by A. Gomez
I hung my head, “Okay then, point taken. How can I argue with that?” I laid my coat on one of the chairs, placed my bag on the floor next to my desk and sat down at my desk so I could email Jill to let her know I was going to be late. “By the way, Davis, my apologies and enough with the ma’am. Call me Isabel.”
“Ma’am, uh, Isabel?” he asked quizzically.
“You’re a lot smarter than I gave you credit for,” I said teasingly.
He smiled big. “Thank you, Isabel, I get that a lot.”
I lost track of time, trying to catch up with all my notes on other cases. Thankfully, most of them didn’t need to go through the court system but they needed a lot of help just the same. I heard Agent Davis’ stomach growling, which prompted me to look at the time. Jeez wiz! It was already two in the afternoon and no sign of Josh. Not even a phone call to Agent Davis. What could be keeping him?
I peeked up at Davis. “Agent Davis, seeing that both our stomachs are growling… loudly, would you be willing to accompany me downstairs to the cafeteria and get some lunch? We don’t have to eat there, we can bring it back here and eat in my office.” If he says no to this I’m just going to make a run for it.
“Phew! That is a great idea. I was hoping you would ask. I’ll text Rockwall on the way.”
We both grinned at each other relieved we were on the same wavelength. I could almost taste the cheeseburger and fries I was planning on getting. We made small talk on the way down, mostly about what kind of food the cafeteria had and how hungry we were. He did ask me if I had any sisters that were as attractive as me. That made me blush crimson and I humbly answered that I had two younger brothers and no sisters. He looked disappointed and explained that it had been very difficult to meet pretty young ladies that were good conversationalists and smart. He said, in his line of work he didn’t get to go out much. He added that the women in the bureau seemed too manly for him and he wished he could’ve met someone before he joined the FBI. We talked about what books and authors we liked and a little about the case. It took us almost fifteen minutes to get our food and get back to my office. I learned a lot about Davis in those few minutes, especially since he didn’t mind answering all my questions. I wasn’t sure if it was a man thing or if he felt the need for a mini therapy session.
When we got back, Josh was waiting for us, standing behind my desk looking at everything on it. He had a woman with him, who I assumed worked for the FBI as well since I could see her gun and she looked manly like what Davis had described. Both their expressions were impassive but Josh’s eyes seemed to soften when he saw me. Davis knew something was the matter because he put his food down on one of the chairs and took mine from me. My heart started to race and my eyes darted between Josh and the woman.
“Josh? What kept you? We were starving,” I tried not to sound too alarmed.
He came around my desk and stood in front of me. “Isabel,” he said softly, “Isabel, something happened.” I wanted to scream at him, spit it out for the love of Pete! Instead, I looked at him and nodded. “Isabel, the reason I took so long is because I had to go to the courthouse. Something happened.” He was struggling to find his words. I gazed at him, not saying a word. I knew it was bad news but about who or what, I wasn’t sure.
He took a deep breath, “Jill and Agent Stevens were attacked at the courthouse. They’re both downstairs in the ER right now and…” I didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. I ran out of the room. I didn’t bother with the elevators; I went straight for the stairs. Heels or no heels, I was going to run down those stairs. I got to the bottom in record time and hurried to find David. I shoved my way through the mass of people that were always in the ER. I started yelling David’s name but he didn’t surface. Finally, I stopped a nurse and asked for Dr. David Summers. She pointed to where he was standing.
“David!” I shouted, desperation in my voice. I think I startled him because his shoulders gave a little jump. He was looking around to see where the voice calling his name was coming from.
“Isabel? What’s going on? Why are you here? Did another doctor call you?”
“Where’s Jill? What happened? How is she? Can I see her?” My mouth was running a mile a minute.
“Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about, or rather whom?”
“She’s a prosecutor from the DA’s office. She possibly came in with a man, an FBI agent?” My voice was trembling.
“Oh, yeah the FBI guy. I just saw the man and he has only minor injuries. I think he’ll be fine.”
“David! The woman!” I bellowed at him. “Tell me about the woman. How is she?”
“Yes, the woman, well, I really didn’t get to see her. Dr. Rodriguez worked on her. All I know is that they had to intubate her and they are prepping her for surgery as we speak. Is this your friend from the DA’s office?”
“Yes, she is,” I answered, agitated. “I was supposed to meet her at court earlier today and never made it.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t. You could be in there with them if you had.”
I felt Josh wrap his arm around my shoulder. I forgot he had to go where I go. He was warm and it felt comforting. David stopped talking, looked at both of us perplexed. I should have introduced them but I didn’t have the energy. My heart was still racing and there was a knot in my gut where my stomach should be. I had so many questions; I didn’t know where to start.
Josh finally broke the silence, “Hi, I’m Special Agent Rockwall.” He extended his hand. David shook it.
“Dr. David Summers,” they shook hands politely. “Agent, huh? So, you know the FBI agent I just treated?”
“Yeah, he and I are working on a case together at the moment. And by the look of things, it just got elevated to worse and complicated.” Josh pulled me closer to him. I looked awkwardly at Josh.
“So, how do you and Isabel know each other?” David was being nosy only for the simple reason another man was holding me close.
I decided to answer, “Josh and I are working on the same case together and we only just met not too long ago.” I wasn’t prepared to say Josh was my boyfriend to David, even if he was just a pseudo-boyfriend.
“Yes, and we’ve been seeing each other for a little while now,” Josh added with his boyish smirk. He gently kissed my temple and moved his hand down to my waist.
I didn’t know how to react. “Er, yup, for a couple weeks now.” I told myself to pull it together and act like a love-struck girlfriend to Adonis standing next to me, so I wrapped my arm around his waist. It felt awkward so I moved his hand from my waist and held it instead. I inadvertently gave his hand a couple of tight squeezes since I was nervous. He was caught off guard and looked at me surprised. He squeezed back and I whipped my head to look at him. He was smirking; I smiled back and squeezed his hand again. We started to giggle, forgetting David was in front of us. Are we having a moment? I wondered. I didn’t know how long we were gazing at each other when David decided to clear his throat.
“Um…” I was trying to collect my thoughts. “Um, David, please keep me posted on Jill’s condition. I want to know when she comes out of surgery.” I was attempting to compose myself.
“Uh, yeah, of course.” He straightened his back and puffed out his chest. I thought he was trying to not look so average, standing next to my Greek God. However, I never thought he looked average and neither did a lot of the other females in the hospital. What with his dark hair, blue eyes and stunning good looks…he had women falling at his feet.
“Thank you,” I said.
David eyed us quizzically. Was he not sure how to react to whatever it was Josh and I had going on? “Okay, so, I’ll make sure I personally call you and update you.” He crossed his arms across his chest.
“Thanks, man. I know Isabel is extremely worried for her friend and colleague.” Josh lightly smacked him on the arm in appreciation and pulled me away toward the elevators.
I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to make sense of
this ugly ordeal. I let go of Josh’s hand and began to rub my head. I was feeling light-headed from all the stress and no food. I let out a heavy sigh and glanced in the direction of the nurses’ station while waiting for the elevator. I noticed nurse Ginger was watching us wait for the elevator. If looks could kill, I would be dead. Her stare was piercing. Was she jealous of me talking with David? My relationship with him was over and she was giving him what he wanted, so what could be her problem with me now? I didn’t have time to worry about that right then; I had too much on my plate as it was. The elevator pinged, the doors opened and Josh placed his hand on the small of my back to lead me in.
I wanted answers so I hurried to my office where we could speak in private. Pam, Davis and the female agent were all congregated in my office. I walked in, confused, and looked to Josh for answers. He wasn’t surprised. The air in there felt severe and the silence was deafening. I was waiting for someone to speak, looking at everyone with wide eyes. They all looked to Pam as if they had appointed her their leader.
“Isabel, I’m sure you know by now that there was an attempt made on Jill’s and Agent Stevens’ life at the courthouse.” Pam was struggling to find the right words.
“Well, Josh said they were attacked but I wasn’t aware of the attempt on their lives. I just assumed it was another crazed defendant and they got caught in the middle of that defendant’s rampage,” I said, wringing my hands.
“I suppose you could say that.” Pam moved to the front of my desk to sit. “You see, Agent Stevens’ presence and the fact that he was there to look out for her presented a problem for the perpetrator to hurt or kill Jill, so he and/or they got creative.”
“They?” I sat on one of the chairs.
“Yes, the FBI believes it’s a group or an organization. Apparently, you called Jill this morning with a theory of yours and she sent her investigator to check on your theory. Her investigator was murdered; his body was found in his car in front of a well-known drug house. When the police searched his car and body, they found nothing on him or in his car. And what I mean by that is, his weapon was gone, they found no papers, files, identification, insurance on the car, receipts of any kind, and the car handbook was missing as well. These people took every bit of information they could get their hands on in order to better plan how to eliminate the very people that are trying to put them in prison.”
“This is my fault,” I said with dismay.
“Nonsense. Because of you, the FBI is now on the right track. Do not blame yourself, Isabel. No one was prepared or even suspected that the attacker would be so creative.” Pam’s eyes flashed to Josh.
“Creative?” I asked.
“The person that tried to kill Jill followed her into the ladies’ room. The one place Agent Stevens would not accompany her. He was a smaller man, dressed as a woman, so no one suspected anything or paid attention to him. So, yes, my dear, your theory was right on. These people are scared now.
“I don’t understand. How was this man able to get a weapon past the metal detectors?”
Josh sat in the chair next to me and grabbed my hand. “Because it wasn’t metal. The weapon he took in was a stake hidden inside of an EpiPen case. That’s all security saw on the scanner so they didn’t question it. Thankfully, it wasn’t long enough to hit Jill’s heart. It barely missed it.”
“Then how did Stevens get injured if this all happened in the ladies’ room?” I wondered aloud.
“When Stevens heard the screaming from the other women he ran in and surprised the assailant. Jill was already on the floor bleeding. Thinking she was dead, the assailant threw the stake at Stevens and stabbed him in the shoulder. Stevens got one shot in and hit him in his right hand. When the assailant yelled in pain, that’s when Stevens knew he was a male. Several bailiffs ran in and apprehended the man. He’s in FBI custody now,” Josh finished, squeezing my hand.
“That doesn’t mean the danger is over for you, Isabel,” Pam added. “That’s why Special Agent Allison Stems is here.”
“Is she taking Josh’s place?” I didn’t like the thought of that, surprising myself.
“No, dear, Josh has adamantly requested to stay on this case with you. Agent Stems is here to accompany you to places Josh cannot.”
I chuckled at the thought, “Pam, this is silly. I can take care of myself. I don’t need two babysitters.”
“After today’s incident at the courthouse and knowing how deceptive these people can be, it’s best we take every precaution. Also, it was Tim Conny’s, the SAC, decision. He called me moments before you arrived to inform me of everything that transpired.” Pam wasn’t giving me a choice.
I thought for a minute. This was ridiculous; I could take care of myself. How could I make everyone understand I don’t need two babysitters? How could I make them see this wasn’t a good idea?
“I think this is a terrible idea,” I stated. “Agent Stems’ presence will just attract more attention to me, hence compelling the Triads to be more creative in their thinking and possibly injuring civilians. This morning at the courthouse was a good case in point, don’t you agree? I think the façade I have going with Josh is the best solution. Everyone thinks he’s my boyfriend, that’s why he’s always around, because we can’t get enough of each other. If the Triads try to get to me, I’m sure they’ll think it’ll be very easy to get through a clueless boyfriend. Moreover, Josh and everyone else could probably see them coming, especially now that everyone knows what to look for.” I looked around the room, hoping that was convincing enough. Pam looked at everyone. Davis was nodding in agreement with me; Josh and Agent Stems were stone-faced. I couldn’t begin to speculate what they were thinking.
“Very well,” Pam said, standing up. “Let me call the director and if he agrees then we’ll do it your way, Isabel.”
I exhaled, not knowing I had been holding my breath. I remembered the figure that I saw last night when I was in my basement. Whoever that was—could they be connected to this? It was a little odd to see someone out that late and just standing there, staring at me. Stems made her way toward the windows to look at everything outside. My stomach was in knots; I didn’t think I could keep anything down if I ate. I plopped down at my desk, feeling drained. I drank almost all of my root beer and felt a little better.
Josh pulled up a chair next to mine. “Hey, why don’t we share your food? I haven’t eaten all day either.” I think he noticed I wasn’t doing so well and was trying to get me to eat. I smiled and said okay. I ate only half the burger and a few fries. Josh inhaled the rest.
“How did I get everyone into this mess?” My voice was a whisper.
“Hey, don’t do that. This isn’t your fault. There are just some bad people out there and you’re just good at your job,” Josh answered, holding both my hands in my lap. “Isabel, you’re the only one that figured out this was the Chinese Triads and a sex trafficking operation. The FBI didn’t have a clue until this morning when you asked Jill to send her investigator. And yes, sadly, he was murdered but he knew the risks in his line of work.” I looked up into his compassion-filled eyes and placed my hand on his warm cheek. He held it there with his hand and turned slightly to kiss my palm.
“I know it’s not my fault, Josh, but it sure feels like it is. I should’ve come to you with my suspicions and you could’ve informed Stevens and the FBI Director and maybe there would be a different outcome right now for Jill, Stevens and the investigator. This is the consequence of my stupid, preventable mistakes and I am so sorry for that.”
Pam came back in, frowning. Was she concerned or irritated? I couldn’t tell.
“It’s all settled,” she said. “Conny agrees with the idea. We will leave things as is. Isabel and Agent Rockwall will continue with their pseudo relationship and Conny will inform you all of your role in this.” Pam turned on her heels and uttered an oath beneath her breath as she headed back to her office.
7
I didn’t know how to feel or react. I suspected Pa
m’s conversation with Conny didn’t go as she planned and she was clearly bothered by it. I decided to look out the windows and try to clear my mind. I stood there admiring the soaring vista that was Chicago’s skyline, thinking about Jill and contemplating if the surgery went well. It was only early afternoon and so much had happened. Life this high up felt so peaceful. Unreal. An illusion afloat from the ground and away from the realities of what was down there—safe from any assassins or sex predators. I shuddered to think what Jill must have gone through when she saw her attacker come at her.
I looked at my watch: still no call from David and today was Friday. Fridays seemed to always be busier in the ER. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Josh was on my computer and the other two agents were gone. I couldn’t seem to clear my head enough to do some work or call a few parents. Anger and frustration began to build up inside me. Oh, this was impossible! How dare these fucking criminals make me feel so vulnerable! Not in my hospital! I threw my hands in the air and headed for the ER in a huff. I didn’t bother with Josh or the idea of being protected. I was pretty damn good at handling things myself. I heard Josh calling but I didn’t stop. If he wanted to know where I was headed, he’d just have to catch up to me.
He managed to catch me at the elevators, and grasped me by the elbow. “Hey, come on now, we’re on the same team! How can we be an effective team if one of us won’t communicate?”
“Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry,” I said embarrassed. “I just can’t stand how these bad guys are making me feel like a victim.”
“Isabel, I don’t like it either but no matter how angry or frustrated you get, please communicate with me. If anything ever happened to you I…I…” He was at a loss for words, raking both hands through his hair.