Losing Game

Identity

It had been a month since Nolan had threatened to come to steal them away. No one had seen or heard from him since, but it didn't help anyone feel less stressed. Kelsey knew Nolan better than anyone, and she knew he liked to play games. The feeling of control made him feel invincible, so if that meant waiting for the right time to follow through on his threats, he would. There was nothing anyone could do but wait.

Flip and Ron had been staring at paperwork all day. There had to be clues, there always were, but they were missing it somewhere.

"There's a connection here, I know it." Flip began to rub his eyes, strained and tired from all the reading. "What are we missing?"

He had been trying to piece what little evidence they did have all day, with no luck. He wasn't used to this. Normally he and Ron would have had this case solved already, so what was different? They knew who the bad guy was...well they knew one of them. Then again, maybe that's what the problem was. Nolan wasn't someone that just woke up one day and made one bad decision. He thrived off of this stuff. He knew the ins and outs of the system, what information to leak and when to leak it. Hell, he had even said he knew friends in high places.  He was a professional. The fact is, the odds have been stacked against them since day one.

"We have to work this out backward," Ron responded, leaning forward to rest his elbows upon his desk. "We know Nolan is the one doing this, we just don't have the evidence to back up the claims, and we don't know who he is working with."

"I just keep waiting for her to remember."

That of course would help fill in the missing links and provide the connection he and Ron needed. But, she couldn't remember, at least not yet. Pieces would peek through from time to time. Like when she was cooking dinner a few days before and her mind had decided that it would be the best time to send her a flashback. She had told him how she remembered the sound of his voice, the way his hands had held her neck just hard enough to where she felt like she was breathing through a straw. The bruises had all but disappeared completely, but Flip was confident, her memory would return.

"How is she doing?" Ron had asked, changing the subject just enough to give their minds a little break.

Flip folded his hands and looked at the ground before nodding his head quickly and looking back up towards Ron.

"She's good."

"Well, if that wasn't the vaguest answer I've ever heard..." Ron said rolling his eyes. "Seriously Flip, we've been partners for years now and that's the answer you give me about the girl you say you are head over heels for?"

Flip let out a small laugh.

"What would you like me to say, Ron?"

Ron pulled his chair over to Flip's desk before responding in a more serious, hushed tone. "I want you to tell me the truth. I know it's been a month but this stuff doesn't just go away."

"Jesus, fucking Christ, you sound like a psychologist."

Ron didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow and continued to give Flip a determined look.

"Fuck! Ok." Flip answered throwing his hands in the air. "She's dealing. I would bet money she has some form of PTSD, but that's just me."

"What about you? You think you have PTSD?"

Flip stopped and stared at Ron, eyes low and chewing on his bottom lip. He knew the answer, and how could he not. They hadn't gotten past the point of nightmares, the waking up in a cold sweat, chest heaving, because he could have sworn he held her as she took her last few breaths.