The Reckoning - BLACKBIRD book 3

16. proper

Gillian knocked on Cooper's door, waited for her answer from inside, walked in.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?" she said, approaching the desk.

Cooper signed a document, kept it in a folder, placed the folder on top of one of the two piles on her desk, left her golden pen near the phone. Only then she looked up.

"Sit down, Gillian."

She did so, with a slight frown. She still couldn't read the woman's expressions as much as she would've liked. She was always pissed and scowling, but she didn't have ten different ways to scowl like—not going there, she halted herself. I'm not thinking about the stupid—I'm not.

Cooper held her eyes. She was scowling but only a little. Her lips were not completely pursed in her eternal grimace. But was it good or bad for Gillian? Her voice was calm. Artic calm.

"You never sent me the report I requested when you were in Rochester."

"I know, ma'am, and I'm sorry. Only a couple of hours later we got a break on the case that allowed us to identify the killer. I'm sorry. I just got carried away."

"But before that, you went to Somersworth to meet the CARD team, even though I told you not to."

Gillian breathed deep. First sanction, here we go. She nodded, not looking away from Cooper's myopic eyes.

The woman tilted her head a little. "Is it true you wallpapered their boards with documents from your case while they were arresting the wrong guy?"

And how the hell did she know that? If she tried to spook Gillian with her spies network or her witchcraft, it was just about to work. Gillian nodded again.

"Why?"

"You said there was a profiler with them. I thought he or she could use what we had."

"You were willing to hand it all over and let them close the case?"

Gillian arched her eyebrows. "Ma'am, you know I don't care who catches the bad guy, as long as they end up in a cage. Especially with a boy's life at the stake."

She was about to rub her eyes when she spotted the quick motion of Cooper's lips, almost curling up.

"Yes, I know." She paused, frowned a little more, glancing down at her desk for a moment. "And is it true that one of them called you a rookie?"

Gillian's face was enough to answer. Cooper nodded, arching her eyebrows to show she agreed.

"It was you who decided to call them in and allowed them to rescue the abducted boy." Statement, not a question.

"We were there to catch a killer, they were there to take a boy back home. All of us did our job."

"And it was a good job, Gillian."

No sanction? Not even a scold? Patting my shoulder instead? Is she feeling okay? Should I call an ambulance?

"So you did find the bodies of the other three missing boys."

"Yes, ma'am. The subject confessed where he'd dumped them."

"How did you get him to confess?"

Gillian picked her words carefully. "I may have suggested he could end up with the regular prison population if he didn't."

"Looks like it worked."

"It did, ma'am. The locals dredged the river and found the remains of the three boys."

Cooper looked down at her desk once more and changed a couple of folders from one pile to the other.

"By the way, SSA Mattock is leaving his post," she said then, in a rather casual tone. "So we should expect the new supervisor for the New England area visiting soon."

"Should we dress for the occasion, ma'am?"

"No, it won't be necessary. But you and your team should take a look at your training notes, in case the new supervisor wants to assess you."

"Assess us?"

"To check if you are... proper."

Gillian felt a childish giggle squeezing her throat and struggled to swallow it. Then she saw Cooper's lips threatened to curl up again. Gotcha! You almost smiled! I just saw you! You do have a sense of humor! Gillian knew that from then on, it'd be her personal quest making Cooper smile. Once. When nobody else would see. But at least that.

She understood the conversation was over and moved to stand up. Cooper looked up at her, those cold dark eyes nailing her to the chair, any hint of a private joke completely erased.

"And Gillian, next time I give you an explicit order..."

"I know, ma'am, I'm sorry. You have my word it won't happen again."

"Don't waste your breath, Gillian. Sometimes I have to say or do things only for the record. When I learned about the Amber Alert, the CARD team was already on the way. So I was told to hold you back and let them do their job. That's why I had to call you off. I trusted you could tell it was against my will. Keep following your gut. That's why I wanted you and your team here. To do what you're good at."

Gillian wondered if some of the lads had slipped a funny pill in her morning coffee, because she had to be hearing things.

Cooper looked at her for a heartbeat longer, then glanced at the door. Gillian stood up as if the chair had kicked her to her feet.

"Ma'am," she said, nodding at the other woman, and hurried out of the office.

As soon as the door was closed again, Cooper's lips pursed in a quick smile. Then she fetched a folder from one of the piles and resumed her work.

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Keep reading on the next episode: BLACKBIRD 15 - the date