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Rylie had warned me that Adam might go into quiet mode, and she’d been right about that, but it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was my man was next to me. He was here for me, and I was here for him.
The clock had said two AM last time I checked.
“You can’t sleep either?” Adam asked softly.
“No. Do you want to talk about it?” I’d asked earlier and gotten the standard Adam change of subject.
He took in a deep breath. “I was scared.”
I pulled myself closer.
“The training is supposed to prepare you, but it doesn’t really. Everything happened so fast, but seemed so slow, if that makes any sense.”
“Yeah.”
He sighed. “He raised his gun slowly on purpose. When he looked at me, his eyes were lifeless. He wanted to get shot. Suicide by cop.”
I kept my comments short now that he was opening up. “Why?”
His head shook lightly. “Why does anyone commit suicide? He didn’t have anyone to live for anymore. His wife died sometime in the last year, and all I can guess is he just thought it was easier than going to prison.”
I hadn’t known Len hardly at all, except to know that losing his wife had left him angry at insurance companies because of a medicine they wouldn’t cover. “You had to shoot.”
“I know. All I could see was the barrel of his gun coming up toward me. I waited as long as I could before pulling the trigger.”
I waited, but no more words came. “I’m here for you.”
He stroked my hair. “I know.”
Chapter 36
Adam
I gotup before sunrise the next morning. I’d gotten a little sleep after my short talk with Kelly last night.
She’d still been asleep when I slipped out of bed.
Before leaving my place, I called the forensics lead I’d left at Sanderson’s house.
“Nothing at all to indicate an accomplice yet,” he told me. “Why don’t you guys give us scenes that start in the morning instead of at night?” He sighed.
“I’ll mention it to the next bad guy I arrest.”
I wrote a note and left Kelly alone for the first time since this had started.
Instead of a shower at home that might have woken her, I decided to shower at the office, and I still made it to my desk before anyone else on the floor. Once I settled in, my report detailing yesterday’s events began to come together slowly. When I closed my eyes, the shooting came back with such intensity that it made all my recollections of what had preceded it muddy.
The report ate up the morning, and I continued working through the lunch I didn’t eat.
Early in the afternoon, Dempsey appeared in his doorway. “Cartwright, you done yet?”
“Yes, sir.” He liked it when I called himsir, and right now I could use him on my side. I’d read over my report twice now, and I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I sensed I’d left something out. I signed the report and walked it over to Dempsey.
He took it. “About time.” Two agents I hadn’t noticed before were in his office. “Come on in.”
The agents stood and handed me their cards.Inspection Division.
