Page 57 of Rules of Engagement

"I can stick with that story," he agreed. We stopped walking and stood in a triangle, facing each other until McAuley motioned for us to continue. "Solomon went so far as to tracking down this family, but he couldn't kill three, little, innocent kids, no matter what their father did. He told me he was blasted with all kinds of propaganda about how the kids would grow up to emulate the father, and the whole family was crime-ridden. He was also shown pictures of what the father had done to other people, and the families that were left behind or used as examples of his wrath and revenge. He said he couldn't support the operation and that ended his career. They tried to keep him on the jobs no one else could touch, but he was adamant and refused to take any part in those missions."

I stared up at the sky and wondered what I was supposed to say at hearing that revelation. Solomon's morals, however, gave me plenty of comfort. "Do you know what happened to the kids?" I asked.

"No idea. It wouldn't even make the front page news here."

"If Solomon weren't involved, and we don't even know if anything did happen, then there's no chance of fallout from that event for him," I said. I tried but failed to swallow my horror that someone from the CIA would even suggest killing three children, no matter how terrible their family was reputed to be. I could barely comprehend how Solomon must have felt when he was asked to commit such a terrible undertaking. It did, however, begin to explain the reason why he didn't talk about his past very much. Was it filled with horrible things like that? Unconscionable requests that would strip a person of his humanity?

"You're correct in that respect, but don't forget the order came from someone within his organization. Solomon never told me who it was, but he knew who it was and that person also knew he knew. If there's a cover-up and someone's cleaning house, Solomon could be a loose end that might need to be tied up. He could be one of very few people to connect some very nasty dots."

I paled. "That sounds like a hit."

"It's possible," said McAuley. "I don't want to worry you unduly but I can't help thinking there were probably other ops that Solomon didn't tell me about. I only knew about this one because it was the reason Solomon couldn't continue working there. He wanted to save his soul, and he refused to sell it to the devil."

We thanked Captain McAuley, shook hands, and walked back to the car, both of us deep in thought. Before we got in, Maddox turned to me. "This is pretty worrying stuff," he said. "I don't know what we're getting into here."

Maddox didn't show a lot of worry but when he did, it was time to pay attention. "If you're worried, I'm worried a million times more than you," I swiftly calculated.

"I think we need to tell Garrett about this. And we have to increase the guard duty at the hospital."

"You're certain whoever did it will try again?"

"I'm worried that if people like the CIA are responsible for this, we won't realize it if they're trying again. Those people are something else."

"I think I'd like to get back to the hospital now."

Maddox placed a hand on my arm. "If you think something's wrong, you scream," he said, his blue eyes brilliant with concern. "You have your colleagues, and a twenty-four-hour police guard. You're surrounded by doctors and nurses. Do not put yourself in harm's way. Solomon would not want that."

"He'd do the same for me."

"Because he's lethal," said Maddox. "You, Lexi, are perky. Tenacious, smart, courageous, all of those things, but you are not trained for this."

"Okay," I said, crossing my fingers behind my back.

~

Time could not have passed slower than it did on the ride back to Montgomery. We traveled in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. I thought about what McAuley told us, and what he didn't. I imagined the kind of person Solomon was during their friendship and the untenable position he'd been put in, which must have changed him irrevocably. I thought a lot about what kind of person might have held a grudge and be coming for him. One thought I couldn't shake kept swirling in my mind: how could a highly trained operative, someone familiar with not leaving anything behind that could possibly result in his being tracked, manage to leave his wallet near the burned out motorcycle? When I thought of professional hit men, that idea couldn’t jive with the man who apparently shot him. It was so unprofessional. Unless, what if that was the idea and the intent?

I stopped before wandering down that route. It would have been like walking in circles, with no sight of the exit.

"Some serious thinking going on there, Lexi," said Maddox. We paused at the intersection, since the light was red, and my eyes were firmly fixed on the rearview mirror. No one had followed us.

"I can't seem to ponder any thought long enough to come up with one that feels possible. Captain McAuley thinks we have a home-grown hit man in our midst. Someone who is intent on coming after Solomon. Fletcher and Flaherty, on the other hand, think they’re looking for someone who tends to be a little haphazard about getting the job done. You are worried and think that I could get shot. Yesterday, I thought we were being followed. Solomon's career has, so far, turned out to be one, big, shocking eye-opener..." I trailed off. Reaching for the bottle of water Maddox gave me earlier, I took a long sip.

"How do you feel now that you know more about Solomon's past?" asked Maddox.

I took another sip. "You once told me I didn't know anything about him. Now that I do, I don't know what to think about the information. What if there's more I don’t know? What if I can't handle the truth?"

"What if you can?"

"I'm not even sure what that means."

"It means, what if, after everything you find out and discover, you realize you're okay with it?"

"You mean, would I be okay with Solomon doing something really bad?" I said.

Maddox shook his head. "The evidence doesn't seem to point in that direction. So far, the evidence is saying Solomon is one of the good guys. That's kind of a relief."

"How's that?"

---