by Marie Astor
Agent Norris nodded. “Of course there is—the famous Internet entrepreneur—all the information the bureau supplied about him was accurate. Garrett even happens to look a lot like Connelly here, which is one of the main reasons Connelly was assigned to this case.”
“That and my skills,” Connelly cut in sharply.
Agent Norris coughed, rocking back on his heels. “That too. Anyways, Garrett has been most generous in assisting us with this investigation. This mansion belongs to Daniel Garrett and there was going to be a real gala, which of course now we’ll have to cancel. I have my secretary taking care of it now. We anticipate lots of ticked off celebrities and rich people. Hopefully it’ll drum up the auction price, as Garrett really does plan to give the proceeds to charity.”
“And the Eternal Light?” Tina asked.
“It’s real.” Agent Norris nodded. “Not this particular version though,” he added, stooping to pick up the huge diamond from the floor that Bassand had been so eager to get his hands on.
“It’s not?” Tina asked, amazed. “It looks so real.”
“We used the latest technology to make a very realistic copy. The same technology was used to make the necklace you have on—looks like real diamonds and sapphires, doesn’t it? By the way, I’m going to need that back—the transmitter is very valuable, not to mention the stones. Even though they’re artificially created, the process is still very costly.”
“Couldn’t it wait till later?” Connelly barked at Norris as Tina began to undo the necklace clasp.
“Here you go.” She smiled pleasantly as she handed Agent Norris the necklace. “I have no use for it now that the case is over, Agent Connelly, but thank you for your consideration.” Her voice was as sweet as pie as her eyes met Connelly’s and he looked away, embarrassed.
“Well, it looks like my work here is done,” Tina said smoothly. “I’ll be happy to assist you in any way I can, should you need any information from me.”
“Thank you, Tina.” Agent Norris shook her hand.
“It’s been great working with you.” Agent Connelly stuck out his hand awkwardly. “Sorry for not telling you, but as Agent Norris explained it was outside of my authority—”
“No need to apologize, Agent Connelly.” Tina smiled brightly. “This was a very important case, and I’m glad I could be a part of it. Good day, gentlemen.”
“I’ll walk you out,” said Agent Norris.
As if in a fog, Tina followed Agent Norris down the same hallways that Agent Connelly had walked beside her, holding her hand just a few hours ago. It had all turned out to be a game of pretense, although for a good cause. She’d gotten her first taste of undercover work and she was going to be much wiser for it. And as far as she was concerned, Agent Brad Connelly could go to hell with his apologies.
“We’d best use the back entrance,” said Agent Norris. “My secretary is dealing with cancelled gala conundrum up front.”
A few moments later they reached the back door and he opened it for her. “Thank you for everything, Tina.” He shook her hand again. “And,” he paused, “Don’t be too hard on Connelly. Sometimes he just can’t help himself. I see your friends are waiting for you,” he added, waving at Janet and Dennis who were just outside the door.
“I know just the type.” Tina smiled. “It was great working with you, Agent Norris. Goodbye now.”
“Tina! We were so worried!”
Tina smiled at the sight of her co-worker, Janet Maple, rushing toward her. A moment later they were hugging each other in excitement and relief, as Dennis stood by.
“Come here, Dennis,” Janet urged him. “Group hug!”
Looking a little embarrassed, Dennis joined in.
“I’m fine, but what happened to you guys?” Tina asked once they were done hugging. “Agent Norris told me the basics, but I want to find out everything from you. He said something about Leonard tying you up? How did that happen?”
“It wasn’t as simple as that,” Dennis was quick to explain. “Nicole pulled a gun on us.”
“She did, but thinking back we could’ve neutralized her,” Janet pointed out.
“It’s a long story,” Dennis began. “Can’t it wait till later?”
“We’ve got plenty of time.” Janet waved her hand in dismissal. “Let me just say that both Dennis and I could use a lot more of your self-defense training.”
Chapter 20—Three months later
Tina pushed her chair back from her desk and stretched out her arms. She’d been working a larger case load since Peter Laskin had taken a month off for a paternity leave to spend time with his newly arrived bundles of joy—a baby girl, Violet, and a baby boy, George. Of course Laskin was too diligent to stay away from the office for too long, so he called in every day, ready to help out whenever Tina needed his opinion. But mostly she was able to manage on her own and she was very proud of that. She’d come a long way since her first day at Kirk & Associates and felt like a fully-fledged member of the team now. Ham Kirk had noticed that too and her assignments were growing more and more complicated, but to her, none would ever match her first case—the Bassand investigation.
Tina checked her watch—it was after two p.m. The verdict in the Bassand case was supposed to come out today. It had been a lengthy and complicated trial, with Bassand sparing no expense on lawyers. News stations everywhere were abuzz with the latest developments in the trial, from Bassand’s tailored, extravagant suits to his laconic and at times contemptuous testimonies. Nicole Sheridan was equally sought out by the press who spared no detail in describing the skin-tight outfits she wore to court, her blatant disregard for authority, and her penchant for using obscenities during testimony. The papers billed it to be the most entertaining trial since the Gotti trial in the early nineties. She’d watched the trial progress from the sidelines, as her work on the investigation was done. Still, that didn’t mean she’d been able to put it out of her mind as she’d hoped, and she had tried really hard to do that. But deep down, every time she read the latest article about the trial, her eyes were looking for news from the prosecution, secretly hoping to spot Agent Connelly’s name in there. The bugger didn’t even have the decency to say a single word to her since Bassand’s arrest—aside from several uncomfortable meetings spent in the FBI conference rooms, she’d never seen Brad Connelly again. She kept telling herself that it was for the best, but deep down she knew that if she were to hear his voice on the other end of the phone receiver, she’d be giddy as a school girl. Enough of this nonsense, Tina inwardly berated herself, turning her attention to the news feed to see if Bassand’s verdict was out.
Just then Tina’s office door swung open—she had her own office now. As their boss had promised, they moved to a new office space, and now every investigator at Kirk & Associates had an office.
“Woohoo! Did you see the news?” Dennis Walker cheered.
“I was just about to. Is the verdict out?” Tina asked, guessing that the answer would be yes.
“Yep.” Dennis rocked back on his heels. “Life sentence and retribution of three hundred million dollars for the art theft he committed.”
Tina uttered a low whistle. “That’s a sizeable chunk of change.”
“That’s only for the thefts that could be proved. The FBI froze Bassand’s offshore account, but he probably has others they couldn’t find. I’m sure Bassand has plenty left over for a rainy day, not that it will help him in jail much.”
“I don’t think it will,” Tina agreed. “And Nicole?”
“Ten years. Apparently she caved in and cooperated, giving additional evidence on Bassand. So much for loyalty among thieves.”
“I take it you both heard the verdict?” Janet Maple poked her head through the door.
“Dennis just filled me in,” Tina replied.
“With Bassand and Nicole safely behind bars, Lenny can finally sleep at night.” Dennis chuckled.
“You really got it in for the poor guy,” Janet quipped.
> Dennis shook his head. “Let’s see, he only broke into our apartment, harassed Baxter—”
“I think Baxter was the one doing the harassing. Remember, he bit Leonard’s shin and ripped his pants?” Janet added with a grin.
“Baxter was defending his turf,” Dennis countered. “And let’s not forget about the breaking into our place of work, and the small part where Lenny had us tied up with the gun pointed in our faces.”
“Nicole was pointing the gun, not Leonard,” Janet clarified. “It’s time to let sleeping dogs lie. Besides, you have to admit that Lenny did his part for the case. It would’ve been much tougher without him.”
“Yes, all those suit selections were very helpful.” Dennis scoffed. “I’ve asked Norris to take them back, since Lenny bought them on the bureau’s expense account, but I’m yet to hear back.
“I think the bureau is okay with you keeping the suits,” Janet assured him.
“They probably are. Since they froze Bassand’s offshore account and recovered all the money they used to bait him and then some, I imagine they have a lofty budget now. Maybe I should give Lenny a call. He could take those crazy rags to a tailor. I bet he’d look very spiffy,” Dennis mused.
“Anyway,” Janet went on, “from what I hear, Agent Norris said Leonard is one of the best consultants the bureau has ever had.” As promised, the FBI had granted Leonard immunity from prosecution. They had been so impressed with his knowledge of art that they offered him a consulting position that Leonard took to really well.
“I’m glad to hear Lenny has finally put his skills to good use. Maybe he can organize Norris’s wardrobe next—now there’s a fella who could use some sprucing up.” Dennis grinned.
Janet nudged Dennis. “That’s enough already. Tina’s getting tired of your corny jokes.”
Tina shook her head, still smiling. “After all the hard work we’ve put in on this case, we’re all entitled to blow off some steam. It was great working with you, guys.”
“And you too, Tina. You kicked butt on that one and I mean it in the most literal sense.” Dennis grinned. “I still got a lot to learn from those moves of yours.”
“I’m happy to give you a refresher whenever you need one,” Tina offered.
“Thanks, but let’s not push it,” Dennis was quick to reply. “I’m still recovering from yesterday’s demonstration.” Ham Kirk had made Tina’s self-defense classes a weekly routine and Dennis had landed on his behind during most of the demonstrations.
“He doesn’t mind, really,” Janet chimed in. “In fact, I think he enjoys it.”
“Oh, yeah, I like spending time flat on my back—it gives me time to reflect on things. Next time pick Janet as a volunteer.”
“I will,” Tina promised.
“And no going easy on her because she’s a girl,” Dennis added.
“No such thing as going easy when it comes to training,” Tina assured him.
“You have to admit you cut Anne some slack last week,” Dennis pressed. “I won’t believe in a million years that she landed you on your back without you giving in.”
“Dennis, Anne wears bifocals and has a gray bun—she’s earned some slack.” Janet nudged him.
“I guess you have a minor point there,” Dennis conceded.
Just then there was a sound of footsteps in the hallway and Ham Kirk appeared in the doorway.
“Congratulations on a job well done.” Ham shook hands with everyone in turn. “Your names may not appear in print, but that doesn’t make your contribution any less important. You’ve all gone above and beyond on this assignment. I’m very grateful for the work that you’ve done as is the bureau.”
“You’ve heard from the FBI?” Dennis asked, and Tina held her breath in spite of herself as she waited for Ham to answer.
“I just got off the phone with Gus Edwards. He’s asked me to say thank you to all of you. He thinks very highly of your skills and abilities. He even told me he’d love to have you on his staff—not that it should give you any ideas,” Ham added with a chuckle.
“What? Leave this place for a boring job with the bureau?” Janet quipped.
“Not in a million years,” Dennis assured him. “Although a nice bonus would be welcome to seal the deal, so to speak.”
Ham chuckled. “I’m already ahead of you.” He handed each of them an envelope. “You’ll find a little extra inside to tie you over before the year-end bonuses. This was a huge case for us and it’s only right to share the agency’s profits.”
“What about Peter?” Janet asked. “He’s been out on leave, but he really pulled through when we were tied up on the Bassand case—his workload tripled.”
“No questions there—Peter is a trooper. And I’m not going to overlook him.” Ham held up another envelope in his hand. “I’ll give it to him tomorrow when he’s back.”
“Peter’s coming back tomorrow?” Tina asked. “I thought he wasn’t supposed to be back ’till Monday.” Not that she wasn’t prepared for her colleague’s return—anticipating Laskin’s eagerness, she had her status report done early.
“You know Peter.” Ham chuckled. “He can’t stay away—thought it would be a good idea to get a head start on Friday to get ‘acclimated.’ As if he needs to—he’s been checking in every day.” Ham checked his watch. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I have a meeting with the FBI—my hunch tells me there might be another high-profile assignment coming up soon.”
“We’re ready,” Tina assured him.
“That’s what I like to hear from my troops.” Ham winked. “See you all tomorrow.”
“Drinks after work to celebrate?” Dennis suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Tina agreed. “I should be done around six.”
“Sounds good. We’ll all head out then. Congratulations again, Tina. It was your first case and you did great.” Janet squeezed Tina’s arm lightly. “I’m glad you’re on our team.”
“Me too,” Dennis added. “Really glad to have you on board.”
“Thank you, guys.” Tina felt genuinely touched—they had all come a long way since her first day at the agency. “I’ll see you in a bit. I just need to clean up in here to get ready for Peter tomorrow.”
“Hey, if he tries giving you the third degree, you come to me. I’ll straighten him out for you. No combat skills required.” Dennis grinned.
“I’m sure it won’t be necessary, but thank you for the offer.” Tina smiled.
“We’ll see you in a bit.” Janet nudged Dennis. “Enough basking in the limelight—we have work to do.”
Tina went back to work and didn’t look up from her computer screen until it was after five o’clock. She was about to take a walk to the kitchen to stretch her legs and grab a bottle of water from the fridge when her phone rang. A blocked number showed on the caller ID screen, but she reached for the receiver anyway—they never turned phone calls away at the agency.
“Tina?”
“Yes,” she struggled to keep her voice even as her heart nearly plummeted down to her stomach. She bit her lip to make sure she wasn’t dreaming and that deep, sultry voice she’d been fantasizing about the past three months was for real.
“This is Brad, Brad Connelly.”
“Good afternoon, Agent Connelly. So nice to hear from you. Congratulations on the Bassand case—I just saw the verdict come out. Great work by the bureau.” She marveled at the nonchalant way the words rolled off her tongue while her entire being was trembling from the knowledge that Brad Connelly had dialed her number.
There was a long sigh on the other end of the line. “I guess I earned that one.”
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Agent Connelly. It was truly a pleasure working with you.” She was almost starting to enjoy herself now—let the bugger squirm.
“Look, can we talk?” He gave her the name of a bar a few blocks away from her office—it was a dive, not at all like the flashy places he’d taken her to when he was pretending to be Daniel Garrett
.
She wondered about the wisdom of saying yes, but knew full well that she couldn’t say no. “Yes. I can meet you there at six.”
“Thank you. See you soon.” He hung up before she could say another word.
“Whew,” Tina exhaled, raking her fingers through her hair. Now that she was off the phone, she was trembling again. What was she thinking saying yes to the man who she knew was bad news. But then saying no wasn’t an option and she’d be a liar to deny it.
She checked her watch—it was twenty after five, which gave her barely enough time to get ready. She examined her attire self-consciously. Luckily she’d worn one of her better suits—a pencil skirt and a peplum jacket that cinched at her waist and played up her curves—business like, but also sexy. She glanced at her shoes—black office pumps—had she known she’d be meeting Brad Connelly for drinks, she would’ve opted for stilettos. This was going to have to do. She grabbed her purse and hurried for the bathroom. If she was going to meet him, she was going to look her best or at least to the extent possible under the circumstances.
On her way to the bathroom, Tina stopped by Janet’s office.
“Janet?”
“You’re done early?” Janet smiled. “Great, I’m ready to get out of here. Let me just call Dennis—”
Tina raised her palm. “Actually—”
“Don’t tell me you want to stay late because of Laskin. I won’t let him give you a hard time,” Janet began.
“It’s not that,” Tina assured him. “Brad— Agent Connelly called me.” Her breath caught and she lowered her eyes, feeling her face grow warm.
“I understand,” Janet’s voice softened. “What time are you meeting him?”
“At six. And I gotta put my face on.” Tina gestured at her make-up free face. Unless they had a client meeting, she rarely bothered to put makeup on.
“A little mascara always gives a nice confidence boost,” Janet agreed. “Go, get ready. And don’t let him play cat and mouse with you. He called you—just remember that.”
“I will.” Tina nodded. “See you tomorrow.”