AntiAmerica by T. K. Falco

Author:T. K. Falco [Falco, T. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781970085013
Publisher: Regalia Press
Published: 2018-12-04T06:00:00+00:00

11

Pretexting

Heavy traffic on the street in front of the café. Early morning rush hour. Alanna yawned after stopping along the sidewalk in front of the café meeting spot. After a lengthy commiseration with Javier over Paul’s suicide, a couple of hours’ sleep was all she managed. Her iPhone display read 7:05 a.m. According to the hours posted on the door, the place had just opened.

Arriving early allowed her to identify the make and model of the vehicle Ethan was driving. She didn’t want to assume he would be driving a fed car and wind up guessing wrong. As it happened, a black Ford sedan matching the FCCU cars she had seen was slowing in the opposite lane. She typed the vehicle info into her burner cell as it was parking in the open lot across the street. She held off on sending the text until she witnessed the driver’s face.

A woman exited the vehicle. Agent McBride. Alanna slipped inside the café before the FCCU agent spotted her. The plan was off to a bad start—anything unexpected made her nervous. They could still pull it off—the change wouldn’t affect Javier’s work. All that mattered was a federal agent attached to his case was here. She hurriedly typed the vehicle info then sent the text.

She tilted her head to loosen her stiff neck while waiting for Agent McBride by the door. The fact she arrived for the meeting instead of Ethan didn’t automatically mean the feds were leery. She shouldn’t drive herself crazy worrying about what was on their minds. No matter what was happening outside, her job inside the café remained the same.

She peeked around the café. More crowded than last time. Three baristas were working the cash register and coffee machines behind the counter. Two middle-aged men and a woman were in line. A young guy in a suit was sitting at a table alone. People ordering breakfast on their way to work. She peered through the glass door at Agent McBride when she approached the entrance.

Alanna flashed her one of her fake smiles. “I was supposed to meet Agent Palmer.”

Agent McBride’s demeanor remained flat as she chewed the gum in her mouth. “You got me instead. He’s investigating the Paul Haynes death. You heard the news about him?”

“A friend told me.”

She nodded then took a few steps toward the tables. When she turned and noticed Alanna getting in line, she scowled. “What are you doing?”

“Getting something to eat. I’m hungry.”

“Then order me a medium caramel latte while I get us a table.”

Alanna rolled her eyes then watched as Agent McBride seated herself in the same secluded table in the far corner. She wasn’t really hungry. The food was meant to help pass the time. She wasn’t relishing the idea of being stuck alone with her. While Alanna preferred Agent McBride as her victim over Ethan, she was wary about her taunts getting under her skin.

At the counter she ordered two coffee drinks and a blueberry muffin. She glanced out the window while the barista collected her food from behind the glass display case.

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