Redemption

Chapter Twenty-Four

"How's Danni?" Sue asked as she handed Bobby a file in which her notes were written.

He hadn't even realized she was standing at his desk, so when he looked up at her, he gave a startled look of surprise. His mind had been on that very subject and he wasn't getting much done because of it. "She's taking it pretty hard. I think it's going to take some time for her to get used to it."

"That's funny," Myles chimed in. "She didn't seem very distraught when she was arguing with James Martone, last night."

"Myles, she lost a very close friend. Think how you'd feel if it was one of us." She'd said it to Myles, but she was looking directly into Bobby's eyes with a stern glare.

He gave her a smirk as he caught the meaning of her little speech. "Don't worry, sheila, I'm giving her some space." He turned his attention to Jack so they could get back to the case. "Has the body been released yet?"

The team leader shook his head as he watched Sue walk back to her desk with a proud smile. He couldn't help but grin for a second before he cleared his throat and turned to his best friend. "Not yet. The lab just wanted to make sure we weren't missing anything. I'd say it would be released tomorrow. He'll most likely be buried Saturday." He was speaking from experience, not because he knew any of this information.

"Well, at least you don't have to wait long for the report," Lucy said as something came over the fax. She removed each sheet of paper before relaying the important information. "According to ballistics, the same gun was used on all five men."

"And the bullet?" Sue asked.

Lucy paused as another page came over the fax. She nodded as she looked at it. She turned the piece of paper over in her hands and revealed the image. It was of the bullet used to kill Stern. "The same. His name was etched into it."

"Which means we're right back where we started," Jack groaned.

"Not necessarily," Tara said as she waited for something on her computer to load. "I think I've found Richard Palmerro."

The atmosphere of the empty room was definitely different from the last time she'd been inside. So much laughter and understanding had happened within these four walls and now it was all gone. It would be replaced by some Captain who'd had his eye on it for years. It would be like Robert had never resided in there at all.

It was things like this that made her decision to replace him so difficult. Her life was just beginning and she could be the next one to go. So many times, she'd thought about turning down the position altogether, but something inside of her told her not to. Even Captain James Martone, her supervisor, felt she was the best person for the position. It just didn't seem right to take it, after everything that had happened.

"I see that I'm not the only one who still expects to find him sitting in that chair every time I step into this office," a saddened voice said from the doorway. Danni turned to see Marie Stern standing there. Her eyes were bloodshot and they were beginning to form dark circles underneath them. She looked like she hadn't slept all night, which could have been the reason why she wanted to get this over with so soon.

"I'm sure his last thoughts were of you," the young woman said softly as she tried to give a supportive smile.

Marie shook her head with a snigger. "That's sweet, but you're wrong. I know for a fact that his last thoughts were of Caitlyn. She was the only one he could think about when on a dangerous case. He told me that he would always pray to have one more chance to be with her before it was his time. I suppose he used that wish more times than necessary."

"How is Katie?"

"She didn't sleep much last night. I stayed up with her, until she finally drifted. There was no way I could make her go to school today, so I have a friend watching her… She knows he's gone, but I don't think she fully understands it… The FBI thinks he was targeted, Danni. Don't you think I would have noticed a change in my husband if that were true?"

The young woman gave an unsure nod. "I can't say for sure. Even if you and I didn't see it, it didn't mean that no one else did. Bobby told me that he talked to him a few days ago about the case and you know the two of them didn't exactly get along." Marie gave an aggravated nod. She knew all too well about the terrible things her husband had said about the charming young man. In truth, she thought Bobby was wonderful with Danni and maybe her husband was being a little overprotective of his best officer. "He told me that he was acting strange. He said that he was actually being nice, offering any service they needed. He said it was like he was trying to redeem himself for his past."

"And you believe him?" It was a simple question for confirmation. She trusted Bobby and the rest of the FBI. It was just a shock that she hadn't seen the change in her own husband.

"How can I not? I saw it too, but he didn't seem so different to me." He hadn't acted any stranger toward her; mostly to others and that's what she'd noticed. There was one day, however, when she saw him working prolifically at his desk. She'd come in to speak to him about whichever case they were working on, and when she did, he tried to hide whatever it was he was working on. She thought it was kind of bizarre, but she never pressed the matter. Now, she wished she had.

"Why wouldn't he tell me? I'm his wife, he should have told me." A lone tear trickled down the older woman's face and she hastily wiped it away. She cursed under her breath as she inhaled deeply. She wasn't going to let herself fall to pieces; she'd promised herself. But, this was still too hard for her. He hadn't even been gone for twenty-four hours and now they were cleaning out his office. It was all too rushed for her liking.

"I'm sure he didn't want to worry you. You and Katie meant the world to him. There's no way he would have wanted to put you through that stress or in any danger." Danni finally had made it over to the desk, tentatively taking one step at a time before gliding her fingertips over the solid oak finish. She wanted to get this over with. The longer she stayed in this room, the less she wanted to go. She pulled an empty box toward her and began to fill it with belongings from the top of the desk. She saw Marie do the same with the items upon his bookshelves.

"I just wish he trusted me enough to tell me." It hurt Marie to say something like that. She knew Robert trusted her with everything and that could have been why he didn't tell her. There was too much at stake to get her involved and Caitlyn wouldn't survive with the loss of her mother and father at the same time.

"He did trust you. He trusted you to take care of your daughter for when he was gone. You could have become a target, yourself." It was the last thing she'd said on the matter as she began going through the drawers of the desk. After about a half-hour of leafing through pointless papers and a few of importance, the desk was just about empty. There was one final drawer she'd had to rifle through, but when she tried to open it, she found that it was one that locked. "That's funny," she mumbled, through Marie was too busy to have heard her. The younger woman reached into the inside pocket of her black, leather jacket and removed the lock-picking kit that Bobby had given her. He even taught her how to use it, which came very much in handy.

"Where did you learn how to pick a lock?" Marie asked as she placed some papers into an empty box on the top of the desk. She'd noticed that Danni had disappeared from sight, but when she approached the desk, she saw the young woman on the floor, the kit in hand.

Danni awkwardly looked up at the older woman and shrugged. "My man is one of many talents," was all she said as she put the kit away and pulled open the drawer. To her surprise, it was empty; completely empty. "That's strange. Why would he lock an empty drawer?"

"You know Robert; he was always one step ahead of everyone else." A small smile graced the widow's lips; her first since her husband's death. But, it was soon gone as guilt set it. It just didn't feel right to feel cheer so soon.

"I suppose," was all Danni said as she examined the drawer even closer. She finally noticed that there was something strange about it. The entire drawer was shallower than it looked from the outside, which she found to be strange. It could have just been the design of the desk, itself, but somehow she knew that wasn't the case. She lightly rapped on it with her knuckles and heard a hollow sound. Curious, she grabbed the letter opener she'd placed in her box and used it to pry the edges of the "bottom" of the drawer up.

Success was had when the board gently lifted to reveal more of the drawer. "He was certainly the smart one. Even the FBI didn't catch this." Inside of the hidden compartment rested a large, stuffed envelope with her name and title scribbled on it. She instantly removed it and opened it. Inside, there was a book; a journal of some sorts. She scanned a few pages, her eyes resting on a few choice passages in Robert's handwriting.

She gently closed the book and let the tips of her fingers glide over the cloth binding. This was a great find, but he should have let the FBI discover it. She wasn't even able to touch the slightest detail of the case and he entrusted his journal to her. Maybe it was a sign for her to get off of her butt and do something about it. It was like he was encouraging her to take a stand and help save all the others on that list.

She let a small grin form on her lips as she felt a deep respect for her former commanding officer. He trusted her with this and she wouldn't let him down. She would do whatever it took to solve this.