“JaceLancaster?”Thevoice ofMs.Hinshawfrom the front desk sounds over the loudspeaker for all of us to hear. “Awoman is here to see you.”
Igrab my suit coat from the back of my chair and put it on, buttoning it and smoothing the lapels asItake a slow, deep breath to dissipate the adrenaline and slow my heart rate.ThenIhead to the short hall at the back of the room leading to the front lobby door that is so rarely used that most of us forget it’s even there.
Assoon asIopen the door,IspotMackenziesitting on a chair in the lobby, looking intimidated by the space, which, honestly, was by design.Ismile big.Notjust to make her feel more comfortable, but becauseI’mgenuinely happy to see her in the middle of such an intense and stressful day. “Mackenzie.Ican’t even tell you how good it is to see you today.Andso unexpected.”
“Iget off earlier onThursdays, and well,Iwas thinking about you, soIthoughtI’dpop in and say hello.”
Igesture to the general area behind me. “Wouldyou like to come in?”
She’sholding a box in one hand, butItake her other hand and lead her back toward the doorIcame in through.Ms.Hinshawhas the sour look on her face that she’s supposed to be wearing, but as we pass,Mackenzieisn’t looking in her direction, so she gives me a wink that tells me she’s been craving a little excitement at the front desk.
IleadMackenziethrough the equipment in the hall just beyond the doorway thatI’msure looks like it’s a metal detector toMackenziebut really is a device that scans for weapons, chemical agents, listening devices, trackers, and any other electrical, chemical, or otherwise dangerous substances.Mackenzielooks up at it as we walk through and says, “Wow.Idid not expect there to be such intense security here.”
“Itold you we do cyber security, right?”
“Yes, but for other businesses.”
“Wehost a lot of other companies’ sensitive servers here, and they have to stay secure.”
Weround the end of the hall to the main area, andMackenzie’seyes widen. “Thereare more people here thanIthought, too.Alotmore.”
Iglance around.Thereare maybe thirty people on the floor right now, but quite often, that number is closer to forty.Andthat’s just here in fieldwork.Ifyou count the people in the back half of the building or in any of the five sub-levels, it’s many times that number.Inever really thought of it as being a lot.Especiallywhen comparing it to otherU.S. intelligence agencies like theCIAorNSA.
Ofcourse,Inever think of this place as our cover business, either.
Ilead her toward the middle of the area and say, “Thisis my desk.”Ifigure it’s best to start off with the easiest thing.ThenImotion to the next desk, whereCharlieis grinning from ear to ear on the surface but anxious just beneath.Iknow she’s feeling the conflict between getting to meet someone she’s been tracking for the past several days and havingMackenziesee an area never meant for visitors. “Andthis is my sister,Charlotte.”
Charliethrusts out a hand and shakesMackenzie’sa little too enthusiastically. “CallmeCharlie.It’sso nice to meet you!Youare every bit as beautiful asJacesaid you are.Ifigured he was exaggerating, but he wasn’t.Idon’t know if you know this, but you are very pretty.”
Mackenzie’scheeks pink, andIcan tell by her smile that she’s flattered, even ifCharliecan be a little… much sometimes.
Ispot a black portfolio with theCSAlogo sitting on a table along the wall.Imake eye contact withLedger, who is closest to it, and then look at the portfolio.Hesubtly sidles up to it and flips it to the other side.Thankfully,Mackenziedoesn’t notice.
ThenIlead her toward the front, where my mom is waiting patiently in the spot where she normally briefs us on missions. “Andthis is ourCEOand my mother,Evelyn.”
“Lovelyto meet you,” my mom says as she reaches out and doesn’t exactly shakeMackenzie’shand— she sandwichesMackenzie’shand gently between hers in a moveI’veseen her do hundreds of times when she wants someone to either feel more comfortable or to drop their guard.It’sas effective at a parent-teacher conference or in welcoming new neighbors as it is when meeting a diplomat at a foreign embassy or trying to get information from a scientist working for a rogue dictator.
Mymother is an expert at making people see her as a gracious host and not at all suspect that she once dismantled a covert surveillance system using a wristwatch and a ballpoint pen while hanging from a curtain in a top-floor boardroom of a prestigious bank inMorocco.
“It’slovely to meet you, too,”Mackenziesays. “Thisis such a beautiful building.”
“Thankyou.It’ssuch a surprise to see you here.Jacedidn’t tell me you were coming today.”
“Oh,Ijust thoughtIwould stop by and surprise him with these.”Shelooks down at the box like she forgot she is holding it and hands it to me. “There’sa dozen éclairs in there if you’d like to share.Ikind of didn’t picture this many people working here.”
Sheglances around the room again, not seeming entirely comfortable.Probablybecause all thirty people are mostly watching her since they can’t do any work right now.Butthey are moving around a bit and writing things in their notebooks and trying to pretend that they’re doing something.
Ithank her and put the box on my desk.
Ledgeris one of the ones moving, and he passes near us on his way to his desk.Mackenziecocks her head and says, “Youlook familiar.Havewe met before?”
Ledger’seyes widen just a fraction— not enough that anyone who hasn’t taken theCSA’sAdvancedBodyLanguageAnalysiscourse would notice. “Nope,I’msure we haven’t.”Hehurries to skirt away to his desk.
Ismile and think,Thatdisguise you wore when you stole her purse wasn’t as good as you thought it was, was it?
Icontinue my tour soMackenzieisn’t focusing too much onLedger. “Thisis the desk of my brother,Miles.He’son site today at one of our client’s businesses.Andthis isEmerson, my brother just older than me.Emerson, this isMackenzie.”
Emersonhas somehow found a way to continue working, based on how focused he seems on whatever he is writing.Buthe does manage to look up, wave, and say, “Hi.It’sso nice to meet you in person.”