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“I missed you by a few minutes in Florida and jumped on the corporate jet.”

“Why?”

“Can I come in?”

He stepped back and let her pass. She had on jeans and a dark green sweater and low-heeled leather boots. Her hair was down around her shoulders, making her look younger, but she appeared anxious, at least to Decker.

“How did you know where I lived?”

“I called in a favor at the Bureau, I hope you don’t mind.”

“No. You want a beer?”

She hesitated and then said, “Sure.”

They sat in the small living room. As she looked around at the modest space he said, “Not exactly what you’re used to, I know, but if you stand at the corner of that window and lean to the left you get a pretty good view of the Anacostia River.”

She sipped her beer. “This is fine. I didn’t always live where I do now.”

“So, what can I do for you?”

“First, I wanted to thank you personally for finding out what happened to my father.”

“I’m sorry it couldn’t have been better news.”

“It’s closure. That’s far more than what I had.”

“You could have just called or emailed, you know. You’re a busy CEO.”

“In many ways my father was the most important person in my life. So I wanted to do this face-to-face.”

“I can understand that.”

“I also realized that the man I had placed on a very high pedestal all my life was a human being, with the flaws and faults we all have.”

“Some more than others.”

“And in addition to finding out what happened to my father, you taught me a lot about him, far more than I knew before.”

Decker glanced over at the trash can, which held the torn-up letter from the Cognitive Institute. “We all keep things hidden, Kasimira, all of us.”

“That certainly applies to me,” she said, her gaze downcast. “As you know.”

“That doesn’t make you any less of a person, it just makes you more of a human being. I’ve never met a perfect person in my life, nor would I ever want to.”

“I know that. Now. Also thanks to you.”

“I think you would have figured it out, with or without me.”

“And then there’s the other reason I flew up here.”

“Oh yeah, what was that?”

She glanced up and smiled. “Would you like a job with Gamma? I know you are not an office person, but how about running our field investigation division? I think you would be a wonderful addition to the Gamma family, and I would consider it an honor to work alongside you.”

“That’s a great offer and I really appreciate it.”

Her smile weakened a bit. “But?”


Tags: David Baldacci Amos Decker Thriller