annoyance I’d just as soon do without.”
“I gotcha. Does it say anything else interesting?”
“Not really. Just a rehash of the older cases. I wonder where this guy’s getting his info from, though? He connected this killing with the others awfully quickly. We haven’t issued a statement yet, have we?”
Richard nodded. “We have, actually, but not in time for the
“You’d think they would have called us if that was the case. Then again, you never know. It’s worth asking about, but the problem is there’s a limit to what I can demand if they start in with saying that they got their information from a protected source. Freedom of the press and all.”
“I’d still make the call.”
Silver typed in a quick reminder for herself on her cell phone then slid it back into her purse.
“Where are we off to? You have a chauffeur for the afternoon,” Richard announced cheerfully.
She glanced at him, the sun glinting off highlights in his hair she hadn’t noticed before, and realized she was glad he was escorting her.
She smiled for the first time in a few hours. “I hope you have a pillow for me to sit on.”
He slowed.
“Relax, Richard. I’m kidding. It’s not that bad.”
He resumed his pace. “You had me there for a second. But…I have to say — I don’t know how I’d be reacting if the same thing had happened to me this morning. I mean, Silver, come on. This is a big deal.”
Silver nodded. He was right. But she needed time to process it all, and for that, she needed to be alone.
“I know.”
Miriam looked troubled when Silver walked through the daycare door. She approached Silver and wordlessly hugged her.
“Hey. Let’s not act like we’re going to a funeral or anything, okay? It was just an incident. Nothing more. All part of the job.”
Kennedy came running from the back. “Mommy,” she cried and threw her arms around Silver, causing her to wince. The anesthetic was wearing off.
“Careful. You don’t want to break my hip.”
“Are you all right? What happened?” Miriam asked.
So much for downplaying things. Silver glanced at Kennedy and sighed.
“We had a…a situation this morning. You’ll probably be hearing about it on the news before too long. A man attacked me in the parking garage, and I had to use my gun to stop him.”
“Whoa. Did you shoot someone?” Kennedy asked in a voice laced with admiration.
“I’m afraid so, sweetheart.”
“Too cool.”
Silver hesitated, wondering how much her daughter was trying to shock her and how much was genuine. “No, it’s not cool. I’m lucky I’ve had the training to defend myself. Many wouldn’t have been that fortunate.”
“What exactly happened?” Miriam asked, prompting Silver to make an instantaneous decision.
“I can’t talk about the details. I’m not allowed to. Sorry. Those are the rules after a shooting.”
Both Miriam and Kennedy looked crestfallen.
“But you’re okay, Mom?”
She debated how much to share. “I hurt my butt. I’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s about it. So no spanking.”
Kennedy giggled. Miriam gave her a look that said she wouldn’t push it, but that she didn’t believe it was that minor.
Miriam sighed. “Well, you look like you’re in one piece. Thank God. That had to be a dreadful ordeal.”
“I’ve had better mornings. But hey, it gave me a chance to play hooky for the afternoon, so it isn’t all bad. Listen, Miriam, thanks so much for taking care of Kennedy. I don’t mean to rush out of here, but I have to go. I’ve got someone waiting outside in a car…”
“My pleasure, as always. See you tomorrow?”
“First thing. Kennedy, would you please grab your stuff so we can get going?”
Kennedy walked to the corner of the room and scooped up her bag. “Is Richard driving again? He’s cute.”
“It’s not like that. And mind your manners, young lady.”
“That means you think he’s cute, too!” Kennedy squealed.
“Can’t you go back to being more goth, or whatever it is you’ve been lately? You’re kind of freaking me out with all this good humor.”
Kennedy ignored her. “Does that mean he
Silver gave her a look that could have stopped a truck. She knew Kennedy was deliberately pushing it now, probably from all the accumulated stress of worrying about her mom. But still.
“One wrong word out of you and you won’t have computer privileges for a week. I’m not kidding. So behave, or you’re going to regret it.”
Kennedy affected a pout.
Miriam smiled. “All right, you two. See you in the morning,” she said as mother and daughter began making their way to where Richard waited for them.
The afternoon sped by uneventfully, with Silver fielding a few calls while at home, including a return call from Ben, who had agreed to contact Eric and break the news about the shooting so he wouldn’t hear about it on the news. She felt like she was chickening out, but Ben had agreed that it was a good idea to avoid speaking directly to him. Eric was the enemy now, and she couldn’t afford for a slip of the tongue to be used against her later.
Ben had done the deed and had also asked Eric to refrain from contacting Silver, which was a huge relief. She didn’t need an inquisition, and Eric’s natural instinct was to strike whenever his adversary was weak.
Silver had Kennedy helping her make dinner, selecting the vegetables for their salad and setting the table. Kennedy had been remarkably meek all day, so when she turned to Silver with worry in her eyes, Silver knew that she would need to be careful how she handled the questions that were coming.
“Did you kill the man you shot today, Mom?”
Silver stopped chopping. “Yes, honey, I’m afraid I did. It was self-defense. There was no other way to stop him from hurting me.”
Kennedy nodded, as if understanding that and finding it reasonable. “Why was he trying to hurt you?”
A great question.
“We aren’t sure, sweetheart. We think it has something to do with my job. He was a criminal, and it could be that I somehow made him angry.”
“But don’t police do that every day? Criminals don’t come after police for doing their job.”
“No, ordinarily they don’t. That’s why nobody is sure what this is all about.”
“Are you safe now?”
“Yes, honey, I believe I am. The FBI has protection in place. Nobody can hurt us.”
Silver could see where this was going. She was going to have a kid who couldn’t get to sleep because of nightmares of bad guys trying to get them.
“Then why couldn’t they protect you this morning?”
“Because nobody knew this man was going to try to attack me.”
She instantly saw the hole in the logic of her response.
“But then couldn’t they also be missing someone else who wants to attack you?”
Silver put down the knife and wiped her hands on a towel and walked around the counter to face Kennedy. She sat down at the dining room table, put her hands on Kennedy’s shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.
“Your mom is an ass kicker, Kennedy. This guy tried to get me, and I took him down. That’s what I do for a living — I take down bad guys. I’m very good at it. It’s extremely rare for anyone to attack an FBI agent for that
