05.10 - Exit Strategy
The cops are getting closer to an answer that could put all of them at risk. But more importantly, it could hurt the ones they love.
"They threatened my kid," growled Gail. "They threw rocks through her window! And you're just now telling me this, Frankie? What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"Gail, calm down," said Frankie, holding her hands out in front of her.
Gail wasn't really mad at Frankie, but she couldn't really figure out how to express the absolute terror at having someone target her kid! And it was her own damn fault. That was the worst part. Second worst was not being able to tell Holly.
"Damn it, Anderson, this is two people! Mac and my kid! You were supposed to keep them clear."
"Jesus, Gail."
"Inspector," said Vivian quietly. Seriously.
That brought Gail up short. Vivian never called Gail by her title like that. She turned and stared at the younger Peck, standing over by the door.
Vivian was calm.
It helped.
"What," she gritted out.
"I shot the guy," Vivian pointed out. "Every single cop knows it was me. Of course they targeted me. I killed the captured drug runner for SSG."
Gail sighed and felt the fury fade a little. She pushed her hands through her hair. "Stop making sense."
"Sorry," said Vivian, but not sincerely. "I'm the obvious target. And I told Jamie and Christian that it was just from that, which they bought. I think."
Sara Martlet cut in. "Who are Jamie and Christian?"
"Jamie McGann, firefighter, is my girlfriend. Christian Fuller is our roommate and a cop here at Fifteen." Vivian shrugged a little. "Neither of them know about the case."
"Keeping secrets from your friends is not a great life," cautioned Sara. And she oughta know, realized Gail, ruefully.
"I know. And I agree. After this is over, I'd like to explain the declassified stuff, but... the public story is actually pretty accurate. I killed a gang member who threatened a decorated Inspector, for the second time I might add," Vivian pointed out, giving Gail a bit of a glare. "The gang wants revenge."
"I take it they didn't read the note?" Sara eyed Frankie curiously.
"No, the kid told 'em she didn't want to compromise evidence. With her parents? No one asks," said Frankie, a little impressed.
Gail eyed Vivian. "You lied about proper evidence collection and C fell for it?"
"I was wearing gloves," said her daughter in a casual way Gail recognized as her own.
That made her feel better. "Clever," admitted Gail. "I'm still pissed off. They've targeted Mac and now you. What happens if they go after Jamie or Christian?" Or worse, in Gail's mind... What if they went after Holly?
"I think I was a lot more reckless than the kid," Frankie noted, in a tone of lapsed-Catholic confession. "I've been real visible pushing. She's... You have a knack for separating your personal and professional lives, little Peck."
Dryly, Vivian replied, "Thank god my determination for normalcy has some good side bennies." She glanced at her watch. "I'm supposed to be at Parade on the hour, and I need to pick up donuts."
Gail waved a hand. "Scat. And be safe."
And Vivian gave her a look that was pure Elaine. "Of course."
Somehow the kid had inherited Elaine's absolute certainty of herself as a cop. Well. While Gail would rather Vivian extend her self-assurance to her whole life, she'd take the cop part.
"Donut fine, huh?" Sara sounded amused.
For once, Gail ignored that joke. "Okay, Franks, spill the beans."
Frankie made a face. "What the hell is wrong with you, Peck?" But she pulled out her tablet. "So they're not targeting Vivian so much as wanting her to know they know she killed Keith. I had Traci run her Guns & Gangs contacts, and she confirmed it just looks like run of the mill threats. Still, I'd like to have some units run a more open patrol of her part of town."
Gail nodded and tapped on her phone, issuing that request. "Done. What's the bad news?"
The detective hesitated. "Sara's right. Gally's filthy."
Shit. "Seriously? He's been doing more than just money laundering all this time?"
"Much worse. He's been purposefully ignoring some crimes."
"Modern day Arapio," complained Gail.
Sara exhaled, not sounding pleased. "How did you tumble onto him anyway, Anderson?"
And Frankie actually looked embarrassed. "The closure rate at ThirtyFour is abysmal. So I started running numbers after that asshole put me in charge of shit." She pointed at Gail, smirking. "Pattern wasn't hard to find."
"Huh. Good to know. You out thunk some of my best spies, Anderson." Then Sara shook her head. "Okay. Let's plan this shit. If we're going to take down Galbraith, we need this clear."
When Sara eventually left, having sorted out their next steps, Frankie was still a little shell shocked. "Y'allright there, Franks?"
Frankie pointed after Sara. "She said I out thought her spies."
Gail smiled. "Yeah, she did." Gail had heard that a few times recently. Apparently Sara was not used to that level of genius from a beat cop turned detective. At least not people like Frankie. "Someone shoulda noticed that shit before you, y'know."
That thought sobered up Frankie quite a bit. "Remember when they thought Steve was on the take?"
Nodding, Gail leaned back. "Hella long time ago."
"Remember why I pulled you in on it?"
Now that was an interesting question. "I have a theory," Gail admitted. "You were feeling me out for IA, who tapped you because you finked on your parents."
Frankie scowled. "Steve told you?"
"He is a gossip," said Gail, and she shrugged. "But actually my mother. She and my old man were talking about Steve's friends when I was getting yelled at about my hair being black."
With a sigh, Frankie nodded. "Of course, being tapped for IA by Momma Peck when I was digging into my classmate..."
"Well. That was Elaine, y'know? She liked to stack the deck." Gail frowned. "Why bring it up now?"
And Frankie pointed at the door. "Sara's stacking her deck. For a cover up."
What the what? Gail sat up. That kind of deception was very much not her forte. "Hang on, Frankie. You're thinking Sara's in on the crime?"
"SSG. Sara..." Frankie let the thought hang there. "People used to think the Pecks were corrupt. What if the Martlets are?"
"Jesus," complained Gail. "This shit is gonna give me an ulcer. I can't tell who's doing what anymore!" She covered her face. "You're better at this than I am, Frankie. How likely is this?"
Her friend and fellow detective was quiet for a long time. And then. "I wouldn't take that bet," said Frankie.
Crap.
So maybe her in with the Mounties was evil? And maybe he actual mastermind? Which meant they'd set up her kid to take the fall for killing Keith, and put Jamie and Mac's lives on the line as a threat.
Stay away.
"Like hell we're letting this go," said Gail grimly. "Frankie... can you double agent some shit and make sure Sara Martlet isn't screwing us over?"
"I'll need some backup," mused Frankie. "On the QT."
"Traci's briefed. And you know she's clean."
Frankie nodded. "I'll see what I can do. You keep clear though. If they're targeting your kid, then the more you dig into this, the worse it gets."
"I'm not letting you run this alone," Gail said firmly, leaving no room for reproach. "You need a partner for this. Someone clean and ..." Gail paused and snorted a laugh. "You need someone clean, someone who can't be bribed, and someone who hates your guts."
Frankie's eyes went wide. "Oh come on, no. Epstein hates me! He thinks I have the hots for Chloe!"
Which was why it was perfect.
Sometimes being with Gail was like being in a perpetual time warp. The soft lips against hers, lingering and smiling, had been a constant in her life for decades now. Holly had woken up hundreds of times to the sleepy smile and rather nasty morning breath, spent countless nights necking on couches indoors and out, and on more than one memorable occasion, out in the yard.
The kisses never grew old. Even the short, practically chaste ones that were a greeting or farewell. They were as much a reality as breathing. As common as a laugh or a smile. They were every day ordinary.
Holly's eyes drifted closed as Gail's lips brushed hers again.
Her voice a whisper, Gail asked, "Did you like the show?"
"Mmmm. I did." Holly leaned in to her wife, feeling the arms wrap around her. "Way better than Phantom."
Gail barked a laugh. "I can't believe that shit still airs."
"It's very popular," intoned Holly, seriously. She opened her eyes and regarded the crowd.
Everyone was in such a rush. It would be almost an hour before taxi and ride share prices dropped enough that they'd be worth it. And they had driven. Which meant they lingered a little longer, waiting for the traffic to go away. Staying by their seats, they waited patiently as the crowd thinned out. Some of the ushers said hello, a member of the orchestra popped his head up to chat with them.
It was yet another weird part of a normal life with Gail Peck. A woman for whom the world worked in mysterious ways. Holly sighed deeply and threaded her fingers with Gail's, walking through the more quiet and empty theatre.
Those were Holly's second favourite thing about seeing shows with Gail. The after the show moments, when the theatre was still, and the hum of audiences and theatre geeks was gone. More than once, Holly had met the actors in this weird time.
But more often they just savoured the feelings. A hand in a hand. A pause to kiss under posters and paintings and decorations. A laugh at nothing at all.
As they stepped into the cool April evening, Gail giggled. "Today is my perfect date."
Holly blinked. Then she laughed. "It's not too hot, it's not too cold. All you need is a light jacket."
"You get me," said Gail, leaning in to bump shoulders with Holly.
"You're crazy," replied Holly.
"Crazy for you." Gail stepped ahead and turned around, catching Holly's hands. "I feel like we should sing."
"Oh no," Holly shook her head and pulled her hands back. "No, we are not singing again."
Gail laughed and twirled. "Fine. We are not singing."
Holly winced as Gail broke into one of the songs from the musical they'd just seen. "I don't know why I married you," she lamented as Gail serenaded their way to the car.
"My time of day is the dark time," crooned Gail.
"That's a totally different musical, you goofball."
Gail grinned and stopped. "You love me."
God help her, she did. Holly smiled. She could tell Gail was trying to distract herself from something. While avoidance was never a great thing, it had its place. Sometimes Holly needed that herself, and even now, she knew she leaned on sex as a way to ignore the evils of the world.
Her insane Gail though. Gail capered. She was a goof. The one Holly had fallen deeply, irrecoverably in love with. The nutty woman who kissed her in an interrogation room and helped her pack to move across the nation while nursing a broken heart. And who risked everything on Holly one more time.
Thank god, thank god it had worked out.
"Yeah, I love you, Gail," she replied and held her hands out, helplessly. "You're insane, and I love you."
Gail's grin grew. It flashed her canines in the wide, wild, happy smile that lit the universe to its edges. "I am going to kiss you now," she said, imperiously, and proceeded to invade Holly's personal space.
With a half hearted eye roll, Holly chastely kissed Gail. But then, as she so often did, Holly fell into the gravity of the moment. She smiled, tipped her head so her nose could brush along Gail's, and kissed her again.
"Having fun?" Gail's voice was a whisper, her eyes half closed.
"Mmm. Yes. More fun now," replied Holly, equally softly. "Take me home."
"Can't I just stay here kissing you?" And to punctuate her question, Gail kissed her again.
"You could. But if you take me home, I'll let you see me naked."
Gail sucked in a breath. "Okay I like this deal. Will you let me touch your naked?"
Holly smirked and stepped away, taking Gail's hand and tugging her towards their car. "If you're nice and obey the traffic laws, I may even let you touch all my naked."
Predictably, Gail pouted. "Obey?"
All Holly could do was laugh.
The fourth time through the drill, Vivian decided she needed a haircut. Her head was steaming, sweat was pouring down her neck and back and ... yeah, into her ass crack. Ugh. Disgusting. Even with a bandana under her helmet, the heat was winning and she was humid and moist.
Which was probably the point. Be hot and tired and cranky and defuse a bomb. In the dark.
"Clear," she finally announced, wishing she could wipe her face off.
"Seal it," said Sabrina, under her breath.
She was sure she had, and replied right away, "Done." But Vivian still double checked. The bomb canister was indeed sealed. Behind her, Sabrina laughed a little. "Bite me, " she grumbled.
It was her first full week back on ETF and, God, it felt so good and right to be back where she belonged. Cleared by psych, cleared by Andy, cleared by her moms, cleared... Vivian looked over at the instructors.
"We're supposed to pretend they aren't there," said Mel, dryly. "They're not going to bench you again, Peck."
Vivian snorted. "I just want a shower." And she was looking because they were short a sergeant, and Vivian knew exactly what was going on.
In many ways it was sad and wrong to be looking forward to change already. Sgt. Smith hadn't even been dead a month. But time didn't stop, and as Traci pointed out, tomorrows were hardest because everything was different but everyone else was the same. That had sounded like an Oliver-ism.
Of everyone, Oliver had been the best person to talk to. Outside of her therapist, of course. Oliver had been a shoulder for dozens of cops who'd faced what Vivian had, including Andy. Sadly, Andy had been not all that helpful. She was nice and kind and caring and ... Andy just processed the world totally differently than Vivian did.
For whatever reason, Andy still expected the world to be a good and fair place. Paradoxically Andy tended to ignore any of her own issues until they blew up in her face. Which explained her relationship with Swarek, a thing Vivian remembered murkily at best. They'd been divorced since she was seven or so, and Sam had left Fifteen not long after.
It was like Andy didn't want to accept failure, especially not her own. Probably for the best that Sam had left, really. The few times they'd worked together in front of Vivian, it had been all kinds of awkward. Which pretty much was how Andy coped with basically everything: avoidance and awkwardness.
Different people did things different ways. Gail ran into things head on, biting and threatening. On the other hand, Holly was totally a runner. Not an avoider, she outright ran. It was weird to watch the first time Holly had run right into work, overwhelming herself.
The third day in a row that Holly had left for work early, teen Vivian had asked Gail if something was wrong. Gail had sighed and explained that she and Holly were arguing about money, which was stupid, and they'd gotten a bit mad at each other. And that? Was how Holly coped.
But that said, Gail pulled Holly out of the mires of whatever caused that. Vivian still wasn't quite sure how all that worked, but she knew Gail just knew how do that with Holly, and technically Vivian as well. Vivian didn't know at all how to do that. She didn't read people well enough, nor did she empathize as much with them.
At least she could read cops. Which meant Vivian had no problem understanding the latest rush of drills, where even she had to work on assault. They needed a new sergeant. And for morale, it would be best to promote from the inside. Someone who had suffered as they did.
"Clear!" The call echoed down the line. Everyone repeated it.
"Okay, kids," said Sue. "Go get cleaned up. It's too hot to make you stand out here while I tell you how much you all suck."
Amidst the laughter, Vivian caught Sue's eye and gave her a subtle nod. Sue returned it.
Mel Burr gave Vivian a side eye and fell into step beside her. "What do you know, Peck?"
"I know a lot," drawled Vivian.
"I know you know the Inspector," hissed Mel. "What's Tran's plan?"
Vivian paused and looked at Sabrina. She jerked her chin. "I'm not a betting individual," she said slowly. "But. We need a new sergeant."
"It's a bit fast." Mel followed Vivian's look. "Not Ivan?"
"He's short a few bagels."
Mel snorted a laugh and slung an arm around Vivian's shoulders. "Why do you have to be so damn tall, Peck?"
"Ate my Wheaties." She grinned. "You bummed it's not you?"
"Nah, I don't want the headache. But you..."
"Gimme another six, maybe."
"Nah. You will make sergeant in four or less," said Mel firmly.
However. Vivian was absolutely right about Sabrina, who walked into their on-call room two days later in a new shirt, looking like she'd been slapped. Or kissed. Vivian grinned and kicked Duane in the shin.
Thankfully he caught up fast. "Sergeant Saun."
The room popped to their feet, everyone standing at attention in a line.
Sabrina flushed and then paled as the realization of a promotion shoulder punch was upon her. "Oh... Shit..."
Vivian cracked her knuckles.
It was the little things in life, really.
It was all bullshit. Every single goddamn thing was bullshit. Conspiracy theories, rumours, back table dealings, bribery, probes, dirty tricks, threats.
"Gail."
That was all that was said. No pressure, which was novel. No suggestions. Just a patient reminder that someone was waiting for her.
Gail stared out the window, where a teenager was mowing the lawn.
"I liked your old condo better," she informed her mother.
"Why's that?"
"Better view. This is just all old people."
"I am old people," said Elaine, somewhat caustically.
"Yeah... Mind playing that up a little?" Gail glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Elaine's rather put out expression. "Whatever loser is organizing all this shit pitched a rock through Viv's window and told her to back off. I don't really think I'd be okay if they target you."
Elaine pursed her lips. "Which window? Not the lovely stained glass, I hope."
"No, the big poster in the living room."
"Small favours," muttered Elaine. "You know who targets families, sweetheart."
Gail nodded glumly. She'd known for her entire life and had shoved the memory of her father's brother's semi-mysterious death deep away. At the time, she'd been more frustrated and hurt by her grandfather's asshole behaviour telling her to stand up straight.
But she knew how her uncle had died. She was a Peck.
"You set Viv up with Alice Martlet," said Gail, turning around and sitting in the window sill.
Elaine blinked. "Oh, Yuri's daughter. Yes, pity that didn't work out..."
"Mom, you've never set anyone up on a good date, and don't make me remind you about Steven in high school."
Her mother made a too-prim expression. "The Martlets are not corrupt, Gail. They're distressingly honest."
"What about the married-ins?"
Elaine's expression faltered. Then it sharpened. It was the old Elaine Peck, the scary one. "Why?"
Her mother was years out of the game, decades out. But a person was never fully out of it, and they all knew that. "Sara was IA. Her husband didn't know until she retired this year." Elaine's face puckered, as if she'd bitten into a lemon covered in shit. "And the gang we're going after is the so-called Squeaky Shoe Gang."
"SSG."
"Serres, Galbraith, and ..."
As she so often did, Elaine said something incredibly unexpected and surprising. "Solomon."
Gail blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Mitch Solomon. Mountie. Works in the big building," said Elaine, without any real thought at all. "He's been funnelling cash into SSG for, heavens, even. Theoretically. I was never able to pin him down, though." She sighed dramatically. "If I'd known Sara was IA, though, I could have had some proof."
The wheels spun in Gail's head. "Mom... that's Maurice's boss."
"Oh your pet Mountie?"
"He'd hate to hear you say that, but accurate," replied Gail under her breath. "How the hell... Are you sure?"
Elaine nodded, gravely. "Distressingly so, sweetheart. He bribed your father. Twice." She shook her head. "The best I could do with it was freeze Bill at Inspector. But it was ... political."
"I hate politics."
"Well, that's alright," said Elaine and she shrugged. "You can't be perfect."
Gail eyed her mother. The fact that Elaine still felt that politics were the epitome of police success... ugh. "Mitch Solomon is the head of SSG?"
"I suppose he is by now, since Serres is dead, and Galbraith..." Elaine stopped. "Your Galbraith couldn't be the original G, Gail."
"Not if this shit's been going on since you worked here, no," she agreed.
"He's legacy, though," mused Elaine. "His father threw Nico Terzakis under the bus."
"I remember that." Gail felt bad that not even Jenny Aronson, Nico's daughter, knew about his true history. As far as everyone else knew, Nico actually was evil. "Wait. Galbraith's father threw Nico under what bus? SSG was the gang Nico was infiltrating?"
"Still is, I'd think." Elaine pushed herself up and out of her chair to get her laptop. "After he paid a dime on the quarter, he was making money somehow to pay for young Jenny's alimony."
It was always disconcerting to hear Elaine use that slang. "Why can't you just say he served ten years out of a twenty-five sentence?"
"It's more fun my way."
Gail rolled her eyes. She'd inherited her humour from her mother. Awesome. "Think Nico'd flip?"
Elaine shrugged. "I would have long ago, but ... he's probably protecting his daughter."
Gail smirked. "Have you met Jenny? She's in Viv's class."
"I recognized her at graduation." Elaine waved a hand. "Ah there we go. Yes, he's still on SSG payroll."
What? Gail stared at her mother and then the laptop. "Mom... are you looking at the police database?"
"Of course not. I'm looking at SSG's."
Was this was a stroke felt like? Gail's head went light and disconnected. "How...?"
"Gail, sweetheart, please remember to breathe. They're not paying me."
Pressing her hand to her heart, again took a deep breath and held it, just like when meditating. Count. Exhale. Count. Inhale. "Mom. Why do you have access to the financial database for a gang?"
Blithely, as if she was still Superintendent Elaine Peck, superior in all ways, Elaine explained. "I told you I worked a bit on that case. I gave myself access, and they've never yet removed it. Funny how that worked, really."
"Jesus, Mom. How many illegal databases do you have access to?"
"A few dozen. It's all in my file." Elaine fixed Gail with a disappointed look. "You still haven't read it?"
"I really don't want to," snapped Gail. "Still though? Why do you still have that access?"
Elaine blinked a few times. "I have no idea, honestly. But I'm really not in a position to ask."
Her blood was cold. Gail felt terror in her bones. Elaine had no idea what was going on! Did anyone else?
"Mom... do you have any idea how dangerous that is!?" Gail knew she was yelling, but she couldn't help it. "What if they notice you're accessing it and get suspicious? Jesus, Mom! What if they decide you're a goddamned liability! I just told you, they threatened Viv, and she's an active cop! If they think for any reason you showed me this shit, they have no problem killing you!"
"You're exaggerating," began Elaine.
"No I'm not!" Gail stood up. "Give me your laptop."
Startling, Elaine did not. "Gail! This is insane!"
"I'm wiping your laptop, Mom. And I'm resetting your password. You have to promise me never to do this again."
Elaine stared at Gail silently. "You're scared," she said quietly. "For me."
"Mom..." Gail reached over and grasped the laptop. "We've had our differences. We've fought a lot and Jesus, barely talked for years. I'm not risking losing you." Gail shook her head. "You mean too damn much to me, Mom. Please. You have to walk away from all of this."
And for the first time, Elaine Peck let go.
Toying with Gail's hair, Holly mulled over the recap of events. "She was really still accessing their old data?"
"Yeah," mumbled Gail, her face pressed into Holly's boobs.
No doubt Gail had provided a sanitized version of events to Holly, but even so, the very idea that Elaine had access to various criminal resources and actually used them was, indeed, terrifying. Holly did not want to know how the conversation came about. But she was also smart enough to know that Gail's minor panic attack about the subject meant it was related to "that case."
"Honey," said Holly gently. "Would they really go after Elaine?"
"I dunno." Gail sighed and scooted off of Holly, flopping onto her back. "But she's the most vulnerable."
Reflexively, Holly scoffed. "Really? I'm the one who doesn't have a gun license."
A brief hesitation. "Neither does Mom."
What? Holly sat up and stared at her wife. "Since when?"
Gail had the decency to look chagrined. "Since the MRI and the drugs and stuff. When she sold the car, I made her give up her guns too." Then Gail added, as an afterthought, "I did get her a new taser."
But there had been no attempt to dodge the heart of the question. Elaine Peck no longer owned any guns. Nor had a gun license. She was well and truly a civilian.
Admittedly she was a civilian with a distressing amount of access to some rather terrifying data.
"Gail..." Holly pulled her knees up sat cross legged, looking down at her wife.
No wonder Gail was to touchy about so much weird police political shit lately. While Gail had been 'the' Peck for a while, Elaine's age and deterioration had accelerated some aspects of that. Still, there had been some aspects of being in charge that remained with Elaine. She was still Gail's rock of policing. She could be leaned on and relied on and depended on.
And today, Gail had pulled that away and taken charge.
"Mom quit because of me," she said quietly.
"Honey."
"Everyone just left her with that access, because she was so damn honest, Holly. They didn't think she'd do anything."
"She didn't."
Gail sucked in her breath. "She didn't. But ... Holly. What if they saw me there? And they know what she's accessing. They'll target her. She's vulnerable."
That damn Chinese Wall of Gail's was tumbling down. "Gail," she said again. "Look at me, will you?"
Even without her glasses, even in the dark, Holly could see the splotchiness of Gail's near tears, smeared across her face. Gail's voice was a whisper. "What if I did the wrong thing?"
"You won't know for a while," said Holly, practically.
Gail snorted a laugh. "Gee thanks."
"Right or wrong, honey, it's just ... It's like raising a kid. We can't know."
"Yeah." Gail grimaced and covered her face. "I just ..."
When Gail's silence reigned for a noticeable length of time, Holly frowned. What would make Gail get cagey talking about her mother? Wait... Since Lily's death, Gail didn't like to talk about Elaine's various age issues. Gail had bottled it all up and gotten grumpy, but not communicative.
"I lost a little bit of time with Mom," said Holly gently. "Not even a year. And we never really talked about it after. We just pretended it didn't happen."
"Holly," Gail propped herself up on her elbows. "Elaine's ... I mean, Lily..."
Bingo. Gail was avoiding talking about being scared to lose her mother. Because she didn't want to remind Holly about losing her own. She didn't want to try and outdo Holly's pain.
Instead of voicing that, though, Holly asked, "Can I punch Nick?"
"Sure." Gail looked perplexed but didn't even ask why.
"And Chris. And ... I'd like to punch all your exes and your family. Even Elaine."
"That seems a bit excessive," drawled Gail. "And a bit of a topic shift."
"All these people, your whole life, just treated you like you were expendable. Or a tool. And screwed up your idea of self worth. Not in the way that you don't know you're awesome—"
"Which I am," agreed Gail.
"— but in the sense that you don't understand that there's no monopoly on pain or guilt." Holly sighed. "You're allowed to be freaked out about Elaine, Gail. My god, she's suffering from memory loss, probably will have dementia. Certainly the drugs that are keeping her brain glued together have some god awful side effects." Holly inhaled deeply. "You're allowed to talk to me about being scared for your mom."
Gail looked up at Holly, confused, but in a familiar way. Oh, she knew that expression well. It was the look Holly got all the time when they were first dating. The first first time, when they were young and stupid and cut hair in a bathroom and made out in Holly's shower. At the time, the look had been daunting. Gail would look at her as it Holly was perfection.
Getting that look now, after a quarter of a century, when Gail knew Holly's brain so well they could easily finish each other's sentences... That was an achievement. A good one. Because after all the time and drama and pain and love, they were still them. And Gail still loved her. And Gail saw her as perfect the way that she was. Dents and all.
"Elaine dying is gonna fuck me up, Holly," said Gail in a tiny voice. A child's scared voice.
"I know, honey," replied Holly, and she lay down beside her wife.
Without needing to talk about it, they wriggled into a comfortable position. Gail's noodle arms were wrapped around Holly, holding her close. Holly's head was just below Gail's collar. They had lain like that a hundred or thousand times before. And all was well.
"I used to be scared of the dark."
"You mean before...?"
"Yeah, before Perik. And... that wasn't a scared of the dark thing. I was scared of waking up in the dark." Gail huffed. "It reminded me of feeling helpless."
Holly smiled a little. "You know. Andy told me the apartment was trashed when she woke up. You had to have fought like a mad woman."
"I did. Wasn't enough."
"You stopped a door with your face, Gail. You fought him off with a concussion."
Her wife snorted. "Anyway! When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dark."
"Which is normal."
"Hush, woulda ya!?" But Gail laughed a little. Good. The tension in her arms was fading. "Mom used to come and sit with me. With the lights off. And she'd tell me what everything was. So I wasn't afraid."
Fear of the unknown. A rather intelligent solution. "Think we shoulda tried that with Vivian?"
"She was too old to fall for it," mused Gail. "I was four or so."
Now Holly snorted. "I hate that you have such a good memory. It's aggravating and depressing."
"Why? Because Mom's brain is melting?"
"No, because of how much shit you had to live though to make your mind that tough."
The arms around her squeezed. "I'd do it all again if it got me here. Wouldn't change a thing."
"Romantic."
"Whipped." Gail kissed her forehead. "I'm hopeless, Holly. I'd do anything for you."
"Good. Because this would be awkward."
They both laughed.
That was just how they worked. How they saw their world. And they saw it that way together.
"Surprised?" Marcel eyed her.
Vivian shook her head. "I should be, sir. But ... well. I guess I'm surprised that she was that stupid."
At the desk, Gail snorted a laugh Vivian knew well. That was Gail's explosive laugh of morbid tension release. She finally found the funny. "It really was dumb ass, wasn't it?"
"I guess we can blame it on the medication?" Vivian scratched her head. "She really didn't even think that it might be a problem?"
"Nope," said Gail, and she leaned back and propped her feet up on her desk. "It's really a shit situation, though."
"What happens now?" Frankie frowned. "We can't put her in protective custody, can we?"
"Only if you want to have our officers commit suicide," Gail remarked dryly.
Grinning, Vivian pointed out the obvious. "She's got her nurse still."
"Shockingly."
Marcel cleared his throat. "I do not wish to intrude, but it seems clear, Madame Peck will need protection."
"And," interjected Frankie. "Did we trace anything back to her laptop?"
Gail looked grim as she nodded. "It's still with the nerds. They don't think there was spyware on the box, but that doesn't mean her traffic wasn't monitored."
"Especially not when she logged into their networks," Dodge said.
"And if they caught me there, then my case is just dead."
It was clear that Gail was wrought up about the situation, and Vivian couldn't disagree.
But was Elaine really at risk? Yes, probably. Had she destroyed Gail's case? Maybe not. It was a road Gail would never consider herself, she was too honest and loyal. Elaine would have had the idea, though, and the only person it would really hurt long-term was Vivian herself. All she needed was to figure out who, from the cops, was a non-corrupt corrupt cop.
Pieces began to click. A story mentioned by Gail. Another by a classmate. If it fit, it would be perfect.
"What are you thinking, junior?" Gail's gaze was sharp and suspicious.
"Nico Terzakis," said Vivian, grabbing at a straw.
Gail gaped. "How the ... How the hell did you..."
Bingo. "He was our spy in SSG? That's why he's the poster boy for corrupt cops? Used to be at Thirty-Four with Frankie?" Vivian grinned. "We make Jenny a fake nurse, to be Elaine's bodyguard."
Behind her, Marcel asked who Jenny was, and Dodge explained she was Nico's daughter. "Pardon..." Marcel interjected louder. "Your plan is to make us look corrupt?"
Good. At least he'd caught the clue. "No. My plan is to make us look corrupt," she replied, pointing at Gail and then herself.
"Jesus!" Gail threw her hands up. "Hell to the ultimate no, I'm not risking Nico like that. And... for fuck's sake, Vivian! I spent my whole goddamned career wiping the stain of that off our name!"
"Which is why it's perfect!" Vivian held her hands out, palms up, to her mother. "The corrupt Pecks were actually just getting rid of the competition! And the whole fight with uncle Eli just adds verisimilitude to the drama!"
Gail groaned. "You're actually insane. Oh my god. You want me to make it look like Nico's my man? And I've been involved in SSG?"
"No," said Vivian carefully. "Elaine, though. And ... me."
Her mother stared. "No. Absolutely not."
But Dodge spoke up. "Actually ... that would make sense."
Gail shot him a death glare. "Screw you."
"No, Gail, she's right." Dodge rubbed his beard. "You're too loyal to the cops to be really corrupt. So you protecting Nico would work. But you're too honest and the wrong kind of notorious to be the front man for anything." He pointed at Vivian. "Your kid though... she's a mystery. She's spent a lot of time cultivating this air of unimportance."
Marcel eyed Vivian. "This was on purpose?"
"Kind of," she admitted. "I don't like being the centre of attention."
"Which this will throw you in!" Gail was pissed. She was livid.
Vivian sighed. She understood why her mother was so mad, why she cared so much about that. Gail had spent years erasing the stigma of poison from the Peck name. Recovery from the past, from the damage of generations, was incomplete still. And here was Vivian, suggesting they screw it up.
"If Nico's still in on it," said Vivian carefully, "then I'm the right person. I'm friends with Jenny, I'm close with Elaine. I'm the right age to rebel from you."
Gail looked at Vivian, distraught. "How... how is this coming from you?"
It was a weird look. Like Gail was just now, finally, seeing Vivian as not just an adult, but a mature police office.
"Because I killed Keith. Because my name is Peck. Because ... I won't get lost in this."
Her mother, not her boss, started at her for a long time. And then. "Go." The grim frown that crossed Gail's face was telling. Frankie jerked her chin, and they walked out of Gail's office together.
"You're insane," said Frankie, sincerely.
Vivian ran her hands through her hair. "I'm right, though."
"If he's pliable. Yeah." Frankie pulled her phone out. "We get one more shot at this, little Peck."
"If you're going to shoot the king, you better not miss."
Frankie sighed. "Your girl is a problem, you know."
That she did. Vivian nodded. "I'm going to have to make her look like a fuck buddy."
"Thank god you're not as sappy as your idiot mothers."
"Really, who is?" While Vivian made a light hearted joke of it, she actually was a little worried. No. A lot worried.
She didn't have tacit permission to bring anyone into the Peck fold, and frankly she didn't want to. No way was she going to bring Christian into the inner sanctum. He was too nice and honest. And really so was Jamie. But she'd have to tell her girlfriend something to explain it all.
"No kidding." Frankie tilted her head to regard Vivian. "You go to work. We'll be in touch." She thumped her fist on Vivian's chest.
Whoof. What a hell of a set up. She knew she was right about this, though. It wasn't something she could explain properly, but Vivian knew that this play was right. If they put up the Pecks as an entity against SSG, then the abrupt resurgence came into play perfectly following Gail's being held hostage.
Hell, that and Vivian being the shooter made it all perfect. She'd already been hit up for insider dealing with the corrupt cops from SSG. Now she just had to turn that around and make sure they saw her as competition. And it would work better if Gail was in on it. Elaine said it always worked better if the right people were in on it, and Gail was the perfect foil.
Gail the innocent, her own daughter corrupt and bringing back the old ways.
What a horribly evil story.
Vivian loved it.
But she wasn't going to dwell on it. Either Gail would see it or she wouldn't. This kind of sideways thinking wasn't Gail's forte, no matter how anyone looked at it. Gail understood minds and motives of people who were straightforward. But using power that should have been for good for evil... Gail never understood Bill Peck. Sometimes Vivian thought she did.
The more a person could put between them and their minions, the more they could get away with. And if a person put the power of their name above all things, then there was a lot they'd excuse of themselves.
Still. Vivian kitted up in uniform, grabbed one of the rookies, and went out on patrol. It wasn't until near the end of the day that she got a text from her mother.
Bring Schwarma.
That was an approval. And it led to a longish discussion with Gail and Dodge about exactly how it would play out. And a new set of orders Vivian hadn't quite expected.
She had to tell her girlfriend and her roommate.
Jamie stared at her. "You're pretending to be a corrupt cop?"
"Yeah, just to lure out some actual corrupt cops."
"Because Peck?"
"More or less." Vivian looked over at Christian. "You okay there, C?"
Her friend jiggled his head. "Yeah. No. Viv... who the hell is gonna buy that you're a dirty cop!"
To her surprise, Jamie spoke up. "That's why it works, actually. She's so damn reserved half the time, people think she's an ice princess, right?"
Christian muttered, "She's more aloof."
"That's the thing. It's no surprise, aloof girl has a secret. Anyone with a brain knows Viv's hiding something, and being evil? Super shocker." Jamie looked actually impressed. "Wait, do I get to be your moll?"
Vivian grinned. "Actually, I was going with energetic fuck buddy. Keeps you out of the way and won't piss off Shay."
With a pout, Jamie nodded. "Okay, fine. That makes sense. And I'm about to do a five on, so you're timing this on that?"
She was, and Vivian nodded back. "I wouldn't have even mentioned it, but there might be crossover." When Christian looked confused, Vivian added, "Shay's a Peck. Sometimes people take political potshots at her."
"Your life is seriously jacked, Viv," grumbled Christian. "What does this make me?"
"My bodyguard slash minion."
"Dudette, you were a seriously Machiavellian six year old."
Vivian rolled her eyes. "I was seven."
Thankfully it didn't take too much more convincing to get Jamie and Christian on board. Less time than it had taken to get Gail to agree, really. As she and Jamie went to bed, her girlfriend asked a more serious question.
"How dangerous is all this?"
"More politically than practically," said Vivian, kicking her boots off.
"Yeah but corrupt cops..."Jamie bit her lip. "This sounds like the kinda stuff that ends with people getting, y'know, shot."
It was, Vivian had to agree. But she wasn't going to say that out loud. "I've got backup. I'll be safe."
And the reality was that Vivian wasn't the target. Elaine was. Making Vivian their mastermind meant putting Elaine back in the crosshairs, which didn't make Gail happy at all. But at the same time, Gail acknowledged that it would be clear that Vivian would be willing to kill to protect her people.
Oh, boy, was. Vivian's therapist going to have a field day with that one.
Jamie sighed and walked up to Vivian, cupping her face in both hands. "I don't like it, but I trust you." And she kissed Vivian slowly.
Damn the kid for having a good idea.
"You're alright with this, Jenny?"
The young officer nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Makes a hell of a lot of sense, too."
In order to get everyone on the same page, the only possible answer was for Gail to just tell Jenny (and Vivian) the whole story. That Nico had been sent to infiltrate a gang, that evidence had turned to him being dirty, and that it had been a set up by Inspector Galbraith's father.
The cover story now was simple. Vivian had used her Peck sway to get Jenny assigned to protect her own grandmother. Because Vivian was in on the corruption too. How else had she been able to rise in rank quickly, even being a Peck? And killing Keith was to cover her own ass.
A perfectly horrible story. And it painted the recent class as all Vivian's minions. A resurgence.
Gail hated it.
The class loved it. They were all happily in on the parts they knew, including Christian and even Rich. Within four days, they had a setup and not only was it believable, but some of Gally's men were talking to Rich asking if he could connect them to his Peck. Vivian.
Dodge had gently pointed out that Vivian had a mind for IA. She got the evil that people did in a way Gail never would. It reminded Gail of her own mother, which really just added to the drama and the headache.
She didn't understand why Vivian was any good at the machinations that went into IA, either. Her kid hated being the centre of attention, she hated being noticed, and she had a terrible time reading people. Except she didn't. Vivian had trouble reading individual people. She seemed to be doing just fine reading into people as a group. The mob mentality.
Was that a factor of her time in the system, brief though it was? Was it from being the poor kid at school? Was it just how her brain worked? Gail didn't know, and at this point, she probably never would.
"Okay," Gail said to Jenny, forcing her brain back to the here and now. "No matter how much shit she gives you, I need you to stay here."
Behind them, Elaine peevishly interjected. "I can hear you."
"Yes, and you were an idiot, so shut it." Gail glared at her mother who had the grace to look repentant. Turning back to Jenny, Gail went on. "And no computers."
Jenny bobbed her head, looking daunted and enlightened. "Got it." She paused. "Can ... um ... Vivian said she— You have a taser? Ma'am?"
Elaine cleared her throat. "It's locked in my gun safe at the moment. Which really makes it less useful."
"How well do you think you can use it? Safely?" Gail tilted her head.
At least Elaine took that seriously. "Enough to buy time. But only if I'm held at close range."
"Best to leave it in there," decided Gail. Her mother opened her mouth, closed it, and nodded.
Being in charge wasn't all that fun. When Gail had been younger, she'd wanted to be in charge just to push people around. Her parents did, and they seemed to love it. So she assumed it would be fun.
Well, it wasn't. It was soul sucking. Everyone's mistakes became her responsibility. The guilt from those things too, it kept her up at night. People had died because of her choices. And it was worse to be in charge of her parents. Her mother.
In a way, Gail had been in charge of her father's career when she'd been promoted to Inspector. Hell, even before. Everyone knew it. If Bill was up for anything at all, got any assignment, someone would just happen to drop by Gail's desk to make sure she knew. And somehow, based on her reaction, things would change.
Embarrassingly, it had taken a few times for Gail to sort out what the hell was happening. Back when she'd barely been a detective, that was the first time. By the time she was one of the lead detectives for Major Crimes, she knew that she was the Peck in charge. She'd leapfrogged her own brother in the process.
But really ... Gail didn't actually know why it was her. Absolute power was not her dream or wish. Which Holly insisted was the why of it. Gail was a good person. And so was their kid. Which was why Vivian's plan, excellent though it was, cut at Gail so damn much!
Wouldn't it just kill any chance Vivian had of a future!? Everyone's eyes would be coloured by the lie. It was always so much easier to believe the lie and the hate than the complex truth.
"Don't worry, Inspector. I won't let you down," said Jenny, firmly. Seriously.
That was the weird thing. Everyone in Fifteen had Vivian's back on this one. An experience foreign to Gail. People liked Vivian, her quiet demeanour and serious mien were well respected. She was trusted. So when Vivian said she was a Peck and had a plan to leverage her name's history, to salvage Nico Terzakis and shut down Galbraith...
Everyone had faith in her daughter.
God. Her kid was never going to be the kind of cop Gail was. Not even the kind Oliver was. No. Vivian was going to be the cop Elaine should have been. The kind Elaine wanted to be. Before the temptations. Before the lies. Before the Pecks had seduced her.
It had taken Gail years of therapy, with and without her mother, to sort out what had happened. To learn that Elaine had wanted power, and been coerced by the Pecks. They promised her success. They promised her everything at the cost of her everlasting soul.
And somehow, somehow Vivian was walking that path. The one where her future would end in a white shirt with a bevy of stars and bars on her coat, and a real career. Gail had a career, but she saw an end one day. One day Gail would hang up her badge and sleep in with her wife and linger over coffees in the late mornings.
She didn't see that for her kid. Gail saw Vivian, like Bill, wearing her uniform until the end. Or maybe, like Elaine had wanted, Vivian would carry the poise into government. But she would, somehow, some way, change the world in a way Gail never could.
"I know," Gail told Jenny. "And I've got your old man's back."
Jenny turned an embarrassed red. "I can't believe that. He's ... He's been hiding this all that time."
"He didn't have a choice," mused Elaine. "We do those things to protect our children." She looked up at Gail. "And then one day they come back to protect you."
Looking a bit confused, Jenny just nodded. She didn't have children. The world did change when that happened. "Mom, save the kid talk for when Jenny actually settles down with a single person."
"Ah, sowing her oats? You never really did that."
"Hah, really? What about those men?"
Elaine waved a hand. "They were, every last one of them, safe and disposable. Then you met Holly."
Jenny's eyes widened. "Should I ... go?"
"No." Gail needed to go talk to Jenny's father, actually. "If you get bored, pick her brain about policing history."
She had to trust Jenny at the moment. Certainly Vivian did, admitting it had been Jenny's idea for the tattoos. Also she'd sort of fallen asleep at Jenny's, which was strange to hear. But it was enough for Gail to trust someone. That kid of hers took forever to trust anyone.
Which was probably why so many people now trusted her. And why Vivian was right. This could really work. Hell of a lot better than some of the plans Gail and crew had come up with.
As she walked back to her car, Gail's phone rang. It was the computer lab. "What have, Horatio?"
The man's name was not Horatio. He was tall, pale, and had ginger hair, though. And he didn't question Gail's nickname.
"Inspector. We finished analyzing the data on ... er. On the former super's laptop."
How cute. He was trying to avoid calling Elaine her mother. "Was she traced?"
"Yes, but not in any depth. They were probably aware she had access, but there was no active monitoring of her actions."
That was a relief. "Alright, I'll figure out what the hell that means, then. Thanks."
She moved to hang up, but Horatio spoke up. "We were able to determine their location. Virtual that is."
It took Gail a second to parse the sentence. "You mean you found their Dark Web Address?"
"We don't actually call it that," complained the man. "But yes. And we managed to pull quite a bit of data."
That was a bonafide break in the case! Gail could have cheered. "Son of a bitch. Send it all in to me. And I need your best analyst for this."
"On his way now, but..." Horatio stopped. "We think we know their next target."
Target? "And it's not the super?"
"Ah. No, it's not."
And he told her.
It was worse.
Sirens going off was never a good start to the day. It wasn't actually the start of Holly's day, but since her morning had all been meetings, and she'd missed a real lunch break, this felt like it was the first damn thing of the day. It was certainly the first moment she'd had to sit and work on a case. She'd only just opened her laptop, for crying out loud!
"Oh come on," grumbled Holly, pulling her glasses off to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Ruth! What happened?"
There was no answer from her administrative assistant. Odd. Holly got up and walked to her open door. Even without her glasses, she saw Ruth missing. Maybe she was still at lunch. It was that time after all. Holly put her glasses back on and pulled out her cell phone.
No signal?
As Gail would say, "What the actual hell is going on?"
Holly tapped her phone and realized she didn't have wifi either.
Okay, now she was scared. Instead of going back to her office, she grabbed the phone off Ruth's desk. No dial tone. But it wasn't a POTS line, it was a stupid VOIP. Gail always ranted about that, and in deference to her wife's neuroses, Holly had requested a plain old telephone system emergency line be installed.
"She will never let me forget this," grumbled Holly, and she walked over to the panel that hid her phone. It had a dial tone. Good. She called the front desk and got no answer. "Of course not," she muttered. Well. Nothing to be done for it. Holly sighed and dialled a number she'd memorized years ago. Before she'd met Gail but after she'd graduated.
"Dispatch," said the familiar voice of a woman who'd called Holly a hundred times at night.
"Hi, Nancy. Its Dr. Stewart. We're having some drama."
"I can hear your sirens," replied Nancy. "Someone find a bomb in a body again?"
"Wouldn't I like to know? Our phones and wifi are out."
"Well that's weird," said Nancy, sounding surprised. "Let me see if anythings lights up."
"Thank you." Holly stuck a finger in her ear and sighed. The siren was incredibly annoying.
"Well that's odd..." Nancy typed a little. "There isn't a fire there— Oh. On your floor?"
Holly blinked. "Uh. No? Where is it supposed to be?"
"Your office?"
What? Holly stared at her office. "I was just in there. Did we get hacked?"
"Lordy, I hope not. When did your phone turn off?"
"No idea. I didn't look until the alarm went off." Just then, the alarm stopped. "Oh thank god. I was getting a headache."
"I'm not sure that was a good thing... What's your evac procedure for an assault situation?"
"What? If someone raids the lab?" Yet again, advice from a one Gail Peck came to mind. "Lock my ass in my office and wait, unless I'm in immediate danger or I think I can leave safely."
"Right. I'm going to recommend you do that. Grab your laptop and leave. I can't reach anyone's phones. Last GPS ping is half an hour ago."
Holly felt a clammy dose of dread settle in her stomach. "No one?"
"Doc, I'm alerting the police right now. Get your staff out."
"Right," said Holly, not surprised to hear her own voice shake. "I'm hanging up now."
She watched her hand shake as she hung up. It was a terrifying moment. Alone in the middle of the day, for no reason. Right. Do what Gail told her to do. Don't be a hero. Get her gear and go.
Holly took a deep breath and went back to her office. She shoved her laptop and purse into her bag and turned to leave.
And shouted.
"Holy Jesus fuck!"
Holly almost screamed as she turned around and found herself face to face with Ruth.
"Sorry! Sorry. What's going on?" Ruth looked as scared as Holly felt.
"Where the hell were you?"
"Bathroom! Do not eat from the tuna taco truck."
Holly paused and, without meaning to, broke into a laugh. "Sorry. I have no idea what's going on, but the phones aren't working and there's no wifi. We need to get out."
Ruth's eyes went wide. "Thank god we're not on a ship." Ruth clutched her shoulder bag.
"Oddly specific."
"Look, I was just throwing up to the tune of emergency sirens," said Ruth, peevishly. "What about everyone else?"
Wincing, Holly shook her head. The voice of Gail in her head reminded her that Holly was not a damned hero. "We're going to have to trust they all treated it like a fire alarm."
"You didn't."
"I'm an idiot." Holly walked over to the elevator and hesitated. If the wifi was out and phones, including cells, were down, the elevator would be too. She tapped the button and no light went on. "Stairs," she sighed.
Ruth hesitated. "Is that safe? I mean. Do you even know who's doing this?"
She did not. "We've lost all power before, and we've lost segments of power."
"We still have lights."
"Which is weird. But ... Were you in Toronto for that freak storm that knocked out power? About eight years ago?"
"Oh, yeah. The rainstorm? Flooded the Quay and everything!"
"We lost phones and Internet, but the lights stayed on." Holly shrugged. "I'm hoping this is really just something stupid like Gerald dropped his nightstick on a fuse box."
Ruth looked dubious, but seemed to buy Holly's lie. Not lie, she really did hope that it was all a stupid accident. But she doubted it seriously. Holly was too smart to be able to believe in coincidences and too honest to be able to lie about things convincingly. That was why Gail won at cards so often. The woman could bluff.
It was the fault of too much science. Too much time spent trying to divine the truth meant Holly was predisposed towards it. She didn't like lying, wasn't good at it, and didn't do it. But that also meant she could see the truth of the mess of what was going on.
See, if she was going to target the building to raid it to get 'something,' then Holly would surely hit the building at lunch time. She'd break the wifi and use some blocker to kill the phones. Then just march on in and steal whatever. Of course, there was a joke on them. The parts of the building where anything worth anything were stored went into full lockdown. Which was probably why the alarms went off.
"Look, the building is on lunch break, so it's mostly empty. We didn't have any major cases today. Stairs to ground and let's out," said Holly, decisively.
"Serves me right for skipping leg day." Ruth hitched her bag tight and followed Holly to the stairs.
Which was when the lights went out.
"Well at least we aren't in the stairs," muttered Holly. She opened the door and saw the emergency lights were also out. "I'm going to call this some dumb electronic warfare."
"Hah. I thought I was done with that." Ruth sighed. "Now what?"
"Check the floor and shelter in place in the conference room."
That much was protocol. And the floor check was fast, seeing as the only people who regularly were on that floor were the heads of department. Holly was the only one there that day. The others were at conferences or court. It was, in face, a perfect day to raid her offices.
How horrible.
Once the floor was cleared, they went into the conference room and sat down.
"This is absolutely weird," said Ruth. "And you didn't mention it on my interview."
Holly smirked. "Honestly it's only happened once before in the last fifty years. I wasn't even here for it. Lockdown due to exposure is more common, and even then." She shrugged and a horrible thought came to mind. "Ruth. I'm bad at poker."
Her assistant blinked. "Okay?"
"You aren't being paid off by a cop to spy on me, because I'm married to Gail, are you?"
Ruth's eyes widened. Oh, how Holly appreciated her smarts just then. "Wow. Disturbingly specific. Uh, no. Absolutely not. Your wife scares me a bit, FYI." Then she asked. "Is that what's going on? Like... Dr. Kincaid was working with people?"
With a sad nod, Holly explained. "It's a possibility. I only know about the shit Ben was involved in, s'cuse me. But ... a targeted hit on this building?"
"Either its you or its evidence. Yikes." Ruth shook her head. "I don't know what it's worth, but it's not me. Hell, I don't think it's anyone. Everyone loves you, Holly."
"I'm sure that's not universally true, but thank you."
Any reply from Ruth was cut off by an ETF officer, in his gear, opening the door. "Copy that. I'll check the offices next."
"Oh thank god," exclaimed Holly.
"Woah!" His hands twitched but his gun didn't come up. The name on his vest was familiar. Donofrio.
"Eric!" Holly's relief washed across her. She knew the man. She'd seen her daughter run stupid Ninja Warrior races with him. He was nice and funny and hated softball. Thank god. "We're okay. Ruth and I are the only ones on this floor."
"You checked the other rooms?" Eric sounded surprised.
"I can't leave anyone behind," pointed out Holly. "Can you ... escort us out? Or is it safer to shelter in place?"
"Well." And Eric swung his gun up. "I'm really sorry, Doc. Orders."
Orders?
Oh.
Was this what Gail felt like when she'd stared down the barrel of a gun?
It was just a blank. Holly's brain tapped out, and not like it had when she'd kissed Gail for the first time (the first real time, not the coat closet). She just was overwhelmed by feeling and her brain turned off.
Somewhere she was afraid. Somewhere she was crying. Somewhere she was pissing her pants.
The here and now, though, Holly stared at a man she knew, holding a gun, aimed at her, with a reluctant expression on his face.
And she knew.
His orders weren't to steal something. His orders were to kill her.
Dun. Dun. Dun.
One chapter to go!
Enjoy your cliffhanger. Leave comments telling me how much I suck.
