Page 3

The Philadelphia Field Office was in a state of shock. Grant Monroe—the Boss as he was affectionately known by his subordinates—had run the office for over fifteen years and mentored nearly all of the agents who worked for him. He was a pillar to that office, a fixture, and knowing that he would never again bark orders or deliver scoldings was inconceivable. Knowing that he would never arrive with an inspiring word, never deliver his pointed but helpful advice, never bless them with his acerbic wit…

Faith’s breath hitched, and she realized that tears were forming in her eyes. She swore softly and diverted to the breakroom for some napkins to dab her eyes. Fortunately, she rarely wore makeup, so she didn’t have to worry about anything running.

Turk nudged her, and she looked down at his big brown eyes. They were sympathetic, too, but she didn't mind his sympathy. There was no judgment in his sympathy, no calculation. He only wanted her to feel better.

She reached down and ruffled his fur. “Hey boy. I love you, you know that?”

“Hey, Faith.”

Desrouleaux’s voice startled her. He grimaced and stepped backwards. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

"No, that's fine," Faith said, forcing a smile. "I was just grabbing some coffee on my way to meet Gardner."

Desrouleaux smiled sympathetically. Faith wasn’t proud of the irritation she felt at that look, but she didn’t have the energy to handle any more sympathy right now. Not human sympathy, anyway. “It’s tough to be here without the Boss, huh? I’ve been crying too.”

When he mentioned that, Faith saw his eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. Her irritation faded. Desrouleaux had known the Boss longer than anyone at the office. The two of them were partners briefly when Desrouleaux was just starting as a field agent, and he’d been a loyal agent for Monroe during all seventeen years of Monroe’s tenure as SAC of the Philadelphia office.

Faith smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll get this fucker. Don’t worry.”

“Damned straight,” Desrouleaux agreed.

There was no force behind his agreement, though. It could be just his grief, but Faith worried that he didn’t feel up to the task of hunting the Messenger. He wasn’t a fool. He knew he was the wrong agent for this type of killer. But he, like so many otherwise good agents, was by the book, and the book said, you don’t allow agents to work cases when they’re as close to them as Faith was to the Messenger.

But that wasn’t Desrouleaux’s fault. If he refused the case, they’d just give it to someone else just as wrong.

Faith clapped him on the shoulder again, then headed to the office. She was halfway there when she realized she’d forgotten the coffee. And the napkins. Oh well. Too late to go back now.

Walking into the Boss’s office without seeing the Boss was another gut punch. It wasn’t Tabitha’s fault that she was sitting in the Boss’s chair, but Faith still felt a surge of anger seeing someone else occupy the seat her mentor had occupied.

On Tabitha’s right was Deputy Director Smythe, a one-time rival, sometimes friend, and for many years superior of the Boss. Smythe was decent enough as far as the brass went, but he was the architect of all of Faith’s current frustration with her job, and she wasn’t happy to see him here.

Her partner was there too, Special Agent Michael Prince. She lifted her eyebrow at him, but he avoided her eyes. Did that mean he was being suspended, too? That would make sense. Other than Desrouleaux, he'd known the Boss the longest amount of time. Monroe was the only SAC Michael had ever worked for.

Or did it mean they were being assigned to a case? She knew it was a foolish hope, but she allowed herself to cling to it. Please let me work. Even if it’s not the Messenger case. Just please don’t tell me to sit still.

Turk trotted up to Michael, tail wagging. Michael managed a smile and ruffled Turk’s fur. “Hey, boy.”

“Hey, other boy,” Faith said, a little curtly. Michael hadn’t greeted her, and that made it very hard for her to cling to her foolish hope.

Michael nodded professionally. “Hello, Faith.”

Uh oh. There goes my foolish hope.

“Have a seat, Special Agent Bold,” Tabitha said.

She was a plain, well-dressed woman of around forty with curly brown hair and green eyes that were remarkably striking, especially considering how unremarkable the rest of her features were. Faith had only interacted with her twice before now, so she didn’t know if the quiet, businesslike air she had was typical or if she was still getting her feet wet.

Either way, Faith sat. Turk took his place in between her and Michael and nodded to let Tabitha know he was ready for her. Faith wondered if he realized that the Boss wasn’t coming back yet. Would he be upset when he understood, or would he only be upset for Faith’s sake?

“Dr. Perth has recommended that you be placed on administrative leave pending a psychological evaluation,” Tabitha began. “Are you aware of this recommendation?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Faith studied Smythe’s face. The Deputy Director remained impassive. Tabitha cleared her throat, a sign of anxiety. Maybe Smythe was evaluating Tabitha to see how she handled a tough conversation.

“Do you wish to make a formal statement or lodge a complaint at this time?”

“No complaint, but I would like to formally state that I believe I am fit to continue in my capacity as a field agent and would like to expedite scheduling of my psych eval.”

Tabitha pursed her lips. Then she folded her hands on the desk. Not a good sign. “Special Agent, there is also the question of the serial killer responsible for SAC Monroe’s death. I have spoken with Special Agent Desrouleaux who is the lead agent on this case, and he believes strongly that this killer has an obsession with you. I understand that is similar to the dynamic between you and Franklin West.”

Faith’s lips thinned. “I don’t agree with the word dynamic, ASAC Gardner, but it’s true that Franklin West and the new killer appear to be fixated on me.”

“Right.” Tabitha unfolded and folded her hands. “In any case, since this killer has escalated to murdering federal agents and since this killer is fixated on you, the Bureau believes that you would be safer in a Bureau safehouse outside of Pennsylvania.”

Faith stared at Tabitha for a moment. A safe house? Outside of Pennsylvania? She expected to be suspended, but moved? It was one thing to be assigned a case out of state, but now they wanted her to move out of state.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but… a safe house?"

“Yes, Special Agent. We’ve chosen a location in Midland, Texas. This will be a temporary move until the killer responsible for SAC Monroe’s death is brought to justice, but in the meantime, we feel it’s best if you’re out of harm’s way.”

“No.” Faith shook her head. “No, this is a bad idea.”

Tabitha bristled slightly. “It’s not an idea, Special Agent. Those are my instructions.”

“Well, un-instruct them,” Faith snapped. “ASAC Gardner, this killer is trying to draw me out. The messages he’s left at each crime scene make that clear.”

Tabitha frowned. “I wasn’t aware of a message at SAC Monroe’s crime scene. What was that?”

Faith shivered slightly. She hated that Smythe caught that shiver and hated the way he lifted his eyebrow.

“The message was YOU NEED TO LOOK AT ME, BOLD. Written in the Boss—in SAC Monroe’s blood and…” She swallowed. “And brain matter.”

Tabitha’s frown deepened. “I see. I’ll have to speak with Special Agent Desrouleaux. I wasn’t made aware of that. Still, it only supports my decision. You’ll be safer somewhere far away.”

“And a whole lot of other people will be un safe! He could come for my partner next. Or my boyfriend. Or my partner’s wife.” Michael shifted uncomfortably at that. “Look, ASAC Gardner, the killer’s escalating. He’s trying to get my attention, and each time I don’t give it to him, he kills someone closer to me. He’ll keep doing that until I pay attention to him. Until I look at him.”

“I understand your concern,” Tabitha replied. “However, my decision remains final. You will be placed on administrative leave and housed in a Bureau safehouse in Midland until further notice.”

“Damn it, Gardner, forget about the book for a second!” Faith snapped.

Tabitha frowned and looked nervously at Smythe. “Special Agent, that is not an appropriate way to speak—”

“If I may, ASAC,” Smythe interrupted.

Tabitha’s face flamed. She lowered her eyes and nodded.

Smythe turned to Faith. “Faith, giving a serial killer what they want is very rarely a good idea.”

Oh, because you’ve caught so many killers, you damned bureaucrat? “Pretending to give a killer what he wants to flush him out is often a good idea, sir. No disrespect to Desrouleaux and Chavez, but they have nothing right now. If we let it be known that I’m working this case, the killer might try to contact me personally. That could be our chance to stop him. We can set up surveillance and have a team on call—”

“If we let it be known that you’re working this case, then the general public will start asking why yet another murderer is fixated on our most famous agent. The Bureau is not prepared to answer those questions, especially because—being frank, Special Agent—we’re not sure we want to know the answer ourselves.”

So that was it. They were worried about more press. Faith swallowed and fought to keep emotion from her voice. “Sir, I understand that the FBI is concerned about the exposure we suffered in the aftermath of West’s capture and trial—”

“The ongoing exposure, Special Agent.”

“Yes. I understand that it wasn’t ideal for the Agency, but—”

“Not for the agency, for you, your partner, or for Grant.”

Faith bristled, but she kept her mouth shut. There was no point in arguing further. The decision had been made. They weren’t interested in what she had to say. The one person who might have been interested had been beaten to death eight days ago.

She couldn’t stay in Philadelphia, but maybe she could at least buy herself a little freedom to keep an eye on the case. “May I stay with a friend instead, sir?”

Smythe blinked. “A friend?”

“Yes, sir. A former colleague of mine in the Marine Corps. He lives in Indiana, so he would still far away from Philadelphia, but it would require fewer Bureau resources, and frankly… I would rather be with a friend than be alone.”

Michael frowned at her. She would apologize for the slight later.

Smythe leaned back and crossed his arms. “And you guarantee that you will refrain from sharing FBI case information with your friend?”

“Yes. You have my word.”

Smythe looked at ASAC Gardner. Tabitha’s lips were thinned almost to the point of nonexistence, and her face was beet red. It was bad news for her that Smythe had to step in. She recovered well enough to say, “Very well. I will need this friend’s name, address and contact information as well as confirmation that he’s agreed to shelter you. I need that ASAP, Special Agent. I expect you to be out of Philadelphia by tonight.”

“ Tonight ?”

“Yes.”

Faith looked at Michael. Michael avoided her eyes, and she narrowed her own. “And what about my partner?”

“He will be assigned to administrative duties pending your return.”

“Here?”

“Yes. We do not believe there is a danger to Special Agent Prince at this time.”

“He’s my friend. That means he’s in danger.”

Tabitha sighed in exasperation. “Be that as it may, Special Agent, Prince is needed here.”

“But I’m not?”

Tabitha sighed again. “It’s done, Special Agent. If you have any further objections, you can lodge a formal complaint.” She stood. “Please contact me as soon as your arrangements are finalized.”

“But—”

“It’s done , Special Agent.”

Faith frowned. “Yes, ASAC Gardner.”

“Thank you. That will be all for now.”

Faith got to her feet and nodded at the two high-ranking Bureau officials. Without another word, she pivoted and left the office. She heard Michael’s footsteps behind her, and her hands curled into fists. Someone had some serious explaining to do.