Good News


Waking up in the morning, Peter saw his phone light up with an alert. Stretching to reach it, he rubbed his eyes to help him wake up enough to read the words against the bright lights. Once he had woke up a little bit, he noticed it was a text message and a missed call with a corresponding voicemail. Reading the text message first, he laid back as he smiled. Listening to the voicemail was a repeat of the text message mixed in with excited babble.

As Elizabeth woke up beside him, Peter waited a few moments for her to get more alert, "Hon?"

"What was that about?" She asked sleepily.

"Bryce," Peter smiled happily. "He's close to waking up, might do so by the end of the day if we're lucky."

Sitting up as well, Elizabeth became more alert. "Chuck called?" She knew who would be alerting everyone to the happy news.

"Called, left a voicemail, and texted…" Peter continued to smile as he relished the moment. Then he threw back the blankets and started his routine for getting dressed.

Stretching herself, Elizabeth crawled out within a few moments as well. "You start the coffee and I'll make breakfast? It's a little early for the hospital's visiting hours, but we can meet the others in the waiting room once we're ready."

"Deal," Peter grinned.


As Bryce had been improving, so had everyone's moods, and considering the prospect that he might wake up soon, they were positively glowing.

Following their usual routine, they were happy to learn that Bryce had been moved out of the ICU and was being settled on another floor. Holding hands happily as they walked through the halls, Peter and Elizabeth found the rest of their group in the new waiting room.

Catching up with the others and making plans, they learned that June was planning to sit with Bryce and read all day, Chuck and Sarah were still performing as guards, Peter was working cases, and Elizabeth had a large event to plan.

When they realized no one had heard from Sara, Elizabeth texted their friend to see where she was. After a few moments, she got a call.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to make it there, I'm about to get on a plane." Sara continued to explain that she had been assigned to a high priority case and was going to be out of the country for the foreseeable future. "It figures, he is finally going to wake up and I won't even be in the country," she sighed.

Understanding some of her situation, Elizabeth promised they would take turns keeping her up to date.

Sounding a bit teary-eyed, Sara thanked her.

"Do you have anything you want us to tell him for you?" Elizabeth offered. She had noticed that Sara seemed to be affected by Bryce's hospital stay. Although their relationship was going to need some repairs, she could tell that Sara still had feelings for the man.

Torn between asking for their help, and being embarrassed, Sara chose not to have the message relayed for her. "It's personal, so it should be delivered personally."

"Okay, let us know if you change your mind," Elizabeth finished the conversation with her by finalizing contact information and means.

Turning to the others, she filled them in on what was going on with Sara. "Sterling and Bosch has a high profile case and she has been sent out of the country. She doesn't know how long she'll be."

"She doesn't want us to tell him anything for her?" June asked.

Smiling slightly, Elizabeth hoped that maybe their relationship could be repaired. "It's personal, so she wants to deliver it in person."

Liking the news, Peter smiled as well, "Maybe their relationship stands a chance after all."

"Relationships don't last well in our field, but Bryce's feelings were real based on the reports," Sarah added her input. "It mostly depends on what the bosses decide to do with Bryce, and if Sara is willing to be involved with a spy… who is really a government-sanctioned con artist."

"Does it bother you to talk about your ex with another girl, especially another Sara?" June wondered. Since the other Sara and Chuck weren't around, it was a good time to satisfy her curiosity.

"No, I'm happy he has found someone. Bryce has spent a lot of time focusing on getting his work done, and, as Chuck has for me, she makes him think of life outside of the job." Sarah wasn't upset to discuss the topic amongst friends, especially since she had Chuck in her own life.


Eventually, the nurse walked up to them and told them they could see Bryce, "Visiting hours are open, you can see your friend now."

Thanking her, the entire group moved as one. It was the first time they could see him at the same time.

Reaching his door, the group met Chuck.

"He's resting peacefully, but the doctors hope he'll wake up sometime today." He had some basic medical updates for them before he took his seat outside.

Sarah joined him as she could visit him later, and June chose to let the Burkes have a few moments alone before they had to go to work for the day.

Running his hand through Bryce's hair while Elizabeth held his hand, Peter told Bryce he was looking forward to seeing him awake again. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed their banter.

"We miss those blue eyes of yours," Elizabeth agreed as she rubbed her fingers over his hand.

With a general parting, they left their requests for updates with the others and headed off to work. It was going to be a long day, but hopefully, a lot of good things would come out of it.


Digging in, Peter started the process of following the money. It was a very good way to solve the case, but sometimes a challenging one as the financial world could dissolve into ones and zeroes. Persevering, it took him several hours of work, but he managed to make headway into untangling the mess. Collecting his data, he knocked on Hughes' office for some advice. The veteran was an old hand at untangling challenging cases, so his input could be invaluable.

"Hey, Reese, do you have a few minutes? I think I have this financial mess untangled, but I could use a second pair of eyes to help me verify that I'm not missing anything," Peter introduced his intent.

"Have a seat," Hughes directed him. He had faith in his lead agent's abilities, but he was also willing to support his findings when he wanted verification. Considering how badly the cases had gone against Caffrey, he understood the extra caution. That was a series of events that damaged their position in the government as well as their personal trust in their abilities. The team had taken a hit, and it would take them some time to recover from it.

Laying the basics out in the space Hughes had cleared, Peter started running through what he had tracked down. "Do you see the same thing I'm seeing?" he asked when he had finished.

Impressed, Hughes could see why Peter wanted the double-check. "Kendrick did a very good job of covering his tracks, but the money still managed to leave a trail," he fully backed Peter's findings. "It doesn't matter how well it is hidden, ultimately, the truth will out."

Settling back into his chair, Peter tried to get himself to relax a little bit. He had spent hours leaning over financial records in total absorption and his back was beginning to feel it. "That gives us the motive of his home and the mystery girlfriend, the financial trail to connect him to the crimes, and the means through his position as the overseer of both the Larkin family business and estate. The man literally has his hands into everything and apparently fell into temptation."

"It seems to get these people every time. They watch as other people live lavishly while not paying enough attention to what is going on around them, so eventually, they decide to take their part in the fun. But be careful, he is a smart one to have gotten away with it for this long," Hughes warned.

Thanking his boss for the support, Peter stretched to relieve his aching muscles before taking the files down to his team. It was time to put in for an arrest warrant.


Before he started the paperwork for the judge, Peter checked to see if anyone else had anything to add to their case. The more evidence they had against the lawyer, the easier it would be to beat him in court.

As convenience sometimes goes, Blake happened to walk into the office with the results from the lab. He had the information for the paper that had been used in the threats, so they just needed something to compare it too.

Getting his own grin, Peter was pleased to have a front reason for searching Kendrick's properties. He was going to get the warrant for his papers. It would seem inconspicuous to keep his guard down but would be the final nail in his coffin of guilt.

Arranging for the warrant to be executed, Peter accompanied the team through Kendrick's office. He hoped the man would have used something from his workplace as it was higher trafficked. If he wanted to pretend someone else had framed him, Kendrick would have had better luck using his office.

Jones was sent to lead the team through his home. If he had hoped to keep his activity secret, Kendrick would have used the privacy of his residence. However, if he was caught, it would prove more difficult to claim innocence in that scenario.

By covering both bases, the team was able to find the matching documents in his work storage closet. He had several containers of it and it was accessible to any of the staff. If his financial trail had been sufficiently covered, his ploy might have worked.

Since the man hadn't been seen at either location, Peter and the team took a more active means of pursuing. Something had tipped Kendrick off, so they had lost the element of surprise.

After several hours of fruitless searching through the city, Peter had to admit that Kendrick seemed to have made a run for it. Putting up wanted posters was a part of the next stage, so the team went to work on the familiar routine. It had never worked with Caffrey, but Peter was certain Kendrick would prove to be an easier catch than a trained black-ops agent undercover.


Remaining behind while Peter left for the hospital, Diana was determined to use her remaining window for all the work she could towards closing the case before Bryce woke up. She knew she wouldn't succeed, but she wanted to have as much to show for all of her effort as possible.

Congratulating her on a case well done, Peter left the office rather satisfied. They hadn't apprehended any of their suspects, but they had proven all of them guilty.

Reflecting as he rode the elevator down, Peter was amused to think that even Kendra Peyton had disappeared. They had attempted to contact her in response to the money trail leading to some of her gowns and jewelry, but she hadn't been reached through any means. Agents had been dispatched to her home and typical haunts, only to come back empty-handed.

The running theory was that she had either eloped with her boyfriend, or she was continuing to string him along until the money ran dry. Whichever way it went, Peter suspected she would go down as his accomplice before the case was completely closed.

The cases were all but completed, so they had kept to their goal as good as it was going to get.


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