"You okay?" Kate asked Sloane quietly.
"I'm fine." Sloane flexed her fingers, feeling the blood beginning to dry and crack on her skin. "Ribs are sore from the fight, but nothing serious. I just… this part of it is all new to me."
Kate nodded and said, “I’d love to tell you it gets easier… but it really doesn’t. And I’ll also tell you right now that we may as well follow the ambulance. You should get those ribs checked.”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh huh. But you’re just starting out. I can tell you right now, Duran is going to ask you and DeMarco why you didn’t get it checked right after it happened.” She smiled and said, “Comeon. I’ll drive. We’ll drop Grisham off at the office and she can be processed while you get looked over.”
Sloane gave in with a sigh and started for the door, just a few second behind the medics. Outside, uniformed officers had arrived and were securing the perimeter and keeping curious neighbors back. Sloane could see Jennifer still sitting in the back of Kate's sedan, her head bowed. The woman who had killed four people and nearly killed a fifth, all because she couldn't handle her business struggling after a successful first year.
"She was jealous," Sloane said. "That's what this whole thing comes down to. Jealousy and ego."
"Usually is," Kate said. "Most murders are simple when you strip away all the complications. Someone wanted something they couldn't have, or they wanted to keep something they were losing."
Sloane thought about the four victims. All successful women, all graduates of the same program, all killed with their own personalized letter openers. Jennifer had stolen their success by taking their lives, as if eliminating the competition would somehow restore her own fading spotlight.
"Come on," Kate said. "Let's get this properly wrapped."
Sloane nodded and walked with Kate to the car. When she slid into the passenger seat, she found that maybe her ribs were indeed hurt worse than she thought. And she also noticed that in the back, Jennifer Grishma was still silent, staring out into the night as if wondering what had happened. She remained quiet even after Kate started the car and pulled away, and that silence was the most unnerving thing of all.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kate arrived at the field office just after nine the next morning. After she and Allen had figured out an agreeable way to split up their work days, she had driven straight there, wanting to debrief with DeMarco while everything was still fresh. The case had wrapped late last night with Jennifer Grisham in custody and Mary Latrobe stable in the ICU. Three women were dead, but at least they'd stopped the killer before she could claim a fourth victim. In all reality, Sloane’s actions had saved a woman’s life… though she refused to accept such accolades.
The building was busy with agents moving between offices and conference rooms. Kate signed in at security and took the elevator up to DeMarco's office. The sense of strangeness in the building, now that she came here much less, wasn’t as stark as it had been three days ago, but she still felt she was more of a visitor than a regular.
DeMarco's door was open when Kate got to the office. She was at her desk reviewing something on her laptop, her expression focused. Kate knocked on the doorframe and DeMarco looked up, her face breaking into a smile.
"Kate! Come in." DeMarco gestured to the chair across from her desk. "I was hoping you'd stop by this morning."
Kate sat down and set her bag on the floor. "Well, I figured I’d give you my assessment while it's all still fresh. I mean, I’m not technically a field agent anymore, so I certainly hope you don’t expect me to write a report on the Grisham case."
“Nope, you’re off the hook. Sloane already emailed me; she says she’ll have it to me by the end of the day. And I’m fine with that.” She leaned forward and asked, “So, how did it go with her?"
Kate considered her words carefully. She'd worked with the young agent for two intense days, and she had proven herself capable in every way that mattered. But there were aspects of her approach that needed refinement. Kate had to be honest, no matter how judgmental it sounded.
"She's gifted," Kate said. "Really talented investigator. Sharp instincts, good tactical thinking. She saved Mary Latrobe's life yesterday by moving fast and not hesitating when it counted."
"But?" DeMarco leaned back in her chair, reading between the lines.
"But she's blunt to the point of being abrasive sometimes. When things get tense, she shuts down emotionally. It's like she puts up walls and just powers through without acknowledging what anyone else in the room might be feeling." Kate paused. "It works for her, mostly. But it can make interviews harder than they need to be. Witnesses respond better when they feel heard."
DeMarco nodded slowly. "I've noticed that too. She's never been great with the softer skills."
"She'll get there," Kate said. "She's young. I was probably just as rough around the edges at her age. I saw some of this register with her last night while we were tending to Mary Latrobe while waiting for the ambulance."
"I doubt that." DeMarco smiled. "But I appreciate the honest assessment. Anything else I should know?"
"She handles stress well. She doesn't panic, doesn't freeze. During her fight with Grisham there were two shots fired and Sloane didn’t once return fire. She took control of the situation without deadly measures. That's not something you can teach."
"Good to know." DeMarco closed her laptop. "And how was it for you? Being back in the field?"
Kate thought about that. The long hours, the adrenaline, the satisfaction of solving the puzzle. She'd missed it more than she wanted to admit. But she'd also been acutely aware theentire time of what she was missing at home. Michael's bedtime routine. Morning coffee with Allen. The simple domestic rhythms that had become the foundation of her life.
"It was good," Kate said honestly. "But it was also the last reminder I needed that I am officially done with that part of it all."
"Fair enough." DeMarco stood and came around the desk. "Thanks for doing this. I know consulting wasn't really part of your retirement plan."
