“I betrayed your trust, Ryan,” said Donaldson, “And I’ll
resign my position if you still feel the same way at the end of our
conversation. All I’m asking for is a few minutes. Will you allow me that?”
“You may have swayed Archer. You won’t sway us, but go
ahead and start dancing.”
“I betrayed your trust because I trusted Colonel Brown,”
started Donaldson, “And it was a mistake that’ll haunt me for the rest of my
life. Before this mess, he was a respected leader and a vital component to a
program with unprecedented potential to save lives in combat. The more I learned
about the Didache Project, the more I believed in it. The results were
extraordinary and the applications were sound. But the lengths he was willing
to go to insure its survival weren’t. He betrayed all of us, Ryan.”
“You’re telling me you had no idea what was happening?”
asked Ryan. “I can’t accept that. I can’t accept you simply took his word that we
needed to kill Derek and the others.”
“Ryan, even you were taken in by the need to stop them
before they killed again. Neither one of us knew why. We just knew we couldn’t
let them continue. The Colonel manipulated the evidence and the situation to
make us believe they were murderers on a rampage.”
Archer interrupted again. “Before the deputy director
left Washington, he sent me the transcripts and recordings of every conversation
he had with Colonel Brown and you. When you hear them, I think you’ll have a
better understanding. For what it’s worth, I have very little knowledge of what
happened, but the tapes are compelling. The Colonel motivated nearly every move
the Bureau made. And we now know everything coming out of his mouth was a lie.”
“We started to suspect he was playing us when we
discovered he authorized the destruction of Joshua’s juvenile criminal
records,” continued Donaldson. “I immediately put a team on investigating the
nature of the offenses. It didn’t take them long to put the pieces together
proving he was a true sociopath. We still didn’t understand why Derek, Peter,
and Richard jumped on Joshua’s killing bandwagon, but it raised enough red
flags for me to put the brakes on accepting the Colonel’s request for support.
Unfortunately, you had already uncovered the truth about his intentions. When
we couldn’t contact you, I knew something was wrong. After he sent Alex’s fake
confession to the oversight committee, there was no doubt in my mind of his
true nature. When I sent the agents to Maine, they didn’t go to protect him. I
sent them to help you. Obviously, you didn’t need it.”
“I killed him,” said Ryan, “And Alex. That needs to be
made perfectly clear. It’s all on me. And Joshua was killed while he attempted
to take another victim. It was a clean shoot for Michelle and Tom.”
“I have no doubt, Ryan,” replied Donaldson. “I’m sorry
you thought you were out there alone on this. From what I’ve heard so far, and
for the record, the Colonel was barricaded in the lab and resisted arrest. His
was a clean shoot as well. The U.S. Attorney’s Office concurs. We have a
mountain of paperwork to complete, but at this point no criminal charges are
being filed against you or any member of your team. After you finish the
reports I’ll be helping you with, you’re going to take a very long vacation
while I sort out the details. I’m sorry, but there’s no way to avoid putting
you on administrative leave until this case is closed.”
“Administrative leave is the least of my worries, but what
about Derek?” asked Ryan.
“It’s a little trickier for him,” said Donaldson, who
turned his attention to Derek. “Regardless of why, there are still a number of
families out there wondering what happened to their daughters. We have to
answer to them. There’s no way to avoid it.”
“He helped us end this, sir,” said Ryan, becoming
irritated. “As crazy as it sounds, they programmed him to kill those women.
There was no premeditation or natural urge. I understand the families need
closure, but there has to be another way. Derek doesn’t deserve to go to
prison.”
“Ryan,” said Derek in a disarming tone, “You know he’s
right. I have to answer for what I did, in spite of the reasons. There’s no way
around the fact that I murdered them. When I walked in here with you, I was
ready to tear these walls down if they tried to take me into custody. But the
truth is, it’s the only way.”
“No, it’s not, Derek,” said Ryan, standing. “I won’t let
them do this.”
“Hold on, Ryan,” said Donaldson. “We’re not going to
take him to jail. He’s going to walk out of here a free man, but we do have to
process him into the system. If you’ll agree, I’ll release him into your
custody. You’ll stay with him while we take care of our legal obligations to
the victims and their families. I’m going to handle it personally. But first,
we need to get him well. How long before the urges take over, Derek?”
“It’ll probably start tomorrow, sir. I need to be
sedated and locked up for at least three days.”
“How would you feel about it happening back at the lab
in Maine?” asked Donaldson. “We’ll send the scientists with you to start the
reversal therapy immediately. I don’t think they’ll have a problem with getting
back to work for our side. Actually, they don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t care where it happens,” said Derek, “I just
want this out of me.”
“As of now, I’m reinstating the Didache Project for one
purpose,” said Donaldson, “To get your life back. When it’s complete, those
doors will never open again. I’ll put the locks on myself.”
“We shot up the lab pretty good,” said Ryan. “I don’t
know how long it will take to repair the damage.”
“From what I saw, most of the equipment we’ll need is
still intact,” said Stewart, sitting at a table in the conference room with the
other two scientists. “I won’t sleep until I make this right. I swear to all of
you, I’ll work non-stop until he’s better. All of this is my fault.”
“Thank you,” said Derek. “I know you didn’t do this on
purpose.” With a smile he added, “If I did, you’d be with the Colonel right
now.”
“He’ll have to answer to the murder charges, Ryan,”
continued Donaldson, “But the U.S. Attorney has already agreed to speak to each
family and explain the circumstances. They feel strongly most will be satisfied
with the actions already taken against the men responsible. And I’ll be with
him every step of the way. But first things first, let’s get both of you back
to Maine.”
The technicians shut down the recording equipment, and
nearly everyone in the room grabbed a phone to begin making all the necessary
arrangements. Ryan and Derek sat quietly at the table as most of the occupants
left the room.
“Well, that turned out a little better than I expected,”
said Derek, finally breaking the silence.
“I’d have to agree,” said Ryan. “I also have to tell you
I didn’t think we’d be walking out of here free men. Shit, I actually think I
still have a job.”
“Looks like it, buddy.”
“I have a plane waiting to take you to back to Maine,”
said Donaldson. “I won’t be joining you just yet. I need to get back to
Washington to start moving the mountain of paper. Are you two going to be
okay?”
“Yes, sir,” said Ryan. “We’re going to be fine. Just one
more thing.”
“Whatever you need.”
“I’m sorry I thought you betrayed us,” said Ryan. “I’m
glad you proved me wrong.”
“I’m the one who’s glad, son. Judging from what happened
to the people who did betray you, I’m very glad,” said Donaldson, leaving Ryan
and Derek alone in the room.
“Well, you ready for your nap?” asked Ryan, slapping
Derek on the back.
“I really am.”
“Listen, I may not be there when you wake up.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have promises to keep.”
Derek and the scientists boarded their plane and headed
back to the lab. Ryan walked up to the ticket counter, and for the first time
in over five years, bought his own seat. His plane landed at Shenandoah Regional Airport where he rented a car and headed for Harrisonburg, Virginia. He arranged to meet Sheriff Bill Parker the following morning.
Ryan slept hard for nearly seven hours before the alarm
jolted him awake. Shortly after, a knock on his hotel door signaled the
beginning of another long day. He opened it to see Sheriff Parker standing with
a smile and two large cups of coffee.
“It’s not moonshine, but it’s not far from it,” greeted
the Sheriff, handing Ryan a cup.
“You’re a life saver, Bill,” replied Ryan, taking a sip.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve aged about ten years in the past couple of months,
but other than that I’m good. The real question is, how are you holding up?”
“How far is the drive to the first house?”
“About forty-five minutes.”
“That’s not nearly enough time for me to answer your
question, but I’ll try.”
“Unfortunately, we have three other homes to visit
today,” said Bill. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up. But I want to make
sure I tell you now how much I appreciate you keeping your word. You didn’t
have to come back here and do this. That says a lot about your character.”
“I can’t take all the credit for being here,” said Ryan.
“You can be somewhat persuasive yourself.”
“Let’s get out of here before we start hugging,” said
Bill.
Both men sat in the car for a moment after they pulled
into the driveway of the first house. They mentally prepared to face the
parents of Laura Ackerman. She was Peter Arrington’s first victim in Virginia.
The job didn’t get any easier when they visited the second, third, and fourth
families. Ryan didn’t return solely to try to give closure to the families of
the victims. He needed to find it as well.
He didn’t immediately leave Harrisonburg after he
finished the somber task of explaining to the parents how and why they lost
their daughters. It was more emotionally exhausting than he anticipated. The
Sheriff graciously offered his isolated hunting cabin amidst the serenity of
the Shenandoah Valley. Ryan spent two days alone with his thoughts for the
first time since he had accepted the assignment. When he finally answered his
phone, he quickly closed up the cabin and drove directly to the airport.
With each connecting flight, the aircraft grew smaller
and smaller until he was sitting behind the pilot, occupying one of only four
seats. Nearly ten hours had passed since he had left Virginia. The car waiting
for him at Belize City Airport carried him to a large marina where he boarded a
thirty-eight-foot speed boat. At seventy mile per hour, the driver took him to
his final island destination in less than two hours.
They docked alongside a small pier and took a stone path
to a large two-story Spanish villa overlooking the water. Ryan noticed two men
in Hawaiian shirts walking along a sundeck on the roof of the house. Each was
scanning the property with high powered binoculars with higher powered rifles
slung across their backs. He identified two more armed men patrolling through
the expansive manicured backyard among the palm trees and tropical plants. The
stone path ended at the edge of a large pool deck with a cascading waterfall at
one end and a Tiki bar on the other. He approached a laughing group of people
sitting at the bar while a blender mixed another round of pina coladas.
“This is a bit nicer than any FBI safe house I could’ve
put you in,” said Ryan as Jennifer jumped to her feet and greeted him with an
excited hug.
“Steve doesn’t know it yet, but we’re never leaving,”
said Jennifer, tightening her squeeze.
“When you told me you were going to lock her away
somewhere safe, I imagined a dark dank hotel room somewhere in Jersey,” said
Derek, shaking his hand after Jennifer loosened her grip.
“Believe me, I had no idea either,” said Ryan. “I’m not
sure how you were able to leave the country, Derek. But Steve doesn’t seem to
play by anyone’s rules but his.”
“No, my handlers actually know I’m here. But if they
ask, I came down with you,” said Derek with a smirk.
“I take it everything went well at the lab?”
“I woke up feeling great. I have to head back in a few
days for more reverse therapy, but all indications to this point are very good.
I can’t voluntarily force the mutations to happen anymore.”
“I couldn’t be happier for you. The both of you.”
“How could I possibly thank you enough?” asked Jennifer,
making no attempt to hold back her tears. “You made our dreams come true. I
wasn’t too thrilled about Derek kissing Michelle on my deck, but I know it had
to look real for Joshua to believe it was me.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Ryan. As Michelle and Tom
joined them at the bar, he added, “Glad to see you guys decided to take a
break.”
“We’re not going back either,” said Tom. “This place is
fantastic. The island is practically deserted.”
“Did Dallas come with you?”
“Yeah, he’s inside having an interesting conversation
with Steve. You probably need to check in on them.”
“I heard you’re both going back to Behavioral Sciences
at Quantico. Is that true?”
“More than likely,” said Michelle, “But I agree with
Tom. I may never leave this place.”
“Nobody would blame you,” said Ryan, heading for the
house and leaving them to their next round of pina coladas. Dallas met him as
he was walking up to the back door.
“Hey, Boss, perfect timing. Steve’s up those stairs,” pointed
Dallas, wearing a ridiculously loud tropical shirt.
“Nice threads.”
“There’s a closet full of them upstairs. When you
finish, put one on and join me at the Tiki. You and I are going to get hammered
tonight. Don’t even try to say no.”
“Deal,” said Ryan, taking the stairs to meet Steve.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” said Ryan, joining
his friend on the second-story balcony overlooking the pool.