AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was lying to himself. Willingly.
He faced Catherine. Her expression was blank, he couldn’t read her, but she was watching him closely.
“I stand by what I said, Matt,” Catherine said quietly. “You need to let her go. She’s reckless, she’s not a team player, and she’s psychologically damaged. Anyone would be after enduring some of the cases she’s worked.”
“You need to give her a chance. She’s a great cop.”
Catherine stood up, drained her wine, looked him in the eye. “I’ll give you until we’re back in Washington, Matt. Then I’m talking to Tony.”
Before Matt could say a word, she turned and left the room.
It was after eleven when Kara arrived back at the house. She’d had a nice meal, a few beers, and talked for a while with a jolly retired couple who spent every summer on the island. They were in their late seventies and had fascinating stories to tell, and Kara was in the mood to listen.
Sometimes just getting out of her own head was the best way to solve a case.
Kara walked up the porch steps dreaming of sleep. She was exhausted. She put her hand on the doorknob, sensed Matt’s presence before he spoke.
“Kara.”
“Matt.” She should just go inside, go to bed, not have a conversation, but she wouldn’t be surprised if her report caused a few problems.
She didn’t want this tension; she just wanted to solve this case and any case she was given. She hated inner-office politics at LAPD, and she didn’t like them any better here. It’s why she preferred working alone, with a single handler. Or a partner who she could trust.
Instead, she dropped her hand from the door.
“This is a tough week,” Matt said. “I explained to Catherine why I thought your approach was appropriate for the time being. We’ll reevaluate it based on what you learn.”
“Fine. Good night.”
“Kara—”
She turned to face him.
“You should know, Catherine’s sister was murdered last year—it’ll be a year on Friday.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Kara said and meant it. “Maybe she shouldn’t be working this case if she’s preoccupied.”
“Work is the best thing for her now.”
“What happened?”
“She took leave from the FBI and was going to resign; I talked her into staying. Her husband and I both did—Chris is one of my closest friends.”
Kara had already figured that out, based on partial conversations and observation. But there was a lot that Matt wasn’t saying. She could tell when he averted his eyes. And she wanted to know about the murder, because clearly there was a lot more to that story that both Matt and Catherine knew.
“And?”
“I can’t—Look, I have a history with Catherine.”
Incredulous, she asked, “You dated her?” She could not imagine Catherine as his type.
“What? No.” He frowned. “Of course not.”
“What are you not telling me, Matt?”
“Catherine and I went through Quantico together. We were in the same class.”
“I know that.”
