M after the airport

  When it became apparent that her phone wouldn’t stop pinging her awake, Ellie flipped over and touched the s. Noting that the time had just clicked beyond 7am, Ellie sat up and looked down and saw the twenty notifications from her boss as well as another six voicemails.

  -I am not dealing with this right now. I need coffee.-

  Having heard the magic word in her head, Ellie sleepily stumbled her way into her kit and found the big red bag of ‘Cherrybean Pickers’ one hundred pert Kona. Ohe pot had started brewing, Ellie went bato her room and picked out the best blue suit she could find and pced it on her bed. Given the volume of messages that she’d chosen to ignore, Ellie skipped a shower and quickly brushed her teeth, shook out her short brown hair then put on the skirt-suit she’d id out.

  Once she had strapped on her service pistol and affixed her badge to her skirt, Ellie went and poured herself a cup of coffee then pressed the button to listen to the oldest voicemail.

  ‘Agent Miller, this is Miss Moss from Deputy Director Richard Mums office, please tact him when you get this message.’

  Quickly deleting the message, Ellie sed the others and picked the first ohat was more than six seds.

  ‘Miller, Why am I awake at 1 am listening to Tatum Bckwell of all people screaming into my ear? She’s telling me you have pictures of her farm…and did you kidnap a woman from a pne? Jesus Christ…what a … Call me.’

  Ellie poured a sed and third cup while she finished listening to different rants her boss had given her as well as the myriad of texts he’d also sent in his rampage.

  -You khat was a bad idea.-

  Quickly pushing the doubt of the enter with Casey to the back of her mind, Ellie tossed a breakfast sandwito her microwave and shook her head while looking at a picture on the tertop.

  -I had to see the reas, I even saw a bit of worry in her eyes. I’ll take the heat.-

  Given the response from the attorney’s, Ellie wondered how much ‘heat’ she would have to take as she walked up to the three-story building she worked in. Tapping her badge to the dent Miller heard a little buzz and the light turn yellow. Grateful that she still had access, she made her way through the metal detector checkpoint and to the maio badge in a sed time. Whetle pad again popped up a yellow light, Ellie looked at the secretary. “What’s going on? I was told that Deputy Direums wao see me.” She poi the light, “This means something else.”

  Clig a few buttons on her puter, the man behind the desk nodded a couple of times and called uard. “Agent Miller. There is a bit of a plication with your access right now. I see here that your meeting is now with Deputy Director Sarah Powell.” He spoke to the guard, “Please escent Miller to the third floor, office 340-A.” He looked back at Ellie. “Please surrender your firearm to the guard.”

  Groaning out of frustration, Ellie slowly reached for her sidearm and offered it after ensuring the safety was in pce. “Here.” Slightly fused when the guard poio the magazine, Ellie perked one of her eyebrows, “You wao clear it here?” Whe the affirmation, she shrugged. “Not procedure, but si appears I have no choice...” She cleared ahe slide back. “There, all safe.”

  She stuck the magazine bato its slot on her shoulder holster and diligently followed her escort to the elevator. tent to stand in silence, Ellie began ing up with different sounding ao possible questions that the Deputy Direight have for her ing Casey.

  -I certainly did not kidnap anyone. I put a hold on her passport. She could have left anytime she wanted.-

  So lost in her possible answers, Ellie didn’t initially register the ding of the elevator until the guard cleared his throat. “Oh, sorry.” Ellie blinked herself into the present and followed the rge man to the office she’d been summoo.

  Knog on the door hard enough to shake it in the frame, the guard stepped back when a businesslike female voiswered. “Enter.” When the guard made no effort to move, Ellie khat she had to open the door and once again be followed. “Agent Miller, as requested.” Ellie stepped into the middle of the offid stood patiently as the guard pced her service pistol on the director’s desk a, log the door behind him.

  Briefly looking over the rge space, Ellie took in all of the adors around her new surroundings. Various framed certificates and degrees for Criminal Law, Forensid Psychology hung in sturdy frames of oak with the name ‘Sarah Powell’ scrawled out iiful calligraphy. Opposite of that wall, another had almost a library of text dealing with case w, criminal w and Supreme Court rulings. Lower shelves along that same wall had small mani folders that were anized by open and closed cases. Turning to face the ag behind a rge desk made of cherry wood, Ellie took hat the woman had three puters spaced out, with two of them being ptops. Behind the ss held an old ndline phone, a mountain of files and a couple pictures that Ellie couldn’t see.

  “Agent Miller.” Sarah’s voice was stern as she pressed a button on her earpiece killing whatever versation she was having.

  “Ma’am?” Ellie answered humbly.

  “Skipping over the fact you didn’t respond to your immediate supervisor to the point where I interveo save your ass, I have to pose this question.” She pulled the earbud free from her and tossed it onto her desk, “Have you any idea what happened ht?”

  Shaking her head and raising her eyebrow, Ellie responded. “No clue, Director Powell. I left the interview a home, ate dihen passed out.”

  g her hands together, Deputy Director Powell ughed. “Interview? You call that an interview? Let me show you something, Agent Miller.” She picked up a remote and pressed the button to power up the television behind Ellie. “Turn around Agent Miller.”

  Slowly turning to face the s she’d not noticed before, Ellie saw what looked to be an older woman holding up a set of pictures and half screaming into a microphone. “Ma’am, I ’t hear what she’s saying.”

  Powell froze the image on the s, “You don’t o. That is ae, civil and criminal attorney atum Bckwell.” Sarah smmed the remote on her desk. “You might recall her being one of the attorneys involved with that mess iersburg earlier in the year, along with..I might add, Dougs Dunbar.” She paused as Agent Miller turned back to face her. “Ah, the look on your face says it all. I take it you recall him from the versation you had st night, after you absded with Miss Casey Rivers.”

  “Absded or kidnapped is a …” Ellie started to speak then was interrupted when Director Powell pounded her desk once.

  Pointing a well manicured fi Agent Miller, Sarah shook her head. “No. You don’t get to talk just yet, Agent.” She paused, “I use the term agent loosely, because you are ohin ibsp; There’s even talk about removing your qualified immunity.” Sarah stood up again and paced behind her desk. “Best case, that means you go to an Ameri prison. Or it could be a lifetime of fun in Cuba, how’d that be?” Sarah waited for the color to return to Ellie’s face. “Good, you get the gravity of the situation.” She poio the s once more, “Tatum Bckwell. You apparently used FBI resources to take pictures of a private dwelling that has a twenty-five foot security wall around it.”

  Clearihroat, Ellie mao say one word. “Drone.”