27
Brooklyn Sloane
January 2026
Sunday — 7:16am
Brook cradled the steaming mug of black coffee between her palms as she stared at her laptop screen. There was something wrong with the profile that Toby Graise had drafted, and the slight changes that she’d recently made hadn’t made a difference.
If the unsub had been the one to trip the alarm the other day, why had he stopped killing a decade ago? What could have prompted such a drastic change in his psyche? Incarceration would have been the most obvious choice, but no local had been sentenced for a long period of time. Bit’s applications were being reprogrammed to include surrounding cities, and Arden would be tasked with combing through the hits.
She couldn’t prevent a shiver at the slight winter chill that seeped through the cabin's walls despite the fire's valiant efforts. It was one of the reasons she’d been dressed and ready to start the day for the past few hours. The team had agreed to meetat eight o’clock sharp in Bit’s cabin to go over her speech for tonight’s town hall meeting. Maybe doing so would allow her to reevaluate the investigation's details.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She didn't bother to call out. Only one person on the team would want to have an in-depth conversation about her trip to Illinois. She made her way over to the door, bracing herself as she opened it.
The blast of frigid air was immediate.
Theo could have passed for a walking winter advertisement, the kind that was plastered across a billboard on the outskirts of town. He was bundled in layers and wearing his brown leather jacket that nearly doubled his already substantial frame. The strap of his matching eyepatch was practically hidden underneath the brown cap covering his head, and his breath immediately became a visible cloud that floated away with the wind.
“I come bearing gifts,” Theo announced as she stepped back, giving him space to enter. He closed the door with his elbow, his hands otherwise occupied by two to-go cups sporting the bakery’s logo. “I thought you could use the additional caffeine to kick off the morning.”
Brook set her half-empty mug on the small end table.
“You didn't need to make a coffee run.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. This isn’t just any coffee.” Theo extended one of the cups toward her. “Kim insisted on making you a specialty drink. Wouldn't do it for anyone else, not even when I offered to pay extra. Apparently, you are special. That there is a Sugar Cookie Latte, which isn't even on their menu.”
Brook accepted the cup, her eyebrows lifting slightly.
“Is that so?”
“The woman practically shooed away other customers to focus on getting your drink perfect. She even muttered something about you not being the only observant one.” Theo set his coffee down to remove his gloves. Once those were on the table, he took time to remove his coat and hang it over the back of a chair. He left his scarf on over his cable-knit sweater. “Want to tell me why you're suddenly the next Queen of Harrowick? Because yesterday you were just the profiler who put everyone on edge.”
“That's between Kim and me,” Brook said with a smirk before testing out the specialty drink. The sweet, warm liquid had hints of vanilla and butter, perfectly balanced with the espresso underneath. Brook closed her eyes briefly and hummed with unexpected pleasure. The only thing that could top it would be Bit’s powdered donuts. “Damn, that’s good.”
“All I got was a black coffee.”
“Who knew being normal would have such advantages,” Brook murmured when he turned to reach for said coffee.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Brook took another sip, and it was just as good as the first. Kim must have noticed Brook’s hesitation when ordering two black coffees the other day. She’d been eyeing the vanilla latte on the menu board before changing her mind. “I’m just appreciating Kim's handiwork.”
Brook wasn’t deceived by Theo’s warm gesture of coffee. She could sense the tension beneath his upbeat demeanor. He wanted to address the fact that they now had proof of Jacob’s survival.
“Ask your question, Theo.”
“Have you contacted the Bureau about Jacob?”
There had been no hesitation. Theo’s question landed precisely as she'd anticipated, and she took another sip of her beverage to buy a moment to arrange her thoughts. A glancetoward the sole window revealed frost patterns on the pane, almost as if fate was giving her a subtle reminder of the ice cave in Alaska.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
“No, I haven't,” Brook stated matter-of-factly, turning her focus back to Theo. His lips thinned in response. “For obvious reasons.”
She didn't need to elaborate, because the unspoken implications filled the space between them. Jacob Walsh was officially presumed dead by the FBI. Contradicting that finding meant explaininghowshe'd obtained the evidence, which would raise questions about Bit's methods and her directives.
Questions with legally problematic answers.
