Page 23 of Say Now
"I can tell you that you obviously believe I’ve done something wrong and that you’re annoyed by that, but for the sake of the case, I advise you to get to the point so we’re not wasting each other’s time.Tell me what I’m supposed to have done so we can move past this."
"I called the precinct to talk with some of the officers there and assign them to the tasks we just discussed, and I found out that Captain Kent is there and he’s commandeering bodies to run his own investigation sanctioned by you."
"That’s not what I asked for at all," Alison said.
"Then what did you ask for?"Claire asked."Because now, I’m having trouble assigning tasks because the officers there are listening to Captain Kent, and he seems to think that I’ve been running a bad investigation.Why go to him and not come to me?"
"I did come to you."Alison tried to remain calm as she explained it to the special agent."I tried to convince you that you had the wrong guy, but you wouldn’t listen to me.So, I went to Dale and asked for his help to reopen the investigation, and I guess he believed me that the killer was still out there."
"He’s the brother of the first victim," Claire stated."We can’t have him run an investigation when he’s so close to the case."
"I know that, and I thought I had conveyed that to him.I only wanted him to talk to some people and see if he could push to have the investigation continued while we were looking at Webb, but that became a moot point when the third body was found."
"Well, not to him," Claire said."Now, we have the FBI running an investigation and the police running an investigation.Sure, we’re on the same team, but that’s not how it’s going to work in reality, is it?This only hampers us.And I know Kent.He’s a stubborn…He won't take orders from the FBI, and the officers will listen to him before listening to us, so the best option seems to be to compromise and work with him.That’s what you have done."
Alison took a breath.Claire was angry, and she wouldn’t calm down until the situation was resolved, which was unlikely to happen soon.Captain Kent had inserted himself into the case, which had always been the opposite of what Alison wanted, but telling Claire that would make no difference.Action spoke louder than words, but there were no actions she could immediately take that would remove Kent from the situation.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Claire," Alison said."I tried to convince you that you had the wrong guy, and Dale was the only one who would listen to me.The only thing I want to do is to catch this guy, and I’ll use every means at my disposal."
"Like taking away any power I had in shaping this investigation?"
"We don't have time for this," Alison warned."I get why you’re angry, and I understand why you blame me, but none of this is my fault.If the killer hadn't killed again, there would have been no investigation without Captain Kent.If the killer had taken that opportunity to lie low, you would have charged the wrong guy, and it would have been a travesty.I didn't make a mistake; it was only bad timing."
"Call it what you want, but I’m getting pressure from up on high, and my authority is being threatened.I can't run an investigation when there are three different people pulling it in three different ways."
"What are you saying?"Alison asked.
"I don't want to do this, but I have to take control of the situation, and since I can't do anything about Captain Kent at the moment, I need you to take a step back."
"You’re throwing me off the case?"Alison’s breathing quickened.
"I’m not throwing you off the case, I just need you to let me do my thing for now, and I can consult with you when needed."
"I’m the one who told all of you that you had the wrong guy and that the killer was still out there."Alison’s voice rose in volume."I can't imagine that your boss was happy about you arresting the wrong guy, and in response, you ask the only person who could have helped you to take a step back?"
"I still want you on the case, but maybe you don't need to be in the office or at the precinct until I can take charge of everything.I still want your help."
"Well, it doesn’t feel like it.I need to be a part of the investigation, and you know that, and you’re still asking me not to be because of your mistake.I get exactly what you’re saying.How about I go back to my motel room and have a think about everything?You do whatever you need to do, and I’ll do whatever I need to do."
"You’re not thinking about leaving, are you?"Claire’s pupils expanded slightly.
"There’s a storm rolling in," Alison said."I can't leave tonight.When the storm clears, we’ll see how things look.You want to catch this guy, and so do I, but we’re obviously not on the same page."
***
"I’m trying my best here," Alison said loudly into the phone."I came here to help them out, and I feel like I’m frozen out."
"Do you want me to make a call to the field office?"Derek asked."Try to talk some sense into them?"
"No, that might only make things worse," Alison admitted."Special Agent Martinez already thinks I went over her head in some way to take control from her when it was her mistake.I get that she’s under pressure now, and I’m the most expendable in some ways, but they wouldn’t be where they are now if it weren’t for me.I’m worried that he’s going to kill again and again because no one will listen to me."
"So, what are you going to do?"Derek asked."The storm won't last more than a day or two.Is it worth your while to stay there?"
"I don't know."Alison stared across the room at the edge of the faded wallpaper that was peeling."I can't leave now.I have to see this thing out, whether they want my help or not.Special Agent Martinez assures me I’m still a part of the investigation, so I’m hopeful I get updates and information from her, and Captain Kent might keep me updated, too.I made it clear he wasn’t a part of the investigation and I would only give him the necessary information, so perhaps he does that with me.I only hope the police and FBI can work together.They should be able to, but Special Agent Martinez wants sole control of the investigation, and Captain Kent is volatile.He’s angry about his sister, and that’ll sway him.It’s just a whole mess over here."
"Then you need to be the voice of reason," Derek told her.
"Coming from the ultimate voice of reason," Alison said."I don't feel very reasonable right now, but I have you to help guide me.I wish you were here with me or I was back there with you, but I need to be here right now, and I need to give this case my full attention."
