Next Exit, Three Miles

by CW Browning

  "Do I even want to ask why you have a pet hawk?" Stephanie asked, relaxing slightly as they stepped onto the deck and Raven made no attempt to fly at her, claws barred.

  "He adopted me," Alina answered simply, crossing the deck to the sliding door. "He was injured and I took care of him."

  Alina glanced at Raven fondly. As if on cue, Raven straightened up and spread his wings in a stretch. Stephanie jumped and grabbed the back of Alina's shirt. Alina burst out laughing and opened the door as Raven settled back down on the chair contentedly.

  "Is he laughing at me?!" Stephanie demanded, stepping into the house and closing the door behind her. "Did your bird do that on purpose?!"

  "Probably." Alina chuckled and led the way into the kitchen. "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

  Stephanie dropped her purse on the bar and looked around the kitchen and dining room curiously.

  "Can't a friend bring bagels for breakfast?" she asked.

  Alina set the bag on the counter in the kitchen and went over to the coffee machine on the counter. It was a super-automatic espresso machine that made full cups of rich coffee on demand. Alina had paid over two thousand dollars for it and didn't regret a penny.

  "I drink espresso. Is that ok for you?" Alina turned to look at Stephanie. "If not, I have tea."

  Stephanie's eyes widened again as she moved across the kitchen to inspect the coffee machine.

  "I've seen these in the gourmet kitchen stores," she remarked. "They're expensive! Is it worth it?"

  "It is if you love your coffee," Alina answered. "Espresso or no?"

  "I'll try it." Stephanie looked at Alina. "What did you say you did again?"

  "Consulting." Alina placed a mug under the spout on the coffee maker and pressed a button. The machine began grinding beans, and a few seconds later hot espresso started streaming into the mug. "There's milk in the fridge and sugar substitute in the sugar canister," she added.

  Stephanie grinned and turn to the refrigerator to pull out a quart of skim milk. She wrinkled her nose, but said nothing as Alina handed her the steaming mug of black coffee. Alina put another mug under the spout and pressed the button before turning to get plates from the cabinet.

  "Shouldn't you be at the office?" she asked.

  Stephanie sipped the espresso and immediately grimaced. She began pouring milk into the mug.

  "I wanted to come talk to you first," she answered. She tasted the coffee again and reached for the sugar canister. "This is really strong!"

  "It's espresso," Alina retorted. She pulled two toasted bagels with cream cheese out of the bag and put them on plates. "I don't suppose this cream cheese is low fat?"

  "No. You need some fat in your diet," Stephanie answered cheerfully. She added more skim milk to her coffee. "Everything in your fridge is fat free."

  Alina took her coffee from the coffee maker, grabbed one of the plates and headed back towards the deck. Stephanie finished doctoring her coffee, picked up the other plate and followed.

  "Aren't you putting milk in yours?" she demanded.

  "No. I drink it black."

  Stephanie grimaced at her back and followed her outside. They went to the opposite end of the deck from Raven to a black iron bistro table and two chairs. Stephanie sat down and glanced at the hawk. He was paying no attention to them, staring instead at something deep in the woods to his left. She relaxed and looked at Alina.

  "This is a nice house," she commented. "Are you going to stay?"

  Alina laughed.

  "I've only been back a few days," she answered. "I don't know yet. Why did you want to talk to me?"

  "Saturday night you were very interested in my investigation," Stephanie began slowly. Alina watched her as she took a bite of her bagel and waited patiently for Stephanie to continue. "If there is something I should know about you being back, I would appreciate it if you would tell me now." Stephanie finally blurted out.

  Alina swallowed some coffee and shrugged.

  "I'm not with your mysterious assisting agency that is showing up today, if that is what you're asking," she replied calmly, her face not giving anything away. "When does your agent arrive, anyway?"

  "He's there now," Stephanie answered, taking a bite of her bagel and watching Alina while she chewed.

  She’d been giving a lot of thought to Alina's reappearance after Saturday night and she knew that it wasn't just a coincidence. But Alina was giving nothing away, and Stephanie realized that she was going to have to wait for Alina to tell her why she had come back on her own. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it had something to do with her 'consulting.'

  "Then shouldn't you be there too?" Alina asked mildly.

  Stephanie shrugged.

  "John is briefing him," she answered. "I'm in no rush to meet the suit that is going to get in my way."

  Alina grinned.

  "Maybe he's cute," she suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Stephanie laughed despite herself.

  "He's probably as cocky as they come," she retorted.

  Alina nodded and sat back, sipping her coffee.

  "Probably," she agreed. "Why do you have another agency coming in on this again?"

  "At first I thought it was because Angelo had ties to some international gun trafficking," Stephanie said after a moment, "but now I'm not so sure. It's Homeland Security that is sticking their nose in."

  Alina raised an eyebrow.

  "National security?" she asked. "That's more than gun trafficking."

  Steph nodded.

  "I know," she finished her bagel and eyed the half that was left on Alina's plate. "Are you going to finish that?" she asked.

  Alina shook her head, watching as Stephanie reached out and took it.

  "The only reason I'm telling you any of this is because you helped me on Saturday night at the tracks," she said around a mouthful of bagel. "I don't know what you did in the military, or out of it, or for whom, but you know more about this mess than you're letting on." Stephanie held up a hand when Alina opened her mouth to talk. "All I'm saying is that I will share information with you, if you do the same."

  "What makes you think I have any information to share?" Alina asked, setting down her coffee mug. "I was curious on Saturday. I told you that."

  "Curious my foot." Stephanie snorted and washed the bagel down with the coffee. "You were deliberate. As long as you aren't working against me, and I don't think for a minute that you are, then we should be able to share information quite happily. Don't you agree?"

  Alina was quiet while she considered Stephanie. She had connected the dots much faster than Alina had expected, but she found that it wasn't as much of an inconvenience as she thought it would be. Stephanie was clearly prepared to work loosely with Alina, and that was even without knowing why Alina was interested in her case. Things would move much faster if Stephanie freely gave Alina the information she needed. In return, she just had to keep Stephanie satisfied with any conclusions that she herself would draw eventually. It really was a win-win situation.

  Alina tried to ignore the feeling of disquiet that she felt in using her old friend to help her complete her own mission. Years of working alone made her unused to this situation. Alina never had to consider how her actions would affect others. Now that had changed. She needed Stephanie. And Stephanie was completely unaware of it, but she needed Alina too. Stephanie had no idea what she was getting herself into.

  "That seems reasonable," Alina finally spoke, dropping all pretense of non-involvement. "How will you explain me to your superiors?"

  "I don't need to," Stephanie replied. "You're a source." She stood up and stretched, then smiled. "To be honest, I am more concerned with how I'll explain you to John."

  Alina shrugged impatiently.

  "I told you. The past is the past," she retorted. "You'll have no issues from me."

  "It's not you I'm worried about," Stephanie retorted.

  "Took you long enough to get here." John looked up from his c
omputer screen as Stephanie dropped her bag onto her desk and set her coffee down.

  “I had breakfast with Alina.” Stephanie dropped into her chair and looked at him. “How's the visitor?”

  “With the bossman.” John got up from his desk and sauntered the two feet to hers. He leaned on it and looked down at her. “Alina, huh? How is she?”

  “Just fine.” Stephanie pulled open her bottom drawer and dropped her purse into it. “She does not send her love.”

  John chuckled.

  “I never imagined she would,” he retorted. “She's changed,” he added.

  Stephanie leaned back in her chair and looked up at her handsome partner.

  “It's been ten years,” she said. “She grew up.”

  John shook his head.

  “It's not just the time,” he said. He played with a stapler on Stephanie's desk while he searched for the right words to say. “Her eyes are different. She's different. It's like...I don't know...like there is no emotion inside her anymore.”

  Stephanie was quiet for a moment. She knew what John was trying to say. She had seen it too. However, she wouldn't have said that there was no emotion. Just that it was very effectively hidden.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked. “Because she didn't fall for your 'I've- changed-since-you-went-away-let's-be-friends' act?”

  John put the stapler down and stood up.

  “Drink your coffee, Steph,” he advised, heading back toward his desk. “Your claws are showing.”

  “Ms. Walker!” a voice called across the expanse of partial cubicle walls.

  Stephanie looked up to see her boss motioning from his office door.

  “Better drink it fast,” John advised, seating himself. “Don't want to make a bad impression on our colleague from Homeland Security.”

  Stephanie picked up her coffee and headed toward the office.

  “Ass,” she muttered as she passed him. She heard him chuckle after she passed and grit her teeth. Sometimes she just wanted to punch him.

  “Good morning, Rob.”

  Stephanie walked through the open door into her boss's cluttered office. It wasn't a very large office. It boasted a desk that was covered with piles of folders and papers and two bookshelves that were also crammed with a mix of binders and folders. There were three filing cabinets, the tops of which held an assortment of tropical plants, and two chairs faced the desk. One was occupied by a man wearing a charcoal gray suit.

  “Good morning.” Rob Thornton moved behind his desk and motioned to the man in the suit. “This is Damon Peterson, from Homeland Security.” The suit stood up and turned toward her. Stephanie found herself staring up into the brightest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. “Damon, this is Stephanie Walker. She is the agent in charge of the case.”

  “Hello.” Stephanie held out her hand and Damon shook it firmly.

  “Good morning.”

  Damon flashed a smile and Stephanie found herself smiling back. Lord, the man was good-looking! She seated herself and her coffee in the other chair and turned her attention to her boss. As soon as she sat, the other two men sat.

  “We'll be working with DHS on this one, Steph,” Rob informed her, sitting back in his chair and steepling his fingers over his stomach. “They seem to think your floater may have some connection with a terrorist they believe got into the States on a stolen visa.”

  Stephanie blinked.

  “A terrorist?” she repeated, swinging her head to look at Damon. He was sitting back in his chair, relaxed, watching her. He nodded when she looked at him.

  “We believe he got into the States over a month ago. We have been working with local LEOs to try to determine where he is now,” he told her. “I believe your floater was supplying guns either directly to him or to his go-between.”

  Stephanie took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.

  “Fabulous,” she muttered.

  Damon chuckled.

  “Of course, we could be wasting our time here,” he added. “But we need to be sure. Robert has assured me of your co-operation.”

  “Of course.” Stephanie nodded. “What I know, you'll know.”

  “Wonderful.” Damon stood up. “Get me copies of everything you have and I will try to make this as painless as possible,” he added with another flashing grin.

  Stephanie stood up and smiled.

  “I never claimed it would be painful!” she protested.

  Damon winked.

  “You don't have to,” he replied. “I'm used to it. No one is ever happy to see us come into their office.”

  “What's this terrorists' name?” Stephanie asked as Damon turned to shake hands with Rob.

  “Johann,” Damon answered over his shoulder. “Johann Topamari. Thanks again, Rob.”

  “No problem.” Rob shook his hand. “You're sure you won't set up here?”

  “No, thanks.” Damon grinned. “I've learned that it's more effective for me to work off-site. I have a temporary office set up with everything I need.”

  “Oh? You're not working here? With us?” Stephanie's spirits lifted somewhat.

  Damon looked down at her.

  “I'll tag along, if needed,” he said, “but I won't be hovering over your shoulder.” He stood aside and motioned for her to precede him out of the office. “However, that being said, I'll know if you withhold anything from me, so I wouldn't advise it,” he added as she passed.

  Stephanie looked up at him consideringly.

  “You know, I think you would,” she said slowly.

  “Good! Then we understand each other,” Damon said with a return of his smile. “That's a good base for a successful relationship.” He held out his hand again, but this time there was a business card in it. “Numbers and emails are on the front and address on the back. I look forward to working with you.”

  “Well, I won't say the same because I try not to lie,” Stephanie replied, taking the card. “But I have to say I feel much better about this than I did earlier.”

  Damon laughed.

  “I like honesty. It saves time,” he said with a grin. “Did you get forensics back yet?”

  “Not yet. I'm expecting it today.” Stephanie turned toward her desk. “Have you met John?”

  “Earlier. He gave me a run-down of our two bodies,” Damon answered. “I'll leave you to get on with it. Forward me the forensics when you get them.”

  “Will do.”

  Stephanie watched as he walked away, headed for the elevators. Women turned and watched him as he passed and she shook her head, turning to go back to her desk. She sank into her chair and picked up a pen absently, twirling it around her fingers and staring off into nowhere.

  She had two bodies in the morgue, one of whom was suspected of supplying a known terrorist with arms and ammunition. As a result of that, she now had DHS looking over her shoulder. She had an old friend who mysteriously re-appeared suddenly from God-knows where, right on time for the first body to float up, and who was clearly no stranger to the finer points of sniper positioning. Stephanie sighed and threw her pen down on the desk. Add to that a bird of prey and an ex-boyfriend who was destined to cause complications, whether he meant to or not, and she was pretty sure that this was shaping up to be one of the more challenging cases of her short career.

  And Stephanie had the uneasy feeling that things were just getting started.

  Alina glanced at her watch and sipped her coffee. She was seated in a coffee shop on a side street in Haddonfield. It was a cute little coffee shop, with a cute little name and big comfortable arm chairs with low tables between them. It fancied itself a haven for artists and independent thinkers, and a section in the corner was set aside for either speakers or musicians. Abstract art mingled with framed replicas of long past political figures on the walls while Coldplay moaned out of hidden speakers. The owners had no interest in high priced cappuccino and chic tables. The coffee was reasonably priced and served in plain white mugs, and the chairs were mismatched
and comfortable. This was meant to be a meeting area of minds and people who also happened to enjoy a good cup of coffee.

  Alina glanced around in some amusement. She was sure that in the evenings the shop attracted just that sort of clientele. However, at ten-thirty in the morning, she was fairly confident that she was the only childless woman there. Her fellow patrons fell into the sole category of busy, stay-at-home soccer moms, stopping for their mid-morning pick-me up. Alina turned her attention back to her folded over newspaper. When Hawk got here, she really must remember to ask him just how he had found this pretentious hole.

  A few moments later, the bell chimed above the door and Alina lifted her eyes to watch Hawk stroll up to the counter and order himself a large, part this and part that, with a dash of something else monstrosity of a coffee drink to go. She stifled a grin. He was even dressed for the part, in low rise jeans and a faded green Gap tee-shirt. Her eyes briefly landed on his rear and Alina raised them again quickly as he turned around. One thing she had always acknowledged was that Damon had a mighty fine ass.

  “Sorry I'm late. The contractors were late,” he flashed a grin as he stopped before her and Alina felt her lips curving into an answering laugh.

  “No worries,” she said, tucking her paper back into her over-sized black leather tote bag and standing up. “I'll forgive you this time,” she added with a wink.

  The girl behind the counter was watching them curiously, enjoying her own view of Damon's rear end.

  “Do you need a refill?” Damon asked, taking in her short denim skirt and bright yellow halter top in one glance. His lips were twitching by the time they got to her matching yellow wedge flip-flops.

  Alina nodded, watching over his shoulder as the girl behind the counter immediately straightened up and snapped to attention.

  “I would love one,” she said.

  They walked back to the counter and Damon ordered her a large, 20 oz. straight espresso, black. He remembered her coffee preference. The man really never forgot a thing. The girl behind the counter gave Alina the same brief look of amazement that she had given her earlier when Alina had ordered the same thing.