CHAPTER ONE-2
511 Words
EIGHTEEN DAYS LATER, Nathan Thomas was preparing to head out to Dallas for his turn in the witness stand.
“How long will you be down there?” Bella asked him.
Nathan shrugged as he set his suitcase on the bed, opened it, and moved to the dresser to start packing. “Not sure. With multiple murders tied into one case, it could be a couple of days, or it could stretch into two or three weeks, I just don’t know. Hey! I have an idea,” he exclaimed. “Why don’t you and Charlie come with me? You know Jandy and Faith would love to see you two, and you can visit with them while I’m in court.”
“You know what? Yes. I would love that. Been feeling like I am in a rut lately since I got my degree finished,” Bella answered with feeling. “Not to mention, we have no family here.”
He stiffened.
“What?”
“Well,” he began, turning slowly toward her, “it’s interesting you should say that. I found out something at work yesterday, and I was planning on talking to you about it to get your opinion, but I wasn’t sure when to bring it up.”
She sat on the bed. “Now’s an excellent time. Shoot.”
“The Behavioral Analysis liaison in the Dallas office announced he is retiring this year, and they approached me and asked if I’d like to take the spot, since I have family down there.”
“What would you be doing?”
“Pretty much the same thing as here, only more focused to cases in about 170 counties, all within north, east and west Texas. I’d coordinate any BAU involvement with the Dallas office’s twelve satellite offices, as well. I’m thinking a lot less travel. But,” he continued, as he sat beside her and took her hand, “we’re a team, and I want any move we make to be what’s best for both of us, and for Charlie.”
“Honestly, Nathan? I still want to work with kids, and I’d still like to teach languages. I just don’t know if I still want to be involved with teaching at Langley. I’ve had enough up close and personal with the whole crazy-evil-people-doing-crazy-evil-things world,” Bella told her husband. “I want to teach in a normal everyday environment. You know, normal students, not spies. A place where I don’t have to worry about whether a student of mine having trouble with French could get them killed. Besides, they have a ton of extremely good colleges in Texas, several in North Texas alone, that I can choose from to get my Masters’ degrees.”
“So.... you think we should make the move?”
“I think we should make the move. And we’ve got some time to really plan this out – find a house down there, get this one listed, all of it. I love Uncle Max to death, but we don’t see him that regularly anymore. So yes, Nathan, I think if we have a chance to be closer to family, we ought to take it.”
“I love you, Bella, and I love the way you’re the other half of my brain. You just said everything I was thinking about this.”
***
- Writer
