Page 52 of So Deranged

“Well, the Messengerdidkill him,” Gloria reminded Desrouleaux.

“So let’s go find her.Let’s stop doing damage control with the press and burying ourselves in paperwork and procedure.Let’s go on thehunt.”He sighed.“I don’t know.Maybe I’m getting old and crabby.”

“Getting?”

He rolled his eyes and shoved her playfully.She laughed and patted his chest.“Come on.Smoke break’s over.”

“What are you talking about?I just got here.”

She shrugged.“Fair enough.”

She reached into her shirt pocket, but Desrouleaux was faster.He deftly removed the pack and tossed it into the trash can.

“What the hell?”Gloria said.“Seriously?Come on, man.”

“Chew gum instead.”

“Do you know how expensive cigarettes are?”

“I’ll buy you a cheesesteak.”

Gloria glared at him as they walked back into the building.“So I can kill myself with calories instead of nicotine?”

“Exactly.You can die of heart disease like a self-respecting American.”

She rolled her eyes and said, “If I’m quitting cold turkey, I’m going to stay with you twenty-four-seven so you can deal with the full fury of my bitchiness.If you think Gardner’s hard to deal with, just wait until—”

“Why exactly am I hard to deal with, Special Agent?”

Gloria swore inwardly and turned to see ASAC Tabitha Gardner behind them with her arms folded, wearing a frown that reallywasshrewish.

“It’s my fault, ASAC,” Desrouleaux said.“We were shooting the breeze outside, and I was grousing about the new procedures.Gloria was repeating something I said, not something she believes herself.”

“These aren’t new procedures,” Gardner said cattily.“This is Bureau policy.I’m sorry to know that your predecessor didn’t feel that following policy was important, but this is the way we’re expected to operate.”She made a frown that was almost a pout, a shockingly—or actually not so shockingly—immature expression.“Why does everyone here have so much trouble with basic FBI policy?”

“Under SAC Monroe’s tenure, we were more focused on solving cases and delivering criminals to justice,” Desrouleaux replied coldly.He didn’t seem to have taken kindly to Gardner insulting the Boss.

Gardner flamed the color of a tomato.“I also want to solve cases and deliver criminals to justice.I just want to do it the right way.The way that doesn’t bring ridicule and animosity to the Bureau.Just…”

She ran her hands through her hair and sighed.When she spoke again, she had regained her professional composure.“I understand that this change has been difficult, especially for you and the other veteran agents.I appreciate all of you working hard to bring the field office in line with Bureau expectations, even when you disagree with those expectations.”

“Desrouleaux!Chavez!”

All three of them turned toward the voice.It belonged to Special Agent Rossum, a new arrival from the Atlanta field office.Rossum’s eyes were bright and wide, a clear sign that he was delivering momentous news about a case.

No, notacase.Thecase.Gloria and Desrouleaux were working the highest-profile case in the Bureau right now, that of the infamous Messenger.If Rossum was coming to them to deliver the news personally, then he must have information on that killer.

And he did.

“Philadelphia PD just called.They got a tip about a woman matching the Messenger’s description.She’s in an apartment in Chestnut Hill.They’re sending officers her way, but they called us as a courtesy.”

“Hell yeah!”Gloria cried.

“Rossum, I owe you one,” Desrouleaux added with a grin.

To Gardner’s credit, she didn’t protest while her two agents rushed off to apprehend the most infamous killer in Philadelphia since Franklin West.Not that she could have stopped them if she wanted to.

As soon as they were in the car—Gloria in the driver’s seat—Desrouleaux said, “I’m gonna make another courtesy call.There’s someone else who should know about this.”

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