He turned and shook hands with the president, and the room broke out in applause.

As Kathy beamed up at Juan, he wondered if he’d ever be able to tell her why this man, and this award, sent shivers of disgust through his very being.

###

Nate and his supervisor were seated on lounge chairs at the end of the pier behind Jeff’s house. The pier overlooked a creek, and the soothing sound of lapping water provided a peaceful backdrop to the end of a demanding few months.

The Darwin case was officially closed.

“I just can’t believe nobody in the bureau ever got any leads on who on the inside was involved,” Nate said.

Jeff took a sip of his drink and shrugged. “Yeah. It sucks. Sometimes, the cards are stacked against us.”

“Did Director Wilson pressure you into closing the case?” Nate asked.

“You know I can’t answer that, Nate.”

Nate hated the idea that a political appointee had been placed in charge of the bureau. Nate had given his life to the ideals espoused by the bureau’s motto—Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity—and he doubted the current director lived by the same standards. Something about Neil Wilson struck him as off. But of course he’d never be able to follow up on that. Nor would he be justified in doing so.

He curled his lip in disgust. “So many people could have died. So many did die. That marine who died out near Vegas. We never really figured out what happened there.”

Jeff wagged his finger. “What do you mean? We learned about that canine program, and the marine died from being mauled by one of those dogs.”

“That’s just speculation,” Nate countered. “And we never learned what happened to those animals.”

“I’d hazard a guess that they were disposed of.”

“More deaths.” Nate shook his head. “And what about that child born in West Virginia? The one like the calves, who killed everything around her until they put her into some quarantined cell deep in the bowels of the NIH. What’s going to happen to her?”

Jeff downed the rest of his drink and grimaced. “I’m not going to say what happened.”

“Did they kill her?”

“I told you: I’m not going to say.” Yet Jeff nodded slightly as he spoke.

“Shit.” Nate downed his drink and motioned for a refill.

As Jeff poured another glass, Nate said, “I’ve had enough of death, near death, liars, cheats… there’s so much ugliness in this world. I need more beauty and life in mine.”

Madison’s face loomed in his mind, and he could almost feel her presence next to him. He felt a sudden calm. He knew what he needed to do.