Catacombs by Mary Anna Evans

Author:Mary Anna Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2019-07-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Faye was pretty sure that civilians weren’t supposed to stand around and watch FBI agents have breakdowns that could involve spilling the bureau’s secrets. She rose to leave.

Ahua was so upset that he kept talking like she wasn’t even there. A command center full of agents bent over their computers and pretended to be deaf.

“I don’t understand why you’d tell Stacy anything, Liu. You just met her.”

Soft-spoken Ahua had turned up the volume a few decibels. Now Faye really needed to get out of there, except the two arguing agents stood between her and the door. The command center was impressively outfitted with state-of-the art technological doodads, and it was filled with a formidable staff of bureau personnel who all looked like they wished they could be anywhere else. Nevertheless, the command center was still nothing more than a gloriously repurposed semi, and it was crowded.

Faye was hemmed in on all sides by equipment and by people who didn’t want to be where they were. Her only option was to lean over a random computer display and stare at it as if it were utterly fascinating.

“No, that’s not true,” Liu said. “I didn’t just meet Stacy. I’ve known her for a long time. I didn’t say so, because I didn’t think it was pertinent to the investigation. Remember how I told you that the Chinese community in Oklahoma City is really small? Well, it’s really tight, too. Our parents know each other. We go to the same churches. We shop at the same stores. Our mothers send us to the supermarket to buy oxtail, because they think maybe we might want to marry the nice-looking butcher.”

Ahua’s voice was gentle. “How did your mother feel about you choosing to be an FBI agent instead of marrying the butcher?”

“She got over it. But she would never have gotten over it if I’d married Stacy Wong.” She turned away from him and covered her face with her hands. Faye took the opportunity to slip past her and get a few steps closer to the door. At least now her back was to the FBI agent who was decompensating in full sight of her colleagues.

“Are you and Stacy dating, Liu?”

“Oh, no. No. I’ve had a crush on her since we were in high school, but she has no idea. Oh, hell. I should just say what I mean. I’ve loved Stacy since we were fifteen, but she has no idea. She says hello when she sees me. She asks about my family. I ask about hers. We say, ‘Gee, it’s been a long time since high school.’ That’s the extent of our relationship.”

“You said more than that to her yesterday.”

Liu squared her shoulders, took her hands away from her face, and turned to face Ahua. “I did. She asked me to have a cup of coffee after I got off work and I said yes. I knew what she wanted and I knew it would be hard not to give it to her. I went anyway.

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