Chapter 28

The dining room is full to capacity when we walk through the door of the kitchen. Rebecca and Thom have joined us as well as additional soldiers and police. At the head of the table is President Paylor a detective flanking each side of her. The trio is engrossed in whatever is on the screen in front of them.

Rebecca spots me and runs over to hug me. "Peeta, you must be out of your mind with worry," she says over my shoulder. I sniff back tears and hug the small woman tightly. She and Thom have been real friends to Katniss and me over the last year and having them here now brings me comfort. I know they care about her as more than a mouthpiece for Panem, a victor or a solider; they care about the person she is.

"Is this everyone?" Detective Michaelson inquires.

"Everyone that matters," Haymitch says. "If they ain't here we'll catch em' up later." Get on with it," he demands.

Detective Michaelson nods and grabs a tablet from the table. With a few taps the artwork above the buffet transforms into the screen, in the middle a picture of a man who is not Carson Wilkes…or is it? I get closer to the screen at stare at the picture. He does seem familiar.

"Oh my…Thom doesn't he work in the Justice building?" Rebecca asks.

I spin around to look at Thom who is sitting with a hand over his mouth. He looks horrified.

"That's how he seems familiar," I mutter more to myself than to anyone in particular.

"This is Jasper Chilton the V, and your right to recognize him, account records indicate he's been living in district 12," Detective Michaelson confirms.

Thom seems to gather his thoughts and stands up. "I hired as a file clerk in February, he was new in town. He quit in May," he says, sounding a bit in shock.

Michaelson nods, "That agrees with his records too. This person," he says, moving to another picture of the man, "is the last living member from a very, very wealthy family here in the Capitol." He taps the screen again and pulls up a picture of a very old woman in a bright pink wig.

"Oh no," Effie gasps. I spin around and find her hanging on to Haymitch for support, looking stricken.

"What?" I demand.

"That is Debra McVellie, you're and Katniss's single biggest gift contributors," Haymitch says, his voice flat. "And the widow of one the most prominent and eccentric game makes of the last twenty years."

"That's correct," the detective agrees. "She and her grandson Jasper disappeared from the Capitol shortly after Katniss blew up the arena in the quarter quell. Jasper showed up in the news briefly after the surrender, saying his grandmother passed while they were in isolation during the war. He stayed in town only long enough to get her death certified and to have the arborator move all the accounts and properties into his name, then he disappeared again. Financial records show that he visited every district at least one over the past twelve months, but he only seems to have spent any real time in district 12."

"So, he could stalk her," I spit.

Detective Michaelson shuffles on his feet, "I believe he was…observing you both. We are sending a crew to 12 as we speak to sweep your homes. We think he may have been monitoring you all via the internal camera system all the victor homes were designed with," he says clicking over to schematics of the victor's village homes.

"So, they were watching us," I say, feeling sick to my stomach.

Michaelson nods grimly, "Yes, unfortunate that did happen. However, before Haymitch and Katniss returned to 12 a team was sent to dismantle the devices," he explains.

"Then why you sending a team to see if it was actually done?" Haymitch asks.

"Because…we have some proof that at least one of the crew members received a payment from the McVallie estate around the same time," he admits.

"You mean to tell me that he's been planning this for over a YEAR and none of y'all knew? What kind of security checks did you run?" Haymitch yells, slamming his hands on the table.

Detective Michaelson bristles at the outburst. "We had no reason to suspect him. He wasn't a blip on our radar," he rebuts.

"Well he's got one of my kids, you payin' attention now?" he screams.

Paylor stands up and raises her hands calling for calm in the room. Haymitch is still seething and Effie is in tears, but the room quiets. "We are all very concerned about Katniss, Mr. Abernathy. I wish there had been a way to avoid this outcome, but I've reviewed the data, this came completely out of left field. I promise you," she says, turning to look me in the eyes, "that these are the very best minds in Panem. We will find her," she promises.

I feel my throat tighten and the tears I've been suppressing break free. "Yeah? Can you promise it will before he kills her?" I manage to ask.

She deflates a bit, doesn't shrink from looking me in the face. "I cannot promise that Mr. Mellark, but I can honestly say that I do not think he went to all the effort of surveilling her then abducting her to just turn violent against her. He views her as a prize," she states.

"Do you have any idea where he's keeping her?" Gale asks, speaking for the first time since the briefing started.

Michaelson clears his throat. "The family has a number of estates, and there are hundreds of shell companies that could own even more. We have a team going through the data now and we sent a squad out to all of the properties we know about, we should be hearing back within the hour," he informs him.

Gale lets out a long breath then stands at his full height, "President Paylor, please assign me to a team," he requests.

Paylor stands and comes to stand in front of Gale but looks over at me showing she means her next words for both of us. "I know your instinct is to go, to search, to turn over rocks, but putting anyone close to her in the field could push him to drastic measures. We can assume he is monitoring this investigation and by extension each of you. You will serve her better by remaining here. We need each of you to go to the news outlets and beg for leads in her disappearance. The longer we can keep him off the scent of our investigators the safer she will be."

Gale looks conflicted but relents with a nod of his head. Paylor looks over at me. "Just bring her home," I say in way of agreement.

Placing a hand on my shoulder she gazes up at me, "We're doing our best," she promises.

I let out a breath and nod. "Thank you," I manage.

She offers me a sad smile and returns the head of the table. "We have scheduled a press conference on the front steps of this building in an hour. Sergeant Mallard will brief you out on the patio 15 minutes before," she tells us. "In the meantime, try to rest if you can."

And with that, the briefing is over. The room goes back to the buzz of voices it was before.

Haymitch catches my elbow as I turn for the kitchen. "I need a minute," he says. I follow him down the hall to his room. He closes the door and stands in front of it for a long minute before asking, "What happened between you and the Captain?"

"He punched me," I state flippantly.

He crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow.

I mirror his gesture and he grunts. "You're not leaving this room without given me an explanation. I need to know if I need to turn him in," he states.

I roll my eyes and move to look out the window by the bed. "We…we…had a disagreement about my choice of female companions," I admit.

This received a snort and I glance over at him. "You and Tova?" he asks, an eyebrow raised.

I shrug.

He levels his eyes at me, "No, no he would think that a good thing…" his eyes light up realization. "What really happened at the park?" he asks.

I shuffle from foot to foot feeling like a bug under a microscope. "I told you, we had a disagreement," I say, looking down at my feet.

He laughs, "Yeah, like the one she had with Gale earlier today?" he asks knowingly.

I sigh and roll my eyes as Haymitch leans back against the door. "Never figured you as a playboy," he snorts.

I bristle at the title. "I'm not!"

He raises a brow, "Two girls at the same time, what do you call it?" He asks.

"It…I didn't plan it…Katniss she….I remembered," I stammer. I slump onto the edge of the bed the weight of my choices with Tova and Katniss missing draining me.

Haymitch joins me, sitting down next to me. "You remember something?" he asks, his voice gentler than I've ever heard it.

I swallow around a lump in my throat. "Yes. I remembered….her, us," I breath.

He places a hand on my back. "And?"

I look up at him and consider my next words carefully. I had plenty of time to think about it on my walk home but I've not admitted them even to myself. I open my mouth and sigh escapes. "I'm in love with her," I finally manage to say.

Haymitch smiles and pats me on the back, "'Bout time you figured that out," he says. "And Sweetheart?" he asks.

"I don't know," I tell him, fear replacing the little exhilaration of admitting my true feelings. "She ran off and…"

He rubs my back. "I thought it might be something like that."

"Gale was mad because he caught Tova kissing me and thought I was….I don't know-cheating I guess."

"If you have the feelings you say you do, aren't ya?" he asks.

I open my mouth to protest but close it. There isn't a good defense to make. "I need to talk to Tova," I say standing up.

Haymitch stand with a grunt. "I'll let the Captain off the hook, it looks like he was just defending a friends honor."

"He wants her for himself," I blurt out.

"Nothin' new there. But I think she's made a decision about that a long time ago."

I look over at him, "Yeah?"

He smirks, "Yeah."

This sparks hope admist my dread. "Thank you Haymitch," I say sincerely. He turns and hugs me for the second time today.

"Let's just get her home," he says. I nod and we head out the door.

I enter the kitchen to Effie, a publicist, a detective, and Tova sitting around the table talking about the upcoming press conference. Tova looks up at me and I see her eyes are rimmed red. My stomach falls. I nod towards the door, inviting her to join me. She excuses herself and follows me out to the patio.

Outside the sun is setting and the whole patio is bathed in soft purple light. We walk silently over to the pool and sit down on one of the chaise lounge chairs. I look over at her and am struck once again at her beauty, inside and out. She's been a good friend to me, there is no denying that. And a part of me wishes I could give in and fall for her. She good for me in a lot of ways, but not in any that I really need. I need someone who knows my history, who understands my past. Someone who will help me fight my demons instead of ignoring them. I need Katniss. Even if it is ever only platonic between us, I need her in my life. I can admit now that choosing Tova would mean leaving her behind. I can't do that. I won't.

"Tova," I start, taking her hand, "What Gale said is true," I admit.

Tears fill her eye and my heart breaks a little. "It wasn't something I was planning, and I'm sure it wasn't something she was either…but it happened," I say around a lump in my throat.

Tears drip off her bottom lashes, "It wasn't just a kiss was it?" she asks.

I take a deep breath, "No, it wasn't. It was the key. It unlocked a part of me I didn't know I still had," I tell her.

She sniffs and swats at a tear. "You're picking her," she states.

I bite my bottom lip, the truth is more painful than I thought it would be. "Yes," I confirm.

"And if she doesn't return your affections?" she asks.

I shake my head, "Right now that is the least of my concerns," I tell her. "But...even if she doesn't it doesn't change this," I say squeezing her hand. "You should never play second string to a man who's in love with another person," I say.

She chokes out a laugh, "So the fact that I love you doesn't matter? she cries.

The words are like a knife to my chest. "Tova…." I drawl out.

She shakes her head and stands up abruptly. "I'm not leaving," she states, wiping the tears from her face with her palms. "You may not love me but I love you and I will see you through this crisis," she says resolutely.

I stagger to my feet. "Tova I do love you…"

She runs a hand under her nose, "But you're not in love with me, I understand. My statement stands. As your friend, I'm not leaving." With that, she turns on her heels and leaves me standing by the sparkling pool.