by DeLeon, Jana
The break room was down the hallway at the back of the building. The door to Carter’s office was closed and I could hear muffled voices inside. I stepped into the break room and pulled a bottled water from the refrigerator. I was about to head back up front when the air-conditioning turned off and Gertie’s voice flooded through the air vent as clear as day.
“You can’t just pass judgment on her without knowing the facts,” Gertie said.
I froze.
“Says the only two people who knew the truth?” Carter asked. “You’ll understand if I don’t really care much for you mounting a defense.”
“She didn’t tell us,” Ida Belle said. “We knew.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said, and I don’t buy it for a minute. What I saw tonight was Krav Maga, executed with the precision of a highly trained assassin. Soldiers weren’t using that art in Vietnam, and whatever they used back then, they certainly weren’t running through the hospitals and offices doing it.”
“We saw it in the field,” Ida Belle said. “We weren’t administrative staff. Gertie, Marge, and I were counterintelligence.”
There was a long pause of silence, then finally Carter said, “You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes. I do,” Ida Belle said. “Our military records are sealed, of course, but I’m still in contact with our commanding officer. I’m sure he’d be happy to fill you in on the finer points of our training and experience. Do you really think two average old ladies would take the risks we do?”
“I…I don’t know what to think anymore. Jesus.”
“We’re really sorry to lay it on you like this,” Gertie said. “No one in Sinful has ever known our past and that’s the way we wanted it. Marge, Ida Belle, and I made a pact to never talk about it.”
“And we kept it,” Ida Belle said, “until we met Fortune. We couldn’t pretend we didn’t know what she was and we knew she wouldn’t trust us unless she knew what we were. What we knew for certain is that she was in danger and we wanted to help her.”
“Exactly,” Gertie said. “So if you have a problem with Fortune lying, even though it was a federal offense for her to tell you the truth, then you have to be just as angry with us. After all, we’ve been lying to you your entire life.”
“Your lies don’t have the same impact,” Carter said.
“We know that,” Gertie said, “and we’re not trying to diminish what you’re going through. We’re just trying to explain why it was necessary.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” Carter asked, his voice growing louder. “I served in Iraq. Do you have any idea what I did there?”
“No,” Ida Belle said.
“That’s because you’re not supposed to,” Carter said. “Just like I don’t hand over facts on open investigations because you ask for them or allow you to get involved in police matters because you want to. I understand professional responsibility and am a big fan. But that doesn’t excuse personal involvement.”
“So she should have kept telling you no,” Gertie said, “regardless of how persistent you were or how attracted she was? I see. That’s a pretty wide brush of judgment you’re swinging there. Maybe if you knew the things we did, you’d feel differently about the choices she made.”
“If I knew the things you did,” he said, “this entire discussion would have never been necessary. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get this next part over with. I appreciate what the two of you are trying to do. I know your heart is in the right place. And don’t worry about my repeating anything you told me. Your secret will remain one, at least as far as I’m concerned.”
I hurried out of the break room and back to the front. I pulled out a chair at an empty desk and sat down, then pulled out my phone and started a game. At the last minute, I realized the bottled water would give me away and I managed to get it into the trash can before the three of them walked out from the hallway.
They drew up short when they saw me sitting there.
“How did you get here?” Ida Belle asked.
“I jogged.”
“You shouldn’t have left the house alone,” Gertie said. “It’s not safe.”
“Yeah, that’s what people keep telling me. I think it’s a little too late for everyone to worry about my safety. Being in danger is part of my job description.” I rose from my chair. “Are you ready to take my statement?”
Carter had been frowning the entire time, looking over my shoulder and not directly at me. “I’ve already typed one up,” he said, finally locking his eyes on mine. “I just need a signature on that pack of lies so that neither of us has to go into uncomfortable details.”
So that’s how it was going to be. He was making sure he didn’t have to spend any more time alone with me than absolutely necessary. Well, no need to inconvenience him for even a minute. “Great.” I looked at Ida Belle and Gertie. “I need you two to come as well. I have instructions from my partner and they involve you.”
They nodded and everyone headed back to Carter’s office. I dragged an extra chair in from the break room, closed the door, and took a seat. Carter pushed a piece of paper across the table to me and I read my “statement” as written by Carter. It was basically the same lie he’d told Deputy Breaux, with enough detail to make it sound real but not so much as to raise eyebrows.
“Will that work for your people?” Carter asked when I finished reading.
“As long as it keeps me from being arrested, my people will be happy.” I grabbed a pen and signed the document, breaking two more laws when I did. One, it was all lies. Two, I wasn’t Sandy-Sue Morrow. But as long as it didn’t draw any unwanted attention to me, I didn’t care. At the moment, there were a lot of things I didn’t care about.
I pushed the document back to Carter and he put it in a file. After a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence, I turned to Ida Belle and Gertie. “I talked to Harrison. They’re pulling us from Sinful and placing us in a safe house in New Orleans.”
“What about the leak?” Ida Belle asked.
“Harrison and Director Morrow are the only people at the CIA who will know the location of the safe house and who is staying there,” I said.
“How will we get there?” Gertie asked.
“Harrison is arranging transport,” I said. “My guess is it will not be a limo. Expect unconventional. We can’t afford to be followed.”
They both nodded and I looked over at Carter. “I assume you don’t have an issue with any of this?”
He cocked his head to one side. “Would it matter if I did?”
“No.”
“Then why ask? But to answer your question, I’m happy to have the problem moved out of Sinful. I’m not thrilled that Sinful residents are caught up in the middle of it, but then, unlike the rest of us, they knew what the risks were when they jumped in with both feet.”
I struggled not to wince at his barb. He really wasn’t taking this well. Gertie shook her head and frowned. Ida Belle gave him a disapproving look.
“If you want to act like an injured child,” Ida Belle said, “you’re welcome to, of course. But it’s not going to get you anywhere with the three of us. What’s happening right now is more important than your personal life, and while you may think the problem is leaving when Fortune exits Sinful, you’re wrong. The counterfeiter has a contact here and that person is yet undiscovered. You can sit around and pretend everything is great or you can get over yourself and do the job I know you’re capable of doing. The woman you claimed to care about is in a life-and-death situation. You can either be part of the solution or part of the problem.”
Carter flushed, and I could tell Ida Belle’s words had not only pissed him off but embarrassed him. I wasn’t certain it was the best line of attack to take, but it seemed to be the most efficient.
“You’re right,” he said. “I will devote my time to finding the contact, assuming the federal government is going to allow me to do my job.”
“There are no requests from the
CIA,” I said, “other than to try to maintain my cover. The agency is happy for any help you can provide. But you can’t let on that you’re looking for a counterfeiter or it will get back to the men we’re tracking. Then they’ll know you have a federal contact and will be expecting a setup.”
Carter nodded. “I’ll go about my normal work but I’ll keep my eyes on Brody Sampson. If he’s the Sinful connection, those four dead men should make him flinch.”
“What about Ally?” Gertie asked. “She can’t stay at your house.”
“No, she can’t,” I agreed. “What is the official story you plan on releasing about what happened at Gertie’s house?” I asked Carter.
“That four men were in the process of burglarizing the home. The men had apparently gotten into an argument among themselves and two were killed before I arrived to check the house because of the alarm. The remaining two men rushed me in the backyard and I dispatched them.”
“Good,” I said. “The less information, the better, and treating all four of them as part of the same crew makes it easier to keep things straight. I’ll work up a cover story for Ally that will get her out of my house and explain why the three of us are leaving town.”
“Where will she go?” Gertie said. “Her house isn’t secure yet.”
“She can stay with my mother,” Carter said. “Just let me know what you tell Ally so I can use the same story as well.”
“Thanks,” I said. I felt a ton better knowing Ally would stay with Carter’s mother. That meant Carter would have eyes on her even when he couldn’t be there. I didn’t think Ally was at risk, but I wanted to be extra careful. There were still too many unknowns. If something happened to Ally because of me, I’d never forgive myself.
“And what’s the story for you guys leaving town?” Carter asked.
“Girls’ trip,” I said. “If anyone asks, we’re going to Florida. My Jeep will be locked in the garage, so no one will be the wiser.”
“Any idea when the transport will happen?” Carter asked.
“As quickly as possible,” I said. “My guess is we’ll be gone tomorrow.”
He nodded. “As soon as you let me know that you’ve talked to Ally, I’ll call my mother.” He looked down at the floor a moment, then frowned. “I assume this is the last contact we’ll have?”
“Yes,” I said. “From any of us. You can send us messages but we probably won’t be able to answer. I suspect they’ll take our phones.” I wrote a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Carter. “That is my partner’s direct cell number. His name is Harrison. If you find out anything that he needs to know, call that number.”
Carter took the number and stuck it in his wallet. “This takedown that the CIA is hoping to stage. Any idea when it will happen?”
“No. But it will be soon. Once Ahmad and Randal realize their men are dead, things will heat up quickly.”
“And what you’re really hoping is that this Ahmad will show?”
“Yes.”
Carter nodded and was silent for several seconds. “And if you’re successful, what does that mean for you?”
What did it mean for me? Good Lord. Where did I start? It meant I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else any longer. It meant I had to face the music at the CIA for all my transgressions. It meant I could leave Sinful and go back to everything I knew and was comfortable with in DC. It also meant deciding whether I wanted to return to my old life, if that was even possible.
“It means I get to go back to being Fortune Redding,” I said.
Whoever that was.
Chapter Seventeen
It was a somber threesome that made its way into my house. No one had to say a word, but we all trailed back to the kitchen and pulled out the whiskey. We had our first round in silence, everyone mulling over what had happened and what was to come. After Gertie poured the second round, I decided to break the silence.
“I heard what you said to Carter,” I said.
They both stared at me, slightly surprised.
“I was getting a bottled water,” I explained. “Your voices carried through the air vent into the break room when the AC cut off. You didn’t have to tell him. You’ve kept your past a secret all this time.”
“It was something we felt needed to be done,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie nodded.
“There was no point,” I said. “I heard his reaction as clearly as I heard your confession. You wasted your secret on someone who isn’t capable of understanding the point.”
“He’s not capable right now,” Gertie said, “but give him time.”
“Normally,” Ida Belle said, “I wouldn’t give touchy-feely advice, but in this case, I agree with Gertie. Carter has been hit with a rash of crap that has nothing to do with his personal life. His job is at constant risk and more importantly, the town and people he cares about are at risk as well. And he’s still not at one hundred percent. I know he wants everyone to think he’s fine, but I’ve had a concussion. You don’t return to normal that quickly.”
“God, isn’t that the truth,” Gertie said. “I’ve had the aftereffects of a concussion last for weeks.”
“You’ve had the aftereffects of a concussion for the last fifty years,” Ida Belle said. “Anyway, he’s got all of that mess on his plate and isn’t firing on all cylinders to begin with, so when your secret came out, it was the whole straw-camel thing.”
Gertie nodded. “And I’m not saying this to make you feel worse, but I’d bet he felt the only good thing he had going was his relationship with you.”
“Great,” I said. “I’m single-handedly responsible for destroying the man’s life.”
“No,” Ida Belle said firmly. “You’re not responsible for anything but your deception, and that was an unfortunate requirement of your situation. Everything else that has happened in this town is the result of criminal activity. All of which was already here. It’s not like you bagged it up and brought it with you like a plague.”
“Maybe not,” I said, “but you have to admit, the timing is crappy. I look like the Pied Piper of bad guys…just leading wherever I go.”
“It’s a shame you can’t lead them into the middle of the Antarctic,” Gertie said, “then teleport out.”
“That would be a neat trick,” I agreed, “but the CIA would have to give me a raise. Look, I know you guys are trying to make me feel better, and I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. I know Carter is overwhelmed with really, really bad stuff happening in his town, and I know, probably better than anyone, that he’s not a hundred percent. He tries not to let it show, but to someone like me, who’s trained to lock in on any weakness, I can tell he’s not the superhero he usually is.”
“Do you think he needs backup?” Gertie asked.
“Not in the general way,” I said. “Trust me, he took that shot on Ahmad’s guy without hesitation and it was a direct hit between the eyes. He’s not a hundred percent but he’s close enough to be deadly as hell, because he was far better than the average lawman to begin with. I’m not worried about Carter as long as he goes about town business and doesn’t let on that he knows about the counterfeiting.”
Ida Belle nodded. “He’s smart enough to keep cover, and he knows the stakes.”
“It’s going to be hard for him,” Gertie said, “knowing what’s going on beneath his nose and not attacking it the way he normally would. Especially with your life on the line. He’s hurt, but he still cares about you. That’s not something you can turn on and off.”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do,” Ida Belle asked, “if this takedown is successful?”
I blew out a breath. “I haven’t thought about much else the entire night.”
“And?”
“And I’m no closer to an answer now than I was hours ago.”
Gertie poured another round of whiskey. “I can’t imagine how difficult your situation is. When Ida Belle, Marge, and I finished up our last tour in Vietnam, we kne
w we were coming home and never leaving American soil again. We had our backstories in place and were doing decent financially and had job prospects already lined up. We knew exactly what kind of life we wanted, even before we went to Vietnam.”
Ida Belle nodded. “I think it was our complete understanding of what we wanted that sent us to Vietnam in the first place—to protect the dream.”
I felt a sense of pride swell in me. Not for myself but for these two women. They were everything I wanted to be someday—successful, happy, dedicated to their town and its people, and most importantly they knew who they were.
“Do you miss the work?” Ida Belle asked.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “My involvement with things here gives that away. I’m not made for a slow, domestic life. I know that much about myself. You two, of all people, should appreciate that.”
“That’s a start,” Ida Belle said. “What is it about the work you miss?”
“I’m not going to lie. I love the thrill of closing in on a mark. I love knowing that the world is a slightly better place because of what I do. And egotistically, I love knowing that only a handful of people are capable of doing my job.”
Ida Belle nodded. “Have you ever thought about leaving? Not since you’ve been in Sinful, but before?”
I frowned. Had I ever considered leaving the CIA? I honestly couldn’t remember a time that I had, and then it hit me why that was. “No,” I said quietly. “It’s the only thing that defined me.”
Gertie and Ida Belle looked at each other and the concern I saw in their expressions was both comforting and overwhelming.
“You mentioned before that your father was an agent,” Gertie said.
“Not just an agent,” I said. “My father was one of the best agents the CIA has ever had.”
“Big shoes to fill,” Gertie said.
“Impossible shoes to fill,” I said.
“But that hasn’t stopped you from trying,” Gertie said.
