Deep Cover

CHAPTER 2

SHELBY SLEEPILY EXTENDED an arm from beneath the covers and turned off the alarm clock on her nightstand. Bright green eyes suddenly popped open when she realized it was finally Monday. Shelby smiled to herself, knowing this was the first time she could ever remember being glad the weekend was over.

Tossing back the covers she sat up, wondering for what had to be the hundredth time whether Jeb had decided to assign her the case. On the few occasions that she uncovered data concerning a field operative, Dennis had forwarded it to Central Affairs and she relished the challenge the case would offer, but was uneasy, too.

Shelby had an excellent memory, and had recognized some of the names on the list, but five stood out starkly in her mind. Atlas, Blue, Jet, Roman, and Silver. She had seen each of those names mentioned in wet operation cases she'd reviewed. Would one of them be assigned to work on the case? What would it be like to work with someone from wet ops? Even if none of those five were assigned to the case, she could still end up working with a killer, and she found that thought scary, but fascinating, too.

Shelby began chuckling at her overactive imagination when a picture of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs formed in her mind. Shaking her head, she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.

After eating a bowl of Maypo, Shelby leisurely enjoyed a cup of coffee since she had a little extra time, which was a rarity. In her excitement she'd gotten right up instead of falling back to sleep until the second alarm clock on the opposite side of her bedroom had gone off. Snooze buttons had never worked for her and when she almost missed an exam in college, she had finally given up on them and bought another alarm clock.

Shelby left her apartment a short time later, quickly descending the steps to the surface parking lot. Enjoying the warm sun on her arms, she walked to a new red Mercury Sable, turned off the alarm and unlocked the door using her hand held keypad. A couple of minutes later, she merged with the rest of the traffic for what would be a slow drive to McLean, Virginia.

Kris sat at the small round table in her hotel room drinking coffee. She seldom had access to American television and had mindlessly flipped through the cable channels before settling on CNN.

She had awakened early from a fitful sleep with a gnawing tension headache that had finally subsided to a dull throb. In the course of three short days, the carefully constructed fabric of her life was unraveling one thread at a time. It was bad enough to be recalled from the field to assist in an investigation based upon circumstantial evidence, but the implications of the phone call the previous night had been disturbing.

She had actually dared to hope...

Kris impatiently cut off that train of thought and poured another cup of coffee from the pot that room service had delivered. She had little room to maneuver in her new assignment and silently cursed the analyst who was the catalyst for her return. Knowing that type of thinking was self-defeating, she began to focus on how to eliminate the names on that list, her own included, to the satisfaction of the REMF's.

Kris donned black slacks, an off-white blouse and red blazer. The combination was striking on her and she knew it. Her intent was to attract attention. Kris was well aware that remaining in plain sight was often a better disguise than lurking in the shadows. After calling a cab, she tied a black silk scarf loosely around her neck, and slipped on a pair of loafer-style walking shoes. Kris touched up her hair and makeup and then, satisfied with her appearance, she placed her gun in a small, out of sight holster that was attached to her belt before going down to the lobby to wait for the taxi.

During the slow ride to work, Kris made a quick decision to rent a car that evening. She'd been too tired the day before to bother with it, but suddenly it had become a priority.

Shelby had barely gotten settled in at her desk when the phone rang. "Shelby Carson."

"Come on down to my office. Jeb gave the go ahead."

Unable to hide the excitement in her voice, Shelby answered, "I'll be right there." She hurriedly shoved her purse into the bottom drawer and walked away before quickly going back and locking the desk. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Get a grip already."

Shelby walked briskly up the corridor under the scrutiny of the hallway guardian who regarded her curiously. It was the first time since her arrival that she hadn't spoken to him as she passed.

Dennis hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. Jeb had cautioned him against using Blue's code name, which was probably just as well. He didn't know if Shelby paid any attention to the rumor mill, but there was no sense in alarming her if she did. He needed for her to be at her best, not worrying about the deadly reputation of the operative she'd be working with.

Shelby knocked, waiting impatiently for Dennis to respond. When he did, she entered, smiling. "Good Morning."

"Morning. Have a seat." Dennis waited until Shelby was settled into the chair next to his desk before beginning to brief her.

"I don't think I need to tell you how important this case is. I want you to eliminate as many of the names on that list as you can. You will be working with," Dennis glanced down at a paper on his desk unable to recall Blue's real name, "Kris Bartley. I'd suggest you follow her lead. She'll know what to look for. Any data you need will be made available. I want this investigation kept very low key, but I also want no stone left unturned."

Shelby was surprised that she would be working with a woman. She had never thought of the code names in terms of gender and had assumed that those on her list were men. Knowing that was naïve thinking, she said, "Okay. What happens after the list is narrowed down?"

"The remaining names will be turned over to Jeb. My guess is, it'll probably be assigned to some field operatives for follow up. Any other questions?"

"No. I'll do my best."

Dennis smiled. "I know you will. Kris will be here shortly. I'll introduce you and then you can get started. Oh, one more thing. I want you both keeping normal hours. It's going to be hard enough to keep this case quiet once you start requesting information. I don't want you calling attention to yourself. If anyone asks, Kris just transferred in. I don't want anything done that might compromise her identity."

She was annoyed that Dennis thought it necessary to mention confidentiality. "I wouldn't do that." Shelby thought about asking what Kris' code name was, but knew Dennis would just tell her he didn't want to compromise her objectivity.

"I have to cover all the bases ..." Dennis stopped speaking when a knock sounded at the door and it swung open. Irritated, he glanced up.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Kris had intended to make an entrance to gain the upper hand, but her question had been an automatic defensive mechanism to hide her own surprise.

A very attractive woman was sitting next to Dennis' desk, watching her with unabashed curiosity and a surprise that matched her own. Kris smiled inwardly at the transparent emotions visible on the face of the seated woman. Seemingly, she wasn't the only one who had been caught off-guard.

Shelby had looked over her shoulder as a breathtakingly gorgeous woman walked into the office. The room seemed to shrink under the newcomer's commanding presence. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but Shelby immediately sensed this was not a woman to be trifled with. This must be Kris. She certainly wasn't what Shelby had imagined and, sensitive to people, unbidden impressions began floating through her mind; tall, dark, dangerous, sexy. She almost chuckled aloud at the last word. Sexy?

"No. We were waiting for you." Dennis couldn't believe the brazenness of the operative. Not only did she come barging in, but she was also wearing a bright red jacket. She had that damned inscrutable smile on her face again, and those sunglasses. The woman had to be nuts. And to makes matters worse he found her incredibly alluring.

He also hadn't missed the open curiosity on Shelby's face and silently warned her, Don't be fooled by her looks, unaware that Shelby's own assessment had been warning enough. "Shelby, this is Kris Bartley." Glancing at the intimidating operative, he completed the introduction. "Kris, this is Shelby Carson."

Standing up, Shelby extended her hand. "Pleased to met you."

Kris grasped the extended hand with her own. "The pleasure is mine." She held the smaller hand a little longer than was necessary, enjoying the contact. Maybe this assignment won't be so bad after all.

Shelby dropped her hand with mixed feelings. The larger hand covering hers had felt good and that frightened her. Kris could be a killer for God's sake. What was wrong with her? Her thoughts were interrupted by her boss's voice.

"Keep me informed of your progress."

Kris smirked at Dennis, amused by his attempt to regain control in his office. Her smirk broadened to an arctic smile when he glared at her.

Totally unnerved by the cold look the operative had given him, Dennis just wished she'd get the hell out of his office.

Turning her attention to Shelby, Kris said, "Shall we get started?" her comment a statement rather than a question.

"Sure. My office is right down the hall," Shelby hastily agreed, unsettled by the silent exchange between her boss and new partner. She was more than anxious to leave the suddenly tense office behind.

Dennis watched the two women leave. They were as different as night and day-dark and light. He hoped for a quick resolution to this case so that he could be rid of Blue. She literally scared the shit out of him.

It wasn't until Shelby left the office with Kris that she realized just how tall the operative was. She considered herself to be of average height and Kris towered over her. "How tall are you?"

Kris raised an eyebrow. "Six foot."

Shelby nervously tried to think of something to talk about during the walk down what had suddenly become a very long hall, and found her sudden loss for words troublesome. "Have you worked here long?"

"No. I've never worked here," Kris answered evasively. While she considered her attractive new partner a perk of the case, she had no intentions of sharing anything except case related information with her.

"Oh." Shelby could take a hint and remained silent until they arrived outside her office. Glancing up at the Marine, she smiled warmly, "Hi."

Nodding slightly, his eyes remained glued on Shelby's tall, striking companion. Much to his relief, after a casual once-over, she strolled by him into the office. Though loath to admit it, he was shamed by the fact that the woman had intimidated him.

Kris' appraisal had been anything but casual. She had sized up the guard and dismissed him as no immediate threat. She glanced around the analyst's small office. Three computers sat on a long Formica table on one side of the windowless room. A large, old wooden desk covered with computer printouts was crammed on the other side. The walls were painted institution green, their lengths unbroken except for a clock above the doorway. Nice working conditions, she thought sarcastically and relayed her opinion to Shelby. "You work in here?"

"Well, yeah. You get used to it after a while."

The tall woman had her own doubts about that. She'd never get used to working in a hole like this. "Whatever you say."

Shelby was trying to get a better feel for Kris, but was unable to expand on her initial impression and found that very disquieting. "It's kind of warm in here. They're working on the air conditioning. You can hang your jacket over there, if you want."

Kris walked over to the large desk after hanging up her jacket, and then waited for Shelby to join her. "What do you have?"

Shelby knew her research was solid and relaxed as she briefed Kris on her findings. Once she had covered the basics, she picked up a copy of the report she'd prepared for Dennis and handed it to the operative. "It's all in here."

Kris took the report and purposely injected a slightly incredulous tone in her voice. She needed to know more about her new "partner" and angering her was a good way to do that. "So you were just looking for similarities in the assassinations and happened to notice there were operatives in each location?"

"Yes. That's exactly what happened," Shelby answered, puzzled as to why her methodology was being questioned.

"Sure you aren't just making some leaps in logic to support your theory...?"

Green eyes flashing, Shelby cut her off. "If you read the report, you'll clearly see that there is a distinct connection. None of it is tenuous or non-existent. Are you questioning my research because you're on the list? Is that what this is all about?"

Kris had found out what she wanted to know. This woman had backbone and would stand up for what she believed in. Those were two highly desirable attributes in a partner, no matter how mundane the job.

"Think I did it?" Kris' expression was neutral, but she was intensely curious what Shelby's response would be.

That was the last question in the world the analyst had been expecting. Shelby glanced around the room trying to figure out how to honestly answer the question without offending the tall, stoic woman looking at her. They were already off to a rocky enough start and the last thing she wanted to do was further antagonize her new partner. She looked up at the operative only to see her own reflection in the sunglasses. "I really don't know."

Kris quirked a half smile, pleased with Shelby's answer. She knew how uneasy the analyst was and it had taken a lot of guts for her to answer honestly, and that was the other key ingredient she'd been looking for. "Good. No one on that list should be arbitrarily eliminated."

The fleeting smile that crossed the operative's face was puzzling, but somehow reassuring, too. It didn't make sense, but it almost seemed as if she had passed some private test. "So what now?"

"Pardon?"

"Um...I've never investigated a case involving field operatives. Dennis said to follow your lead." Shelby unconsciously took a step backward as a dark look covered the operative's face.

"You're not assigned to Central Affairs?"

"God, no." Shelby couldn't imagine working with those ultra paranoid people.

Kris didn't like being caught off guard, and asked sharply. "Then why are you working this case?"

"They want to keep it low profile to avoid a potential scandal," Shelby stated quietly, taken aback by Kris' anger.

"Those bastards!" Kris studied Shelby intently. "Just what is your job?"

"I analyze data looking for patterns. If there is a human aspect to the pattern, I develop a psychological profile based on the available information."

"So you're a psychologist?"

"No. I have a masters in psychology, but I'm also a computer nerd."

Kris was silent as she thought about the implications of what Shelby had told her. Her inexperience in working on cases involving field operatives was a disadvantage. What she should do was go to Earl and tell him to get an experienced analyst from Central Affairs on the case. Two things made her hesitate. She found the emerald-eyed, feisty woman facing her intriguing, and there could be some advantages to having a relative newbie on the case. Less suspicion and scrutiny being a couple of them. And when it came right down to it, she hated Central Affairs with a passion and would much rather work with this woman, experienced or not, than those bastards. Shelby's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You might try giving me a chance, instead of writing me off. I have worked on other cases and this one can't be all that different."

Shelby's words cemented Kris' decision, and she asked casually, "Why are you still standing there? Let's get started. Show me your data."

Shelby's mind was whirling. This woman was an enigma. "You have it already."

"I have the report," Kris agreed. "I want to see the raw data."

Shelby retrieved a thick sheaf of green and white paper and handed it to her. While it appeared that Kris was willing to work with her, she obviously didn't trust her. Not that she could really blame her. She didn't really trust Kris either.

An hour later, Kris looked up, impressed. "The pattern wasn't easy to spot."

Shelby smiled, pleased at the compliment. "It took me a while."

Kris paced around the room gathering her thoughts. "Okay, we need airline schedules for each of the airports within driving distance of each operative on that list. For those in the European theater, we also need train and bus schedules. Once we have those, we need passenger manifests. Public transportation is used a lot more over there than it is here. We'll also need to contact all car rental agencies and for the locals, taxis."

"Okay." Shelby had jotted down key words as Kris spoke.

"I need access to the cases the operatives are working on and the location of each." Kris glanced around the room. "Is that available on one of these computers?"

"Well, yeah, but you have to have a password."

When Kris raised a questioning eyebrow, Shelby feigned innocence and added, "Dennis got me mine."

Not going to share, huh. Smart woman. Too bad, it would've made things a lot quicker. Time to pay Earl a visit. "I'll be back."

Shelby watched Kris walk out of the office. She found the operative absolutely fascinating and acknowledged that she wanted to know more about her than just what a working relationship required. At odds with her feelings, she hoped the case would last long enough for her to be able to do that.

Earl called out, "Come in," and watched appreciatively as Kris walked in. He sat back, waiting for her to speak.

"I need a password to access the other operatives' files."

"No."

"I'm not going to work blind. Either I have access to the files I need or you can find someone else to investigate this case."

"I can't give you access. It's against the regs for one operative to be able to access another's files and you know it."

"The closet rats do it all the time."

Earl sighed. He should have known she'd bring up Central Affairs. Hell, he hated the sneaky bastards, too. "That's what they do. It's their job."

"So is this case." Kris smiled sweetly, having played her ace card.

"Technically, that's true." Earl silently cursed as he weighed his options. She'd obviously found out Shelby was not attached to that directorate. He could limit her access to the twenty-seven names on the list and immediately change it upon completion of the case. "Okay. I'll have your current password coded for access. Anything else?"

"No. That's it. Thanks Earl."

He nodded. Like she had really given him any choice in the matter. Served him right for playing with fire. After all he had trained her; Earl just hadn't counted on her skills exceeding his own, and they had, in spades.

Gregor Koslov walked down Wisconsin Avenue en route to the Russian Federation embassy. Contact had been made, directives issued, and all the players were in place. Now all he had to do was check the drops each day. The Americans routinely followed him when he left the embassy, and he let them. Checking the various drops only required disappearing for a few minutes at a time. He always made sure to reappear before his shadows panicked, and was careful to arbitrarily vary the locations he checked.

Kris had taken off her sunglasses and was sitting at one of the computers watching Shelby. She was wearing a light green blouse that enhanced her fair coloring and deepened the green of her eyes. Occasionally, the thin silver necklace she was wearing would fall forward as she leaned over, studying the notes she was jotting down.

The analyst had been working at the computer on her desk nonstop since Kris had returned from Earl's office. Typing commands and writing, the pattern continued nonstop. Kris had gotten tired of staring at the computer screen and decided Shelby was a lot more pleasing to look at. She quickly diverted her eyes when the younger woman looked up.

Shelby could've sworn Kris had been watching her. She needed a break and was hungry, but had been pushing herself relentlessly, trying to prove to the operative that she could hold her own. Her normal lunch break had passed a couple of hours earlier, and skipping meals wasn't something she was accustomed to doing.

She decided to break the lengthy silence. "Are you hungry? The cafeteria's not too bad, and it won't be busy this late."

Kris hadn't really thought about lunch. She was beginning to go stir crazy in the tiny office, though, and it would be a welcome break from the stark green walls since she didn't want her discreet observations of the young woman to become obtrusive. A quick smile flickered across her face as she stood up. "Lead on."

Standing at the cold food bar, Kris glanced at the small salad and fruit Shelby had selected. "I thought you were hungry."

"I am, but I'm on a diet. I've gained a couple of pounds, and it's hard to lose weight when you sit at a desk all day."

Kris' eyes slowly moved down Shelby's attractive, lean body. "You look just right to me."

Her cheeks blazing, Shelby muttered, "Uh, thanks," and studied the various selections without seeing any of them. Her body was still reacting to the feel of those brilliant blue eyes as they had traveled the length of her body.

Kris hadn't intended to embarrass the younger woman. She had simply spoken her mind. She thought Shelby looked adorable with her flushed cheeks, not that she intended to voice that thought. She followed her quiet companion through the line, then led her to a corner table, preferring a clear view of any room she was in. Her caution had saved her life on more than one occasion.

Shelby had regained her composure and was quietly pondering her reaction to Kris' compliment as she pushed her salad around on her plate. She had been unable to prevent her body's unconscious reaction to Kris' frank appraisal and tried to push the incident from the forefront of her mind. Feeling the operative's eyes on her, she looked up.

"What's fun to do around here besides the tourist traps?" Kris wasn't one for small talk unless it served a purpose, but she felt responsible for Shelby's discomfort and, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to put her at ease.

"You're asking the wrong person. My idea of a night out is dinner or a movie. Now places to shop, that I can tell you about. I'm gonna stop at Fair Oaks Mall after work tonight." Impulsively, Shelby asked, "You wanna come?"

Kris hadn't expect the question, but quickly recovered. "Thanks, but I'm not much of a shopper. Besides, I've got to pick up a car tonight."

Shelby hadn't expected Kris to accept, but she was still a little disappointed. "See any good movies lately?"

Kris knew Shelby was searching for a neutral topic and decided to help her out. "Nope. How about you?"

"I saw Charlie's Angels over the weekend. I really liked it. It was just a good fun movie. I used to watch all the reruns of Charlie's Angels on cable. I loved Kate Jackson. She was really cool."

Kris was enjoying listening to Shelby talk. She had a natural warmth that the operative found endearing. In another time or place, things could have been different, but there was no sense in considering impossibilities. Abruptly, she asked, "Ready?" and stood up.

Kris looked away from the puzzled expression on the analyst's face as she joined her, and they walked back to the office in silence.

The next few hours passed quickly and when Shelby stood up at five and started gathering her belongings, Kris quickly followed suit.

Lingering behind until Shelby left, Kris called a cab. She didn't want to turn Shelby down again in case she offered her a ride. Kris paused with her hand on the phone. When was the last time I cared about something like that? Choosing to ignore her thought, she focused on all the things she had to accomplish that evening, and one of them was already leaving a distinctly foul taste in her mouth.

Shelby wondered what she could have said wrong to cause Kris' abrupt withdrawal in the cafeteria. All she'd done was talk about Charlie's Angels. No closer to figuring it out now than she had been earlier, her thoughts turned her body's reaction to the operative's appraisal. The woman had only looked at her, yet her whole body had tingled with excitement. And even as she pondered why, Shelby knew that it certainly wasn't a feeling she wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.

She was glad when she finally arrived at the mall. She definitely needed a diversion from Ms. Tall and Mysterious, and shopping always relaxed her.

Shelby finally tired a couple of hours and two large department store bags later. A book in the front display of Barnes and Noble caught her attention, and she approached the plate glass window for a closer look. As she turned away from the window, she thought she saw Kris out of the corner of her eye, but by the time she could get a clear look, she had disappeared. It probably wasn't even her--just wishful thinking.

Shelby walked down the parking lane toward her car. It was a pleasant evening, and other shoppers were plentiful. She heard a slight noise and stopped. Glancing around, she tried to determine what the noise had been, but only silence greeted her. My imagination is really working overtime tonight. First I see Kris and now I'm hearing things. A good hot, relaxing bath is definitely in order.

She stopped when she heard it again. Looking down, she saw the source of the noise and smiled. Setting her bags down, she slowly walked between two cars before quickly kneeling and capturing a retreating small gray ball of fur just visible beneath one of the parked cars. Suddenly a loud crack echoed through the air, and the rear passenger window of the car she had been standing in front of a microsecond earlier shattered directly above her head, raining glass all over her and the surrounding ground.

Shelby bent forward and tucked the ball of fur against her, shielding it from the falling glass. A cold fear gripped her and she remained frozen amidst the sounds of screams and running footsteps.

Bits of conversation drifted across the parking lot.

"Did you see that? Someone shot at her."

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know..."

"There she is!"

Shelby could hear people gathering around her and felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at a mall policeman.

"It's okay, Miss. Whoever fired that weapon is probably long gone. Some of the other mall police are searching just to make sure and the Fairfax police are on the way."

Shelby slowly stood up, still hugging her living parcel and wondering which of them was shaking the most.