Page 57 of So Dark

She heard footfalls, and a moment later, Wyatt and seven other police officers walked into the clearing. They moved carefully to avoid any traps and rendezvoused with the three agents.

They left the forest together. Behind them, the first grays of dawn shone through the branches. Light wouldn’t come for a while yet, and when it came, it would last only briefly.

But it would be enough for them to find their way out of the wilderness.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Three weeks later

Faith sat at attention and hoped she didn’t look too stiff. In her eleven years with the FBI, she had seen Deputy Director Smythe only once before, and that was in passing when he showed up to meet with the Boss. She’d never seen Chief Lasseter of the Bureau’s K9 Division. She was a broad-chested woman with close-cropped brown hair and a face as impassive and unreadable as a sheet of paper.

The Boss was easier to read only because she’d worked with him for over a decade. He wore his usual stony scowl, but a hint of softness around the eyes and the slightest touch of a slump in his shoulders betrayed his exhaustion. He was tired of fighting on Faith’s behalf. He had done what he could to rescue her career, but he wouldn’t protest whatever decision this board arrived at.

It would be so much easier if Michael or Turk were here. She felt very vulnerable and alone, sitting by herself.

But she would stay strong, and she would stay in control. She wouldn’t make any more trouble for herself. She was terrified to hear what they had to say, but she had promised herself that whatever happened, she would face the future with dignity and strength.

Smythe spoke first. “Before we address your K9’s future, let’s talk about your future. I understand you’ve made it clear to SAC Monroe that you will decline any offer of a promotion to ASAC. Have you had a chance to reconsider your position?”

“I have, sir,” she replied, “and my decision remains the same. I will not accept a promotion to ASAC.”

Smythe leaned back in his seat and tapped his pen on the desk twice. “May I ask why?”

She took a deep breath. “I feel I can be of more help to the Bureau and to my fellow countrymen as a field agent. The job of ASAC is an administrative position.”

“It’s a leadership position as well,” Smythe added. “Do you not feel that your expertise would be invaluable as an example to less experienced field agents?”

"I do, sir," she admitted, "but I don't feel I would execute the duties of that position well. Competently, perhaps, but not well. I am good at solving cases. I'm good at finding criminals. I'm good at bringing them to justice. I'm not good at teaching. I'm not good at managing. And… frankly, sir, I'm not good at leading outside of the boundaries of a single investigation."

“You would learn all of those skills. We wouldn’t expect you to be an expert right away any more than we expected you to be an expert detective when you first started as a field agent.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied. “But I would be deeply unfulfilled in that role.”

The Boss lowered his head. Lasseter raised an eyebrow. Smythe remained stoic. After a moment, he said, “I have to say, Miss Bold. It’s highly unusual for me to hear a field agent tell me that she doesn’t want to be promoted. Most field agents consider ASAC and eventually SAC the pinnacle of their career.”

"I understand that, sir," she said, "and I thank you very much for your consideration. I apologize as well for sounding ungrateful. Believe me, I am humbled to know that you would think so highly of me. But… well, to be blunt, sir, I can't sit behind a desk. I'm not the type of person who can file paperwork, manage schedules, and assign cases when I have the ability to be out there solving a case. I'm sure SAC Monroe has informed you of my past struggles with remaining away from cases."

The Boss sighed audibly at that. The corners of Smythe’s mouth turned up slightly. “Yes. He has kept me apprised.”

He sighed and tapped his pen on the desk again. “The issue, Miss Bold, is that you have become the subject of an uncomfortable amount of media attention.”

Faith pressed her lips together. “Yes, sir.”

“Now, I want to be clear. We don’t blame you for that. You are receiving media attention because you are an exceptional field agent who is responsible for apprehending some of the most vicious serial killers this nation has ever seen.”

"Thank you, sir. I didn't do this work alone, though. My partner, Special Agent Michael Prince, and my K9 unit, Turk, have been and continue to be an invaluable component of my success."

“Yes. But no serial killer has obsessed over them the way Franklin West and this new Messenger Killer have obsessed over you.”

Faith barely stifled a flinch at hearing the new killer given a nickname. Damn it. Bullshit like this was what got the media’s attention in the first place.

Smythe saw the irritation on her face and misinterpreted it. “Again, we don’t blame you for this. But the fact remains that you are a lightning rod for unwanted attention, and that impacts the Bureau’s ability to accomplish its mission.”

“I believe I can address that, sir.”

All three of them looked at her with surprise. The Boss searched her face, probably trying to determine if he should step in and prevent her from saying something foolish or if he should trust her and let her finish.

He chose to trust her.

---