Free The Avenger by Jo Robertson Page B

even though tears lay like frozen drops at the edges of her eyes.
    He shut down the idea of Livvie and Slater making each other happy, tapped down feelings of jealousy. Slater had always seen Olivia as a kid, a little sister, someone he was honor bound to protect. That wouldn't have changed.
    "I got a call from your boss," Slater grumbled, waving Jack toward a padded folding chair, "and I'm about to get another visit from mine. Apparently your organization seems to think they're the only big dogs in the pack."
    Jack guessed immediately what'd happened. The Judge had weaved his magic, made the proper contacts, and gotten the official support of the Bigler County District Attorney Charles Barrington. A county D.A. was the sheriff's boss, and Jack sensed that Slater and Barrington had antagonism between them.
    Before Slater could sit, his intercom buzzed again.
    Connie's throaty voice came over the system. "D.A.'s here, Chief. I put him in the waiting area," she cackled.
    Slater smiled thinly. "Make him wait a few minutes and then send him in." He turned to Jack and looked pointedly at Olivia. "You didn't say she was involved in this."
    Jack shrugged. "The Invictus Director insisted on her assisting with the case." Not exactly true, but close enough.
    At that moment the door swung open and a short man in his late thirties stormed into the office. "I've been waiting." Barrington snarled.
    When Jack stood and introduced Olivia and himself, however, Barrington's face turned beatific. He pumped Jack's hand enthusiastically. "We're happy to help the federal government in any way we can, Agent Holt." He threw Olivia a dismissive glance, and she sank back into her chair, an unreadable expression on her face.
    "The Organization appreciates your support, Mr. Barrington."
    "Great!" The district attorney rubbed his palms together like a chef ready to serve up his specialty. "You have our absolute cooperation, Agent Holt. Anything you want, anything at all, it's yours – deputies, Sheriff Slater, Dr. Gant."
    Jack wondered how Olivia liked being a bartered item and caught her rolling her eyes.
    Silence reigned for a full minute after Barrington left.
    "Okay, Jack," Slater said. "Tell us what we need to know."
    #
    Two hours later, Jack had outlined the basic facts of the Dead Language Killer case. With chilling concern Olivia watched him present the details of the murders as if the victims were nothing more than faceless people whose violent deaths were a puzzle for him to solve. She scanned his features for an indication that he had a personal connection with them. The Jack she'd known and loved would've suffered with his victims, but this Jack was a hard, cold man without empathy or compassion. Was this detachment a persona he affected to do his work?
    Or had Jack actually turned into this remote, unfeeling man?
    "Any questions?" he asked as he concluded.
    "I know Charlie Barrington promised heaven and earth for you, Jack," Slater warned, "but the facts are that we're a small county. I don't have that kind of manpower."
    "I'll manage." Jack stood and looked at Olivia. "Ah, would you mind stepping outside a moment?"
    They wanted to talk about the dead body up at Lake Tahoe, but she wasn't going to let Jack soften the news for her. "No," she answered quietly. "If I'm helping on this case, then I'm in all the way." When Jack looked like he'd argue, she lifted her brows. "All or nothing, Jack."
    "All right, then." He turned back to Slater. "Have you formally ID'ed the body at the lake?"
    Slater's gaze bounced from Jack to Olivia and back again.
    "One of my students is missing," Olivia explained, "and I thought ... maybe ... " She trailed off. Then she sat down again, expecting the worst kind of blow.
    Slater reached for a slender file on his desk. "We used dental records," he said softly, looking at Olivia with tenderness on his rugged face. "A student at Fatima University named Keisha Johnson."
    Even though she'd expected it, the words were