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She shook her head in disbelief."I would not have guessed that.How did you go from finance to FBI?"
He didn't answer right away as the kettle whistled.Instead, he poured hot water into two mugs, dropped in the tea bags, and took both to the table.Then he sat down across from her."I went from finance to the FBI through a money laundering operation I discovered at work.I basically became a whistleblower, and then the bureau recruited me.I enjoyed doing something more than helping make other people rich, so it was a good move."
"My grandmother says you work undercover a lot."
"I do.I've spent a great deal of time being other people."
"What's that like?"
"It's…hard."He surprised himself by the honesty of his statement.
"Being someone else?Having to lie?What's the most difficult part?"she asked curiously.
He thought for a moment."None of it is easy.When I start a job, I go in under a fake name and backstory.I build a new identity and get close to whoever I need to get close to.I have to gain trust in order to be accepted and often I have to betray that trust in the end.Some investigations go on for months, which means I have to stay in that life for a long time.That can be tricky.When you're acting in a certain way for a long time, you can lose sight of who you really are."He cleared his throat, feeling like he was exposing far too much."But it's worth it in the end.I've been able to take down horrific people and large criminal operations."
"That part must be rewarding."
"It is, but it's not as black and white as it sounds.There are many people I meet along the way who fall into gray areas, and they often end up as collateral damage."
"But that's their choice, right?If they get hurt, it's because of their decisions, not yours."
"Right," he said, appreciating her words.
"You sound a little tired, Nick."
"I am.My boss told me to take a vacation right before my grandmother called me.I fought that idea, because even though I knew I needed a break, I always feel better when I'm working."
"Me, too.My job is the one area of my life where I feel confident, where I'm really good and on top of my game.Well, most of the time."
He raised a questioning eyebrow."That sounds like a story."
"That's the problem.I became the story instead of being an objective observer.That is never supposed to happen."
"What did you do?"
"I kind of told a congressman that he was a corrupt asshole and that I was going to nail his ass to the wall."
"You kind of told him that?"he asked with a laugh."Or you explicitly told him that?"
"I wasn't wrong," she defended."But my boss had me turn over my notes to another reporter and suggested I take a vacation."
"And what did you say to him?"
"I bit my tongue."
"Really?You can actually not say what you're thinking or feeling?"
"Occasionally," she said, making a face at him."I like my job and I should have just nailed the congressman to the wall without insulting him first.I won't make that mistake again."She took a sip of her tea."Anyway, it was a good time to come to Italy for me, too.But it hasn't been much of a vacation so far, which doesn't matter.I'm not very good at relaxing."
He was starting to realize just how much they had in common, which was a little disturbing, so he turned his attention to the boxes from the bank."So, did you read the letters?"
"Yes.Two were fromJto Tomas.In the first letter, she talked about getting a gift and keeping it hidden away.In the second one, she was trying to warn him that someone might be about to betray him."
"Really?How would they do that?"
"She wasn't specific.Tomas wrote her back, but his letter was never delivered.It was returned to sender.It was, however, opened, so someone read it.Maybe Tomas."
"Or both of my grandparents," he said."My grandmother seemed to know what was in the letters."
