Three more students got a turn to ask questions, one about the state of education in America, one about welfare, and one about jobs. Then, finally, it was time for closing statements. Tess felt like she had been standing for hours, and she really wanted to kick off her high heels and sink into a warm bubble bath. Saunders had been checking out her legs, and it made her feel dirty. Not that she was much better, staring at handsome reporters while she was supposed to be playing Politician Barbie. Bend me, pose me, put words in my mouth. Some days, Tess figured that she and Barbie could relate.
The candidates gave their thank-yous. Lots of self-important media figures would be very happy tonight, having done their duty by broadcasting the choices to the district's voters and, more importantly, their stockholders. Rubio took over after the candidates, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all very much for an intellectually stimulating debate. Thank you to my colleagues back at the station..."
Tess had already tuned out. It was over. The world hadn't ended. Even though she was hardly inexperienced, she felt a big rush as she waved her way off stage, pausing for a few pictures and one last glance at the woman in the third row.
It was a little like getting called up to the major leagues and winning your first game. Many debates ended without an obvious winner, but Tess felt like she had been clear, articulate, and straightforward. That was a win in her book, at least until the poll numbers came out. Despite the love-hate relationship she had with her job, she enjoyed getting up in front of a crowd and explaining her ideas.
"Hey, nice job out there," said a low, smooth voice from somewhere behind her. Tess whipped her head around in the direction that the words came from, almost upsetting her hair, which was pulled back into a twist.
"Congressman Saunders," she said, keeping her voice neutral. "You scored some hits yourself." Insincere compliments were one of Tess's many learned skills. His eyes flicked noticeably down to her legs again, and she curled her toes uncomfortably in her pointed shoes. Her skirt was not that short, but it was slightly above the knee, and she felt exposed. "Excuse me, I should be going," she said lightly. The weight of the gaze that she fixed directly on his wedding ring, however, was heavy. "Can't be seen consorting with the enemy and all that."
"Of course." But he did not move away. Instead, he seemed to dismiss her comment entirely and stepped closer. No one from the stage crew or either of the three campaign staffs seemed to notice the exchange. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your first debate. The media can be relentless."
Something about the way he dragged out the words made Tess's skin prickle, and she made her escape as quickly as possible, only giving him a nod goodbye before slipping out of a side door. She knew that Brian would be furious with her for leaving early and unattended, but Tess decided that dealing with his anger later was the lesser of two evils.
Chapter 7
Cincinnati, Ohio: October 1st
Standing up from her seat, Robin stretched out the bunched muscles in her upper back and shifted the strap of her laptop case on her shoulder. She had let it record the debate while jotting down her thoughts in a small notebook. Even though she wasn't really a reporter, she found the discussion interesting. Or was it the blonde Republican candidate that she found interesting? If she was being honest with herself, Robin realized that she had spent an unusual amount of time watching Tess Daubney even though Saunders was the object of her investigation.
The lights were up and everyone was talking as they prepared to leave. Most of the people present seemed to know each other, and so Robin decided to make a hasty exit before they noticed an unfamiliar face among their number. Grabbing her jacket and draping it over one shoulder instead of working her arms through the sleeves, she headed toward the stage. Spotting a side exit to her left, Robin edged the unused door open and peeked out, smiling when she recognized the back parking lot. Perfect. She slipped out of the door, hoping that no one noticed. That was an unfortunate side effect of visiting a high school for a press-related event. It made her feel a little like a student cutting math class to sneak out for a burger.
Her memories of high school truancies were interrupted when, while turning a corner, she ran into something warm and solid, falling backwards onto the grass that ran alongside the cement sidewalk. Startled and a little embarrassed, Robin hopped back to her feet, glancing at the laptop that hung at her side and hoping that it was undamaged. "Sorry," she blurted out automatically, finally looking up at the person she had run in to. "Oh!"
Tess, who had been picking herself up off of the sidewalk and examining a run in her stockings, nearly fell over again in surprise at the unexpected outburst. Robin hurried to offer some support, using a light grip to steady Tess's elbow. For a moment, the two women stared at each other, trying to get their bearings. Despite their awkward position, Tess smiled, instantly recognizing her as the reporter that she had been watching in the third row.
Tess straightened the lapels and brushed off the smooth surface, fingering the material of the woman's leather jacket. Robin blushed at the surprisingly intimate gesture, but she didn't pull away.
"I'm really sorry about that," Tess said, giving the stranger an embarrassed smile. "I didn't mean to run in to you."
"Oh, it's no problem," said Robin. She stared into bright, clear blue eyes and tried not to gasp. She had looked calm and poised under the stage lights, but up close, Tess Daubney was remarkably beautiful. "It was partially my fault, too."
"I saw you in the audience," said Tess. "I guess you already know this, but my name's Tess Daubney.” She extended her hand.
Robin accepted it. "Nina Stryswicki," she said on the shake, remembering the name on the shiny press pass that Harkiss had given her. It was also the name he had shouted during her first visit to his office. The real Nina Stryswicki was a copyeditor at the Sun. The idea of using a real person's name to make her seem more legitimate had settled well with Robin. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Daubney."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too." Tess felt her fingers heat up, but she wasn't sure of the cause. She usually disliked associating with the media, but Nina seemed easygoing enough. Not brash and persistent like some of the reporters she had dealt with in the past.
"Don't worry, you're off the record and I'm off the clock," said Robin, noticing the way Tess seemed to be analyzing her. "You won't have to read about our little collision in tomorrow's paper."
Tess breathed a sigh of relief. "No offense to you guys, but having cameras and microphones in your face can get tiring."
"Believe me, reporters get tired, too," Robin joked, "although you certainly gave me a lot to think about. I'll be honest, I always vote Democrat, but I liked some of the things you had to say tonight."
Although she had seemed engaged in their impromptu conversation before, Tess's eyes brightened even more at the possibility of swaying a constituent over to her side of the fence. "Really?"
"I don't suppose you would care to discuss it over dinner?" Immediately sensing a trap, Tess opened her mouth to politely refuse, but Robin continued speaking. "Honestly, I'm asking because I find you interesting, not because of any sneaky reporter tricks." It was only a half lie. Robin did find Tess interesting, and she wasn't asking her for a quick bite because of sneaky reporter tricks. Sneaky FBI agent tricks, perhaps...
Tess still looked doubtful, and Robin gave the woman her most charming smile. "Actually, I do have an ulterior motive. I live in Washington DC, and I'm only working in Cincinnati for a few months. I was hoping you'd help me out and tell me a little about the city."
Even though all of her instincts should have been on red alert, something about the reporter seemed to put Tess at ease. Maybe it was her nice smile. Nina Stryswicki was certainly a charmer, and Tess guessed that she was probably very good at getting people to grant interviews. "Maybe fifteen minutes for dessert," Tess compromised, inwardly promising herself that she could handle herself for that long without saying anything incriminating. As long as she remembered
that she was dealing with a reporter and not a date.
Whoa, a date? Where did that thought come from?
Not counting the occasional night in with Samantha, Tess couldn't remember the last real date she had gone on with a woman. In fact, she wondered if she had ever been on one at all. In a temporary fit of insanity, Tess decided to pretend that she was on a date. No touching or obvious flirting, of course, but it might be nice to imagine that she could live her life openly for a quarter of an hour.
"You know, there's a bakery a couple of blocks away that makes some really nice cheesecake and other desserts. I haven't been there in a while."
Robin's eyes brightened. Even though she was technically doing this as part of her job, getting to know the players involved in her suspect's work life, she felt drawn to Tess in a way she could not begin to explain or understand. It was too bad she couldn't use her real name, but it would be nice to spend a little more time in Tess's company, even if it was only a few minutes. Besides, her stomach was growling and dessert sounded excellent, especially since she had not eaten anything for dinner beforehand.
* * *
"I really shouldn't have done this, but I'm glad I did," Tess said, making sure to swallow her bite of dessert before speaking. Even in relaxed situations like this, her manners were impeccable.
"What?" Robin asked. Although she was a little more casual about talking with her mouth full, she made sure that she never showed her companion any chewed bits of food. "Meeting with a reporter or eating lots of sugar?"
Tess smiled. "Yes. It was very nice of you to offer to pay as well."
"I'll lie and tell my boss it was a business expense."
Although she was used to being the object of other people's attention, the way that Nina looked at her made Tess feel like she was the only person in the room. Another useful reporter skill, perhaps. Usually, making nice with people that wanted something from her had her ready to crawl up the walls, but Nina seemed to be enjoying herself as well. That made it easy for Tess to forget that she was a reporter, although the thought always lingered in the back of her mind, reminding her to watch what she said so that she wouldn't see her name in the paper the next day.
"I guess I've just never met a Republican that tried to do basic math before," Robin said around another bite of cheesecake. Instead of finding it annoying, Tess thought it was almost cute. "They usually just say, 'we want to cut taxes and decrease the deficit', but there's no way you can do both at the same time. You just confront the problem head on."
Tess shrugged. "People need to keep their money so that they can reinvest it and meet their basic needs. If you cut enough spending in the right places, you don't need to take in as much money, and since you're also cutting taxes, you don't have to give people as many government benefits. It's not easy, a little like going on a diet, but in a place like Washington, there's always some way to cut costs."
"Aren't you worried about cutting quality?"
"That happens sometimes," Tess admitted. "But, like I said, people will be keeping more of their own money, so they won't need as much help from us anyway. It's a balancing act. Perhaps I'm naïve, and I know I've been given a really big head start in life because of my family, but I like to think that most people are capable of being responsible for themselves. That's one thing I would like to increase spending on, adult education so that people can become more self-sufficient. Then they won't need to rely on the government so much later."
"Too bad I said this was off the record," Robin teased, getting in to her role as Nina. "This is interesting."
"You should call my campaign manager and schedule an interview. I can leave you his number. I'd love to talk with you some more." Privately, Tess shut out the whispering voice in the back of her mind that said she was making up excuses to see Nina again.
"You know, I might just do that."
Chapter 8
Cincinnati, Ohio: October 2nd
"Tess has a girlfriend!" Samantha sang gleefully.
"Ugh." It was the only response Tess could come up with.
"Tess has a girlfriend!"
"Stop it!"
"Tess has a girlfriend -"
"Are you in kindergarten, Samantha? If you don't shut up right now, I will make you shut up, and it will be painful."
Samantha leaned back against Tess's counter, resting her weight on her elbows and grinning at her frustrated friend. "Take it easy, doll baby. I was only teasing you. You need to loosen up a little."
Tess shoved her glasses higher up on her nose and deliberately turned her back, rummaging in her medicine cabinet for something to relieve the headache building in her temples. "If I loosened the tight rein of control I keep on myself, I would go on a murderous rampage."
"That's because you work with people that are asking for it," Samantha teased.
Tess tossed her friend a well-aimed glare. "Like you?" she snapped back.
"Oh no, you would never harm a hair on my pretty little head. You love me too much."
"In your dreams," the politician muttered darkly.
"So, tell me about this girlfriend -"
"– She's not my girlfriend! –" Tess interrupted.
"– of yours." Samantha deliberately ignored the overtalk.
Swallowing her pills dry and choking slightly, Tess replaced the bottle and shut the cabinet door, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Why do I always do that? Am I really too busy to take twenty seconds and pour some water?"
"Habit. You don't always have water in the middle of a busy workday. Now, stop avoiding the question."
Briefly, Tess wondered when Samantha had grown to know her so well. She also knew Samantha very well, and this knowledge told her that the taller woman would not quit until her persistence was rewarded with some scrap of information. "Her name is Nina, she's got short brown hair and dark eyes, and she looks very nice in a leather jacket. And she isn't my girlfriend," she protested again, weakly this time.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Tess was slightly surprised that Samantha knew the correct wording of the phrase instead of the often misquoted version, but kept her facial expression somewhere in between neutral and annoyed.
"I've only seen her once."
"So?"
"Fine. I am attracted to her," Tess admitted. "But attraction does not a girlfriend make. I'm attracted to a lot of people, but I can never have a girlfriend."
Samantha's ears were familiar enough with Tess's voice to catch the note of sorrow and longing that she carefully tried to hide. "You're the only one telling yourself that."
"Yeah, along with my campaign manager, the Republican Party, my parents, my financial backers, my –"
"A bunch of people who don't give a flying fuck about your happiness, with the possible exception of your father, and you can't live your life for him."
Tess's slightly hurt expression almost made Samantha regret her words, but she knew that she was only telling her friend the truth. "I'm not," Tess tried to protest, but she couldn't completely deny that she spent most of her time and energy trying to follow in her father's footsteps.
"You should see this woman again, girlfriend or not. You could always use another friend-friend."
Tess swallowed again to try and dislodge the phantom feel of the headache pills in her throat. She had a feeling she was going to need them if Samantha's mood didn't ease up. "I don't think so," she grumbled. "I couldn't handle any more friends like you."
* * *
Special Agent Slade shifted his coffee to his left hand, using his right to reach into his pocket for his keys and unlock the door. "Ladies first," he said, only trying to be polite and not condescending. After several years of working at the Bureau, Robin had learned the difference. She smiled and walked into his office.
"So, why did you decide to drop by, Hart?"
"I was hoping I could impose on your tech guys. The FBI provided a basic file on my subject, but I would like another file on a related individual."
Slade frowned. "Who's the guy?"
"Girl, actually," Robin said. "I'd like to run his opponent, Tess Daubney."
The short-haired man arched his eyebrows, taking another sip of his coffee and sitting in his chair. Setting the cup on his desk, he folded both hands behind his head and leaned back, studying her with interest. "Why?"
"Let's just say I'm curious."
"Actually, I meant why are you asking me instead of the Washington Bureau?"
Robin's lips twitched. "Those idiots take too long. I figure that here, I can be in and out. Besides, this way you know what I'm looking at. I thought you would appreciate the shared information."
"I appreciate it," said Slade. "I just didn't expect it. Go ahead."
Robin turned slowly for the door. "I'll let you know when anything comes up."
"You do that. Good luck," said Slade, watching her go. He had never met a Washington agent quite like Robin Hart before. Something about the woman had him guessing that if she were working against him instead of with him, his life would be a lot more complicated.
An hour later, Robin was skimming through the printouts given to her by the Cincinnati Bureau's computer guys. Even though the investigating agents got most of the glory associated with a bust, the eggheads in the computer labs did a lot of the FBI's hard work. They had two distinct divisions – the people that focused exclusively on cybercrimes, and the people that did all the computer legwork for the other divisions. They were the brick agents of the 21st century.
All The Pretty Things Page 4