Chapter Twenty-One
Missed Calls and Major Breakthroughs
Elliot
I nod at whatever Ashley is saying. I haven’t paid attention for the whole of the fifteen minutes she’s been talking. What could she be saying anyway? I have the entire schedule on my tab, so nothing important. My gaze flickers to my phone on the desk again. No new notification.
“It was just a tiny bite. I didn’t even bleed, so I should be fine.” Why is she taking a seat? Aren’t we done yet?
“Mm-hmm.” Why hasn’t he texted or called? I thought we were good now. Things have been great the last two days. That’s not a long enough duration to form a pattern, I know. But Nicholas has been different since our little chat. He’s been sharing more about his work. He’s been more open.
And now he hasn’t texted me back all day. Is that why he didn’t come over last night? I sigh.
“I know, but I don’t want to get shots.”
I frown. Could it all be an elaborate plan to keep me away from the case? A distraction, maybe?
I shake my head. No, I love the man, but he’s not smart enough to be that manipulative. He’s hot, though. So, he’s got that going for him. He’s good at his job too. And he’s annoyingly nice. To everyone. Even to Ashley when she’s being annoying like she is right now.
My gaze finds her. She’s still talking. God.
“Alright, jeez. I’ll get the damn shots. You’re so rude. You really shouldn’t be this rude to the woman who makes your schedule every day.”
Like a pendulum, my eyes find their way back to my phone. If everything is okay and if he’s so nice, why hasn’t he texted me yet? He could be busy with work, but he always finds time. What could be so special about today?
“Oh my god, okay. I’ll go right now!” Ashley gets up abruptly, and frankly, a little rudely, before walking out of my office. “I won’t be back until tomorrow,” she says over her shoulder, and then the door slams shut behind her.
All that talk to ask to leave thirty minutes early? I’ll have to remember to teach her about this little thing called an email the next time I see her, which won’t be before tomorrow, apparently. And since it’s almost closing time, she didn’t even need to tell me she has to leave.
I give in and pick up my phone. Staring at the last text I sent, I feel a sense of dread filling my gut.
He’s alright, I’m sure. He has a big caseload.
He’s good at his job, remember? The man is busy, and it’s only been a few hours.
I place the phone back on the desk and focus on the footage from the hacked cameras.
Sam has been MIA since I woke up this morning, so we haven’t had the time to check on the Bureau updates yet. We’ve made it a habit to do it every morning despite Nicholas’s disapproval.
I said we’re good now. We haven't been replaced by perfect angels.
Enough of this. I have work too, you know.
I have surgery tomorrow and a hundred check-ups.
It’s not like I’m free either. I click open the file of the cute little cat I have to operate on tomorrow.
She’s going to be perfectly fine. Just needs the tiny lump removed and she’ll be hissing at people again in no time.
My phone buzzes. I grab it, knocking over a glass of water in the process.
Sliding my laptop away from the water, which is slowly making its way everywhere, I look at my screen. I deflate when I read the flashing name. Why is Oliver calling me right now? Then again, I’ve been avoiding him since that day in the bakery.
Sighing, I pick up the call as I spread out tissue papers on my desk.
“Hey, Elliot. Have you heard from Nicholas since this morning?” Oliver asks urgently as soon as I pick up.
I frown. “No? We’re not always together, you know.”
“Yeah, no. It’s just I’ve not been able to reach him.” Oliver sounds distracted on the other side.
“Ask Matt to reach him on the Bureau phone. He always answers that.” Including that one time when he was buried deep inside me. Not a memory I cherish. I tolerate Bree just fine, but I don’t want her anywhere near my naked ass.
Oliver doesn’t say anything. I wait patiently. “You still there?”
“Listen, don’t freak out, but I haven’t heard back from Matt since he went out for some Bureau thing early this morning.
I was half asleep, but I’m pretty sure it was before six.
I just came back from work, and he isn’t back yet.
He doesn’t normally disappear for that long.
But I’m sure it’s fine. He mentioned meeting Nick, so I thought I’d ask you. ”
My body goes cold. I don’t even know why. As Oliver said, they could be busy. Their phone batteries could've died. Both of them. At the same time.
“I’ll call you back, Ol.” I disconnected the call.
I can’t waste time reassuring him. Nicholas is perfectly fine.
I know he is. But I can’t let this feeling go that something is not right.
What if he’s in danger? No, Matt is with him.
They've fought the worst criminals together.
But what if this is the one time they can't?
No, I can’t go into that spiral right now. I need to think.
If they were on a Bureau job, Sam should be able to find out where they went. And if there’s nothing there, I’ll start calling all the Bureau agents I know one by one. At least one of them would know where they went. Or better yet, it’ll turn out one of them is hanging out with them right now.
But I have a distinct feeling they won’t be open to sharing a lot with me, especially if this has anything to do with a Bureau case. It’s not even easy to get Nicholas to open up about it, even though I know more about this case than anyone at the Bureau.
I try calling Nicholas. As expected, it goes straight to voicemail. I don’t have his Bureau number. Amid all the mess, I never thought to ask him for it. And he has never not responded to me before.
I give in and try Matt, too. Nicholas shared his number once for coordinating a Mickey pickup.
Then, for lack of things to do, I rewind the footage from all the cameras to five thirty am and sit there watching empty streets.
No, wait. Not empty streets. I can see a very familiar car parked in front of an apartment complex.
Closing all the other videos, I zoom in on that one. The video rolls as I dial Sam.
He picks up immediately. “Hey, can I talk later? We were—”
“I need you to come down to the clinic right now,” I say.
I hear some people talking in the background. “I’ll be there in ten,” Sam’s voice cuts through the noise. Then he hangs up.
I speed up the video, trying to keep my mind from drifting to the worst-case scenario. Are they in that building? No. A few minutes later, two tiny figures in black jackets walk out of the building. I recognize those tiny figures.
So, they made it out.
They stop abruptly in front of Matt’s truck. Matt talks to someone on a call until Nicholas takes the phone. So, probably someone from the Bureau. A few seconds later, they both get into the truck and drive off. Where? I don’t have any hopes of knowing.
My door busts open, making me flinch. A very scared Sam stands at the door. I didn’t even hear him come into the clinic.
“Are you okay?” He asks, still standing at the door.
I wave him in. “I’m okay. But Nicholas isn’t answering his phone.”
He visibly deflates and comes inside, flopping on one of the chairs. “I love how you’re being this dramatic about your relationship, but next time, maybe give me a hint that it’s not a real emergency before I get into an accident getting to you?”
“But it is a real emergency.” I turn my laptop, replaying the video from the point where Nicholas and Matt walked out of the building.
“This morning, Nicholas and Matt visited this building that housed one of the criminals on the Bureau's list. They left at around six. And now they’re not answering their calls. I need you to check if the man who lived here is still alive.”
Sam nods, all serious now. He pulls out his laptop from the bag he carries everywhere before flipping it open. After a few furious clicks, his eyes go wide. “He’s marked deceased here.”
“That was expected. They were talking to someone on Matt’s phone.
I suspect it was someone from the Bureau with a lead.
Wait, weren’t they surveilling these homes too?
They must have found the copycat killer or their car.
” Fuck, they went to arrest the killer alone.
Don’t they have a SWAT team for things like these?
Except the Bureau probably doesn’t have enough staff to have a dedicated SWAT team.
“Already on it,” Sam says, and I hear more clicks. “Let’s check yesterday’s footage. All the other murders happened between early evenings and nights.”
I nod, and we divide the time between us. Leaning back in my chair, I press play.
After two hours, we have the car number, name, and address of the possible copycat killer. “I bet they went to this address. Maybe we should give the place a visit too?”
“Hell, yes.” Of course, I’m going. If Nicholas is fine, I can get a glimpse of the killer. Maybe ask him why he did this. If he isn’t… yeah, not thinking about that right now. I’m just going to imagine they blew their tire somewhere on their way and are stranded.
They’re fine.