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“Who isus, Sadie?”
“The task force. We expected the infiltration to take far longer.”
“To what does the task force attribute this unexpected success?”
Silence.
“Sadie?”
“He ... Eduardo became attached to me far more quickly than expected. I reminded him of his late wife. That was why my commander fought so hard to keep me on the task force. I was the perfect bait.”
“I see. Did you go home with Eduardo? To this compound in Mexico?”
“Yes.”
“How did you get there?”
“He had a plane waiting at the airfield, and that was it. I mean, I was in, and a lot of things could’ve gone wrong. If I was caught ... I couldn’t let that happen.” Her respiration audibly accelerates.
“Slow your breathing, Sadie. Relax. You’re safe. You’re happy. Tell me what happened after you landed in Mexico.”
“We drove to the compound. His father wasn’t happy that Eddie—Eduardo brought me. He was suspicious. Nothing I hadn’t expected. I was prepared for his suspicions. I walked right up to him and hugged him. I told him how nice it was to meet him. My actions surprised him. He wasn’t sure what to make of me.”
“What did this compound look like?”
“Very large, which we knew. Grand. Countless acres surrounded it. Armed guards were everywhere. Along the outside of the perimeter wall there were a dozen different kinds of booby traps. Those guys weren’t playing.”
“Who else did you meet, Sadie?”
“Eddie’s daughter, Isabella. She was maybe eight or nine. This was new information. No one was aware he had a child until then. There was a wife who died but never any intelligence about children. Eddie eventually told me that he kept his child’s existence a secret to prevent her being abducted and used against him. I was surprised he’d been able to maintain the secret so well. I figured she’d been homeschooled. She probably was never allowed off the compound.”
“Did his little girl like you, or was she shy?”
“She liked me. That first day she took my hand and led me to the dining room to sit next to her at dinner. I’m not very good with kids, but she didn’t appear to notice.”
“How are you feeling, Sadie? You don’t seem nervous about being at the compound.”
“We drank champagne on the flight. He wanted to celebrate. So I was chill.”
“What was he celebrating?”
“I don’t know for sure. Maybe some big deal.”
“Did you meet any other relevant players during the meal?”
“There was only Carlos, the little girl, Eddie, and me. Besides the staff, of course. There were people running about, serving the food. Keeping the glasses filled.” Sadie pauses as if examining some memory in particular. “It was a little awkward because the kid kept watching me so closely. I guess she was curious.”
“What happened after the meal, Sadie?”
“We had a drink with his father. Then Eddie took me to his room to wait while he tucked Isabella into bed.”
Sounds of leather squeaking. Fabric brushing.
“You’re growing agitated, Sadie. Did being in his room make you nervous? Remember, you’re only viewing a memory. You’re not actually there; you’re here, in my office with me.”
“No, I wasn’t nervous. I had slept with him before.”
“Then why do you feel ill at ease at this juncture in the memory?”
