“Dr. Peterson told me to pray.”

“I’ll wager a lot of people at Quantico are praying. Do your job, Savich. Where’s Sherlock when I need her here to punch your lights out?”

“You told me she’s with Fleurette and her parents.”

“Yeah, so I did. And look at what else I forgot—it must be senility that I clean forgot that you’re God and you make all the decisions around here. Well, you’re not, so get over it. Do your job. Get Günter.” Jimmy Maitland turned, his cell phone already in his big hand. He turned back, frowned. “Hey, what’s Giffey’s name short for?”

“Gifford. She told me her mom named her after Frank Gifford, lived near him in New York City, at One Lincoln Plaza. Her dad liked Gifford too, he’s a real football nut. Giffey told me once it was the only thing she could ever remember her parents agreeing about.”

“I’ll talk to her parents too. They need to get to Bethesda.” Mr. Maitland looked down at his watch. “I’ve got to speak to Director Mueller right away, tell him about your plan. I’ll bet the media are calling already.”

Savich was grateful to his boss for dealing with Giffey’s parents and Luther’s family. One phone call, and your world, as you knew it, was gone. Just gone. He thought that if he had to speak to them, he’d start crying.

CHAPTER 34

SAVICH FOUND FLEURETTE in his office, sobbing in her father’s arms, her mother standing by looking helpless. Sherlock was watching them, sitting on the edge of the desk.

Sherlock looked up. “Giffey?”

“She’s on her way by helicopter to Bethesda.” And then he saw Fleurette’s white face and lied clean. “She’ll be all right. She’s fit and strong. Giffey will be all right. They’re going to be in touch with us constantly. I’ll let you know immediately if something happens. Okay?”

Mr. Malcolm LaFleurette, a tall, handsome man dressed like a diplomat in a gray cashmere Italian suit, looked up over his daughter’s head. “How did this happen, Agent Savich?”

“It shouldn’t have, Mr. LaFleurette. It shouldn’t have.”

“The shot the guy made—I can’t imagine shooting that far and actually hitting someone.”

“It was over three thousand feet.” Savich paused a moment, saw that they were all trying to make sense of the distance, and said, “That’s more than ten football fields.”

Elaine’s head snapped up. “Ten football fields? I don’t think I can even see that far.”

“He had a very powerful scope, the very best of everything.” Savich looked toward Sherlock, even managed a small smile. “Excuse me a moment,” he said to Fleurette, nodding solemnly to her mother, Norma Lee, who was looking at him as if he were their savior, and how could that be? He took Sherlock outside and leaned his forehead against hers.

Sherlock smiled up at him, gave him a hug, and cupped his face between her palms. “Giffey will make it, Dillon. No, don’t shake your head at me. Stop looking like you’re going to fold in on yourself with guilt. You made the right decision based on what you knew. She’ll pull through this.”

At that moment, Savich simply couldn’t believe how very lucky he was that she’d come into his life. “You know, for the first time, I think she just might.” He hugged her again. “Where’s Sean?”

“Lily took him over to your mom’s. Your mom, Lily told me, begged so pathetically that she had simply no choice. I think Simon wanted to score points, so he went with them. You know Simon always charms your mom’s socks off.”

“He’ll ooze charm. He wants Lily powerfully bad. Listen now, and tell me what you think of this.”

When he walked back into his office, Savich felt like a hundred pounds had been lifted off his back. “Fleurette, let me tell you what’s going to happen. I’m going to ask Callie Markham to release to the press that you were actually the one shot, not an FBI agent. It will help us keep you safe. But you’re staying right here, inside at least for a few days. You can go to classes, work out in the gym, stuff pizza down your gullet, but you’ll have to remain indoors. There’ll always be two agents with you.”

“What are you going to do, Agent Savich?”

Savich gave Mr. LaFleurette a big smile. “I’m going to get Günter, but believe me, my first priority is to keep Fleurette safe. What do you say, Fleurette? Will you do as I ask?”

Fleurette pulled herself together, straightened her shoulders, and, for the first time since Savich had come into his office, she turned back into an adult. She stepped away from her father, hugged her arms around herself, and nodded at her mother. “Yes, Agent Savich, I’ll do exactly what you say. You know something? I’m finally thinking straight, and I realize that Günter must have seen Danny talking to me, and believed he was telling me secrets. Obviously, he didn’t see me ditch Danny after a block or so. What I don’t understand is why he didn’t kill me right away.”