“Yeah, but yours is redder,” Christina, mouthed to herself. How stupid could she get? As if how red his hair was mattered to anyone. It was probably the lamest line she’d tried on him yet, and she’d tried some doozies. What did it get her? He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Christina took a sip of beer, winced, and set it on the old Formica tabletop. She didn’t even like beer, and certainly not in a dive like The Caribou. If it weren’t for the case, the first one she’d ever done on her own, there’s no way she’d be here now.
Maybe she should pack it in and head back to Langley. No doubt they had plenty of data entry for her.
No, damn it! This was her chance to do field work. She’d never get shipped over seas to do anything interesting if she couldn’t prove herself here.
“Hi. Mind if I sit down?” A woman about her own age, maybe a little younger, moved from the bar to Christina’s table.
Christina nodded. She didn’t intend to stay much longer anyway.
“That guy you were with, the redhead…” The woman quirked an eyebrow.
“Which one.”
“The one with the shorter hair that you were sitting next to. You like that guy?””
“Yeah,” Christina managed the lie well enough. She wasn’t the least attracted to Joseph. His brother Sean she could see, but Joseph? There was something very scary about him.
Which was why she had not already packed it in and headed back to the office. Even if it turned out Joseph wasn’t really an enemy operative, or an active member of a terrorist organization, he was a dangerous man who should be watched. If it turned out his activities were beyond her jurisdiction, she could always tip off one of the other agencies – the FBI or DEA or local police. She could do it anonymously. No one needed to know anything about her.
“Oh good. Then you won’t mind if I go for the other one. Could you introduce me? Are they brothers?”
“Yes.” Christina answered the last question as she tried to decipher the rapid -fire comments.
“Yes! Thank you!”
“What?”
“For introducing me. I saw the other one, the one with the short hair, go into my neighbor’s house about a week ago. I thought he was cute, but when I saw the one with the long hair…” The woman, a blonde with a flippy haircut and thick-rimmed glasses, grinned from ear to ear. “You can bring them to my party. I’m having some friends over tomorrow night, seven o’clock.” The woman slid out of the bench seat as she gave the address. “See you there.”
“Wait!”
“Oh, yeah. What’s your name?”
“Um… Christina…”
“I’m Cindy.” She held out her hand. Christina shook while trying to gather her wits. “Nice to meet you.” Before Christina could so much as blink the woman waved and left.
Christina thought about it for several minutes. Joseph had gone into the house next door to Cindy? Why? She managed to keep fairly good tabs on him, but didn’t know what he did with every waking minute. Maybe this was a chance to find out.
The previous was Suzie’s House 35 : A Tale of Two Brothers
This is Suzie’s House 36: Mata Hari
Next is Suzie’s House 37: A Dark and Balmy Night
10 Responses to Suzie’s House 36: Mata Hari