She's an Easy Target, page 2
part #2 of Quinton Target Series
“You didn’t check around her apartment first?”
“There wasn’t much to see. It’s sparsely furnished.” Lieutenant Mad gave him a questioning look, expecting him to say more. “... OK, I might have opened her dresser drawers and looked inside, but all I found were her clothes. And, there was nothing noteworthy in her medicine cabinet.”
“Were there any hidden cameras? Maybe she recorded your sexual activities to upload to a porn site or blackmail you.”
“Very funny. No, there weren’t any cameras. I checked.”
“What about her laptop? Anything interesting on it?”
“I don’t know. She took it with her ... not that I would’ve snooped if she’d left it behind.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t. You’d never do that,” she said sarcastically.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Only that it’s in your genetic makeup to be ultra-curious. Especially when computers are involved.”
“Well, she didn’t leave it behind, and I haven’t tried to hack into it at any other time.”
“Have you slept together since your encounter last week?”
“That’s a rather personal question, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, friends sometimes ask personal questions.”
“No, but we kiss hello and goodbye.”
“Sounds like a passionate affair.”
“I’m waiting for the right time to make my move again. Maybe, tonight will be the night.”
“With the three of us together? If you’re thinking a threesome is going to happen, put that out of your mind.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Lighten up, Dr. Bit, I was joking. You know I like to jerk your chain.”
He smiled and said, “I know you do. I’m a little nervous. I want the two of you to hit it off.”
“Getting back to your night of sexual bliss, that you don’t remember, wasn’t it odd that she had to go into work that early on a Saturday? Where did she say she works?”
“She told me she’s a government bureaucrat.”
“Didn’t that raise a red flag with you?”
“No, she mentioned something about the Social Security Office. She doesn’t like to talk about her job.”
“I know you, Dr. Bit. There’s no way you left it at that. There isn’t a government database you can’t hack into. What did you find out when you did a background check on her?”
“Nothing incriminating. She’s on the Social Security employee database, so she wasn’t lying about where she works.”
“It’s not beyond the spooks to set up phony employment records.”
“Her finances are what you’d expect for a government worker and her personal information was in line with what she’d told me.”
“What about her social media accounts?”
“She doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. She says they discourage people from interacting in person. However, she does have a Gmail account and a mobile phone, which has texting capability. I searched both of those accounts and found nothing suspicious. In fact, most of her personal emails and texts were with me.”
“It’s a little unusual she’s not on social media.”
“You’re not on social media.”
“That’s because I am unusual. Did she ask you about your job?”
“Yes, I told her I was an independent IT consultant.”
“Have you taken her to your house and shown her around?”
“Yes.”
“The entire house?”
“Not your room, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“What about the basement?”
“... Yes, I showed her the basement. But I didn’t give her the access code to my house security or home network.”
“Did she seem excessively interested in your equipment?”
“Like I told you, I woke up in my tighty-whities at her house and she was gone. It’s possible she checked out my equipment while I was asleep, and she was impressed by what she saw but she didn’t mention it to me.”
Lieutenant Mad smiled and hit him in the arm. “Was she impressed by the computer equipment in your basement — not the equipment in your big boy pants?”
“She was very impressed by the network and servers I have installed in the basement. She told me I’m wasting my time with small IT consulting jobs. She said I could get an elite position with one of the high-tech companies that provide IT contractors to the government.”
“So, she tried to recruit you?”
“No, we were just talking. She didn’t offer me a job.”
“You do realize that the CIA and other intelligence agencies use women as bait to gain the trust of men they want to recruit as assets and then at the right moment, reel them in.”
“You’re being paranoid like you always are. You think because you have no romantic interest in me, no other woman could.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Other than a fling with that FBI friend of yours, Quinton Target, your love life hasn’t been any more active than mine.” He paused for a moment with a look on his face that people get when they blurt out something in the heat of the moment and immediately wish they hadn’t. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s OK. You’re right. I’m the last person who should be giving advice on personal relationships. And, I know I’m paranoid when it comes to the government intelligence agencies. Occasionally, I see clandestine activities going on that aren’t really there. But sometimes my suspicions are validated.”
“Well, try to keep an open mind about Chloe.”
“I’m always open-minded.”
“That may be true, but you don’t always have a filter between your brain and your mouth. Sometimes you say what you think without considering the impact.”
“If you’re worried that I’ll embarrass you, why’d you ask me to join you tonight?”
“You’re my friend. I want you to meet Chloe, but I don’t want you to grill her or treat her like an enemy.”
“I’ll do my best to be civil. Why are we meeting so late?”
“Chloe picked the time. Ten isn’t that late for regular people on a Friday night.”
“I’ll go with you to meet her but I’m not staying long.”
“OK, we’ll have a couple of drinks and see how it goes.”
“Where did you say we’re meeting?”
“At Miller’s Downtown.”
“Good, it’s not too far from home in case I decide to leave in a hurry.”
Dr. Bit shook his head. “It’s just like you to create an escape plan in advance of an anticipated threat. Chill out. Chloe isn’t a government agent who’s after you.”
“It never hurts to be prepared.”
Chapter 3
They’d finished their meals without either of them mentioning the laser incident. Blaire took the last swig from her third beer of the evening and said, “Thanks for not talking about work. I needed a timeout, even if it was only for a short while.”
“Not a problem.”
“You must be curious about what happened this evening. I would be if I were in your shoes.”
“I’m concerned more than I’m curious.”
“Don’t be. I can handle the situation.”
“Can you tell me anything about that new boss of yours and what’s going on? I’m not pressuring you; I’m just asking.”
“Since you almost shot him, I suppose you deserve at least a partial explanation. I can’t go into all the details. I’ll share what I can. But if you ask me a question that I don’t feel comfortable answering, I’ll tell you and you need to drop it, OK?”
“I can live with those ground rules.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I thought your supervisor was a woman stationed at the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland.”
“Up until recently that was true. My former boss was promoted. The NSA presence in Charlottesville has grown over the past few years. It was decided when they replaced her that the position would be moved locally.”
“Why didn’t you put in for the job?”
“I did, and my former boss recommended me for the position, but I didn’t get it.”
“Did they tell you why?”
“The official communication to me was that Lucas was more qualified. In particular, he has more headquarters experience than I do.”
“And, the unofficial reason?”
“My former boss told me that there were lingering concerns about my inappropriate relationship with the slain and discredited FBI agent, Jeremy Glover.”
“That’s total bullshit. The NSA assigned you to an interagency taskforce, whose leader instructed you to become intimate with Glover to gather corruption evidence against him. I think we agree that you should have refused to do it, but nevertheless, your superiors must’ve known about it and approved of your actions at the time.”
“I have no idea how broadly it was communicated up the NSA command chain. I had informed my immediate NSA supervisor about it. I don’t really want to rehash that whole situation. What’s done is done. I thought you and I had moved beyond it. Are you still holding it against me?”
“No, of course not. But I think it’s totally unfair they’re penalizing you, since you were following their orders.”
“There isn’t anything I can do about it. I was told I would be considered for future promotional opportunities. I don’t know whether that’s true or I’m permanently on a blacklist.”
“You knew Lucas before he became your boss, didn’t you?”
“What makes you say that?”
“He seemed overly familiar for someone who met you a short time ago.”
“In what way?”
“The way he looked at you and touched you. He acted like he thought you’d react positively to those gestures.”
“He was wrong.”
“I could see that, too,” he said and laughed. “But you didn’t answer my question. Did you know him before he became your boss?”
“Haven’t you been watching the news lately? There are lots of men in positions of power who feel entitled to sexual favors from women who work for them.”
“So, you didn’t know him before this week?”
“... I didn’t say that. We went on one date ... well sort of a date. It was long before you and I met.”
“He doesn’t exactly look like your type.”
She smiled and said, “He isn’t much to look at, is he? Believe it or not, we’re both in our early thirties. We went through NSA training together and had our first assignments in Maryland. After work one night, he asked if I wanted to go for a drink at this bar where a lot of NSA employees hang out. I agreed to meet him there. I thought we’d meet up with some other people we knew. I didn’t really consider it a date, but he did.”
QT wanted to ask if she’d gotten drunk and they’d slept together on that one date but thought better of it. “I see,” he said.
“No, you don’t see. After we’d had one drink, his intentions were obvious. He put his hand on my leg and made suggestive remarks. I told him I wasn’t interested and was leaving. He made a big scene and it ended badly. The next day, he was very apologetic and asked me to go out with him again, so he could make it up to me. I declined. Over the next few months he kept bugging me to go out with him and I kept refusing. When a Cyber Analyst position came open in Charlottesville later that year, I took it.”
“Did you hear from him after you moved here?”
“He sent me a few emails, which I didn’t answer. I assumed he’d given up on me and moved on to harass some other woman.”
“Has he asked you out since becoming your supervisor?”
“No, up until tonight, he’s been less obvious about his intentions. Now that he’s my boss he probably thinks he’s entitled to make sexual advances whenever he wants without asking. Or perhaps he accessed my personnel file and after reading about the incident with Jeremy, thought I’d become any easy conquest. You’d know better than I what a man would think under those circumstances.”
“All men aren’t alike. Every man in power doesn’t conduct himself like Lucas. His behavior is totally unacceptable.”
“I agree, but it’s not always easy for a woman to stop the harassment without destroying her career.”
“What did Lucas say when he patted you on the ass?”
“He said, ‘Good luck with the job tonight.’ I guess he thought he could explain it away by acting like he intended it to be like a baseball coach giving a pitcher a pat of encouragement. I didn’t take it that way.”
“No, you didn’t and I’m proud of the way you handled it.”
“Thanks.”
“What was he doing with that laser device?”
“He said he directed it at me to get my attention, so I’d come over to him and discuss something about the assignment tonight.”
“Doesn’t he have a smartphone?”
“Yes, he does. He said it was urgent and he wasn’t sure I’d answer a call during dinner.”
“What was so important that he had to use that extreme method to get your attention?”
“That’s one of those questions I can’t answer.”
“I suppose it’s possible he had a legitimate business reason for being at the mall and spying on us, but the way he moved the laser dot around your breasts was deliberately sexually provocative.”
“I agree and told him that in very strong language and I made him give me the laser pen.”
“What’s the job you have to do tonight?”
“I’m sorry but I can’t discuss it.”
“Are you and Lucas working in the field together on it?”
“I can’t answer.”
Even though he was frustrated that she couldn’t or wouldn’t answer his questions, he said, “I understand.”
Blaire looked at her iPhone screen and said, “It’s nine thirty. I need to go home and prepare for work. Are you ready to leave?”
“I’m going to sit here a while longer and finish my beer ... unless you need me to go with you to protect you from Lucas.”
“That won’t be necessary. I can take care of myself.”
“What time are you going to be home tonight?”
“I won’t be too late. I should be back by midnight.”
“I’ll wait up for you at the townhouse,” he said.
“Good, I may need a backrub when I get home.” Blaire got out of her chair, leaned down, and gave him a long kiss. “I’m sorry I haven’t been more ... you know ... in the mood, lately. I’ll do better. I promise.”
As she brushed by him to leave, QT patted her on the butt and said, “Good luck with your job assignment.”
Blaire turned around and smiled at him. “Careful, fella. You know what happened to the last guy who did that to me.”
Chapter 4
The closer they got to Miller’s the more apprehensive the lieutenant became. She’d come a long way in her recovery from the mental trauma she’d endured while in military intelligence, but she still suffered from occasional panic attacks. Tonight, wasn’t the first social setting she’d found herself drawn into during the past year, but for some reason she felt uneasy about meeting Dr. Bit’s girlfriend. She’d rather fight against a trained killer than maneuver her way through the small talk that was expected in a social environment. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but the anticipation of meeting Chloe Ripen was causing her heart to pound and beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
“Are you sweating? I’ve never seen you perspire while walking?” Dr. Bit said. “It’s not that hot outside.”
“I should’ve worn my usual clothes. My army shorts and lieutenant’s shirt are more comfortable than this girly outfit.”
“Trust me when I say, you’re smokin’ in that girly outfit. Guys have been checking you out in those short shorts and that low-cut top. I can read their faces when they look at you and then at me. They’re thinking, What’s that hot girl doing with that geeky guy? I get the same reaction when I’m with Chloe.”
“I thought you told me you give off powerful manly vibes. Why would strangers question you being with any woman, attractive or not?”
Dr. Bit smiled and said, “Only women are sensitive to my vibes. The macho guys aren’t attuned to my power.” He flexed his scrawny bicep, as he had earlier, to demonstrate his innate masculinity.
The lieutenant slapped his bicep and laughed in appreciation of his self-deprecating humor. The distraction took her mind off her panic attack. As they approached Miller’s from the opposite side of the brick walkway, she began her usual reconnaissance, scanning the immediate area for anyone or anything that seemed out of place. She abruptly stopped.
“What’s the matter?” Dr. Bit asked.
“I recognized someone.”
“Don’t tell me you think Chloe brought a spook with her to spy on us.”
“That isn’t farfetched. For the past several days I’ve spotted the same man walking his dog in our neighborhood and looking at our house.”
“What’s unusual about that? He probably lives nearby.”
“Maybe, but I’ve never seen him go inside a house. I saw him once during the day and the other times around dusk.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“Could be, but I just saw the same man not too far from Miller’s. He ducked into one of the shops.”
They walked a little farther until they were directly across from Miller’s and the lieutenant stopped again.
“What now? Do you see him again or are you stalling to avoid meeting Chloe?”
“Neither. I see somebody else I know.”
“Who?”
“It’s FBI Agent Quinton Target, sitting over there, drinking a beer. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
The lieutenant led the way and Dr. Bit trailed behind her. Her heart was pounding again, but for a different reason. When she was twenty feet away from his table, Quinton must have caught a glimpse of her movement because he looked up. His face brightened when he recognized her. He wasn’t blatant about it, but she perceived him exploring her cleavage, which was exposed in her low-cut top. Then his eyes drifted lower to view her short shorts and tanned legs. His glance made her entire body tingle. Suddenly, she was glad she’d opted to wear the girly outfit.
