IRENE - BLACKBIRD book 6

18. leap

Gillian took the time to make her bed before kicking off her boots to lay down on it. Her head still rioted over the picture and Brock's wise advice. She needed a quiet while to make up her mind.

Cassidy's call came in while she checked Aldana's text, saying that she, Russell and Hank were on their way back from the field office. Gillian let the phone buzz for a long moment. The last thing she wanted was talking to Cassidy. When she finally picked up, he wasted no time playing nice.

"Well? You've got your killer. When are you going back home?"

All of a sudden, his usual rough ways didn't seem funny anymore. For the first time, they felt despicable.

"Why? You need Cooper's jet? We're waiting for Logan to be back on business."

Cassidy ignored his irony. "You still didn't call off the Amber Alert."

"Because I'm waiting for the DNA test."

"DNA test? Whose DNA?"

"The child I think is Irene's."

"What!? You found'im?"

Gillian didn't bother to answer, eyes up on the ceiling and her arm across her forehead. Cassidy grunted at her silence.

"Keep me up."

"Don't worry, sir. You'll have my badge on Cooper's desk by Tuesday tops."

He snorted. "Oh, cut the crap."

So she did. She disconnected.

She kept her phone, though. Cooper wouldn't take long. While she waited, she let her mind go for a stroll. When her phone buzzed again, some sort of plan had already started to take shape in her head.

"Morning, ma'am."

"Can you tell me what the hell's going on, Gillian? Why would Cassidy come to Boston, and warn me not to accept your badge if he doesn't make it here in time?"

So Gillian explained her argument with Cassidy over Irene's baby, the Amber Alert and Cassidy's threat to kick her off the Bureau.

"But didn't he tell you the child was given for adoption?"

"Yes, but I needed to be sure." 'Cause all he'd said to me before that turned out to be bullshit. "Many things suggested our victim was traveling with her child. And had you seen the place where she was tortured to death..."

"Tortured? Wasn't it a road kill?"

"Wish it'd been, ma'am. She was abducted and tortured with an electric prod for hours before dying. And we found baby clothes where she died." After issuing the Amber Alert, but that's just a detail.

Gillian could picture Cooper's eternal scowl had softened to a concerned frown when she said, "I get it. Don't worry, you did right."

It felt wrong, lying to Cooper. She tried to comfort her guilty conscious telling herself it wasn't really lying—she'd only omitted part of the information, and only to protect Cooper.

"Ma'am, this case really got to us. We could use some time off. A few days, a week maybe..."

Cooper's voice was dry and cold again. "You mean as in vacations? Because Cassidy said..."

"Of course, vacations. I ain't quitting, ma'am. You're not so lucky." Yet. "We just need a few days to shake this off."

The Iron Lady's silence felt just like her drilling stares. "You want me to give personal time to you and your team?"

I'm not such a complete idiot, ma'am. "No, not all of us. Miles, Lawrence and me. This was just another case for the men, but it turned out to be tough for us, women."

"You mean Bellison, Morris..."

"Schwarz and O'Brien would keep working, yes. They can take on any case you need them to."

"You sure this has nothing to do with Cassidy? You don't need to stay away to keep him from trying anything. Even a Section Chief has to go through me when it comes to my staff."

Gillian's lips pursed in a warm, honest smile that reflected in her voice. "I know, ma'am. And I can't begin to tell you how much your support means to me. I really appreciate it. But it's nothing like that. We just need a week of sleeping in and watching crappy blockbusters with takeout at home."

Cooper kept silent for a moment. Gillian waited.

"Okay. You give the men the Tuesday off, to make it up for the weekend. And the three of you don't need to come back to work until next Monday."

"Thanks, ma'am. Want me to drop by to meet with Cassidy?"

Gillian could bet her right hand that Cooper had just lifted her chin and raised one eyebrow, as if wrapping herself up in her cloak of dignity.

"I'll handle Cassidy," she said, a whole speech in three words.

"Of course," Gillian replied.

They disconnected and Gillian texted Aldana: "Grab T and come up." Then she closed her eyes with a heartfelt sigh. She didn't want to linger on what she'd just set in motion. It was only what she had to do. And she'd do it, even if she had to do it all by herself. No matter the consequences.

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Keep reading on the next episode: BLACKBIRD 31 - the dig