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“I just want to get the bad news out of the way,” Laura shot over her shoulder. “We’ve had less than a day. If he’s sending us somewhere, I’m guessing it must be bad.”
“It’s always bad,” Nate said. “That’s why they call in the FBI.”
“Right,” Laura sighed.
“Talking of,” Nate said, his tone carefully conversational, “how, uh… how did you know about the girl? I mean, everyone’s been asking, and I don’t really have an answer for them.”
“Just tell them it was luck,” Laura said. “Luck, and thoroughness. No one else stopped to go back and check the house again, did they? Consistency and hard work. That’s what solves cases.”
“That much is true,” Nate agreed, easily enough. Laura felt another jolt of gratitude for the way he always took her at face value; another jolt of grief that he wasn’t going to be around forever.
Nate’s long stride caught up with her right before the chief’s door, but Laura paused for a moment before going in. She straightened her jacket and her shirt collar before reaching out to knock, making sure to give three forceful raps. No more, no less.
At the sound of a call from behind the door, Laura opened it and stepped through, leaving Nate to follow in her wake. She was being too obvious, she thought. She needed to tone it down. Try to relax. Try to act like she hadn’t just found out he was going to die.
“Sir,” Laura said, at almost the exact same time that Nate said it too.
“Agents.” Division Chief Chuck Rondelle looked up at them from behind his desk, which always looked a little too big for him. The chief was in his late fifties, small and wiry, and for every dark hair he had left on his head he had another two gray. “I heard good things about your assistance with the kidnapping yesterday.”
“We did our jobs, sir,” Nate said, his voice loud in the small space. Rondelle was known for valuing a humble nature in his agents. As a result, even the most braggartly wouldn’t go up before him and swell out their chests. Not if they wanted a promotion at any point in their career.
“Yes. Well, nice work.” Rondelle picked up a folder in front of him and gestured toward them with it. “We’ve got a new case. I need you two on it right away.”
“Where are we headed, sir?” Laura asked, feeling her heart plummet into her stomach. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been expecting it. Still, it was disheartening to hear. She’d hoped for a couple of nights to rest, at least. Some time to decompress, and, more importantly, to do something about Amy.
“Upstate New York—Albany,” Rondelle said. “We’ve got two victims in as many nights. Looks like the same guy.”
“What’s the methodology?” Laura asked, stepping forward to take the folder. Rondelle gave her a hard look as she did so. He was sharply inquisitive, and she diverted her gaze down at the paper so he wouldn’t have the chance to read too deeply within her eyes. He might ask questions about her mental well-being, and she didn’t want that.
Rondelle shook his head as she stepped back. “I’m putting you on a plane within a few hours,” he said. “All the information you need is in the brief. You’ve got about enough time to get your things together and get to the airport, so you’d best get moving.”
Nate made a face beside her. “But Chief, we’ve only just got back from the kidnapping case. We need time to rest, debrief—”
“No,” Rondelle said, holding up a strict finger. “We need you two on this one. You were the only ones who could make headway on that Texas co-ed spree, and this has a similar feel to it already. I’m not wasting time like we did then, letting more people die because we don’t have our best on the job. It’s you two, and it’s now. Go on, get.”
“Yes, sir,” Nate said, hanging his head but smiling, in that way he had that always got him out of trouble. Even Rondelle seemed to let the comment go.
“Don’t miss your plane, Agents,” he said instead, as they turned to file out the door. “I mean it. Lives are literally hanging in the balance.”
Laura waited until the door was closed firmly behind them and they were halfway to the elevator before she said anything. There were two satellites orbiting her head, and neither of them would stop. She had to do something.
Amy, or Nate. She could stay here for Amy. Or she could go, and try to save Nate.
She could only take one of those right now.
Her heart broke for the little girl. She couldn’t bear to make the decision. And yet…
“You should stay,” Laura said, trying to keep her tone casual. “Get some time off. I can take Jones, maybe. I’ll talk to Rondelle.”
“What?” Nate looked at her sideways as he pressed the elevator call button. The doors swished open immediately. “You don’t want me with you for some reason?”
“Of course I want my partner with me,” Laura said, and sighed as they stepped inside. “But we have so much paperwork to do. If this is like Texas, then I know what I’m doing. I can get it finished nice and quick. And Jones was there, too. Rondelle won’t mind. You do the paperwork and get some time at home. You’ve got someone waiting for you.”
Nate barked a short laugh. “No, I don’t,” he said. “She moved out. Six months ago.”
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nbsp; Laura felt the pain of that cutting through her chest like a knife. Nate reached out and patted her shoulder, making her flinch; the wave of coldness came over her again, but no vision. She relaxed only when he let go.
