King Gillian was happy to announce that the State Police had invited the SCU to work the case outside the city's jurisdiction. As of that day, the team could act in that institution's name all over the state, for as long as it took them to solve the case. And, of course, King Gillian took special care in letting the word spread up and down the building and beyond, enjoying the idea of his political rivals hearing about it—See? The unit I created is so good that the State Police etcetera.

He called Gillian with the news just as she finished interviewing the boyfriend of one of the missing girls. As soon as she disconnected, she got in her car and called the FBI field office, asking for Cooper. The other woman took her call in less than a minute, cold and dry as fit her canon, but polite. Gillian didn't beat around the bush with her.

"Agent Cooper, looks like, out of pure chance, Agent Coleman and I are working the same case," she said. "Now I'm finding evidence that would suggest that this is not an isolated event, and there may be similar cases in other counties."

"You're talking about the body found this morning in Auburn."

"Exactly. The State Police cleared my team to work it outside Boston, but I know that since federal agents are involved, it'd fall in your jurisdiction."

"That's correct."

"I was wondering if we could work it together, my unit and the agents you may assign to follow this up."

"You mean Agents Coleman and Brockner."

"Yes, if it's gonna be them."

Cooper took a moment to consider the situation. Had it been any of those cocky brassed asses of the PD, she would've refused right away. But she liked Gillian, and not just because she had handed over the BEB case without a doubt.

Gillian was telling herself not to get mad at the woman, who was about to send her packing, when Cooper said—a little slow, as if looking for the right way to word something new to her, "Alright, Lieutenant. I'll send an official invitation for your unit. It's Captain Cook, right?"

"Yes, that's right." And send him an ambulance if you can, 'cause the old runt is about to have a heart attack.

"Where would you like to work, Lieutenant? We have available conference rooms here, if you want."

"Thanks, but if you don't mind, we'd rather stay home. I don't want my brass to think we're changing sides."

Gillian thought she would have the heart attack when she heard the quick, low chuckle at the other end of the line.

"Yes, I know what you mean. Don't worry, I'll tell Coleman and Brockner to meet you and your team at your office."

"Thank you so much, Agent Cooper. It really means a lot. We'll keep you up."

"I'd appreciate it. Have a nice day, Lieutenant."

Gillian disconnected, already parking at the station, and made another call as she entered the building. First of all she warned her father. She didn't give him the slightest chance to react, telling him she was on her way to his office. Then she called Cook, who received Cooper's email when he was still on the phone with her.

"What the hell is this, Gillian!?" Cook barked. "Since when do feds invite us to their investigations!?"

Cook read the email over and over again, convinced there had to be some kind of catch, and trying to find it in vain.

"It's the missing women case you gave me this morning, sir. Russell Coleman found one of them in the Worcester area."

Russell's name helped Cook calm down a bit. Things seemed to make a little more sense, but he was still full of suspicions. "And that's why the State Police invited you as well?"

"Yes, sir."

"Does your father know?" Cook grunted, giving up.

"I'm on my way to see him."

"Go, and if he doesn't kill you, tell Coleman to drop by. I haven't seen him in years."

Okay, the day was about to win some kind of award to surrealism or something. Gillian disconnected before Cook's mood changed. At the sixth floor, Francine's smile made her suspect the elevator had somehow turned into a blue police box that had transported her to a parallel universe.

However, when the door to her father's office opened, there was no host of Cybermen, no Daleks squealing, "exterminate!" King Gillian came out of his office already speaking, but trailed off and nodded at her with that pleased smile that made Gillian's day every single time.

"Should I expect a call from the NSA next?" he teased, and Gillian felt happy as a child. "Tell me they're letting Russell on the case."

"Russell and another agent, a profiler."

King Gillian frowned.

"One Declan Brockner. Remember those manuals I have?" Oh, yes, I'm about to work with that epic jerk.

"Yeah, I remember. Good, keep me up."

She nodded with a bright grin and hurried back to the elevators. But as soon as she stepped into the booth, she felt the same heat lashing her face like three months earlier, that morning at the FBI field office. It was annoying, and frustrating, and somehow sad.

Ever since she'd first met Brock, all those years ago, she'd dreamed of working with a profiler again, Brock obviously being the perfect version of the dream. And out of the blue it was there: her old dream was coming true. And not only the dream, but the perfect-perfect version of it, because Russell would be working with them too. But the last thing on earth she wanted was seeing Brock again.