bridge.”
“I believe they call that intuition,” I replied.
“Yes, Mister Gant, I am well aware of what it is called. My point being that it is something with which you appear to be blessed in abundance.”
“Well, like I just told you, what I do isn’t intuition, or science either for that matter. I can’t take the credit for what the spirits of homicide victims insist on screaming into my ears.”
She gave me a dismissive roll of her eyes. “As I said, however you wish to explain it to yourself is your business. We are primarily interested in the results.”
“I’ve never held anything back,” I said. “So what’s the problem?”
“Your territory.”
“My territory?”
“Yes, Mister Gant. It is a bit limited, geographically.”
I cast a sidelong glance at her as the words sank in. Finally I said, “Wait a minute… Let me get this straight. What all this really comes down to is that I’m being evaluated by the FBI for a friggin’ job?”
Jante simply stared back at me without offering a reply.
I sighed. “This is nuts.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because for one thing I already have a job.”
“Your software consulting firm.”
“Yes.”
“Business hasn’t been all that brisk lately, has it?”
“Business has been fine.”
“Yet your income has dropped off.”
“And you know this how?” I asked.
“That’s confidential.”
“Yeah. Figures. Well, I have plenty of consulting work to keep me busy, thank you.”
“But somehow you’re still free to spend an excessive amount of time helping the Major Case Squad in Saint Louis with their investigations? That can’t be good for business.”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t say excessive.”
“I would,” she replied. “Especially for someone with plenty of consulting work to keep him busy.”
“I guess it all depends on your definition of the word ‘excessive,’” I told her. “Besides, I only get involved when I don’t really have any choice.”
“You always have a choice, Mister Gant.”
“Yeah, well try telling that to a pissed off spirit of a murder victim. When they find someone on this side of the veil who can actually hear them, they tend to latch on and not take no for an answer.”
“I will have to take your word for that.”
“I’ve got scars to prove it,” I spat.
“So I’ve read,” she replied.
“Is that it?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean is that it? This whole FBI headhunter, recruit the Witch thing… That’s what was so top secret that everyone had to leave the room?”
“There are circumstances that dictate extreme discretion where this is concerned.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I said, unconvinced. “So, here’s a question. Why do you have me talking to Annalise? You already have your case against her. Wouldn’t it be a better test of my potential,” I made quotes in the air with my fingers to offset the word, “to see what I can do with an unknown?”
She nodded. “Yes, but the mutual fixation between Devereaux and you is one of the things that has us curious.”
“About what?”
“Why the fixation, of course.”
“If I’m remembering my freshman psych class properly, it’s not all that unusual for sociopaths to fixate on objects, or people they objectify, especially if they are afflicted with a paraphilia like she is,” I said. “But I’m not telling you anything new, am I?”
“Of course. That, however, doesn’t explain your fixation with her, unless, of course, you are a sociopath as well.”
“Maybe I am.”
“I think we both know better than that, Mister Gant.”
“Well, I would think it’s pretty obvious, especially to a psychologist. She tried to kill my wife and me both.”
“A logical consideration,” she agreed. “But, no. Not in this case. There’s something more. When we first met in Saint Louis, you told me you needed to make Miranda go away.”
I huffed out an exasperated breath and massaged my forehead for a moment. The headache had settled somewhat but was still more than enough to make me wish I’d stayed home. Finally I said, “Yes. I did. So are we switching gears? Is that what this is about now?”
She nodded. “Partly. It is obvious that your belief in the Miranda personality being some sort of malevolent spirit is what has compelled you thus far. And, moreover, why you are here now.”
“I’ve never kept that a secret, but by the same token I’ve never expected anyone to understand it. If you did you’d know Miranda is exactly what I say she is. Besides, that doesn’t answer my question. What I personally believe doesn’t explain why you are so intent on me going back in there and talking to her. What more do you think you’re going to learn?”
“Actually, Mister Gant, that’s what we were hoping you were going to tell us.”
“Well then, we’re both screwed,” I replied. “Because in case you missed it, right now Miranda is the one with all the answers, not me. And, she’s in no big hurry to hand them over.”
“…So, there you have it. Apparently I’m in the process of being recruited by the FBI,” I said while dipping the end of a wedge-shaped French fry into a puddle of catsup on the edge of my plate. “What I really don’t get is why all the cloak and dagger about it.”
“Good question,” Constance replied while attacking her much healthier lunch selection with a fork.
“And why was Jante so worried about anyone else knowing?”
“Actually, that’s easier to answer. It’s probably a by-product of the overall secrecy. Like you said to her back at the office, she’s covering her ass. And, she’s doing so because she and whoever else is involved in this are violating bureau protocols left and right. She might even be covering for someone higher up the food chain. It’s hard to say. In any case, she probably didn’t want anyone who would realize this is all out of bounds to be a witness to what she was saying.”
“It’s that big a deal, huh?”
She shrugged. “It really depends. The fact that she mentioned your business being slow tells me you’re being looked at pretty hard. That information may well have come from the prior criminal investigation when Felicity was confused with Annalise, but it shouldn’t be applied here. Technically, it still equates to an unauthorized background check.”
“Which isn’t good, I take it?”
“No, it’s not. It isn’t the end of the world, but it would most likely be enough to get her censured. Although, I really doubt much more would come of it than that, unless it could be proven that your constitutional rights had been willfully and intentionally violated and that you had suffered harm because of it. Other than that, it could definitely open the FBI up to a lawsuit.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I do feel pretty manipulated though.”
“I can understand that,” she agreed. “And speaking of being used, just so you know, I came pretty close to violating your rights myself, and you would have had bruises to prove it.”
