Detectives

TWENTY FIVE

Starting with the facts in the folder she had been given on the people who had received the sensitive information, she began to work her way backward. She concentrated on the four who seemed to be the most obvious leaks. All of the people had received information through e-mails. As she suspected, the origins of the e-mails were obscure, but she eventually found the source for each one of them. The problem was, each source led to another source, and then another, and another. She completely lost track of time as she tried to navigate the maze.

Liam looked in on her a couple of times, but she was so engrossed in what she was doing he didn't disturb her. When he stopped by to ask her if she'd like to take a break for lunch, she didn't look away from the monitor but stared straight ahead, her fingers still working the keyboard, and said, "No, thanks. I'll catch something later."

Hours later, as employees were filing past her office on their way home for the evening, Liam returned. "How's it going?" he asked.

Her concentration broken, Allison looked up at him and shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this. There must be hundreds of proxies. Whoever sent these e-mails sure knows his stuff. Each e-mail is coming through a different route, but it's pretty obvious to me it's ultimately the same source." She sat back in her chair and stretched her arms over her head to release the tension in her shoulders. "I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out," she assured him.

"It's getting late. You need to stop for the night."

"I'd like to keep going, if that's all right. This guy has created a massive labyrinth, and I just know I can find him." Her eyes lit up at the thrill of the hunt. "I want to try a little longer," she pleaded.

Liam swiveled the back of her chair around and turned her away from the desk. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her to her feet and said, "Come on, Allison. It's time to take you home."

She didn't realize how stiff she was until she walked to the door. She wanted to rub the kinks out of her lower back, but she wasn't about to moan and groan in front of Liam. She wasn't a frail old lady. She was feeling out of shape, and no wonder. It had been over two weeks since she had worked out, and her muscles were protesting her sitting for so long without moving.

During the long day, Allison had downed several bottles of water, but she hadn't been hungry. She'd been too busy-and too excited-working through the massive, convoluted puzzle to think about food. She was thinking about it now, though. As if on cue her stomach grumbled. Did she have a granola bar in her purse? Probably not. She glanced at her watch and was shocked. It was already half past seven. The time really had flown by.

As though reading her mind, Liam asked, "Have you eaten anything at all today?"

"I was busy."

"You're going to get sick," he scolded. "From now on you eat lunch. I don't want you to keel over."

He sounded worried about her, and she couldn't hide her surprise. She wasn't used to anyone showing concern or even noticing when she ate or what she ate . . . except for Aunt Jane when she was monitoring her calorie intake.

"Did I mess up your plans for tonight?" she asked.

"No. You're the priority."

She realized he was still holding her hand when they stepped into the elevator. She didn't feel inclined to pull away.

She realized he was still holding her hand when they stepped into the elevator. She didn't feel inclined to pull away.

"Don't worry," Giovanni said. "I won't be giving her any money. I won't even open the door. I do have your check ready, and I'd love it if you could drive up and spend the evening with me. My guest room's always ready for you, but if you can't work it into your schedule, let me know where you want me to mail the check. And, darling, let me say one more time how thrilled I am that you finally got away from those vipers."

The second voice mail was from her housemate Mark. He called at four o'clock to let her know that her uncle was parked in front of the house, obviously waiting to ambush her as soon as she returned home.

Liam finished his call and came around the car. He looked serious as he removed his jacket and placed it in the backseat before getting in. She wondered if his call was good news or bad news. His expression wasn't giving anything away.

"I'm starving," he said. "Let's go to dinner."

She didn't have much of an appetite after listening to the messages, but she knew her uncle was waiting for her and she wasn't in any hurry to go home. "I'm not really hungry now," she said. "If you don't mind dropping me off at the library, I think I'll do some work."

One look at her and Liam knew something was wrong. She was so easy to read, and he liked that about her. She couldn't hide what she was feeling.

He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. "You have to eat," he urged. "I have just the place in mind. I think you'll like it. What do you say?"

"Thank you for the offer, but it's been a long day and I'm not really in the mood for a crowded restaurant."

"Then I know you'll like this place," he assured her.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"You'll see," he said with a sly grin.

Curious, she relented. "Okay."

She sat back and closed her eyes, letting the day's work fade to the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about it or anything else right now.

A half hour later, Liam turned toward the Charles River and pulled into a small parking lot. Coming around the car, he opened her door, took her hand, and led her down a path to an area shaded by large trees. A green wooden park bench sat before a cluster of tall forsythia bushes, and in front of it a long grassy area sloped down to the river.

Pointing to the bench, he said, "Have a seat and I'll be right back."

Allison was a little puzzled, but she trusted Liam and did what he said. After a few moments of sitting on the bench and watching the river, she felt an increasing calm, as though her worries were flowing away with the current. In the distance she could see people walking and biking along the river path, some exerting themselves for exercise, others simply enjoying an evening stroll. A row team out for practice drifted past in their long, sleek boat, the smooth, rhythmic strokes gliding them across the water. The entire scene was hypnotic, and once she allowed it to take over, the noise and commotion of the city faded into the background.

A few minutes later, Liam appeared carrying two cans of soda in one hand and two hot dogs wrapped in foil in the other. "I hope you like mustard," he said as he handed her a can and a hot dog.

"Of course," she said, smiling. When he had taken his seat beside her and opened the wrapper for a big bite of his hot dog, she remarked, "You were right. I do like this place."

He popped the tab on his soda. "My favorite spot in Boston," he said, taking a big swig.

They sat quietly enjoying the view and eating their hot dogs. When they were finished, Liam stretched his long legs in front of him and folded his hands behind his head. Sitting there with him in this place of perfect tranquillity, Allison felt stress-free for the first time in days. She didn't want to talk about or even think about problems, so she asked Liam to tell her about some of the places he'd been assigned. He began with London and worked his way around the globe. Each city or country he mentioned seemed to have a story attached to it, and each story was either heartwarming or hilariously funny. She couldn't take her eyes off him. When he smiled, she felt a little catch in her pulse. The more he talked, the more she wanted to hear. Contrary to her initial assessment of him, she could see he had a wonderful sense of humor.