thousand male special agents and around 2,700 female special agents, or over a four-to-one male-to-female ratio. The professional staff, the admin you were referring to, number 9,500 male and well over thirteen thousand females.”
“I didn’t know the exact breakdown, but thanks for sharing.”
“The ratio of agents has really not been getting more equal,” she pointed out.
“Tough being an agent. I’m not saying women can’t do it. Your boss proves that. But if you want to have kids and all, it’s hard. The Bureau isn’t great about accommodation in that regard.”
“Maybe they should be better at it, since they’re obviously pushing a lot of qualified women out of the running.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, I’m just one grunt in the trenches.”
“I’ve been working with Agent Pine for some time now. She’s terrific at her job.”
“I have no doubt.”
“And I checked you out, Agent Laredo.”
He sat up straighter, his expression growing darker. “Excuse me?”
“After I left Agent Pine and before I came back here I made a call to a friend. To an ‘admin’ friend. She talked to someone else. I got the 411 on you pretty fast. For admin folks.”
The light green eyes seemed to dance with an electrical charge. “I’m not sure I like that. I’m not sure you had any right to do that,” he added with a spark of anger.
“You never did a 411 call on somebody at the Bureau?”
Laredo started to say something but then apparently thought better of it.
“You’ll be glad to know that the results of my call were positive. You’re well thought of. No issues or problems in your record.”
“I could have told you that if you’d just asked.”
“Would you have told me?”
“Doubtful, actually. I wouldn’t have thought it was any of your concern. The shield I carry should have been enough proof of my character.”
“I like corroboration.”
“Now you sound like an agent, not an admin.”
“You would be surprised how many agent skills an ‘admin’ like me picks up. But I’m not sure that cuts both ways.”
The thick eyebrows rose. “Meaning what?”
“Do you know all the procedural shortcuts to get requisitioned equipment?”
“Uh—”
“Or how to do a conference call with more than five remote attendees, with some of them in international locations?”
“I—”
“Or the adjusted travel per diems on work performed over various holidays? Or which support personnel at Hoover are critical if you want a priority database search dealing with certain levels of classified material? Or something as basic as which department handles coffee flavor requests?”
“I guess that’s why we have support personnel.”
“Exactly. We’re a team. Together we get a very big, very hard job done to the best of our collective abilities.”
“Where exactly is all this leading?”
“Back to my original question. Do you want to tell me about you and Agent Pine? That was the ‘it’ to which I was referring before, not that you weren’t aware of that.”
“I don’t think there’s much to tell.”
She sat back, disappointed. “Did I mention that I also conducted informal training for agents in order for them to detect when people were obfuscating?”
“You mean lying? And agents are thoroughly trained in that already.”
“A refresher course never hurts.”
“All right. You tell me. You think I’m lying?”
“You looked down and to your right and crossed your arms when you answered that there’s ‘not much to tell.’ Classic evading/cocooning. Also, I raised six kids. You exhibited the pouty/defiant look of my nine-year-old son when he’d done something wrong but refused to admit it. Do you want to load up and tell me again that there’s nothing?”
His expression darkened even more. “You’re rapidly coming close to a line here, Ms. Blum. I wouldn’t want you to do anything that would jeopardize your long career at the Bureau.”
She looked at him not in fear, or anger, but in sadness. “I’m sorry you feel that way. But I taught my kids when they were pretty much still in diapers that honesty really is the best policy, Agent Laredo. We obviously don’t see eye to eye on that one.”
She rose.
“Agent Pine is tenacious, smart, adaptable, and physically formidable.”
He shrugged. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know about the woman.”
“She’s also unforgiving. To herself and to others who have not met the standard she sets.”
Laredo looked up at her, his features unfriendly. “I have my own set of standards. And they’re pretty damn high. As high as hers, in fact.”
“Then you and she should have no problem. I’ll just assume that’s the case and go forward based on that assurance from you.