Part 63 (2/2)
Something about it tickled at her bulls.h.i.+t detector. But-photocopy, no love there. She muttered under her breath: ”Stupid-a.s.s old-skool ink-on-paper information delivery system.” No seeing pretty colors here, even if this chatty Living Word of G.o.d was made of jam.
But then, the world was crammed full of non-anomaloid kooks. Odds were against it. And people didn't just hand you the start of a case file on a street corner. So, no.
It still tickled.
She'd bet they had an online presence. h.e.l.l, her dry cleaner had an online presence. Take maybe five minutes to find 'em. n.o.body would miss five minutes out of her otherwise-productive day...
Significant J. Edgar Hoover Building Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.
June 2007 Brady returned from his second coffee pilgrimage of the morning and saw Daphne Worth putting a framed 5x7 prominently on her desk, with the air of one who wanted it to be commented on. ”Pretty lady,” Brady said. ”Who is she?”
Worth grinned at him, and he knew bravado when he saw it. ”Guess.”
Chaz spun his chair around. She obligingly angled the picture so he could see it. ”Sister.”
”Chaz honey,” said Hafidha, leaning hip-shot against the divider, ”you are not even trying. Daph and that lady are sisters about the same way I'm the long lost twin of Josephine Baker.”
”But Hafidha,” Brady said, ”you are the long lost twin of Josephine Baker.”
”You gonna pay good money to see my fan dance?”
”Try again,” Worth said, eyes bright. She was almost bouncing in her chair, nervous but brazening it out. Brady'd given her an out, a distraction, and she'd refused it. Interesting.
”College roommate? Childhood friend?”
Hafidha rolled her eyes and said, drawling the syllables out for maximum effect, ”Girlfriend? As in, significant other?”
”Bing bing bing bing bing!” Worth said. ”Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!”
She was scared, but she wasn't backing down, as if she could make this go well through sheer force of personality, committed to telling the truth with her whole heart. Worth sought the truth like a grail knight. Brady supposed he shouldn't be surprised she would wear its favor on her sleeve in personal matters as much as in her work. He felt a little hollow. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.
Hafidha must either have known already or have guessed almost at once. She didn't miss a beat. ”What do I win?”
”What do you want?”
”As the long lost twin of Josephine Baker, I want a smooch.”
”Is this s.e.xual harra.s.sment in the workplace?”
”Only if you feel harra.s.sed, Peaches,” Hafidha said. Worth laughed a delighted overbubbling laugh, got up, and gave Hafidha a smacking kiss on the cheek.
”No PDA in the bullpen,” Reyes said from his office door.
Chaz was still processing. ”You're a lesbian?”
”Bis.e.xual.” Worth's grin widened and she leaned over Chaz, curling her fingers into claws. ”No one is safe from my predatory ways!”
Chaz, after a moment's puzzled and genuine alarm, shrank back in his chair, crying, ”Aunty Em! Aunty Em!” in a remarkably good Judy Garland impression.
Hafidha said, ”Your Aunty Em won't save you now, boy. Ain't you heard? We aren't in Kansas anymore.”
Reyes made an I-give-up face and went back into his office, closing the door behind him.
And Brady, finally, began to laugh.
Standoff FBI Headquarters, J. Edgar Hoover Building, Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., March, 2004 Hafidha could feel Stephen Reyes too d.a.m.ned close behind her chair. She pretended she didn't and started writing another set of search filters.
”Can I see you in my office, please?” His voice was neutral, which, she already knew, meant absolutely nothing.
Hafidha turned in her chair and draped her arm over the back. ”You can.”
It took him half a beat to figure it out, and his mouth lifted and compressed at one corner. Smart boy, Il Dottore. She almost wished she could have held off, just long enough to get more of a taste of this. No, better to do it now, before it hurt.
”Would you come with me to my office, please?”
”Sure thing.” She hit three keys to throw up the pa.s.sword-locked screensavers on her monitors and spun her chair. He'd already started out the door.
Hafidha followed Reyes through the bullpen. Peretti looked up at Reyes before his eyes s.h.i.+fted to her. He blinked, opened his mouth, seemed to reconsider, and turned back to the file in front of him.
Solomon Todd came out of the kitchenette and spotted her. His eyebrows lifted a little, just enough to line his forehead. He stuck out his lower lip in thought. Then he nodded to her and went on to his desk.
It was stupid. It wasn't as if it mattered. But that nod gave her a little warm, soft ball in her chest. It's been nice working with you, Agent Todd. A week I'll treasure always.
In his office, Reyes waved at the visitor's chair. She sat in it, and he closed the door. As she'd expected, he settled behind his desk, hands side by side and flat on the surface, before he spoke. ”This building is full of people who voted for Ronald Reagan.”
Hafidha widened her eyes and made an O of her mouth. ”Oh, no. Sir, just tell me what I can do to help.”
He looked down and pressed his lips together. Point to her. ”Unfamiliar things make them nervous. Things that don't fit their world picture make them very nervous.”
He stopped and stared at her. So Hafidha stared back and nodded.
”Shadow Unit is so far out of their comfort zone that 'nervous' applies about as well as 'unfortunate' does to the Waco seige.”
She didn't laugh, but she knew he could see her throat compress around it. Point to him.
”I'm trying to keep us as much off the radar as I can, under the circ.u.mstances,” he continued. ”The more successful I am at that, the better it is for the unit. We need a certain amount of hands-off att.i.tude to get results.”
”Yes, sir,” Hafidha said, since it seemed like a good time to say something.
He clasped his hands. ”You're making that harder.”
Battle is joined. She put a layer of sad-and-earnest on her face. ”I know. I'm the wrong color. I'm a girl. But I thought, with all those federal anti-discrimination laws- ”
”You know what I'm talking about.”
She smiled. She couldn't help it.
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