“It was a weak moment for me, okay? I slipped up. I did what I had to do to get close to the man who could tell me what I needed to know. Oh, and by the way, that man happened to be the head of a ruthless gang. It wasn’t like I had a choice.”
“I know you didn’t.” The doctor tucked her blonde hair behind her left ear. “In that moment, you faced an impossible situation. But that’s not the moment in question, is it? It’s what happened after that when you did have a choice. That’s the heart of the problem.”
Fisher had requested a meeting with Kate and as she started into the hall, heading for his office, she was stopped by Eva Duncan. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Duncan said. “I was hoping you had a minute to talk?”
“I’m supposed to meet with Fisher now. But after?” Kate asked.
“Sure. I’ll be in my office.”
Kate noticed the mild disappointment at the delay. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Of course. Go on. I wouldn’t want you to be late. We’ll catch up later.” Duncan continued along.
Kate peered back at her with an unsettled feeling. There had been a lot of unsettled feelings lately and she looked forward to moving on from these troubles.
She stood in Fisher’s doorway of the office that used to be Nick’s. “Hey, there. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, come on in. Close the door behind you, would you?”
Kate closed the door and walked inside, taking a seat across from Fisher’s desk.
“Listen, I know we haven’t had a chance to talk much since all this became official. I guess I wanted to take your temperature, so to speak.”
“I’m good. Really. Look, just because Nick and I are in a relationship doesn’t mean I can’t be objective when it comes to our team.”
“Are you sure about that?” He asked. “It would be tough for anyone; I can promise you.”
“I just want to move forward. I’m here on my own now and I refuse to let you or any member of this team down.”
“I’m sure that would never happen,” Fisher added. “But there was something else I needed to mention and that is, well, I am looking to bring in a senior profiler.”
“Another Quinn,” Kate said.
“Yes.” He held up his hands. “Please don’t take this as a slight on you. It’s just that you simply don’t have enough…”
“Experience. I know that. I can accept that. Can you tell me who’s at the top of your list?”
“I don’t have a list yet. That’s something I’m working on, but I thought it only fair to bring you into the fold, so you aren’t caught blindsided like we were.”
Kate nodded. “Ah. I see. This goes back to when I was brought in.”
“That’s not what I meant. Well, I guess it is, but I don’t hold anything against you,” Fisher said. “Hell, I don’t hold anything against Scarborough or Cole either. I just handle things differently. And believe me, I know what Quinn was. I also know he was damn good at his job. Now I need to find someone who can fill his shoes and continue to mentor you until the time comes for you to take the lead.”
“And you expect that to happen?” Kate asked.
“Of course I do. I’ve worked with you long enough to see what an incredible talent you are, Reid. No doubt about that. But this is BAU. This is Quantico. There are a whole lot of agents who would kill to be in your shoes right now.”
“Agents with a lot more experience than me.”
“Yes. So, I need to do what’s best for this team, and I hope you can accept that.”
Kate nodded. “I can. I do. For now, will I be able to run consults on my own?”
“Absolutely. Until I find a suitable candidate, it’s your show. I know you can handle it.” He inhaled a breath. “That’s all I’ve got for now. Unless there’s something else you’d like to talk about?”
“I’m good.” Kate pushed up from the chair. “I’d better clear my boxes from Quinn’s office.” She smiled. “I like mine better anyway.”
“If I thought you were serious, I might take offense that you decided to move in,” Fisher added. “There is something else, your hearing. It’s in three weeks.”
Kate stopped and turned back. “Okay. I’ll be ready. By the way, I’m glad it’s you here, Fisher.”
“Thank you.”
Theo Bishop stood before his boss with his hands clasped at his front. “I realize I asked this very thing just a few weeks ago, but I feel compelled to help. It’ll just be a few days; a week tops.”
The Maryland EMS system was an independently run state operation. Bishop was employed at the city center location in Baltimore. It was one of the busiest operations in the state. He knew this was a big favor to ask and especially considering he’d only just asked this very question a short while ago. How far he could push his boss’s generosity remained to be seen.
“I’ll tell you, Bishop, things have been brutal around here lately. We’re short staffed as it is.”
“I know, sir, and I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t believe they truly needed the help. It could make for a nice news story. Maybe give the department some good PR,” Bishop added.
“I suppose it could. I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you three days. Mind you, it’ll come from your sick pay and/or vacation. Whatever you have left at this point. You understand?”
“I do, sir. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me and the people of Riverside.”
“Go on then. See what you can do to help those people. God knows how many more will be evacuated before it’s all said and done. The whole damn state is ablaze.”
“California’s suffered a lot of wildfires, no doubt. Thank you, sir, and I’ll keep in close contact.” Bishop turned away with a smile.
