P. Stormcrow

Finn pounded the keys on her typewriter with excessive force, clackety clacks echoing through the empty office. The last thing she expected her partner to do was to freeze her out. Yet here she was, typing up the report while he and Newman brought Talia and her grandfather to ID the dolls.

It made her question her trust in him. After all, they hadn’t been partners for very long.

She jerked her head up as the door to the forensics lab opened and they all filed out with somber expressions. A pang of pity stabbed Finn as she glimpsed Talia shuffling out in between, eyes red rimmed. Above them all, Dr. Laurent emerged from his office upstairs. 

Wait, wasn’t he out? When did he get back in?

Jackson cast a glance her way, but without a single word, escorted Talia and Mr. Henkin up to the doctor. They all disappeared into the room again.

“Poor girl.” Olivia shook her head as she walked up to Finn’s desk, her pigtails whipping around at the movement. She clutched a file folder.

The comment alone told Finn what she needed. They had done it, found the culprit and brought her to justice. So why did it taste like ash in her mouth?

Olivia watched the second floor for a little longer but soon turned her gaze back at Finn. “Agent Reed?”

“Yeah?” Finn straightened. The girl sounded more serious than she had ever heard her.

“Everyone else is out right now, chasing down a new lead to an old case. This one… it’s… personal for Damien.” 

Her use of Jackson’s first name should alert Finn that something was up. Still, the way Olivia’s cheeks pinkened to match her hair as she spoke made Finn wondered for a moment if she may have a crush on her partner, much like half the women around here. But Olivia’s next words corrected her.

“He’d always been good to me. I almost think of him as an older brother and I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on him for this. Make sure he’s not doing something…” Olivia trailed off.

“Stupid?” Finn offered.

“Reckless. But yeah, that too.” Olivia gave her a rueful smile and handed her the stack of paper at last.

At that moment, Jackson and Newman stepped out again. The two men conferred in low voices, then Newman saluted casually with a finger before parting ways.

Jackson remained rooted in his spot, one hand on the doctor’s door for a while. Only when he glimpsed the girls staring at him did he give them a nod and made his way downstairs.

“What happened?” Finn stood up, bracing her hands on her desk as he drew near. She had the right to know, at least.

Jackson didn’t speak at first, but pulled his chair out and slumped into it. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his face. “Talia verified that those were all dolls she made and her grandfather admitted they were had the same mistake that caused them go berserk.” Just saying that much out loud seemed to have aged her partner in a matter of seconds.

Olivia patted Jackson on one shoulder and headed off, leaving them alone. Didn’t she want to find out how this all ends? Or did they already tell her?

“So what happens to Talia now?” 

“The doc was talking about setting her up with another mentor and therapist, a friend of his that would be a better fit spiritually. Mr. Henkin will be required to report all his sales to us so we can keep a close eye and monitor activity for a while.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Finn stared at him with wide eyes. Not even a cat?

“What do you mean ‘that’s it?’” Jackson straightened in his seat to meet her gaze in full.

“What about the consequences?”

Jackson’s lips curved into a small, sad smile. “Nothing we can impose will match the internal hell Talia is putting herself through.”

Guilt could be a terrible thing, yeah. But still… “What about the families of all those victims? What are we going to tell them?”

“We don’t. We leave the urban myth as is. Newman’ll close the file under a high classification with whatever red tape he has to slap across it and we’ll call it that. Sometimes it’s easier for them not to know.”

That didn’t make sense. People needed closure. Finn opened her mouth to protest, but Jackson continued before she could.

“Would it be better to destroy one promising, talented magician’s life who could do so much good with the right help, just to provide some justice for the dead?” Jackson made air quotes around the j-word.

“That’s not how the law works,” Finn retorted.

“There’s no legal system out there that covers what we do. On the best of days, we muddle through.” Jackson shrugged. “Besides, this is out of both our hands.”

That much was true, but it didn’t mean any of it sat easy with her. Finn’s gaze wandered until it landed on the file Olivia had left with her earlier. Not yet. I need to clear all the air.

“Why did you freeze me out back there?”

“Finn.” Jackson smoothed a hand over his hair. “You’ve been angry ever since Newman benched you this morning and you are just aware as I how delicate the entire situation is.” He didn’t quite meet her eyes anymore.

“You know. You know. You know!” Finn threw her hands in the air. “The point is, I know nothing if you keep me out of all of it. I won’t learn anything if you continue to sideline me. And I am. Perfectly. Fine.”

“No, you’re not!” Damien roared and shot up. “Look at your hand. Go look at the mirror! What happened to the woman who could talk a teenager into trusting her? To the woman who reassured a mother that we can find her son even though he hurt us? Where did all that compassion go, Finn?”

“This has nothing to do with me! There were lives lost here!”

At that moment, the door upstairs opened and Dr. Laurent cleared his throat. It wasn’t a very loud sound, but it sliced through the shouting match they were having, anyway. But it was the cool look he gave them both that somehow seemed even more frightening. “If you will both restrain yourself, agents.”

With heat burning her cheeks, Finn looked away and clamped her mouth shut.

Only when Dr. Laurent closed the door again with a very audible and meaningful click did Damien sigh. “I said nothing about the drinking because I’m aware you are going through a lot of shit in your personal life. I’ve convinced Newman to not put it in the formal reports but he will tell Ms. Callaghan, and you will have to deal with it.” 

Fuck.

He didn’t wait for her response, but continued in his soft tones. “I’m your partner and I’ll always have your back. But I can’t help if you don’t let me. So, when you’re ready, I’ll be here, okay?”

Double fuck. Now I feel like an ass.

Finn swallowed hard and bobbed her head. “Yeah. Fine.” But it was Olivia’s words that came drifting to the forefront of her mind. She wasn’t prepared to parade her personal demons in front of him yet, but she was ready to move on.

“We should catch up with the others.” She pointed to the brown folder in between them. 

All the air knocked out of Jackson, and he fell back on the chair. When he reached for it, his hands trembled and when he flipped it open at last, all the color drained from his face.

Finn peered at the photo clipped to the first page, upside down. “Who was she?” she whispered, though she hadn’t expected an answer.

“They say don’t shit where you work. Or in my case, don’t fuck where you work.” The bitter chuckle that spilled from his lips sounded almost alien to her. “She was my old partner, Gerard’s daughter.” He didn’t move, but stared at the photo as if lost in it.

She took another look and could see why. Blond hair fell like a cloud of halo around sharp features with high cheekbones, softening her countenance. Deep blue grays showed a solemnity that would have played as a perfect balance to Jackson’s more casual attitude. Puzzle pieces snapped into place. It wasn’t just casual sex, as he was making it sound. There were deep feelings running here, and he was still somewhere in between mourning and hope. 

Reaching across the table, she pried the first sheet of paper under the photo loose. A new lead. She sucked in a breath as she scanned the details. 

“Hey.” She swung around her desk and crouched down, placing her hand on his limp one resting on his knee. “When you’re ready to tell me about her, I’ll be here. But for now, let’s go see what made Ms. Callaghan mobilize everyone.”

Jackson closed his eyes and exhaled then straightened as if shoring up his reserves. “Where are we heading to?”

Finn handed him the sheet. “Inguz Tech.”