Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

file and let it fall to his
    lap, then reached up to rub the back of his neck as it twinged painfully.
    “What about the others?” Ty asked abruptly. Zane suspected he
    wanted to know about Hannah Myles.
    “It‟s clear from interviews with the other three kids that Sutton
    became increasingly unstable over the past year. Erratic, angry, hateful,
    but at the same time extravagant and wild. They didn‟t want him to
    take his temper out on them, so they went along with his plans,”
    McCoy concluded.
    “What‟s the US District Attorney going to do?” Zane asked
    quietly, thinking about the sheer terror on Graham‟s face.
    “They‟ll likely go with our recommendations,” McCoy said.
    “Probably extended time in a minimum-security jail for Ross Tanger,
    assignment to a low-security women‟s facility for Hannah Myles, and
    possibly just probation for Graham Lewis, considering his choice to
    turn Sutton in and the fact he wasn‟t personally involved in any
    robberies.”
    “So it‟s over,” Zane said slowly.
    McCoy raised one shoulder. “For now. This time.”
    “I‟m going to go get drunk,” Ty stated, pushing himself up out of
    his chair.
    Zane stood as well, tapping the file folder on his other palm.
    “You coming to the wake, Mac?”
    “I‟ll drop by,” McCoy said. “At least make an appearance and
    then bow out so the real drinking can begin. You two go on. And you,
    284 | Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

    Garrett, have a drink yourself. That was a dumbshit thing to do, but
    you‟re the hero of the hour.”
    “Yeah, he‟s a real fucking hero,” Ty grumbled as he walked out
    of the office, but Zane could hear the undertone of pride in his voice.
    Then Zane grimaced. “I‟m going to be on TV again, aren‟t I,” he
    said, dread building.
    “Running for the end zone,” McCoy confirmed. “We‟re going to
    have a talk about your newfound popularity next week. But for now, go
    on. Get out of here. I‟ll see you two later.”

    “I‟VE got Garrett‟s first drink,” Perrimore announced as Zane walked
    into the pub the Bureau had taken over for the night. “He‟s damn well
    earned it.” Applause broke out, and Zane felt his cheeks heat—he was
    glad he‟d decided not to shave off the beard. He hadn‟t planned to be a
    hero.
    “He‟s also our DD, so make it a Coke,” Clancy answered as she
    pulled Zane by the elbow around some tables to join the rest of the
    crew.
    “Hell, I‟ll buy whatever drinks Garrett wants all night if it means
    I don‟t have to drive home,” Alston said, toasting Zane with his bottle
    of beer.
    Zane shrugged out of his jacket and sat down next to Lassiter,
    who bumped their shoulders together companionably.
    “Good one, Zane,” Lassiter said seriously, holding out his hand.
    “Thanks, Harry,” Zane replied as he shook it.
    “Where‟s your partner, Garrett?” Alston asked.
    “Went home to change,” Zane said, frowning a little. “I figured
    he‟d beat me here. He was more than ready for a drink after this
    afternoon.”
    “Amen to that,” Perrimore added as he set a tall glass bottle of
    Coke in front of Zane.
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    Zane smiled his thanks. “They practically had to cuff him to a
    chair to keep him still long enough to debrief.”
    Everyone who had ever tried to keep Ty focused on something in
    the office for more than an hour laughed, and the table dissolved into
    meaningless chatter. They talked about work, mostly, because to a
    group of FBI agents, there wasn‟t much else, and because they‟d all
    worked with Lydia Reeves in some way. But they also talked about
    softball, their kids, their spouses, their exes, the Ravens winning and
    the Orioles losing, about the weird smell that had been emanating from
    the third-floor supply room for a week now, and anything else that
    would fill the companionable silence.
    They were on their second round when Alston sat up straighter
    and waved at someone who‟d just come into the crowded bar. When
    Zane turned, he saw Ty making his way through the standing-room-
    only floor toward them. Ty smiled and nodded as he pardoned his way
    past people, sliding his hand down one woman‟s arm as he squeezed by
    her, patting someone on the shoulder and smiling like he knew the guy
    as he slipped past.
    He waved two fingers at the bartender he probably did know very
    well, since they were just a block or two from his house, and he stepped
    up to the table to put his arms around Alston and