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"So, are we going to talk about what Mason Cooper said to you right before—"
"Excuse me. Juliet?" Brook said to the nurse, cutting off Sylvie's inquiry. Brook had checked the woman's nametag twice. "Would you please do me a favor and see when Mr. Neville's surgeon will be doing his rounds? Mr. Neville has some questions for him that he wasn't able to ask earlier this morning."
"Oh, of course," Juliet replied with a small smile. She quickly signed out of the laptop. "I'll get that information for you and be right back."
Brook waited until the door had shut all the way before explaining the reason that she'd sent the nurse away.
"Juliet isn't your nurse." Brook waited for the three of them to glance toward the white board near the door that gave the date, the name of the nurse in charge of Theo's room, and other miscellaneous information. Lisa was the name written in blue, along with a flower by her name. "Juliet has texted someone twice while standing next to the computer. My bet is someone from the press asked her to find out any information regarding the case for a tidy sum of cash. I'll speak with the shift manager before I head back to the office. As for what Mason Cooper divulged before he took his own life, we let it go."
"Let it go?" Bit asked, looking toward the other two for some support. "Seriously? Cooper basically admitted that the men had done something in their past that went unnoticed. What if they murdered someone?"
Brook had spoken at length with Adrian after giving her statement last night, and they'd both agreed not to delve into Mason's ramblings too much.
"Bit, you looked into the hit and run that Cooper brought up regarding Austin Ridley. We know from your research that the seventeen-year-old driver who hit a jogger at night panicked and drove home. He immediately told his parents, who then called the police. Austin was the passenger, and multiple statements given by the driver and his parents both confirmed that Austin tried everything to get his friend to turn around. Neither one was drinking, and the driver wasn't speeding. The jogger died, and Austin's friend served two years for vehicular manslaughter. The incident was a horrifying tragedy, but Austin Ridley was not to blame. If anything, he attempted to do the right thing at the time."
"Do you believe that Derek Tonkel or Leslie Snyder falls into that camp?" Sylvie asked as she took the lid off her cup. She had set her drink down on the rolling tray next to Theo's bed so that she could add sugar from one of the numerous packets that she'd picked up, as well. "I get what you're saying. I really do, and I agree."
"Everyone has different ideas on the severity of sin, don't they?" Brook asked softly as she took a sip of her own drink. The coffee wasn't as bitter as she would have expected, and the warmth the beverage offered was quite welcome. "The case is closed, as far as S&E Investigations is concerned. We'll take the next week or two to get the offices squared away, allowing Bit to finish getting his area set up, hire a receptionist, and give Theo the time he needs to heal."
"And General Elliott?" Bit asked, still holding onto his tea without any indication that he was going to drink it. "Have you spoken with him today?"
Brookhadspoken to Graham before entering the hospital, and he'd been on his way to the cemetery. She hadn't wanted to keep him, so she'd kept their conversation short and brief. It wasn't her place to interrupt or interfere with such a personal visit, and one that he'd waited quite some time to have.
"He's fine, Bit." Brook reached behind her where she'd laid her coat over the padded chair. "From this point forward, we probably won't see or hear much from him on a daily basis. As you all know, he has contracts to fulfill with the government."
She'd done the job that he'd hired her to do, while also garnering a new business venture. Graham would now be able to move on with his life, and he didn't need her as a constant reminder of why he'd sought her out to begin with. Besides, the more distance between them, the better. Jacob's visit to Graham's home had made her more uncomfortable the more she thought about it, and she needed to divert her brother's attention elsewhere.
At least she knew for a fact that he was still in the area. His close proximity was something that she could work with in the interim.
"Sylvie, I'll see you first thing Monday morning," Brook said as she slipped her arms into an old dress coat that she'd found in the back of her closet at home. The fabric was a little worn around the waist, but it would do until she could find time to shop for a new one. "Theo, I'll check in with you daily by phone, but I don't want to see you at work for at least two weeks or more, depending on what your doctor recommends."
Brook picked up the coffee that she'd set on the arm of the chair, along with her purse. She didn't have to wait too long for the inevitable question.
"Wait. What about me? Am I fired?" Bit asked in disbelief, quickly straightening from where he'd been leaning against the wall. "I only hacked into the government's system twice. I swear. I didn't leave a footprint, either. Unless you're talking about our building's security system. I'll admit that I'm constantly monitoring the comings and goings of the bank, but that's because I have a facial recognition program that—"
"Bit?" Brook waited for him to finally stop talking, as well as Theo to stop laughing. He was holding the right side of his head, and she could only imagine the residual pain he must be experiencing after his surgery last night. Sylvie was hiding her smile behind her cup of tea. "Monday morning, you'll be reporting to a gun range to begin your certification. I will text you the address, along with the person's name of who will be training you. I'm not expecting you to be in the field, but I also don't believe in leaving you unprepared after what we faced last night. Any questions?"
"Do they have a phased array plasma rifle that I can use?"
"I'll leave him in your capable hands," Brook stated wryly, ignoring Bit in favor of addressing Theo and Sylvie. "By the way, we will all be required to carry our firearms from this point forward. Make sure you each submit your purchase orders for your preferred weapons, accessories, magazines, and spare ammunition. With that, I bid you goodnight."
"Night, Boss," Bit called out before Brook heard him firing numerous questions at his teammates as the door closed behind her. "What kind of weapons will I be…"
Brook quickly asked one of the hospital staff which nurse was managing the floor and sought her out at the nurses' station. It didn't take long to explain the situation, and to ensure that Nurse Juliet wouldn't be permitted near Theo's room for the rest of his stay. Brook had been very careful with her words, not wanting to accuse the nurse without evidence, but she made it known that the woman's activities should be checked out. Bethesda was a federal hospital, and there were a number of high-priority patients who were treated by staff who needed to be trustworthy.
Brook was finally able to take her leave. By the time she reached the main lobby, she already had her cell phone in hand and was locating the one number that would put her in contact with someone who had been surprisingly patient.
"Jennifer? This is Brooklyn Sloane," she said as she pulled her leather gloves out of her left pocket. "I apologize for the wait, but I'm ready to schedule our interview if you can abide by the rules that I laid out in my email."
"I can do that, although I would like to clarify a few things," Jennifer said, her light voice coming across the line loud and clear. "You specify that I can't ask you on camera about the victims in Illinois. Does that include Cara Jordan?"
Brook somehow managed to control her reaction when all she really wanted to do was bend over after it felt as if she'd been physically punched in the stomach. Hearing the names of those friends that Jacob had ripped from her life was hard, which was why she'd made the request.
If and when during the interview she chose to address the victims who she had personally known, it would be her decision. Hearing Cara's name, though, made her question her sanity to have agreed to such an interview in the first place. She'd originally agreed with hopes that it would stem the rest of the press from following her every move, thus hampering the case.
Now?
She could now be honest with herself that it had actually been in hopes that Jacob would see that for all his effort, she remained unaffected with all the time that he'd invested in her. He'd tried to ensure that she didn't have theperfectlife, and he'd failed.
