Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(6)

“Oh, yeah. They do.” Harley nodded, his gaze drifting to the wall. “I remember now.”

And that was the problem. Everyone remembered. No one could forget.

Harley took a seat just as the phone on Alex’s desk rang. Mark tilted his chair backward to reach the receiver. “Alex Stewart’s desk. Senior Agent Houston speaking.”

His automatic response caught the caller by surprise. She gasped, and Mark regretted his thoughtless answer. “Kelsey? Is that you?”

Talking with Kelsey brought instant tears to Mark’s eyes. He didn’t care that he wept openly. Harley’d seen worse. Mark just wanted to be tough enough to hold Kelsey and The TEAM together.

“Yes. You sounded so, umm... I thought... For a second there...”

Mark caught the drift. She was stuck in the same time warp as Harley. She thought Alex might actually answer this time.

“I’m sorry. How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m good. I’m okay.”

Like hell you are. “What can I do for you?”

“I, umm, just called to ask if... You’ll think I’m crazy, but...”

He waited while Kelsey composed herself enough to talk. He totally understood. She’d lost her best friend. Everything had to be hard for her right now.

“I... I want to exhume him, Mark. Can you help me? Do you know how to go about doing that?”

“Alex?” God, why?


“Yes, only I don’t know if it’s legal, or... or...”

“Has something happened I don’t know about?” Mark asked gently. He was positive Kelsey didn’t know what she wanted, and he didn’t know if she was capable of making important decisions at the moment. Exhumation of her husband’s remains was definitely one of those big decisions that might be better made in a year or two.

Silence was the answer he expected, but not the answer he got.

“I don’t think it’s him. It can’t be. He can’t be dead. I know you probably think I’m losing my mind, and to tell you the truth, I think I’m going crazy too, but...”

He could almost hear her tears falling through the phone line.

“I... I had a dream.”

He wiped his face and listened. The rest of the world could wait. Harley, too. “What did you dream?”

“He... he came to me last night. I’m sure of it. It was so real, and he kept telling me he loved me, and it would all be over soon. That he’d never stop loving me. He wrapped his arms around me, and he snuggled into my neck like he does when he comes home late at night. When he used to come home... when he...” With a soft whimper, she broke down.

Mark squeezed his eyes tight against his own wellspring of tears. God, he could bawl at the drop of a hat these days, but exhume the body? He’d do it himself if the slightest possibility existed that someone else lay in that coffin. But everyone knew the truth. Kelsey just needed time to come to grips with what had happened.

Harley watched with piercing eyes, his brows furrowed and his hackles up again. “What’s going on? Is she upset? Should I go over there? Tell her I can be there in twenty.”

“No need.” Mark covered the receiver with his hand. “She thinks she wants to exhume Alex’s body. That’s all.”

“Good idea. I don’t think he’s in that grave, either.” Harley clapped both hands to his knees. “Let’s do it.”

Mark shook his head. “Are you still there, Kelsey? Did your doctor give you anything to help you rest?”

“Uh-huh,” she mumbled. “Do you think I’m losing my mind, Mark?”

“No, but it’s possible the medicine you’re taking has side effects. I’ll ask Libby to check with your doctor for you. Maybe that’s all this dream was about.” Mark treaded carefully. Dream or side effect, Kelsey seemed as fragile as Harley.

She didn’t respond, and he wouldn’t crush her with any more logic. Despite the cold, hard facts, she needed to believe a little bit longer. Kelsey wasn’t ready to let go.

He stalled. Maybe false hope wasn’t such a bad idea. “To tell you the truth, I don’t exactly know how to request something like that. How about I find out for you. It might take a little time, but I’ll make it happen if that’s what you want to do. Will that work for you?”

An uncomfortable silence stretched. At last she mumbled,“Yes. Okay. Thank you.”

Mark bit his lip at her timid response. Of course, she wasn’t okay. None of them were. The TEAM had devolved into a pack of lepers, losing bits and pieces of themselves every time they tried to help each other through this nightmare.

“Did Shelby arrive yet? Is she there with you?”

“Yes. She was here at the crack of dawn. I like her, Mark. Tell Libby thanks.”

“It was the least we could do. I’m going to send Gabe and Zack over in a bit to check on you, too. We’ll all stay close. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me or Harley, okay? We’re here to help.” Mark eyed Harley as he made this assignment to Gabe and Zack. There was a day Harley would have been the most logical man for the job, but no more. He needed emotional support as much as poor Kelsey to get through this kind of loss.

“Yes. Okay. Good. I will.” Every word out of her mouth sounded so damned lost.