Cogent

TWENTY-FOUR

Carter was beyond annoyed with Mikael at this point. She refused to believe him without seeing some kind of proof. "Do you doubt everyone like this or is it just me?" he asked as he drove into the city. Lakewood was miles behind them, but Mikael's suspicions weren't.

"I don't trust people who lie to me. You've been holding things back since we met. That doesn't exactly foster my faith in you," she answered, adjusting in her seat. It was clear she was uncomfortable—either with the conversation or his driving speed.

"Nobody is totally honest. Look at Lenny. She had plenty of secrets."

"Lenore kept secrets to keep other people safe."

"Yeah, a real martyr." Carter snapped bitterly.

Mikael peered at him with narrowed eyes. "You do realize that you're judging a woman with whom you had a relationship for many years, and with whom you were in love."

Love is a strong word, Carter thought but bit his tongue. Mikael didn't need to know anything else about his feelings. "Lenny knew everything about me. The least she could've done was allow me to know what she was working on. If she was passionate about this case, why couldn't she share it with me?" he glanced over when Mikael didn't answer, and then realized that she didn't have to. "Like you, she didn't fully trust me." It felt like another death—the passing of a relationship that he'd never had in the first place.

"Not to sound cold and uncaring, but I think it's time for you to stop licking your wounds. It's been enough time. She's gone, and all that's left is to finish what she started. That's what she would've asked us to do if she had known she wouldn't be around."

"Well, first I have to get you on the right track. Prove to you that Setter's son had nothing to do with this." Carter redirected. He switched lanes, heading for the City Center. They were minutes away from the proof Mikael would need to let it rest.

"I'll need to talk to him myself," Mikael said stubbornly. "You're obviously not the best judge of character."

"As you've implied," Carter retorted.

Mikael opened her mouth to say something, but a sign outside the car caught her eye. Carter was pulling into the parking lot of the Gilman Care Facility. He found a space near the front door and let the engine idle while Mikael sat looking puzzled in her seat. "Ready?" he asked her, knowing she wasn't.

"What are we doing here?"

"You'll see." He turned the key and opened his door, leaving Mikael without any sort of explanation. She followed him to the front door, stepping inside after him. Carter walked confidently to the front desk. The woman there seemed to know him and even chitchatted lightly for a moment before she saw Mikael.

"Are you a relative or a friend of the family?" she asked.

Mikael blinked, unsure what she should say.

"She's my sister." Carter lied before Mikael had a chance to say anything. "Jensen knows us both."

"Alright then," the woman wrote down a number on a set of stickers and handed one to each of them. "Have a good visit." She said with a smile.

"Thanks," Carter replied, returning her smile with one of his own. Sending a quick glance in Mikael's direction, he walked toward a set of doors beside the front desk, pushing them open and walking down a long hallway. Each of the doors were numbered. Several people loitered in the halls, tapping on the wall or staring into space. Mikael followed close behind.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, confused.

"Going to see Jensen," Carter replied.

The room was at the end of the hall. There were two beds, each separated by a curtain. The first bed was empty. A man in his mid-thirties occupied the second one. He was hooked up to a machine, tubes in his nose and neck. His eyes were open but vacant.