CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT
AGENT MILLER
"How evil are these motherfuckers!" I yell as I finish yet another private journal of Dr. Nadeen.
This man is actually sick. The despicable things he's been putting down — in his own handwriting because as we all know, all psychos hate technology — are truly horrifying.
"Didn't you hear what he fuck I just said?" I ask Aguero.
Since we started looking through these documents, he's been locked in his corner, quietly flipping through pages. He doesn't make any disgusted sound or act like any of the things we read are evil.
Once in a while, he leaves and returns with case files. I asked what he was looking for but I got silence.
"Yeah, bad people. Of course."
That's it. I head over to his little corner and peer over his shoulders at what he's working on. My eyebrows furrow as the words on the files start to make sense.
"You don't think… surely not…" I say.
"Please don't say anything. I'm so close to it making sense. I don't need the distraction."
I nod, even though he can't see me.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Keep doing what you're doing. I need to face this alone. If you don't mind."
"Of course not."
Eight years ago when I first joined the FBI, I heard of a case Aguero was working on. An unsolved case that had multiple casualties and zero leads or witnesses. People said he refused a promotion because of that case. I turn back to look at him muttering to himself like a crazy lunatic. If these people are connected to that case, I can only imagine what he's going through.
I quietly open the door and leave. I go to the kitchen and fix myself a cup of instant coffee. My boss walks past the kitchen and then turns back.
"Just the half of the men I was looking for." He says, coming in.
"Good evening sir." I greet and he nods.
"How is it going?" He asks.
"It's going fine. Those men are going away for a very long time."
He nods and smiles. "Good. That's what we want. And the Rossi case?"
"Nothing new, sir. We were focusing on this one."
"Good. Shred the file."
"Sir?" I say, putting my cup down and standing upright. "I thought I heard you say that I should shred the file."
"That's what I said. Orders just came in. Rossi is off limits for now."
Suddenly, the room starts getting very hot. I unbutton the first two buttons of my shirt.
"Am I allowed to ask why, sir?"
"No. Do what you're told."
He pats me on the shoulder, takes my cup of coffee and walks away. I scratch my forehead and look around the room in confusion. What the fuck is about to happen? My hands itch to break something but I remind myself that I'm at work.
I take calming breaths so when I meet Aguero, I don't make things more difficult for him. Before I can move, Aguero runs into the kitchen with a bright smile on his face. For the first time since we became partners he looks younger than forty. He actually looks his age for once.
"It finally made sense!" He exclaims, hugging me.
"The doctor and the director. They're the people I've been looking for for years. Oh, they're so brilliant. They did it so seamlessly too. We didn't think the killer was in fact two killers. We thought it was one person."
His eyes are wide and frantic and he looks like he's close to a heart attack.
"Their work is so perfect. It didn't even look a two person job. I wouldn't even have caught it if it wasn't for a word that seemed odd to me as I was pouring over his updates on Randall. I knew I had seen that word somewhere else and it kept nagging at me."
"It finally clicked and I pushed off all the Randall bullshit and started going through his personal archives. Miller, we have to back to that place. I have to go through everything I missed before they wipe it."
He starts pulling me towards the door and I stand my ground. "You mean now?"
"Yes, I mean now. What else is more important than this right now?"
"What else is more important than an eight year old cold case? Let me think… finding Randall?"
"We're not finding him today. We can get these files today."
"The director just walked in here and asked us to shred the Rossi file." I blurt out.
He pauses then tilts his head. "Okay, shred it so we can get going."
"Are you fucking serious? I spent weeks on that file and now you're telling me to just shred it?"
"Don't shred it then. Let's go."
I laugh dryly. "You've lost it man. You've fucking lost it."
"Are you coming with me or not?" He ask, his mood changing.
I should go with him but I'm just too upset about being told to shred the Rossi file. When I don't respond, he scoffs.
"Fine. I'll go alone. Do whatever the fuck you want."
He storms out and my anger fades. Fuck! I shouldn't have done that to him. This is a case that's been in his head for years and I just got on the Rossi thing. If I feel like this, I should be able to imagine how he feels. I punch the air and scream into my fist. I messed up.
I wash my face in the kitchen sink and run after him. His car is already gone by the time I arrive at the parking lot. I curse my anger issues and get into my own car. The drive to the facility is fast and I use the time to do a lot of thinking. This thing with Rossi is definitely connected to him being dropped at the airport by a US issued car.
I park the car in front of the facility and walk into. The place is empty since we locked it down yesterday. I open the door and go under the yellow tape at the reception. Footsteps approach and Aguero pops up with his gun cocked and ready to go. He rolls his eyes and puts down his gun.
"What are you doing here?" He says.
"I couldn't let you do this alone. I shouldn't have been a dick to you earlier."
"You shouldn't have."
We both stare at each other silently untill I clear my throat.
"That's it. That's the whole apology."
He laughs and I join him.
"Alright. Let's get into it. Hopefully, everything is still here."