'The three men are being interrogated now, but I imagine you have already figured out what their game was.'
'They probably consider themselves anarchists trying to bring down the government. They'll tell you they're trying to kill Caesar and probably even hail themselves as martyrs for the cause, but you know what? When you cut through all the phony baloney,
it's the same old same old. Greed was the real motivator. They were trying to be clever about it. That's all.'
She was smiling, feeling quite pleased with herself, when a sudden thought occurred to her. 'Sir, you said my morning was going
to get worse,' she reminded him. 'What did you mean?'
'There's going to be a press conference in…' He paused to glance at the clock. '… ten minutes, and you're the star attraction.
I understand you have an aversion to being in the spotlight. I don't like press conferences either, but we do what we have to do.'
Avery could feel the panic building. 'Mike Andrews and his team should do the press conference. They apprehended the suspects. I was simply doing my job.'
'Are you being modest, or-'
She leaned forward as she interrupted him. 'Sir, I'd rather have a root canal.'
He caught himself before he smiled, but the twinkle had returned to his eyes. 'So this aversion is deep-rooted then?'
'Yes, sir. It is.' She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but she couldn't get rid of her growing apprehension.
'May I ask you a question?'
'Yes?'
'Why is my file on your desk? I did follow procedure… as best I could,' she pointed out. 'And if you didn't plan to fire me…'
'I wanted to familiarize myself with your department,' he said as he picked up the file.
'May I ask why?'
'You're getting a new superior.'
She didn't like hearing that. She and the others got along well with Douglas, and change was difficult.
'Is Mr. Douglas retiring, then? He's been talking about it for as long as I've been here.'
'Yes,' Carter answered.
Bummer, she thought. 'May I ask who my new boss is?'
He glanced up from the folder in his hand. 'Me,' he answered. He let her absorb the information before continuing. 'The four of you will be moved into my department.'
She perked up. 'We're getting new office space?'
Her excitement was quickly squelched. 'No, you'll stay where you are, but starting Monday morning, you'll report directly to me.'
She tried to look happy. 'So, we'll be running up and down four flights of stairs every time we need to talk to you?' She knew she sounded like a whiner, but it was too late to take the words back.
'We do have elevators, and most of our employees are able to ride them without getting their heads caught between the doors.'
The sarcasm didn't faze her. 'Yes, sir. May I ask if we'll be getting raises? We're all way past due for our evaluations.'
'Your evaluation is taking place right now.'
'Oh.' She wished he'd mentioned that fact starting out. 'How am I doing?'
'This is the interview portion of the evaluation, and during an interview I ask the questions, and you answer them. That's pretty much how it works.'
He opened her file and began to read. He started with the personal statement she'd written when she'd applied, then scanned
her background information.
'You lived with your grandmother, Lola Delaney, until the age of eleven.'
'That's correct.'
She watched him flip through the pages, obviously checking facts and dates. She wanted to ask him why he felt the need to go over her history, but she knew that if she did, she'd sound defensive and maybe even antagonistic, and so she gripped her hands together and kept quiet. Carter was her new superior, and she wanted to start off on the right foot.
'Lola Delaney was murdered on the night of…'
'February fourteenth,' she said without emotion. 'Valentine's Day.'
He glanced up. 'You saw it happen.'
'Yes.'
He began to peruse the notes once again. 'Dale Skarrett, the man who killed your grandmother, was already a wanted man. There was a warrant for his arrest in connection with a jewelry heist where the storeowner was murdered, and over four million in uncut stones were stolen. The diamonds weren't recovered, and Skarrett was never formally charged.'
Avery nodded. 'The evidence against him was circumstantial, and it's doubtful they would have gotten a conviction.'
'True,' Carter agreed. 'Jill Delaney was also wanted for questioning in connection with the robbery.'
'Yes.'
'She wasn't at the house the night your grandmother was murdered.'
'No, but I'm sure she sent Skarrett to kidnap me.'
'But you didn't cooperate.'
Her stomach began to tighten. 'No, I didn't.'
'No one knew what had happened until the next morning, and by the time the police arrived, Skarrett was long gone and you
were in critical condition.'
'He thought I was dead,' she interjected.
'You were airlifted to Children's Hospital in Jacksonville. One month later, when you had recovered from your injuries-a remarkable feat given the extent of the damage-your aunt Carolyn took you to her home in Bel Air, California.' He leaned
back in his chair. 'That's where Skarrett came after you again, didn't he?'
She could feel the tension building inside her. 'Yes,' she said. 'I was the only eyewitness who could put him away for life. Fortunately, I had a guardian angel. The FBI was protecting me without my knowing it. Skarrett showed up at school just as it
was letting out.'
'He was unarmed and later told the authorities he only wanted to talk to you. Skarrett was arrested and charged with second degree murder,' he said. 'He was convicted and is currently serving his sentence in Florida. He was up for parole a couple of years ago and was denied. His next hearing should be coming up sometime this year.'
'Yes, sir,' she said. 'I regularly check with the prosecutor's office, and I will be sent notification once the date for the hearing
is set.'
'You'll need to go.'
'I wouldn't miss it, sir.'
'What about the new trial?' he asked. He tapped the papers with his knuckles and said, 'I was curious to know why his attorney thinks he has grounds.'
'I'm afraid he does have grounds,' she said. 'The brief that was filed accused the prosecutor of withholding vital information. My grandmother had a heart condition, and the physician who treated her came forward after he read about her death. That information wasn't handed over to Skarrett's attorney.'
