"That sounds like bull."
"I know. But it's true. Gould has more profiling experience than anyone I know outside of Quantico. He's a pain, but I think he helped us focus."
"I thought maybe you brought him in because you're unhappy with me."
"Not at all." They stopped at Andie's car. "It's Victoria I'm worried about."
"Victoria?"
"She's spread too thin. All the ISU profilers are."
"I have to admit I wasn't all that impressed with the profile she prepared. Not as insightful as I had expected."
"You're being kind, Andie. It was pure boilerplate, the usual stuff about serial killers that someone like Victoria can rattle off in her sleep."
"So you brought Gould in to help her?"
"Heck, no. I brought Gould in to kick her in the ass." "She's not going to take orders from Gould."
"You're missing the point. Gould is the last guy on earth she wants upstaging her. You think she wants it getting back to Quantico that it was a retired old fart like Gould, not her, who cracked this case? You can bet she'll give our case top priority from here on out."
"So, is Gould on or off the case?"
"He's off," Isaac said with a chuckle. "He served his purpose. You can rest easy."
"I can't say I exactly took a liking to the old guy, but I almost feel a little sorry for him. You used him."
"The guy had a ball. You think he would have been brushing cracker crumbs all over you if he'd thought this was a long-term relationship?"
"What does that say about me? I brushed them right back."
They laughed as they recalled the moment, both of them leaning against her car. The laughter was over, but their eyes met and held. They were sharing a smile, but it didn't feel like their usual kidding around. This seemed more serious.
"What?" said Andie.
"Nothing."
"Come on, Isaac. What's that look for? What are you thinking?"
"I . . . I don't know."
"It's okay. You can tell me."
He chuckled nervously. "Tell you what?"
"Where do we go from here?"
It was a wide-open question at an ambiguous moment. It could have roped in anything from "What's my next assignment?" to "What are you doing Saturday night?" Maybe it was the age difference. Maybe it was just Isaac's sensitivity to his new position of authority. He whiffed.
"That phone call from Oregon changed the entire complexion of the case."
Andie had to refocus. Back to work. "How so?"
"This is no longer just a matter of providing support and expertise to the local police in their homicide investigations. We got a possible kidnapping across state lines. It's a category seven. This is our jurisdiction. The FBI is taking the lead."
"Does that mean you're reassigning it?"
"You've done three kidnapping cases, counting that First Federal bank robbery that turned into a hostage situation. You did a bang-up job on all of them. Why would I reassign?"
"This is pretty high-profile."
"Extremely high-profile. This could be a career maker." "Wow. I don't know what to say."
"You want it or don't you?"
" 'Course I want it."
"Then you can have it. Just one condition."
"What?"
"Don't fuck it up."
His words seemed harsh, but she understood the message. No matter what their friendship might someday become, she had to make the grade. "You got nothing to worry about."
Gus drove straight home from his meeting. The Magnolia district could be quite dark on a moonless evening, especially near the waterfront estates on the western edge, what little light from the heavens being blocked by the trees. Trees were in abundance, none of them magnolias. Surveyors back in the nineteenth century had mistaken the madronas for magnolias. One expansive estate after another, dressed with madronas, oaks, elms, huge Douglas firs. Cherry hedges galore. Even a stand of bamboo. But no magnolias. It was fitting, thought Gus. A magnificent bluff with everything a homeowner could conceivably want, named for the one thing it didn't actually have.
The Mercedes slowed as Gus turned into his driveway. He stopped at the iron gate. Two huge lanterns glowed atop the imposing stone pillars on either side of the drive. The gate was an antique, a true work of art. Only on very close inspection of the elaborately curved design was the letter C discernible, the family initial of the original owners. This particular estate had been in the same family forever. Gus had admired it since he was a kid, thinking it was the most amazing house ever built.