Rowan left the office and silently closed the door.
Looking down at the satellite map image that came up with that address, boom, there was a corner apartment building, a back parking lot, the curtains, the loading dock, and, to theside, a house with a deck whose wear spots lined up. “Bob, I want to thank you for your assistance.”
“That’s all you need?”
“It is. You’ve been great.”
Gabriel wrote the house address on a piece of paper and walked it to Pila’s desk on his way to find out what Rowan needed from him.
On his way down to the Joint Task Force, Gabriel saw his colleague Bill walking toward him with the sympathy face.
As they approached one another, Bill’s hand stretched out.
The handshake didn’t end after the pump, pump. Instead, Bill sandwiched Gabriel’s hand between his. “I’ve been overseas these last few months. I wasn’t around for Daniel’s funeral. I hope you got my card.”
“I enjoyed the story about Daniel’s helping your wife out.”
“Wanted to check in on you. Rough losing a brother like that. I have a brother. We don’t get along at all, but if he were to die, it would still be a hell of a thing.”
“Yeah.” These condolence conversations were always awkward, and Gabriel appreciated that his colleagues put themselves through it. And at the same time, a fist to the chest, a grimace, and a “sending you my sympathies” was the easiest way to keep the grief from hitting Gabriel at work, especially when he wasn’t braced for it.
“How are you and Whiskey getting along?” Bill asked, still holding Gabriel’s hand.
“I’m being haunted.” Why did he say that?
“What now?” Bill looked startled; of course he would. But at least Gabriel got his hand back.
“Whiskey walks toward the graveyard where Daniel’s buried, stops at the corner, and sings.” Now that he knew the truth, Gabriel was starting to find humor in his confusion.
Bill rocked back on his heels, crossing his arms over his chest. “Every day?”
“Every day since Daniel died and I brought Whiskey home,” Gabriel said and pulled up the video he took that first night for Cathy.
Bill’s face was priceless. And Gabriel was glad he’d stumbled upon Bill, since he was the kind of friend who enjoyed a good prank. This would give Bill a party topic for years to come. “I had a buddy who inherited his brother’s dog, and that dog was possessed by the brother’s ghost. I kid you not.”
“Jezis, man,” Bill rubbed his hands up and down his arms, “that gives me the chills. That’s creepy as hell.” Bill patted Gabriel’s back and then started down the hall, turning halfway to look back at Gabriel, who watched him go.
Bill shook his head, turned back, and lifted one arm to wave goodbye, then rounded the corner.
Luckily, that was probably the last sad-eyed conversation he’d have.
Three months out, most everyone had gotten around to saying something, and Gabriel was in the clear. Bill was a straggler.
Gabriel stopped outside of the conference room door, took a breath to make sure that there were no late-breaking emotions that wanted to surface in front of his colleagues, then raised his knuckles to tap on the door.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gabriel
Tuesday
Gabriel moved through the door into the Joint Task Force conference room. Prescott, Kennedy, and Finley sat on one end of the table. Their guest, Hinton, sat at the other end, leaving a chair vacant for Gabriel.
“You never got back to me with feedback about that video I analyzed for you.” Gabriel was ticked.
It was courtesy.
Gabriel needed feedback so he’d know whether he was accurate with the pins he put on maps.
