Page 17 of Liberating Mia
Mary-Beth paled at his words. “Leaking information, sir?”
“Yeah. Hard as it is to believe, we have a mole in the department. And if it continues to go unchecked, we’re going to have a massive problem on our hands.” She swallowed audibly but never said another word. Seemed to be waiting for him to continue. “Have you perhaps heard anything around the office recently? Anybody said anything of any importance I should be aware of?”
She shook her head. “No, Mr. Keon. I’ve not heard anything. Do you perhaps know who the information is being leaked to?”
Larry wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he detected a slight crack in her voice as she answered him. “I’ve been led to believe it’s someone in another agency – an agency that’s been called on to assist with the international task force. If that’s the case, they’re in a strong position to undermine the entire operation and possibly even collapse the case.”
Long seconds ticked by in silence as Larry waited for Mary-Beth to respond. When she remained silent, he heaved a sigh. Time to end it.
“Mary-Beth, I’m going to give you one chance, and one chance only.”
He hadn’t thought it possible, but she paled farther. Her pallor now resembling wax, she stared at him in wide-eyed horror. “One chance– Sir, I’m not sure I—” Abruptly she cut the words off. Her body sagged in defeat and tears welled in her eyes before she hung her head.
Jesus, this was going to be harder than he’d thought. Once again, a silence stretched. Uncomfortable. Telling. Just as he was about to break it, she straightened in her seat. Her posture rigid, she took a deep breath. A look almost of relief crossed her face. The tears trembled on her lower lashes, but they didn’t fall.
“You know,” she said, certainty strong in her voice. “That’s why you’re here, in person.” This time the crack in her voice was clear.
“I needed to hear it.”
She nodded. “Only fair, I guess.” She clasped her hands together so tightly Larry was surprised the bones held up under the pressure. “What do you want to know?”
“The first thing that comes to mind is why? Why did you do it, Mary-Beth? Of all the people in this department, you would have been the last person I would have believed to be the leak.”
Again, she nodded, sighing deeply. “I turned out to be the stupid old cliché, I’m afraid, sir. I was lonely. By the time I realized I’d been played, I was in too deep.”
“When did it start?”
“Around the time you first went to see Senator Forrester.”
“How?”
“How, sir?”
“How were you approached?”
“Oh. Yes. Well, I was meeting a friend for drinks, and he came up to me at the bar, while I was waiting for her to arrive. Offered to buy me a drink. We hit it off – or at least I thought we had. We swapped numbers. After that, the flowers started arriving, daily calls, dinner invitations.”
“Are you sleeping with him?” he asked baldly.
Twin spots of color appeared on her otherwise ashen face. “As I said previously, sir, I’m that tired old cliché.”
“Fuck it, Mary-Beth. I trusted you. You were the one person I was supposed to be able to count on,” he ground out.
That’s when the first tear fell. “Yes, sir. You were. I’ve failed you, and you will never know how deep that cuts. To know that not only have I failed you and this department, but my country too. But the thing I regret the most is that you vested that trust in me, and I let you down. That’s the one that scores the deepest. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I do want you to know that I’m sorry.”
The tears ran faster now. Never one to handle a woman’s tears well, Larry shifted uncomfortably. “Unfortunately, the consequences of this clusterfuck are out of my hands. I have, however, spoken with James Preston, and he’s willing to offer you a deal in return for your help.”
“Thank you, sir. Thank you. After everything I’ve done …” Her words failed as she finally broke down.
Larry left his office in search of a tissue for Mary-Beth. He also needed a moment away from the raw emotion that poured from his secretary. Tissues in hand, he returned, passing them to her before taking a seat in the chair next to hers. Giving her some time to collect herself, he contemplated his next words.
When finally she calmed, Mary-Beth turned to Larry. Her makeup now ruined, the usually efficient and equable woman resembled a panda. It might almost have been funny if the situation hadn’t been such a serious one.
In a voice almost too soft to hear, she asked, “I know I can never undo the enormous damage I’ve caused, but what can I do to start making amends?”
Resting his elbows on his knees, Larry leaned forward. “Here’s what I had in mind,” he said before laying out his strategy for using the leak to his advantage.
Chapter Thirteen
