by Marie Astor
***
Once inside his apartment, Dennis Walker grabbed a beer from the fridge. He lay down on the couch, contemplating his behavior with Janet Maple and wondering what on earth had possessed him to breach every line of protocol he had abided by in his investigative career up until now. He knew how to get an inside source to collaborate: he had done it so many times, it became a routine. You got some dirt on them first, making it impossible for them to turn down the deal and thus securing their collaboration. Did he have any dirt on Janet Maple? Not in the least: all he had was his hunch that she suspected that something was wrong with Bostoff and that, like he, she did not approve of it. He wished he could have waited to get closer to her, but time was a luxury he could not afford. He needed answers yesterday. He had three weeks left to work the case, and he was nowhere near a good starting point. Meanwhile, Bostoff was getting away with this scheme, aided by that scum of a lawyer, Wyman. Janet was the key. She could get close to Wyman. If she agreed to help Dennis, together they could solve this scheme.
Janet’s got to say yes, Dennis thought. She had to, or Dennis would be in deep trouble. His having revealed the truth behind his employment with Bostoff Securities gave Janet the upper hand. Dennis had not thought of that when he had been in the heat of the moment, confessing to her, which, in hindsight, made him a pretty bad agent - a rookie, really. It would have been easy to plead this excuse, but Dean knew the true root of his predicament. He was a pro at the investigation game. What he was a rookie at was having feelings for a woman. It had been a long time – not since his fiancée had deserted him. Now, Dean was troubled to admit that Janet Maple had somehow managed to stir emotions in him that he thought he would never feel again.
Chapter 22