Chapter 39
Glancing up at the clock on the wall above the
sink, she sighed heavily. Eight
thirty. Friday night. Usually, she and Mac would play cards or
catch a movie or even go to a club with some of the ladies from the team, but
her friend had been gone two weeks and
“What would be the point?” She had asked.
Mac laughed, “What was the point of you
introducing me to Ann? You said I needed to get out, remember?”
“Yeah, well…”
“You don’t have to marry anyone, Dev. Just let yourself have some fun. Believe me I know what you’re feeling. You need to take your own advice. So what’s wrong with enjoying some adult
company?”
Swallowing the remainder of the beer, Devon
considered that statement. Adult
company. Looking around the empty
apartment, she considered her options.
She could stay home, watching some stupid movie or re-read a novel. She could get in the car and drive to
Pittsburgh. No, it would be midnight
when she arrived and her sister and the kids would be asleep. There was a good possibility that someone she
knew would be out at the club; she could hang out awhile and have a couple
beers. With another sigh, she tossed the
empty beer bottle into the trash and headed upstairs to change.
At nine thirty-five Devon parked her jeep in the
parking lot a block from the club and tried to remember why she thought this
was a good idea. She wasn’t the type to
go out alone and she considered pulling back out of the lot and heading home
again. I’ll just have a beer and see if anyone else is here, if not I’ll head
out. She hopped out and walked
purposefully toward the doors of the club before she changed her mind.
Devon entered the club and was immediately
enveloped in the pulsing beat of the music and dim lights of the interior. The lights of the dance floor flashed in time
to the music, irregularly illuminating the dancers and casting multicolored
shadows around the rest of the space.
Devon climbed onto an open bar stool and signaled the bartender. The pretty brunette responded immediately,
taking in the striking blonde who just graced her service area.
Devon ordered a beer and couldn’t help but
notice the bright smile the woman gave her as she delivered her order. The woman’s dark eyes held hers and her hand
lingered momentarily, lightly touching Devon’s on the bar before lifting the
five dollar bill and heading for the cash register. As Devon took a drink from her beer, she saw
the woman watching her in the mirror behind the bar.
“That’s yours,” Devon told her when she returned
with the change.
“Thanks, darlin’, look me up when you get thirsty
again.” The playful brown eyes danced.
“I will,” Devon nodded and turned on the stool
to face the rest of the club, surveying the patrons. After a few minutes, she heard some laughter
and shouts that were loud enough to be heard over the music. Looking in the direction of the commotion,
she recognized several members of the team raising their glasses in a toast of
some kind. One of the women at the table
saw her and waved her arm in the air, beckoning Devon over to join them.
“Hey, girl!”
A petite Hispanic woman wearing a red polo shirt and jeans shouted, as
she gave Devon a warm hug. Carmen
Santiago was a physical therapist and the Sergeant First Class in charge of the
PT rehab at Walter Reed. She had pushed
Devon to her limits in the gym during her first six months back from Beirut and
Devon would forever be grateful to Carmen for a quick and full rehab of her
injured arm and leg.
“Hi Carmen,” Devon returned the embrace. Carmen’s skin was a rich bronze color from
hours spent outdoors. Her smile was
contagious and Devon grinned back.
Carmen’s girlfriend, Elaina, stepped in between
the two and slid an arm around both women’s waists. “Oh, my,” Elaina cooed playfully, “ain’t I
the envy of every woman in this bar right now, holding the two most beautiful
women in the place.” Her hand slid down to Devon’s rear and slapped playfully
before squeezing, causing the blonde to jump and a blush to darken her face a
deep red. Laughing, Elaina kissed Devon on the cheek and released her.
“How come you don’t come around more often, Dev?
You need to get out more.” Carmen gestured toward the empty chair at their
table, indicating that Devon should sit.
“I don’t know Carmen, we’re a bit busy at work,”
Devon offered a lame excuse.
Carmen shook her head, “A girl has to get out,
chica…” she raised her hands palms up as she shrugged. They moved toward the table where the rest of
the Army softball team sat consuming pitchers of beer. The others called out greetings as Devon took
the empty seat, turning the chair around so that the back was in front of her
and she rested her forearms on top. She
found herself drawn into their jovial celebration, as they discussed the
previous week’s game, complained good naturedly about their bosses, and
speculated about various women in the bar.
Throughout the evening, Devon looked toward the
bar and each time, the woman tending bar seemed to be looking her way. Several of the women at the table went to ask
someone to dance and others made their way to the pool tables. Devon headed back to the bar to order another
beer, smiling appreciatively at the sight of Carmen and Elaina on the dance
floor who were flawlessly moving together in a sensual style. She was startled when she felt something cold
touch the side of her hand.
“This one’s on me, honey,” the brunette was
leaning over the bar toward her, so close that if Devon leaned in just slightly
their lips would meet. Devon’s blue eyes
met the dark gaze before allowing her own to wander over the rest of her upper
body visible above the bar. Her rich
brown hair fell in ringlets around her tanned face; her full, rose colored lips
were pulled up in a mischievous grin, causing a deep dimple to form on the left
side of her mouth. She was wearing a
black leather vest that buttoned just below her full breasts, revealing the
exposed cleavage as she leaned over the bar.
“Thanks, but you should take this,” Devon picked
up the beer and slid another couple of bills across the bar.
The woman placed her right hand on Devon’s bare
forearm. “I’m Tammy.” She was smiling again and Devon found her smile
engaging.
“Devon,” She found herself smiling as well.
“Don’t go away, Devon,” she held up a hand to
acknowledge a customer who was shouting for a drink. “I’ll be right back.” Tammy ran her hand along Devon’s forearm as
she moved away.
Devon followed with her eyes, noting the tight
black jeans that enclosed a shapely bottom.
She’s very attractive. In spite of her earlier intentions to cut out
early, Devon felt an unexpected urge to stay.
There was an open invitation in the woman’s expression, with no hint of
reservation. Devon had never been
cruised before, at least that she was aware of, and the feeling was a bit
flattering and exhilarating. No strings,
no expectations, just pure physical attraction. What’s wrong with a little adult company? She smiled as she heard Mac’s voice in her
head and thought now how right her friend was, wondering why she had never
considered it before. Her pulse
quickened as she imagined the feel Tammy’s hands on her skin.
In the far corner of the bar, Susan sat
observing her target. The softball team
had come and gone and now she watched with interest as Lieutenant James sat
conversing with the bartender. All night
long she watched the interaction between the two women. She had to admit she was a bit surprised,
never had her subject shown any inclination to engage in such spontaneous
activity. Susan briefly wondered if they
had missed something along the way. Did
James know this woman? The last time she
had seen her at the club; did she see her talking with the woman?
She wished that this connection had been made with
one of the military women. That would be
much easier to expose. Susan watched the
bartender begin cleaning up the bar and looked at her watch, noting it was one
fifty-five. The house lights would come
up soon and with the bar now virtually empty, she was in danger of being
spotted by James, so she slipped out with a group of young local women.
Once outside, she puzzled over what to do. She had come to the club on a whim, not
really expecting to see the lieutenant out tonight, so she had no back up. At this time of the night, following her home
or wherever she was going seemed to be out of the question. She would take a few photos from her car
parked down the block. At least with the
photos and a few discreet inquiries later, they could identify the bartender
and attempt to question her.
Susan need not have worried. When the two women exited the club, they
walked directly to the Jeep with hardly a look around. Susan snapped pictures as the jeep
passed. She turned around in her seat to
take a few more when they turned onto the street behind her, but what she saw
in the telephoto lens changed everything that she thought she was going to do
that night.
Adjusting the focus on two figures exiting a
vehicle at the other end of the block, Susan confirmed what she thought she
saw. Instinctively she began taking
pictures of the pair. When the
disappeared inside a nondescript warehouse type building she drifted her car
down the block, stopping two doors down.
Nothing about the building gave the slightest indication about what was
inside. The large metal door opened and
pounding music could be heard from within.
She watched for an hour, noting that although some patrons were alone
and some in pairs, they all had one thing in common. They were all men.
Chapter 40
Devon dug her security badge out of her back
pocket and dropped it around her neck as she pushed through the double glass
entry door of the building just before 2000 hours. On a Friday night, the majority of the first
floor and offices and administrative areas were closed for the weekend, only
the interior intelligence centers were alive and teeming with activity
regardless of the day or hour. She moved
quickly through the empty corridors and upstairs to the now familiar work area
of the direction finding unit.
Having come right from the October softball
tournament, Devon was still in her uniform, only changing out her cleats for
sneakers in the Jeep. Her grey uniform pants were stained with clay and grass
from the fielding ground balls. Her hair
was unruly and windblown. She normally
wouldn’t show up at work looking quite this grungy, but Ann was so excited
about the intelligence information the team had gathered that Devon had to rush
right over to check it out.
Two weeks prior, another attack had occurred at
the U.S. Embassy annex just northeast of Beirut, killing 24 people, two of them
U.S. military personnel. Devon stayed in the building virtually every waking
moment since that time and tonight’s game was one of the few diversions she had
allowed herself. She knew from her time
in Beirut the areas that Hezbollah controlled in Lebanon and had instructed her
unit that identifying and locating targets in those areas were the highest
priority. Finding those bastards so that
the U.S. military could bring them to justice was personal for their lieutenant,
and every member of her unit knew it.
She saw Ann training a young airman recently
assigned to their unit. Enjoying the
excited look on the young man’s face, Devon stepped alongside Ann to observe
the lesson and his obvious eagerness to learn.
Ann glanced briefly up at Devon, smiling at her dirty appearance. A second later he recognized her.
“Hello,
ma’am!” The poor youngster practically
shouted as sprang from his chair so quickly that he lost his balance. Devon just managed to grab him by the arm to
keep him from pitching back onto the floor.
The chair did tip over with a low thud.
The airman’s face flushed nearly purple, “Sorry, lieutenant,” he muttered,
unable to look at her.
“It’s okay, Kevin. Please, relax, okay?” She flashed her trademark electric smile at
him, her eyes kind, “You’re doing fine.”
Pulling her NCO aside, she asked, “Ann, you want
to bring me up to speed? Please tell me you have something good. I’m going to need hard evidence to convince
the colonel to listen to me about moving up these terrorist groups in our
priority order.”
From behind them, a deep voice came from the
outer office area, “Lieutenant James.”
Devon turned at the sound of the colonel’s voice, feeling a chill in her
spine. “I’d like a word with you.”
It was not a request. Devon flashed a quick look at Ann who was
shooting daggers at their boss with her eyes.
When Ann’s eyes moved back to Devon, the lieutenant nodded slightly as
if to reassure her friend it would be alright.
She wished she believed that herself.
“Yes sir,” Devon responded perfunctorily and
strode surely in his direction, following him through her work area into his
large private office.
“Close the door behind you, lieutenant.” He sat behind the desk in the black leather
chair, assuming a very formal posture. His
elbows rested on the desk, his big hands steepled in front of him, his face set
hard as his dark eyes stared at her.
Devon stood between the two straight backed
chairs in front of the desk, aware that he had not invited her to sit. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her
expression neutral, cool blue eyes holding his. She stood silently. Waiting.
She knew exactly what he was going to talk to her about.
After a full minute passed, Jefferies indicated
the chairs with a quick jerk of his right hand. “Sit.” He watched the female lieutenant sit, noting
with irritation that her posture was businesslike and confident. He was used to his presence and rank
intimidating subordinates, especially women.
He could always count on a bit of healthy fear to drive home the lesson
that it was his show, and although he could do nothing about the law allowing
women to enlist, men ran the
Army. As he watched James, he saw no
hint of intimidation in her demeanor, and that
pissed him off.
“Lieutenant, I am sure that I made myself very
clear as to your appearance and the attire that I expect you to wear whenever
you are in my work area.” He cast a
disgusted look at the uniform. “And yet,
you persist in violating my direct order.
You have an explanation?”
Eyes never leaving his, Devon said simply, “I am
off today, sir. However, Petty Officer
Baxter had some success with an intercept that we matched with other
intelligence and cross referenced with our fixes—”
“Is that part of the job description for either
of you?” He snapped at her before she
could finish her sentence. His eyes were
black with anger as he leaned toward her, staring hard.
“Sir, if I may,” Devon began again calmly, “This
is the innovative work that our unit began last year. Colonel Brinkman gave the go ahead for the
project before I left for Beirut. Now that I’ve returned, I had hoped to
proceed and—” Jefferies’ hand slammed down on the desk, silencing her.
His face was completely rigid and his eyes
expressed every ounce of his contempt for her.
When he spoke his voice was glacially cold, “I am only going to say this
once. Colonel Brinkman is no longer
running this unit. You will stick to the
job description in the SOP. I do not
tolerate insubordination from my junior officers, and I intensely dislike
cockiness,” He drew a deep breath, eyes still drilling into hers. “I am still
waiting for an explanation about your unprofessional attire.”
“First, let me assure you, colonel that it is
not my intent to be insolent, I only want to push our unit to improve every
day.” Jefferies eyes narrowed. “As to my dress, colonel, I am off, but when
Baxter asked that I come in to assist her, I was excited about her work, so I
came right from the…game.” She heard Jefferies give a disgusted grunt. “I
didn’t think there would be any harm on a Friday night. I was only planning on
staying a few minutes.”
“You are an officer twenty-four seven and as
such you are supposed to set an example.”
Undaunted, Devon pressed, “Sir, with all due
respect, I believe that responding to my NCO’s request and coming in on my day
off to recognize my team’s outstanding efforts is setting a good example,
regardless of my attire.” As an afterthought she added quietly, “Leadership is
about people, not rules.”
Jefferies sat still as a statue, save for his
clenching jaw and the veins bulging in his neck that was turning deep red as he
struggled to control his rage. This dyke bitch dares to lecture me about
leadership?! He shoved his large
frame out of his chair, slamming his palms down on the desk and leaned
menacingly at Devon.
His voice shook with fury as he yelled, “Just
who the hell do you think you are?”
Devon winced as spittle flew from his mouth in her direction. “Consider
this your first disciplinary report, James.
I’m not going to put up with your disrespect. You will not enter this
building unless you are wearing proper attire, regardless of whether you are on
duty or not. You will refrain from
deviating from normal procedures when managing this unit. Do I make myself perfectly clear on both
issues?”
“Yes sir.”
“You are dismissed.”
Devon stood without another word and stalked to
the door. As soon as she appeared in the
doorway of the operations area, all of the enlisted people were staring at her
wide-eyed. Devon shrugged and forced a
smile for their benefit, “He was mad ‘cause I got a little mud on his
carpet.” No one laughed. “Well, don’t let me interrupt your work; I’ll
just let myself out. Keep up the good
work, guys.” She waved a hand in the air as she moved toward the rear door to
leave.
Ann followed Devon out into the hallway, “You
probably shouldn’t be seen with me,” Devon warned her.
“As if I care,” she scoffed.
“I care,” Devon countered. “I’m the one he has a
hard on for, Ann. You don’t need to ruin your career too.”
Ann reached out and grabbed Devon’s arm to stop
her progress down the hall. When she
reluctantly turned to look at her Ann saw a mixture of anger and pain swirling
in her blue eyes.
“You okay? I—well we all could hear him
yelling.”
“Great.”
When Devon bowed her head, looking embarrassed
now, Ann hastened to add, “You listen to me,” she leaned toward Devon to catch
her eye. “Every one of those people in
there,” she gestured with her other arm back toward the door they just exited,
“would follow you into battle or straight into hell for that matter. We respect you. This is your
unit, no matter what that asshole says about you.” She had a fire in her eyes that made Devon
very glad that Ann was on her side, and the energy lifted Devon’s spirit.
“Thanks for the pep talk, but I better go.”
As Devon started to walk down the hall, Ann
called out, “Would you like to buy me dinner tonight?”
Devon stopped again and looked back over her
shoulder at Ann, smiling despite her mood.
“Can I get a rain check? I’m really exhausted.”
“Okay,” supremely glad to see Devon smile, Ann
grinned back, “Friday then, pick me up at seven.” With that, she turned on her
heals and headed back toward the operations area without waiting for a
response.
Devon shook her head and chuckled to herself,
“Yes ma’am,” she said out loud as she started down the hall again, her sneakers
squeaking on the tile floor.
Chapter 41
They decided to try a new steakhouse at the
Inner Harbor, not far from where they had gone with Mac back in the spring. The spacious outdoor deck overlooking the
water provided a wonderful atmosphere for their meal and the women lingered
with another glass of wine after dinner, unwilling to relinquish their table
for a bit longer. They chatted easily
over dinner, discussing work, their families, Ann’s upcoming new duty station,
and of course Mac.
“I think that if she would have met you sooner,
things might have turned out differently, Ann.” Devon said sincerely.
Ann smiled ruefully. “Well, I can tell you that
I never wanted to spend more than one or two nights with anyone I’ve ever met
before.” Devon nodded. “But,” Ann forced a lighter note into her
voice, “that’s how it goes. We knew it
going in and I don’t regret one minute of knowing her.”
“I know what you mean,” Devon agreed, “I guess
all we can ever do is enjoy what we are given ‘cause time and love are fleeting
gifts.” She could see Ann scrutinizing her as though she wanted to ask
something but was afraid to begin.
“Devon, I don’t mean to pry,” she hesitated as a
Devon braced for the question she knew Ann was going to ask. Normally, she would have stopped the
conversation before it started, but she owed Ann a lot. She knew Ann cared, and they were friends, so
she waited.
“Well, I mean,” Ann continued, “I know that you
lost a friend in the Middle East, but was there something else…more?” Devon’s
eyes fixed on a point beyond her left shoulder.
The silence hung in the air them and Ann told herself that she was the
biggest idiot in the world for bringing it up.
She stammered, “Hey, I’m sorry, please forget
it, Dev…I had no right to ask…I just worry, and…sorry.” She finished glumly.
When Devon turned her gaze back to Ann, the
hardness was replaced by sadness again and she smiled weakly, reaching out to
take Ann’s hand. “Don’t be sorry for caring.”
Ann smiled tremulously. “Mac only knows ‘cause she was there.” Devon
said, “Anyway, Alexandra…Alex my CIA contact. I believe you met her last
year?”
Ann nodded, “Yes I remember, she was very pretty
and smart as a whip.”
Devon grinned slightly at that, “Prettier and
smarter than I’ll ever be, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t know if I have ever told you how sorry
I am that she was killed, Devon, I know how loyal you are to your friends. I
can’t imagine losing my dearest—”
“She was my lover,” Devon interjected.
“Oh, my God.
I never…Mac never told me. Devon,
I am so very, very sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Devon downed the last of her wine.
“I could tell there were lots of times you wanted to ask; now you know.” She was grateful that Ann didn’t press
further but only smiled kindly. Devon
finished her glass of wine and excused herself to use the restroom. When Devon returned to the table, her
trademark laser grin was back on display.
She extended her hand, “Ready to go?”
Ten minutes later they pulled into the parking
lot of the club. “You sure you’re up for
a dance club tonight?” Ann looked skeptical.
“Hell, yes, I haven’t been here in months. Just what the doctor ordered to lift the
spirits, right?” She walked around to open Ann’s door.
“If you say so.”
“No, Mac says so,” Devon corrected, “and
besides, I can’t let you go to Alaska without one more wild night on the town,
now can I?” Both women were laughing as
they made their way into the club.
Devon spotted the group who were waiting for
them at the back of the bar, and waved when she saw Carmen look up at
them. All of the women yelled out at
once, sending a loud, “Yea!” across the club as Devon guided Ann toward their
destination. By the time they reached
the table, Carmen was handing Ann a shot before hugging Devon, both women
slapping each other on the backs.
“You made it!” Carmen exclaimed, handing Devon
her own shot.
“I told you we were having dinner first,” Devon
reminded her, “that was to give you enough time to get everyone here,
remember?”
Elaina leaned on Devon’s shoulder, “Honey you
know she can’t remember what she had for breakfast this morning.” With that, she wrapped her arms around
Devon’s neck and gave her a teasing kiss on the mouth.
“Hey watch it,” Carmen said in mock anger,
pulling her lover away from Devon, who was sporting a cocky grin. “And, mi
chica, when I said come out more, that was supposed to mean more than every
three months.” Her dark eyes looked up at the taller woman with concern, “You
doing okay?”
“C’mon,” Devon said lightly, dropping an arm
around the Latina woman’s shoulder, “I thought you were my physical therapist. What are
you gonna start shrinking my head now too?”
Carmen gave her a smile and a quick look to say
she was there if Devon needed to talk.
Devon gave her a nod in return and moved around to the back of the large
table, grabbing a mug of beer and finding a chair out of the way from the larger
group.
Carmen was a combat medic in Grenada and seen
some pretty rough action. She knew what holding the horrors inside could do to
a person. There were plenty of soldiers
whose physical wounds were nothing compared to the psychological wounds. She watched as Devon seated herself slightly
apart from the rest of the group.
Eventually, the cute blonde lieutenant was going to crack if she didn’t
start talking to someone, and Carmen hoped that would be soon.
When the group started playing quarters, Devon
figured she better switch to water if she was going to be able to drive Ann
home. She glanced over at her friend,
chuckling as she missed and had to drink another shot. Oh,
yeah, she is gonna need a ride. She
found a small space at the bar and stood waiting, dollar in hand. Moments later, Tammy appeared in front of
her, a mischievous grin on her face. “What can I get you, ma’am?” her fingers
brushed briefly across Devon’s fingers.
Feeling the blush rise in her cheeks, but
powerless to stop it, Devon replied, “Just water tonight, thanks.” She raised
her eyes to meet Tammy’s. The brunette
was obviously just as interested as she was the first night they met, and
seemingly not a bit bothered by the fact that Devon hadn’t stayed that night or
even called since then. Although Devon’s
body was reacting of its own volition, when Tammy returned with the bottle of
water with the same hungry look in her eyes, she managed to focus. “Thanks, I have to make sure my friend gets
home tonight,” she cocked her head toward the loud group across the bar.
“Okay, sweetie, you know where to find me if you
change your mind.” With that, Tammy was
pouring several more shots for the next customer.
Spotting an open stool at the end of the bar,
Devon took the opportunity to move to the corner for a few minutes. From this vantage point, she could survey the
entire club as well as keep an eye on her charge. She opened the bottle and took a long
satisfying chug of the icy water before swiveling around on the stool to have a
look around. Couples leaned together at
small tables for two along the wall, the dance floor was packed with gyrating
bodies sweating to the music, and she guessed most of the people at the bar
were probably single, like her.
As the DJ transitioned into a slow song and
equal numbers of couples either moved from or toward the dance floor, Devon
caught sight of a familiar face at the far corner of the room. The woman, who was watching the softball
team’s table, didn’t see Devon approaching from the opposite side of the
bar. She paled visibly when the lieutenant
turned the chair around in the air, dropped it to the floor and straddled the
back, coming to rest inches in front of her.
“Hello Susan.” The ice blue eyes bored into the
woman. Devon laughed hollowly at the
look of shock on the investigator’s face.
“What, aren’t you glad to see me?”
She raised her index finger to her mouth as if in thought, “Oh, no,
that’s right. You are supposed to see
me, I’m just not supposed to know who you are, right?”
Susan’s mind scrambled trying to figure out what
to say or do. Obviously since the last
time, James found out who she was.
Probably McKinley figured it out. That’s why she had selected this table
in the darkest part of the room so as not to be seen. She couldn’t believe that her surveillance
subject had just walked right over and had the balls to sit right down and
challenge her. How did she miss her
leaving the rest of the group?
Damn. She had to get her shit
together. Well, no choice now, she had
to deal with this.
“Hello, Devon.
How are you?” She smiled as
naturally as she could. She couldn’t
help it, she really did like her. God, Honeycutt would have a stroke if he
knew that.
Devon narrowed her eyes, studying the
woman. She couldn’t be sure, but she
thought that the question was genuine.
Susan was looking at her with what looked like actual affection.
Confused, Devon shook her head. “Fine,” she mumbled, taking a drink from the
water bottle. She focused instead on
Mac’s warning. This woman had caused
good people to lose their careers, and Devon had no doubt she was next on the
list of targets.
“Would you believe I just came in to have a
drink?” Susan asked. She knew what the
boss wanted her to do. What she was
supposed to do. Reel in her target. She sensed hesitation from the lieutenant’s
initial confrontation. Now was the time to make a play.
“No. I wouldn’t.” Devon reminded herself that
the investigators use any tactic necessary to bait their prey. The whole concerned look on her face was just
an act. That’s right and the best
defense is a good offense as they say.
She smiled at Susan, “But, since we’re both here, what are you drinking?
I’ll buy.”
“Oh, no—”
“Really, I insist,” Devon said as she stood,
“rum and coke if I remember correctly, right?”
She moved with long strides toward the bar before Susan could
answer. Susan watched her target move
confidently through the crowd toward the bar, realizing her nerves were
jumping. Why did she come here again
alone, without a backup? No doubt she was trying to get additional information
about James for her investigation.
That’s what she told herself when she got dressed tonight, even as she
fussed over exactly what outfit to wear and primped at the mirror for nearly
thirty minutes.
Her eyes were still on Devon as she stood
leaning a hip against the bar, waiting for her order. Susan noted the faded jeans the lieutenant
was wearing fit quite nicely and she could make out the muscles in her back
beneath the white polo shirt as Devon leaned across the bar, listening as the
bartender said something directly into her ear.
Susan was inexplicably irritated by the obviously intimate exchange
between the two women. What the hell is that about? She
reminded herself to concentrate on the investigation.
Devon returned from the bar with Susan’s drink
and another bottle of water for herself, once again sitting with her legs
straddling the back of the wooden chair, scrutinizing the brunette. She seemed nervous, making Devon inwardly
pleased to be rattling the investigator.
She watched Susan shift in her chair.
Susan took a long drink from her glass, grateful
for something to distract her from the intense blue eyes locked on her. Her mind was racing. She had tried to ignore the conflicting
feelings inside regarding Lieutenant James for quite some time. When she took the case everything seemed
black and white, her duty was clear. Now
that she met the lieutenant more than once she didn’t know what she believed
anymore.
“So, why don’t you tell me your real name,”
Devon suggested, “That would only be fair because I’m sure you know everything
there is to know about me.” She watched
the investigator’s face carefully and saw the brown eyes soften to reveal a
surprising vulnerability. After
finishing her drink, the woman pushed the glass several times back and forth on
the table between her hands, seemingly uncertain how to answer.
She drew in a deep breath and returned Devon’s
stare, “My name really is Susan.”
Suddenly, she had this desire to come fully clean, confess her role in
the investigation and throw herself at the mercy of this intriguing woman. Being this close to her was making Susan wish
that she really was just a local Baltimore girl having a drink with a dashing
blond stranger.
“Okay, Susan,” the blue eyes regarded her
seriously, “I think we can safely say that you’re not a local woman who’s just
a regular here at the club.” Susan
nodded, feeling a scathing rebuke coming.
Devon continued, her hard stare pinning the agent back in her chair,
“Since you think you’re on the side of moral integrity, truth and justice, why
don’t you explain to me how being in this bar makes me a less effective officer
or less patriotic for that matter?”
Devon had now become the interrogator and she
watched Susan struggle to maintain eye contact.
She grasped the empty tumbler on the table, rolling it between her
palms. Surprisingly, it looked as though
the investigator was being honest as she began to speak.
“I used to believe that I was enforcing
regulations—yes for the good of the military—I was young and everything was
black and white.” Devon’s expression did
not change as she listened. “Lately, I’m
not so sure about what’s right and wrong.”
Susan straightened in her chair and placed her palms down on the table,
so close to Devon’s hand that she imagined she could feel the heat of her
skin.
“I didn’t follow you here tonight, although I’d
be lying if I said I didn’t hope to see you.” Devon’s brows knit together as a frown
transformed her features. Susan pushed
ahead, “On paper, it seemed horribly wrong to come after someone like you. But
once I actually met you I knew—”
“Hey, chica!
Who’s your cute friend?” Carmen
stepped up to the table between their chairs.
Devon stood abruptly, spinning the chair back
around and pushing it under the table.
“Goodnight.” She said quietly to Susan, before
leading the Latina woman back to the rear of the club where the team was still
partying.
Devon collected Ann from the table, drawing
disapproving shouts from the others who were enjoying getting the petty officer
completely drunk. She bid goodnight to
the group, thanking Carmen and Elaina for rounding up the gang for Ann’s
farewell bash. Devon half carried Ann
toward the front door, noting that Susan’s table was empty as she passed
by. An hour later, she had she had
successfully gotten Ann into bed in the spare room of her apartment and decided
that she was in need of a hot shower to wash off the smell of smoke and stale
alcohol of the bar.
Stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the
steam filled enclosure, adjusting the water flow so that a hard pulsing spray
beat against her skin. While she
lathered and scrubbed head to toe, her mind replayed the odd interaction with
the CID investigator. Susan. Devon supposed there was no reason not to
believe that was really her name, she just wondered if anything else the woman
said was the truth, and was disturbed that a part of her wanted to believe the
woman. She wondered how anyone could
make a living trying to destroy other people’s lives. Stepping from the shower
and briskly towel drying her hair, Devon decided that she should not spend much
time trying to understand a person like Susan.
#
Susan sat at the small kitchen table in her
apartment with the photographic evidence she had collected during the past
weeks spread out before her. Every night
she returned to wait outside the business.
Twice more she saw him. That
convinced her this was no mistake. The
local property tax records were easy enough to access, giving her the name of
the property owner. From there it was short work to access background
information on him, which led to the real nature of the business. It was an after-hours gay club.
She checked all of the open investigations and
found no reference to the establishment in any of the ongoing official
investigations. That only left two
options. He was either conducting his
own investigation, or he was a customer.
Susan stared at the pictures. Could
this be possible? It was too much to
think about. She poured another drink
and tried to calm her frazzled nerves. Right now, she had to think this through
and proceed carefully. One misstep on
her part could be disastrous. If she
was wrong it was the end of her career.
If she was right, the implications were just unbelievable.