a deadly storm, an unsolved disappearance, and a small town brimming with secrecy;
an outcast girl, a boy who only knows how to hide, and the world against them;
what could go wrong?
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After the press conference, Boo and Harry follow Ashton's cruiser back to Harrisford. Once they reach the station, he leads them into a private office; Boo remembers this room from when he gave back Martha's journal. They take a seat in the chairs in front of his desk, exchanging skeptical glances as they do so. Ashton meets her gaze and suddenly Boo feels a bit awkward to be face-to-face with him once more.
After everything from the last seventy-two hours, she feels as though she doesn't even recognize the man sitting across from her.
He flashes her an apologetic smile. "I know that lately things have been very intense for you, and I have no intention of adding on to any of the stress you're under. But I did want you to fully understand what's happened, and what's going to happen from here on."
Boo nods quietly, reaching over for Harry's hand under the table. His skin is warm and familiar against hers; he also watches Ashton carefully, awaiting his next words.
Ashton licks his lips and folds his hands together on the table. "My name is Ashton Kent, not Reynolds. I've been an agent with the FBI for the past three years, working for the Bureau's Cold Case Initiative. Our specialty is racially-motivated crimes from decades ago, and Damien's case has been of interest to us for a long time."
"I thought the FBI needed an invitation from local police to look into local crimes," Boo says warily.
"Not with this initiative," he replies. "Anyone is welcome to give us information regarding a crime, or what they think may be a crime, and we partner with the NAACP and a few other departments to decide if intervention is needed. In Damien's case, it was actually his sister who initially reached out to us a few years ago."
"Hazel?" Harry echoes.
Ashton nods. "It was originally an anonymous submission, but over time we were able to make contact with her. We've been working on Damien's case from the sidelines for a while now, but there hasn't been much progress. Taking the lack of evidence out of the equation, Jack Creek P.D. didn't even really want to acknowledge that there was a case at all. He's been pegged as a runaway for decades now."
Boo nods, remembering what Hazel told her about the night her parents reported her brother missing.
Ashton interrupts her gentle reverie. "There's never been much in terms of anything credible. Until you two came along."
From her peripherals, Boo can see Harry turn to look at her. "Really?" she asks softly.
"You were the catalyst we were missing. Every lead you uncovered, every witness you spoke to, everything you pieced together. You dropping that box of evidence off to me was a literal God-send, before that we had nothing concrete. I'm sorry we couldn't intervene sooner, but we've had eyes on you for a while to make sure nothing derailed. You're the only reason that things turned out the way they did."
His words strike a chord, one strung tight by a familiar sense of disbelief. "I don't understand."
He leans forward, holding her gaze. "You were the only ones who gave Damien a chance. Without that, he would still be in the ground, and Nathaniel would still be puppeting an entire department. Your grandmother wouldn't have any answers, and neither would Hazel. You should be proud of what you've done here."
