“You got it.” Bishop reached for the second bag and once he had both, he rolled them toward her. “Here you go, Sister.” He spotted the name of a church on her luggage tag. “Are you here to offer aid to the hurricane victims?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. I am traveling with others; however, I was the only one with checked bags. Supplies for the victims, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you for your kindness, sir. Might I ask your name?” She pulled her bags closer.
He paused a moment and quickly recalled his new name. “Eli Parnell. It’s nice to meet you, Sister.”
“It’s Anne. Just Anne.” She retrieved a card from her carry-on bag. “If you need anything or wish to join us in our efforts, feel free to reach out to me. This is my number.”
Bishop peered at the card. “Our Lady of Mercy.” He smiled.
“That’s right. We’re based in Miami, but of course, we go where God needs us most. Good day, Mr. Parnell.”
“Good day, Anne.” Bishop held the card between his fingers and twirled it. Was it a coincidence he used to work at a hospital with that very name? He turned his gaze to the ceiling. “Maybe you just know where I am at all times.”
11
The resorts offered rooms to anyone associated with the humanitarian efforts. Bishop arrived at the Blue Vista Hotel.
An islander in a uniform top that had a striking resemblance to a bowling shirt smiled at him. “Good evening, sir. How may I help you?”
“Good evening. My name is Eli Parnell. I’m here with the Our Lady of Mercy mission to aid in the hurricane recovery efforts.” He set down the card the nun had given him. “That’s my supervisor who can vouch for me if required.”
The man examined the card. “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Parnell. I’ll get you checked in. We welcome all who come here to help our Bahamian brothers and sisters. We are grateful to have you.” He turned to his computer.
Bishop scanned the lobby. Only a few people were there, and all looked as though they were there to help. He couldn’t spot a single tourist. “You must be pretty empty right now.”
“Oh, we are, sir. Everyone evacuated when the first warnings came. The rest of us call this place home. There was nowhere else for us to go.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. I hope your home remained intact.”
The man smiled again, only this time it was a closed lip grin that revealed the answer to Bishop’s question. “I’m afraid not, sir.” He reached for a keycard and wrote down the room number. “You’ll be in room 3729. As you can see, we are extremely understaffed, so all we ask is that you are patient with us and understand we may not have the ability to change linens or clean your room on a daily basis. We will do our best, however.”
“Please. It’s totally unnecessary. I can take out my own trash. I’m here to help, not to be a burden. Thank you.” Bishop took the key and rode the elevator to the third floor. While the hotel was a three-star at best, it beat the hell out of his studio apartment in Charlotte’s questionable urban area. Bishop walked inside and set down his bags. It was already late and there would be nothing for him to do tonight. First thing in the morning, he would find the ones who needed him the most.
Walsh walked into Kate’s office with his hands tucked into his pockets. “Hey, it’s getting late. What’s say we call it a night and grab some food?”
Kate pulled her attention from her computer and checked the time. “Oh, wow. It’s almost ten.” She sat back and raised her arms in a long stretch. “I could use some food.” She closed the lid of her laptop and grabbed her coat and purse. “I just want to stop in and see Fisher on the way out. Is that okay with you?”
“Be my guest. After you.” He stepped aside and waited for her to leave the office before following.
“What about that supervisor?” Kate looked over her shoulder. “Did you talk to him yet?”
“He hasn’t called back. But I called right after he supposedly got on shift and he didn’t answer.”
“That’s odd. You’d think when a badge wants to talk to you, it might be a good idea to return the call.”
“It’s right up there with the rest of the dumb shit people do,” Walsh added.
They arrived at Fisher’s office and Kate walked in. “Hey. I see you’re still here too.”
“Still here.” He gazed at them. “Looks like you two are heading out.”
“We’re going to grab a bite to eat,” Walsh began. “Care to join us?”
“You know what, I think I will. Thanks for the invite.” Fisher shut down his computer and stood. “Oh, by the way, I just got a call from Duncan. She and Scarborough arrived in Riverside and are going to get checked into a hotel then meet up with the agent first thing in the morning.”
Kate nodded. “Oh. Good. I was wondering if they’d arrived yet.” Nick hadn’t called her and in any other circumstance, he would’ve texted his arrival at the very least, followed by a call before he went to bed. She wondered now if even that would happen.
“You ready, Reid?” Walsh asked.
“You bet. I’m starved. Mind if I hitch a ride with one of you? I drove in with Nick this morning.”
“I’ll take you. I can drop you at home too. I’m closer to you than Walsh,” Fisher replied.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Kate stepped into the passenger seat of Fisher’s Infinity Q80. It was a far cry from her Ford Explorer, which she’d splurged on after her transfer to Quantico. “Thanks for letting me hitch a ride. If we’d known Nick was going to fly to California, we would’ve taken separate cars.”
Fisher pressed the ignition button. “Hey, no worries. These things come up
