‘Okay. That’s fast.’
Bell shifts from foot to foot. ‘The perp abducted this third girl three weeks after the second. We’re racing the clock here, Lewis.’
That moves her along.
Bell takes her bag, and Emma shoves her arms through her down vest on the way to the elevator. ‘All right, so we go to the basement, I grab my ID, you grab Kristin—’
‘Kristin’s not coming.’ He moves her bag from his right hand to his left, slaps the elevator button.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Carter didn’t mention her.’
‘And you didn’t think to ask?’ Emma pulls the collar of her shirt straight, keeping her eyes on him. ‘What’s the problem, Travis?’
‘No problem.’ His expression is mighty neutral.
‘Look, I know it must be weird, working with the sister of the guy who—’
‘It’s not weird.’ He polishes his back teeth with his tongue. ‘All right, fine, it’s weird. But she reached out to me months ago. And we get along okay. We’ve been discussing the case together, I don’t know, she’s … She’s been here.’
Ouch.Emma doesn’t want to do this now, but it’s better to deal with it. ‘And you needed to gap-fill. Right.’
‘Yes.’ Bell turns to face her straight on. ‘Because you left a gap. Why didn’t you accept the FBI’s offer to work with the bureau?’
‘I don’t know.’ She should give him more than that. ‘I talked about it with Dr Klein, my therapist. I didn’t feel easy about it.’
‘We made a good team.’
‘We did.’ They brought down the Berryville Butcher together. They used to be partners. A unit. The memory brings an ache. ‘But after what happened during the Butcher case, and at St Elizabeths …’
She can’t speak of it without remembering it: Anthony Hoyt smiling, injecting blood into his arm. Anthony Hoyt screaming, as Simon tore him apart.Shewas the one who let the genie out of the bottle by releasing Simon Gutmunsson that night. She’s still coming to terms with that decision.
Bell’s mouth is tight. ‘I know you had a good reason to walk away, after St Elizabeths. But I thought …’ He looks elsewhere. ‘I thought you liked working with me.’
‘I did.’ She corrects. ‘I do. And my decision wasn’t a reflection on you – it wasn’t personal.’
Now he’s looking back at her. ‘It felt personal.’
‘No – Travis, it wasn’t about you. I just … wasn’t sure.’ She glances down, scuffs the corridor carpet. ‘Anyway, I’m back here now.’
Bell’s expression is conflicted, but his voice softens. ‘Look, I get it. Working with the FBI again, especially in these circumstances, isn’t what you wanted. I’m sorry about that. And I’m sorry I wasn’t in Pittsburgh. I was set to go, then Carter vetoed.’
I needed you there. I needed you with me.Emma puts that thought right in the garbage, where it belongs. Soft feelings have no place in Quantico. Theirs is a professional relationship, nothing more.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ She composes herself. ‘But listen, I’m not the only resource you’ve got. I don’t think we should leave Kristin behind. She was onto this copycat business from the start. She’s got insight into the killer mindset, from a different perspective than you and me. She’s very articulate about it. I think she’d be an asset.’
‘I agree.’ The elevator doors open.
‘You agree. Great.’ Emma gestures for her bag as they step into the car. ‘So call Carter back. Tell him we need her.’
Bell sucks his teeth again. Waits for the doors to close before passing her bag over. ‘All right. Fine.’
The car begins its descent. Emma waits, knowing there’s more.
‘There’s another thing,’ Bell says.
She’s prepared for it, busying herself with the zipper on her vest. ‘You read the Huxton case file. I know. Kristin told me you both read it.’
