Alex And Cassidy: Betrayal Part 14

"What was that?" Alex inquired.

"Corsica."

Alex picked up a file from the desk beside her and opened it. "You think Tate is involved with the French?" She pulled out a paper and studied it.

"Who knows? Fallon couldn't tell what it was. He was pretty certain that Corsica was written on it several times. That's all he saw, other than a few other minor words he could discern from that distance."

"Nothing is minor," Alex cautioned.

Michael Taylor laughed. He had forgotten Alex Toles' propensity for searching what seemed to others to be minor details. "See something in the word 'and'?" he joked.

Alex remained focused on the paper in her hands, her eyes scanning slowly across the doc.u.ment. Without lifting her sight she answered, "Yes, actually I do."

"See something?" he asked her to clarify her statement.

"Have Fallon call me when he is done with his surveillance of the a.s.sistant director."

"Toles?"

Alex placed the doc.u.ment in her hands back in the file and stood. "This had better not be some joke about little green men," she warned.

The NSA director shook his head. "What? I thought Mulder was your hero?" he joked.

"Uh-huh. For the record, I'm more inclined toward his partner."

"Really?" Taylor chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Alex, whatever is there; you have to get in first."

"I'll get in," she said a.s.suredly.

"I don't have to remind you that we don't have John to..."

"No. You don't."

Taylor grew pensive. "I don't have authority to get you that clearance. Technically, you are not military personnel. What are you going to do?"

Alex smiled and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's better if you don't know, Taylor."

"Plausible deniability?" he asked kiddingly.

"For all of us," she answered seriously.

"Alex, he did say," Taylor stopped himself.

"What did this informant say?"

"Be careful. He said to be careful."

"Well, I feel so much better knowing he cares," Alex remarked sarcastically. "I've got some things to do before tomorrow. If Fallon..."

"I'll make sure you are the first to know."

Alex nodded. "Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"The ands; they mean there are many. Even if John was at the head of the trail, there are a lot of forks in the road. Watch Brackett."

"Which one?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "Watch everyone."

"Alex."

"Jane. How are you?"

"I was surprised to get your call so soon. Is everything all right? Ca.s.sidy? Dylan?"

Alex smiled, accepting a seat on a large sofa. "They're fine. Other than a split lip."

"Good Lord, teaching Ca.s.sidy hand to hand are you?" The woman laughed.

The agent offered a broad smile. "Not Ca.s.sidy; Dylan. But that might not be a bad idea."

"Alex, you didn't fly here for a brief afternoon chat. What is going on?"

"I don't know."

"I see," the former first lady responded. "Well, what do you know?"

"Jane, John wanted to tell me something. Something about Iraq."

The older woman across from the agent nodded. "That's not all, though, is it?"

"I honestly don't know," Alex said. Jane Merrow stood and walked across the room. Alex watched her as she moved. She was graceful and poised even in the midst of difficult situations. She had seen Ca.s.sidy take on that persona as well. It was a skill, not unlike Alex's mastery of language. The agent had a proclivity for observation and memorization. Jane Merrow, much like Ca.s.sidy O'Brien, had a natural ability to relate to people. It enabled them to command any audience in a manner that to most seemed effortless. Alex admired both women. It was her job to observe and to dig beyond the surface and Alex was adept at peeling back the layers. As graceful as Jane Merrow appeared, Alex could see the anxiety pouring off her friend in waves, much like those that rise off pavement on a summer day. "Jane?"

Jane turned and looked at her friend. "Alex, we both know presidents don't get randomly shot." Alex felt her jaw tighten. The frank admission of the woman before her surprised her. "What is it that you need from me?" Jane asked.

"I need clearance."

Jane Merrow covered her mouth and considered the agent's statement. "Military, I a.s.sume?"

Alex nodded. "I can't tell you much more than that. I..."

Jane held up her hand. "I don't want to know, Alex. I don't need to know the details."

"I wouldn't ask if," Alex began.

"I know that."

"Can you..."

The former first lady smiled. "I still have my connections, Alex."

"I know it's..."

Jane shook her head. "Where?" The agent sighed. "Alex, I have to know where."

"New Mexico."

"Holloman?" Alex nodded. Jane understood. "I a.s.sumed it would be an Air Force installation if you were coming to me."

"Jane, if I thought there was another way..."

"Just tell me this; do you think you can find out? Why they killed him, I mean?"

Alex looked at her friend and pursed her lips. "Do you really want that answer?" The former first lady nodded. "Then, yes," Alex said. "I have to know."

"You're worried about Ca.s.sidy and Dylan, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Alex, I would never..."

"You and I both know there is no such thing as a perfect secret," Alex said.

"He's gone, Alex. Do you really think Dylan could be..."

The agent slowly began to rise from her seat. She paced across the room, considering her next words carefully. "O'Brien is in this, Jane. That's bad enough on its own. If he ever were to..."

"Alex, you don't think Christopher O'Brien would use his son as leverage?"

The agent let out her breath and turned to face her friend. "Yes, I do. If he knew Dylan was John's; I think he would use either of them."

Jane Merrow covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "When do you need it?"

"Yesterday," Alex chuckled slightly.

Jane nodded and headed toward the large wooden doors at the far end of the room. "I'll make the call. Alex?" The agent looked at Jane who now had her hand on the large bra.s.s doork.n.o.b. "No matter what you find," Alex listened intently, "he loved you. He loved his family." She opened the door and turned back, "Dylan too. Don't forget that."

Alex forced a crooked smile. She held her breath until Jane had left the room and released it as she closed her eyes. She did not want to come here, but Jane Merrow was someone she trusted, at least as much as she trusted anyone these days. The former first lady had the one connection that Alex knew would provide anything without explanation. It was her only choice and she would use it to her advantage. "Colonel, what the h.e.l.l are you leading me to?"

Tuesday, April 22nd.

Alex walked with Ca.s.sidy to the bus stop and looked down at the small eyes gazing up into hers. "I'll see you in a few days, Speed." Dylan swung his arms around Alex's neck tightly. "Whoa," Alex said. "I won't be gone that long, I promise." Dylan pulled back and looked at the agent with great apprehension. Alex caught his eyes as they wandered in concern to his mother and she mentally slapped herself for missing the obvious signs of his fear. Dylan had been quiet the last two days. She and Ca.s.sidy dismissed it as nerves about the new school, but it was clear to the agent now what was bothering him. No matter how brave Dylan tried to be; he was afraid. The agent knelt down and put her hands firmly on the boy's small shoulders. "Dylan, no one is going to hurt your mom. I promise."

He looked at her and Ca.s.sidy caught her breath at the sudden realization of what was disturbing her son. The last time Alex left, Carl Fisher had arrived. They had tried to s.h.i.+eld Dylan from as much of that reality as possible. Dylan was very perceptive and extremely attentive. He might not have known all of the details, but he was aware that someone had hurt his mother, and he certainly understood that it had happened as soon as the agent had set off on her last "working" trip. Ca.s.sidy understood his anxiety. She would never have admitted it to Alex, but she had been experiencing a deep sense of foreboding ever since the agent announced her latest travel plans. She smiled over the agent's shoulder at a pair of small eyes. "It's okay, Dylan. I will be here when you get off the bus. I promise," Ca.s.sidy attempted to rea.s.sure her son.

Alex took a deep breath and squinted at the boy. She too had fought to reconcile the need to leave. Images of Christopher O'Brien at her door had awakened her in the middle of the night. But, they could not allow Carl Fisher to control their lives forever. She understood that too. Still, she had thought to make some arrangements, if only to put her own mind at ease. "Would you feel better knowing that Grandma will be here this afternoon?" Alex asked. Dylan nodded and Alex felt Ca.s.sidy's eyes on her. "Good." She watched Ca.s.sidy kiss Dylan on the cheek as the bus pulled up.

"Promise?" he asked his mother.

Ca.s.sidy smiled. "Promise." She waved and turned to witness the concern in Alex's eyes as the agent gave Dylan a thumbs up. "Grandma?" Ca.s.sidy asked.

Alex shrugged. "Just humor me."

"Worried about me?"

Alex put her arm around the teacher's waist as they made their way back toward the house. "I'll just feel better knowing Rose is here."

Ca.s.sidy sighed as they finally reached their door. "You really can't tell me?" The agent shook her head. "Promise me you will be careful." Ca.s.sidy knew Alex as well as anyone ever had. There was little doubt in her mind that wherever her lover was headed; there were risks.

"Ca.s.s, I will be back."

Ca.s.sidy nodded as the agent grabbed the bag behind the door. "I know this is just something," the teacher's words were cut off by a gentle kiss. She placed her hands on the agent's face and looked into Alex's steel blue eyes. "I'll never get used to this."

"Neither will I," Alex confessed.

"I love you, Alex."

"Mm....tacos."

"What?" Ca.s.sidy asked.

"If you love me, you'll make tacos when I get back."

"Is that right?" Ca.s.sidy raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Ca.s.sidy was ready to quip back at the agent when she felt a pit in her stomach rise into her throat. "Just come home. You can have tacos every night if you want."

Alex smiled and kissed the smaller woman again. "I'll call you as soon as I can. I love you, Ca.s.sidy. You know that?"

"I do."

The agent let her lips linger on Ca.s.sidy's forehead. She made her way to the car, threw her bag in the trunk and looked over at her lover. "You might want to practice your shots. I moved the pool table but, uh...I think it might be slightly off center still. Might need to be adjusted when I get back."

Ca.s.sidy bit her lip to stifle a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind." Alex winked and stepped into the car. She backed out and stopped one last time to glimpse the woman she loved. "Just come home, Alex," Ca.s.sidy whispered to herself. "Please."

Brian Fallon jimmied the lock pick in the door and looked cautiously to each side. "Time to find out what you are up to Tate." He quietly closed the office door and made his way behind the desk. With the a.s.sistant FBI director away and Claire Brackett markedly absent from the office, this was his opportunity to dig a little deeper into the pair's meeting. He hoped that the a.s.sistant director might just be bold enough to leave something in his office. After all, he was at the top of the heap in the bureau. Joshua Tate had little reason to fear an internal investigation. Fallon was certain that no one suspected he was working for the NSA. He was fully aware that his una.s.suming presence and his amiable nature was often mistaken as weakness, or even a lack of intellect. That had proven to be advantageous more than once. He silently wondered if anyone realized what truly lay underneath the surface. "And what do we have here?" The agent lifted a paper and shook his head as his eyes scanned it. He retrieved his cell phone and promptly snapped several pictures. "Who is playing who here, Claire?" he smiled. "Oh, Alex, wait until you get this."

"Claire Brackett is up to something."

"You think she'd cross her father?"