Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

the
    bombings.”
    The shot changed to display the Baltimore police chief. “We are
    pursuing all leads, and the possibility of the perps using divide and
    conquer tactics won‟t be ruled out.”
    “So the recent rash of bank robberies and the bombings might be
    connected?” the reporter asked.
    264 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    “We‟re not ruling anything out at this time,” the chief repeated
    with worn patience. “Contingency plans for emergency response
    remain in place.”
    “What do you mean by divide and conquer tactics?”
    “It‟s quite simple,” the police chief replied. “By dividing our
    response, they‟re hoping to get away with their crimes.”
    The video returned to the studio shot. “Following this most recent
    tragedy, local, state, and federal officials announced that every
    available resource is being diverted to find the source of the bombs.”
    The FBI spokesman appeared again. “We‟re doing everything we
    can to protect all the men, women, and children of Baltimore by
    stopping this threat. And we won‟t rest until we do. We owe that to
    Baltimore, and we owe that to Lydia Reeves.”
    The final shot of the reporter displayed an American flag flying
    over her shoulder. “The funeral for fallen FBI agent Lydia Reeves is at
    noon tomorrow at Green Mount Cemetery. It will be closed to the
    public.”

    WITH a soft grunt of frustration, Zane undid the tie he was trying to
    knot for the third time and started over. He‟d been a little off all
    morning, but he wasn‟t surprised he was shaky, shaky enough that he‟d
    simply trimmed up his beard and mustache instead of getting rid of it
    altogether. Funerals did that to people, even when you weren‟t close to
    the deceased. In his case, it resurrected memories he wished would stay
    buried, memories of another woman‟s funeral in the unseasonably cold
    and wet Texas fall. The fact this morning had dawned cool and gloomy,
    with the potential bite of sleet or snow in the air, definitely didn‟t help.
    Lydia Reeves‟ funeral was in two hours, and it would be a long,
    uncomfortable, emotional day.
    Zane gave up on the tie when he heard a steady knock and walked
    out of the small bathroom and through the living room. He picked up
    his Glock from the bookshelf before opening the door. They still didn‟t
    know how the note writer had found him.
    Divide & Conquer | 265

    A Marine stood on the stoop. A white cover with a black brim
    bearing the golden eagle, globe, and anchor shadowed his eyes. Bright-
    red piping on the high-necked midnight-blue blouse stood out against
    clean-shaven skin, and round gold buttons ran down the front seam. A
    stack of ribbons hung over his heart, and a red patch on each of his
    arms displayed three gold chevrons and one rocker above two hash
    marks. He wore pristine white gloves that disappeared into the long
    jacket sleeves. The jacket extended to hip length, close-fitted and
    cinched by a spotless white belt with a gold buckle bearing the branch
    insignia. The trousers‟ brighter blue, a royal blue, contrasted with a
    long scarlet stripe down the outside of his legs, and his black shoes
    showed a high shine.
    Zane stared for all he was worth. Ty Grady in dress blues was a
    glorious sight to behold.
    “Damn,” Zane said in sincere appreciation.
    Ty cocked his head, the barest smirk twitching his lips.
    “Morning,” he offered, his eyes taking in the mangled knot of Zane‟s
    tie.
    Zane‟s gaze followed his, and with a huff he yanked the tie off
    and stepped back, waving Ty inside.
    “Need some help?” Ty asked as he stepped over the threshold,
    shutting the door behind himself. He swept the cover off his head and
    tucked it under one arm, a motion Zane had seen many times before but
    never appreciated to its fullest until now.
    “Apparently,” Zane agreed as he shut the door. “But not with this
    one.” He meant to turn to the second bedroom to get another tie, but he
    couldn‟t make himself look away just yet. The last time Zane had seen
    dress blues had been on the groom at his sister‟s wedding. He knew
    enough about chevrons and rockers to identify Ty‟s rank as Staff
    Sergeant, but he didn‟t know what any of the impressive stack of
    ribbons stood for aside from the recognizable Purple Heart ribbon on
    the top row. Zane reached up to cautiously ghost his fingers over it.
    Ty smiled gently, letting him touch. “Flashy, aren‟t they?” he said
    wryly. He didn‟t sound like he