CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4

Tuesday 7:25am

Coffee.  It really was a wonderful smell to wake up to.  Paul pushed himself up onto his elbows and inhaled deeply.  Then he chuckled to himself.  Monica was gone, but her spirit lingered on.

A few brief minutes later he had dressed and made his way down the stairs to the kitchen.  He and Tess had gotten off to a bit of a rough start, but his fondness for the older angel had since grown.  He would never admit it to her, but she reminded him of his favorite aunt.  She never let him get away with anything either.

“Good morning, Tess,” he called out as he entered the kitchen, but his words hung in the air.

The agent crossed to the table and picked up his favorite mug which was full to the brim with dark coffee.  There was a note underneath it, short and to the point.

‘Paul, I have been called away, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.  God Bless. –Tess’

He let the paper fall to the table, surprised by how much her abrupt departure bothered him.  Hopefully whatever had pulled her away had not been an emergency, and hopefully it had had nothing to do with Monica.  He sipped thoughtfully at his coffee as he walked into the study.  He had planned on staying at the farm until evening, but with Tess gone he had nothing to occupy his mind other than anxiety.  No.  Better to get back to the city as soon as possible and take care of business.  With any luck Devin Jackson would be as easy to catch this time as he had been the last.

He logged onto his account at work and quickly filed the emails that he could save until later.  He didn’t open any of them until he got to the one from Alex.  Mentally he slapped himself as he found himself holding his breath as it came up.  He had been praying that it wouldn’t have anything to do with Jackson, and his prayers had been answered, but he rolled his eyes at the fact that he had even worried about that.

The short message just let him know that she had arrived safely and the party had gone well.  He was about to close it when he noticed the postscript and felt a stab of guilt.  It was only one line, but it read, ‘I promise I’m not trying to pry, but I hope that whatever had you upset yesterday has sorted itself out.’

He wished it was that simple.  Eventually she was going to have to be told, but the truth was that he wasn’t sure how much she knew about his past, and he wasn’t eager to have their partnership tainted by it.  The office grapevine was remarkably efficient, but Alex didn’t seem to have many close friends, even within the agency, so it was possible that she didn’t know a thing and that made him even more uneasy.  It meant that he would have to tell her everything, from beginning to end.  Dealing with it himself was one thing, and retelling it to someone else, even someone he was already considering a friend, was something else entirely.

The commuter flight back to the city was uneventful and Paul spent most of it thinking of how he was going to tell Alex about their new case.  Technically it didn’t fall within their department, but Trask had all but handed it to Paul, realizing that the younger agent wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands out of it anyway.

He had arranged for an agency car to be dropped off at the airport and he picked up the keys at the security office.  From all the times he’d flown out and into D.C. he was pretty much on a first name basis with all of them.  He traded a few jokes with the officers there, but his mind was already ten blocks away at the FBI headquarters.

Spotting the car wasn’t difficult.  It was the standard grey Ford Taurus.  What made him narrow his eyes was the fact that there appeared to be someone still in the drivers’ seat.  He double checked the license plate against the one he had been given as he approached the car.  Yes, it was definitely his.

The passenger side was nearest to him as he walked up to it and the window was rolled down.  He bent over, arms on the doorframe and peered inside, questions already on the tip of his tongue.  He swallowed them as he saw who it was.

“Andrew?  What are you doing here?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question, Paul,” the angel replied as he leaned over and opened the passenger door.

Paul slumped down in his seat and closed the door.  “Yeah, I guess I do.  I had a horrible feeling that Jackson’s escape might be the reason you were all brought back here.”  He looked up sharply.  “Monica’s not involved, is she?”

Andrew shook his head.  “No, but I’ve taken Home four people who didn’t deserve to die.”

“I’m sorry, Andrew…”

“I’m not blaming you, Paul.  You’re not the one responsible, and no I’ve been reassigned to help you catch the person who is.”

“Well I can’t say I’m sorry to have my old partner back on the job, but I think my new one may have a few things to say about that,” Paul replied with a grin.

One eyebrow rose in interest when he heard the slight change in Paul’s tone of voice.  “You didn’t mention a partner,” he said.

“Yeah, for about two months now.  Her name’s Alex.  We’re supposed to be back in the office tomorrow.”

“Alex?”

Paul saw the look of concern flash across Andrew’s features.  “Yeah?  Why?  Is there a problem?”

“No… but Tess told me that Monica’s in the city too… and her assignment’s name is Alex.”

The agent subconsciously gripped the door handle tighter.  He hoped that the coincidence was just that, but he doubted it.  Monica was assigned to his Alex, and Devin Jackson was wandering around free.  The combination was not comforting, to say the least.  He looked into Andrew’s face and saw a mirror image of his own worry on the angel’s face.

“Let’s get into the office and see if Alex decided to check in early.  After that we can swing by her parent’s place… she said something about house-sitting for them.”

“I’m sure they’re both fine, Paul… it might not even be the same Alex,” Andrew attempted to convince himself as well as the man beside him.

“Yeah, well let’s not take any chances.”

“Agreed,” the angel replied as he turned the car onto the highway and a tense silence filled the air. He didn’t like what he now knew. They had been reunited with Paul during a time when a killer was on the loose and his best friend had just been assigned to someone who may or may not be Paul’s partner. Though Monica had grown stronger over the past year, if suddenly faced again with violence, it had the potential to shake her badly and given the gruesome deaths he had seen the last 24 hours, it was not something he wanted her faced with.

He gave himself a mental shake, disgusted with the fact that he was even entertaining such thoughts. The chances of Monica’s assignment being Paul’s partner were slim. She would be returning to him in a day or so, bubbling over with happiness over how well her assignment had gone. Though it might not be the truth, it was the only one he was willing to accept at this point.

*****

Paul was frowning when he and Andrew walked out of the FBI building some time later. Alex had not checked in early and under normal circumstances, he would not be alarmed by this. But given the fact that Devin Jackson was on the loose and that Monica was working with someone named Alex, he was anything but not alarmed.

“Alex is house-sitting while her parents are on vacation,” He stated as they walked to the car, “I’d feel better if we stopped by there as she wasn’t answering at her apartment. At the very least, I want her to know to be careful until this guy is caught.”

The agent’s words had a cold feeling to them and Andrew found himself wondering if there was more to this than met the eye. However, one thing he had learned about Paul was that no amount of pushing could make him reveal more than he was ready to, “That’s fine,” He agreed. At the very least, maybe he would find out if Monica was with Paul’s partner and knowing his dear friend was safe would allow him to rest a bit easier. If the little angel was not with Alex, then he would also be reassured that she was safe and was just with someone of the same name. It was a win-win situation and after the night he had just had, he was looking forward to possessing that knowledge.

“Thank you again for taking the time to show me around,” Monica smiled over at Alex as they pulled up in front of her parent’s house that evening, “The Twilight Tour was lovely. All the monuments look so much more elegant lit up at night.”

“Yes, they do,” Alex agreed as she put the car in Park and turned off the engine. “I like it because in the winter especially, it is so much less populated than the daylight hours tours, plus there is no rush to get back on the bus.”

*****

The day had been very enjoyable and she and Monica had spent hours talking, covering a vast array of topics. Monica had informed her that she was here on business and wasn’t sure of how long she would be staying and Alex had already found herself feeling a little sad at the thought of her leaving. She didn’t have many good friends as her job just didn’t allow her the time, but she had instantly clicked with the petite young woman and had briefly hoped to ignite a long term friendship. Her job at the agency often left her feeling like “one of the guys” and it was a welcome change of pace to take part in some girl talk for a day.

“Thanks for agreeing to stop by my parent’s place with me. Seems everytime they go away, Rob has something else to do that doesn’t permit him to check in on the house, so it is always my responsibility.”

The angel smiled, “He’s a pretty likable fellow really.”

Alex chuckled, “In his own way, I suppose, though responsibility isn’t really his strong suite. He’s girl crazed but has no desire to settle down. He’s getting quite the reputation among Washington’s most eligible ladies.”

“And what about you?” Monica asked as they got out of the car and started up the path to the house, “Surely, there must be someone in your life.”

“No one worth mentioning,” She replied her mind turning briefly to Paul, “There is only one possibility and I just don’t think it would work out.”

Monica grinned, unable to resist the possibility of playing a little match making, “Perhaps there is someone I could introduce you to. He’s funny, a bit protective, and has a heart of gold that is occasionally a wee bit rough around the edges.”

“Sounds nothing like the guy I work with,” Alex chuckled as she inserted her key into the door, “No thank you, Monica. I’m not sure I would even have time to date anyway,” She glanced up at the sky and sighed, “I hate when snow is in the forecast. While it is pretty, it is also cold.”

“You have a point,” She replied as Alex opened the door and they stepped inside the house and into the warmth.

“It won’t take me too long. I just need to make sure Jasmine and Minnie have plenty of food and water as I’m not sure if I can get here tomorrow. First day back at work and if we get that snowstorm they are calling for, getting here even after work could be difficult,” she explained as she shrugged out of her coat and laid it on the chair in the hallway. “Make yourself comfortable while I check on the cats and make sure everything is locked up and I’ll be right back.”

Monica nodded her head as she took off her coat and laid it down with Alex’s, deciding to take the opportunity to look around the house a bit more now that there weren’t hordes of people here. She looked at the array of pictures that lined the stairway leading to upstairs, smiling when she found school pictures of Alex and Rob, as well as more recent family portraits all the while able to hear Alex bustling in the kitchen. Yes, Alex seemed well suited for Paul, though she wondered why her assignment was so hesitant to meet anyone. Monica supposed that meddling romantically was not part of what she was sent here to do, but she liked Alex and aside from Andrew and Tess, Paul was her dearest friend. She surmised that it could have something to do with her job and she made a mental note to ask Alex what she did for a living, surprised that she had not thought to do so before.

As she worked her way back down the stairs, Monica became aware of the fact that the noises from the kitchen had ceased and her brow furrowed, wondering if Alex had gone to another part of the house to look for one of the cats. She walked towards the kitchen, all the while wondering how Lucy was faring at Paul’s farm. She missed the little cat, as well as Andrew, and she hoped she would soon be able to find out what the assignment really was so she could see them both again.

“Alex?” She called out softly as she entered the kitchen, frowning at the silence and at not getting a response, before a soft mew caused her look down. A small black cat was looking up her with worried green eyes and the angel bent down to pet her, “Where did Alex go, little girl?” She asked softly before she looked up and felt her blood run cold. She could make out Alex’s body on the floor on the other side of the island and the angel felt a scream rising to her throat.

Monica never heard him come up behind her, a blunt piece of metal raised behind her head. All she felt was intense pain before her world went dark.

*****

Devin Jackson scowled as he drove the van down the narrow side streets of the city. He had never planned on Alexandra having a friend with her and it had taken him double the time to tie them up and deposit them in the van, but now the worst of the work of two women was behind him. He could slowly kill two just as easily as one. The only regret he felt was that they were both pretty and under other circumstances, it would be a shame to kill them, but at least the process would be slow. Without food, water or heat, they would last a few days, a little better than a week at best. It was enough time for his enemy to know that he had evened up the score.