14

andrea

Andrea left a message with Timmy. She wasn’t sure what she had expected from anyone Valente used to pass messages, but it certainly wasn’t that. She was pretty sure that voice belonged to a caricature of an overly-excited self-esteem counselor for elementary school children. She didn’t wait for him to get Colin, even though he offered…repeatedly. She could only deal with one emotionally laden wizard at a time, but she did want him to know both Jacob and she were okay.

Lily stayed in the passenger seat, even when Andrea put a handcuffed Jacob into the back seat. She was turned around, her head beside the headrest, looking back at him. They didn’t talk, didn’t touch…but Agent Devereaux didn’t think they needed to. Their silent looks conveyed more information than most people’s long conversations. She tried to follow their lack of discussion as best she could, but she needed to drive and still wasn’t overly familiar with Oklahoma City. She knew she had been to the county jail here before on a previous assignment, but found that she really couldn’t remember the experience, as if it was drowned in a watery fog.

She had no idea what to do with Jacob. Technically, the FBI had dropped the investigation into the robberies in Arizona and the battle in Vegas. If she turned him into the nearest federal office, he would undoubtedly be diverted to whatever secret military outfit that was interested in either neutralizing or weaponizing Jacob’s talents. But she had no authority, on her own, to do anything else.

Andrea pulled over into an empty parking lot and retrieved her phone. She quickly googled the Midwest City Police, scanned through their information, and dialed a number.

“Midwest City Police Department, Detective Carr speaking.”

Andrea switched to her best official voice. “This is Special Agent Andrea Devereaux. How are you doing today?”

That seemed to wake up the sleepy drawl on the other end. “I’m okay. I didn’t realize we had any joint operations right now.”

“We don’t. I was looking into something else and came across something of interest to your department, I think. I have a suspect willing to confess to a local liquor store robbery. He doesn’t want to go into federal custody, though, and I’d prefer to keep my name out of it. You know any detectives who might like that collar?”

Andrea could hear his gears grinding through the phone. After a long thoughtful pause, Detective Carr’s voice returned. “Liquor store robbery on Douglas? Yeah, I remember the one. Weird case. Why doesn’t he want to do his time in Club Fed?”

“Can I trust you, Detective Carr?”

He chuckled a little. “If you call me Daniel, then yes, yes you can.”

“Daniel, between you and me, if the wrong feds get hold of him I think he disappears into some Guantanamo-like black hole never to be heard from again. He’s got…some special skills.”

“So an on-record arrest publicly, in a state that’s not known for being willing to share its prisoners with the feds, is the best chance he’s got of doing time and going home?” Pause. “What kind of special skills? Never mind; I saw the security system stuff at the liquor store. Must be a heckuva tech guy.”

“You could say that. Can I trust you, Daniel? You want to call a press conference and show yourself taking him into custody?”

“I’d want to interview him first. Make sure I understand the facts of the case well enough to not sound like an idiot. You want to bring him by the station? Or do I need to meet you someplace else?”

Andrea looked at the two lovebirds, still pining from each other at a distance, tears rolling down both faces. “Either of you want a last lunch?”

Neither of them replied, still lost in whatever secret they were sharing.

Andrea turned back to the phone. “I seem to remember a decent onion burger last time I was in town. You got a favorite place that can do that?”

His chuckle was a comforting break to the somberness around her. “You know, now that you mention it, it is getting awfully close to my lunch break. You want to meet me at Ron’s Hamburgers?”

“Yeah. I think that will work, Daniel. And thanks.”