Page 94 of Aftermath
She agreed, even though I saw the fear that came with it, but she knew in the end, it was the only way to keep the town safe.
“What is this?” he asked and motioned to the wall I’d been building the case on.
I swallowed hard before sharing everything with him.
It’d been fifteen minutes of Grey laying into me. I’d fully expected it, but hearing him as livid as I knew he’d be was a horrible feeling. I swallowed hard as he sucked in a breath, ready to continue with every reason I’d messed up.
“You involved a civilian on an investigation I specifically told you to leave alone?” Grey shouted.
The house was not very large, and there weren’t many rooms Len could be in where she wouldn’t hear the scolding. A twang of guilt rushed through me, wishing I’d sent her somewhere else for this.
“We can do good here,” I said. “I was useless at Quantico. Here, I’m actually helping, finding a killer we couldn’t find the first time.”
Grey crossed his arms, and his lips remained thin. “You weren’t cleared to be in the field. I gave you orders. I risked my own badge to vouch for you. Your talent shouldn’t be wasted, but I can’t have you in the field if you are going to continue to be this reckless.”
I nodded. He was right. Ever since that one decision that cost Blythe her life, I barely recognized myself.
I used to follow every rule. I’d memorized them, made sure to implement every protocol the FBI had. They were there for a reason. It was how we saved lives.
Now, I’d become impulsive. Len clouded my judgement, and it was hard to stay impartial, to follow those same rules when it came to her.
“You directly disobeyed my order. This was reckless. You could’ve gotten her hurt. Not only that, but your presence emboldened the Coastal Killer to start again.”
“They would’ve eventually killed more, and we both know it. Something set them off, and if it wasn’t me, it could’ve been anything. It was bound to happen, and I’m glad I was here to step in when it did.”
I felt his eyes boring into me. My decision may have been reckless, but it was right. If we had a chance to finally bring this town peace, there was no reason we shouldn’t have taken it.
“It doesn’t matter now. We’re here because of you, regardless of how asinine your actions may have been. I want you to brief me on everything you have.”
Everything I had…
I knew I had to tell him, but everything in me dreaded it. I gestured toward the wall behind him. “This is everything I’ve gathered so far. We eliminated a few initial suspects, but Ethan, the bus boy at the High Tide Pub, seems most likely. I have a way to confirm it, but I need to pull footage from the tapes we took into evidence three years ago from the pub.”
“What are we looking for?” Grey asked. Though I could tell he was still livid with me, he put that aside for the sake of the case. That’s what made him a great supervisory agent: he was able to put aside his emotions to get the job done at the end of the day.
I knew this wouldn’t excuse me, and I’d still face disciplinary action when I returned to Quantico, but I didn’t care. If it kept Len safe, it was worth it.
“The night Jane Doe was attacked. We need to go back through the footage for that night.”
“We’ve tried. There are far too many woman in that tape to identify who she is. She was mutilated when we found her. We could barely recognize her or match her with anyone from that footage. Her face was far too swollen when she arrived to the hospital and then vanished.”
“But I know who she is now,” I admitted.
Grey stared at me for a moment, taking in every word I’d said. His eyes seemed to shift beyond me to the doorway, and I knew he’d already pieced it together.
“No,” Grey said. “Stone, I know you are not this oblivious.”
“It was the only way,” I said. “She had information. She’s been working on this the last three years and gave me more than I had before. I was able to walk her through that night, and I have a way for us to confirm who attacked her.”
“How?” Grey gritted through his teeth.
“Someone drugged her with something that wouldn’t have shown up on a toxicology report. Something that went quickly through her system and wasn’t initially tested for. If we watch that footage to see who drugged her drink, we’d know who attacked her. I’m willing to bet it was Ethan.”
Grey stared at me for a moment, fury building in his eyes. I knew this would cost me my badge, but I didn’t care.
“I’ll call Mags to pull the footage. We’ll deal with this after we make an arrest. I need your mind still on this.”
I nodded.
