“I haven’t heard you use the phrase ‘my spy-dey senses are tingling’ for a long time. I’d forgotten about it.”
“You know, we should use it more often. Make it part of CSA lingo.”
“I don’t think you’ll get Jace to agree to being called a spy. Probably not Ledger or Miles, either.”
“I don’t know. Since Mackenzie stepped into Jace’s life, I think we have a chance. But if not, maybe it can just be for analysts and officers.”
“Agreed. It should be a thing.” Emerson looks down at his handwritten notes on his tablet, which don’t contain a whole lot. “Anything else you can add?”
“Yes. I got the sense that he was sketchy right away, so I asked lots of questions. Luckily, Owen just interpreted it as me being interested in his investor. I think the investor bought it for friendliness, too.
“Okay, so first off, he didn’t come with an entourage or even an assistant. He’s got enough money to bankroll an entire restoration project in another country, and he doesn’t even travel with anyone? A bodyguard, even. It just seems like he’s the kind of person who would.”
I don’t even wait for Emerson to respond because he wasn’t there—he didn’t catch the vibes, and I know that part is very thin evidence. “He asked Owen a lot of questions about his timeline for repairing different sections, and he wanted to see every part of the place, even hidey holes. And he never put his hands in his pockets.”
“That’s not just a spy thing.”
“It’s not. It’s also a bad guy thingas a way to throw suspicion off them or to show you that they aren’t armed.
“Oh, and he showed me a picture of his wife, whom he’s restoring the building for, but he hasn’t even told her about it. It was one of those professional photos they take of the cast while they’re on stage, performing. And, yeah, he could’ve shown me that one because he’d just said that she loves the theater, and it would back up that story. But he didn’t show me one with the two of them together. The woman in that picture could’ve been anyone. He could’ve found it online. Maybe it wasn’t his wife.”
Emerson is writing all this down.
“It was his answers to questions, too. Like when I asked if he flew here just for the tour of the theater, he said he had other business in the area. I’m thinking it’s sketchy business. And why did he invest in a building on another continent? Owen thinks it wasn’t to earn back his investment—that it was simply a donation to the community. But why would he care about a community that’s four thousand five hundred miles from home instead of his own community?”
Emerson is still writing, and I wait quietly as he does. When he finishes, he looks at the notes for a long moment, and then he meets my eyes. “Your job is to find danger lurking in dark corners. Are you sure you’re not just seeing danger where there isn’t any?”
“As I was lying in bed last night, I asked myselfthat same question so many times. I could easily convince myself that I was. And I could just as easily convince myself that I wasn’t. But here’s the thing. I’mtrainedto sense what things are off. And I’ve had enough experience watching for danger through video when Jace is on missions to know I can trust my gut. I really,reallyhope that I am seeing danger where there isn’t any. I’ll gladly accept being wrong! I will cheer. Heck, I will throw a party. Until then, I’ve got to go with my gut.”
Emerson nods. “That’s good enough for me. I’ll look into it.” He pauses a moment, then asks, “How much time do you have until your next meeting?”
I glance at my watch. “Four minutes. And it’s in Sub-level One.”
“That gives us about two minutes.” Emerson leans back in his chair. “So, have you asked Owen to be your date for the wedding yet?”
“No.”
“Why not? You clearly really like the guy.”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t know. Because I’m scared.” It isn’t the reason I would tell any of my other brothers, but with Emerson, I know I can always get real.
“Of what?”
“Of… starting something, I guess. I don’t know if things with him will even work. Or if I can even do a long-term relationship. And if I startsomething and it’s anything other than a long-term thing, I’m afraid of just how awkward things are going to get, since he’s my next-door neighbor. He moves for every restoration job, too. And my job isn’t the kind where I can just move away.
“Plus, asking someone to a wedding and introducing them to the entire family at once is kind of a big step, you know? And I’m a little step girl. What about you? Have you asked…” I search my brain to think of the woman’s name that Emerson mentioned maybe once. “Kara?”
“Kira. And no—it turns out that we weren’t a very good match. There’s a woman, though, Delaney, whom I’m thinking about asking. I’m just not going to let it be a big step.”
I grin. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“And I can’t wait to meet the guy who was willing to take on Miles with nothing more than a juice-less drill.”
I smile. “Isn’t he just the sweetest?” I look down at my watch. “Okay, I’ve really got to go. Thanks for being willing to look into Giovanni, Emerson. If I think of anything that might help, I’ll let you know.”
When I get to the door, Emerson says, “Charlie? For what it’s worth, I’ve always thought of you as a Big Steps girl.”
I smile, then head down to my meeting with Abraham.
