Long Shadows (Amos Decker, #7)(128)

White stepped back, closed her eyes, and said a silent prayer.

“What did you just say to me?” barked Talbott.

“Maybe your sister intelligence agencies, who are so grateful for what Agent White and I did, would like to take us on. I mean, don’t they love it when they can kick the Bureau in the nuts? And they have media people there who I’m sure could get the word out about what the FBI does to people who just do their job and keep the country safe. But maybe, since you’re just biding your time until you retire so you can go and sit on your ass somewhere, or play fucking golf, you don’t want to deal with all that shit, because it might end up getting your pension screwed. You know, budget cuts and all, so be prepared to tighten your belt if you go that route. But there’s a way for you to avoid all of that, and you know exactly what it is. Your call.”

The two men stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

Finally, in a muted voice, his gaze averted, Talbott said, “You will carry on your normal duties until further notice.”

“Yes sir,” said White immediately. She pulled on Decker’s arm and forcibly dragged him out of the room.

As they walked down the hall she said, “Do you realize you pretty much just blackmailed the man?”

“Must be all that crap in Florida rubbing off on me.”

As they got outside, White said, “Look, we have a ton of stuff to talk about, but I really need to head home and see my kids.”

“Absolutely.”

“I do have to say one thing.”

“What?” said Decker warily.

“After hearing what you said to Sandy Lancaster, and then seeing you with Tyler…you must have really been a wonderful father, Decker.”

Decker appeared stunned, and White had the look of a person who suddenly realized she had just gotten way out over her skis.

“My friends call me Amos,” said Decker finally.

White smiled. “Well, would you like to come up to Baltimore to meet my kids, Amos? And my mom is a great cook, and I’ve been known to open a decent bottle of red for the right guest, although I have plenty of beer, too. And Calvin’s been talking about wanting to play football. You could teach him some stuff, maybe.”

“Yes, I would like that. But not today. You need some time with them alone.”

White’s expression turned somber. “Thanks for standing up for me back there.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, Frederica White, you don’t need anybody to fight your battles. You do that just fine all by yourself.”

She reached up on tiptoes and gave him a hug, surprising Decker. He surprised himself again when he squeezed her back.

“I’ll see you at the office, partner,” she said.

“Yep.”

He watched her walk off and then he trudged the other way.





Chapter 98



DECKER HAD ONLY BEEN IN his apartment for about an hour, and he’d had only two beers with more to come, when the knock came.

He opened the door to find Kasimira Roe standing there.

“I missed you by a few minutes in Florida and jumped on the corporate jet.”

“Why?”

“Can I come in?”

He stepped back and let her pass. She had on jeans and a dark green sweater and low-heeled leather boots. Her hair was down around her shoulders, making her look younger, but she appeared anxious, at least to Decker.

“How did you know where I lived?”

“I called in a favor at the Bureau, I hope you don’t mind.”

“No. You want a beer?”

She hesitated and then said, “Sure.”

They sat in the small living room. As she looked around at the modest space he said, “Not exactly what you’re used to, I know, but if you stand at the corner of that window and lean to the left you get a pretty good view of the Anacostia River.”

She sipped her beer. “This is fine. I didn’t always live where I do now.”

“So, what can I do for you?”

“First, I wanted to thank you personally for finding out what happened to my father.”

“I’m sorry it couldn’t have been better news.”

“It’s closure. That’s far more than what I had.”

“You could have just called or emailed, you know. You’re a busy CEO.”

“In many ways my father was the most important person in my life. So I wanted to do this face-to-face.”

“I can understand that.”

“I also realized that the man I had placed on a very high pedestal all my life was a human being, with the flaws and faults we all have.”

“Some more than others.”

“And in addition to finding out what happened to my father, you taught me a lot about him, far more than I knew before.”

Decker glanced over at the trash can, which held the torn-up letter from the Cognitive Institute. “We all keep things hidden, Kasimira, all of us.”

“That certainly applies to me,” she said, her gaze downcast. “As you know.”

“That doesn’t make you any less of a person, it just makes you more of a human being. I’ve never met a perfect person in my life, nor would I ever want to.”