The Blackout Girl ✔️

chapter thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Jesus, Nolan, it's me!" Kaytee cried out. "It's me. It's me."

He stepped closer, his flashlight illuminating her face. She let out a breath of relief, lowering her pistol back into its holster.

"You scared me," he said softly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," he observed, reaching out to touch her arm. "Is that blood? Are you bleeding?"

She lifted her fingers and absently touched her wrist. "It's nothing. I cut myself on a piece of shrapnel when I was checking the place out. It's empty, there's no one here."

"You're lucky," he told her. "You could have been killed. I thought it was a trap when I read the email."

"You read my email?" she squeaked. "Why would you do that?"

His face went red. "I-I didn't have a choice. You rushed out and I was worried so I—"

"So you invaded my privacy," she finished for him.

"N-No—"

"Whatever, Nolan," she spat. "Well, there's nothing here anyway. You overreacted. You were wrong to assume anything anyway, so what's the point?"

"The point is that we came after you because you did something stupid!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "Kaytee, please just listen to me."

"I've heard enough," she said and turned to leave.

He didn't see her again until she was in the back of an ambulance as they spread gauze over the gash on her forearm. The police were still checking the building out, but Nolan was confident they wouldn't find anything in there. Kaytee was right; the place was vacant.

She was lucky. He wanted to tell her that. It could have easily been a set-up that could have ended much worse than it did. He wondered what was so hard to understand about that. He didn't think he made a mistake in going through her stuff, but he had his doubts.

There was no way she'd talk to him now. He was sure as soon as she was done getting first-aid, she would be on her way home.

She was due for an earful from Price when they got back into the office tomorrow morning. That was all their boss had said to her before he headed to the SUV.

Nolan idled in the gravel, hands in his pockets, watching her from a distance. He tried to catch her eye, but she avoided his gaze.

Before she could get into her car, he stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Kaytee, wait."

She tried to go around him, but he shifted to get in the way again.

"Nolan, I'm not in the mood," she grumbled. "I don't want to talk."

"But—"

She shoulder-checked him and drove off without another word.

Nolan shook his head and walked back to the SUV waiting for him. He got in the backseat, longing to be back in the comfort of his apartment. It had been a long day; that much was certain.

He didn't get home until two o'clock in the morning, and he was utterly exhausted. His whole body ached, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He loosened his tie as he stumbled to his bedroom. By then, he was so tired he didn't bother to put pajamas on.

He slept, but it was hardly restful. He tossed and turned constantly, feeling completely out of whack. When his alarm woke him up, he felt like he hadn't gotten any rest at all. The early wake-up call was especially brutal. His shower didn't do much to wake him up, and coffee seemed like his only hope.

He forced himself to shave and comb his hair, but the bags under his eyes kept him from looking presentable. He put on new slacks and a different sweater with his sleeves pushed up to the creases of his elbows. His tie seemed crooked after several attempts, and he gave up after a few futile tries. He was stuck looking rumpled and sloppy.

Nolan skipped his usual coffee run and went straight to the Field Office. He figured there wasn't anything wrong with being early, especially since he had paperwork to finish. Still, he found himself spending extra time in the parking garage, trying to will himself to cut the engine and walk in.

"Don't be stupid, Nolan," he told himself. "Come on."

He swiped his badge, rode the overcrowded elevator, and made himself a steaming cup of dark roast espresso in the kitchenette. He was emerging with the mug when he noticed Kaytee standing in Price's office. Through the blinds, he could make out the pair of them as Price shouted and she stood there, taking it.

Before he could be caught staring, he went to his desk.

"Morning, Foster," Dre greeted him, somehow energetic despite being out all night working.

"Hi," Nolan replied dryly.

Dre stopped when he noticed Nolan's tone. "Okay, what's your deal?"

"I don't have a deal," Nolan said, staring intently at his coffee.

"That's bullshit," Dre pointed out. "Did you and KC get into it last night or something?"

Nolan sighed, shame in his voice. "I went through her computer. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you absolutely shouldn't have under normal circumstances," Dre agreed. "But you had a reason to do it, and I think it was the right call. She shouldn't have gone into that situation, and we're lucky it went the way it did."

"I still feel bad," Nolan said, and it sounded ridiculous coming out of his mouth.

"She'll get over it," Dre assured him. "Now, wipe that look off your face. We have work to do."

Dre clapped him on the back as he passed by and Nolan tried not to wince. He wasn't used to Dre's approach to things, but he was trying to be. Everyone in the unit was different, from their communication strategies to their relationships with one another. He was still trying to figure out how he fits into it.

Around eight o'clock, the agents filed into the conference room for the standard briefing. A new case was coming. Nolan couldn't wait to distract himself with the investigation. His own life was already overwhelming, and he needed to escape into work.

Price's earlier frustration was gone, replaced by his no-nonsense calmness. Nolan took a seat next to Dre, and he didn't miss that Kaytee was on the opposite side of the boardroom table, as far away as she could get.

"The email was traced back to the Robinson house," Price explained to the group. "Further analysis showed that Delaney Robinson set it to deliver several days before her arrest. Because it was on a timer, we have reason to believe she was planning to meet Kaytee but couldn't when she was taken into custody."

"It was probably a taunt. We profiled that she has an ego, and it makes sense that she would try to mock us. Especially if she thought we weren't going to find her on our own," Darren added.

"Either way, it means nothing. We don't know what she intended by it and I don't give a damn. It was a false alarm and we have more important things to discuss," Price said. He began to pass out files. "We have a lead on a violent gang's activity at Dallas Central High School. Local police have invited us in to look into it. Let's get on it."

And just like that, Delaney Robinson faded to background noise. A serial killer was forgotten.

Well, almost.

Nolan couldn't put his finger on it, but something was bothering him. He just didn't know what it was.