Page 11 of Jep

“Then you agree that your earlier concerns were subjective and merely coincidence in connection to the unfolding situation?”

What could she say? “Yes.”

“And you believe you can rise above your feelings and sensitivities and bring a higher level of professionalism to your role?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then I trust this is the last time we need to speak about it. Now, we have a lot of work to do. We’ve lost good agents, and we have to help the others find out why. Can I count on you to do that?”

Em nodded.

“You’re dismissed.”

Emery left Gardener’s office and went straight to the bathroom. She’d convinced herself that God had more for her to do in this role than manage information. But even if she had a gift for interpreting details and following God’s leading, she’d misread the situation badly. Or maybe Gardener was right, maybe Em had let the fear get to her, and it had steered her into a position she couldn’t get out of without humiliating herself.

Staring at herself in the mirror only increased her anxiety, so she splashed water on her face. None of it mattered anymore. She’d tried and failed. Her job was to sift through information and organize it. That was all. She could encourage a friend at church or let God guide her in personal matters, but from nowon, it would stay out of the office if she wanted to keep a job she loved. It was a hard lesson to learn, but she’d absorb it quickly. She wanted to be fully available to do her job to the best of her ability.

After ripping a paper towel from the dispenser, she blotted her face, then risked another look in the mirror. She was a little blotchy, but they all had more important things on their minds than her complexion, so she tugged her blouse to straighten it and headed back to her desk.

The bullpen was quiet when she returned. There were a few murmurs, but everyone’s attention was directed to where Assistant Director Lawson was standing beside the deputy director.

Lawson stepped forward. “Thank you for your attention. I’m sorry to interrupt when you’re so busy with important matters, but Deputy Director Truman would like to say a few words.”

There had been an ongoing feud between Truman and Lawson but only speculation as to what it stemmed from. This was the first time since Emery had started working with the task force that Truman had visited them.

“Thank you,” Truman said before clearing his throat. “I know your time is valuable, so I will keep this short. I would first like to offer you my sincere condolences, as I know you’ve lost not just colleagues but friends. The agency is poorer for it. But I’d like you all to know that finding who is responsible and how it happened in the first place is our first priority. We are putting our full weight behind this. I thank you all for your hard work, and I know you will all do everything in your power to uncover the answers we need. In saying that, however, as of the end of the week, we will be disbanding this task force.”

Murmurs rose, and Emery’s heart sank, but it was Lawson who drew the most attention by the shocked look on his face. It was news to him.

Truman continued. “You will be given your new assignments over the next several days, and, unfortunately, that means some of you will be unable to continue with this investigation. However, we will endeavor to keep you in the loop until it is resolved.”

“Sir,” Lawson said. His face had turned reddish-purple, but he kept his voice even. “Can we have a word?”

Truman kept his focus on the crowd. “This shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone here, and I would expect it to be a welcome change for most of you. You are now severely short-staffed, and over the past couple of years, your completion rates have fallen dramatically.”

“That’s because the group we’re up against is employing new tactics,” Lawson said. “We’ve been working nearly blindfolded. Operating on limited intel. From where I’m sitting, we’re doing well with what we have. We’re the best unit to continue this investigation.”

“I’m sorry to—” Truman tried to interject, but Lawson wouldn’t let him.

“We were always an experiment. One of our core goals was trying out new strategies. Looking for chinks in the armor of our enemy. We were given discretion because of that.”

Truman shook his head. “It was an experiment that worked at one time. It doesn’t anymore. I’m sorry to bring this to you all on such short notice, but making the changes now will mean less disruption into the future. I don’t make this decision lightly.”

“All we need is more time,” Lawson said. “We’re getting close. We’ve been successful in the past; we can be successful again.”

“You’ve had time. So unless you have a magic formula to turn back the clock, I’m afraid we’re finished here.”

“If I may.” Agent Pearce stepped forward. “Perhaps there is a way to go back in time and see if we can’t bring back the success we had.”

“What exactly do you mean?” Truman said.

“We’re short agents right now, but several years ago, when this task force was at peak performance, we had one who was excellent. A real standout. He did the job of four men at least.”

Lawson scowled at Pearce, trying to stop him from continuing.

Em looked between the two men, wondering what was happening. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Who’s this agent?” Truman said.

---