Tara recognized his voice at the sound of her name. She saw him standing across the street staring at her.
"Bobby!" she cried, checking both ways before hurrying to him. She dropped her bag and hugged him tightly. She could sense his surprise and shock, but he hugged her back.
"What are you doing here?" he asked when they broke apart.
"I...I couldn't stand knowing you'd be here by yourself," she answered sheepishly. "I didn't really think about it much, just jumped on a plane."
"You came by yourself?"
"Uh huh."
"Jack was okay with you taking off from work like this?"
"Well...I didn't tell him," she replied, biting her lip.
"You're gonna be in trouble when you get back," he said.
"I don't care. You're my friend, and I want to support you. I know how hard it can be to plan a funeral let alone two."
"Tara, there's been an update on that..."
"Did one of them survive?!" she asked, hardly daring to hope.
"No," he shook his head. "They were murdered. Things are on hold for a bit."
"Oh, Bobby," Tara gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. Her heart broke even more. He looked exhausted and very emotional.
"Detective Munroe is searching the house right now for clues. I'm gonna call Jack and ask them to look through my old files."
"See if there's any threats," Tara nodded, getting it.
"Yea. Um, my truck is over there if you wanna put your bag in it. I'm heading back to the house. I'll see if Munroe can get you clearance too. We could use your skills. If you want," he added.
"I'm here to help in any way, so yes, I want to," she told him, reaching out and squeezing his hand with hers. She picked up her bag and followed him to the truck. Bobby wondered just what exactly motivated her to come all this way and if her boyfriend even knew about it. Things could get ugly.
...
"Okay," Jack said. "Bobby has asked us to help go through his old cases. I can spare one person to do this right now. Who's in?"
"I'll do it," Myles answered. He didn't really want to hang out with Howie on this current case anyway. D flashed him a look of annoyance. He didn't either.
"Great," Jack said while Myles fist pumped. "Go back far. We don't want to miss anyone."
"Got it," Myles nodded, heading for the filing cabinet.
"Did Tara get there?" Sue asked once Jack went back to his desk.
"Yea. Bobby was really surprised."
"I'm glad she got there safely."
"Me too. She's going to help him over there apparently, so I guess we can't be too mad at her for bailing on us," Jack sighed.
"I think you're just jealous that you didn't go first," Sue said, eyes twinkling.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," he said vaguely. "Okay. About Howie..."
...
Bobby still couldn't believe that Tara was there with him. They had stopped for lunch before going back to the house at Tara's insistence, and she was now inhaling her food, proving that she had indeed been starving. Bobby couldn't help but grin at her. There was just something about having familiarity around him in a time like this.
"Don't choke," he said, putting out his hand to stop her from taking another big bite. "Swallow what you've got in your mouth first."
"Okay, Mom," she teased. She made a show of swallowing for him, which made him laugh. Then he grew somber again. He hadn't had the desire to laugh since he'd found out about his mother and stepfather. It felt like a betrayal to be happy or laugh.
"So, you came all the way here," he said, tapping the spare sugar packet on the countertop.
"I did."
"Because you didn't want me to be alone?"
"That's right."
"Huh," Bobby said, rubbing his chin with his hand.
"What's so strange about that? You'd do it for me," she said, going back to her burger.
"Right," he agreed. He studied her carefully. He couldn't help but get the feeling there was more to it than that.
...
"Coffee?" Lucy asked Myles. He looked up from the big stack of papers he was hiding behind.
"Thanks," he replied, taking the mug from her.
"This looks daunting," she said, taking it all in.
"It's better than listening to a windbag incessantly talking about things I don't care about," Myles said. Lucy laughed.
"You know Dimitrius is gonna make you pay for throwing him under the bus like that."
"He can try," Myles said.
"I wonder how Tara and Bobby are doing," Lucy mused. Myles didn't respond. He didn't want to get sucked into the drama of those two. He had noticed the way Bobby would look at Tara or help her out or other things lately, and he wasn't entirely stupid. He didn't like to get involved in office romances, which was what it could potentially turn into.
...
"This is lovely," Tara said when they approached the house. Bobby put the truck in park and looked at the agents going through the yard. He noticed a woman sitting in her car with the door open and sobbing. Puzzled, he got out and headed for Munroe. Tara followed.
"Ah, you're here. Good," Munroe said.
"Who is that?" Bobby asked, pointing. Munroe glanced over and then back to him.
"Well, that was something interesting we found," he started.
"Such as?"
"She showed up here today with a letter in her hand and was hysterical when she found out what happened. I found a letter in your mother's dresser with similar information in it, so she checks out. Turns out she has been looking for your mother for some time. They were supposed to meet in person today I guess. She's very emotional. We almost sent her to the hospital for a panic attack."
"That's all fine and dandy, but who is she?" Bobby pressed, looking at the woman again.
"Well, Bobby," Munroe said carefully. "That woman right there is your sister."
Whaaaaat?! Hehehe bet you didn't see that coming ;) I know it was a short chapter, but I wanted to keep posting frequently. Hope you enjoyed!