Spider by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Publishing
Published: 2009-06-04T22:00:00+00:00

41

FBI Field Office, New York

Howie Baumguard and his new partner, Angelita Fernandez, sat in the conference room waiting for the IT guy to fix the video link to Rome. Howie had brought along a cappuccino with a dense topping of chocolate.

‘You going to share that?’ asked Fernandez, a slightly chubby 39-year-old with shoulder-length dark hair that Howie noticed she sometimes pulled back and pinned up in a bagel-shaped plait.

‘You mean I should have got you one?’ he asked, almost regretting making Fernandez the first recruit to his BRK task force.

‘Would have been nice,’ she teased. ‘It’s okay though, I can improvise.’ She wandered away from the conference table and came back with two plastic cups from the water cooler. She popped one inside the other, grabbed Howie’s cappuccino and tipped herself a share. ‘Thanks,’ she said, sliding back his cup.

‘Man, how I hate shy women. When are you girls going to get your shit together and start sticking up for yourselves?’ he asked wryly.

‘Got a picture,’ announced the IT guy.

All eyes flicked to the pull-down screen at the front of the room. Jack appeared, sitting next to Massimo Albonetti, chatting intently about something that was so far still inaudible.

‘Good-looking guy,’ said Fernandez. ‘Wouldn’t mind sharing some of that too.’

‘What? You like little bald Italians?’ asked Howie.

‘Not what I meant,’ said Fernandez, ‘but now you mention it, yeah, I think there are some I could give some bed space to.’

Howie smiled at her. Fernandez was eighteen months out from a painful divorce. By painful, it should be made clear that it was far more painful for her ex than for her. She’d returned home after a fourteen-hour shift to find him naked in their bed with a neighbouring housewife. After kicking the floozy’s skinny butt all the way down the stairs and out on to the porch, she’d almost pounded her ex unconscious with her bare hands.

‘Got sound,’ announced the IT man. In fact, not only had the tech got sound, but it came through so loud, it almost tore the FBI agents’ heads off.

‘Down! Turn the friggin’ thing down!’ shouted Howie, jabbing fingers in his ears.

‘Greetings from beautiful Rome,’ announced Jack at the level of a jet plane taking off.

‘Ciao!’ said Massimo, who then turned to someone off-screen, covered his hand with his mouth and said something in Italian.

‘We can’t see you yet,’ explained Jack. ‘Massimo’s just giving one of their IT whiz-kids a tough time. Are you on your own, Howie?’

‘No,’ replied the FBI man. ‘I’m here with Special Agent Angelita Fernandez. She joined the task force yesterday.’

‘Hi there, Mr King. Pleased to be working with you,’ said Fernandez respectfully.

‘Now we see you,’ announced Massimo. ‘I am sorry, Italian telecommunications have not been the same since Marconi died.’

They all laughed politely and waited for the rooms in Rome and New York to clear of geeks before they got down to business.

Jack stayed silent and let Massimo run the show.

‘I want to discuss several major things during this video conference call,’ he said, looking down at a checklist.

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