hey so this is the next chapter sorry about the wait ive been busy with life and such etc.


Agent Osmond took slow deep breaths as she lowered herself down the vent shaft. The vent was out of repair and very narrow, even when she curled her shoulders her clothes would get caught on small sharp edges. Chief Johnson was speaking into the headset and Osmond could hear Agent Howard and the others in the background. She pulled tight onto the rope to stop at the dent with the red stain on it. The camera transmitted the image up to the monitor and Buzz saved it before the Chief gave the go ahead for Agent Osmond to continue. She lowered herself slowly watching the light above her get smaller and smaller. Then she looked down, she had been told not to but she did it anyway, and what she saw cut through her heart like a knife. Down at the bottom of the shaft she could see white and red sneakers attached to small legs wearing jeans. This was what appeared on the monitor and caused a group sigh of melancholy.

"Go on," Chief Johnson ordered.

Agent Osmond inhaled and exhaled before letting herself fall the last few feet to the bottom of the shaft. Her feet hit the ground and it shook under her. She tried to grab onto the walls but there was nothing to hold onto. On the roof Buzz's heart nearly skipped a beat and the team held their breath. But the vents held up and Agent Johnson crouched down to examine the body. Another duct met this one perpendicularly. Half of Harrison was in the vertical shaft and the other half in the horizontal one. He was mangled and contorted, bones broken and limbs twisted in ways that they should never be. Agent Osmond tried to maneuver around the body but the shafts were just too small. She leaned over the body and held herself up against the opposite wall as she stuck her head into the horizontal vent. At this angle she could see a large puddle of blood under Harrison's head. Agent Osmond slid down the wall a bit further but stopped herself before she could fall onto Harrison. She caught a glimpse of something in the duct next to Harrison's body. She tightened the rope and tried to climb into the vent without touching Harrison. Agent Osmond aimed the light of her helmet down the length of the duct and realized that it was Harrison's backpack lying next to him.

"Agent Osmond!" Shouted Chief Johnson into the microphone.

She didn't realize it but the Chief had been trying to talk to her since she caught the image of the body on the camera.

"Can you hear me?" Chief Johnson asked, rather loudly.

"Yes," Agent Osmond spoke softly, barely audible in fact.

"Get back up here, now."


Chief Johnson watched as officers sawed down the section of vent that contained Harrison's body. She stood by the main entrance with her team and Fritz. The plan was to get the body down and try to salvage whatever was left of the crime scene, then to notify the family, and then head home for the night. Thus far progress was slow, and Brenda turned away from the vent. Now clearly dripping blood. She heard a noise, a small weak noise but a noise none the less. It came from behind one of the vans. Chief Johnson walked to the van and peaked around the hood, she saw Agent Osmond sitting on the ground, trying to silence her own sobs. Brenda walked around the van and Agent Osmond quickly jumped up and wiped away her tears.

"Chief Johnson," Agent Osmond said looking to the ground.

Brenda looked Agent Osmond up and down. She still had on the jump suit and boots the rescue team had given her. There were small rips in the suit with red stains around them. Her eyes were bloodshot, she bit her lip to stop her tears from escaping. Brenda opened her bag and dug through it, eventually pulling out a tissue. She handed it to Agent Osmond.

"Thank you," Agent Osmond wiped her eyes and then blew her nose.

Brenda put a caring arm around Rebecca and took her hand in her own. The poor girl was shaking. They slowly walked away from the crowd of officers and the vans to a more private area of the yard. They stood by the ladder that they had climbed up what seemed like a life time ago. Rebecca leaned against the wall and then slide down into a fetal position. She took a breath and then looked up at the Chief.

"How do you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?" Brenda tilted her head to the side trying to meet Rebecca's eyes.

"How do you spend so much time and energy trying to get inside someone's head, and then they don't exist anymore," Rebecca paused and took a deep breath, "I know his dreams, his fears, and how he saw the world. How am I supposed to forget him?"

Brenda didn't answer right away. She gently placed her bag on the ground and then crouched down to Rebecca's level.

"Don't, don't forget him, you can never really forget," Brenda met Rebecca's eyes and knew what she was about to say, "I find that, despite what we've been taught, making a case personal is an advantage, we're more driven and focused, we need to solve the case and we need to hear them confess."

Rebecca stared blankly at Brenda, as her jaw quivered. She pulled her legs tighter to her body. Brenda placed her hands on top Rebecca's, the agent seemed to be shocked by the chief's gesture.

"I'm not denying that it's hard or that it hurts. But I think that it's a lot better than the alternative of pretending that they weren't people. No one can do what we do for very long if they approach it that way. We have to make it personal, to a certain degree. We can't let it control us, we can't bottle it up, it'll just hurt more that way. We need to let it out and let it make us do what we have to," Brenda paused to take in a breath.

Brenda looked around then withdrew her hands and placed them on her knees to stand. Rebecca suddenly wrapped her hand around Brenda's wrist. Their eyes met and Rebecca managed a very meek smile.

"Thank you," Rebecca released Brenda and they both stood.

They walked back to the crowd separately. Chief Johnson took her place between the FBI liaison and her second in command. Agent Osmond made her way to Buzz, he stood at the edge of the mass, his video camera ready on his shoulder. He took her hand in his and pulled her closer to him. She rest her head on his shoulder and watched as the section of vent was finally separated from the rest system and lowered to the ground. Buzz kissed Rebecca's forehead and then pressed the record button.


Agent Osmond sat in the FBI van outside the Tanner/Garret home and watched Chief Johnson and Agent Howard deliver the news to the family. His mother had started crying the moment she saw Chief Johnson and Agent Howard without Harrison. The family rushed to her side and tried to comfort her as two strangers informed her that her son was dead. Agent Osmond turned away from the house, she didn't have to guess what would happen next, she already knew. First condolences would be offered, then Chief Johnson would say that they would continue investigating. Agent Howard would chime in that it would be the LAPD's case as Harrison was no longer a missing child. They would promise to keep the family informed and again offer condolences. Then they left the home, they walked down the path together and stopped at the gate. They exchanged some words and then went their separate ways, Chief Johnson to her car and Agent Howard to the FBI van. He climbed into the driver's seat and put the key into the ignition.

"Sir," Agent Osmond began.

"Yes," Agent Howard felt a question coming on.

"Yesterday was my official last day as a member of the Los Angles division of the FBI right?"

"Right, no one expected to see you today, or expects to see you tomorrow," Agent Howard smirked, "And you aren't due to start in D.C. for three more days."

"Yeah," Agent Osmond sighed, "Three whole days."

"I suggest that you use that time to settle any unfinished business," Agent Howard smiled and then pulled the FBI van away from the curb and drove down the street.


the end of this chapter review please and ill try to update this one before another year goes by