His Watchful Eye

Chapter 24- The Clue

     After the events at the house of horrors in Scranton were wrapped up, the team crashed at a hotel in the Pennsylvania town for the night. Beckner was assigned to a room with Laribee, and while Carter was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, Colin struggled to turn off his mind and succumb to the respite his body craved. Images of his brother and the small corpse recovered from the basement invaded his mind like a rebel army bent on plaguing him with thoughts of his harsh last words to Conner.

Sleep evaded him for several hours and he prayed God would grant him the peace he needed to deal with the DNA results whatever they might be. Something deep down assured him the body they found was his flesh and blood, but he needed the test results to confirm what he already knew. As the last words of his prayer left his lips, he finally drifted into a restful and dreamless sleep.

Laribee shook him awake long before he was ready to leave the warmth of the bed. "Beckner...time to pack...we are heading back to Quantico in an hour."

Nodding his head to indicate his understanding, he swung his legs over the side of the bed before standing to his feet. After slipping into his clothes, he threw a few items into a duffel bag and stepped out into the hall. A small smile curved his lips when he found Hannon waiting for him. "How are you doing today?" Her compassion touched his heart and without thinking, he gathered her close into a warm embrace.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Gaining strength from the closeness, he would be happy to hold her like this forever and block out everything else. "I'm doing alright." He assured her. "I had a chance to pray last night, and I feel peace in knowing God will help me through whatever the outcome of the DNA test is. The only thing I don't look forward to is telling my parents we found Conner. I would rather they didn't know the details of how and where he was found."

She nodded her head against his chest and squeezed him tighter. "It will be hard for them, but I think it is always better to have closure."

"I know you're right." He breathed in the coconut scent of her shampoo. "Thank you for being here for me. It really means a lot."

She pulled back to look him in the eye. "There is no need to thank me, Beckner. You're probably my best friend, so you're pretty much stuck with me at this point."

"I can live with that." He smiled as she reached up to straighten his hair with her fingers. "Am I a total mess, Georgia?"

"Pretty much." She chuckled as she continued to make adjustments.

Hearing the door open behind them, he looked up to see Traeger standing with them in the hallway; a devious smile curled his lips as his grey eyes settled on Georgia. Quickly Beckner released his hold around her waist. Instead of commenting, Traeger continued his trek down the hall and was soon out of sight.

"Well, that was a little embarrassing." Looking down at Hannon, he saw an impish grin on her lips and a rosy blush on her cheeks.

"A little bit." He smiled back. "Would you like to go downstairs and get some coffee before we head home?" He already knew her answer, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask the question anyway.

"You know I would." They continued down the hall with their bags and walked down to the breakfast nook by the reception desk. After grabbing some coffee, they climbed into the vehicle and hit the road for home.

***

Georgia had been home for a few hours. Her thoughts were fixed on Henry, and the imaginings her mind conjured stole the breath from her lungs and brought tears to her eyes. After witnessing all of the small, decomposed corpses found under the garage the day before, she had been unable to shake the hollow feeling settling inside her. Was she already too late to save her little boy? T.J. was unsuccessful in tracking down either Boyle or Rodriguez, the cell phone was never turned on, and neither one of them used the credit cards belonging to them. She was back at square one.