Chapter 22
Feeling as if she’d been stood up for the prom, Athena returned to her office with Detective Bach in tow, acting as though she were the queen of the ball. “Not as helpful as I’d have liked, but progress, at least.” She frowned at Agents Ice and Hernandez’s empty desks. “Where’d they go?”
“To track down and bring in Whitmore’s security guard, Tyrell Jensen, with the parking ticket,” Howard answered.
“Good. Now listen.” She swept a serious gaze around her team.
“It’s almost six o’clock, and this weather front will arrive soon.
If you have any way to get to the office tomorrow, go home.
If you want to stay over and didn’t bring an overnight bag, go get one.
Plan for food too. I doubt there’ll be takeout tomorrow, and the deli across the street is sure to be closed.
I don’t live far, so I’ll be staying late.
Agent Ice offered to give me a lift in the morning if I can’t get my car out of the parking garage. ”
“I have a four-wheel drive too,” Bach said, and glanced at Shoops. Athena really wanted to roll her eyes. Did that man hit on anyone who breathed? Still, his vehicle would come in handy if they needed to take another drive out to Redstone Ranch. Her nose crinkled subconsciously at the thought.
“Maybe you could pick me up in the morning?” Karen asked hopefully. “I have a little Volkswagen.”
“Sure, no problem,” he smiled.
“I planned to stay here overnight,” Paulson said. “My wife packed me a bag and a lunch, but I’d like to order dinner before places start closing.”
“Who else is staying?” Athena asked.
“My clan is gathering at Gran’s place,” Campbell said. “They’re expecting me, but I’m sure I’ll make it back in tomorrow.”
Howard said, “I have quite a commute, so if I could run home and gather some stuff, I’ll come back and sleep on the couch to keep Agent Paulson company.”
“OK. Paulson, order food. The rest of you, go batten down the hatches. If Ice and Hernandez find Jensen, I’ll have him held overnight, and we can grill him in the morning.”
Tension and relief mingled in the room as agents got up to leave. Athena approached Paulson’s station.
“That was a painstakingly long interview,” he commented.
“Tell me about it,” Athena muttered. “Did you find anything else?”
“Bits and pieces, but not enough to tell a story,” he said.
“Are you going to bunk in the crib?”
“Yeah, eventually.”
“And will your wife be alright by herself in the storm?” Athena’s expression softened as her gaze met the older agent’s.
“Our son is coming to stay over with her,” he said with a confident smile. “We have a wood-burning fireplace and lots of logs.”
Athena nodded, satisfied he had everything in hand.
After enjoying a meal with Paulson and poring over the case files again, Athena headed out.
An icy wind bit through her light blazer, but no precipitation yet.
The weather report called for it to hit in earnest around midnight.
Her apartment was so unwelcoming that she wished she’d stayed at the FBI building.
Not Flash’s loft. She thought about the texture of the brick wall, the warmth of Flash’s bed, Snuffles curling up by her feet after tongue-washing her face.
It’s too far to drive over there this late, she thought, and Flash is on call. It would be embarrassing to call Travis to come rescue me if my car got stuck in a snowdrift.
Seeing the emojis ?? ?? in her text conversation with Flash made her smile. She called, and they talked for almost an hour until Athena started falling asleep.
“I wish I could hold you tonight,” she said dreamily.
“Me too, sweetie.” Flash sounded like she was about to drift off as well. “There’s nothing I like better than you in my arms … except maybe you naked in my arms.”
Her words and drowsily flirtatious tone made Athena laugh, but she quickly turned serious. “You be extra careful tomorrow. Downed power lines, people acting crazy, ice to slip on.”
“I know,” Flash assured her. “I will. And you wear sensible shoes and warm clothes to work. There’s a chance you won’t be sitting behind your desk all day.”
“Don’t worry. Already planning to.”
“OK, here it is,” Flash said with a yawn. “I used to be a ballerina.”
Athena let out a rolling belly laugh, sure she’d just dreamed what she thought Flash had said.
“No, really. My mother enrolled me in dance class when I was six. She thought it might cure me of being a tomboy. I suffered through ballet classes for two years before she gave up. I remember hating to go, not just because of the frilly tutu, but because I sucked at it. My legs were too long, I could never touch my toes, and do you remember Disney’s Fantasia?
” Flash’s voice filled with humor. Athena could picture her face, her sparkling eyes, her wonder-driven smile.
“Yes, I remember Fantasia. Surprised you do.”
“Really, Athena? It’s a musical.”
Athena knew Flash’s mother played musicals for her kids to watch all the time, and Flash really loved them. But it was old.
“Anyway,” Flash continued, “you remember the dancing hippos? Picture that as dancing giraffes. Oh, or Bambi when he was slipping all over the frozen pond. That was me at ballet.”
“I love you, silly woman,” Athena said between snickers.
“My turn. Mother sent me to ballroom dancing classes when I was in grades 7 and 8 so I would be ready for my freshman cotillion. She wanted me to be the belle of the ball, and of course I wanted to please her, to make her proud of me. I was good. No dancing hippos or giraffes. But secretly, I wanted to play baseball. I saw the movie League of Their Own and was so inspired. I wanted to be just like Dot. Can you imagine me, a baseball player?”
A laugh that might have sounded a little drunk spilled out, though Athena had only had one glass of wine.
It felt warm in her tummy as she lay in her bed alone, connected to the woman she loved by a radio frequency she didn’t fully understand.
But it wasn’t the cell phone that connected them, not really.
It was a frequency she felt in her heart, one she understood much better.
“Ballroom dancer, baseball player, why can’t they both be you?
” Flash asked. “You’ve got Dot’s fire, alright, even if you never hit a ball over the fence.
Like her, you’ve made your mark in a male-dominated field.
You are a phenomenal woman, and I’ll bet you never took a bribe, like … Sorry, I’m feeling my beers.”
“Go to sleep, darling,” Athena bade her. “Dream of us dancing and making love.”
Wednesday, February 11
Athena shivered, pulling her quilt tighter. Her eyes blinked open to a pale light filtering through her window. Looking over at her alarm clock, she found it dark. “Shoot! What time is it?”
Throwing the covers back, Athena bolted out of bed, met by a shock of cold air. Grabbing for her phone, she found it on the nightstand at half charge. The time read 7:36. She called Travis. “Agent Ice, have you left for work yet?”
She hated asking for anything and almost never did.
Athena took pride in her self-reliance. She’d always thought asking for help was a sign of weakness she couldn’t afford.
But these were extreme circumstances, and Travis had offered.
She pulled the blind string and peered out.
Fresh snow still drifted down, untouched by footprints or tire tracks.
Heavy icicles hung from every wire, eave, and tree branch.
It looked like a scene in a painting or movie.
“Getting ready to,” he answered. “Want me to drop by and pick you up?”
“Yeah, thanks. The power went out in my building. It’ll take me a few minutes.”
“Then I’ll bring you coffee and a cream cheese bagel, right?”
The guy was a lifesaver. “Thank you. Light cream and sugar, please.”
“You’ve got it. Watch for me to pull up out front,” Travis said. “You can’t miss my Jeep.”
Taking a flashlight from her nightstand drawer, Athena pulled on a robe and shuffled into the bathroom, flicking the inactive switch out of habit.
She groaned, then turned on the water. It sputtered, emitted a feeble trickle, slowed to a drop, and then the sound of air whistled through the pipes.
“Great,” she moaned and reached for the bottle of mouthwash.
“Can’t even wash my face or brush my teeth. ”
Next, she fumbled her way to her closet and selected a pantsuit and low-heeled boots.
She slipped on her overcoat before leaving the apartment.
The elevator won’t work, she reminded herself.
At least I’m not on the very top floor. She wondered if Flash’s loft still had power.
The FBI building had a redundancy of generators, and for a moment she envied John in the crib and Agent Howard on the couch, both warm and comfortable. Flash’s bed would be better.
Shaking off the discomfort and inconvenience, Athena turned her thoughts to the case as she descended flight after flight of stairs.
First up was Whitmore’s security agent. If he didn’t pan out, she needed to decide what to do next.
Drive back out to Redstone Ranch? The roads would probably be closed.
She wondered if the billionaire had awakened cold and in the dark.
Either way, the winter storm would bring unpredictable challenges to the day.
Chapter 23
Snuffles took a curious step onto the strange surface coating the familiar sidewalk outside her building.
It was cold and hard beneath her paws. Even though Mommy had bundled her in warm cloth, shoving her front feet through the holes, she still shivered in the biting wind.
White flakes landed on her nose and head.
She sneezed and shook them off, but more drifted down.
She licked the odd white stuff. Cold! It vanished on her tongue.
“Hurry up, Snuffles,” Mommy instructed. “Do your business.”