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Brook had managed to tamp down her first instinct to spin around at the sound of Mason's voice. She reached down and flipped the power button on the office's main laser printer and copier machine. While she had a personal printer in her office, she could always use the excuse that the material was simply too large for the speed at which he'd like the documentation printed. Plus, this printer had a larger feed tray to draw paper from.
"Theo is still at the station with Agents Ento and Ingram. While both are very competent field agents, they can't see past the evidence in front of them," Brook replied as she finally made her way back to the doorway. Mason was regarding her closely, but he stepped back and let her pass. She led the way back to her office without even so much as glancing toward the outer foyer. "They were willing to give me some leeway due to our past working relationship, but the fact that Derek lied about Nick Dorn contacting him last night was the final nail in his coffin. Of course, it didn't help that the woman murdered had been on the same dating app that Derek had been using since his breakup. I did overhear Agents Ento and Ingram throwing out the idea that their case was completely separate from ours, though."
"What do you mean?"
Brook remained standing, not wanting him to question why she hadn't removed her dress coat. She made it seem that she was taking his request seriously and making the most of her time. The quicker he had the information in his hands, the faster he would be able to convince a judge that Leslie Snyder deserved bail.
"Leslie Snyder's arrest," Brook stated as she leaned down over her keyboard. She'd already fired up her computer and was currently waiting for the prompt to enter her password. "Agents Ento and Ingram feel that he is our unsub, and that Derek and Nick must have been involved in some other scheme that resulted in the death of that woman at the hotel. I mean, two murders in one day? They might have a valid point. Unless, of course, the unsub is beginning to unravel."
Brook had been staring at her monitor, but she'd also been observing his movements. He was over by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city. She had no doubt that he could see her reflection, as well as that of the foyers directly behind him through the windowpane wall of her office.
He'd tensed, but he fell quiet as she went about accessing a few documents that could be printed off for him to take to the judge. He'd never make it out of the building, but she needed to keep him occupied until reinforcements arrived.
"You're talented. I'll give you that."
Brook's pinky finger paused right above the enter key. The casual yet threatening inflection of his voice had her recognizing that she'd run out of time. She met his gaze when he turned around and shook his head in disappointment.
"What tipped my hand?" Brook asked cautiously, slowly straightening from her desk. She held her arms near her sides, readying herself to draw her weapon as quickly as possible. "And here I thought I was doing so well in engaging you in conversation."
It was pointless to try and carry on the farce of retrieving him information. He wouldn't appreciate a continuing attempt of deceit, so she'd countered him directly.
"Well, Mason? How do you see this all ending?"
Chapter Thirty
Brooklyn Sloane
January 2022
Thursday — 12:28am
Thetensioninheroffice lay heavy in the air as Brook and Mason continued to stare at one another. Neither one of them had moved, and he'd yet to answer her question. It was as if he hadn't come to a decision on how this could all end.
Silence also blanketed the office, with the exception of the printer calibrating down the hall, giving off a low hum as it cycled through all its operations. For a very brief moment, Brook was taken back in time to the night that her brother had returned home after sneaking out of the house. The deep sound of the refrigerator had all but been ingrained in the dark recesses of her mind, and she always correlated such an irritating sound to Pamela Murray's disappearance.
"You made it sound as if you understood my motives," Mason finally murmured as he searched her face for any clue as to what she was thinking, but she made sure that she remained expressionless. "Is it because of who you are?"
"Who was hurt during Project Grey Skies?"
It was best to keep him focused on explaining his own motives. He'd want her to understand, and it was clear that he assumed her connection to Jacob might benefit him in some way.
"Natalie," Mason replied softly without hesitation, as if her name was never far from his lips. "We grew up together. She loves me like a brother, but I've always thought of her as more than that. We could have had something special, but..."
"You were denied entry into the military. Why?"
"A heart murmur that had gone undetected until the doctor at MEPS found it. After that, everything changed. Natalie enlisted in the Navy, I went to college." Mason glanced out toward the elevators, but no one had come through the stairwell door. He fidgeted with whatever he had inside his pocket. "I heard from her father that she'd been wounded while on deployment to the Middle East. I'd never heard him sound so desperate, so I went over there to keep him company. It was at least two days before we were notified that she'd made it out of surgery and was headed back to the states. She ended up having permanent nerve damage to the right side of her body. She still needs twenty-four-seven care, and her father bears the brunt of that task every day."
"Is this where you expect me to suddenly understand how that justifies you murdering seven women? Make that nine, after the last couple of days." Brook shrugged, as if his reaction hadn't impressed her. It would either make him angry or keep him talking. "I don't. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but I believe you are no better than anyone else convicted of cold-blooded murder."
"Are you likening me to your brother?" There was disbelief in Mason's tone. "Those high-ranking officials would never have stood trial. They never would have faced the consequences of their actions. I longed to give them what they deserved, and I was the only one able to deliver justice. Natalie—"
"Natalie entered into a contract with her government to serve and protect the citizens of our country," Brook countered, putting an end to his delusions. "Military missions don't always go as planned, Mason. Even when they do, there can be a cost associated with those missions. It's always unfortunate to lose a service member. I'm sorry to hear that Natalie was severely injured, but from my understanding, that mission went on to save thousands of lives overseas and protected civilians here on our homeland. Sometimes, there is a greater good to be served."
"What I didwasfor the greater good," Mason all but shouted, his anger finally surfacing. "Did I relish watching those families grieve? Did I get a sense of enjoyment in observing the trials? Of course, I did. Anyone in their right mind would want to watch justice being served to the guilty."
"So, youdidcontact Nick Dorn or the families to offer your unsolicited advice off the record," Brook summarized, wishing she'd caught that angle a week ago. It would have saved them a lot of time and effort. It also might have saved two women's lives. She'd assumed that he'd attended the funerals or services of the victims. "Those men did nothing wrong, Mason. Are you talking about the other families? Like General Elliott and his wife?"
"Do you really think that Austin Ridley or Steve Laurey are good men? They aren't, and I made sure that they got what they deserved in the end. I made sure that they wereallpunished, and I will continue to do so long after you're gone. Those women? I chose them at random, the way that these military missions looked at its participants. Did you even know that Austin Ridley and one of his friends were involved in a hit and run during their senior year of high school? The authorities figured out who was involved, but Ridley did no time.None. As for Steve Laurey, he—"
