morning and make an appointment. I’ll be glad to comply, but only with my lawyer in attendance.”
“You do know what the penalty is for lying to a federal agent, don’t you?”
“You betcha. By the way, I am assuming you’re Special Agent Erin Powell. Aren’t you guys supposed to identify yourselves? We’re a lot more professional where I work. Good night, Agent Powell.”
The arm went back up. Jack gently slipped it aside and stepped through the doorway.
“Were you responsible for that circus out front? Remember what I said about lying to a federal officer.”
“Well, yeah,” Jack drawled. “I put in a call to my lawyer. That was it. You guys aren’t very good at crowd containment, now are you?”
“Get the hell out of here, Emery,” Erin snarled.
Jack grinned. “See, now you’re getting it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last ten minutes. Give my regards to Director Cummings.”
Five minutes later Jack was breathing in the last minutes of the fresh October air. He was about to head for the curb, where he could smoke a cigarette until he could hail a cab. He heard the voice but couldn’t tell where it came from. Bert.
“Wait five minutes, walk around the corner, and I’ll pick you up.”
Jack nonchalantly fired up a cigarette, made a pretense of looking for a cab. He took a couple of deep drags until he was sure five minutes had gone by before he turned and walked to the corner.
Just as he turned his back to the front door of the Hoover Building, Erin Powell walked outside. Her gaze immediately went to the figure walking toward the corner. Where was Emery going? It took her only a second to make the decision to follow the man who’d just made a fool out of her. At the corner she stopped and watched as Jack got into a black Mustang. The split second the door opened, and the dome light came on, she recognized Bert Navarro. Everyone on the floor knew Bert Navarro drove a restored 1965 Mustang. Her stomach crunched itself into a tight knot. “Crap.”
“My boss just saw you getting into my car, Jack,” Bert said as he put the car in gear and peeled out onto the road.
“So what? It’s late, you’re giving me a ride home. Let them make a federal case out of it. No pun intended. What the hell is going on?”
Bert laughed. “Harry took out Parks earlier, but you already know that. Seems it took almost an hour for him to be transported to the hospital. Snafus along the way. He’s out of the loop now. Harry’s people following orders. The director called Erin and told her to let you go. She bristled at that order and gave him an argument, for all the good it did her. She lost face in front of the guys, and she’s going to take that to heart. Nellie made short work of Mangello. Seems he threatened her. Erin read us all the riot act and was bellowing about chain of command. She’s in over her head. Right now she’s got a hate on for Lizzie Fox. We all know how that’s going to turn out.”
Jack grinned in the darkness of the car. “Someone should tell Ms. Powell she’s out of her league.”
“I’m not really sure about that, Jack. You don’t know Erin Powell. She might be temporarily, and I stress the word ‘temporarily,’ out of her league, but she’ll fall back and regroup. She’s a good agent. She’s got what it takes, but, unfortunately, this task force is a thankless job. If it can get off the ground, she’s the one to do it. Having said that, my money is on the Silver Fox.”
Jack started to laugh and couldn’t stop. “I’d buy a ticket to see that little meeting when it takes place.”
“No problem. I’ll record it for you.”
“Oh, if they only knew,” Jack said.
Both men laughed uproariously.
Sixteen minutes later, Bert pulled the Mustang to the curb outside of Jack’s house. “You want to come in for a beer? It’s late, and if you want to stay over, it’s no problem. Actually, it might be a good idea. I have to call Charles, and if
“You do know what the penalty is for lying to a federal agent, don’t you?”
“You betcha. By the way, I am assuming you’re Special Agent Erin Powell. Aren’t you guys supposed to identify yourselves? We’re a lot more professional where I work. Good night, Agent Powell.”
The arm went back up. Jack gently slipped it aside and stepped through the doorway.
“Were you responsible for that circus out front? Remember what I said about lying to a federal officer.”
“Well, yeah,” Jack drawled. “I put in a call to my lawyer. That was it. You guys aren’t very good at crowd containment, now are you?”
“Get the hell out of here, Emery,” Erin snarled.
Jack grinned. “See, now you’re getting it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last ten minutes. Give my regards to Director Cummings.”
Five minutes later Jack was breathing in the last minutes of the fresh October air. He was about to head for the curb, where he could smoke a cigarette until he could hail a cab. He heard the voice but couldn’t tell where it came from. Bert.
“Wait five minutes, walk around the corner, and I’ll pick you up.”
Jack nonchalantly fired up a cigarette, made a pretense of looking for a cab. He took a couple of deep drags until he was sure five minutes had gone by before he turned and walked to the corner.
Just as he turned his back to the front door of the Hoover Building, Erin Powell walked outside. Her gaze immediately went to the figure walking toward the corner. Where was Emery going? It took her only a second to make the decision to follow the man who’d just made a fool out of her. At the corner she stopped and watched as Jack got into a black Mustang. The split second the door opened, and the dome light came on, she recognized Bert Navarro. Everyone on the floor knew Bert Navarro drove a restored 1965 Mustang. Her stomach crunched itself into a tight knot. “Crap.”
“My boss just saw you getting into my car, Jack,” Bert said as he put the car in gear and peeled out onto the road.
“So what? It’s late, you’re giving me a ride home. Let them make a federal case out of it. No pun intended. What the hell is going on?”
Bert laughed. “Harry took out Parks earlier, but you already know that. Seems it took almost an hour for him to be transported to the hospital. Snafus along the way. He’s out of the loop now. Harry’s people following orders. The director called Erin and told her to let you go. She bristled at that order and gave him an argument, for all the good it did her. She lost face in front of the guys, and she’s going to take that to heart. Nellie made short work of Mangello. Seems he threatened her. Erin read us all the riot act and was bellowing about chain of command. She’s in over her head. Right now she’s got a hate on for Lizzie Fox. We all know how that’s going to turn out.”
Jack grinned in the darkness of the car. “Someone should tell Ms. Powell she’s out of her league.”
“I’m not really sure about that, Jack. You don’t know Erin Powell. She might be temporarily, and I stress the word ‘temporarily,’ out of her league, but she’ll fall back and regroup. She’s a good agent. She’s got what it takes, but, unfortunately, this task force is a thankless job. If it can get off the ground, she’s the one to do it. Having said that, my money is on the Silver Fox.”
Jack started to laugh and couldn’t stop. “I’d buy a ticket to see that little meeting when it takes place.”
“No problem. I’ll record it for you.”
“Oh, if they only knew,” Jack said.
Both men laughed uproariously.
Sixteen minutes later, Bert pulled the Mustang to the curb outside of Jack’s house. “You want to come in for a beer? It’s late, and if you want to stay over, it’s no problem. Actually, it might be a good idea. I have to call Charles, and if
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