Reckless

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later

Agent Blum…Mr. Hauck…”

The heavyset government lawyer sat across from Naomi and him in his law offices on K Street in Washington, DC.

“As you know,” he said as he turned on a small digital recorder, “we’re here as part of the special prosecutor’s charge on this case to take additional depositions from you both on the matter we will call, for now, The United States Government versus the Gstaad Gang. Specifically referring to Messrs. Keaton, Hastings, and Simons, and any actions they might have participated in against the United States…”

Hauck glanced over at Naomi. She was dressed in a slim black pantsuit, a light blue top, a U.S. flag pinned on her lapel. Her hair was down to her shoulders. Her arm was out of the sling. He hadn’t seen her since their separate depositions right after Keaton’s arrest.

Despite the official proceedings, he couldn’t help but admire her. She looked great.

Naomi nodded smartly to the lawyer but shot a glance toward Hauck.

He caught her smile.

“This office will be interested in any and all matters related to the events, no matter how small or how seemingly unimportant. I guess we might as well start at the beginning.” The lawyer turned to Hauck, pushing the microphone his way. “I think it was this past March sixth when you first became involved in this case?”

Hauck looked back at him and shrugged. “This’ll take a bit of time.”

“We have as long as it takes, Mr. Hauck,” the lawyer said. “I hope you don’t have anything more pressing…”

“No, nothing more pressing.”

“You, Agent Blum?’

“No, nothing,” she replied, that familiar twinkle in her eye.

Hauck winked at her and started in. “Okay, then, here goes…”

He took the lawyer through the first time he heard of April Glassman’s death. That morning with Annie. Leaving a few choice details out. His first efforts to follow it up, then Merrill Simons, Thibault. Donovan. Even Campbell, the New York cop. After a couple of hours they were only up to Naomi’s arrival on the scene.

At noon, the lawyer looked at his watch and asked if they’d like to break for lunch.

That left Hauck and Naomi alone for the first time.

“So how goes it?” he asked. They packed up their cases, got up, paused at the conference room door.

“Swamped. Totally swamped. I got a promotion. My boss is moving on. I’ve been put in charge of my department now.”

“Mazel tov!” he said. He held the door for her. “Deserved.”

“Maybe you’ll want a job yourself one day.” She smiled. “You’ve shown a real knack for this kind of work. I happen to have a nice basement office for you. The heat knocks a bit, and I’m afraid there’s no view. If you’re interested, I can see what I can do.”

“Thanks,” Hauck said, grinning, “but I’ve already done my time with the government. Anyway, I’m gonna stick it out for a while at Talon. See what comes up…By the way, you’re looking great,” he said, totally out of the blue.

“Thanks.” She blushed and put on her sunglasses. “Amazing what not getting shot at can do for you.”

“The arm’s doing well?”

“Well enough,” Naomi said. “Yours?”

He raised his elbow. “Good as new.”

They headed out to the elevator bank. He pressed the button. “So you want to get some lunch?” he asked. “We have an hour.”

“Do you think that’s entirely professional? I mean, this is supposed to only be about what happened on the case.”

Hauck couldn’t take his eyes off her. “To me this is one hundred percent about what happened on the case.”

The elevator came. She stepped inside. “Good. I know a fish place we can walk to from here.”

He followed her in and pressed the button for the lobby. Leaned with his back against the railing. It was a small office building, and they were alone.

She said, “You know, much of this may never come to light. The government wants a thorough job. But they also want to move forward, I’m told…Some things might never come out.”

Hauck shrugged. “That’s okay. My résumé’s already long enough.”

Naomi smiled. “Mine too.”

Suddenly the elevator jerked and came to an abrupt stop. Between floors. The lights flickered out.

Naomi said, “Oh, shit.”

“Generator must be down,” Hauck said. He pushed the buttons for several floors, but nothing happened. “Hope you’re not the type who gets all nervous in the dark.”

She shot back, “I’m the one who had to hide in Thibault’s closet, remember? You’re the one who couldn’t even follow the guy in a car. Anyway, have you ever known me to get flustered?”

He was about to chuckle, Yeah, I can think of just a couple of times, but Naomi pushed past him and started pressing buttons at random. “Hello! Hello…” One was the red alarm. Seconds later, someone from the building came on. “The generator’s down,” the scratchy voice replied. “There’s a camera on the console. You guys okay in there?”

Hauck felt Naomi next to him. “Yeah, we’re okay.”

“This might take a few minutes. Fifteen, maybe more…We’ll try to get the auxiliary power back up. Make yourself at home.”

“Fifteen minutes?” Naomi groaned.

“Or more,” Hauck said.

She sighed. “That’s half our break.”

“Damn.” Hauck called back to the voice, “Don’t hurry.”

She looked at him.

“You have a great tattoo on your back,” he said. “I’d like to see it again some time.”

“Some time…?” Even in the dark Naomi saw where he was heading. She shook her head. “No chance.”

“Fifteen minutes, it’s an eternity…”

“Zero,” she said again, the tiniest crack in her defiance. “You’re wasting your time.”

He could feel the flutter of her heart going crazy against him. The scent of her perfume was driving him wild. He lifted her sunglasses.

“I have a better one on my butt,” she said. “The opening of Glass’s ‘Music in the Shape of a Square’…Very seminal piece.”

A crackle came out of the speaker, something sharp and barely decipherable. Hauck took off his jacket and draped it over a button, covering the lens.

“Now, this is totally unprofessional,” Naomi said. Actually it was more of a sigh. “I’m head of the department now.”

He pulled her close to him. Even in the dark he saw the smile light up her eyes.

“So write me up, Agent Blum,” Hauck replied.