CROSSING A BRIDGE.

          Lola. It seemed incredibly unfair, to Nancy at least, that through all the things that happened to the three of them, Joe was the one who was suffering the most. The boy who, in all the years Nancy knew him, was one of the brightest lights she’d ever seen. No matter how dire the situation, he always had her back with a joke and a plan, even when the planning part was an utter disaster. They’d all chosen a dangerous life, but somehow Joe reaping the downfall of that seemed like a cruel, universal joke. 

Her eyes snapped up from the gravel under her feet when he mentioned The Network. It wasn’t unheard of to her; in fact, it was a name that swirled around in her brain with frequency, thanks to all the files she’d read about her mother through Cathedral and… Revenant. “You think they have something to do with this?” She didn’t dare say it out loud; no matter how alone they were, no matter how safe she felt, she knew better. She’d made an enemy of a dangerous organization. There was no such thing as being too careful anymore. 

If Revenant killed Lola… Well, then there was no one in the world who understood Joe better at that moment than Nancy herself. The difference between them now was that Nancy had had plenty of years to adjust to her loss, which is what had her nodding her head, agreeing before she’d really digested all of the information Frank was giving her. “Of course I’ll help you,” and not just because it was Revenant, or The Network, or because of her mother, but because it was Frank. If she turned down this request, walked away and chose to follow her personal mystery on her own, and something bad happened to him? 

There was a twist in her gut at the very idea. “Tell me everything you know so far. We need to consolidate information. I haven’t just been solving mysteries for business tycoons and museum curators, you know.” She’d also been collecting, every step of the way, every piece of information she could on the organization responsible for her mother — and now Lola — dying. The party they just left was a distant memory and she was thinking five steps ahead already.

        EVEN  WITH  WEEKS  OF  PREPARATION  UNDER  HIS  BELT ,  FRANK  WAS  ONE  STEP  BEHIND  HER .   How  could  he  not  be ?  Before  Revenant  was  on  Nancy’s  radar ,  she’d  been  stuck  on  a  senseless  accident  that  had  stolen  her  mother  from  her . But  it  hadn’t  been  an  accident ,  and  blame  was  a  powerful  thing .  Frank  knew  her  vendetta  against  the  terrorist  organization  was  a  mantle  to  her  ––  her  mother’s  unfinished  work .  The  work  that  they  SHARED .  But  he  feared  her  heart  was  glued  so  tightly  to  this  case  that  it  could  lead  her  over  a  cliff  and  she’d  follow .

It  was  a  calculated  risk .  Frank  had  already  had  to  swallow  the  idea  that  at  this  point ,  any  of  them  could  be  in  danger .  That  meant  their  friends  back  in  the  diner ,  who  were  still  convinced  that  hot  dog  buns  were  their  biggest   emergency ,  along  with  countless  others .  It  made  sense  that  those  who  had  faced  death  before  and  won  would  be  the  ones  to  do  the  same  again .

If  he  didn’t  think  too  hard ,  though ,  it  almost  felt  like  they  were  conferring  on  any  other  case .   ❝   Hey ,  you  don’t  have  to  remind  me ,   ❞    his  smile  reflected  a  hint  of  pride ,   ❝   I’ve  been  lucky  enough  to  work  by  your  side  on  some  of  those  cases ;  I  know  what  you’re  capable  of .   ❞   There  was  no  BUT ,  no  caveat  ––  she  was  right .  The  Network  might  have  had  a  file  on  The  Assassins  –– or  Revenant ,  as  she  knew  them  ––  but  Nancy  had  to  have  been  one  of  the  only  agents  working  off of  two  generations  of  information  on  the  otherwise  unknown  group  of  terrorists .

❝   You  probably  already  know   that  the  BIGGEST  obstacle  is  their  unpredictability .  The  Network  has  been  struggling  to  determine  a  motive ,  but  we  think  their  next  attack  might  be  politically motivated  since  there  have  been  some  close  calls  near  the  capitol .   ❞   It  still  didn’t  explain  Iola .   Frank  had  considered  the  idea  that  their  whole  game  was  centered  around  creating  chaos  –––  control  through  fear .  If  that  were  the  case ,  perhaps  they  should  have  been  afraid .   ❝   Does  any  of  that  match   your  experience  with  Revenant ?    ❞

          Observe. In any scenario, with any group of people, even her friends. While normally this state of mind was reserved for suspects, Nancy found that her laser focus could also tell her a lot about her closest companions without all the invasive questioning. It was much easier to get to the heart of the matter when she was keenly aware of the droop in Bess’s shoulders after another failed date or the scowl on George’s face for a lost game in whatever sport she was dabbling in currently. Today, however, the focus belonged to Joe. 

She knew enough not to ask questions, knew that making him talk or think wouldn’t help this time, but made sure the waitress knew to give him extra whipped topping on his sundae. To everyone’s credit, they really were trying their hardest to keep things normal. Bless Ned’s heart, he was at the top of his humor game to try and compensate and it seemed that even that wouldn’t be enough. Not that Nancy could blame Joe, not even for a second. All her years doing the work she did and she’d never faced a setback, a tragedy, this large. She couldn’t even imagine… 

The tap brought her back to reality. She looked at Frank with a small, apologetic smile, which twisted into something a little more curious, or concerned, depending on who you asked. The expression was reserved for the most serious of moments and she got the sense that this was one of those times. She barely squeezed Ned’s hand under the table before moving it away from her knee to stand up, taking the lead with a quick, “We’ll be right back.” No one batted an eye; typical. 

Only once they stepped out of earshot did she slow her pace, looking at her friend to ask, “What’s going on? Is Joe… What happened, Frank?” Because she knew this wasn’t casual, this wasn’t going to be a friendly catching up, not when Joe hadn’t even looked up to watch them leave. It was a cold day in Hell that Joe Hardy was okay with being left out of the loop, which only furthered Nancy’s suspicion. The loop was starting to look like a noose.

        THERE  WAS  NO  TURNING  BACK .  He’d  seen  something  click  behind  Nancy’s  eyes  back  at  the  table .  Even  while  the  others  remained  asleep  to  what  was  going  on ,  Frank  knew  she  must  have  deciphered  enough  from  everything  he  hadn’t  yet  said .  It  was  why  she  was  perfect  for  this  case  ––  one  of  the  reasons ,  anyway ,  though  he  owed  her  all  of  them .  Keeping  his  suspicions  to  himself  could  cost  him  more  than  just  the  case . 

The  tiny  bell  above  the  door  jingled  as  he  followed  her  outside ,  and  he  felt  pressed  to  check  behind  them  one  last  time .  But  if  their  friends  had  taken  note  of  their  absence ,  they  didn’t  show  it .  Joe  was  still  slumped  in  his  seat  like  a  marionette  whose  strings  had  been  cut  while  the  others  bargained  with  a  waitress .  If  there  was  a  time  for  them  to  speak  privately ,  it  was  now .   Frank  slipped  his  hands  into  his  pockets  and  crossed  the  threshold . 

❝   It’s  Iola ,   ❞   he  explained ,  wondering  how  much  of  the  story  was  his  to  tell .  ❝   Joe  still  blames  himself  for  what  happened ,  especially  since  we  .  .  .   ❞   They’d  been  approached  with  the  offer  at  Iola’s  funeral .  Why  he  and  his  brother  had  been  chosen  ––  why  people  they  cared  about  were  being  targeted  –– he  didn’t  know ,  but  the  idea  that  Nancy  could  be  on  that  list  hadn’t  evaded  him .  He  had  to  get  to  the  point  before  it  choked  the  words  out  of  him .   ❝   Look ,  Joe  and  I  were  approached  by  some  guy  from  an  organization  called  The  Network  who  want  us  to  help  them  track  the  group  responsible .  I  just  .  .  .  don’t  think  he’s  ready ,  Nancy ,  which  is  why  I  wanted  to  ask  you  to  step  in  for  him    ––    and  if  my  research  counts  for  anything ,  I  think  you  have  a  bone  to  pick  with  them ,  too .   ❞

            JOE  WOULD  UNDERSTAND  EVENTUALLY ,  Frank  had  convinced  himself .  He  had  to .  His  brother  was  as  invested  in  their  case  as  he  was  ––  maybe  more  after  what  had  happened  to  Iola  ––  but  he  needed  time  they  didn’t  have .  

It  wouldn’t  go  over  well  when  he  realized  he’d  been  cut  out  of  the  case ,  but  Frank  had  been  observing  him  all  afternoon ,  searching  for  a  sign  that  he  might  be  making  the  wrong  decision .  But  there  was  no  light  in  his  eyes .  He’d  barely  touched  his  food  ––  he  hadn’t  even  cracked  a  smile  when  soda  came  SHOOTING  out  of  Bess’  nose  after  one  of  Ned’s  jokes .  How  was  he  going  to  focus  on  stopping  the  Assassins  when  he  was  drowning  in  guilt  over  their  last  hit ?

There  was  only  ONE  person  he  trusted  as  much  as  his  brother .  Only  one  he  admired  even  more .

While  the  others  started  to  panic  over  the  Great  4th  of  July  Hamburger  Bun  Shortage ,  Frank  turned  to  Nancy .  His  throat  constricted  as  he  reached  over  to  tap  her  on  the  forearm .

❝   Hey ,  do  you  want  to  go  for  a  walk ?   ❞  He  prayed  the  subtext  would  bleed  into  his  expression .  It  had  never  seemed  too  difficult  for  Nancy ,  though .  I  need  to  talk  to  you .