He gestured to where Paige and the others waited by the side of the stage, ready to walk up and collect the diplomas that would formally mark their completion of the course.
“The part that mattered was the teamwork,” Agent Podovski said. “You will be working with people in potentially dangerous situations, to catch very dangerous people. You will have to rely on them not just to play their part in every case, but to have your back when you need it. That is the reason why we hold you all to high standards here at the academy: not because we want people who will make superb agents, but because we want people out in the field we would trust to have our backs. All of you here today have met that standard. You should be proud, both of yourselves and of each other.”
He started to call out the names of the students, and one by one they walked up to receive their diplomas. Paige found herself waiting, applauding each of the students in turn as they made their transition from trainees to qualified agents. She’d attended graduations for high school, for her degree, for her MA, and for her PhD, yet somehow, this one felt more meaningful than all the rest of them.
“Paige King!”
Paige marched up onto the stage after the others, taking her diploma, receiving the briefest of handshakes, and taking the time to look across to where her mother was beaming with pride. Christopher was on his feet, applauding. Paige felt almost as grateful for that as for her mother’s presence.
She marched down off the far side of the stage and waited for the rest to finish collecting their diplomas. Agent Podovski stepped forward again.
“Thank you to everyone here. I hope that you will all help to make this country a safer place and make the FBI proud.”
Paige was able to head out into the crowd now, seeking out her mother and hugging her tightly. She looked around, and Christopher was there, holding out a hand for her to shake. Paige wanted so much more than that. She wanted to hug him tightly, at the very least.
Then she saw the woman standing by his side, lovely and dark haired, with a gentle smile and deep brown eyes.
“You must be Paige,” she said. “Christopher has told me so much about you. I’m so glad that I get to finally meet you.”
Paige realized who this had to be.
“Justine?”
“Ah, so Christopher has mentioned me.”
“It’s good to meet you,” Paige said, although she wasn’t sure if it was true. The problem was simple: this woman seemed nice, and Paige didn’t want Christopher’s wife to be nice. That just made her feel guilty for every feeling that she had.
Justine hugged her where her husband couldn’t. “Congratulations. I don’t know exactly what it means to be an agent, but I know how much it means to Christopher. I hope you get to do everything you want to in the FBI.”
“Actually, that reminds me,” Christopher said. “My boss is here somewhere. Agent Sauer wants to talk to you.”
That caught Paige a little by surprise. Why would Christopher’s boss want to talk to her? She looked around until she spotted him a little way off in the crowd and went over to him.
“Agent Sauer?” she said. “You wanted to talk to me?”
He looked around at her, and to Paige’s surprise, he smiled.
“Ah, there you are. I want to start by apologizing for the way I was when I first met you. I hope you understand that I just wanted to make sure that the best people possible were on the copycat case.”
“I understand,” Paige said.
“But it turns out that you were the best person for the job,” Agent Sauer said. “And this is the second serial killer you’ve helped to bring to justice. That’s why I want to offer you a job.”
“A job?” Paige said. She hadn’t expected it to be that easy.
“I think you would fit in well in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Specifically, I believe that Agent Marriott needs a partner, and that you would fit that role very well.”
Paige was stunned by the offer. It was the kind of thing that she knew she should have jumped at, excitement overwhelming her. She should have accepted instantly, but the truth was that it wasn’t that simple. Given her feelings towards Christopher, was it really safe to accept a job working so closely with him?
“I… I need to think about it,” she said. “It’s all pretty overwhelming.”
“Of course,” Agent Sauer said. He pressed a card into her hand. “Let me know any time in the next couple of days.”
“I will, sir,” Paige promised, although she didn’t know right then exactly what she was going to say to him.
*
Paige sat in her apartment, truly home again for the first time in a long time. She was eating pizza and drinking beer, trying to make up her mind what she was going to say to Agent Sauer. She wanted the job, but could she really risk taking it?