Sherlock couldn’t say it aloud, not in front of the children, who were all staring at her. “We will speak of Nasim later, all right, Marie Claire? First, we want to make certain you and your children are safe.”
She knew, of course, she knew. Sherlock nodded slowly, turned to smile at each of the children. “My name’s Sherlock and this is Kelly. And you are?”
“I’m Gabrielle.”
“I’m Lexie.”
The little boy licked his lips, looked at his mother, and whispered, “I’m Thomas. I want to go to the bathroom,” then pressed himself tightly against his mother’s leg.
“Yes,” Marie Claire said, “all of us will go to the bathroom, then we will leave this place.” And she clapped her hands and herded the children out of the living room. At the door, she turned back to them, said quietly, “Thank you for coming.” They watched her face tighten. “Nasim would thank you, too.”
Kelly felt tears behind her eyes, swallowed. “I don’t want to tell her, Sherlock, I really don’t.”
Sherlock drew in a deep breath. “We will tell her that Nasim was a very brave man, he sacrificed himself to save them, he led us to them. That is what we will tell her.”
NEW YORK CITY
Saturday, early evening
As Pip drove the SUV into the garage beneath 26 Federal Plaza, Cal said, “After this press conference it seems to me we’re done here. You ready to go home, Sherlock?”
Sherlock saw Nasim’s face as he’d died in her arms, felt the familiar burn of tears. She didn’t think she’d ever accept the unfairness of it all. She said, “I’m more than ready.”
Kelly waited for Pip to pull into a parking space and turn off the engine. “The press conference is happening in about”—she looked down at her watch—“half an hour. Director Comey will be there himself. It’s a big deal, puts the spotlight square on the FBI. This will be the first time the American people will hear about who Nasim really was and about how he was murdered by the terrorists, and how we managed to save his family. Afterward, well, sorry, guys, but neither of you is leaving. The change of plans came from on high.”
She patted Sherlock’s hand. “You’ll be front and center, the face of the FBI on this one, the agent who fought off this terrorist attack, America’s heroine. I wouldn’t be surprised if they trot out Father Joseph Reilly and Romeo Rodriguez, too. So take a few minutes and think about what you’re going to say.” She raised her hand when Sherlock shook her head, started to open her mouth. “Director Comey doesn’t want you to leave New York. He’s very proud of you, proud you’re an FBI agent, and that means after the press conference, he’s not about to let anything happen to you. You’ve already been shot at and threatened by Jamil, on orders from his terrorist bosses. That means you’ll be staying close to me until it’s over, or until we have assurances you’re not a target.” She looked at Cal, and couldn’t prevent a small smile. “As for you, Mr. Hotshot, you’ll be staying on as her bodyguard. I’ve got to say you’ve come in pretty handy so far. You up for it?”
Exactly a half-hour later, Special Agent Lacey Sherlock stood next to Director Comey on the dais set up outside for the press conference. They had a full media turnout.
Director Comey looked over the microphone at the sea of media faces. In his usual professional and organized way, he walked everyone step-by-step through each FBI action following the attacks at JFK and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He told them of the death of Nasim Conklin while in FBI custody, his murder enabled by Nasim himself, who sacrificed himself up in an attempt to save his family, and the shooting and capture of his murderer, Jamil Nazari, and he explained the reason for the delay in announcing his death—the FBI had been following critical leads obtained from Nasim Conklin by Agent Sherlock prior to his death.
Director Comey ended with their successes—the death of three terrorists holding Nasim Conklin’s family in Connecticut and the family’s safe rescue.
He thanked the New York Field Office, the Boston Field Office, and the New York Joint Antiterrorism Task Force for their efforts thus far, explained they would continue to pursue other members of the terrorist group but could not identify them definitively at this time. He did not refer to the Strategist specifically; that was to be kept close for now. He answered a number of the media’s questions, clarifying what he could but giving away no other details of the investigation. He gave a rueful smile. “I don’t pretend to believe you came here to listen to me.” He turned to Sherlock, smiled at her, shook her hand, said to the sea of faces, “I’d like to introduce Special Agent Lacey Sherlock. The Bureau is very grateful to her for her quick actions at JFK on Wednesday afternoon, which saved many lives, and for being instrumental in securing the safe recovery of the Conklin family in Connecticut earlier today.” He shook her hand and held it, smiling widely as dozens of camera flashes went off. He leaned down, whispered, “You’re the face of the FBI. Get used to it. Smile for the world.”