After grabbing some towels, Carrie went to the living room and saw Farrah sitting solemnly in front of the fireplace. They'd been dripping wet by the time they reached the cabin and the storm had been cold.
Luckily she found some firewood Brody had stashed away that hadn't gotten wet from the rain. She had the fire going by the time Farrah changed into her pajamas.
"Here, let me dry your hair a little before I rebraid it."
Sitting behind her, Carrie gently toweled the girl's hair.
"Hmm. Looks like you're going to need a haircut soon. Remind me to make an appointment when we get home.
We can go together and get pink highlights. How does that sound?", she chuckled but barely got a smile.
"It's going to be fine, Farrah. Brody will come back."
"He is lost though."
"No, honey. He's not. Brody's smart. He knows how to take care of himself in the woods. He'll be fine."
Shrugging, Farrah toyed with the compass in her palm while Carrie continued braiding her hair, even twining a purple ribbon through it.
"Okay, what do you think?" she asked, handing over her compact mirror. Getting a small smile in return but not much else.
Sighing, Carrie moved to sit beside her in front of the fire. Rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.
"Farrah, you know how for my job I have to look for people, figure out where they've gone?"
"Yes."
"Well, one of the ways we do that is by talking to the last person they talked to. Asking them lots of questions. We try and get them remembering everything about the last conversation they had with the suspect...person.", she corrected.
"Now, you were the last person to talk to Brody. What did you say to him?"
Turning more towards her, legs crossed Farrah looked at her earnestly. "I answer, then we find him?"
"I know your answering can only help us find him. So, go ahead. Tell me everything you two talked about at the dock this morning."
"I say, hi. He ask me if I was okay, if you were okay. I try to say sorry but he not let me. Said I should not app..apple.."
"Apologize?", Carrie asked.
"Yes! Yes, he tell me not to apologize. We talk about marks, that his were mistakes. We talk about pulp. And swim. Swim date for next time."
"Did he tell you he wanted to have it next time?"
"No. I say it because Bear say he want us to go home."
"So, you told Brody about Saul calling me?"
"Yes." Farrah answered nervously. "Was it okay?"
"It shouldn't not be.", Carrie frowned, muttering to herself as Farrah looked on, even more anxious than before.
"So you know where Nick is now? We find him?"
Trying to figure out the best way to answer her, Carrie bit her lip as her phone rang. Before she could grab it Farrah did, right as Calvin decided to start mewing, then mewing louder for his dinner. Swearing under her breath Carrie scooped him up, brought him to the kitchen.
"Hello?"
"Hey Farrah. It's Quinn, er. Pete."
"I know it you!" Farrah grinned, twirling the tip of her braid around her finger.
"How are you? How's the cat?"
"Calvin good. He eating dinner."
"Hey, speaking of which. I didn't know if he liked tuna or chicken flavor cat treats so I bought both kinds."
"He like both!"
"Good. Would feel silly keeping them for myself. Also plan on getting some more chocolate. I bought too much at the store and need to get rid of it."
"Why?
"Have to look good in my bathing suit." Quinn quipped getting Farrah laughing.
"So are you going to tell me why you're this giggly or will I have to guess?"
"I not giggly!", Farrah protested.
"You are. But it's okay. I'm glad you're in a good mood. Are you guys on your way back?"
"No, we still at cabin."
"Still? That's a long drive to make at night."
"We can't go back yet.", she said, smile fading out.
"Why not? Saul is really anxious to see the two of you." Quinn said as he leaned back in his desk chair. Mentally swearing as he tried to prep for whatever excuse he was bound to hear.
"No! We can't go back until we find Nick!"
Farrah said stubbornly, putting him on high alert.
"Farrah? Where is Brody?"
"I talk to him on dock and tell him Bear wants us home and he say okay that we not have swim date yet and he say he want to walk solo but he not back and he lost compass and..."
"Farrah, easy, Easy. It's alright. Don't get upset.", Quinn soothed, hearing her sniffling over the line.
"C'mon, you were giggling up a storm not two minutes ago. Don't worry. Everything's going to work out."
"O..Okay."
"Are you better?"
"Yes, I better."
Farrah said, putting him slightly more at ease.
"Good. Is Carrie there?"
Walking over to the kitchen, she saw Calvin was eating but Carrie was gone. Going down the hall she heard jazz echoing through the shut guest room door.
"She in her room but I get her.", she said, knocking twice.
"In a second, Farrah.", Carrie called.
Coming out wearing the t-shirt Brody had worn last night, she took the phone from Farrah.
"Hello?"
"Carrie, what the fuck is going on?"
"It's nice to hear your voice too.", she scoffed, taking the phone onto the porch.
"So tell me I didn't hear this correctly. Brody went for a goddamn walk and never came back?"
"Quinn, I'm handling it."
"Are you? Because from where I'm sitting you let a fugitive out of your sight and free to roam the fucking woods."
"Quinn..."
Running one hand through her hair, she sighed.
"Look you don't have the first clue what's going on! Jesus, your only source is an overtired six year old."
"Okay here's what she told me. Interrupt me if I'm incorrect. Sergeant Nicholas Brody took off this morning. Right after he learned the head of the CIA wants a sit down with him tomorrow. Anything ringing false here?"
"Quinn, you don't understand.."
"I don't understand how you're not seeing the goddamn obvious."
"I know Brody."
"Believe me, that's been established.", Quinn scoffed, getting her glaring.
"I was with him all weekend. We had an incident but we worked everything out. He wouldn't run. He won't run."
"How can you be sure? If I was in his position I'd run like hell."
"Not if you had reason to stay.", Carrie said firmly, mentally running down ways to bolster her argument.
"He encouraged me this morning to talk with Saul. Why would he say that then take off when Farrah mentioned he called?"
"I don't know. Why would he strap a goddamn bomb to his chest? Look, even if he didn't put on the pyrotechnic show at Langley like the world thinks, if you run the day before your sit down with the director of the CIA, it makes you look fucking guilty."
"Don't you think I know that! Jesus. I know what it all looks like, Quinn.", she sighed sadly, running a hand through her hair.
"Carrie. Look just take a seat, will you? And one of your pills if they're on you. The last thing Farrah needs is to see you on a tear."
"How the fuck do you know if I'm on a tear?"
"You sound upset. You're probably pacing. The hand not holding your cellphone is probably in your hair. And your chin's on the verge of doing that wobbling it does when you're ready to explode."
"Okay, if you're across the lake right now looking through your rifle scope, I'm swimming over there now to break the fucking thing.",
Ducking back inside she grabbed her purse and retrieved her pills before swallowing one dry. Then went back onto the porch.
"Hey, my gun will not be threatened by you under any circumstances.", Quinn snorted, shaking his head.
"Carrie...if Brody doesn't come back tonight-"
"I know Quinn, I know."
"I can't believe he suckered me again, goddammit."
"Hey! We don't know that he-"
"It's my own damn fault. It is. I gave the fucker the benefit of the doubt and he takes the opportunity to earn his goddamn wilderness badge."
"Wait, what?"
"Wilderness badge. Like he's a fucking boy scout. They build fires, tie knots. All that shit-"
"No, Quinn. What do you mean you gave Brody the benefit of the doubt?"
"I told him to go to you. I arranged goddamn transportation for him."
"What?!", Carrie asked, eyes narrowed.
"You sound surprised. Don't know why you are, how the fuck did you think he got there. Hitchhiked?"
Hearing her silence on the other end of the line, Quinn shut his eyes, rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"This is the first you're hearing about this, isn't it. What bullshit line did he feed you? How did he explain himself?"
"Quinn I have to go."
"Carrie..."
Hearing a click on the other end, then a dial tone, swearing he slammed the phone back into the cradle. Furious at Brody for ditching, himself for letting it happen, and wishing he'd just sucked it up and shot the fucker the first time around.
...
Pacing around frantic, twirling the joint in between his thumb and index finger but refusing to light it up yet, Zander checked his phone again and swore. There were no missed calls, no voicemails asking what the fuck this was all about. Either help was on the way or he was being blown off. He could only pray it wouldn't be the latter.
Crouching down beside a too incapacitated looking Brody, he took the washcloth off the older man's forehead, brought it to the sink to rewet before putting it back in place. Just before the cabin door swung open.
"Hey, thanks for the help!", Lauder slurred, waving at the car driving off before stumbling back in the cabin and into the recliner.
"Well we got our refill. Jake drove two towns over to the liquor store and the dipshit behind the counter didn't even know he was drunk.", he crowed. But frowned seeing his nephew not paying any attention, rapidly texting someone who'd finally replied to him.
"Too preoccupied with that fucking phone to even pay attention. Goddamn son of a-"
Muttering under his breath he leaned back in the recliner, shut his eyes only to hear a car outside. Opening them he saw Zander jump to his feet, go outside to greet them.
"What the-"
Frowning, Lauder sat up, propped himself to a standing position on his crutches before squinting outside. Trying to make out who else was out there. Why their expression had gone from stunned to frantic to furious in the span of a minute.
"Hey, what the hell is going on out there, who..."
"I called for some help, Uncle Lauder. Look, just go in the back room and try and sleep off the shit ton you drank.", Zander spat, trying to lead him to the back bedroom.
"Get your goddamn hands off me!", Lauder snapped. "I'm not going anywhere til I know that godforsaken terrorist over there is finally taught a goddamn less-"
Silenced with a hard shove that knocked him off balance, knocked him out, Zander gaped down at Lauder, then at the figure behind him.
"Sorry. But if I had to hear one more fucking person call my dad a terrorist.."
Brushing past him, after stepping over Lauder, crouching beside Brody, Dana looked at him wide eyed. Biting her lip she pulled out her phone.
"Hey, Chris? Yeah, yeah I made it here fine. It's a college, it's huge. Not much else to say about it. Are Mom and Mike still out? Yeah, just tell them when they're back I'm gonna look at a few other schools around here so, I'll be up here another week or two. Yeah. I'll check in with them in a few days. I promise. Okay, thanks."