Cut to the Bone

by Ellison Cooper

Jake’s head snapped back as the nape of his neck blossomed with blood.

  “No!” Sayer turned on Anderson and struck out with her fist, landing a solid punch right on his aquiline nose. She felt his bones shatter under her rage.

  He tried to raise his gun but she was on him, fists landing over and over, unaware that the roaring sound reverberating around the reptile house was coming from her own mouth.

  Anderson stumbled backward and Sayer stepped into the fall, pushing him until she could slam his head onto the brick floor. His head bounced up and then landed again with a sickening crack.

  Sayer reared back to punch him again.

  “Is it over now?” A small voice brought Sayer back before she landed the blow she knew would kill the man.

  Anderson lay unconscious beneath her.

  Kate Brooks struggled to sit up, still surrounded by snakes. She held up her bound hands. “The other girls are being held on a bus belowground. They need help.”

  “They should be safe by now,” Sayer said, eyes riveted on Jake. Not even aware of her own shaking body, she made her way slowly toward him.

  She crouched down and felt for a pulse, but she already knew he was gone. After being frozen for a very long time, she realized that the girl was praying softly to herself.

  Sayer snapped out of her shock and turned to Kate. She carefully moved a few snakes off the girl’s body and cut away the zip ties on her ankles and wrists. Kate leaned forward into Sayer’s arms and let out a visceral shudder of relief.

  Holding the girl, Sayer couldn’t seem to feel anything as she stared at Jake’s dead body on the ground.

  UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.

  Wearing all black, Sayer stepped through the columned entrance to the Justice Department. The security guard was clearly expecting her and waved her through before she even flashed her badge.

  “Top floor, Agent Altair,” the guard said, pointing her to the elevators.

  She navigated her way to the attorney general’s office and found herself in front of a single wooden doorway set in a small rotunda covered with murals depicting American legal history. Her phone rang just before she entered.

  “Agent Altair,” she said softly.

  “Oh dear, you’re lacking your normal bark,” Subject 037 said lightly. “I’m just so sorry for your loss. How strange it must be to grieve yet again for someone you thought you lost so long ago.”

  Sayer didn’t respond.

  “Would you like to hear something rather humorous? When I told you everyone dead wasn’t truly gone, I was talking about Jake. I literally had no idea who Miles Windsor was.” He chuckled.

  “Hilarious,” Sayer said flatly. “What do you want?”

  “Honestly, I wanted to thank you. Even though I didn’t know who Miles was, I was well aware of Director Anderson’s shenanigans. I knew I couldn’t let him continue; I just hadn’t quite figured out how to dismantle his pet project.” He paused. “He needed to learn that I’m the only God in this city. Little did I know you would do it for me. We’re great partners, you and I.”

  “We are not partners.”

  “No, perhaps that’s not the right word. Anyway, my best to Adi and Sophia. I hear from my man on the ground that your nana should be home from Montana in a few days.”

  “Stay away from my family,” Sayer said, in no mood to spar with 037.

  “Oh, Sayer,” he said with condescension. “What’s the saying, ‘as above, so below’?” He paused before continuing with a harsh tone. “All things are interconnected. You, me, Jake, Miles, Director Anderson, we are all part of a web that extends far into the past and the future. There are connections between our lives that we don’t even know about yet.”

  “I didn’t take you for a mystic,” Sayer said, confused by his strange effusiveness.

  “Nothing mystical here. But you can’t deny the beautiful symmetry of it all. Jake left you to bring down Anderson, and he failed. He did it to protect you, but it was you and your relentless pursuit of Miles that finally allowed him to complete his job. Life and death. Sorrow and joy. Loneliness and love. Those are the endless cycles that normal people are caught in.”

  “Normal people?” Sayer asked.

  037 laughed. “Surely you know by now that I’m not normal. I am the spider spinning the webs. One day soon, I’ll show you.” 037 hung up with a sharp click.

  Sayer stared at her phone for a long time, totally unsure what to make of 037’s little speech. With a sigh of annoyance at his self-aggrandizing nonsense, she glanced around the empty hallway before stepping into the office.

  Inside, the attorney general sat in his high-back chair. He looked the part with a thick head of wavy brown hair, chiseled jaw, and intelligent eyes. She’d never met him before, but he had a reputation as a man truly dedicated to justice.

  “Agent Altair.” He gestured for her to take a seat at a small table off to the side of the massive office.

  “Sir,” she said as she sat. Her usual chaffing at the trapping of authority was dulled by her inability to feel anything at the moment.

  “Over the past four years, I worked closely with Jake Pendleton, and I’ve heard so much about you I almost feel like we’re old friends.” He slid into the chair across from her. Despite his kind words, Sayer felt another flash of annoyance. She was just about done with powerful men in Washington presuming to know anything about her.

  “Please let me be the first to extend my heartfelt sorrow for your loss,” he said. “Jake was a truly dedicated and honorable man.”

  Sayer’s calm exterior faltered. Over the past few days she had vacillated between hair-ripping grief and all-encompassing numbness. She could usually maintain her emotionless calm but, for some reason, expressions of sympathy tore away at the veil of nothingness, exposing the deep river of grief underneath.

  She managed to simply nod her thanks.

  “I’ve invited you here today because I wanted to say that to you in person. But also because I assume you have questions.”

  Now this was something Sayer could sink her teeth into. Not exactly sure where to start, she just went right to the beginning. “At some point you began to suspect Director Anderson was assembling an off-the-books organization…”

  “That’s right.” The attorney general flashed a practiced frown. “It began as whispered accusations, but over time I had enough things cross my desk that lent credence to those whispers. We’ve been monitoring his communications for some time, but it wasn’t until they approached Jake that I saw a way to find out the extent of his organization. And it turned out to be far more involved than I expected.”

  “And that’s when you asked Jake to infiltrate, become one of them.”

  “To be perfectly clear, Jake let me know every step of the way what a sacrifice that was for him. He longed to be with you so much. I was the one who decided we couldn’t bring you in. He disagreed, but abided by my decision because we literally only involved five of us in the whole operation.”

  “So, he spent years working his way up, gaining Anderson’s trust.”

  “And Anderson was making some bold moves. Getting Holt fired, trying to fire you, was just part of his plan to gain full control of U.S. intelligence. I can’t really go into too much detail, but I will say that much of the FBI, ATF, and the director of National Intelligence have been highly compromised.”

  “But with Jake’s help, you managed to build a strong paper trail implicating Anderson,” Sayer continued.

  “Yes, but he had so many safeguards in place, so many walls between even his most trusted agents, that we were never entirely sure who he had in his pocket. Plus, he always communicated in code. Even when privately speaking to Jake, he was cagey. Our fear was that, even with the paper trail, he would slip from our grasp. We never found anything concrete enough to ensure that he would be held accountable.”

  “So, this was your big play?” Sayer asked, voice hard. “Everything surrounding Miles Wind
sor?”

  “Miles going rogue forced Anderson to go into damage control mode.” The attorney general gave another practiced frown. “We thought it would make him vulnerable. Force him to take risks he would never normally take. We knew, if we could get a taped confession, it would ensure that he couldn’t weasel out of prosecution. And Jake sure as hell managed to get what we need.”

  “At the cost of his own life…”

  The attorney general nodded slowly. “Jake knew this could very likely be a suicide mission. He actually left this for you just in case.” He slid an envelope across the table.

  Sayer stared down at it, absolutely certain she didn’t want to read it. Rather than pick up the letter, she continued, voice harsh, “You used those children as bait to draw out Anderson.”

  “I won’t deny that we took a risk. However, Jake told me that you would find them and that you would save them no matter what happened with Anderson. He had endless faith in your abilities and I see that faith wasn’t misplaced.”

  It took Sayer a few moments to find her voice again.

  “And now you’re going to take Anderson down,” Sayer said in a low, dangerous voice.

  The attorney general’s whole face crinkled with genuine pleasure. “Indeed. I imagine that I’m about to spend the next few years of my life dismantling Anderson’s organization.” He looked straight into Sayer’s eyes. “I will make sure that everything Jake worked toward will come to fruition. You have my word.”

  ROAD TO TINO’S NEW HOUSE, ALEXANDRIA, VA

  Sayer drove from the Department of Justice toward the hospital, but quickly realized she didn’t know who she was even planning to visit. Kate and the rest of the young women from the bus were already home. Nell was awake and recovering well, but Sayer knew she would be surrounded by family. Tino and Vesper were sitting with Declan, and doctors said the boy would be able to head home in a few days.

  The only other person there from the case was Miles Windsor and she had no desire to see him.

  Somehow he had survived the gunshot to his chest and was in the ICU recovering from surgery. Sayer knew that Dr. Lilenhammer was lobbying to have him transferred to the Hearing Voices Institute after his release and Miles’s wife supported that option.

  Sayer didn’t care what happened to him as long as he couldn’t hurt anyone else.

  Rather than drive to the hospital, she remembered Tino’s request that she go see his new house. Maybe her new house.

  She navigated back to Alexandria and pulled up to the curb. The sunny yellow colonial looked like something out of a magazine. Even in the slushy gray of winter it exuded cozy cheer. Fallow flower boxes lined every possible surface and she could imagine the entire place blooming with a riot of color in the spring. Only a few miles from Old Town, the residential neighborhood had been built in the early 1900s and original colonial homes lined the rest of the beautiful street.

  Sayer made her way around to the gate in the wooden fence to check out the guest cottage in back.

  She took a few steps into the backyard and stopped, stunned by the wild garden. A meandering path led among trellises, by a small pond, to a large cottage against the back fence.

  “Are you kidding me with this?” she said as she made her way along the cobbled stone path.

  Slowly, she climbed onto the wide covered porch where a row of rocking chairs looked out over the garden.

  The lock on the front door slid easily open and Sayer stepped in, not sure what to expect.

  Inside, a cozy fireplace dominated the room. Honey-tone wood floors and ornate crown molding made it look fancy even without furniture.

  Sayer wandered from room to room, trying to imagine her life in such a pretty place. After she made a few quick circuits of the two bedroom cottage, she dialed Tino. “I’m at the new place. It’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. And I’m just talking about the cottage.”

  “Wonderful! The house is even better. I’ve got the paperwork here. I’m going to sign and courier it over right now. You go ahead and keep that key. Give it a few hours and the place will be ours.”

  “Are you sure you can afford this? Should we discuss rent?” Sayer said, still processing the idea of such a sudden, unexpected move.

  “Of course you won’t pay rent. We’re a family and yes, I can afford it.”

  He hung up and Sayer stood in the center of the living room stunned. The envelope from Jake crinkled in her pocket as she moved.

  Rather than put it off any longer, she sat down on the floor and started to read.

  Sayer, my love,

  I hope you never have to read this. But here you are, which means I’m truly gone this time. I am so sorry for everything that’s happened. I’ve missed you every moment of the past years and I want to finally explain why I did all of this.

  The only thing we both love as much as each other is our job. All of our work, and the work of every agent, was being corrupted by Anderson. Someone had to destroy him and I was the best person for the job, no matter the cost. Now you can do your job knowing that you are working toward a just and safe world. I hope that I at least achieved that for you. Now you can also continue to build your life and enjoy your family. You’ve got a daughter! And Tino and Vesper are wonderful. And Nana is as kickass as ever.

  My only request is that you live your life as the fierce defender of justice you have always been. If I can ensure that you get to continue doing that, then this was all worth it and I died so that you can go on to save the world.

  I will always love you.

  Eyes ever on the horizon, Jake.

  Sayer lowered the note and released the sob that threatened to destroy her from the inside out. She cried for Jake, but also for everything she had neglected over the past four years because she was so caught up in her own grief.

  When no more tears would come, Sayer stood up in the beautiful room.

  Jake was truly gone. She had mourned him, but now she was done feeling sorrow. This was a clean slate to start building the life she had put on hold for way too long.

  SAYER’S GUEST COTTAGE, ALEXANDRIA, VA

  Three days later, Sayer stood at the kitchen counter, staring out at her new home. Max and Ezra sat on the floor assembling her new bookshelves, framed by a large square of sunlight streaming in through the windows. Kona lay with her back pressed against Max’s leg. Much to Kona’s annoyance, Vesper was sprawled directly next to her, his paws jutting into her face.

  Adi was in and out of her room, a smile plastered from ear to ear. The college visit had gone well and she had just decided to accept Stanford’s offer of a full scholarship.

  Tino puttered around in the kitchen behind Sayer. Though his eyes were still bruised and his nose swollen, he was in good cheer, singing a wheezing song under his breath. The savory scent of lime soup, combined with the spicy enchiladas baking in the oven, filled the air.

  The soft patter of Ezra and Max talking to each other, coupled with Adi’s laughter from the other room on the phone with a friend, along with the homey sounds of Tino cooking, made Sayer feel like this was everything she could want from life. This place and these people felt safe and happy and she wasn’t going to take it for granted for one more second.

  Tino gently bumped his hip against Sayer’s, scooting her out of the way so he could get to the stove. “Don’t mean to interrupt your reverie, but I need to stir,” he said as he tended to the soup. Once he finished, he stood next to Sayer, looking out over the new place. “Now this is how to christen a home. Good food and good friends. The only thing missing are the avocado margaritas. If someone would finish peeling the avocados, I could actually make them…”

  Sayer looked down and realized that she had stopped mid-peel. She let out a short laugh.

  As she finished her job, Ezra called out, “I think it’s time.”

  Wiping her hands, Sayer hurried over to the small TV in the living room to click it on. Holt had told them to watch the news and they were all curious to s
ee the latest on the fallout from the Anderson case.

  Two news anchors sat in front of a photograph of Director Anderson. Beneath Anderson’s face, “disgraced” appeared in huge red letters.

  A perfectly coiffed reporter leaned forward toward the camera, eyes shining with excitement. “Welcome to KDCN’s afternoon news where we’re reporting the latest on the FBI scandal. The Department of Justice dropped a bombshell yesterday when it announced that it has been investigating FBI Director Anderson for four years now.” She looked over to her coanchor. “Brock?”

  “That’s right, Brittany. After releasing a report accusing Director Anderson of corruption and blackmail, the attorney general stripped Director Anderson of his position. The report hasn’t been released to the public yet, but we’ve got the scoop here at KDCN. According to inside sources, Anderson is accused of building an off-the-books group of soldiers and agents who worked for him conducting operations without any oversight. In addition, numerous high-ranking government officials were, shockingly, being blackmailed by Anderson himself.”

  “Shocking indeed, Brock.” The reporter nodded knowingly. “Though the most shocking part of this case so far is the connection to the kidnapping of twenty-four Washington, D.C., high school students last week. The man who kidnapped those children and killed thirteen of them, was, in fact, one of Anderson’s off-the-books agents. Miles Windsor faked his own death a year ago to come work for Anderson.”

  “That’s right, but he apparently suffered a psychotic break and that’s when he began to kill…” The reporter gazed his steely eyes at the camera.

  “Windsor’s total body count was seventeen, including four adults and thirteen high school students. And right now, we’re about to go live to the Department of Justice where the attorney general is making an announcement about the Anderson investigation.”

  The image switched to a large press conference. The attorney general stood at a podium, on stage with Janice Holt next to him.

  “Yeah, Holt!” Ezra called out with a whoop.