on the Eastern Shore. If they ever faced off she had to hope those wounds would slow him down enough to give her an edge.
She looked at her watch. She would have to leave soon. To get to the school on time.
For now, Reel continued to stare outside as the rain fell.
It was a gloomy day. It perfectly matched her life.
They had clearly won this round. She had to hope it would be their only victory against her.
CHAPTER
23
JANET DICARLO STARED ACROSS AT ROBIE, but didn’t appear to be actually focused on him. Robie wondered if the woman was even aware he was still in her presence. It had been at least two minutes since she had dropped the bombshell on him.
“Ma’am?” said Robie gently but firmly. “You said you trained her?”
DiCarlo blinked, shot a glance at Robie, and sat back, looking slightly embarrassed.
“She was the first and only female field operative recruited to the division. I was one of the few female handlers who worked with people in your division. People at the agency thought it would be a good idea to put the two of us together. I had years of experience and she a ton of potential. She bested every man in the class that year.”
“I worked with her on some assignments early on in our careers.”
“I know,” responded DiCarlo.
Robie looked surprised by this, but DiCarlo’s expression showed he shouldn’t have been.
“We keep score, Mr. Robie. People do, you know. In everything. Sports, business, relationships.”
“And killing people,” said Robie.
“Terminating problems,” corrected DiCarlo.
“My mistake,” he said dryly.
“We admired your record,” said DiCarlo. “Jessica in particular was an admirer of yours. She often said you were the best of all of them. You graded higher than her head-to-head. You were the only one to do so.”
“Since she almost killed me I think she might have to reevaluate her opinion.”
“The key word being ‘almost.’ The fact is she didn’t kill you. You escaped from her attempt.”
“Part luck, part instinct. But that doesn’t help us get to her.”
“It may, in a way.”
DiCarlo sat forward and steepled her hands in front of her. “I have evaluated both of you as objectively as I can. I think you are equally gifted, in both similar and dissimilar ways. You think alike. You adapt well. You have ice in your veins. You pride yourselves on being one step ahead, and if the other side catches up, you can still win by changing tactics on the fly.”
“Again, how does that help me get to her?”
“It doesn’t. Not directly. I’m telling you this so that you will better know how to confront and beat her when the time comes.”
“If the time comes. I have to find her first.”
“Which leads us to the question of why she’s doing what she’s doing. That may well take us to the next target before she gets there. I see that as your best chance to catch up, so to speak. In fact, it’s probably the only way. Otherwise, you’ll always be one step behind.”
“So why do you think she’s doing it?” asked Robie.
“When I was first told that Jessica was suspected in her handler’s murder, I refused to believe it.”
“Do you still not believe it?”
DiCarlo laid her hands flat on the table. “It’s ultimately unimportant what I believe, Mr. Robie. I have been tasked to aid you in finding Jessica Reel.”
“And killing her?” Robie said. He wanted to see her reaction, because only Blue Man had expressly said they wanted her for interrogation. Everyone else, including Jim Gelder and Evan Tucker, had been either vague or silent on that point.
“You’ve been assigned to this mission long enough to know what results are desired.”
“You would think. But nothing about this task has been made clear.”
DiCarlo sat back in her chair and stared off. She finally regrouped and said, “Be that as it may, it doesn’t really impact you and me and why we’re here.”
Robie nodded. “We can agree on that, for the time being. So that gets us back to the question: why is she doing this?”
“I think it might be beneficial for you to hear some of her history, Robie. Using the skills that I know you possess, one or more of these facts might aid you down the road.”
Robie mulled over this for a few moments. “Okay. Let’s take a trip down Jessica Reel’s life.”
She began, “Reel came to the agency under what I would say are unique circumstances, that is, not through traditional routes.”