Chapter 100

Jake wason the phone when Dana finished showering. She could hear his voice drifting down the hallway from her office. His tone was somber, professional. It was the voice he used with the Bureau. Much different than the voice he reserved for her and Claire. A trace of a smile played on her lips realizing she knew the difference.

She dressed and poked her head into her office. No longer on the phone, Jake was sitting at her desk, staring at her laptop, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Jake looked up, momentarily caught off guard. "Yeah. More than okay, actually. Just got off a call with my attorney. My suspension's been lifted."

"Jake! That's great news. Now you're free to follow up on your father. Were you able to trace an address from the phone number?"

His lips turned down. "Working on it."

"You will," she said, smiling encouragement. "Come on. Claire's insisted on making pancakes. That'll cheer you up."

"I'll be there in a minute," he said.

She paused. "You could come with me today. I can ask about Claire, too. I know Richter would be happy to have the help now that you've been cleared."

"I think it's best if I stay here with Claire. Keep her away from all the pain the investigation's sure to bring up." Jake looked past Dana to where Claire flitted around the kitchen gathering ingredients for pancakes. "She seems more herself today."

"She does," Dana agreed, following his gaze. "You're probably right. Staying here is best for her. But for what it's worth, I enjoyed last night. It felt good to be working together again." She gave a shy shrug. "Well, I better go help Claire before she dismantles my kitchen. Come join us when you're ready."

Jake watched Dana walk away.He could see her in the kitchen with Claire. She moved through a splash of sunlight gathering mixing bowls and sugar, an easy smile gracing her face. It was hard to tear his eyes away. Claire seemed to feel the same, watching Dana with as much reverence as Jake.

A moment later the rich aroma of coffee mingled with the scent of butter melting on the skillet. It was enough to tempt him away from his work. But he couldn't put this off any longer.

Attention back on Dana's laptop, he stared at the address he'd typed in the search bar. Hitting enter, he watched the map populate the location. Zooming in, he switched to street view and took in the stone splendor of 18 Rue de l"Abreuvoir. The pale limestone building resembled a flatiron, soaring seven stories into the gray Parisian sky. The slate black roof, pitched and peaked, and was adorned with dormer windows and ornate iron work.

Jake toggled the view to take in every angle of the cobbled streets surrounding the Montmartre apartment until he could almost imagine the phone ringing inside.

He hadn't been completely truthful when he'd told Dana he was working on tracing the phone number she'd traded favors for. Tracing the address was easy. What he was working on, was what to do with it.

He'd been cleared of all charges and with his suspension over, there was nothing stopping him from pursuing this lead. Nothing but his own conflictions.

Clicking on another open tab, Jake reviewed the airline ticket in his cart. D.C. to Paris. Leaving tonight. His chest tightened as he let the mouse hover over the purchase button.

A conversation from last night drifted back to him.

"We have the how," Dana said, after adding another page to the report supporting her Reaper theory. "What we need now is the why and who."

"Why's not important. Find out who and we can put an end to this," he replied.

"The why is just as important, Jake. Occult killings like this will never cease without truly uncovering the heart of the issue. We need to know where they went wrong in order to stop this from occurring again."

"Maybe, or maybe we just have to cut the head off the snake."

Dana shook her head. "That only solves a small percentage of the issue. You taught me that. Whoever the Reaper is, they're following the teaching of others, who were following the teachings of those who came before them. It's an endless cycle. The BAU profile indicates the Unsub is a highly intelligent, skilled professional who works alone. With an all-encompassing scope like that, there's a real danger of these types of murders increasing in our society."

Jake scoffed. "Highly intelligent, skilled professional who works alone, huh? You could be describing me."

"Or me," she countered. "We all gaze into the abyss, Jake. It's when it gazes back that we see what we're made of."

He'd wanted to say something, but the way Dana's dark eyes drank him in left him at a loss for words. She'd stared into his darkness, yet here she was, still offering to be the light. He knew it wasn't because she herself hadn't experienced the depths of unimaginable pain and horror. On the contrary, she'd been surrounded by it from childhood. The difference was, Dana had found a way to embrace it, and she somehow made him believe that with her by his side, he had the strength to do the same.

"Jake, get in here," Claire called, abruptly dragging Jake from his thoughts. "You have five minutes or I'm eating all the pancakes."

Drawing his attention back to the laptop, he closed the window on the plane ticket, and then the map. Standing, he walked to the kitchen, his decision made. Choosing to stay where he was needed, or rather where he belonged.