1101 A.M. — Thursday, September 13
PETRA
Petra waited until eleven a.m. to take her coffee break, sliding her secret phone into the pocket of her black dress slacks. She hurried out of the building, then stood in the courtyard where the smokers took their breaks, so she could check for any missed calls or messages. Nothing.
She typed a quick text to Luka:
So far, I’ve only managed to get a glimpse of a preliminary coroner’s report. It showed the cause of death as pending, which isn’t very helpful, I know. The Director is being super secretive. Keeping his door closed all morning.
She waited in the hot autumn air for ten minutes for an answer from him, but nothing came in.
Finally, she went back inside, her skin hot and sweaty, which caused her to feel irrationally annoyed with Luka.
She had expected it to be a two-way street.
She had promised to make herself available at all times, and she thought he’d be doing the same. Apparently not.
But by the time she got to her desk, she was already starting to feel a little sheepish at her internal reaction. He was probably interviewing a witness or befriending a cop who would help him out. God, what if the cop was a pretty young woman?
The Director was at his desk, but his door was open now. Good. That would make things easier for her.
As soon as she sat down, her office phone rang, startling her. The words U.S. Embassy appeared on the screen.
Petra put on her most professional voice as she answered the phone, but she barely got through saying it was the Director of Policing’s office when a man on the other end of the line cut her off. “Put me through to The Director.”
“I’ll see if he’s available. May I ask who’s calling?”
“No, you may not. Get him now.”
Rude! Very rude. Petra was not about to reward that type of behavior. “The Director is a very busy man. I can’t put just anyone through to him.”
The Director appeared in the doorway, his normally passive expression replaced by irritation. “Is it the US Embassy?”
She nodded, her face heating up under her cold skin.
“Put the call through.”