C. Paradee - Deep Cover

She sighed inwardly. What the heck am I going to tell Shelby when I leave in the middle of the afternoon? But, she was between a rock and hard place - it was either go, or have them show up at the complex again, something Kris definitely did not want to risk.

After lunch, Kris accompanied Shelby back to the office, then said she had to leave for an hour and made an abrupt departure. The operative had been gone forty-five minutes when Shelby answered the ringing phone. She fleetingly wished it were Kris, even though she was due back any time, and grinned to herself as she picked it up. You are so hopeless.

"Hey Shelby. How ya doing? Dennis told me to call and let you know that you can come and pick up the file you guys requested on Jonathan Whiteman. Earl and his secretary had to attend a meeting outside the building, so they dropped it off here."

"Great, Joanne. I'll be right there." Shelby hung up the phone and wrote a quick note to Kris to let her know where she was in the event that her partner returned in her absence.

After retrieving the file, Shelby hurried back toward her office, anxious to see what was in it. As she rounded the corner into the hallway leading to her office, she stopped abruptly to avoid running into a tall, attractive man with dark hair.

"Sorry. Guess I should slow down." Having apologized, Shelby was puzzled by the odd way the stranger was looking at her. She could have sworn there was recognition in his eyes, but couldn't recall having seen him before.

Shelby glanced at his badge, but the name didn't spark any recognition, then shifted her gaze back to his face before spotting Kris approaching their office from the opposite end of the hall. The man was still standing directly in front of her, blocking her passage. "Um...excuse me," she said pointedly, anxious to join Kris and take a look at the file.

Michael never said a word. He merely moved around her and turned the corner, heading for his brother's office.

The warm smile on Shelby's face faded as she neared Kris. The operative was glaring down the hallway in full intimidation mode. Shelby quickly glanced behind her, but the corridor was empty. "What's wrong?"

"Who were you talking to?"

Shelby blanched at the cold, dangerous tone. "No one I know. I almost ran into him coming around the corner. Why?"

"Looks like someone I once worked with. Bad news all around. Just wondered if you knew him."

Shelby shook her head. "Nope, never saw him before. He did look at me kinda strange, like he knew me or something, but I didn't recognize his name."

"You saw his ID?"

"Yeah. His name's Michael Benton."

Taut with tension, Blue walked into the office with her blonde partner. So it was him. What is he doing here, now? Temporarily setting her concerns aside, Kris glanced at the file Shelby was carrying. "What have you got there?"

Shelby glanced at the forgotten folder in her hand. "Jonathan's file. Dennis' secretary called while you were gone."

"Let's take a look." She smiled for Shelby's benefit, but was trying to figure out why Michael just happened to be here at headquarters when she was, and also just happened to be in the same hallway as Shelby's office.

Kris pulled her chair over to Shelby's desk and sat down. She watched the analyst carefully as they began perusing the file. The operative could understand Shelby's desire to confront her stepfather, and respected her for it, but worried about it, too. Neither she nor Shelby thought his motives for contacting his stepdaughter again were nearly as altruistic as those Lisa had indicated.

The women read together. His file was unremarkable until he was charged with domestic violence. Kris read the abbreviated version of the trial transcript, taking special note of Shelby's testimony. Looking at the pictures of Lisa taken at the hospital, she winced. Aside from the apparent cuts and contusions, she had suffered three broken ribs.

She glanced at Shelby out of the corner of her eye, seeing anger and pain reflected on her face. She wondered if it had been a good idea to disclose that she had requested the file, but quickly discarded the notion. "You okay?"

"Yeah. This just reminds me how important it is to get Mom to see the light. He's such a bastard!"

"I hear you." Kris had little patience for women like Lisa, who not only subjected themselves to repeated abuse, but allowed their children to be victimized as well. However, she had no tolerance for brutes like Jonathan, male or female.

Shelby turned her attention back to the file, taking comfort in Kris' presence at her side. After the trial, Jonathan had moved to Maryland and had resided in a trailer park there. He had met all the requirements of his probation, including completing six sessions with a psychologist.

She noted he'd been working at a service station for the previous six months. That was a far cry from his previous job as a bailiff at the county courthouse. Prior to his current job, after his conviction, he had worked at two other service stations, as a cook in a local burger joint, and as a parking garage attendant. His probation officer had documented his complaints of the prejudice he was encountering because of the felony conviction.

"That note doesn't make me feel any better. And from the looks of it, he hasn't been able to get any kind of decent work, not that I care."

"He brought it on himself."

Shelby sighed. "Yeah, but I know he still blames me for losing his job. He always had such a superiority complex. Working at gas stations must be a real insult to him."

"Do you care?"

"Not really. I still wish I knew why he was at the apartment the other night."

The operative didn't bother answering. She intended to find out one way or another. If Shelby's visit to her stepfather didn't yield satisfactory answers, she would pay him a return visit and convince the bastard that Shelby didn't exist in his world.

Kris studied the picture included in the file, committing it to memory. It was a mug shot, but it didn't diminish the obvious attractiveness of the man staring at the camera. He had dark hair, blue eyes, was 6'1" and weighed 220. After Shelby jotted down his address and phone number, Kris closed the file and rose from her chair. "I'll return it."

Shelby watched her partner leave. She always seemed to be working several angles at once. She's been acting distant ever since she saw that guy in the hallway. Wonder what that was all about?

The operative ignored Shelby's questioning look as she left the office. She wanted to pay Earl a visit and find out if he knew what Michael was doing at headquarters. Her mission proved unsuccessful when she discovered her boss and his secretary were both out of the office until the next day.

She returned the file to Dennis' secretary, Joanne, and began making her way back to the office, before suddenly detouring to the canteen to pick up coffee for both of them.

Kris stood in front of the counter after she'd placed her order, automatically scanning the occupants of the room. Her eyes traveled quickly past employees sitting at small tables along the wall, before focusing on the table farthest from the door. Michael was sitting with his back to her, talking to a short, attractive woman who had eyes only for her table partner. She took the two coffees and left unobserved.

Walking down the hall, her thoughts drifted back to the last time she'd seen Michael and her jaw tightened as the memories came flooding back.

After three months of painstakingly laying the groundwork, they had finally been given the go-ahead to bring in the Iranian agent who had requested political asylum. Her higher ups had delayed the decision, wanting to make absolutely certain that the foreign spy was not merely a plant to disseminate disinformation.