be a long time before he achieves the polish Rodolfo has, if ever. He’s not pressing charges for tripping in the street and accepting my assistance because that would make him lose face more than he has already,” Cain said with a shrug, as if it should’ve been obvious. “Hispanic men don’t take kindly to having a woman beat the shit out of them.”
“And us just fishing?” Claire Lansing asked.
“That’s the easiest one of all, Agent Lansing.” Cain chuckled like she always did at their shocked expressions when she knew them by name. “If something goes wrong in the city, you guys throw your nets in my direction. You’re just fishing because that’s all you ever do. Call it the law of average behavior.”
“Don’t you mean the law of averages?” Shelby asked.
“Unlike you, I always say what I mean. There’s nothing new in your pattern, so your behavior is average, predictable, non-imaginative, and whatever other word you care to apply.”
“It must be a burden to always be right,” Claire said.
“The bigger burden would be to always be wrong.” Cain sat back and laughed. “But that’s only a guess. After all the training and money the government’s invested in people like you, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“It might be wise for you to listen to the part that says you have the right to remain silent,” Shelby said.
“You haven’t read me my rights, but you’re correct. Who am I to tell you how to do your job?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Comfortable?” Shelby asked Cain when she finally picked a seat that gave the folks behind the mirror a good view of her face.
Cain just stared, wondering what was bothering Shelby so much that she sounded pissed. “What are you hoping for here, Agent Daniels?” She drummed her fingers in an uneven beat that made Shelby glare at her hand.
“It’s Agent Philips, Ms. Casey. I know how much you pride yourself on getting our names right,” Shelby said, her voice lower than before and her face paler.
Cain whispered right into her ear, after jumping up quickly and grabbing her head, “Tell them to turn off the built-in sound system until my attorney arrives or, trust me, it’s going to be entertaining for me and interesting for them.” Joe Simmons magically appeared at the door, gripping the frame.
“Shelby?” he asked when Shelby looked straight at him but didn’t try to move away from Cain.
“It’s okay. Tell them to turn off the equipment until Ms. Casey’s attorney gets here.” She pointed at him and in a serious voice repeated, “I mean it, Joe, turn it off.”
Cain straightened up and laughed. She knew better than to believe Simmons would stop the tape. “Are we alone now, Agent?” Shelby stared at her but stayed quiet. “Is it safe for us to share all our dirty little secrets?”
Shelby barely shook her head. She saw it, but doubted anyone else looking in would. Of course it wasn’t safe. And one word from Cain about the night she’d first met Shelby and convinced Vincent to spare her life, and Shelby could lose all she’d worked for. Her fear was written all over her face. Shelby Daniels was the name she had given Cain on that flight when she agreed to lie in exchange for her life.
“It doesn’t matter, though, does it, that I have nothing to say. That I’ve done nothing to warrant you dragging me away in front of my partner and my children like a common thug simply because you can.”
Cain moved closer again and lowered her voice. “Power is intoxicating, Agent, but like anything else, too much of a good thing isn’t healthy. You wield it indiscriminately, and I’ll show you how it’s done. I’d love nothing better than to teach you all how to take away little by little everything that’s important to the lot of you. I’ll talk, and you know the Irish, we can weave a tale, we can. Do we understand each other, Agent Daniels?” Cain’s lips were so close to Shelby’s ear she could smell her perfume.
“Perfectly.”
“Good. Then to answer your question, I’m comfortable.” It was the last thing she said until Joe walked in with Muriel.
“Why is my client here?” Muriel said. She sat next to Cain and crossed her legs. When Shelby and Joe stayed quiet she snapped her fingers. “Now would be a great time to answer.”
“Your client assaulted a gentleman on the street. We brought her in for questioning in that matter and about a few other topics.”
Cain smiled and shrugged when Muriel glanced at her. “Let them tell us what I’ve done now, Muriel. It’ll probably save time.”
“Let’s start with your altercation with Mr. Luis this afternoon,” Joe said.
Cain leaned back in her chair. “Did he press charges or define it like that?”
“He didn’t have much to say on the subject, but after more conversations he may change his mind,” Joe said, his hand resting on another file. “There
“Would it create more tension if you played dramatic music?” Cain asked, making Muriel snort.
Shelby bristled. “This isn’t funny, Ms. Casey.”
“You’re right, this is serious business. Go on, Agent Simmons, let’s hear it.”
“Agent Barney Kyle was murdered last night.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cain said, never losing eye contact. She laughed when he leaned forward. “Don’t look so eager. I do know how to read. That was the headline story in this morning’s paper.”
“You visited Agent Kyle yesterday in jail,” Shelby said.
