That was it.
The totality of his service.
Now he sat in a dark room staring at people’s nightmares, trying to make sense of the locations.
He could use a drink, Gabriel thought, a pill, something to take the edge off this emotional storm that had been churning since he walked up to Sommer Hayes’s door, where he sensed something brewing like a storm in the near distance.
With his feet in the muck all day, it was easy to catastrophize life.
That was why he refused himself any kind of self-medication—too much would be too easy, and it would just make everything so much worse.
And Cathy was there, eagle-eyed, watching for any signs that he’d broken his promise to her to stay sober except for surgery, and maybe a broken bone.
The knock that sounded at Gabriel’s door, dragging him from those thoughts, was antithetical to his mood. It was a bright and excited ratatat-tat.
The door pushed open, and Candace Martins stuck her head in. “Two seconds?” she whispered.
Gabriel pushed back in his seat.
Candace stood in the door frame and looked left then right before she said, “I’m not going to turn on your light because I know your eyes are adjusted to the photograph you’re working on.” She did another hall scan. “I wanted to let you know as soon as I could that we have her.” Candace lifted fists in front of her face and shook them fast and hard in celebration. Her voice was tight with constrained emotion. “We got her early this morning.”
“Little Bird?” Stunned, Gabriel pressed down on any elation until he had the whole picture.
“Little Bird! Yes, Little Bird.”
“Alive though?” He held his breath.
“They took her to the hospital, and from there, I don’t have much information only the legal stuff. I know that they’re trying to identify her, and social services will make sure that shehas a safe place to go next. But since no one’s reported her as missing, we don’t think there’s a mom and dad wringing their hands around the kitchen table hoping for her return.”
Anger rusted the shiny surface of this victory. “How in the hell did she end up with that man?”
“Could be anything,” Candace said. “She might have been sold; she could have run away from home. Someone might have stopped on the side of the highway and put her out of the car.”
“Like an old dog? What is she saying about this?”
“She hasn’t said anything yet. We’re not sure that she can. Trauma or medical issue, we’re not sure. They’re trying different languages, showing her pictures. Right now, she’s not communicating.” Candace paused and lowered her voice. “I was told there are no signs of sexual assault. I thought that would be important for you to know.”
Gabriel had allowed those thoughts only limited space. But yeah, he was horrified by the idea of what could have been going on in that filthy room.
He was back to the sense of overwhelm he’d felt that morning; it had been like that all day long.
It had been like that ever since he’d walked back out through the gate at Sommer’s house, a vague restlessness. A sense that he should be saddling up.
He kept seeing her videos in his mind’s eye, and he was worried.
Gabriel chalked all of this up to the grieving process, poor sleep, and a wildly busy time at work.
Day to day, Gabriel triaged the images that came across his desk, but there was a price to pay when he went home at night knowing he was walking away from helping some teenager who was snatched and trafficked. He got to go home and laugh in front of the TV and a missing woman? The FBI special agentsin the van? Time away from his desk often felt like he left a mission halfway through, and his brothers were in harm’s way.
Time off wasn’t restful or restorative. So he ran fast and hard out in nature. It was the only place he got respite.
This week in particular had him churning difficult emotions, and the last damned thing he needed was to react in front of a colleague.
Gabriel fought his emotions down.
The Hoover building was stoic.
Candace saved him by saying, “Yeah, me too. I had to go sit in my car for a while. It’s a mixed bag, even though this is supposed to be the feels-good ending. The man is dead. She’ll never have to testify in his case. They’re going to take care of her, and I can still hope that she will grow up and be okay.” Candace cleared her throat. “Gabriel, I know you're probably saving another soul. I’ll let you get back to it. I was so excited. I hope you don’t mind my bursting in.”
