“What the hell do you think you’re doing? No one is allowed in here unless I grant them access,” I snap.
“Lower your tone to your superiors,” he growls, glaring at me.
We’ve never liked each other, in case that isn’t apparent.
“Get out of my office, and you’re not my superior, SSA Johnson. In case you haven’t noticed, I have the same title. And as for your position in the Bureau, it holds no authority over mine.”
He slowly stands, straightening his jacket as he does.
“I was just getting caught up on my case.”
“Your case?” I ask, gauging him.
He’s more arrogant than usual, and he’s definitely selling some shade to go with that menacing gleam in his eyes.
“Yes. My case. It seems as though you’re digging into case files that are mine, and apparently the director decided I should come investigate this new case you think is linked to my old one.”
“You mean the director caved and let you do whatever you want because you two are golf buddies by day, and swing buddies by night,” I restate, saying what he should have.
His jaw tics. He hates that a room full of profilers never let your secrets die.
“It’s my case.”
“This is my department. In case you’ve forgotten.”
“Well, take it up with the director if you have an issue.”
I point my finger at him. “Get out of my office. I won’t tell you again.”
He smirks, but he strolls by me, acting as though he’s won something. I immediately stalk toward the elevator, when Associate Deputy Director Collins steps out.
“I told you to call me,” he says quietly, his eyes flicking to Johnson as he moves in on one of the vacant offices.
“What’s going on?” I ask again.
He sighs long and hard. “I don’t know. Johnson got a call from someone, and he called me, wanting to know why you were working on one of his old, solved cases. I told him that it overlapped with one of your present cases. Next thing I know, the director is waking me up with a call saying Johnson will be running point on the Scarlet Slayer case.”
“What the actual fuck?” I hiss.
He gestures to my office, and I pass by Hadley who looks furious as she glares at Johnson. She’s never met him before, but he rubs everyone wrong within a matter of moments.
As soon as we’re inside, Collins closes the door.
“Something is going on with all this. First the coroner’s report was pointless on the dead ‘supposed’ serial killer that Johnson profiled. The profile is full of holes and inconsistencies, just like the case against Evans was. Then there’s a revenge killer who is out there doling out death sentences for men who used to live in this town. The oldest victim would have been nineteen—as far as we know so far—and the youngest would have been fifteen,” I tell him, furious right now.
He drops to a chair, his face as white as his shirt. But I’m not finished.
“Then Johnson shows up, bullying his way into impeding this investigation. What’s really going on here, Collins? Did he have something to do with an innocent man being killed? Did he intentionally f
uck up the profile to make it fit Robert Evans? I can’t find much on that case here. We’ve been scraping together what we can.”
He shakes his head. “I remember the Evans case. It got the least publicity because of terrorist threats going on at the same time, or something like that. I remember the case because I went to that town when several of the unit members said they were done; hell, half of them quit, retired, or transferred, which is why so many slots opened up at once. Johnson was left behind on his own to finish the case. Then he came home. That trial happened so fast. I’ve never seen a trial come and go faster than that one.”
He pauses, sucking in a sharp breath as he stares at nothing. Finally, he continues.
“Next thing I know, what little bit of the unit that remained just up and quit. Johnson was on the market to be replaced after that, even though I don’t know why. They hired a bunch in, but you were the one they eyed the longest. You came three years after that mess. They finally had the right replacement, and they got rid of him as soon as you were ready.”
“Yet now the director sends him back?”