Camille didn't look up from the newspaper she was reading, but she was fully aware of the man who seated himself across the small table from her. Had been for several minutes while the attractive hispanic man had ordered a coffee- black as usual. No frills, no nonsense, she liked that in the person she was trusting her life to. Ric was one of the best contacts she'd worked with in a long time. "Rique," she said with the slight accent Camille Dubois had. "How's Linda?"
"She's fine. Told me to invite you to dinner." Ric settled back, waiting for Camille's ritual answer. They went through this every time they met at this particular coffeehouse.
Camille smiled. "After the deal is done, maybe." She took a long sip of her Chai, letting the flavors wash across her tongue. It also served to end the line of conversation.
"The boys upstairs are getting antsy. They want to pull you out."
That was one of the things Camille liked about Cuellar, he never wasted time getting to the heart of the matter. "Any specific reasons, or just the usual?" Her voice was disinterested, but her mind was already spinning a dozen arguments to extend the case.
It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed being Camille Dubois; in fact, she couldn't wait to be rid of the woman. But she wasn't going to gain her freedom by throwing away the last eight months. It set a bad precedent, and meant that Gallagher would get his way. And that, she decided firmly, would happen over her dead body. Possibly quite literally.
"You know how office politics work. Gallagher's been pressing to either wrap things up, or bring you in from the cold. He's arguing that you should have found something by now, if there was anything to find."
"What more does he want? I already handed him enough weapon transactions to make the ATF sit up and beg." Camille studied her carefully manicured hands critically. She knew the argument was a weak one at best, but it was the strongest she had at the moment.
"He might want you to try something in our jurisdiction instead of the ATF's." Ric didn't exactly come out and say he agreed with Gallagher, but Camille had been reading people for a long time.
She cocked one shaped eyebrow at him. "Elliot Ness brought Al Capone down on Tax evasion. Mickey Cohen fell the same way. I'll use whatever I have to. As for the 'boys upstairs'? Tell them I'm close. There've been a lot of new faces turning up around the house lately. I think the game is afoot."
"I'll stall for time, but you have to come up with something soon."
"Keep Gallagher from interfering, and let me do my job."
"Just be careful, Camille. Kolinsky is a bad one, even for our line of work."
It was still a novelty to have someone looking out for her interests over those of the case. Camille almost smiled. Almost. "Really? I must have missed that between murders. Those details are so hard to track." She softened her tone when he scowled at her. "You worry too much, Enrique. I am the grieving widow of a martyred patriot. He won't violate the sanctity of this," she said, holding up her left hand to display an elegant onyx ring that curved around the solitaire diamond. The two stones seemed to be in constant battle; the diamond generating a sharp light from it's clear depths, and the onyx absorbing as much as it could.
Ric shook his head. "When we came up with that cover, we didn't count on you being in place for more than six months. You only have a few weeks left of your year. After that, the widow's band is nothing more than a ring with a black rock in it."
Camille wasn't sure if she should feel ill or angry. Not that it mattered, only she would know the difference. Outwardly she remained unaffected. "I can handle Kolinsky. Just keep Gallagher out of my way."
She stood, and pulled on her black leather jacket. Smoothing the soft fabric of her tailored black skirt and gray silk blouse, she turned and tossed her paper onto the table. "I saved the sports page for you." Then left the coffee shop, not bothering to acknowledge the man behind the counter, or young couple near the door, all of whom she recognized from her first, and only visit to the Denver CIA post.
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Round One: Elizabeth
Round One: McKensey (Next in line)
