“You eat like a trash can.”
“Yeah, well, Wittes run lean,” Cloister said.He thought briefly of the photo Kincaid had of his stepdad, a bit greyer and a bit meaner but still wiry and straight.“Mean burns calories like you wouldn’t believe.Anyhow, our prowler is called Brian Fowler.He’s thirty-four with no priors, a San Diego license, and an enhanced background check from his employer.Who, Boyd thinks, was State of Mind Security Options.”
Javi was halfway through the first bite of his sandwich.He waved his hand for Cloister to “go on,” and when Cloister didn’t, raised an eyebrow.
“So…” He lifted his hand to cover his mouth as he asked, “Based on that, Gardner cut loose a home invader and a peeping tom?If we’re right, that’s IA, and we know Kincaid is the one who riled them up.Do you think Kincaid already had eyes on Brian?”
The temptation was to agree.It was easy not to put anything past Kincaid.He kind of invited it.This time, though…
“I don’t think so,” Cloister said and hesitated as he heard himself.“Thinking” wasn’t his strong suit.Even he could hear how that sounded, but it wasn’t about that.Trails and tracks and dogs were factual things, concrete realities.People and their motives weren’t.“Boyd’s eager to please.A bit much sometimes, but she pays attention.She didn’t mention anything on the file that looked like it had been flagged.And Gardner reacted tosomethingthat the initial background check pulled up, bland as it sounds.”
Javi took another bite of his sandwich and grimaced an apology at Cloister.
“Hungrier than I thought,” he admitted as he got the bite down.He wiped his hands and fingers on the napkin provided.“Where did you say he worked?”
“State of Mind Security,” Cloister said.“Something like that, Boyd said.”
Javi nodded.“Maybe we should follow that—”
Before he could finish, the sound of raised voices cut through the measured sounds of the ER.Then there was a crash and a scream.Javi tossed what was left of his sandwich onto the seat beside him as he scrambled to his feet and headed for the door.
Cloister followed on his heels, catching the door as it swung back onto him and stepping into the middle of a brawl.
A lanky nurse with shock-blue hair was holding a teenager back, one hand up to try and shield the kid’s eyes from the two men shoving at each other in the middle of the floor.Meanwhile, the staff were moving away from the conflict, pushing visitors back into rooms and pulling curtains.
Halfway down the hall, the agent on duty at Joel’s door hovered, not sure if he should stick to his post or intervene.A jabbed finger from Javi made him settle back on his heels and hold his position.
In the ER, some doctor with more adrenaline than sense would already have tried to tackle someone.
As one of the two men got the other in a headlock, Cloister recognizedoneof them.
“That’s Lassiter,” he said.“The husband.”
Javi nodded his acknowledgement as he broke into a jog.“And that’s Limehouse,” he said.“The other husband.”
The staff nurse in the middle of trying to separate the two, backed off with relief given the opportunity.Between Javi and Cloister, they managed to get the two men pulled apart, if not exactly calmed down.
“He started it!”the big red-haired man said, nursing the side of his jaw in one hand.“Just walked up to me and threw a punch.In front of my kid.What was I meant to do?Ask if he wanted to kick me in the balls, too?”
“Maybe worry about your wife,” Javi said, “and let security handle him.”
Cloister put out a long arm to stop Reid as the other man tried to step back into the fight.
“Ask him about his wife,” Reid yelled as he bounced off Cloister’s forearm.“Ask him what the fuck she got my husband involved in.He’s a bookkeeper, not a cop or a secret agent.How come she’s here and he’s not?”
That was the question they all wanted an answer to.Cloister already knew that admitting that wouldn’t make Reid feel any better.
“We’re still looking for Miles,” he said.“It’s an active investigation now and—”
Reid swung his attention to Cloister and jabbed a finger against his chest.“Is it?”he said.“Then how come when I went to the station, no one knew about it?The guy on duty didn’t even know Miles’sname.How come when I turn on the news or go online, it’s all abouther?”
The kid, still half shielded by the nurse’s arm, spoke up.“She’s my mom.”
Reid gave them a furious look.“And he’smylife,” he said.“How come she matters more?Because she has a kid?Because she has a badge?We were going to adopt a cat.Does that make us a little bit more important?What does it take to get his picture on the news?”
He slapped a handful of printouts against Cloister’s chest.Cloister tried to grab them, but a few slipped away from him and skidded over the floor.He handed what he’d saved to Reid.
“I’ll make sure Miles isn’t forgotten about,” he said.“That nothing gets swept under the rug.”
