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Chapter 9
I got settledin the hotel I’d reserved during my train ride and made a quick call home. It didn’t seem to have hit Mary Catherine yet that I was going to be gone for a while. I let her stay cheerful, and that put me in a good mood.
Just as we were ending the call, Mary Catherine said, “Michael.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Please be careful. I know you’re not technically on duty, but I worry about you every day. Not just the days you go to a job where people want to kill you.”
“I’m in the new DC,” I told Mary Catherine. Like most big cities, DC had its clearly delineated neighborhoods. The Capitol Hill area was next to up-and-coming Eastern Market and one of the ritziest areas in the city. “It’s like the new Times Square. Much more family friendly.”
What I didn’t mention was that the people who lived here rarely acknowledged disadvantaged neighborhoods like Brentwood or Anacostia. No one wanted visitors from the outside.
After riding in the cramped Prius, I didn’t mind waiting at the front of a Mediterranean restaurant on Eighth Street named Cava Mezze.
Roberta swept into the place like a tropical storm in a patterned pantsuit and pumps that drew her five-foot-ten, broad-shouldered frame to a commanding presence that topped six feet. A couple of people greeted her in the entryway and led us to our table.
Once seated, Roberta ordered a bottle of Montes Folly Syrah. I looked around the crowded restaurant and said, “This is a notch or two above the places I eat when I’m traveling solo.”
“Don’t sweat it. Dinner’s on me tonight.”
“I can’t let you treat. You’re doing me a favor.”
“Actually, you’re doing me a favor. As soon as I heard about a missing female FBI agent, I worried they wouldn’t have the right agent to look for her. You know that at any agency there’s always that one right investigator who can get shit done. Now, instead of me worrying, you show up. And I know you’re the right investigator.”
I was speechless at what had to be the biggest compliment she had ever given me. Maybe the biggest compliment she had ever given anyone.
Then Roberta said, “Besides, after my last divorce, and being at the top of the federal pay scale, I don’t even look at prices anymore. If I’d been smarter when I was younger, I would’ve married a plumber the first time instead of a mail carrier.”
We both laughed.
Roberta leaned in and said, “It’s a shame our jobs take such a toll on our families. Everyone talks about the divorce rate among cops, but they never look at why. Maybe because we spend so much time protecting everyone else’s family, it’s hard to focus on our own.”
“You may have been married a few times, but Joey is doing well at Howard, isn’t he?”
“He’s doing fine, and I’m happy he’s studying here in DC, though unless he’s got laundry or needs money, I don’t count on many visits.”
We caught up with family news for a few more minutes, then I had to get serious. “Have you been able to follow up on any of the rumors you’ve heard about Emily? I’m looking for any available leads.”
“According to my casual inquiries, she was definitely involved with the newest Supreme Court justice, Robert Steinberg. He’s only a little older than Emily. It looks like he might have known her since she started at the FBI. There’s just one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“He’s married.” She paused for effect. “To the daughter of Lom Wellmy.”
“The senator from New York?” I almost shouted in surprise.
“The very same. And it looks like Emily’s had some other high-profile lovers over the past couple of years.”
Emily and I were friends, but once it was clear we weren’t going to be romantically involved, I didn’t think it right to ask her any questions about her romantic life.
Roberta said, “The most important thing I was able to work out was finding you a decent FBI contact. He’s the lead agent on Emily’s disappearance, and he’s worked with her for the past year. His name is Bobby Patel. The only problem is, it might be a day or so before he can sit down with you. You’ll have a couple of thick files to occupy yourself. I know how antsy you get.”
“He’s okay being a liaison with someone not officially on the case?”
“I spoke to him face-to-face. He’ll benefit from experience like yours. But remember, this is a completely unofficial association. I said you wouldn’t cause too much trouble or talk to the media. I even told him there was a slight chance you might be helpful.”
That sounded more like the Roberta I knew. It also put me at ease.
