Unsolved (Invisible #2) - James Patterson Page 0,32

you were on your little personal crusades, your hunts for leprechauns and fairy princesses and serial killers, you had to make it clear that you weren’t acting in an official capacity. You agreed to that.”

“I did, yes.”

“And when you initially contacted New Orleans, you didn’t make that clear.”

“Not initially, no.”

He nods. This is going fine so far. He’s making his case against me, step by step.

“In the past, have you contacted other local law enforcement agencies and given them the impression that you were acting on behalf of the Bureau?”

I wonder if he knows the answer to that already. I wonder if he’s had a look at my personal e-mail account. But it doesn’t matter. I’m too burned out to lie.

“Yes,” I say.

“So New Orleans wasn’t an isolated incident?”

“I think I just answered that question.”

He points at me. “Talking back isn’t going to help you here, Dockery. You embarrassed the Bureau. You embarrassed me. You made it look like I’m not in control of my own people.”

“Is that what this is about?”

He draws back. Licks his lips, shakes his head, then shows me a nasty grin. “You really are a piece of work, aren’t you?”

“I do my job and I do it well,” I say. “And on the side, instead of reading books or watching TV or training for marathons, I try to stop serial killers. I don’t ask for any help. I do it on my own. Yes, I have misrepresented myself. I admit it. I have occasionally given people the impression that I’m working on a Bureau investigation so they’ll cooperate with me. I won’t do it again. That’s a promise. It’ll never happen again. But I won’t apologize.”

“You will apologize,” he says. “And do you know why?”

I won’t give him the pleasure of a response.

“You’ll apologize,” he says, “because you need the Bureau’s resources to do what you do in your spare time. Without us, you’re out of the serial-killer-chasing business.”

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation or maybe it’s everything that just happened with Books, but I will not grovel for this asshole. He’s going to fire me or he isn’t.

Ross chuckles. He gets out of his chair and starts moving around the room. “You know what I think?” he says. “I think you got really lucky once with Graham. It made you feel special. It made you feel smart. Everyone admires and pities you because you got all cut up by that creep, but the truth is, getting attacked was the best thing that ever happened to you. Every day, we are all reminded of how brave and smart you are.

“And now? Now it’s like a drug. You need it again. You want everyone to think you’re special again. But you’re not special, Dockery. You’re a freak with no people skills who makes herself crazy looking high and low for serial killers who don’t exist. You stare at a computer day and night because you know that nobody likes you, and no man would want you.”

I look away, holding it all in. He’s baiting me. He wants me to blow up. He wants me to explode so he can add insubordination, erratic behavior, and anything else he can come up with to the list of my administrative violations.

“Resign,” he says, coming up behind me. “Make it easy on yourself.”

I put my hands on the table, bracing myself, my skin crawling.

“Never,” I say.

“Exactly!” He claps his hands together once. “You can’t do it. You can’t wean off the drug. This job is all you have. And since I could fire you without thinking twice about it, that means I’m all you have.”

I close my eyes as he stands behind me. If he touches me, I’m going to deck him.

But he won’t. He’s torturing me plenty without laying a finger on me.

“This is your last chance. So here are the new rules, Dockery. First off, you come to work every day. None of this crap about how efficient you are at home. No more special treatment for the poor lady who got her face cut up. You show up every day.

“Second, I want a cup of Starbucks on my desk, piping hot, every morning by eight o’clock. You’re going to walk it in, you’re going to smile, and you’re going to say, ‘Good morning, Mr. Assistant Director.’ I will make a point of saying the coffee’s not necessary. And you will make a point of saying that you appreciate how understanding I’ve been, that it’s the least you can