fifteen-year-old is starting to grow on me," Jill says, and we both smile. I don't miss ten-year-old Wendy. I admire how much she's improved. 859 "What happened to his birth mother?" I ask. I only know Jill took in Jesse when he was six. 860 "His mom was, to be polite, an abusive drug addict when he was younger." That's the polite way to describe her. 861 "Geez," I say, and she nods. "She still around?" 862 "I literally threatened to put her in prison about a decade ago, and she ran for the hills. Derek keeps some tabs on her, and I know she's supposedly been sober for almost a year. Grace has asked Derek if she can see him again, but I don't know how I feel about that. She will break his heart again, and I'm not going to let that happen," Jill says, becoming more emotional than I have ever seen her. Jill sniffs and discreetly wipes a tear from her eye. "The first time I meet Jesse, she was abandoning him on Derek's doorstep. You don't get to take that back." 863 Jill loves Jesse. I never doubted that, but I also never realized how much. She is a stern and tough mother, but there is also so much compassion and warmth. Someone is threatening her child, and she is acting appropriately. That someone is his birth mother. That's how I feel about my kids. I would shoot their dad if I had to. Honestly, I already want to do that. 864 "Derek caught me by surprise this morning," Jill says with a laugh. "He's my husband, I'll back, love and support him, but give me a little warning. You know?" 865 Chapter 8 "Know what?" I ask. 867 "Today he's going to announce his candidacy for mayor," Jill says, and my jaw hits the floor. "Oh yeah. He's going to end his brief with that today. He already filed the paperwork, it's official." 868 "He's got my vote," I say. Not just because he's my chief or she's my friend. It's because he...I don't know what his platform is. I guess for now his platform is I'm not these two. That is more than enough. 869 "I imagine he safely has the police vote. His approval rating is ninety-three percent with the union," Jill says. Sounds like she has already crunched some numbers on his odds. The police union is only a few hundred people, but it's a good line for a campaign ad. 870 At this time, all clear. I repeat, all clear. 871 Jill tells me she will be forwarding the discs to the FBI, and that she'll have a preliminary report in a few hours regarding the contents. I get surprisingly good reception in the basement, so call Chase as I'm boarding the elevator. It rings all the way through and goes to voicemail. 872 "Chase, answer your phone. Silverlake is telling the truth. Call me back," I say and send him a text as well. They might still be outside of the building because of the lockdown just being lifted. When I step off the first floor to walk toward where Silverlake is being held, I see a cordon blocking the hallway. 873 "What the fuck?" I ask, and an officer holds his hand up to block my path. "Homicide, move." 874 "She's with me," I hear Lieutenant Ito shout from down the hall. I step around the officer and join her at the interview rooms. Blood had slithered down the wall and pooled in the hall. 875 "What going on?" I ask. 876 "Alice," Lieutenant Ito, and gestures to the room Silverlake was in. I peek inside, and he is lying in a puddle of his blood. The back wall is splattered red with brains. His hand is stretched out around the table with a bullet hole through it. Like he saw it coming and raised his hands to catch the slug. 877 "Jesus fucking Christ," I say. 878 "She turned herself in for the murder of Saul. When Jeff was escorting her, she escaped her restraints, stole his gun, shot him, and then assassinated Silverlake. Took less than five seconds," Lieutenant Ito explained. "Jeff is already in route to the hospital. You're off this case, effective immediately. I'm putting Kaiser on it." 879 As much as it pisses me off, I understand. I'm pregnant, I know what that means, and I know the level of risk the department is willing to take. We just vaulted over that line of risk. I won't fight this one. 880 "Yes ma'am," I say, and she is surprised on my lack of pushback. "What the fuck is taking Chase so long?" 881 "FBI...Lieutenant!" we hear Special Agent Shelby shout from the line of officers. Lieutenant Ito waves his through and he sees the room. "What happened?" 882 "Alice happened," Lieutenant Ito says. "Where's Chase?" 883 "Getting a new pair of pants. While grabbing a case file at Silverlake's office, Chase sat on a chair rigged to explode," Shelby says, and Lieutenant Ito gasps in her throat. Her boyfriend was nearly blown up. "He's shaken, but he's alive." 884 "Thank God," Lieutenant Ito says. "Alice surrendered immediately, so she was taken alive. Smiling the whole time seemingly satisfied with herself. Can we get some resources to get her out of here before the next bomb goes off?" 885 "We'll take her," Shelby says, and excuses himself to start making some calls. 886 "Brief Will, and then go home," Lieutenant Ito orders. 887 I take one final look at Silverlake, and then walk back to the elevators. 888 -- Friday -- October 16, 2026 889 -Chase Kramner- 890 My legs are still rubber when I arrive at my apartment. I strip naked in the bathroom and smell my pants from a safe distance. At least I can confidently say I did not soil myself. Rinsing off in the shower rejuvenates my muscles. When I leave the bathroom with my waist wrapped in a towel, it's the first time in hours my legs feel firm again. 891 Time to feel safe and comfortable in exercise shorts and my Dartmouth sweater. The couch is cozy, and I wrap myself in a blanket like a baby in a womb. I wonder if it's on the news already. I turn on the television and find the Chief's briefing on a local station's YouTube channel. 892 Chief Whitaker has no good answers to what happened today. We managed to smother the bomb story for the time being, but that will not stay buried for long. I had messages from Midge. One saying Silverlake was telling the truth, and then another saying he was dead. Silverlake's death hit the press fast. The situation made Chief Whitaker's transition during his briefing awkward when someone in the press pool asked him if it was true that he filed candidacy forms for mayor this morning. 893 "It's true. I did this morning, and I was going to withhold announcing that considering recent events. It would have been inappropriate and cast a shadow of distraction over more pressing matters. Because it was asked, I will answer. Yes, I am a candidate for Mayor." 894 Holy shit. So much for Chief 'I'm not a politician' Whitaker. 895 Atticus jumps onto my lap and begins trying to headbutt my chin for attention. 896 "Missed you too," I say. 897 I jump when my door swings open and Jenn comes barreling into the apartment. Atticus flinches, and then jumps off my lap to greet her. She pauses for a moment to pet him, but quickly walks across the living room and dives onto me. We struggle to move the blanket out of the way, but in seconds she straddles me so we can embrace fully. She knows what happened, and it seems like it scared her as much as it scared me. I've been stabbed and shot, but today was the nearest I have come to death. 898 "I had to hold my shit together all day," Jenn cries into my shoulder. 899 "I couldn't hold my shit together at all," I admit, and she kisses me. 900 "I know I said six months, but I'm so ready right now," she says, then kisses me again. Whoa. "Let's do it right now." 901 "Do you want to take a day. Let the feeling of almost dying pass, then make a decision," I say, and she ignores me. "Jenn, cool the jets before we start making a crisis baby." 902 "I thought you'd be all over this," Jenn says. I sucked the mood out of the room. 903 "Our baby will always remind us that a bomb made that decision, not us," I say, and she puts her forehead to mine. 904 "I'm not going to lie, I'm scared," she says. "But you just said our baby, and my heart skipped." 905 "Really?" I ask, and she grabs by hand and presses it to her chest. Her heartbeat is going crazy. "Our baby." Faster. 906 "Say that again," she says and kisses me. Her mouth leaves mine, and I nibble her ear. 907 "Our baby." I feel her gasp. 908 "This isn't crisis, this is me," she says into my ear. "Let's make a baby." 909 Jenn is impatient, forcing us to start on the couch. She starts unbuttoning her blouse as I begin to undo her belt her gun is still holstered on. I slide it off and place it on the coffee table as she pulls her shirt off her arms. She stands up long enough to slide her pants and panties off. While she is off me, I shimmy out of my shorts. She licks her fingers for moisture and climbs on top of me. 910 I cannot describe why this was different. It just was. Sex is fun, and I enjoy it as much as the next guy. But this was an elevation of the activity. The act suddenly had a purpose it never had for me in the past. 911 The scenario is almost ruined when I feel Atticus sit on my foot. I try to shoo him off, but after a minute I decide we need to take this to the bedroom. Trying to hold the mood together, I lift her off the couch, my dick still inside her, and carry her to the bedroom. I close the door behind me and can hear him pawing at the door. 912 I fall with her onto the bed, and we resume. 913 Because of the heightened emotional aspect, I orgasm much sooner than I wanted to, but it did not bother her. 914 "Keep going. You lose it, we'll just have another round," she says jovially. This is the most fun I have ever had with sex. It was intimate, but we spent more time laughing than moaning. It took time, but she is no longer embarrassed to orgasm cry in front of me. I hope that doesn't create a conditioned response where seeing her cry gives me a boner in a different context. 915 We continue our healthy habit of productive pillow talk. If today had a theme, it was helplessness. Today was just shit. I don't think nearly dying was the worst part. It was that I was powerless to do anything about it. By the end, I could not even stand up once the danger was over. Jenn had the largest case in her career ripped from her hands. The parts she could control, were killed on her watch. She was waiting to hear about that from Chief Whitaker. He doesn't have a history of scapegoating, but then again, we don't have a history of having suspects assassinated while in custody. During a political campaign. 916 "I'm serious by the way," Jenn says. She is laying directly on top me with her chin resting on the top of her hands on my chest. "That wasn't practicing." 917 "What's inspired the rush?" I ask. 918 "I never really planned on waiting the full six months. I can get a feel on most people fast. Two months is plenty of time for me. Honeymoon phase is over, and we shit with the door open," she says with a giggle. "Already hard enough for women my age to find a guy my age who wants kids, let alone a younger guy. I'm locking that down." 919 Jenn has never told me her age. I have never asked. She just gave something away, and she is smiling, as if she is daring me to solve the mystery. 920 "I'm dating an older woman?" I ask, and she nods. 921 "Change your perspective?" she asks. With that body, she could be fifty and I wouldn't care. I shake my head. "Thirty-six. Thirty-seven next month. Twelfth by the way, I like orchids, you've been told." 922 "Orchids, twelfth, got it," I say, and she leans up to kiss me. 923 "Don't forget." 924 -- Saturday -- October 17, 2026 925 -Jennifer Ito- 926 I have officially made the decision that Chase is the man I want to be with. Even the fact we've only been going out a few months isn't rearing up its ugly head to warn me. Perhaps in the future we'll wish we went a little slower, but I don't think our regrets will be overbearing. 927 Ever since my divorce five years ago, I have become acutely perceptive of undesirable male qualities. Dominic wasn't abusive in the physical sense, but he was abusive. I was ugly when I cried. In the span of a week I was too fat and too skinny. He had a sixth sense on how to assault my self-esteem. If I tried to leave, he said I would never meet anyone better, and I believed him, even after he cheated on me on a regular basis. It took seven tries, over two years, but I finally left him. The hardest thing about that first year was ignoring the phone calls. I could not give him an avenue to come back. 928 My life was surreal. At home I was this meek subordinate wife who let her husband treat her like shit. At work, I was a confident and decisive investigator. Having two opposing lives was taxing. Sometimes I would sit in my car for an hour before I would go inside. Just so I could be the version of myself I liked a little bit longer every day. 929 When I started to date again, I did so with a check list of red flags. They were weirded out by the fact I cry when I orgasm. Instead of telling me something, they'll try to spare my feelings, which is patronizing, which means they don't respect me. 930 Chase didn't raise those red flags. He said I was beautiful in my most vulnerable state. He's so honest I almost wish he wouldn't be. Granted he has annoyed me at work with this case. However, he wasn't doing it maliciously, but out of passion. I can work with that. 931 Because I have decided Chase is the one, there is something I need to disclose to him. He needs to know I arranged for him to be the source of Summer Pillsbury's article by proxy. He deserves the truth about my history as a news source. Chase is not a fan of the media when it comes to their reporting on the police, so I am worried about what he will do with this information. Is this the best time to burden him with this? 932 Unfortunately, Chase can sense when I am holding something back. If I deny anything is wrong, he knows I'm full of shit. He likes my directness, so when I'm evasive, it stands out like a sore thumb. 933 "What's up?" Chase asks coffee while the Keurig pours coffee into his cup. I am slowly stirring the cream in my cup as if it delays the conversation. "Jenn?" 934 "Huh?" I ask. 935 "What's up? This about last night? If that was just sex talk, I'm fine with that," Chase says, and I laugh a little. He is giving me the space to maneuver out of a major life choice. I appreciate that. 936 "No, last night was fine, and I was serious. I'm still serious. I'm still in if you are," I say. 937 "Then what's up?" he asks. 938 "I have something to tell you. It's a big deal, and I'm worried," I begin. His coffee finishes pouring, but he ignores it to focus on me. "I'm worried that you take it the wrong way, and...I don't know. I'm just worried." 939 "You're Summer Pillsbury's source," Chase says, and I gasp without making noise. "You know I hate the media, and you're worried that if I found out, I'd think our relationship was founded so you could get her a story." 940 How the hell did he discover that? He senses I am asking that to myself. 941 "Horseshoe Diner. Every time Joshua Winters wanted to interview me, he always said he'd be discreet, and we could meet there. Winters used to work for the Tribune, and I know he's Pillsbury's mentor. One of them was there that day, right?" he asks, and I slowly nod while avoiding his eyes. 942 "How long have you known?" I ask. 943 "I never knew for sure. I only had a suspicion, and I did wonder about the timing," he says. "It just never felt like it was a reason we happened." 944 "It wasn't," I say. He is not requiring I explain myself, but I feel like I need to. "I liked you because you were brave, and you were honest. You had your doubts if you could stay on the force, but you overcame them. What I also liked was your adherence to the rules not being a blind faith. You'll arrest Texada, but not turn in Dolly, who I know tried covering it up. You did that because gray does exist, and mistakes need to be taken in their context. You understand that, even if people think you're a boy scout who sees the world as a binary." 945 "Thank you for telling me," Chase says, and takes his coffee off the Keurig. That was a test. Holy shit, he just tested me. When I told him this, he'd know I was serious about us. He didn't get offended and paranoid. He believed my feelings were sincere, and that I would eventually tell him on my terms when I was ready. Chase trusts me. Having an intimate partner trust me is so foreign. 946 "I love you," I say, and he smiles while raising his coffee to his lips. 947 "I love you too," he says, and takes his sip. He loves me before he drinks his coffee. 948 My phone rings, and I pull it off my belt. 949 "Chief," I say so he knows, and then answer. "Morning Chief." 950 "Morning Lieutenant, your trial by fire continues," he says. Chief Whitaker has been saying that a lot recently. Lieutenant for a second and I'm dealing with assassins and the Russian Mafia. 951 "What now?" 952 "Prisoner transport. Judge approved special condition of pre-trial for Alice. Meaning, no more bail. We're officially handing her off to the FBI, and wiping our hands clean of this mess," he says. "None of which is your fault, just really shitty luck." 953 "Thanks for the vote of confidence sir," I say. 954 "Last thing. Coordinate, plan, and execute this exchange. Sergeant White is already spinning up his team, and Special Agent Shelby is finding a vehicle," he says, and I let him know I'll give both a call and hang up. 955 "We're moving Alice," I say, placing my phone back on my belt. "You'll probably get a call to supervise the transport team with Shelby soon." His phone rings. 956 "Kramner," he says, and I watch him listen for a moment. "On my way." 957 "Be careful," I say, and we leave the apartment together. 958 -- Saturday -- October 17, 2026 959 -Chase Kramner- 960 Ensure the weapon is empty, point in a safe direction, and rack the slide a few times. Insert an empty magazine and pull the slide until it catches. Drop the magazine and release the slide forward by pressing the catch lever. Decock the firearm with the decocking lever. Squeeze thee trigger to test double action, and keep the trigger held as you rack the slide. Release the trigger, listening for a metallic click. Squeeze the trigger again to test single action. Pull the slide back a quarter of the way and squeeze the trigger, and feel no resistance, ensuring the trigger bar disconnect is functional. Functions check complete, and I reload a magazine. 961 Nathan makes sure everyone is vested up for the prisoner transport. He steps to my side and slaps my back and stomach at the same time to check my plates. He does the same to The Kaiser and then asks me to do it to him as well. 962 The FBI managed to acquire a vehicle on loan from the US Marshals to secure Alice. Usually we would just get a normal squad car, but Alice has proven herself to be far too dangerous. 963 Nathan briefs a rehearsal with the personnel involved. From what I can see the transport team is Nathan, Special Agent Shelby, The Kaiser, and myself. Nathan, Shelby, and I are in vehicle one, and The Kaiser is following in a second vehicle because we're dropping the transport off to the Marshalls after the mission. He briefs the route we're taking, and alternative routes. Emergency stops for vehicle malfunction. What our phase lines are. 964 "Let me be perfectly clear, so the dick waving is minimized. I am the convoy commander," Nathan says, and everyone nods to him. "Until that prisoner is handed off, what I say goes. I get it, we're all chiefs, but stay off my dick." 965 "You won't feel any dick stomping from me," Shelby says, and asks to go over the route again. Three-hour drive to the prison with no stops. From there, Shelby officially places Alice under FBI custody. After that, she is out of our hair. 966 "Sergeant," one of the SWAT guys says to Nathan. "Checks and services complete on the vehicle, and it's all fueled up. Everything is ready on your go." 967 "You guys ready?" Nathan asks us, and we all say we are. "Let's roll." 968 Alice is escorted out of the building in restraints, and then placed into a secure van with a cage and a steel plate welded in the center. She is fastened directly to the plate, and the cage is locked with her in it. I signed some forms that assign custody of the suspect directly to Nathan, and he signs the confirmation and acknowledgement of responsibilities. 969 "Saddle up," Nathan says, and we climb into the vehicle. I am driving, and Nathan is riding shotgun. Shelby is in the back staring at Alice. "Comms check. Vehicle two?" 970 "Vehicle two, good copy," The Kaiser's voice says. 971 "Dispatch, transport is departing HQ," Nathan says, and gestures for me to start driving. 972 "Transport, good copy. Safe travels," dispatch says back. 973 -- The first thirty minutes of the drive is trying to navigate out of the city. Once out, the traffic thins, and we have more space to maneuver. The route makes all efforts to avoid local areas and side roads. Staying on the highway decreases chance of ambush. 974 One hour into the drive we are clear out of the metropolitan area and the highway is flanked on both sides by high vegetation with a grassy median between directions of traffic. The weekend is decreasing the number of cars on the road, and within another half hour I can count full minutes until I see another car. 975 We drive past two local squad cars on the shoulder, and I watch them through the rear-view mirror for a moment before looking straight again. I look around and notice this is the emptiest the road has been the entire drive. The opposite direction of traffic is now entirely vacant. I follow the curve of the road and see a semi-truck pulled to the shoulder with emergency flashers on. At the far end of the next curve in the road, I see another two squad cars blocking traffic on the opposite side some distance away. 976 Chapter 9 I have an itch that something is wrong, but before I can say anything, someone toward the front of the semi throws something in front of the van. I recognize them immediately as spike strips. 978 "Hold on!" I say and crush the accelerator. Swerving to avoid it or slowing down could cause a peel out. I hear the pop and hiss from the tires being torn apart, and the repeated thud from the rubber spinning around the rim barely attached. I manage to control the vehicle, but a truck drives out of concealment and rams the back right of the van. The back fishtails into the grassy median, and I feel the entire front of the van snap back to compensate. We're going to flip. 979 "Roll over!" Nathan shouts, as we all brace. 980 For the next twenty seconds I feel like a sock in a drier. Everything around me sounds like metal in a blender. My body rams the door, and my seatbelt stops me from pinballing. The world comes to stop in a final, slow drop. I can see through the disorientation that we landed upright. Through my right eye at least, blood has already enveloped my left eye from a gash on my forehead. 981 Grunts of pain echo from within the van, and I try to get a sense of who is where. 982 "Nate?" I ask, looking next to me. He is clutching his right forearm and hissing through his teeth so hard spittle slimes down his chin. His hair is glistening from glass particles. "How bad?" 983 "My arm's broken," Nathan says, then look out his broken window. "Fuck!" 984 I hear gunshots and the remaining glass shatter. The rounds punch the side of the van, but they do not penetrate. I see indentations where Alice is. They're not trying to rescue her. Her face suggests she knows that. This isn't a jail break; she's the target. 985 "Father is angry. Father is angry. Father is angry," Alice says repeatedly while clenching herself into a ball with her hands over her ears. 986 "We're sitting ducks, we need to move," Nathan says. "Get that gun up, get out!" 987 "Moving," I say, then try my door. It is jammed shut, so I ram my shoulder against it, and pain radiates down my side. My shoulder is dislocated. I roll my back onto the center and give it a hard kick it with both feet. Not the best way to find out your lower left leg is broken. My entire left side is damaged. 988 "Get that door open!" Nathan shouts, then leans over in his seat to pop a few rounds out his window. The fourth kick knocks the door open. I grab the handle above the door and swing out. I try to land on my right foot, but the slope of the median forces a reflexive compensation on my left foot and I fall to my left side. It felt like getting struck by lightning. 989 I scramble to my good foot and hobble to the back of the van. When I poke my head around to lay down suppressing fire, I dodge back behind the van as The Kaiser pulls up the SUV. 990 "Chase!" The Kaiser shouts, keeping low as he gets out of the vehicle. 991 "Get the others, I'll lay down fire," I say, and finally start shooting. 992 "Nate, grab my hand!" The Kaiser says, and I see him start to drag out Nathan. Right before Nathan is fully out, I watch The Kaiser catch a round in the shoulder, then fall backwards into the median. 993 "Goddammit!" Nathan shouts, as he unloads half a magazine. "I'm good for now. Get Shelby!" 994 I turn to open the side door of the van, and immediately feel a sledgehammer into my back. The force throws me to face first to the ground. More bullets hit around me, but I roll off my good shoulder and fire in the direction it came from. I adjust when I see the shooter and land a neck shot. Another goon comes around the other side, but Will recovers and takes him out. He staggers to his feet, ignoring the pain bleeding down his sleeve and dripping off his hand. 995 The sliding door to the van is slightly ajar, and it takes all my strength with my right arm to tug it open. Shelby is unconscious, and Alice is still helpless. I unbuckle Shelby, and pull him out of the van, falling with him onto the grass. Suddenly there is a lull in gunfire. 996 "We just want to the girl," a voice says from the other side of the van. 997 "Not a fucking chance!" Nathan shouts, then negotiates with gunfire. I hear a body thud to the ground, and the bullets resume. 998 "Father is angry. Father is angry. Father is angry," Alice says from the cage. 999 I open the door to the SUV and return for Shelby while The Kaiser keeps Nathan secure. As I drag him back, I put pressure on my left leg and hear a sickening crack. At this point I'm just using the pain to stay awake. Thankfully, Shelby wakes up somewhere in between and can half understand basic instructions like 'get in the fucking car'. He is functionally useless right now, but he gets in the SUV finally. I take his gun in case I need it. 1000 "Father is angry. Father is angry!" Alice screams as I go for Nathan next. 1001 "Ready?" I ask, and he nods. I start dragging him out, but when his head crests the door, The Kaiser shoves me away with one arm and shoots someone trying to flank us. They hit each other, both wobbling back, but Kaiser keeps his balance until he is hit from the other side and falls forward on his face. Nathan returns fire, but is peppered by another shooter, who manages a headshot. 1002 "Nathan!" I crawl back to the van as The Kaiser shoots a set of feet from underneath. When the guy falls, The Kaiser ends him with a clean headshot. As I crawl, I see more feet coming at us. 1003 This is not how I'm going to die. Alice can help if I can only get her out of her funk. It's a big risk, but we are running out of options. 1004 "Cover me Will," I say, and Will trains his pistol under the van. I can tell he's on reserves as well. I pull the keys from Nathan's body. 1005 "We just want the girl. Last chance," a Russian accent says from the other side. 1006 I open the cage, and release Alice from her restrains. She is still chanting to herself. I tug her hand away from her face and she recoils like a child trying to avoid a beating. 1007 "Do you want to die? Because I don't," I say, and Alice looks at me. I need the killer I know she is. "Get your shit together." 1008 "Father is angry," she says. 1009 "Let him be angry. Fight back," I say, and extend her the gun. "You don't have to let them control you. You decide what happens to you, not them." None of what I said is impacting her at all. "What did the unicorn say to Alice?" 1010 "If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you," she mumbles, and takes the gun from me. 1011 "I believe in you. You're real," I say, then touch her cheek with the back of my fingers. She grabs my hand and presses it to her face like I was the first person to show her compassion in her entire life. 1012 "Ready?" I ask, and after a brief hesitation, she nods. 1013 "Give us the girl. Last warning!" the voice shouts. 1014 "Will, get to the car, you'll know when," I say, and Will says he's ready. "You can have her!" I shout as Alice opens the door and guns down two of them immediately. Will jumps to his feet and makes his escape. 1015 "Get in the car," Alice says, while I start dragging Nathan's body out. "What are you doing?" 1016 "Not leaving him behind," I say. He is heavy, and I scream in pain because of my leg. I drag him and my leg to the back of the SUV. 1017 "He's dead!" Alice shouts. She just doesn't understand this. I'm not leaving an officer behind. 1018 I open the hatch and put Nathan's body in the back. I climb over him and then press the button to close the hatch, and crawl over Shelby and The Kaiser to the driver's seat. I pull up to the side door and Alice jumps into the SUV through the passenger window. I drive the vehicle along the grass, then punch it once I reach pavement again. Several rounds hit the side, but I keep my foot down and drive through it. 1019 -- They either paid off local police or painted vehicles to look like police vehicles. Either way, it was a ballsy move. 1020 Alice sits next to me quietly, looking down at her lap and the gun in her hand. I start to feel my injuries fully and slap myself in the face to stay awake. Shelby is concussed, and fades in and out of consciousness, but is never lucid. He probably needs a hospital more than I do. The Kaiser is packing his shoulder wound but is also bleeding from his side. He's keeping pressure on the worse one, but he's not looking so hot either. 1021 "We clear?" Alice asks without looking up. 1022 "As clear as we're going to get," I say. She then pulls the gun on me. I knew it would be a short-lived alliance. I also don't think she'll kill me. 1023 "Pull over," she says. 1024 "Shoot me," I say, and speed up on purpose. "Do it. See what happens." 1025 "What happens is, you lose another friend," Alice says, and then shoots Shelby in the leg. I didn't count on that. The Kaiser aims his gun up, but Alice grabs it on the slider, then pulls him toward her. She uses his momentum to pistol whip him backwards, taking his gun in the process. I grab her arm, but she rotates her arm underneath mine and slides it under her back, and nearly breaks my arm when she flexes it. My left arm is useless to defend and she knows it. 1026 "Maybe I got his femoral, maybe I didn't. Either way, stop me, or save him. Your choice," she says with the gun to my temple. 1027 "I'll find you," I say, and she smiles. 1028 "No, you won't," Alice says. I pull over. Alice keeps the gun trained on me as she exits the vehicle. "Give me your phone." I stare at her, but eventually I hand it over. "Open it." I do, and she types something into it, then hands it back. "Eighteen-Ninety-Eight Dodgson street. That's where the girls are." She then slams the door shut and disappears into the brush. 1029 -- Saturday -- October 17, 2026 1030 -Jennifer Ito- 1031 Chase, Will, and Special Agent Shelby were airlifted to the hospital a few hours after Chase managed to stay awake long enough to get them to a populated area. He apparently passed out not too long later, slowly driving into the bumper of a car waiting for a light. SWAT Sergeant Nathan White was found dead in the vehicle while everyone else was severely injured. 1032 I'm not his family, so I'm not afforded information when I ask for it. I've never wanted to be his family more. For half a day I anxiously paced in the waiting room, to concerned to nap or sleep. Sergeant Tor came in with her daughter Helena, and Will's daughter Ursula. She is in the same boat as me. The stress causes her to enter early labor, and she is escorted to a room of her own. Chief Whitaker arrives at the fourteenth hour when this thing carried over into Sunday. 1033 "Lieutenant," he says, extending a cup of coffee to me. "Bryan is working the aftermath. My wife is consoling her best friend." 1034 "Who ambushed them?" I ask. 1035 "Bodies left at the scene says Russian. They killed four, and there is evidence they wounded a few others. No Alice though," he says. He was right to kick this case to the FBI. It was too big for us. "Has anyone told you their status?" I shake my head. "Shelby has a concussion and a minor leg wound, but he's expected to make a full recovery. Kaiser looks worse than he is; his wounds are mostly superficial with a few broken ribs. Chase has a dislocated shoulder and likely irreparable damage to his left leg. That's not even factoring in the bruising to his T-four and T-five vertebra from a gunshot his vest absorbed." 1036 Chase escaped with those injuries. His leg is likely irreparable because he aggravated it during the fight. Nathan by all logic didn't die in the SUV, so Chase would have had to carry him. He did that with a concussion and half his body destroyed. The pain must have been excruciating. 1037 "Before he lost consciousness, he sent Detective Appletree this," Chief says, and shows me his phone. It's an address for a seemingly random building. "A few officers went to check it out. They found nine girls being trafficked. Including the daughter of the Georgian Ambassador." 1038 "Alice might have told him something before the Russians got her," I say. I'm assuming the Russians got her. 1039 "With the girl safe Anton Mamedova gave up the whole game. All the girls were under Georgian passports rubberstamped by the ambassador, that's how it worked," Chief says. A murder on the courthouse steps led us to busting a complex human trafficking ring. 1040 "Every fed in the state is after these guys, and apparently the State Department is conducting its own investigation now," Chief says. 1041 "Kramner?" a voice from behind me says. I face the swinging doors and face a doctor who with her hands in her coat pockets. 1042 "Not family, but...girlfriend," I say, looking at the Chief from the corner of my eye. He seems indifferent. "How is he?" 1043 "The more we worked, the worse he looked, but he's out of surgery," she says, and looks at Derek, then at me again. "He fucked his leg." That was blunt for a doctor. 1044 "How bad?" I ask. 1045 "When he's of sound mind, he needs to make a decision between manageable lifelong pain or amputation," she explains. Oh my God. "It's family at this point." 1046 I want to punch my way through her. The only thing keeping me back right now, is that I'd have this meltdown in front of the Chief of Police. 1047 "Penny," Chief says, and the doctor turns to him. "I've been in touch with Sergeant Kramner's family. His father said fellow officers could visit him, and that his brother and sister would be here with the next few hours, depending layovers." 1048 "Don't bullshit me Derek," Penny says, then looks at him without saying anything. They appear to have a psychic conversation before she sighs and looks back to me. "Fine. If anyone but me asks, you're his wife. Got it?" 1049 "Cover your ass, I got it," I say, and she lets me know which room before leaving. "You two know each other?" 1050 "She's my sister in-law," Chief says, and gestures for me to go in. Chief doesn't join me because he has more fires to put out and a campaign to run. 1051 Chase looks like he just came back from a war. His left shin is held together with metallic rods and pins and is grotesquely swollen from being carved up. The left side of his face is stitched from multiple lacerations, but his eye was spared. His shoulder is bandaged from the dislocation. 1052 I grab his right hand and rub the top of it with my thumb. After a few quiet moments, I have a seat and close my eyes. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I am awoken by Penny checking on his condition. 1053 Groaning myself awake, I look around the room to see we acquired company. A dark-haired woman is now sitting on the other side of him, reading a book. I can't tell if she is reading it aloud on purpose or not. In a horrible accent too. Leaning over to look at the cover, I see she is reading Through the Looking-Glass. 1054 "It's new, I tell you -- I bought it yesterday -- my new RATTLE!" and his voice rose to a perfect scream. 1055 "At this time..." the woman read, then noticed I was awake. "Oh, hey," she says politely. 1056 "Hey," I reply, then look for a clock. I then check my phone. It's nearly ten in the morning. I must have been more exhausted than I realized. 1057 "Sorry if I woke you," she says. 1058 "Don't worry," I say, and we both watch Penny leave. "I'm Jennifer." 1059 "I figured," she says, then folds over the corner of the page she was on and closes the book. "I'm Nicole. His sister." My expression gave away he had told me about her. "I take it he's told you something about me." 1060 "All I know is, you two are trying to work it out. You're here, and that matters." I say, and she slowly smiles at me. 1061 "I didn't know you two got married," she says, and I flinch like I was dodging a punch. Then I remember for the time being, I am his wife. "Not telling people because of work or something?" she asks, like she's trying to rationalize my reaction. 1062 "We're not married," I admit. "The doctor said if anyone asks, we are, so I can stay with him." 1063 "Oh, okay. I know communication is new to us, but I figured he would have brought that up," she says with a giggle I return. "If he asks for real?" 1064 "It's only been a few months," I say. Bullshit. If he asks, I say yes. We're already working on the baby. 1065 "So, no?" she asks. Why is she so nosy? "Sorry. I've barely been his sister and I'm already interrogating the girlfriend." 1066 "I'm the youngest of five. I get it," I say. 1067 Chase regains consciousness an hour later. Penny starts checking mental faculties immediately because of his concussion. He passes that test and is told about his leg. That he will have to choose between keeping it or amputating it. When he is left with us to decide, the first thing he asks about is the transport team. I tell him Shelby is already walking, Will had a baby, but Nathan didn't make it. 1068 "Has someone told his family?" he asks, and I say yes. He holds it back, but it doesn't matter. He cries, and I hold his hand and let him grieve. The tears are brief, but the emotional impact of losing one of his friends lingers. 1069 When Penny comes back to ask if he has decided regarding his leg, he says amputation. To him it is a matter of performance. You get to keep a leg that barely works with constant pain from it; or you can learn to operate a new leg with only a minor change in overall lifestyle. Penny says they'll start prepping the surgeons, and we wait again. 1070 I stay with him until the doctors roll his bed down the hall and through the two-way doors, where I can't follow. 1071 -- Sunday -- October 18, 2026 1072 -Zillah Calvin- 1073 It is time to execute my escape plan. The FBI and the State Department are sniffing around the Russian's properties. It is only a matter of time before they start linking those to me. As much as I believe they'd have a hell of a time rolling me up in a RICO, I must remember these jackasses murdered a police officer in a failed ambush on American soil. They will be out for blood. 1074 The man who makes people vanish said someone will pick me up outside of my building at exactly noon. Not a minute before or after. 1075 I pull my bag out of the top of my closet, and quickly double check everything. My phone reads ten till noon, so I prepare to go downstairs and wait in the lobby. The bag is slung over my shoulder and I open my door to leave. I freeze when Alecia is there waiting for me. 1076 "My bag," she says, holding a gun up to me. 1077 "It's here. Under my bed," I say, and she lowers the weapon and walks around me. I try to move out the door, but something is holding me here. I drop my bag to the floor and walk to my bedroom. Alecia has the bag open on the bed and checking its contents. I see the rifle used at the courthouse, but she also removes a disc from the bag as well. 1078 "What's that?" I ask, accidently startling her enough to aim at me again. "Stop fucking aiming at me!" 1079 "Proof of what the bad man did," she says. "He hurt me. Father helped me. He made it stop," she says, lowering the gun and crying like a baby. "Father is angry at me. Where do I go when father is angry?" 1080 What the hell did they do to this woman? She the most lethal infant on the planet. They will find her and finish the job. Unless she disappears. Both Hugh and I paid in advance, and his seat in now vacant. Will they take her? 1081 "Come with me," I say, and she looks at me with a face drowned in tears. "We take our bags, and we disappear." 1082 "Will they find us?" she asks. 1083 "No sweetie. The bad men will not find us," I say. 1084 Before we leave, I take the disc and place it on my kitchen table next to a note for the police. I know they will come here eventually. Alecia takes her bag to the lobby with me, and I keep her somewhat concealed until I see the van pull up to the curb. I quickly exit the building holding her hand, but the driver stops us at the curb. 1085 "You only paid for one," he says. 1086 "Hugh Willard had a seat as well. He's dead, she's taking it," I say firmly, and the man makes a call. I look at her while we wait, and the man hands me the phone. "Hugh paid in advance. She's taking his spot." 1087 "Not how this works," the man says. 1088 Chapter 10 "The fuck it isn't," I say, and he is quiet for a few seconds. "I know you don't print the passports or the IDs until we're on the move. You probably use gender neutral names if I had to guess. Control F replace male with female and let her in this fucking van." 1090 "Your accounts will be a fifty thousand lighter for the rush job," he says, and I agree to pay it. "Hand me back to my associate." 1091 The man listens for a moment, then hangs up. He asks us to stand still and takes a picture of both of us. I will assume that is for the IDs. Both of our bags are thrown into the back, and we are required to hand over any electronics we have on us. We climb into the seats, the door slides shut, and we are taken to our new lives. 1092 -- Thursday -- October 22, 2026 1093 -Chase Kramner- 1094 I can still feel my toes. If I close my eyes and focus, I swear I can feel them flex. When I open my eyes, my brain nearly collapses at the cognitive dissonance. The feeling is insanely weird, and I'm rather amused at its absurdity. The pain is more irritating than anything else; like television static when you have a headache. 1095 Because of my recovery, I miss Nathan's service. He died because I couldn't pull him out fast enough. Because I didn't see the ambush in time. I've had everyone tell me it wasn't my fault, but I don't believe them. He has a widow and a daughter who will never see her father again because I drove us into a kill box. 1096 Nicole and Jenn have both taken some leave to help, but I'm generally able to get out of the bed and lower myself to a wheelchair. In a few days, the doctor will fit me with a temporary prosthetic and encourages me to get used to that while I'm getting fitted for a permanent one. I might even be able to go home by the start of next week. 1097 Midge arrives with a secure travel bag, while Jenn is quietly doing some case work after Nicole had gone to crash at my apartment for the night. Her face suggests she has made some development on the Russians, Alice, or both. 1098 "Evening," Midge says, and closes the hospital door. "I found her." 1099 "Where is she?" I ask. 1100 "Not what I mean," Midge says, which confuses me. "I mean, I found out who she really is. Her real name." Midge opens her travel bag with a key and removes a file from it. Her belly sways across the room, and she hands the file to me after I slide my serving table over. "Alecia Valentine." 1101 "How'd you figure it out?" I ask while opening the file. I see a picture of a beaming five-year-old blonde girl who was allegedly kidnapped by her father sixteen years ago. 1102 "Remember that missing video from Saul's snuff collection?" she asks, and I nod. "FBI found it in Zillah Calvin's apartment, packaged for them like a gift. It is two years old and is labeled Valentine. The video is of Alice, or Alecia, only she refused to partake in the merchandising of herself. Saul repeatedly raped her to comply. He then branded her with tattoos Shelby tells me is to shame victims. Hands with eyes in the palm were tattooed on her sides. I asked Yvonne, who found the Alecia Valentine case for me with the information." 1103 "Her father was Marine Force Recon," I say aloud. I was right about her knife style. 1104 "Not only that. After his service he was a wacko anti-government survivalist," Midge says, and I start reading about that. Her father trained her. "Two years ago, her father was found so riddled with bullets they needed DNA to identify his body. He was linked by a joint ATF and DHS investigation into Russian small-arms trafficking. Mainly selling them to weird militia groups, and I think he pissed them off. Alecia's body wasn't with him, so I think the Russians took her as a bonus. They tried unsuccessfully to pimp her, and realized she had other potential, so turned her into an assassin instead." 1105 There are so many unanswered questions about this woman, that only she can answer. "Any idea where she is?" I ask. 1106 "She's a ghost," Midge says, and I keep reading the casefile. 1107 I look at the pictures of the inside of the deep wood Appalachia Unabomber shed they lived in. Evidence collection found the capability of making bullets and basic explosives. Next to the bed I presume was Alecia's was a collection of children's books and toys. Her father trained her, but also kept her in a perpetual state of arrested development. There is a high probability he did more than just kidnap her. 1108 Unfortunately, my head just cannot focus on this right now. I hand the casefile back to Midge who secures it inside the bag. After a brief, but pleasant conversation, Midge departs. 1109 Jenn climbs on to the hospital bed with me, resting her head on my chest to watch the hospitals poor selection of channels. I stay on the local news which shows the local city debates between the two candidates, but not Chief Whitaker. Instead, he is brilliantly hosting a question and answer outside of the debates according to the news ticker on the bottom of the screen. I asked Jenn to grab my laptop and we find where it is being streamed. More people are watching him than the debates. He might win this thing. 1110 -- Friday -- October 30, 2026 1111 -Midge Appletree- 1112 I have a greater appreciation for Will's job since I started doing it. With both Sergeants on leave, their duties have been given to me for the time being. Lieutenant Ito is taking some time off to help Chase, but Lieutenant Whitmore is certainly picking up the slack. Lieutenant Eastland is working her ass off coordinating with federal agencies to clean up this mess. I'm mostly working on evidence packages to send to the FBI and State Department. 1113 Today I clock out at ten o'clock, and don't get to the elevator before I hear my name. I turn around and see Lieutenant Eastland. 1114 "Ma'am," I say. 1115 "Glad I caught you. You on your way out?" she asks, and I nod. "I'll walk with you." What is this about? We board the elevator together and I press the ground floor. 1116 "How's Chase?" I ask. 1117 "Part of why I wanted to talk to you," she says. My interest is piqued. "Chase let me know today that he's filing a medical packet." Chase is getting out. I'm not surprised someone would after losing a leg; I'm just surprised Chase would. "It's more than just the injury. Things with him and Jenn are pretty serious, and he wants to focus on that." 1118 "Okay. His call. Why does that make you want to talk to me though?" I ask. The elevator opens, and we step off. 1119 "That means the sergeant slot in SI is going to be open when he's out. This goes one of two ways; either I give command a name, or command gives me a name. I asked Chase who he would like to replace him. Without reservation, he picked you," she says, and I stop walking. I'm not a sergeant. Yet? "It comes with the promotion. You'd start after your maternity leave. Chief already gave me the go ahead to hold that slot open until you can take it." 1120 "Wow, holy shit," I say, and the baby punts my kidney. "Motherfucker!" 1121 "You good?" 1122 "Yeah, sorry. Little bastard is going to town in there," I say, and she laughs a little. I'm kicked again. "Knock it off." 1123 "Do you want it?" Lieutenant Eastland asks, and I nod. "I'm glad. Go home, we'll talk more about it later." 1124 "Yes ma'am," I say, then we awkwardly walk in the same direction for another twenty feet before splitting up in the parking garage. 1125 -- Four Years Later... 1126 Thursday -- October 17, 2030 1127 -Chase Kramner- 1128 I limp up the driveway after completing my morning run. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I sit on the second stair of the porch to check on my prosthetic. Looks undamaged, so I lean back to catch my breath, and grab the bottle of water I left on the top step. Taking a few swigs of water, I look down my driveway; a long dirt path to a road that maybe five cars drive along in a day. 1129 Jenn and I moved here last year. We stayed in the city until she completed her twenty for retirement, and then moved here with our son Nathan. The cat came with us, and Atticus loves having a big house to roam. 1130 As I listen to the quiet, I hear something at the screen door, and see Nathan playfully slapping it. I smile and use the bannister to stand up, and hobble inside. 1131 "Morning buddy," I say, and pick up Nathan. He leans his head on my shoulder, and I kiss his head. "Sleep good?" We've been enforcing him not sleeping in our bed for a few months. It was not an easy transition. He's such a momma's boy. Every day this week though, he's done it without a fuss. 1132 I carry him into the kitchen to start making breakfast while holding him. I have coffee ready and the water at a gentle boil for the poached eggs by the time Jenn wakes up. She shuffles into the room in pajama shorts and a white t-shirt, her hair mangled like it always is before she showers. Nathan starts reaching for her, so I hand him off and she sits him down on his chair. 1133 I pour her coffee and resume work on the poached eggs. I whisk the water and carefully slide the egg into the spiral after cracking it into a small bowl. 1134 "You watch one Gordon Ramsey video and think you're a chef," she teases. 1135 "You haven't complained," I say, and serve her breakfast before starting work on Nathan's and then my own. Once complete we sit down as a family and enjoy our meal. 1136 I clean the dishes and watch Nathan while Jenn showers. Once she's clean, she returns to get him dressed for the day's activity of landscaping. The kid mostly holds a bucket and appreciates nature, but we like him outside as much as possible. Plus, fall and winter clothes are so much cuter on him. Blue jeans and a flannel shirt, like a tiny lumberjack. 1137 The little guy follows me around as I rake the leaves from our trees. His idea of helping is kicking the piles or jumping into them. I can't get mad because I want to join him, and I eventually do. I jump into the pile, and he jumps on top of me. While laying on my back, I toss him into the air while he laughs. After playtime, I put him down for a nap and enjoy some quiet time of my own while Jenn goes into town for groceries. 1138 I pick up a letter on the coffee table and read it again. I've read it so many times since it arrived two weeks ago. A reminder for Sergeant Nathan White's memorial, which is being held today in the city. My son's namesake. A memorial for my friend who I got killed. It's already been four years. I can't face his family. 1139 Nathan is still napping when I think I hear a car coming down our driveway. I push myself off the couch and walk to the door. There is a dust cloud down the driveway, and car pulling to a stop behind mine that isn't Jenn's. I watch as a familiar face steps out and waves up to me. I quietly open and shut the door to meet them at the bottom of the steps. 1140 "What brings the mayor here?" I ask as I wrap Derek Whitaker in a hug. He won by a healthy enough margin, there wasn't even a runoff election. "How you been sir?" 1141 "Derek," he corrects me. I notice he's carrying a leather bag you'd see a lawyer or other professional carrying. 1142 "Derek, sorry. Old habits," I say with smile. "Coffee?" 1143 "Hell yeah," he says, and we go inside, quietly. That boy has his mother's hearing. 1144 I pour us both a cup and we sit down in the kitchen. 1145 "How's the family?" I ask. 1146 "The girls started kindergarten. Jesse's in New York. West Point," he says with a proud smile. 1147 "Heard that school's hard to get into," I jest. 1148 "About twelve percent acceptance," he says and takes a sip. "What's it like to be out of the city?" 1149 "Had to leave. Too expensive," I say, and discretely unclip my prosthetic. "Place was costing me an arm and a..." I place the leg on the table. "...leg." 1150 Derek stares at me, but his face contorts into a restrained, cringy smile. 1151 "Be honest, how long have you been waiting to make that joke?" Derek asks. 1152 "Too long, thanks for the opportunity," I say, then put my leg back on. "Why are you out here? Don't mind that you are of course, just curious." 1153 "Your application for private investigator license. The adjudicating official called me about your character reference. Nothing but good things. Starting to miss it?" Derek asks. I chuckle a little, and raise the coffee to my lips, but sigh into it instead of drinking. I put the cup down and lean back. 1154 "I'll always miss it," I admit, then look over my shoulder toward Nathan's bedroom. "I can take a case here and there, so I don't go insane. Mostly work with the local sheriffs as a consultant." 1155 "Domestic life getting you?" he asks. 1156 "It's not better or worse, it's just different," I say, and he nods to agree. "I live for that kid. I keep the cases small, and doable, and I feel satisfied without having to look at him like I gave something up." 1157 "Fatherhood isn't a bad thing to give something up for. It's noble. I promise you, it's the most fulfilling thing you'll ever do," Derek says, and I hear the door open and close. 1158 "Chase, I got bags in the car," I hear Jenn say. "Who's here?" She walks into the kitchen and sees Derek. "Holy shit sir." 1159 "Derek," he corrects, and she puts the bags on the counter. Derek stands up and hugs her, then retakes his seat. "How you doing?" 1160 "Great. Really great," Jenn says. We both hear Nathan in his room, and Jenn groans. "I woke him up." 1161 "I got him," I say, but Jenn puts her hand on my shoulder. 1162 "I got him, you guys talk. I'll be back in a minute," she says and leaves to take care of our son. 1163 "She looks good," he says. "You guys ever get out to Japan to visit her family?" 1164 "Went this summer. Her mom is intense. Marine," I say with a laugh he shares with me. 1165 "Does Jenn know about your application?" Derek asks, and I nod. "How does she feel about it?" 1166 "She gets it, and she knows I need it," I say. I don't like hiding things like that from Jenn. It would be near impossible to hide anyway. 1167 "In that case, I'd like to hire you," Derek says, and I laugh. "I'm serious." 1168 "What's the case?" I ask. 1169 "You remember my file?" he asks, and I nod. Mine is still in my desk drawer. I took Amanda's picture out. She didn't get the justice I wanted for her, but I can live with it now. "One of them popped back up recently." 1170 "Missing person?" I ask, and he nods. "How so?" 1171 Derek opens the bag and places a case file on the table. He opens it up and spins it around to face me. 1172 "Twenty-twenty, sixteen-year-old girl named Katie Grossman leaves her home one summer evening and is never seen again. She steals some property from her parents, likely to finance her expedition. I found most of the items in a pawn shop, but the trail went cold from there," he explains. I see the jewelry and electronics she stole, and the slips the owner provided, 1173 "What resurfaced recently?" I ask. 1174 "The only item never recovered, was her father's handgun. A Springfield Hellcat, micro-pistol. Perfect for conceal carry," he explains. 1175 "Where was it found?" I ask, trying to see if it's in the file. 1176 "Last week it was found in an artificial pond drained by a property development company seventy miles out of the city. Locals had the case, informed the city as a professional courtesy, but neither wants to pursue it," he says, and I see the pictures he added to the file. The gun is rusted, but the serial number was still legible. 1177 "Aren't you the mayor?" I ask. 1178 "I'm not using my power to force an investigation and waste resources to assuage my guilt for failing this girl. What's your rate?" he asks. 1179 "A cup of coffee and a handshake," I say, and he smiles. 1180 "I knew went to the right guy," he says and stands up. "I gotta get back. Memorial to get to. You should go." 1181 I look at my coffee, and shake my head. 1182 "I can't," I say. 1183 "It wasn't your fault," he says. 1184 "I drove us into it." 1185 "You also drove them out of it," he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You didn't leave him behind. You saved Kaiser and Shelby. Maybe even that girl if we ever find out what became of her. No one blames you." 1186 "I blame me," I say and use the table to push myself up. 1187 "That's the hardest part to get through. You need to forgive yourself. I know it sounds like it should be more complicated than that, but it isn't. Forgive yourself," he says. I have nothing else to say, and he exhales and pats my arm. 1188 "Hope to see you there," he says, and leaves the kitchen. I hear him say goodbye to Jenn, and the screen door shut a moment after that. 1189 Nathan isn't going to return to his nap, so Jenn carries him back into the kitchen. I close the file and push it away from myself. 1190 "He's right," Jenn says. 1191 "No one wants me there," I say. 1192 "Everyone wants you there," she says, and Nathan starts doing his wiggle to express his desire to be put down. Jenn places his feet on the floor, and I see the reason he wanted down was because Atticus came out of hiding. "I'm going at the very least," she says, and I don't reply. "At least help me with the groceries real quick." 1193 I help carry some bags in and see she did more than just grocery shop. Jenn likes to spoil the kid with clothes, and I see a new dark blue navy pea coat. Perfect for formal occasions, and I know she got it for the memorial. 1194 "He will be demure, but stylish," she says with a grin while holding it up. I give a half-hearted smirk in reply, and resume putting the food away. "Chase, talk to me." 1195 I don't. 1196 "Chase," Jenn says with a firmer tone. "Look at me." 1197 "I got him killed," I say, and she shakes her head to disagree. "You weren't there." 1198 "No. I wasn't," she says. "But the people who were there, say you did everything you could. This guilt you're carrying is you trying to control something you couldn't control. You're making his death about you." 1199 "Fuck you," I say quietly, but she has that hearing only mothers have. 1200 "You only say fuck you when you don't have an argument," Jenn shoots back. She's not trying to get into a fight with me, but she will always call me on my bullshit. "If the roles were flipped, would you want him blaming himself?" I'm silent for a few seconds, then shake my head. "No. Because you would know he did everything he could to save you. And he did, didn't he?" 1201 I look at Nathan trying to pick up Atticus like Jenn and I do, but the cat is having none of it, and darts out of the room. The kid is in slow pursuit. 1202 "Let's go see everyone," Jenn says, and I finally relent. 1203 -- I park the car along the street in the line of cars already present when we arrive. Jenn gets to work at pulling Nathan out of his car seat, as I make sure my leg is situated for the walk. Jenn carries him across the street, but Nathan wants to walk on his own, so moves while holding his mother's pantleg into the cemetery. There is a collection of officers in uniform for the ceremony, along with several familiar faces gathered near the entrance by a large oak tree. 1204 The Kaiser is standing next to Abigail, holding his young daughter that was born the day after Nathan was killed. Midge is off to the side smoking away from everyone, but still engaged in conversation from the distance. She sees us first and gives a wave. The retired Captain Queen is here, disheveled as always, talking with Nathan's wife and daughter who I avert my gaze from. Derek and Jill are with their daughters in matching dresses. I even see Special Agent Shelby, sharing a cigarette with Midge. 1205 "Since when do you smoke?" I ask Midge who blows it out to the side before flicking the burning cherry off. 1206 "I got a daughter in college and a toddler. You try not starting," she says and places the butt into an empty pack to avoid littering. She returns the pack to her pocket and looks down at Nathan. 1207 "Look at this quarter Asian pimp," Midge says, crouching down to his level. "That's a sick coat little dude." Nathan looks up at Jenn, then back toward Midge. "I'm Midge. You probably don't remember me. You were real little last time we met. I got my own little guy not much older than you." 1208 Chapter 11 "Where's he at?" Jenn asks. 1210 "Him and his dad are getting some guy time. Gives me a breather," she says and holds her hand out for a high five. Nathan doesn't know what to do and looks up at me as if he wants an explanation. I clap my hands together, but he mimics me, and I laugh some. Jenn holds her hand out in front of him, but he claps again. She takes his hand and places it on her own. Nathan seems to finally understand, then slaps Midge's hand. 1211 "He's got it!" Midge says, then high fives him again. 1212 I have a feeling he will be asking for high fives all day from everyone. Thanks, Midge. He looks up at me with his hand out. Already starting. 1213 "How's bumblefuck nowhere treating you?" Midge asks. Asking her to not curse in front of kids is a lost cause. 1214 "How's two-thousand for a fifty square footer treating you?" I retort, and she laughs. "There are trade-offs." 1215 "Didn't see you arrive, how you been?" I hear The Kaiser ask. He is walking over with Holly in his arms. She's turning four tomorrow. We knock fists when he's close enough. Nathan sees that and requests a high five from The Kaiser. 1216 "Well enough," I say, and I notice him look toward my leg. 1217 "How's the leg?" he asks when he noticed, I noticed, him looking. 1218 "My dad jokes only got better," I say, and he chuckles. 1219 "Chase," I hear a voice say, so turn to face it. It's Nathan's wife, Billie. She is holding the hand of their daughter who is now eight. She is in an adorable dress with ribbons in her hair. 1220 "Hey," I say, and want to look away from them. I can't run from this anymore, so keep my eyes forward. 1221 "Thanks for coming," she says, and I force a smile out. She sees right through it and tells her daughter to go stay with 'Aunty Jill' for a minute. "Want to talk?" 1222 "Sure," I say, and she gestures away from the group. I nod and follow her into the grass, and I have to adjust my walking because of the change of surface. 1223 "This is first time you've come," she says once we've walked far enough. I nod with a small shrug. I'm not sure what emotion I need to convey right now. "It wasn't your fault. How many people need to tell you that before you believe it?" 1224 "I don't..." I start to stay, but stammer, then just give up. 1225 "All of you barely got out of there alive. The ones who did, say it was because of you. Nathan went down, and you continued the mission exactly like he would have wanted you to," Billie says, and I look at my feet. "You can look at me." I slowly raise my head back up to face her. "Nathan would have been proud." 1226 "I'm sorry," I say. I don't know if I'm apologizing, or expressing condolences. 1227 "Don't be," she says, and places her hand on my arm. "Nathan loved you. You were brothers. I know you both fought like hell. He would want you to continue the mission." 1228 Billie gives me a soft smile, and I feel someone tug at my pant leg. I look down and see Nathan trying to get my attention. Billie has never met him, so I pick him up and rest him on my arm. 1229 "This is my son. Nathan," I say, and she smiles wide at him. 1230 "Hello Nathan," she says, and he immediately requests a high five. Billie giggles and appeases him. "It's like he was reincarnated." 1231 -- The service is beautiful, and emotional. We pay our respects to our fallen comrade, then head to the bar to drink in his memory. His picture is behind the bar, and we raise our shot glasses to him before drinking. I avoid getting too messed up, and Jenn and I hug everyone before she drives the hour and a half back home. When we put the kid to sleep, I thank her for making me go. 1232 My guilt isn't gone, but it does have a different perspective now. 1233 In the morning I place on my running leg and get my miles done. I rest on the stairs, then make my family breakfast. The kid watches me fix the lawn mower that was working last week. Nathan is put down for nap while I place the file on the coffee table. 1234 Katie Grossman disappeared ten years ago. Last week the gun she had with her was found in a pond. It's time to fill in the missing pieces. 1235 -- I have one small announcement regarding this series. This marks the end of the main series. I plan on doing a soft reboot of the series, keeping the characters in their current positions, and adjusting only the timeline. I plan on focusing on Midge as a Special Investigator frequently partnered with Yvonne Grimsdotter, and Chase handling Derek's cold cases as a Private Investigator. The two will intersect as the stories allow. 1236 END