The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (55 page)

“
Yes I am,
”
Jessica replied.

“
A higher up from Quantico is with you?
”
 
John asked.

“
Very observant
,
Agent Fowler,
”
Jessica responded.

“
Does he know about the link between this murder and my wife
’
s?
”
 
John asked very quietly.

“
No,
”
Jessica replied.  John was puzzled.  He wasn
’
t for sure what was going on. 
“
Do you remember Thelma Hanks?
”
 
Jessica asked.

John lowered his head.  He did remember Thelma.  He knew Trip was in love with her, and she was with him.  John stood up. 
“
I do
.
Jess
,
text me the address, I
’
m on my
way.
”
 
John disconnected, told the Moores he had to leave, and asked to borrow a car.  Arthur tossed John the keys, and John ran outside to the car.  As he was getting in the car, his mind was spinning.  He had a lead on the Senator and now, after all this time, he might have a lead on his wife
’
s killer.  A smile spread across John
’
s face.  While he was sad for the death of Thelma and for Trip, he couldn
’
t help but be excited to finally be on the trail of the one person in the world he wanted to see dead.

Dale City, Virginia

             
Chapter 52

As John pulled up to what was left of the address he was texted, he couldn
’
t help to think back to the night of Sam
’
s death.  He stared at the burning wreckage
that had been Thelma
’
s house
.  It reminded him of that night as his apartment burnt in the New York night.  He had lain on the ground that night, knocked back by the explosion.  He had wanted to get up and run to his apartment, but he had been a FBI agent for too long.  He knew Sam was gone.  He stared that night at the fire that burned against the clear sky.  John shook the memories from his head.

John got out of the car and scanned the area.  He saw Jess, Chet and Trip.  He examined Trip closely.  John wasn
’
t 100%
sure
of Trip and Thelma
’
s relationship, but he knew they loved each other.  That was obvious to John by the body movements
Trip had
at work when she was mentioned, and here, at what remained of her home.  John sighed deeply.  This was going to be rough.  John knew better than anyone what Trip was going through right now.  Trip was standing apart from Jessica and Chet.  John took a deep breath and started toward him.  Jessica saw John and tried to stop him, but John waved her off.

“
Chet,
”
Jessica said to him, not even looking at Chet but watching John head toward Trip. 
“
We
’
re about to see massive fireworks, one way or another.
”

John walked up to Trip and stood there quietly.  Trip felt John at his shoulder, but ignored him.  Trip gazed into the fire.  John counted mentally to 100, and when Trip still hadn
’
t acknowledged him, John spoke.

“
Trip,
”
John began. 
“
Don
’
t hold this in.
”

Trip turned to John, anger spreading quickly across his face.

“
So you go to one counseling session and you think you can help save the world!?
”
 
Trip spoke quietly, but very angrily.  John didn
’
t say anything. 
“
You have no idea what I
’
m going through.  You don
’
t know my relationship with Thelma.  I know you think you know.  I know you think you know everything with you special
‘
abilities.
’
 
For God
’
s sake man!?!?
  Why did they even let you in the FBI!?!?  You
’
re not a profiler, you
’
re not a forensic scientist, and you can
’
t even tell other
s
how you know the things you know!?!?  You can just watch someone and deduce it in your head!?!?  Well here
’
s something you don
’
t know
,
Mr. Know-It-All!!!!  I killed her!!!  I asked her to do something for me and now she
’
s dead!!!
”

Trip began to tremble.  John knew what was coming next, and now realized how little he had thought through his plan.  Trip was going to need a shoulder to cry on, and John really didn
’
t think there was any way he was going to get around the awkwardness of this moment.  It was at that second Jessica, who had been watching the whole thing and began walking toward them during their exchange, hugged Trip.  Trip broke down and began to sob.  Chet did his best to stand in a way that shielded others from seeing what was going on.  After a minute or so, Trip regained his composure, and Jessica released Trip.  Trip nodded his thanks toward Jessica, and looked at John sheepishly.  Trip began to speak, but John held up his hand.

“
Trip,
”
John began. 
“
If anyone knows about saying things they regret in these situations, well, you
’
re looking at him.
”
 
Trip nodded. 
“
Now, what do you have facts-wise about what you just told me?
”

Trip shook his head.  He looked at the remains of Thelma
’
s house and looked back at John.  He looked
hopeless.  John had seen that look before.  It had stared at him in a mirror for three years.  John placed his arm on Trip
’
s shoulder.  Trip blew out a breath and tried to hold it together. 

“
I don
’
t know anything for sure
,
John, I just know what I think,
”
Trip replied.  He was on the verge of losing it with each word he spoke, but he managed to hold it together.  John nodded, and looked at the burning building.  John felt the feelings of loss start to build in him, but instead of fighting them, he let them come.  While John was looking toward the building, Jessica moved to where she was looking Trip directly in the face, with a questioning look on her face.  Trip shook his head no, quickly, and Jessica let it go.  Trip walked over to John and stood beside him, both men looking at the fire.

Chet and Jessica walked up behind the two men.  John spoke, softly.

             
“
Trip, I don
’
t know what you felt for Thelma, and it
’
s not my place to judge,
”
John began. 
“
Tonight you
’
ve had something ripped away from you.  Tonight you
’
ve been told something is over that you never had a chance to fight for.  I
’
d like to tell you that eventually that feeling goes away.  That would be a lie.
”

             
Tears were in Trip
’
s eyes.  John turned toward him.  Jessica and Chet stood there silently.  Both thought they should be uncomfortable with the situation, but they weren
’
t.  Jessica had the craziest thought that they were becoming a family.  Not the Christmas card kind.  More like the dysfunctional get Uncle George out of the potato salad at the reunion type of family.  Nonetheless they were becoming a family. 

             
“
I
’
m going to tell you what I think,
”
John began. 
“
I think you two had an arrangement that worked for both of you.  I think both of you wanted more, but you were good with where you were.
”
 
Trip continued to look at the building, tears streaming down his face.  He was barely nodding, but he was confirming everything John said. 
“
Trip, you were both happy.  Hold on to that.  Remember that, relish it.  You hold onto that when you have these moments where you think your world is about to come crashing around you.  When it
’
s late at night and you think you might go crazy from the questions of what more could I
have
done, remember that you were happy.  Remember that Thelma loved life, and lived it.  Remember that she wouldn
’
t want you to stop
living
your life.  Remember that you
’
re not dead, and if you don
’
t go on, then that would make Thelma unhappy.  Remember to be happy.
”

             
Trip turned to John, nodding as tears streamed down his face.  Against his better judgment, John hugged
Trip.  When they broke the embrace, Jessica put her arm on John
’
s shoulder.  She had read between the lines of what John said.  While this was Trip
’
s moment, and everything should be about him, she knew that John had his walls down.  She knew they needed John if they were to solve the cases in front of them.  Jessica silently admonished herself, but she did what she knew she needed to do.

             
“
You know you have that too
,
John,
”
Jessica said.

             
John squared his jaw and fought back the tears.  He turned to Jessica, with anger in his eyes.  Not at her, but at what he had done. 

             
“
Do I
,
Jess?
”
 
John asked. 
“
Do I really?  I mean the two of you were best friends and I didn
’
t notice.  I am known for my
“
gift
”
.  I mean right or wrong, what Trip said a few minutes ago
was
spot on.  I am not a forensic scientist, I am not a psychologist, or a profiler, or anything that is glamorous.  I
’
m an old school detective that notices things no one else does.  I didn
’
t even notice you and my wife were best friends.  I didn
’
t even notice that I was too far gone to notice!  I was so absorbed in myself and my next drink that I missed the obvious!!
”

             
“
That was my fault,
”
Trip said quietly.  Shock hit Chet
’
s face when he heard those words.  He turned toward Trip.  The color drained out of Jessica
’
s face.  She looked down at the ground hoping to avoid John
’
s explosion.  John didn
’
t explode.  He slowly turned toward Trip with mild amusement on his face.

             
“
Do you want to run that one by me again,
B
oss?
”
 
John asked.

“
I was concerned about you,
”
Trip began. 
“
You were so far into the mob, and the drinking . . .
“
 
Trip
let the sentence trail off, as he looked back toward the house.  He kept looking at the house as he continued.

“
I needed to test you, so I asked Jessica to start meeting with Sam,
”
Trip said.  He had a quick laugh and shook his head.  He looked at John. 
“
She was just like you
,
John.
”
 
John looked confused. 
“
Sam knew what was up quickly.  She came to me and thanked me for caring about you.  I put in a request to pull you off the case six months before the bust.  It was denied.  You were in so deep and
the thought was
you could bring down so many . . .
”
 
Trip
looked over at the burning remains of Thelma
’
s house and shook his head.  He collected himself and continued. 
“
T
he higher ups thought the risk was justified.  They only cared about the bottom line.  John, you were expendable.  It was almost like they were trying to get rid of you.
”