Chapter 81

Dana rushedin the front door, eager to discuss all she'd learned about the D.C. Reaper with Jake, sure he would have some keen insights she'd missed. But when she saw him, she stopped short.

He sat on her couch, shoulders hunched, elbows on knees, head in his large, scarred hands. His gaze was fixed on his cell phone, which sat unassumingly on the coffee table in front of him.

The scene was peculiar enough, but stranger still, Jake hadn't even looked up when Dana disarmed the security system. She took a tentative step toward him, then thought better of sneaking up on the ex-soldier with killer instincts.

She spoke, hesitantly. "Jake?"

When he looked up, the storm of pain in his eyes made Dana feel like she was being swept out to sea. She rushed to his side. "What's wrong? Is it Claire? Your mother?"

He shook his head and handed her the yellow Post-it note that had been crushed in his hand. "It's my father. I think I found him."

Her eyes widened. "You spoke to him?"

"Not exactly. Voicemail. It was in French, but it was his voice, Dana, I know it."

"Did you leave a message?"

He shook his head. "Didn't want to spook him. The country code is France. I need to trace the number, use it to get a last known, then go there."

"To France?"

"If that's where he is."

Dana resisted every selfish objection to ask him to stay. Jake was always there for her. It was her turn to repay the favor. She knew he needed to do this, and she'd asked for the space to prove herself. It was time she delivered.

"I'd go with you if I could," she said, reaching for his hand.

"I know. But Claire …"

"And the case …"

"Maybe it would be better if you came. Both of you. Out of D.C., somewhere safe."

She gave him a look. "Jake …"

"Yeah, I know," he said. "But I had to ask."

"When are you leaving?"

"I don't know. As soon as I can get a trace and clear up this suspension situation."

"I'm sure it won't be long," she assured him.

"Yeah, but my lawyer will have to file an appeal." Jake rubbed the weariness from his face. "I don't want to think about the red tape involved. Tell me how it went with the BAU."

Dana sighed.

"That bad?"

"No, the team is great, it's just … I never thought I'd miss working with a grumpy, skeptical soldier so much."

He laughed. "If that was your attempt at flattery, you've got some work to do, Gray."

"I'm serious. We work well because we're both so stubborn in our beliefs. Whenever those beliefs intersect in a case, we know we're on the right path. With the BAU, they take each lead like its law and immediately dissect every possible way it could fit within the case."

Jake smirked. "Like bending puzzle pieces."

"What?"

"Something me and Jenks used to say anytime the BAU got involved. They mean well, and they're good at what they do, but you're right, they'll bend an arrow to make a theory fit."

She flopped back on the couch. "Tell me about it."

"Who's on the team?" Jake asked.

Dana gave him the rundown.

"Richter's a good guy. We go way back."

"He said as much."

"You can trust him. The others, I'm not familiar with."

"Really? You're not all in some big FBI fraternity?"

"Our paths may have crossed on a case or two but it's not like we sit around trading case files over drinks. We deal with monsters at work. Makes ya not want to take the job home with ya. Know what I mean?"

She did and it sobered the light mood she'd been trying for, so she decided to ask the other question that had been nagging her all day. "How's Claire?"

"Same."

Dana hated the state of limbo that had taken over her home.

Her and Jake.

Claire.

This case.

She wanted it all to go back to the way it had been.

Good, familiar, comfortable.

She'd always been confident when it came to navigating her life. When she wasn't, she had her research in the bowels of the Smithsonian where she could hide from real life for a while. But ever since the Card Killer case, her life had been turned upside down. Putting Vega away was supposed to right things, but it hadn't. The physical scars may have healed, but returning to the life she'd known before didn't seem to be an option.

"She needs help," Dana said. "More than you and I can give her."

"I know," Jake replied.

"And if you're leaving …"

His deep exhale signified that he'd already realized this but was out of ideas.

"She can't go back to Dvita," Dana warned. "He's involved in this Reaper business. I'm not sure how, but I plan to get to the bottom of it. Richter and I are going to St. Ann's tomorrow to sit in on his group therapy session. If we get lucky, we'll get a warrant out of it and can access the rest of his patient files from Passages."

"What else?" Jake asked.

"Honestly? Not much. Hartwell's giving a press conference at noon, but there's really not much to go on. The BAU came up with a profile, but he can't tell all of D.C. that we expect four more murders over the next four days."

"Suspect pool?" Jake asked.

"If you ask me, it's Dvita. But the BAU has a big fat question mark at the top of their Grim Reaper board."

"Targets?"

"Four more if the Seven Sleepers theory holds, but that hinges on Dvita being the Reaper. We narrowed his field of Passages patients down to eleven. But I still think Meredith factors in. And when I suggested that, the target field got flooded with all Dvita's other patients."

"What's Meredith got to do with this?"

"I don't know yet, but Spector's proven his hunches are good. Richter and I are going to see her tomorrow after Dvita's sessions."

Jake leaned back on the couch and stretched his long arms out, letting one rest on Dana's shoulders. "I wish I was in this one with you."

She leaned into him. "Me too."

"Here," Jake said, pulling his dog tags from his pocket and giving them back to Dana. "Hang onto these for me since I can't be out there with you."

Dana started to object, but Jake stopped her with a look. The dark storm clouds parted in his eyes as he said, "What you did for me, getting that number … I should've said thank you. So let me say it now."

Dana let him drape the cool metal chain around her neck. She reached up and ran her fingers over the raised letters and braille. She knew how much the dog tags meant to Jake and what it meant that he kept giving them to her. Emotions too heavy for words overwhelmed her.

With nothing left to say, she drew her feet up onto the couch and leaned into Jake, happy just to be beside him sharing a stolen moment while they could.