Jackson opened his eyes and glanced at the clock next to the bed. It was just after three in the morning. Despite wanting nothing more than to stay in bed with Jenna, he knew it was time to get up. He had only intended to stay until she fell asleep, not the entire night…despite her earlier request.
As quietly as possible, Jackson got out of bed and got dressed. He paused at the bed only long enough to kiss her forehead before leaving. It had been bothering him since he left the gala that he hadn’t been able to find Dinsley after Jenna left. He had a feeling in his gut about the situation he knew he couldn’t ignore any longer and he had a pretty good idea of what it was.
When Jackson got to FBI headquarters he was surprised to find his partner was hard at work in his office. “Burning the midnight oil, Dinsley?”
Dinsley looked up from the stack of papers on his desk, obviously startled. “I had to finish something. What are you doing here, Caldwell?”
Jackson sat down on the edge of his desk and glanced at the files. “Apparently, I’m doing the same thing here that you are. I think that Jonathan Price is really…”
“Parker Ramsey,” Dinsley interrupted. “I know.”
“You know?”
Dinsley sighed. “Yes and I have for quite some time now.”
“And he’s not in custody…why?”
“He’s working on our side, Caldwell,” Dinsley responded matter-of-factly.
“Excuse me?”
“I said that he’s working on our…”
“I heard you,” Jackson snapped, cutting him off. “What I want to know is why I’m just now finding out about this.”
“Okay. Shut the door and I’ll tell you.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Why? We’re the only people here.”
Dinsley stood up and crossed the room to the door. Once it was shut he replied, “I have to make sure I take every precaution. No one in this office knows about the deal I made.”
“Really? I always had you pegged as a straight arrow,” Jackson replied as he sat down in one of the chairs.
Dinsley crossed the room back to his desk and took his seat before he said, “That assumption is mainly right, except I know you’ve had me pegged as anything but. I only made the deal to help capture Raptor. Once he’s in my custody, I planned to fill in everyone else about the deal I’d made. It’s a lot more difficult to reprimand someone who just caught a notorious bank robber.”
Jackson looked at his partner incredulously, but didn’t respond.
Dinsley closed the file he was reading and then continued. “I know you pulled my file and I’d like to know why.”
Jackson shrugged. “You weren’t giving me a lot to work with and, frankly, you were looking damn suspicious. I think I have a right to know whether my partner is on the right side of the law or not.”
“I suppose you’re referring to the administrative leave I was placed on.”
Jackson nodded.
“My partner was killed during a bust that went bad. I didn’t handle it well and they put me on leave.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I know what it feels like.” While death was nothing new in his profession, the death of his last partner cut him to his core.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot you were partnered with Agent McShae when he died. He was a good man, but you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.” Dinsley’s voice was sterner than made sense.
“Alright then, paint me the picture.”
“Strictly off the record, Sophia and I were in love. You know the Bureau’s policy on that as well as I do, so I don’t need to explain why my superiors couldn’t understand my inability to get past her death.”
Jackson knew what policy he was referring to. The FBI had zero tolerance for interoffice romance. It caused complications that could potentially get in the way of good police work.
And good judgment.
“Okay. So why are you so attached to this case?” Jackson asked.
“After the First Alliance robbery, I was called back from leave and partnered with this cocky Quantico punk. I think I got close to finding Raptor at least a dozen times, but he always seemed to be one step ahead of me. We found out a while back that my partner had been on the take. We weren’t able to prove if he was working for Raptor because he skipped town before we could arrest him, but I’ve always thought he was. I know I would have nailed Raptor if I had just realized my partner was dirty sooner.” He shook his head. “I’m a better agent than that.” Squeezing his eyes shut, he added, “Sophia would’ve been ashamed of me for missing the obvious like that.”
“And that’s why you asked to stay assigned to this case,” Jackson concluded for him, sidestepping the apparent emotional time bomb ticking away in front of him.
Dinsley grinned. “You aren’t as dumb as you look.”
Jackson folded his arms over his chest. “No, I’m not, but I think we’re going to have our work cut out for us if we keep running separate investigations. You fill me in on what you’ve got and I’ll do the same. Deal?”
“Deal,” Dinsley agreed. “We’d better get started. There’s a lot you don’t know.”
Jackson narrowed his blue eyes. “Ditto.”
© 2011, Sydney Katt. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of content will result in dragon attacks.
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Ooops!! Is Jenna gonna be pissed that he left in the middle of the night – especially after their convo??? I know he kissed her before he left – but she was asleep – so I guess that is a moot point……..
Ah Ha!!!! So Dinsley is not crooked after all – well so it would seem…….I’m glad that he and Jackson have leveled with each other – I’m sure they will have a better chance by working together, than by trying to do it separately.
Does finding out who Dinsleys crooked partner was have any bearing on the story??? Just my little inquisitive mind jumping on any perceived clue….lol!!
And off I go – to the next chapter!!!!….xxx
Maybe he’ll get back before she wakes up? I mean, they were up awfully late and she’s not known for getting up for church on Sundays. He could slip back between the sheets before she realizes he’s gone.
Yeah…It would be kind of a waste of time for Jackson to keep investigating his partner.
Um…honestly, I don’t remember if his old partner matters or not. I can’t remember if I mentioned him again…so I guess it must not matter. (Not trying to be evasive, I just can’t remember.)