Hunting Fear

EPILOGUE

Friday, April 5

Damn," Samantha said. "You're trying too hard," Lucas said, handing her his handkerchief.

She held the linen to her nose and peered at him in faint amusement. "Like you, I don't know any other way to try. What is that, anyway?" With her free hand, she gestured to the twisted bit of metal on the table before her.

"What did you see?"

"Smoke, flames. Heard a crunching sound. Caught a glimpse of a man, I think, moving through the smoke. Looked like he was carrying a gasoline can."

Lucas smiled. "Arson. The police chief who sent us this thought so but hasn't been able to prove it. There was stored gasoline on the property, so finding traces of the fuel wasn't proof of arson."

"Okay. But my vision isn't proof either."

"No, but having his suspicions confirmed is all he wanted. He'll work on the investigation the traditional way and hopefully find the proof he needs."

"You still haven't told me what this thing is."

"An old car was parked in the garage of the building, and the chief suspected the fire started there. This is a piece of it." Lucas picked up the twisted metal and returned it to the evidence bag. Til have it returned to him."

Samantha refolded the handkerchief and held it to her nose briefly, then checked the cloth and gave it back to him. "You know, I've been waiting for you to tell me to buy my own handkerchiefs, or at least start carrying tissues, but you never do."

"My husbandly duty."

Samantha started laughing. "Was that in the vows? Because I don't remember it."

"Right after the 'for better or worse' part, I think." He pulled her up from her chair, smiling, and into his arms.

"We're at work," she reminded him.

"We're off the clock," he countered. "Just stopped by to clear this last thing off my desk before we leave. And I'm hoping we get out of here before Bishop finds another case for us."

Entering the room just in time to hear that, Bishop said, "Would I be that cruel?" And when Samantha appeared to consider the matter seriously, he smiled and added, "No, I wouldn't. Besides, we've an unusually light caseload at the moment."

"Is that why Quentin is among the missing?" Samantha wanted to know. "Finally taking his vacation time?"

"Yeah, but it's a busman's holiday," Bishop replied. "A cold case he wants to reopen."

"Sounds tame enough," Lucas commented.

"With Quentin involved?" Bishop shook his head. "The last off-the-clock case he worked got Kendra shot."

"Then let's hope he finds nothing but dusty paperwork," Samantha offered.

"It would be a welcome change. Especially since things are nice and quiet around here."

"Here you are," Miranda told him as she came into the room. "And bite your tongue. All it takes is for one of us to comment on not being busy, and we find the entire unit snowed under with cases."

"Then," her husband said, "I suggest we get out of here ourselves."

"Now, there's an idea." She smiled at the other couple. "I say you two take off and enjoy your honeymoon. We'll still be here when you get back. And you," she added to her husband, "owe me dinner. I was right about that lawyer."

"I'm not arguing." Bishop took his wife's hand and said to the other two, "Have fun. And don't come back a day early."

"We won't," Lucas promised.

Gazing after the other couple, Samantha said musingly, "Bishop and Miranda, Tony and Kendra, Isabel and Rafe, you and me. Is there another unit in the FBI with four married teams?"

"No. But, then, there's no other unit like the SCU, is there?"

"True enough." She smiled up at him. "The carnival seems like a long way away. And a long time ago."

"Do you miss it?"

"No. The life we have…" She shook her head a little. "Beyond anything I ever dreamed of having. In case I haven't said thank you-"

Lucas kissed her and said, "You have. And I have. And now we're going to spend a couple of weeks lying on a Florida beach saying all the other things we want to say, and all the things we couldn't say before now-and probably a few things one too many margaritas will make us say."

Samantha started laughing.

"You've never seen me afer one too many margaritas," he warned her solemnly.

"Something I'm looking forward to." She kept her arm around his lean waist as they turned toward the door, adding, "Hey, who knows? I might even tell your fortune."

"No need," Lucas said with a smile. "I know how the story ends."