Jim rolled the Ducati out of the freight lift and into the corner of his large studio apartment. He had gone for a burn to get some fresh air. The details of the case still left him cold. He could have sworn he shot Ted Cross in the firefight at the airstrip, but none of the local hospitals or doctors reported seeing someone of that description with a bullet wound. Still, in the helicopter they could have gone anywhere, if he wasn't killed.
It was not a satisfactory end to the case. Jordan told him about the order to pull them off the case. What the hell was that about? They could have tried to trace the copter, find its landing sight. Now they were just supposed to sit back and leave it alone. No doubt the top brass had their reasons for screwing with peoples lives as usual, but he didn't have to like it. He did have to live with it.
He had reported to the office, but with not a lot to do there apart from his report, he went home submitting it via encrypted e-mail. He had gone for one of the longest showers he'd taken since he left the Corp, trying to wash the filth of the case from his body. Somehow, he knew that the murders would start again someday. The case was far from over. It was for them, though.
He had logged on to the BBS system Ted had posted to, but there was nothing there. He decided to try and forget it for a while. He worked-out for a while, both on the gym and using Tai Chi. Afterwards, he sat down and decided to watch a movie. Most people would have been surprised to find out Jim was a big Cary Grant fan. He put on "To Catch a Thief" and sat back, a bowl of fruit on one side, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a glass on the other.
Jim eventually fell asleep in his chair. He had a far from peaceful night...
NRPG:
Just a short one to let everyone know Jim's reaction to the end of the case.
Respectfully submitted,
FCO Lt.(jg) Olivier Patru, USS ORION NCC-1997, Starfleet.
Special Agent-1 Jim Reaper, X-Files Division, FBI.
Ar'Aman Bowright and Darar, Daere Warren, DragonLands.
aka Peter Shillan.