Just This Once

by Diana X Dunn

  So far she had resisted the urge to run a full computer scan on him. Using company resources for personal reasons was frowned upon. She could have argued that he was peripheral to at least one of her cases and therefore merited a better look, but finding out more about him was tantamount to admitting she was interested in him. Of course she was interested, but she didn’t want anyone else to know that unless it became necessary. Besides, looking him up would leave a trail and she didn’t want there to be any official connection between them. With a sigh she rolled over and turned off the video and the lights. She tossed and turned for half an hour before she took a pill that made her sleep for a solid six hours.

  Once the sleeping tablet had worn off, her mind kept replaying the previous evening. Giving up on sleep, she spent an hour with her favorite exercise video, working so hard that she couldn’t spare the energy to think about anything. After a quick shower, she threw on some casual clothes and headed outside for a walk in the spring air. She had only gone a block when the wrist connected strap (wrist-con) to her M-ped beeped.

  I had a wonderful time last night. It was great meeting you. Unfortunately something has come up and I will be out of touch for a few days. Sorry. I’ll message you when I get a chance. Alex.

  Julia read the message through twice, frowning. She was annoyed by the casual tone and by the fact that he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to see her again. Feeling even more annoyed with herself, she stomped back to her apartment and dropped her M-ped on the kitchen counter. In the bedroom, she pulled open her closet and smiled. Tonight she would be going out again, wearing something considerably more spectacular than last night’s dress.

  As she was trying on and rejecting dress after dress, her wrist beeped again. She frowned as she finished wiggling her way into a tight-fitting poisonous green tube dress. She worked her way into the kitchen, hampered by the tight fitting dress and grabbed her M-ped to read the new message.

  Would really like to see you in the office TODAY. Won’t take up much of your valuable time. Try to be here before twelve. Michael.

  Julia frowned and headed back into her spacious closet. She glanced into the full-length mirrors that ran down one wall and realized that she hated the green dress. Moments later, back in casual clothes, she left a pile of dresses and hangers scattered across the floor in the closet and headed to the nearest transport station.

  Michael didn’t ask her to come into the office very often. Clearly it was important. Julia could feel a dark cloud hanging over her head as she rode the transport. And apparently she wasn’t the only one who could feel its presence, as the other passengers seemed to be deliberately steering clear of her.

  In rebuilt New York the streets were always busy, even on the weekend. Julia made her way through the crowds, enjoying the hustle and bustle that told of renewal and rebirth. She stopped halfway down a row of newly constructed office buildings. Small signs advised passersby as to what was located in each section of the building. Insurance companies, banks, real estate agencies, and other similar offices were identified.

  Julia waved her wrist at the door to “Eastview Insurance”. She pushed it open and stepped off the busy street, heading straight for the stairs. Her movements were monitored on several levels within the building so that by the time she’d reached the third floor she was expected. She paused impatiently for fingerprint and retina scans, tapping her foot as the computers whirred and hummed. Finally the steel high security door swung open and she stepped through.

  “Good morning,” she said to the guard on duty. When he opened his mouth to reply, she flashed him a smile and then rushed off down the corridor to Michael’s office. If he wanted to see her in a hurry, it wouldn’t be good news.

  Michael, of course, had been automatically notified of her arrival within the building, and was watching for her when she reached his office door. He usually left his door open, wanting everyone to feel free to stop by whenever they liked. No one actually ever came to see Michael without being ordered there, but Michael still left the door open.

  The office was sparsely furnished with a few uncomfortable looking chairs in front of a small table that served as Michael’s desk. Michael’s own chair, behind the desk, was larger and looked comfortable. There was a small cabinet against one wall that might have held paper files, but Julia knew from experience that it held snacks, drinks and a few changes of clothes, rather than anything else. Julia paused in the doorway and studied the man who was her boss and also, on some level, her friend.

  He was at least fifty, though he looked younger thanks to years of expert redesign. Michael didn’t have an ounce of vanity to him. Every bit of redesign work had been done to disguise his appearance or repair damage after an injury. The final result was the same as if the work had been cosmetic, though. It kept him looking young.

  He kept himself in top physical shape as well, doing that the old-fashioned way rather than by resorting to artificial assistance. He rose now and Julia grinned and shook his hand, noticing again that he looked shorter standing than he did sitting. He barely matched Julia’s height when she was wearing flat shoes and today’s stylish boots gave her at least two inches of advantage. His hair was showing more gray now than when she had last seen him. Michael’s eyes still looked young and alert, whatever his hair was doing.

  “You haven’t been here in a few months,” Michael said.

  “Is that right?” she replied, feeling surprised.

  He nodded. “It is nice to see you. You haven’t been in since the James Slidell case went down in February. That was nice work, but I’m sure I told you that at the time.”

  Julia nodded.

  “And your work on the Marcus Stope case since has been exemplary, as usual.”

  Julia nodded again, wondering where the conversation was going.

  Michael frowned now. “It has been brought to my attention that you spent some time in a VIP room at Greenwoods last night.”

  She knew he was watching her closely. He was well trained enough to be able to detect any lies she might tell. Julia felt her heart race as she thought about Alex Knight. Was he involved in something he shouldn’t be? She cursed herself for not running a check on him.

  “I was there with some friends. We had a few drinks. I was not aware of anything that happened that should be a problem.” She kept her voice carefully neutral, giving nothing away.

  “I believe that a man named Bob James spent some time in the room as well?”

  Julia was good at hiding her emotions, but she knew that Michael must have spotted the relief that flashed over her face before she spoke. “Big, tall, and stupid? Blonde hair, blue eyes, tiny brain?”

  Michael laughed. “That sounds about right. Are you confirming that he was there, then?”

  “If you show me a screen shot or do a line-up, I can pick him out if we are talking about the same guy. He came in with my friend Pixie, but I don’t think she knew him. I think she just found him on the dance floor. Actually, I left not very long after they arrived. Does that tie in with what you were told?” She couldn’t quite keep the aggravation out of her tone.

  “Sorry, please don’t get defensive. I know your personal life is private. You know I wouldn’t be asking unless I had a good reason to do so. Sometimes there are situations where we have to step in and ask questions. You know that.”

  Julia shook her head impatiently. “I’ve never really had a private life and you know that. Let’s just finish this conversation so I can get back to my weekend.”

  “Julia, if you have issues with our need to know policies, please, let’s talk about them.” Michael rarely pried into what his agents did outside of their working hours, but the nature of their job meant that they were, to some extent, always on duty.

  “Never mind, I’m just feeling a bit off today, that’s all.” Julia waved a hand to smooth away the rough feelings and smiled at Michael. “If your Bob and the Bob I met last night are the same guy, I barely spent ten minutes with him
.”

  Michael nodded slowly. “Two more questions about him, then and we can move on. Firstly, did you see or hear anything from him that suggested that he might be engaged in any criminal activity? Secondly, did your friend Pixie spend the night with him?”

  Julia frowned, her attention on Michael’s first sentence rather than the questions. Move on to what, she wondered.

  “Sorry,” she shook her head to clear it and dragged her focus back to the discussion at hand. “Criminal activity? Well, he had a very large wad of cash in his back pocket. A lot more cash than most people would carry around in a crowded club, even one that only accepts cash. At the time I just figured him for the flashy sort, trying to impress people. As for whether or not Pixie spent the night with him, I haven’t spoken to Pixie yet today, but I can find out, if it matters.”

  Michael nodded slowly. “It might matter a great deal, actually. If you could find out from here, and fairly quickly, it would help.”

  Julia quelled her natural curiosity from years of experience. Michael would tell her exactly what she needed to know and nothing more, no matter how much or what she asked. She pulled out her M-ped and quickly sent a message to her friend.

  Hey girl, so what happened? Did you spend the night with Bob? Was he a good twirl? Come on, spill.

  She sent it quickly, and then sat back in her chair.

  “She might not be awake yet, and she might be at his place and not want to answer.” Julia ran though a list of possibilities quickly and easily, mentally adding half a dozen others that she didn’t need to share with her boss.

  “Have a drink while we wait for a reply, then.” Michael opened the top of the small cabinet and pulled out the old-fashioned coffee pot he preferred to more modern methods. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then looked questioningly at Julia.

  “Just water, please,” she answered, knowing that Michael’s coffee was strong enough to keep her awake for a week. They sipped their drinks and chatted idly about Marcus Stope, who was now looking forward to spending the rest of his life behind bars thanks to Julia’s hard work. Only a few minutes later, her wrist beeped and Julia checked her messages.

  “It’s from Pixie,” she told her boss, tapping the button to have the message read out loud.

  Hey girl, why did you leave so early? We were just starting to have fun. Anyway, Bob got boring real quick so after a little fumble I sent him on his way and ordered Jack off the room service menu. He was finished on the door by then, so we kicked John and his slut out and made full use of the facilities. He finally brought me home after curfew. What I want to know is what happened to you and …

  Julia quickly silenced the message, turning the electronic voice off in mid-sentence.

  “Well, there is your answer. She didn’t spend the night with Bob. She spent most of it with Jack. He is one of the bouncers at Greenwoods and one of these days Pixie is going to realize that she likes him a lot more than she wants to admit.”

  Michael nodded slowly. “That ties in nicely, thanks.” He tipped his head to one side and stared at her. “So would you like to tell me about Alexander Knight or not?”

  Julia couldn’t prevent the surprise and worry that flashed over her face, but she quickly replaced them with complete and hard won control. Very few people in the world would have spotted the emotions as they flashed past, but she knew that Michael had spent his life honing his skills at doing just that. Julia took another sip of water and used it to mask her struggling nerves. She was too good an agent to let her emotions come out, but Michael was too experienced to miss what she was hiding.

  “What about him?” Julia countered.

  “You met him in Erie, when you were Sienna Madison. What was he doing with Julia Randall in a VIP room last night?”

  Julia shook her head. She’d been wondering the same thing herself. “I don’t know. He thought he recognized me outside and stopped me. In an effort to be nothing like the shy retiring Sienna, I flirted a bit and then Pixie got involved and before I knew it we were in a VIP room getting drinks.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  Julia frowned, not liking where the conversation was probably going. “Go on then, is he an agent for someone else, a master criminal, the President’s brother, what?” Her voice was resigned. She so rarely felt attracted to anyone, it would be just her luck that when she finally met a guy she liked he would be off limits for some reason.

  Michael shook his head. “None of those, he is an author and a very successful one at that. What concerns me is that he recognized you. Run me through Sienna Madison again.”

  Julia shook her head in frustration. She was an expert at disguise, at using little tricks that didn’t require proper redesign, just clever workmanship. Even Michael had occasionally failed to recognize her when she was made up. She knew she hadn’t made any mistakes or taken any short cuts with Sienna Madison.

  “Sienna had long brown hair and brown eyes.” She blinked her own blue ones in frustration. “She had rounded eyes and rounded cheekbones. Her eyebrows were bushy, almost unkempt, as if she had them done occasionally but not as often as she should. Her nose was three millimeters longer than mine, her chin was flatter and she had a strawberry birthmark on her neck, just below her left ear. Her ears were larger and slightly pointed and her fingernails were chewed down to the quick. She wore a size larger in clothes and a size larger in shoes and she carried a black leather handbag that was big enough to fit everything she might ever need and then some inside. She spoke in a soft, hesitant manner with a slight accent that was hard to identify, but if pushed she would have credited it to having an English grandmother with whom she spent a lot of time while growing up. She grew up in Middle America and recently moved to Meadville to be near her now retired parents. What else do you want to know?”

  “I want to know how Alexander Knight, by all accounts a perfectly ordinary author, recognized Julia Randall as Sienna Madison after only one night’s acquaintance.”

  Julia shrugged. “I just don’t know.”

  Michael bit back his frustration. “Julia, you are one of our best agents. You are amazingly good at what you do. But if he could see through your disguise then maybe you aren’t good enough. I need to know why.”

  Julia could only shake her head again. “He did say that he had only thought that he recognized me and he didn’t push me when I said I’d never been to Erie. Maybe it was just a case of lucky mistaken identity?” That was the only explanation that Julia could offer.

  “So you were able to convince him that you weren’t Sienna?” Michael demanded confirmation.

  “I did my best,” was all that Julia could tell him.

  Michael nodded slowly, clearly thinking. “I need to dig further into his background, see if there is anything that suggests he might be working for any official or quasi-official organization. Or maybe he used to. It would make more sense if he’d had some formal training at some point.”

  “If he is an author, maybe he’s trained himself to observe more than other people might?” Julia suggested. “He’s probably always studying other people, looking for his next story idea, or doesn’t he write that sort of stuff?”

  “What he writes is good quality popular fiction, but he does so under another name, or rather, several other names. Apparently it helps with his research if he can remain anonymous.”

  “Look, Michael, I haven’t done a scan on him, so I know nothing. Fill me in properly.” Julia was anxious now to learn more about the man.

  “I know you haven’t done a scan on him. I’d rather not tell you any more, either. It will be easier for you to interact naturally with him if you know nothing more than what he tells you. There is nothing in the public domain about the man whatsoever.” Michael told her. “If you put his name in a standard search request on an ordinary computer you’d learn nothing. Just because you have access to information that most people don’t doesn’t mean you should use it.”

  Julia smiled, know
ing Michael was only parroting official company policy. “I know all of that, which is why I haven’t done a scan as yet. I do think that I’m good enough to pretend ignorance when I have to, though.”

  “But he’s already spotted you, and that worries me.”

  “Is there anything in his records that suggests that he’s a security risk?” Julia asked.

  “Nothing yet, but I will be digging more deeply. If possible you should avoid seeing him until I’ve completed a full scan.” Michael frowned. “I don’t like to interfere in your private life. I won’t order you not to see him. I would feel better knowing that you are staying away from him until we assess the situation, though. We need to figure out how dangerous it might be if he manages to figure out any more about who you are and what you do.”

  “He texted me this morning to say he is tied up for a few days anyway, so you can relax.” Julia grinned at the obvious relief that flashed over her boss’s face.

  “There is one possibility that you may not have considered,” Michael told her. “Just how strong was the physical connection between you and Alexander Knight?”

  Julia’s face flushed as she thought about the question.

  “If there is very strong chemistry between you, that might be what he picked up on. Regardless of your physical appearance, you still give off the same sexual vibe. That might be what he managed to tune into.”

  Julia considered the idea. “I’ll admit that there’s some pretty powerful chemistry there, but I can’t believe it was so strong that he could feel it as he was walking through the streets of New York near me.”

  “I would like to believe that it was chemistry,” Michael told her. “The alternatives are rather more worrying.”

  Six

  “Maybe it would be easier if I went away for a while,” Julia suggested.

  “I don’t have anything appropriate for you at the moment. A lot of little things have come in, but we have plenty of staff to deal with minor issues. I need to keep you available for the next big thing.”