Page 14 of Jep

“Some of us respected that he got the job done, even if we didn’t agree with his methods. But mostly he rubbed people the wrong way. ”

“Especially Lawson.”

“Exactly.”

“Are you allowed to tell me what he did that got him…removed?”

“It was a lot of things. He wasn’t great at following orders. He dressed differently from everyone else. He said whatever was on his mind. And that’s just what I saw.”

“There had to be more. Lawson wouldn’t hate him for that.”

“There was something between them, but you’ll have to ask them.”

“He obviously likes women.” Em squirmed in her seat. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here as window dressing.”

Pearce grimaced. “How about if you stay in the car?”

“No. I can handle it. I’m here. I may as well let him see me.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll see you. The first thing he’ll do is check who else I brought with me. He’ll be curious at the very least.”

“And what happens if he agrees to return?”

“I’ll try to get him to come back to the office right away. There are formalities we’ll need to address to reinstate him. But you won’t have to do anything else. Once we get back to the office, you can retreat to your desk and get back to work.”

They pulled onto a dirt driveway that opened up into a wide parking lot with broken-down cars littering the yard. Pearce parked toward the back of the lot.

“This is the place?” Em said when Pearce turned off the car. “It’s a dump.”

“It could use a little spruce up.”

She looked at him. “If you’re not careful, that roof could cave in on you. You were hoping he’d be better with time, but I’d say there’s a good chance he’s let himself go. We’ve profiled guys like this. The kind who don’t work well with authority and don’t like following the rules. I’d say he held a grudge when he left, and he’s waiting for an opportunity to blow a fuse.”

“It will be okay. I’ll feel him out. If I don’t think he’s cut out to come back, we’ll leave him here.”

“And then what?”

“Then my idea blows up in my face, and we have the drive back to the office to come up with another plan.”

“Another plan that Truman will go for.”

“Let’s hope the outside of this place doesn’t reflect what’s inside.”

She said, “Good luck” as Pearce got out of the car, but silently, she was praying.

God, all I ask is that this works out Your way. If this task force is meant to continue, then I pray Mr. Booth is agreeable. If not, give Pearce wisdom. Give us all wisdom.

She chewed on her nail as Pearce walked toward the building. She wavered between hoping Jep was crazy and hoping he wasn’t. Thankfully, she wasn’t the one who had to make the decision. She would sacrifice her comfort if Jep could really be an asset to the team, but she’d be one of the lucky few who wouldn’t need to have much interaction with him.

And don’t let this end in a fight. I don’t want Pearce to get hurt.If Jep didn’t play by the rules and he was mentally unstable, it was impossible to guess what might happen.

Jep ran his hand along the front fender of a black Camaro.

“Not bad,” he said.

“Not bad?” Slate slammed his hands onto his hips. “That’s as good as the Mona Lisa.”

“You plan on hanging it in a museum?”

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