Page 5 of Girl, Unmasked (Ella Dark #28)

‘Change can be unsettling, but it’s an opportunity for growth.

The Bureau’s greatest strength isn’t its technology or its protocols, but its people.

You’re the men and women who dedicate their lives to justice, and for that the American people – myself included – are forever in your debt.

I’ve never forgotten why I was here, and that was to be a public servant.

That’s not going to change, and while William Edis built something great here, I believe we can expand on it and together, we can write the next chapter of the FBI’s legacy. Thank you.’

The conference room erupted in dutiful applause.

Ella clapped along, and she could see how Richard Vernon got the nickname Slick Rick.

He was polished to a high sheen, with a light build, jet black hair and a Mediterranean tan that would blind most people in the city.

He was a poster boy for what the FBI wanted to be, and he clearly knew how to put words in the right order.

He was the polar opposite of William Edis, who had been a rumpled bulldog of a man. Ella missed him dearly.

Around the room stood the Bureau’s top brass.

Nigel Byford – a man Ella had teamed with during Ripley’s absence last year – nodded along, but he looked equally as suspicious as Ripley.

Janet Turner from Cyber Crime finished her half-hearted clapping and then turned to David Hollinsworth from Organized Crime.

The usual suspects, all trying to gauge which way the wind was blowing.

‘Oh, and there’s champagne on the table,’ Vernon finished. That got a laugh, despite it not being funny in the slightest. He left his position at the head of the room and began mingling.

‘Power tie,’ Ripley muttered beside her. ‘Did you see his thumb?’

‘What about his thumb?’

‘It couldn’t decide if it was a thumb or an index with the way it was moving.’

‘Stop with the thumb stuff. A jittery thumb doesn’t mean someone’s lying.’

‘Yes it does.’

Ella had long ago realized that there was only ever one winner in a discussion about thumb-based psychology with Mia Ripley.

She’d written three books on the subject, one of which was mandatory reading for FBI recruits.

Luca had been forced to read through it last month, and he’d somehow devoured it in two nights.

‘Alright, maybe it does, but the guy’s nervous, and you really think he’s dumb enough to lie to a room full of special agents? ’

‘They don’t call me the human sniffer dog for nothing, Dark.’

‘Do they still call you that?’

Ripley grabbed a glass of champagne off the table. ‘Some people do. You want a champagne?’

‘It’s 9AM.’

‘It’s one unit. It won’t kill you.’

‘I’ll skip. I’m not drinking.’

The drink didn’t last long, because Ripley had apparently never met a unit of alcohol she couldn’t ingest in one gulp. ‘Not drinking? You’re not pregnant are you?’

‘Mia.’

‘Sorry, but that’s the main reason women don’t drink.’

‘No I’m not pregnant, nor do I have any intention of being.’

‘Pity. Maternity pay is pretty good here. I got nearly two years off when I had my son, but in fairness that was thirty years ago. Should we get out of here? I’ve got a mountain of paperwork to get through.’

Ella glanced over at Rick Vernon, who was making his way through the people one by one. He was locked in conversation with Nigel Byford, and both seemed to be eager to make an impression. From a distance, Rick Vernon didn’t seem like such a bad guy. ‘Should we talk to Vernon first?’

‘Pfft. How long’s it going to take?’

‘Well he’s talking to Byford.’

‘Then he’s going to be a while. Byford could talk the hind legs off a donkey.

Typical counter-terrorist.’ Ripley grabbed another glass of wine, apparently unaware that she’d started on white and had now moved to red.

Either that or she didn’t care. ‘Edis might have been a miserable bastard, but you knew where you stood with him. He called a spade a spade. He didn’t call a utility tool or anything stupid like that.

He wasn’t perfect by any means, but he respected everything you did, even if you screwed up. ’

Ripley devolved into babbling, and Ella looked beyond her and saw Vernon continue on his journey through the people. But then he locked eyes with Ella and his trajectory suddenly changed. He was heading in their direction.

She gave Ripley a warning nudge. ‘Incoming.’

Her partner was too far gone, however, lost in her monologue.

‘Why get a politician to do the job? You need someone who’s seen some action.

You can’t know how to handle people on the frontlines if you’ve never been on the damn frontlines yourself.

Edis had been with the police for thirty years before he even stepped into place, and that’s the kind of man you want at the top. ’

Vernon continued his descent upon them, as if drawn by Ripley’s bad-mouthing. He was ten feet away when Ella subtly kicked her partner in the foot. ‘Mia, shut up. Seriously.’

Another glass of champagne down, and Ripley continued, ‘It just baffles me that the people at the top are the people who’ve never been at the bottom. Look at every thriving workplace in America. The white collars are the old blue collars, so why is it different for the government?’

It was too late. Vernon was in earshot of Ripley’s spiel, and no doubt his ears were burning.

‘I don’t know about you, Dark, but to me this guy just seems like an assho-’

‘Speak of the devil and he’s sure to appear,’ Vernon said as he slipped between them. ‘Agents Dark and Ripley, is that right?’

Ripley’s mouth hung open for half a second – the only time Ella had ever seen her genuinely caught off-guard. The champagne glass stopped halfway to her lips. Ella felt her stomach drop somewhere into the vicinity of her shoes.

‘That’s right, sir,’ Ella said.

‘Please, don’t let me interrupt the review,’ he smiled at Ripley. ‘You were saying?’

Ripley lowered her glass and straightened slightly, apparently deciding that if she was going down, she'd go down swinging. ‘Forgive me for speaking so abruptly, but I was about to accuse you of being an asshole.’

Ella took a step back in the hopes that physical distance might reflect her disagreement with Ripley on this issue.

Pop psychology said you formulated your opinion of someone within the first ten seconds of meeting them, and for once, pop psychology was right.

She hadn’t gotten bad vibes from Vernon, and hopefully, Ripley was just being her facetious self.

To Ella’s shock, Vernon just laughed. ‘Well, my wife would agree with you for one. And you know what? I like people who speak their mind, and I’ve heard that you do just that.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Yes. Edis told me everything about you.’

‘I hope not.’

‘He did, and I might not have your background, but I’ve learned that the best leaders surround themselves with people who know more than they do. Was retirement not all it was cracked up to be?’

Good deflection, Ella thought. Vernon had taken Ripley’s criticism and turned it into a compliment for both of them.

‘Something like that. My family came first.’

‘And I love that. I imagine it must be challenging, coming back to a changing Bureau. All those years of experience, and suddenly everything’s different.’

‘Experience adapts,’ Ripley said. ‘That's why experience is valuable.’

Ella felt the temperature drop about ten degrees. Around them, conversations continued, but she caught people glancing their way. She was sure a few of them moved closer to eavesdrop. Really, she couldn’t blame them.

He spun to Ella and gave her a wicked smile. ‘Agent Ella Dark. Edis sang your praises too, and I personally know of you, as it happens. Last year I handled the prosecution in the Ramsey Coolidge case. You know it?’

‘The Gemini Killer.’

‘Correct. We utilized some of your testimonies to secure a life sentence. I checked your resume and it’s mightily impressive. I understand you prefer working alone?’

‘I work with Ripley.’

‘When she lets you.’ Vernon's eyes crinkled. ‘I've read your files. Both of you. Impressive solve rates, unconventional methods. Also a notable number of incidents that should have been disciplinary actions but weren’t.’

‘We get results,’ Ripley said, apparently having recovered some of her equilibrium.

‘You do. Which is why I wanted to speak with you both.’ Vernon glanced around the room, then leaned in slightly. ‘Could I see you in my office in ten minutes?’

‘Your office?’ Ella asked.

‘Edis’s office. My office. Forgive me, I’ve only been on the job for an hour.’

‘If you insist,’ Ripley said.

Vernon started to turn away, then paused.

‘Oh, and Agent Ripley? You're right about white collar and blue collar. My father worked construction for forty years. Put me through law school laying pipe in hundred-degree heat, and I helped him out every weekend. So maybe I understand the bottom better than you think.’

He moved away before either of them could respond, gliding through the crowd toward Janet Turner from Cyber Crime. Ella and Ripley watched him go then regarded each other.

‘That could have gone worse,’ Ripley said.

‘Could it?’

‘I could have punched him.’

‘Mia, he seems… fine. I don’t know what your problem is.’

Ripley shook her head and sighed through her nose. ‘Dark, you know what I’ve realized? You've got a blind spot when it comes to pretty boys. I’ve always thought this.’

‘What? Are you saying I’m a whore?’

‘God no. You’re a million miles from that, but you see a pretty face and you bend over backwards.’

‘So… a whore.’

‘You know what I mean.’

Ripley’s comments rarely got under her skin, but this one definitely penetrated the surface.

‘First of all, I’ve had four boyfriends in my whole life.

That’s one every four years since I turned sixteen.

Secondly, I think you just don’t like Vernon for some reason and you’re trying to justify why I might not agree with you.

’ Ella stuck her thumb in her partner’s face.

‘See that? Is my thumb jittering? Am I lying?’

Ripley slapped her thumb away. ‘Whatever. Come on, let’s head upstairs and see what this douchebag wants with us. I guarantee you it’s not going to be good.’