Page 6

Well, shit.

That was Mia Ripley's first thought as she followed Edis into his office. Her second thought was that someone had finally replaced that godawful painting of hunting dogs that used to hang behind his desk. Her third thought circled back to her first.

Five months of peace. Five months of gardening and actually seeing a member of her direct bloodline grow up rather than delegating responsibility to the dad. Five months of actually being at peace, and now here she was, dragged back into the belly of the beast like a dog return to its own vomit – all because Ella Dark couldn't stay out of trouble for five minutes.

Mia Ripley sat in what had once been her usual chair, wondering how the hell she'd ended up back here after swearing on her grandson's first tooth that she was done with this place. The groove of her backside was still indented into the chair, a groove that had been forged over verbal sparring matches with Edis over cases and protocol violations. Now, it just reminded her that some promises were made to be broken.

‘You look good,’ Edis said, settling behind his fortress of a desk. ‘Retirement suits you.’

‘Thanks. I love what you haven’t done with the place.’ Mia studied the wall behind Edis, where photographs of him with three different presidents formed a timeline of political ass-kissing. ‘Though right now I'd rather be pulling weeds than sitting in this chair again.’

The truth was more complicated. Part of her - the part that still woke up at 3AM reaching for a badge that wasn't there anymore - had missed certain things about this place. The same way you might miss a chronic tooth infection. Grateful it's gone, but somehow incomplete without the familiar pain.

But at the same time, another part wanted to throw Edis's pretentious Newton's Cradle through his equally pretentious window for dragging her back into this circus.

Ella Dark and her talent for finding trouble. Or maybe trouble's talent for finding her. Stupid Ella and her perfect memory. If that girl had just learned to forget a few things, maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. But no, Little Miss Memory had to make herself a target one more time.

And now Mia's own family was in the crosshairs. That footage of the figure stalking up her driveway, leaving that little present on her doorstep - it didn't take a profiler to see the message there. I can get to you. I can get to the people you love. No one is safe.

‘I really didn’t want to call you,’ Edis said.

‘So why did you?’

‘You’re smart enough to work that out.’

‘Yeah, and you’re smart enough to know that I want to hear it from you. Since when we do lock up our own agents based on circumstantial evidence?’

‘When my back is to the wall. This isn’t our investigation. It’s Washington PD’s.’

‘Jesus, Will. And a part of you didn’t think it was a stretch to immediately suspect Dark of murder?’

Edis pushed back what little remained of his hair. 'Yes, I did.'

‘I taught that girl everything she knows about profiling, and the first thing you learn is that serial killers don't leave their own hair at crime scenes.’

‘We had to consider all possibilities.’

‘No, you had to consider the obvious one: someone's trying to destroy her. And they're using my house to do it, which means my family's involved now.’

‘You know it's more complicated than that.’

‘Is it?’

Edis pinched the bridge of his nose, then reached into his drawer. He pulled out a file and slid it across the desk. Ripley recognized the layout right away.

‘A psyche report. Why do I want this?’

‘Just look.’

Ripley reluctantly snatched the file and scanned the first page.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION REPORT.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.

BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT.

SUBJECT: DARK, Ella M.

BADGE NO: #4472.

EVALUATOR: Dr. Anthony Beaver, PhD .

PURPOSE OF EVALUATION: Standard psychological assessment as part of Agent Dark's medical examination following the October 15 incident. Per Bureau protocol, psychological screening is required when an agent experiences significant physical trauma requiring hospitalization.

‘What happened on October 15?’

‘Ella suffered burns second-degree burns, as did her partner. Hawkins didn’t require hospitalization, but with Ella’s long list of injuries, I ordered a medical review.’

‘And?’

‘Read the last page.’

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Agent Dark demonstrates exceptional competency in her role, with investigative abilities and case resolution rates that rank among the Bureau's highest. However, there are concerning indicators that warrant ongoing observation.

Subject shows increasing tendency to forge psychological connections with offenders, beyond standard profiling methodology.

Recent cases have triggered heightened emotional responses inconsistent with subject's previous behavior patterns.

Subject exhibits subtle signs of paranoid ideation, particularly regarding seemingly unrelated case elements.

Growing obsession with finding patterns that may not exist.

While Agent Dark remains fully capable of performing her duties, there is an elevated risk of psychological deterioration under continued exposure to high-stress field situations. Her ability to maintain boundaries between professional insight and personal identification with cases appears to be eroding. Agent Dark also displays symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress, including hypervigilance, insomnia, and a marked increase in reckless behavior. She admits to experiencing vivid nightmares and intrusive thoughts related to past cases.

The cumulative psychological impact of Agent Dark’s work, combined with her intense empathetic responses to cases, suggests potential for future instability. However, her exceptional case record and demonstrated value to the Bureau must be weighed against these concerns.

'Jeez,' Ripley said. She clenched the file in her fist, then threw it back to Edis. 'This is what happens when you get your psyche reports from a guy named Beaver. This idiot is just sitting on a fence. Dark is either fine, or she's a bomb waiting to go off. He's covered his ass either way.'

Edis took the file and slid it back into his drawer. ‘Yes, but you can see why this is a problem?’

‘I can see why it’s a problem for you. Director Edis, three months away from serving his full term, and he's suddenly faced with a potential scandal. No one’s going to remember the successes. They’re just going to remember the fact that Edis ignored his psychiatrist’s guidance and let a dangerous agent out into the field.’

Edis stood up and turned towards the window. He rested against the sill. ‘I know Ella is innocent. If I didn’t trust her, she wouldn’t be an agent. But…’

‘But?’

Edis let out a world-weary sigh. ‘But it only takes one, doesn’t it?’

‘One what?’

‘One mistake. One red flag ignored.’

‘Will, I’m not hearing this. If there’s any doubt, you need to fire Ella immediately. I’m saying that as a friend – both yours and hers.’

Edis returned to his desk, gestured to the piles of folders on his desk. ‘I can’t, can I? We’re drowning in new cases over here, and nearly every agent I’ve got is split between Arkansas and Montana. The new batch of recruits aren’t expected for another six months.’

Ripley sat back and folded her arms. She could see the end destination of this conversation a mile off. ‘You really think it’s that easy, huh?’

‘What’s that easy?’

‘Getting me back in the saddle. You want me to help you out, don’t you?’

Edis made a sound that resembled a laugh. It landed somewhere between despair and self-depreciation. ’28 cases.’

‘Come again?’

’28 cases in less than two years. Average investigation time of six days. You put Tobias Campbell in the ground. Dismantled the Red Diamonds. Caught the guy who assassinated the old director.’

‘Will, I’ve cut down on saturated fat, so you can stop buttering me up.’

‘I didn’t know how good I had it. You and Dark performed miracles.’

‘What about her new partner? Hawkins?’

‘He’s on leave. An investigation is pending due to his handling of a suspect.’

‘Is that the real reason?’

‘No. The real reason is that he’s not you. You know to pull Ella back when she gets too close to the edge.’

‘Yeah, well, maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe I enabled her worst instincts. Did Beaver ever think of that?’

‘I don’t know,’ Edis said, ‘but I do know that I’m desperate.’

Memories flickered through Ripley’s mind like crime scene photos: Ella's face lighting up when she spotted a pattern nobody else could see, the way she could reconstruct a killer's psychology from the smallest details, that uncanny ability to think three steps ahead of the monsters they hunted. Those weren't instincts you enabled. They were gifts you either used or wasted.

‘I’m confused here, Will. What exactly do you want?’

‘You want to make sure your family’s safe, don’t you?’

Ripley sat ramrod straight. ‘Don’t even go there. Catching this hair-sewing freak and coming back to the Bureau are two different things. I don’t need an employment contract to track this killer down.’

‘What about our tools? Our resources?’

She tapped her temple. ‘It’s all up here.’

‘And what happens when you find him?’

‘Take a guess. Besides, this case with Dark is with Washington PD, not you.’

'With your footage and Ella's alibi, I can get jurisdiction. It'll take a few days, but I can make it happen. In the meantime, I've got another situation that's spiraling. Two bodies in Ohio in three days, each branded with a letter on their forehead.

Ripley's eyebrows lifted. 'Branding? What is this, the 1800s?'

'It gets worse. The local PD is out of their depth, media's starting to circle, and my profilers are spread out across the country or suspended.' Edis pushed a hand through what remained of his hair. 'So I need someone who understands this kind of pathology.’

Mia stared at the Newton's Cradle on Edis's desk, watching silver balls rise and fall with mechanical certainty. If only life's decisions came with such predictable outcomes .

Everything she'd worked for. The peace, the quiet, the simple joy of watching her grandson discover the world one toddling step at a time - now balanced against the chaos unfolding in front of her.

‘Is that all you want? Someone to check this case out?’

‘No. I want someone to keep an eye on Dark. Someone who knows the human mind. Someone who can prove that her psyche eval isn’t accurate. That I’m not the biggest idiot in the FBI for trusting my gut over a psychiatrist.’

What did Mia have planned for next week anyway? A few bushes needed pruning. The deck could use another coat of varnish. Maybe lunch with Sandra if her arthritis wasn't acting up. That was the beauty of retirement. Every day stretched out like blank paper, waiting to be filled with whatever mundane pleasures she chose.

But now that road had forked. Down one path lay her garden and her peaceful afternoons and trips to the park with Baby Max.

But down the other road was a killer who’d made things personal. There was a monster on her doorstep. One that had already killed two people, that had Ella locked in a glass box, that thought it could threaten Mia's family with impunity. One that needed to be put down before it could hurt anyone else.

Damn it , she thought. Just damn it all to hell.

Because she knew she'd already made her decision. Had probably made it the moment she saw that figure on her security footage. The garden would keep. Sandra's arthritis wasn't going anywhere.

‘Will, if I give you a hand, I have some demands.’

The director’s shoulders dropped an inch, like Atlas finally getting a break from holding up the sky. The permanent crease between his eyebrows softened.

‘Anything.’

‘Get this case with Ella under federal jurisdiction, fast.’

‘I will.’

‘Find a place for my son’s family to stay safe in. Somewhere local.’

Edis nodded. ‘Of course.’

‘I’m not talking some cubicle safe house. I mean somewhere proper. Three-bed, two-bath, swimming pool, sauna, garden like a football field, got it? Put that property portfolio of yours to use, yes? ’

He pursed his lips in confidence. Ripley used to think that Edis knew more about property than he did about law enforcement. ‘I can get them a wing in the White House if you like.’

'Just get them somewhere and keep it on the down low. Same goes for anyone who knows Ella. We probably can't put them all into hiding, but we should get officers on their doorsteps, at least for a couple of weeks.'

‘Can do.’

‘I don’t want a contract. No ties. Consultant only.’

‘Of course. I’ll give you whatever you want. $1200 a day whenever you’re on the job.’

‘I don’t need money. Take that $1200 a day and put it towards paying officers to keep these people safe. Just cover my expenses. I’m a cheap date.’

‘First time I’ve heard you say that.’

Some people would consider her a fool for turning down six grand a week, but getting paid for this was just another incentive that she didn’t want. ‘I’m serious. Finally, I don’t keep anything from Dark, okay? I’m not going to two-face this. I’m too old for that.’

Edis clasped his hands together, and for a moment Ripley thought that he might be praying.

‘I owe you. Massively. I’ll work on getting this case under our roof, and until then…’ Edis trailed off as his cell started ringing on his desk. He furtively glanced at the number. ‘Bear with me.’

Mia watched Edis take the call as she churned over what she'd just committed to. Had she done the right thing? Five months ago, she'd walked away from all this without a backward glance. Out of sight, out of mind - that had been the plan. But this job had a gravity all its own, and once you got caught in its orbit, escape velocity became a theoretical concept at best.

She'd thought five months and a hundred miles would be enough distance, but here she was, getting pulled back in like an addict who'd convinced herself that one more hit couldn't hurt. Even sitting in this old chair had fired up her muscle memory, and despite all her promises to herself about staying retired, some part of Mia had never really clocked out.

Through her reverie, she caught fragments of Edis's conversation. Police reports, crime scene photos, a chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘send it all across.’ Ripley’s brain automatically cataloged the details even as she tried to convince herself she was just a concerned friend, not an agent anymore.

‘Sorry for the delay. I’m sending someone right now,’ Edis said into the phone. His free hand scribbled something on a notepad, then he hung up and turned to Ripley. Her stomach did that familiar flip. The one that meant somewhere, in some quiet corner of America, death was summoning her again.

‘There’s a flight to Ohio in an hour,’ Edis said.

Here we go , Mia thought. Back down the rabbit hole .

But maybe that's where she belonged all along.