Honeymoon

Chapter 105

THE REST OF THE disciplinary panel had filed out, and it was just the three of us. Walsh. Me. The tape machine. Everything was very still. For twenty, maybe thirty seconds, all he did was stare at me.

“Am I supposed to be saying something?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Are you supposed to be saying something?”

“Probably not. But I’m going to ask the question anyway.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms tight against his chest. His eyes bore right into mine. “I’m going to get a phone call from upstairs, aren’t I?”

The man was uncanny. “What makes you say that?”

“Let’s say it’s a hunch,” he said with a slow nod. “You’re too smart to be this dumb.”

“I guess I’ve had worse compliments.”

He ignored the sarcasm. “You got caught with your pants down, literally, but something tells me you’ve still got your ass covered.”

I didn’t answer right away. I wanted to see if he’d keep talking, maybe reveal the source of his “hunch.” He didn’t.

“I’m impressed, Frank.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “It was written all over your face.”

“Remind me not to play poker with you.”

“I can still make this exceedingly tough for you.”

“I’m very aware of that, too.”

“Nothing changes what you did, how badly you screwed up.”

“I’m very aware of that.”

He closed his file. “You can go.”

I stood.

“Oh, one other thing, O’Hara.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I know all about your other assignment. I knew from the start. I’m in the loop. I know you’re the Tourist.”