Pride Falls

Chapter 9

Pride strode up to the receptionist at the PMC emergency room and asked for Rachel. 

 He turned around and leaned against the desk, folding his arms. He hadn't seen her since that day, but he had been thinking of her.

As it turned out, LeLand Hollister faced a terminal diagnosis and was starting to make amends to the soldiers he had hurt. He had set up a meeting with DuBois, but when he failed to show up (due to Ginny putting a bullet in his brain), DuBois went beserk and showed up at the office. Unfortunately, Davis was there waiting and could have killed him right there until the security guard got in the way.

The men on the list were only names of those possibly involved, their only connection being that they had gone to Hollister's clinic as boys and then went into the military during a certain time period. When contacted, a few appeared genuinely surprised and not part of the scheme. Most admitted to being part of the drug ring. They told Pride that while Hollister had targeted Matt Norton, he had nothing to do with the ring. As retaliation, they were blackmailed to spread rumors about him. But, in the end, they all said he had not been involved.

Pride called Rachel with the news. She told him she was satisfied that the men were telling the truth and they could let her son rest in peace. He had wanted to say more, but she said a curt "Thank you," and hung up abruptly. He decided it was better to say his piece in person.

To his surprise, Rachel came in from the back with a broad smile. "Special Agent Dwayne Pride! Did LaSalle get injured again?"

"I wanted to talk to you—can you spare a few minutes?" he asked.

She considered it. "You lucked out Pride, there's a lull in the mayhem. Coffee in the cafeteria OK?"

"Perfect," he smiled.

"I'll be back in ten, Josie," she said to another nurse.

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The two sat down with their mugs in a corner of the hospital cafeteria.

Pride took a sip of coffee and grimaced; it tasted like burnt leather. He looked at Rachel. A small smile played on her lips as if she enjoyed his discomfort. Still, he liked that smile. It told him she wasn't totally pissed at him.

He was coming to her hat in hand to apologize, which was never easy. LaSalle would never let him hear the end of it if he knew.  He would never apologize to suspects, even if they ended up being victims themselves.

Rachel looked down at his left hand and motioned to the third finger on his left hand. Her face got serious.

"I see you have ring shadow." she said. "How long you been divorced?"

"Ten months now," he said.

She considered her own finger, which had a defined indentation where her wedding band had once been. "I took mine off three years ago to get it resized." She looked back at Pride, "When I got it back, it just didn't fit."

"Leaves an awful mark, " he said.

"True dat," she said. Their mugs met in mid-air to clink.

"I thought you were a widow," he said.

"I am, technically," she said.  "A month after we separated, he was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. I ended up taking care of him."

"That must have been difficult," he said.

She took a sip of coffee. "It was, but, in those last months, we talked more than in the previous two years -- actually came to an understanding. Shame really, we wasted all that time being angry," she stopped. "Y'know, when you've got a deadline, you cut through the bullshit."