Page 3 of So Normal

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I assure you, I’m not here to interfere, I’m here to help. I believe I have a skill set that could provide valuable insight to this investigation.”

“Are you saying your colleagues aren’t skilled?” she asked.

“No,” Faith said. “Not at all. I just want to help. Don’t you want as many people looking for your daughter’s killer as possible.”

The older woman hesitated, but Faith could tell her hesitation wasn’t because she was swayed by Faith’s argument but because she was trying to think of a way to get Faith to leave her porch. Finally, she said, “I think I’m happy with Agents Clark and Desrouleaux. I don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen, and they’re officially assigned to the case.”

Faith took a breath. “I see.” She handed the older woman a card. “Well, if you change your mind, please give me a call. I assure you, my interest in this case is perfectly professional.”

She nodded, but Faith could tell she wasn’t convinced. Faith felt irritation rise but forced it down. Her anger was at Clark, not an innocent woman barely a month past losing her daughter.

She smiled and started to leave when the older woman said, “He also told me to call him if you tried to speak to me.”

Faith turned back and met the woman’s eyes. She quickly looked away from Faith, once more shifting her feet. Faith forced a smile and kept her tone pleasant as she said, “Well, if you can refrain from calling him, that would help me a lot.”

The woman nodded and said, “Sure. I won’t call.”

She still didn’t meet Faith’s eyes, though, and Faith decided odds were better than even that she would call Clark the moment her car pulled away. Well, there was nothing she could do about that now. She smiled again and said, “Have a nice day, ma’am.”

She got into her car and took another deep breath, but this time, she didn’t relax when she released it. She texted David to let her know that she was on her way home a little earlier than expected and would see him in twenty minutes.

“Dammit,” she said softly. “Goddammit.”

Clark’s persistence in keeping Faith from the case was an unexpected problem. She and Clark had always gotten along. He was one of the few of Faith’s colleagues who had never treated her differently for being a woman and one of the even fewer colleagues who seemed free of the competitive streak that was almost ubiquitous among FBI agents.

He had even told her that he and Desrouleaux had recommended to the Boss that Faith be assigned to the case and expressed remorse that the Boss had disagreed. Faith knew he wouldn’t actively help her in the pursuit of the case, but if he truly believed Faith was the right agent for the job, then he should be grateful for her help. He could allow her to investigate and just get information from her that would help him. She wanted to be the one to catch this guy, but she didn’t care if anyone knew. Clark could take the credit for all she cared.

So, why was he suddenly actively hindering her?

She sighed and cursed under her breath again. Her knuckles tightened over the steering wheel, and she took deep breaths, holding them for several seconds and releasing them slowly. The breathing exercises didn’t take her anger away, but they soothed the physical tension so that she was gradually able to relax her grip and release the tension in her shoulders.

She would still solve this case. That wasn’t a question. She would still solve this case, but Clark’s interference had just made everything that much harder.

She could almost hear the copycat killer laughing at her as he prepared to carve yet another victim. “Dammit,” she whispered again. How many more people needed to die before the Boss just let her solve the case?

Her hands tightened over the steering wheel again, and this time, she didn’t try the breathing exercises.

CHAPTER TWO

Turk leapt into her arms the moment she walked in the door. He began licking her face exuberantly, and Faith twisted her head away, laughing and pushing him down. “Turk!” she cried. “Not the face!”

“Sorry about that,” David said sheepishly. “I let him kiss my face, and now he thinks that’s how you greet someone you love.”

“Well,” Faith said, finally succeeding in getting Turk back onto all fours, “he’s not wrong. I just wish that rule applied to humans only.”

“Oh, come on,” David said, taking her in his arms. “Dog kisses aren’t all that bad.”

He leaned down to kiss her, but Faith turned her head and pushed him away. “Uh uh,” she said, “we’rebothbrushing our teeth before there’s any kissing.”

David smiled and said, “Fair enough. Hey, I was thinking we could try dinner at that new Indian place down the street.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Faith said. “I told Michael I would have dinner with him and Ellie tonight.”

“Oh,” David said, lifting his eyebrows. “Tonight’s the night, huh?”

“Yep,” Faith said, “I get to be the awkward ex meeting the new girl. You know, you could come with me, if you want.”

He smiled apologetically. “I would love to, but my friend from veterinary school flies in tonight, and I promised to pick him up.”

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