by Carsen Taite
Five days later, when the cops were done and Maria was buried, Dale had returned to the house and packed the bare minimum she would need to start her new life as a widow, devoted to her work and nothing else. Having visitors, especially ones as inquisitive and unsettling as Lindsey Ryan, had never figured into her planning, and she felt agitated. “Are you going to tell me why you’re really here or are we going to dance around the subject until you can no longer pretend you were just in the neighborhood?”
If Lindsey was put off by the abrupt question, she didn’t show it. She took her time with another long pull of her beer before saying, “I can’t tell if it’s me you don’t like or if it’s my occupation.”
“I don’t have a problem with reporters.” She didn’t. Even the ones who’d swarmed her when she’d left her house the day of Maria’s murder.
“So, it’s just me.”
It was just her, but Dale didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t about like or dislike. It was the way her body went on high alert every time Lindsey walked into the room. The way her heart raced and her mind pulsed. When she was with Lindsey, she felt like she was coming out of her skin. Even when Lindsey had been grilling her about how she’d handled the confrontation with the bounty hunter, she’d been electrified.
And that was it. Lindsey sparked something. Something she hadn’t felt since Maria died. Alive.
The questions she asked, the buttons she pushed—as antagonizing as Lindsey was, she penetrated the wall of disinterest that she’d hidden behind over the past year, and the realization was both enlightening and frightening at the same time. She stepped carefully around the pitfalls of Lindsey’s question, deflecting as best she could. “I work with reporters all the time. It’s part of the job. Tell me what you need and I’ll tell you anything I can.”
Lindsey finished her beer and set the bottle on the TV tray beside the couch. Earlier, she’d considered Elaina’s interference a favor, a way to draw a distinction between Dale, the liaison whose role constituted a gray area of conflict, and Dale, the subject who was clearly off limits, but now that the lines should be clear, they were anything but.
Coming here tonight had been a mistake. She leaned forward, balancing her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together as she steeled herself for Dale’s reaction to what she was about to say. “So, here’s the deal. We’re tweaking things a bit and we’re going to make you the centerpiece of the story. Special Agent works hard to put away drug lords. Suffers the ultimate sacrifice.” She delivered the message clearly and concisely and waited for Dale’s reaction. She expected anger, but she was prepared for anything. Or so she thought.
“You’re kidding, right?” The crack of inflection in Dale’s voice signaled she was truly incredulous.
“No.”
“Not going to happen.”
“It’s a done deal. I got word from my producer tonight. She talked to your boss about it today.” She watched and waited for Dale to stand, hit something, yell, but she was met with stony silence. She waited it out for a few long minutes. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“No.”
“I guess it’s going to be a short interview.” Lindsey smiled to soften the mood, but Dale offered nothing in return. “Seriously, there’re no cameras rolling now. You can talk to me.”
Her plea was met with silence. She should give up. She’d been misreading signals from Dale since the moment they met, and now that Dale was the subject of her piece, she was acting like a child who wanted what she couldn’t have. She’d never had to beg for an interview before. Cajole, promise, but never beg, and she wouldn’t be reduced to begging now. She stood up, intending to leave, but Dale’s words stopped her before she could take a step.
“Don’t you already have everything you need?”
Dale’s voice held a slight edge of accusation, but there was something else there as well. Resignation, maybe? Lindsey sat back down. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“The first morning, when I picked you up at your hotel room. You’d already found out everything you could about me. My entire life was splashed across your computer screen.”
Damn. She thought she’d been so clever, hiding the evidence of her intrusion, but Dale had known all along that she’d been digging into her past. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Really? What did you expect me to say? Hey, did you hear about how my wife was gunned down on our front lawn while she was picking up the paper?” Dale sprang out of her seat and began pacing. “Maybe you’re so used to rummaging through the pain of other people’s lives, you’re immune to it, but…”
Dale’s words trailed off and she leaned against the kitchen counter. Lindsey crossed the room and stood a foot way, watching her face for a sign. Should she push the point or let it go? She could handle Dale’s anger; she was skilled in sparring with subjects. But Dale hadn’t sounded angry—she’d sounded defeated. Lindsey had wrestled many interviewees to defeat before, but this was different. Her heart told her to comfort Dale, but her instincts screamed for her to keep her distance. She settled on simple. “I’m sorry. I’ll do everything I can to make this as painless as possible, portray your loss with honor and respect. I have a job to do, but I’ll do my best not to let it get in the way.” She placed her hand on Dale’s arm as she spoke, unsettled by the rush of excitement that washed over her at this simplest of touches.
Dale raised her head and her eyes were dark and piercing. “It already has.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next morning, Dale parked her truck in front of a diner on the service road to Highway 175 at six a.m. She’d chosen the location because of its proximity to the Seagoville Federal Detention Center, one exit farther south. She cut the engine and spent a few minutes scouring the parking lot for any signs she’d been followed. It was a dark, damp morning, and it matched her mood perfectly. Glad to see she was the first to arrive, she used her time to reflect on Lindsey’s visit to her apartment the night before.
She’d tossed and turned all night, sorting through her scattered thoughts that ranged from wondering how Lindsey had found out where she lived to why she’d chosen to show up late in the evening to deliver the bad news that Diego had sold her out in the name of PR. Lindsey had seemed almost regretful, like it wasn’t her idea to make her the focus of her story, like she would make a different choice if she could, but Dale knew that couldn’t be true. Surely a reporter with Lindsey’s clout called her own shots.
Like you? She struck her palm against the steering wheel. Dammit. She was a fucking federal agent, yet she was spending her days working as a tour guide for a press crew instead of using her skills for what she was trained to do. She didn’t buy the line Diego had handed her about how she’d been sidelined because of her injury. He’d had no problem with her staying on the job when they were hot on the heels of the Vargas brothers. No, his change of heart was a direct result of Gellar’s decision to disband the task force, but it still didn’t make sense. Task force or no task force, Sergio Vargas and his lieutenants were still on the loose, not to mention hundreds of other members of the Zeta and other active cartels, yet she was stuck working on a program that would have virtually no effect on the war on drugs.
Even Lindsey Ryan got it. Her pointed questions had made it clear she thought the Take-Back initiative was a waste of time and resources. So why was she here covering the event?
She didn’t get it, but what she didn’t get more was the way her body betrayed her every time she laid eyes on Lindsey. She recalled the way Bianca had reacted yesterday morning, when she’d met Lindsey at the hotel—starstruck and in awe of Lindsey’s physical beauty. She couldn’t blame her. Lindsey was stunning, but she’d had a completely different reaction when they’d first met. Not starstruck, but startled. Not in awe, but definitely attracted, and not just physically. Lindsey’s confidence, her refusal to be intimidated, and her dogged resolve stirred feelings she’d thought were long dead. Feelings
she wasn’t at all sure she was prepared to experience again.
A sharp rap on the window snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see Bianca standing next to her truck. She shook off her decidedly non-business thoughts and motioned for her to open the door.
“I need a step stool to get in this thing,” Bianca said as she climbed into the passenger seat. “You haul cattle in your spare time?”
“Spare time?” Dale shook her head and smiled. “Sorry, I’m not familiar with the concept. Care to explain?”
“You and me both.” She looked around. “I’m guessing Sophia isn’t here yet.”
“Not yet.” Dale glanced first at her phone and then out the window, surveying the parking lot. The plan they’d hatched was for Mary and a local cop they trusted to follow Sophia to this diner where they would go over the details of Sophia’s visit to Seagoville one more time. Sophia would need to get to the detention center around seven a.m. to get in line with the rest of the relatives and friends visiting inmates. With their credentials, they could have arranged for her to visit during off hours, but that might have caused Arturo to become suspicious, and they needed this plan to go off without a hitch if they had any chance of catching Sergio before they got caught running this clandestine operation.
“I was going to wait until they got here to spring this on you,” Bianca said, “but…”
Bianca looked like she was about to burst, and Dale rolled her hand in the air. “Keep talking.”
“I reached out to a friend on the staff at Seagoville. I’ve arranged for you to be in the security booth so you can listen in on Sophia’s visit with Arturo in real time instead of waiting to hear what she has to say about it after.”
Dale cocked her head. She was impressed at Bianca’s move, but curious about what prompted it. “You worried she might not tell us everything?”
“Look, I get that we’re supposed to handle anything to do with Lily with kid gloves because of Peyton, but Sophia spent her entire life hiding who she was from her only child. As a mother, I find that a bit hard to swallow, no matter what the circumstances. I’m not saying she’s in league with her brothers, but wouldn’t you rather hear their conversation and evaluate it yourself?”
Dale couldn’t deny Bianca’s instincts were right. She would always rather judge a situation firsthand if she had the opportunity. “Okay. How’s this going to work?”
Bianca handed her a folded piece of paper. “Go now. This will get you through to the staff parking and entrance. They’ll set you up. I’ll wait here. Mary and I can brief Sophia.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got a hearing at nine and I’ll catch up with you after.”
Dale took the paper from Bianca and shoved it in her pocket. As she did, she felt the vibration of her cell phone, and she pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Diego. He was probably calling to tell her he’d sold her out to Lindsey’s crew. She hit ignore and let it go to voice mail. She was too angry to talk to him now and she wasn’t about to let anything, including Lindsey Ryan, get in the way of the plan she and the rest of the unofficial task force had set into motion.
*
“Well, where is she?”
Lindsey struggled against the urge to strangle the impatience out of Elaina’s voice. She’d called Dale’s cell three times so far this morning, and each time the call had gone directly to voice mail. It was nine thirty, and they were expected at the local network affiliate where a full film crew was on standby to assist with the taping. “I don’t know. She’s a cop. Maybe she’s doing something a little more important than sharing the very worst moments of her personal life for us to show to millions of strangers.”
Elaina frowned. “Her superior assured me she would be available. Maybe I’ll just call him and let him know his employee can’t be bothered to cooperate with us.”
Lindsey cringed at Elaina’s pretentious use of the word “superior” and scrambled to think of a way to prevent Elaina from making good on her threat. She was frustrated too, and she didn’t honestly think Dale had a legitimate reason for blowing her off, but she couldn’t with good conscience trace her aggravation to the fact Dale was ignoring her calls. No, the source of her frustration was the conflicted feelings that lingered after her awkward encounter with Dale the night before. She shouldn’t have gone to Dale’s apartment. Doing so had been a clear signal she was more interested than she should be—a sign of weakness, both personally and professionally. And then there was the inexplicable emptiness she’d felt standing outside, waiting for an Uber after Dale had asked her to leave. She’d been given a hook for this story that had some teeth to it, but she’d been left feeling like she was losing out and she didn’t get it. All she knew was she wanted to distract Elaina from Dale until she knew more about what was really going on.
She injected her voice with what she knew was just the right amount of persuasion to get Elaina to acquiesce. “Call the station and ask them to reschedule for this afternoon. I’ll take Alice and Jed and we’ll go shoot some scene intros at a few places I think will work for after break openers. I’m sure that whatever Agent Nelson is doing will be wrapped up by this afternoon. I’ll make sure of it. I promise.”
Elaina gave her a probing stare as if trying to figure out if she had an ulterior motive, but Lindsey maintained what she hoped was an earnest expression. “Fine. Maybe I’ll go with you.”
As the field producer, Elaina had every right to accompany them, but Lindsey had plans that didn’t involve Elaina tagging along. She had to talk her out of going without raising her suspicions. She slipped an arm through Elaina’s. “I’m sure you have more important things to do than scope out scenery. In fact, I prepared some questions for Agent Nelson, and I’d love it if you would review them and make sure I haven’t missed anything.” The lie was hard to swallow, but it worked like a charm.
“Good point,” Elaina said. “I’ve already started a list of areas you should cover. I’ll work up some specific questions to help you out.”
Lindsey smiled and gritted her teeth to keep from telling Elaina what she could do with her list of questions. “That would be amazing. I’ll call you when we get back.”
Thirty minutes later, she was in the local station van with Alice and Jed. She filled Jed in on their adventure in the country the night before.
“Are you planning to drive out there again in broad daylight?” Jed asked.
“Not likely. Hell, we almost got caught there last night, but I’d like to see what we can find out about the other people who were there. In addition to Peyton Davis, a car belonging to AUSA Bianca Cruz and one other car left the ranch before Dale.” She pulled out a couple of articles she’d printed from the Internet. “Here’s what I found out about Peyton so far. She’s involved in a relationship with Lily Gantry who just happens to be an oil heiress, but more importantly, her father is a Cyrus Gantry whose offices were recently raided by the feds.”
“Okay, but what does any of this have to do with Dale Nelson and the DEA?” Alice asked.
“I don’t know, but I do think it’s weird that Dale’s boss plucks her off a two-year-old task force investigation into the cartel to be our tour guide. Top that off with the fact that Dale was meeting with two AUSAs, and what I bet was some other federal agent at night, far from any of their offices. Something’s going on and someone is going to great lengths to keep it secret. If my hunch is right, there’s a way meatier story here than a bring us your prescription drugs program or dredging up the painful past of a DEA agent.”
She took a deep breath and scanned Alice’s and Jed’s faces to see if they were with her or if they thought she was crazy. Jed was the first to speak. “Okay, I’m in. I’ve always had a hankering to be a Hardy boy. Not sure how my skills are going to help you unearth the truth, but I’ll do what I can.”
Lindsey smiled. “Thanks. If nothing else, you’re providing cover for me to get this done without Elaina finding out what we’re up to.” She turned to Alice. “You in?
”
Alice hesitated, and Lindsey prompted her to speak her mind.
“I get that you and Elaina have history, and she can be a bit of a…”
“Bitch?”
“Your word, but yeah, something like that,” she said. “But is there some other reason you’re not looping her in on all of this?”
Lindsey nodded. “Fair question. Elaina’s working her own agenda on this piece, and I’m sure it’s right in line with what the network wants: safe and sympathetic. If I tell her what I’m doing, she’ll shut it down before we have a chance to see if this develops into anything.”
“Fine, I’m in. Where should we start?”
“I called the US attorney’s office this morning and found out AUSA Bianca Cruz has a hearing this morning.” She consulted the notes on her phone. “Judge Niven’s court. It was scheduled for nine o’clock, but the court clerk was kind enough to let me know that the judge had another pressing matter that meant his entire docket had been delayed. If we head there now, we might be able to catch her.”
Alice smiled. “You really like to dive in, don’t you?”
“No better way to get to the bottom of things.”
*
Dale sat in the booth and watched the friends and families of inmates assemble in the visitation room. Sophia was in the second group that entered the room. Unlike many of the other visitors, she looked composed and didn’t appear to be overly curious about the room. Dale had been to this unit many times in the past to talk to defendants and snitches, but not from this vantage point. “How do I hear what’s going on?”
