The Reaper's Harvest

by Darkchaosrising

I do not own Pendergast or anything related to the works of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child! I do however own all the OC's and situations. A young psychiatrist with a checkered past if forced to join Pendergast on his latest case. A serial killer with a high body count and no limitations. Will Iris be able to help Pendergast or lose herself to the Reaper's fury. R/R, Rated M

11. Chapter 11

The next few days passed in relative silence. Agent Pendergast had locked himself inside of his private bedroom and Iris kept herself busy in a small growing garden in the back grounds. With a little man power from Proctor, Iris was able to clear some brush away from around her newly planted tree. She then formed new flower beds and was actively working on filling them. The quiet solitude of the last few days aided in her endeavors. Iris wiped her muddy hands on the small white apron tied around her yellow sundress. The oversized white hat on her head was removed so she could wipe away the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead. The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her caused her to look over her shoulder. Iris had felt a presence approach her a few moments ago but chose to ignore it as they did not seem to be in a hurry to disturb her work. Silver eyes regarded her calmly before sweeping over the multitude of colors now drifting in the cool summer breeze.

"I see you have been busy." Agent Pendergast remarked with a slight smirk.

Iris placed all of her tools into a wheelbarrow beside her before standing. "And I see you have finally decided to return to the world of the living. I was beginning to become concerned."

The smirk on the pale agent's face grew. "Concerned?"

Iris untied her apron and laid it on top of the wheelbarrow along with her hat. "That you had given up on finding the Reaper. A few more days of you being locked away and I would have had to take matters into my own hands."

Pendergast gave a soft chuckle before commenting, the honeyed draw of his voice was lower. "I do not give up that easily, I'm afraid."

"Good to hear." Pendergast pulled his hands that were clasped behind his back around to expose an ice cold bottle of water. He passed it to Iris who thanked him for it. After drinking half of the crisp liquid she looked back at the agent. Even though Iris was sure he had left his room to eat the agent appeared thinner and gaunt in his classic black suit. He was beginning to look like death himself.

"Is something on your mind, Dr. Denali?" Pendergast asked, noticing her gaze passing over his slight frame.

She shook her head in dismissal. "I was just in wonder is all." The agent cocked an eyebrow and Iris shrugged. "It just amazed me that you have such strength in you though you do not look like you could take down a small child. You hide your true strength well Agent Pendergast."

With a quick motion Pendergast turned on his heel. Iris smirked at the quick glimpse of a blush she saw on the agent's cheeks. It seemed that no matter the level of control he had over his mind and body, Iris was still able to stir something from him. The agent motioned for her to follow him and she complied. He led them into the house and through to the foyer. "I have located information on the missing officer that is in charge of finding out the identity of the child victim."

Iris furrowed her eyebrows. "I was unaware the officer was missing."

Pendergast opened the front door and Iris was ushered through and into the parked Rolls. "Vincent has been unable to contact the officer after he requested a few days vacation for his wife's illness. Vincent granted it to him since the Reaper case seems to be at a stand still but the vacation ended two days ago and the officer has yet to return."

"So how did you find this information on him?" Iris asked watching the streets blur past the passenger window as the agent drove forward.

"His wife. Vincent tried to contact the officer but the wife picked up the phone. She refused to talk to anyone over the phone so Vincent contacted me to look into it."

"Why not look into his own subordinates?"

"Vincent is tied up in a press conference today. New York is getting antsy with a serial killer going dark and still no leads for police to go on." Pendergast fell silent as he turned into Times Square.

Iris furrowed her brows and looked over to Pendergast. "Why would she refuse to talk to a police officer, especially her husband's boss, over the phone?"

Pendergast met her gaze and smiled. "It seems she would like to have a lawyer present as she has filed for a divorce from her husband. If he did indeed disappear, and foul play is suspected, then she would be the first suspect."

"So she is just covering her ass?"

A small grimace appeared on the pale face followed by a frown. "That language does not suit you, Iris."

She laughed softly and dismissed his statement. The tensions between the two of them had not lessened since the night in the parking lot of the FBI building, Iris just learned to begin to ignore the small statements from Pendergast. Pendergast seemed bent on giving her more distance and Iris was appreciative of that. The first night back from the police headquarters was the last time Iris had taken a meal with Pendergast. The next day the agent locked himself in his room. Iris explored the house further that day but when it became obvious that the agent was not intending to come out of his quarters, she reduced her movements to her own room. Plans began to develop in her mind over the few days of solitude. She used the gardening as an excuse to get to know the grounds surrounding the Riverside Mansion. Pendergast's reemergence this morning had put a small crimp in her plans but it was nothing that Iris was sure she could work around.

Iris cleared her throat. "Agent Pendergast?"

A soft chuckle issued from the man beside her. "Your tone is so formal. I feel as if I am about to be interrogated."

Iris cut her eyes to his still form. They had pulled into a small parking lot behind a Manhattan highrise apartment building. When the car was shut off did the agent return her level gaze. "I was only going to request access to the case file for the Reaper's case."

Pendergast closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, no emotion evident in those pale eyes. "That, I am afraid, I will have to contemplate. Since you are not law enforcement or a member of the FBI, I am not quite sure that you will have the clearance needed for some of the sensitive information within the case file."

Iris could feel heat rising into her cheeks. Anger was slowing threatening to boil over but Iris did her best to push it back. Yelling at the agent would do nothing to further her goals. After taking a calming breath she ventured to press the issue a little further. "I am afraid I fail to see the problem. Doughter hired me to be a consultant on the case, to try and profile the Reaper. How can I be expected to help to the best of my abilities if I am denied the chance to read over everything that has happened in the case?"

Pendergast said nothing as he slipped from the car. Iris ground her teeth in frustration but followed suit, joining the tall agent infront of the car. When they were standing shoulder to shoulder Pendergast leaned down and whispered. "Maybe because I haven't decided if I can trust you not to act alone. As one of my last lines of ensuring your protection by limiting the information you can obtain on your own I am inclined to deny this request. With the entire case file at your fingertips I would hate to think if you should discover something overlooked and instead of coming to me you decide to act on impulse."

Iris shot him a chilling glare but the agent merely smiled and motioned to the apartment building. She knew that what he said was true and in fact exactly what she was hoping for. It would seem the only way she was going to get the file from Pendergast would be if she earned his trust again, but there was no time for that. There had to be another way to access that file! They climbed into an empty elevator and Pendergast pressed the button for the floor they would be visiting. Halfway up the building the elevator jerked to a stop and Iris was thrown into the tall agent's shoulder. Pendergast had barely moved at all with the jolt and helped Iris regain her balance beside him. The small panel below the buttons for the floors was opened swiftly by pale hands and Pendergast retracted a hard line phone. He spoke in hushed tones to the person on the other end, no doubt the building's security guard. The phone was placed back into the holster and Pendergast leaned against the wall. Iris laughed softly. "Let me guess, we're stuck?"

Pendergast closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "The guard informed me that the elevator has a tendency to become stuck in the summer months. Maintenance is working to get it moving again however we could be here for a little while."

"Why in the hell wouldn't they put an out of order sign or something on the doors then?"

One of those pale eyes opened and fixed themselves onto Iris' face. "Again that language does not suit you." The eye closed again and he settled himself against the wall. "The guard believes that one of the youths that live in the building may have removed the sign as a prank." Iris sighed and began to pace the small confines of the elevator. "Just relax we may be here for a few hours." Iris stopped pacing and watched as Pendergast pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and dialed a number. After a few minutes of hushed conversation the phone disappeared back into his suit jacket. "I have informed the wife of the police officer of our predicament."

Iris cocked one of her eyebrows and shook her head. "And what did she have to say?"

"She laughed but said she would wait patiently for our arrival."

Two hours passed as the temperature in the small elevator rose higher and higher. The highrise obviously didn't waste energy and money in air conditioning the common areas, hallways and elevators and stairwells, of their building. Silently, Iris promised herself that she would never find herself in a shithole apartment building like this again and she would never again take the easy route by choosing an elevator. The sundress she wore was beginning to stick to her moistened skin. Beads of sweat rolled down her face and her hair was plastered to her head and neck. Iris leaned her head back against the warm metal and sighed loudly. Her eyes darted to Agent Pendergast who was still propped against the wall of the elevator. The heat and close confines of the metal box barely seemed to affect the agent. Iris closely watched his chest rising and falling slowly, giving the impression that he had fallen asleep.

Incredulous, Iris crept closer to the agent and held her hand infront of his slightly open mouth. Warm air blew against her hand. She shook her head softly. "He's asleep?" Her eyes raised to meet his and she jumped back in surprise to see that his eyes had opened. Pendergast was indeed awake but was able to give her the impression that he was sleeping. He was so still and calm.

He smiled softly. "Is everything okay, Dr. Denali?"

Iris began to fan herself with her hand again as she leaned against the metal. "How can you stand this heat?"

Pendergast raised one elegant eyebrow quizzically. "As stated before I am from the South."

"What part of the South?"

Pendergast smirked. "Are you interested in me genuinely or is this another session?"

Iris cut her eyes to him. The unrequited rage and annoyance clear in her emerald gaze. "Why are you such a jerk? Seriously I was just trying to get my mind off of the heat and you come back with a statement like that? Some gentleman."

Pendergast seemed shocked and shuffled his pose until he was standing straight. He bowed slightly towards Iris before reaching out and grabbing her hands in his. "My apologies Iris. It was out of line of me to use that tone with you." Iris closed her eyes and pulled her hands from his. After a few minutes of tense silence Pendergast spoke again, "Louisiana."

"What?" Iris said softly while looking back at the pale agent. He was still standing straight up like a soldier as his eyes regarded her with a soft gaze.

"I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana," he repeated. "I am unaware if you have ever been down to the Southern half of the United States but it can get quite warm and muggy there for the majority of the year. This heat is nothing compared to the summer months spent in my home there."

The agent flashed her a perfect smile and she could feel her anger disappearing. The conversation was just what she needed to get her mind off of the heat and gain a small measure of trust with the agent. She could see it in his eyes, the need to make up for his harsh treatment of her. He would continue to answer her questions to try to gain her friendship again. "So you aren't hot in that suit of yours?"

Pendergast looked down at his clothing, as if he had forgotten what he was wearing, and a soft laugh issued from deep within his throat. "I would be lying if I said that I was not but it is nothing that I cannot handle. If you would prefer," Pendergast paused and removed the black suit coat, hanging it on the railing of the wall. The perfect white shirt underneath gleamed in the bright light of the elevator, the tie still perfectly flat against his chest. Iris eyed the large handgun in the holster at the agent's side. Pendergast caught her gaze and immediately his eyes conveyed suspicion.

Iris flashed him a smile and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Her legs stretched out infront of her. Pendergast relaxed slightly now that she was not in a position to attack him. She scooted over to the left so that the agent could join her on the floor, not that she thought he would. Though to her surprise the tall, slim agent gracefully sat next to her. His long legs stretched out infront of him and his hands rested in his lap. Iris looked over at him. The serene calm had returned to his eyes and Iris was glad. His demeanor was helping to calm her own irritation at their current situation. "So..."

"Where were you born?" the agent asked softly.

"Didn't you find that out when you did your homework on my past?" she asked mockingly.

Pendergast smirked and looked over at her. "I would rather have a conversation with you. Hearing the answers come from the person themselves holds a rather larger meaning than reading them from reports or documents online. Would you not agree?"

"Of course. Documents are unbiased and impartial. They cannot lie. A person however can and if you know the information or answer to the question you posed on the person you can see if they are lying easier."

"Not all of us have the unique talent of being able to read a person so well using only their eyes and facial expressions, Dr. Denali."

Iris laughed softly. Patients and coworkers of Iris often referred to her as a walking lie detector. A simple glance into the person's eyes would tell her all she needed to know of their emotion, memory recall, and, most importantly, if they were lying to her. "Do you think that I will lie to you Agent Pendergast?"

The agent smiled. "I believe you have a tendency, not to lie exactly, but to hold back the larger portion of the truth so that in reality you are not lying but you are also not telling the complete truth."

"You are paying attention then," Iris laughed softly again before taking in a deep breath and staring at the tiles on the ceiling. "I was born in a small town in Northern New York. Right on the border of Canada and the United States actually. Constable, New York. Ever heard of it?"

Pendergast closed his eyes and two fingers tapped his chin. "I cannot say I have. Though if I have the correct geography in mind there is a small town and a great deal of timberland and forests."

"Yep, there is pretty much nothing out there. July is typically the hottest month but even then the temperature barely gets above eighty Fahrenheit. I have never been overly fond of heat. Partially due to the fact that I have never really been exposed to the extremes of heat before."

"Not even when..." Pendergast trailed off. When Iris looked over at him she could tell that he had stopped himself from asking a question he believed would make her uncomfortable or would otherwise shut her off to him.

She smiled small at him in reassurance before replying. "I won't bite your head off or crawl into a weeping ball of sludge if you ask a question Aloysius. Not even a question like that."

Pendergast looked back at her when his name sounded from her lips. The simplicity of her tone when she spoke his name in itself spoke volumes. It signaled that she was once again opening up the avenue of friendship and the chance for the two of them to work civilly to end this case for good. Though neither Pendergast nor Iris were the type to seek out or cherish friendship the chance to end the hostility between the two of them was welcoming. It meant that trust could begin to be rebuilt between the two headstrong personalities. Pendergast returned her smile warmly. "Where did your father take you and your brother? Why could no one find you for years?"

"It wasn't in the report?" Iris asked curiously. She had never tried to read the reports herself, only tried to destroy all evidence of them online.

Pendergast shook his head. "Just the basics of what happened not the specifics of where, why, or how."

Iris breathed deeply. "It all happened so quickly the night we disappeared. My father packed everything and grabbed my baby brother. I followed, clutching to his hunting jacket as he ushered me into the car. We drove for hours until the sun was peaking over the tree tops. When we finally stopped he hid the car in an old duck blind while I fed Endrance. When the car was hidden he took us in the woods. We walked for days until we finally came to a valley with a small hand built cabin. My father had spent every winter here hunting and rebuilt that cabin from ruins."

"If he spent every year in that cabin, how was that not one of the first places the New York authorities looked?" Pendergast asked softly.

"My father never told anyone where he hunted so that he was never disturbed. No one found us for so long because they were looking in the wrong place. They were looking in the States," Iris paused and looked down at her hands, "not Canada."

"He took you into the Canadian wilderness?"

"Yes. He taught us how to survive in the wild but of course it doesn't get hot up there. So heat like this, " she motioned to the elevator, "makes me irritable and uncomfortable."

Pendergast nodded in understanding. "I can understand that feeling."

Iris looked confusedly over to the agent. "How so?"

"I detest the cold and snow."

"But you live in New York?"

"Never said I didn't deal with it, just that I do not prefer it." Pendergast laughed softly. "How did they find you?"

Iris furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "I don't know if I'm quite ready to completely relive what happened. I mean I..."

Pendergast silenced her tormented words by placing a cool, pale hand on her lap. "It is quite all right Iris. You do not need to say a thing."

Iris looked up at him in appreciation. The memory of her brother's death at the hands of the same person they depended on and loved was too much for her heart to handle. She had tried for years to overcome the intense emotion that would boil up at that memory but just like the night with Logan Briar, it was unstoppable and irreversible. Pendergast opened his mouth to say something but just then the elevator jolted back to life. Iris looked up at the ceiling, listening to the gears protest as the box was lifted further up the building. Pendergast stood and out stretched his hands to help Iris up, who gratefully accepted his help. The agent shrugged back into his suit coat, buttoning it up, and smoothing the fabric over his slender frame. Iris did her best to push back her sweat soaked hair but only felt herself become more flustered. She felt gross and desperately wanted to get back to the Riverside Mansion for a shower.

The elevator doors finally rattled open and Iris all but ran from the small metal box. A soft chuckle issued from Agent Pendergast as he followed her. "Excited?"

"Just glad to be out of that box," she said, looking at the agent.

"You do not like small spaces?"

"I don't like being held down or trapped in small spaces, yes. I do not do very well with being confined."

"A fact I have grown to learn." Pendergast whispered.

Iris followed the tall man down the small hallway to the last door on the left. A quick knock from the agent was met with a tall, tanned woman with blonde hair. Pendergast flashed out his badge and the woman stood aside. Iris immediately smiled at the air conditioned space they walked into. The woman led them into a dining room where a man in a three piece, navy blue suit sat at the table. A stack of papers was infront of him, an open suitcase in the chair next to him. When Pendergast stalked into the room the dark skinned man stood and grasped the agent's proffered hand. "Mr. Aster I assume?" Agent Pendergast asked.

The man nodded. "Yes I am Mrs. Lauren Alberio's attorney."

Pendergast nodded. "I am Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast assigned to the Reaper case. This is my liaison for the case, Doctor Iris Denali."

"Liaison? What is your specialty Doctor?" The lawyer, Mr. Aster, asked as he shook Iris' hand.

"I have a doctorate in psychiatry and I specialize in criminal profiling." Iris said in a soft, calming voice. The woman now seated at the table across from her was irritated. The anger radiated off of her in waves and Iris had to try anything to calm her down if Pendergast expected to get any information from this woman.

Agent Pendergast sat beside Iris. Mr. Aster poured them both a glass of ice cold tea from a pitcher sitting in the center of the table. "We heard of your unfortunate situation with the building's elevator. That must have been horrible," the man laughed softly.

Iris smiled warmly and drank from her glass. "It was certainly out of the ordinary. Does the elevator get stuck often?"

Mrs. Alberio scoffed and threw her hair over her shoulder. "Nothing ever works right in this shit storm of an apartment building. Just be glad that the air conditioning was fixed yesterday after being out, mind you, for the majority of the summer."

Agent Pendergast was about to make a remark when Iris gently placed a hand on his leg to silence him. He instead sipped the tea. A slightly sour face crossed his features for a split second, Iris did not miss the look. She frowned softly in concern towards the blonde across from her. "Why ever did you and your husband remain in this building? There has to be some law against the landlord refusing to fix or not fixing something in a timely manner."

Mr. Aster nodded his head in agreement but remained silent as Mrs. Alberio scoffed again and wrung a cloth napkin in her hands. "Greg refused to move from this hellhole. He was too lazy to keep after the piece of shit landlord to get things done and too lazy to pack everything up so I dealt with this place for past ten years."

"You're a saint, Mrs. Alberio." Iris remarked softly.

"Lauren please. So you two must be here about Greg's disappearance. Hopefully I can help you find the bastard so he can sign this paperwork and I can be free." She dabbed at her cheeks, before taking a swig of her tea. She was trying to show strength in her words and appearance but Iris could see in her eyes fear and uncertainty.

Iris removed her hand from Pendergast's leg to signal he could begin his questions. "Your husband's boss, Lieutenant D'Agosta, asked me to come here because he was due to come back to work two days ago. Were you aware of this fact?"

Lauren Alberio looked to her lawyer who simply nodded his head. "Yes I was. He told me he took a few days off to unwind from the heaviness of this serial killer case. Three days then he would go back to work."

Iris replaced her hand on Pendergast's leg. "Mrs. Alberio, your husband claimed that you were sick and he needed to take care of you. That was the premises of his vacation being excepted in the midst of this case." Iris used as soft a tone as she could. Dealing with this in the wrong way would result in the woman infront of them going on the defensive. Iris and Pendergast needed her to remain on their side of the playing field.

"Is that what he told you?" she asked incredulously. "I haven't been sick since the last snowfall. He told me that D'Agosta encouraged him to take time off. That lying bastard."

Iris gave her a small smile. "Well then I am relieved that you are not ill." She removed her hand from Pendergast's leg. "Can you tell us what your husband did with his time off?"

Lauren took in a deep breath. "Drank beer and watched television. He went out to that strip bar that he likes. The normal really."

"Did nothing stand out over the three days?" Agent Pendergast inquired.

"Out of the norm? Not really." A small silence fell over the group. Agent Pendergast shifted slightly but Iris quickly placed her hand on his leg. She was watching the blonde closely. The woman was deep in her thoughts, if Pendergast disrupted those thoughts they may miss something important. She just needed time. Pendergast looked at Iris and their eyes met. The stern but calm expression on Iris' face conveyed the need for him to be patient and trust her. "You know come to think of it. This could be nothing but the first night he \came back from the bar angry. Greg is a lot of things but he rarely gets angry, its a waste of energy for him. He didn't tell me much of what happened so I assumed it was some stripper that did a bad job or something but the next day a man came to the apartment looking for Greg."

"Did you answer the door?" Iris asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Yeah I did."

"What did the man want with your husband?"

"When Greg came to the door and saw the man he pushed him back into the hallway and slammed the door behind them. I grabbed a glass and tried to listen at the door but I only picked up bits and pieces. Something about a child and he was doing his best. They will never find out about something and then something about a payment." She paused and looked over at her lawyer. "That is when I contacted Mr. Aster. Whatever he was talking about did not sound legal and I wanted no part of it. He advised me to file for divorce. I took a day to think about it but when I woke up the next morning Greg was gone."

"What happened after the man left and before you woke up to find your husband was missing?" Pendergast asked. Iris cut her eyes over to him but he remained fixated on the blonde infront of them. Iris' hand was still resting on his leg to ask for silence but he still asked a question. Thankfully it was just the question Iris was thinking of and not something to cause the woman to go on the defensive.

"Nothing really. He didn't really talk to me so I went grocery shopping so I could make him his favorite dinner. I attempted to ask about the man but he said it was just work related and I didn't want to know. I let it drop after that. When I went to bed, Greg was watching television but about an hour later he got a phone call. He came in our room, kissed me, and I heard the front close behind him."

"Did he leave any clue as to where he might have gone?" Iris asked softly.

"Like a note?" Iris nodded her head.

Mr. Aster reached into his suit case and brought out a picture in a frame. "This was the only thing left on the kitchen counter."

Pendergast took the picture frame from the attorney and Iris looked over his shoulder. A happy couple standing infront of a church smiled back at them. "This is your wedding photo, Mrs. Alberio?" the agent inquired.

A soft nod from the blonde. "It was sitting on the kitchen counter when normally it is on the dresser in our bedroom."

Iris looked down at the photo again. Nothing abnormal stood out from the photo. "Would you mind if we took this with us?" Agent Pendergast asked.

The woman shook her head. "Go ahead. I won't be needing it anymore." She sighed softly. "Please, don't get me wrong. I love Greg with all my heart but there are just a lot of things that I can no longer stand behind him with. If he had something to do with that child's death or if he knows something about it and is being paid to keep it from authorities, I can't stay with him."

Iris reached over and took the blonde's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "We understand your discomfort with your husband's activities. We just need a few more things from you."

Pendergast nodded. "You have had no contact from your husband since he left the house that night, correct?"

Lauren Alberio nodded. "Nothing."

Iris laid her hand on Pendergast's leg and to her surprise the agent rested his fingers on the back of her hand, signaling he was done. "What did the man that was at the door look like?" she asked.

Mrs. Alberio closed her eyes trying to draw the man back into her brain. "He was tall and heavy set. Not as heavy as Greg but more like a football player, you know muscly. He had dark brown hair and tanned skin, like he works outside often. Dark eyes and gravelly voice." She paused and opened her eyes, leveling her gaze with Iris. Iris saw the apprehension in the blonde's blue eyes. "I will never forget the scar on his face. It was an anarchy scar that looked like someone carved it into his face. It was ghastly."

Pendergast stood and shook her hand and Mr. Aster's, no emotion evident in his expression. Iris could feel her own heart beating quickly but tried to convey calm on her own features. "We will be in contact Mrs. Alberio. If anything changes, you remember something we may need to know, or you come into contact with Officer Alberio, please contact me directly." The agent slipped the attorney his contact card before shaking his hand.

Iris extended her hand to shake Mrs. Alberio's but was surprised when the blonde pulled her into a tight hug. "There is a file behind the mirror in the hallway take it with you but don't let Mr. Aster see it," the woman whispered. "Thank you for being such a comfort Dr. Denali. I may need to make an appointment with you."

"Anytime you need me, you can reach me through Agent Pendergast." Iris followed behind Mr. Aster and Pendergast. When she passed the mirror she reached behind it and pulled out the folder. It was a sealed mailing envelope and Iris quickly folded it in her arms. When Mr. Aster turned around to wish her good-bye she stepped to the side, closer to Agent Pendergast. She casually pushed the folded envelope into his hands. When the agent felt the object pushed into his hands, he slipped the envelope under his suit coat, tucking it into a hidden pocket inside of his coat. Iris shook Aster's hand with both of hers and followed the agent into the hallway. They both silently agreed that the stairs sounded lovely as they made their way down the building and back into awaiting Rolls in contemplative silence.