Page 1 of Jep

Chapter 1

The lights clinkedand popped as they blinked to life, filling the cold hallway with a jaundiced glow.

Emery hurried down the corridor, hugging the painfully small pile of files to her chest. She had hoped for more evidence. Unless her prayers were answered, these wouldn’t be enough.

The fluorescent bulbs continued to light her way at intervals until she reached the exit and climbed out of the archival dungeon that had imprisoned her for the last four hours.

Back in the office, she held her breath as she crossed the nearly empty bullpen to her supervisor’s room where she found the door slightly ajar. Clearing her throat, she waited at the threshold.

Sylvia Gardener, whose tight bun emphasized the shape of her square face, looked over the rim of her glasses and smiled. Or it could have been a grimace. Her fingers hovered above thekeyboard, unwilling to give up on the email she was writing until she knew the nature of the disruption.

“Is there something I can do for you, Miss Chapman?” Gardener said.

Emery hesitated before taking a step inside. She was always hesitating. As it was, she should have brought the files to Gardener days ago. Now, it might be too late.

“It’s about the mission,” Emery said.

Gardener relinquished the keyboard, dropping her hands into her lap. “You mean the one the task force is executing as we speak?”

“Yes.” Em looked down at her files and almost bit her lip but knew it would look unprofessional.

“Did you have something you wanted to show me?” Gardener said, impatience edging her question.

“If you have time.”

“I don’t, but you’ve obviously gone through a lot of trouble.” Gardener held out her hand and took possession of the files. “You may as well sit.”

Emery did but remained perched on the edge of the chair. “I had some concerns.”

“Concerns?”

“Yes.”

“About the mission that is in progress as we speak?”

Gardener always made Em repeat herself when she was irritated—as if hoping Em would catch on without an explanation being required. “And you didn’t feel like sharing them before now?”

“I should have. But it was more of a gut feeling, so I talked myself out of it.”

“What made you talk yourself back into it?” The look that Gardener gave her over her glasses was more of a glare this time.

“I couldn’t get it off my mind. I know it’s almost too late, but I had to try.”

“I hope your interruption means you have more than discomfort to base your concerns on.”

Em gave her an apologetic smile. “I hope so too.”

Gardener flipped through the first folder. “This is the Bashar file?” She glanced across the first page, then turned several and read for a minute.

“Yes. And Darwish and Bilal. And a few more from before my time here. I couldn’t find as much as I’d expected. I, uh…” She almost apologized for wasting Gardener’s time and excused herself. “I thought I remembered there being more.”

Gardener reached across her desk and picked up a large Hanuman statue she’d brought back from a recent trip to Cambodia. It was poised and ready to strike. She placed it on top of the files, holding them in place.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you,” Gardener said. “Because from where I’m sitting, there’s nothing to constitute any concern beyond a danger level all of those agents are accustomed to and trained for.”

“It’s not their training I’m worried about. It’s the information we received and how it came about. The way the other ops were handled.”

“If you have a problem with the team?—”

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