"Yes." Amara smiled at them, clasping her hands together over her terracotta dress-suit. "As we discussed before, Meghan Salinger was only the first of several missing women in the county. It's an alarming number of them. I'd like to ask Agent Walker and Agent Lyons, with the help of Grace here, to take on the rest of the cases. A permanent position as my task force specifically dedicated to finding these missing girls."

Not long ago, Nicky would have been afraid of the commitment. Afraid that she might fail. But she'd saved Meghan. She'd won.

"I'll definitely think about it," Nicky said.

"Same," said Ken.

"Well, you can count me in!" Grace replied.

"Perfect," Amara said. "That's all I can ask. If it were up to me, every missing girl would be found. We can only focus on one at a time, but I have so much confidence in you all."

"It's an honor, Senator," Nicky said.

Amara walked over to stand in the middle of the room. "We're so lucky to have such excellent agents in our midst." She looked at Grace. "And you've certainly proven yourself to be one of the best techs around. I'm glad you're leveraging your skill to our advantage."

Grace blushed and gave Amara a nod. The senator nodded back, and then headed to the door. Think about what I said, Agents, Amara said. Ill be in touch soon. With that, Amara left the room.

"She's a good woman," Chief Franco said. "We should be proud to work with her.

Nicky nodded. A solemn silence filled the room. She and Ken sat there, thinking of all the women who'd gone missing. Of Meghan. Of all the lives she'd saved.

"Hey."

Nicky turned to Ken.

"For what it's worth, I think you can do this," Ken said. "You were a good leader, Lyons. Your instincts were spot on. And thats coming from someone who hates sharing the spotlight.

Nicky smiled. Thanks, Walker.

Everyone stood up and shook handsexcept for Grace, who went for a hug. Then, they all broke apart. Job well done. Much more to do. Nicky had the rest of the day off, and she considered going to sit on a patio and have a nice cold beerbut maybe that wasnt what was best for her right now.

There was someone she hadnt seen in a while, someone shed been meaning to visit.

***

The walls of Dr. Graham's office were a deep red, with a fish tank on one wall. Nicky sat in his chair, facing her psychiatrist as he calmly spoke. The water in the tank was cloudy and green, and the fish swimming around it were silver and gold. The light from the window reflecting off of the water made the fish swim in circles. Nicky felt calm and at ease in Dr. Graham's office.

"Miss Lyons," Dr. Graham said, "I didn't expect to see you for a while."