greater good. And hey, a drug thing followed by a successful rehab only makes him sympathetic. One might even say heroic.”
“I know the spiel. I also remember Orry. He wouldn’t hurt flies in college. All life is sacred, right? But he shot at and would have killed a man two years ago in Sausalito.”
“A mugger came at him with a knife.”
“And Orry just happened to be packing a gun? Come on, that’s not the guy we knew in college. I’d give him a good grilling if I were the FBI. Then I’d move on to the faculty. How many professors did you guys have in common?”
Vanessa fanned her face with an envelope. “Only Willis Reed, the English-Lit prof. I asked you about him the other day. He’s on the list below Bobby and above Orry.”
Geri drew a circle on the top journal. “So give me the scoop. Is he sexy?”
Vanessa smiled. “Should I play dumb, or are you in a hurry?”
“No and yes. Okay, I know the question’s shallow and irrelevant, but I sense you’re tired of shoptalk, especially from me, so let’s go off on a tangent. I think your Fed bodyguard has a fantastic butt.”
“Noticed it.”
“Did you notice the flip side, as well?”
“You have a one track mind that lives below the waistband, Counselor Kruger.” A moment’s hesitation, then she admitted, “Of course I noticed.”
“Uh-oh.” Geri’s smile froze, and Vanessa winced. “Standing behind me, right?”
It wasn’t Geri who answered, but Rick who bent over her chair and placed his mouth next to her ear. “The flip side of what, Vanessa?”
She tapped his head with the envelope. “I don’t talk to eavesdroppers.” But her cheeks were hot, and it had nothing to do with the malfunctioning AC. “Geri brought us some reading material.”
“I like to write,” her friend explained. “Long nights at college, a girl and her pen…” With a helpless look at Vanessa, she asked, “Do you, uh, work out, Agent Maguire?”
“Rick. I prefer to run.” He took the envelope from Vanessa, turned it over.
“Vanessa runs.” Geri settled a hip on the desk. “I bounce. Trampoline. It’s easier. I started when my husband and I split up six months ago. Thankfully, I’m almost divorced.”
Rick’s smile was distracted. “Like two-thirds of the North American population.”
“What stat sheets do you read?” However, when his arms came around her neck, the next words died in Vanessa’s throat. Even Geri looked somewhat disconcerted. “Uh, Rick…?”
“Where did this come from?”
“What come from?” All Vanessa could see was a white blur. She clamped her hands onto his wrists. “Stop shaking the paper, and I might be able to answer you.”
Geri leaned in. “What is it?”
Rick held the sheet steady. When Vanessa’s eyes focused, the bold, black words leaped out at her.
NO DEATH CAN BE UNDONE.
NOT THE ONE THAT MATTERS,
AND NOT YOURS.
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