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"Not to say that either of them was immediately replaceable, but Sylvie resigning as an analyst after her father's unfortunate tangle with the law actually came as a minor relief. Theo, on the other hand, was harder for them to swallow wholesale."
"Sylvie had absolutely nothing to do with her father's financial dealings nor his supposed laundering of money," Brook reminded Matt, still enjoying the sight of Agent Houser's frustration. "Not to change the subject entirely, but I did want to ask how Ann was recuperating after being discharged from the hospital."
Special Agent Ann Nelson and Special Agent Frank Lyle had worked on a case with Brook right before the shit hit the proverbial fan with her brother. Ann had been shot in the field while helping another agent serve a warrant, which was the event that had prompted Brook to go out into the field herself.
"Ann is returning to full duty next week," Matt replied with a slight smile. "As you can imagine, Frank is over the moon about it. He's been pulling double duty, and he also can't find it within himself to go along with the newly imposed procedures. We're using one of the profilers out of the BAU on certain cases, and Frank doesn't feel that the agent has your instincts."
"Speaking of profiling and agency profilers, did you ever work up a file for your brother?" Agent Houser asked, pouncing on the first opening that he could without coming across as if he was going against his supervisor's wishes. Granted, Matt wasn't technically this agent's supervisor, but Matt still held rank as the man's senior. "I find it hard to believe that you wouldn't have special insight when it comes to Jacob Walsh."
"As I told you before, I haven't spoken to Jacob since I was eighteen years old." Brook somehow managed to stave off the vivid images of Sally lying in the middle of a cornfield. She hadn't lied to Agent Houser. Shehadn'tspoken to Jacob since that fateful day. "What else is it that you feel I can contribute to your case, Agent Houser?"
It had been nice to speak with Matt in a way that would ease their relationship going forward. He'd done so much for her in eight years, and while they hadn't spoken in months except on official business, she also hadn't made herself available to do any real measure of damage control.
"I'd like you to go over the days leading up to you finding Lorraine Upton's body," Agent Houser pressed, not bothering to take out a notebook like Theo carried around or even a copy of her original statement. He'd most likely memorized every single word that she'd written down. She would be the first to tell him that such an obsession was unhealthy. "I'd like you to start with the day you left for Pennsylvania."
"First, I'd like to clarify that I was not the one who discovered Mrs. Upton's body in her condominium," Brook illuminated, not wanting there to be any miscommunication. "You are already aware that one of the doormen in my building had that unfortunate privilege."
"Go on," Agent Houser instructed, seemingly not pleased with how she'd started her recollection of events.
"Let's see. Special Agent Ann Nelson had been wounded in the line of duty a day or two before I left the city," Brook reiterated calmly, crossing her legs as she intertwined her fingers across her lap. "It was decided as a team that I would go follow-up with a local sheriff in the small town of Sutton, Pennsylvania with regard to what we believed to be the first murder committed by a serial killer who we later identified as Mitchell O'Sullivan. Nothing unusual happened that day. I drove instead of taking a flight due to time restrictions. Once the case was closed, I returned to D.C."
Brook wasn't going to go into detail about the investigation. She'd spent a good week afterward crossing every T and dotting every I in the reports, especially since her decision to bring Theo onto the case had resulted in him being injured trying to apprehend their unsub.
"Upon arriving home, I witnessed several police units roll up to the front of my building." Brook noticed that Agent Houser glanced down at her hands to see if her knuckles had whitened as she began to retrace her steps that fateful day. She simply tilted her chin slightly as she continued to repeat what was in her statement word for word. She, too, had a very good memory. "After entering the building, Lou Johnson—one of the building's doormen—was speaking with an officer. Lou explained to me that he'd discovered Mrs. Upton's body and immediately dialed 911. I showed my credentials to the officer, who then radioed to the detective on site."
"At any time, did you notice anyone unusual?"
"You mean did I see my brother standing with the onlookers either outside of the building or inside the lobby?" Brook wanted his question expanded so that she could skirt around sharing that she had proof that Jacob had been inside her condo that day. "First, I'm not sure if I would recognize him after all these years. And the answer is no, I did not see anyone resembling Jacob either outside or inside the building."
"What took place after the officer radioed Detective Boise?"
"I take it that you are referring to Detective Hughes," Brook corrected him without even blinking, much to Agent Houser's ire. He'd purposefully thrown in a trap to see if she would fall into it. "Detective Hughes met me at the elevator banks on my floor, which can be verified by the officer posted to record the foot traffic through the crime scene. He wanted my professional opinion regarding the murder. I set my belongings down next to the door of my condo before he walked me through Mrs. Upton's condo. I should note, which I did so in my previous statement, that Detective Hughes never left my side while I was near the body. He asked if I wanted the case, for which I declined."
"Why?" Agent Houser asked, leaning forward slightly, and giving away his hand. This was where he believed he would trip her up, but she held steadfast in her recollection. "You had to know that Lorraine Upton had been murdered by your brother. It's not like you haven't witnessed his handiwork up close and personal. Sally Pearson and Cara Jordan, to be precise."
"Which is the reason that I called Supervisory Special Agent Harden shortly thereafter," Brook responded, garnering a nod from Matt. She hadn't taken the bait that Agent Houser had so eagerly put out there, though it had taken every ounce of strength she'd had upon hearing the names of the women who had meant the world to her. "After returning to gather my belongings and enter my home, I first placed a call to General Elliott to inform him that I would accept his offer regarding his proposal to go into the private sector. I realized that my future presence in the Bureau would be a conflict of interest. I'm sure you've already looked into my phone records, so you'll see that my conversation with General Elliott literally lasted ten seconds. I then immediately called Supervisory Special Agent Harden, in which I then provided him with my opinion that Mrs. Upton's murder could be the work of Jacob Walsh."
"Has your brother tried to reach out to you?"
"I find it odd that you think so little of me that you would believe I wouldn't tell Matt if that were the case," Brook responded carefully in order not to provide a direct answer. She made sure not to take too long in replying, either. She didn't want to give him anything more to chew on than he already had today. "I gave eight years to the Bureau. I'm good at what I do, Agent Houser. Feel free to check my closure rate. And if there was even the slightest opportunity for me to aid in the apprehension of Jacob Walsh, you can damn well believe that I'd be first in line to read him his rights. Unfortunately, I doubt that opportunity will materialize anytime soon now that all the attention will be on me in the coming weeks and months."
Brook wasn't so sure that her brother would actually leave the city. He might very well take Agent Houser's misstep as a challenge, which could mean that someone else's life hung in the balance. Then again, she had never been able to predict her brother's actions with any degree of certainty. Right now, it would be to her benefit, and that of any potential victim, if Agent Houser truly believed that Jacob was far away from D.C.
Agent Houser continued to pick apart her previous statement, though Brook remained steadfast in her recollection of the details. Another twenty minutes passed before it was Matt who brought an end to the agent's questioning.
"I think we've covered everything," Matt interjected as he stood from the couch, not giving Agent Houser a chance to disagree. "Russ, please give me a moment with Brook. I'll meet you near the elevators when I'm ready to leave."
Brook had slowly uncrossed her legs before standing in a graceful manner, not bothering to hold out her hand. Agent Houser clearly wasn't pleased with Matt's decision to end the meeting without getting what they'd come for, but he knew her too well. As well as anyone could, given the circumstances and her propensity to keep others at an arm's length.
"I'm not making excuses for him, but he can't comprehend your relationship with your brother," Matt said once Agent Houser had left her office. He was currently walking through the sitting area to the closet so that he could collect his dress coat. "I also didn't know that he was going to leak your connection with Jacob. He's damaged his own best opportunity to apprehend Jacob."
"Let me guess." Brook picked up her coffee mug, though she didn't take a drink of the now cold beverage. "He only has a few more days to justify the continued surveillance on my building."
"That would be correct," Matt replied as he tightened the belt on his dress coat. "Russ assumed that such a detail leaked to the media would garner him a few more weeks to keep someone monitoring the building. He truly believes that Jacob was trying to send you a message. All he's managed to do is upset the brass, though."
"I can only imagine that your phone has been ringing off the hook."
Matt had gone through hell to garner approval for her to work as a consultant for the Bureau. Only a handful of agents had known her true identity by design. One had gone so far as to look for ways to get her contract cancelled, not wanting a public leak to happen like the one in the news this morning.
