Gin Mills and the Goods

Informants and Information

Hester is waiting in her office when she gets back- she can see her familiar shadow, visible through the gap in the ajar door.

Sophie hesitates, hand wavering on her arm, and Lady A waves her off.

"I'll talk to her. I'll see you in the morning."

Sophie looks unhappy about this decision, but she doesn't argue. It's possible she still feels guilty about her involvement in the whole debacle. Not that it became one, in the end, but Sophie has been funny about anything to do with that particular family for a long time.

"…alright, then. See you, Aggie."

She forces a smile and swoops away, clattering her way down the corridor, and Lady A- or, rather, Aggie, as she was known her sister- watches her go silently.

Then she opens the door to confront Hester.

Hester who is sat at her desk, with her boots propped up on the table top.

"You got some explainin' to do, boss." She says, as if she's in charge.

"Get your boots off of my desk." Her boss closes the door and locks it.

"No. Explain."

She doesn't- instead, she strips off her jacket and hat, tossing them haphazardly onto a nearby chair, loosening her tie and unbuttoning her waistcoat.

"How'd you know about him?" Persists Hester. "We've all been out of town."

"Just because I'm out of town, don't mean I'm not paying attention to what's happenin' in town. Get outta my chair."

"Tell me how you knew."

"Don't be a pain, Hester, I'm not in the mood." Growls the other woman, hurling her tie on top of her hat and crossing the room to slam the windows shut and wrench across the curtains. "Who left this room so goddamn exposed-?"

"Agatha." Snaps Hester from behind her.

Lady A -really Agatha- stills.

Hester never called her by her real name. She's never asked her why, but she suspects it's easier for her to avoid it, because she associates it with numerous things she'd rather forget.

"You really wanna know, huh?"

"There's a lot you don't tell me." Says Hester shortly.

 If it’s meant to make her feel guilty, it doesn’t work.

“Sure. Can’t have you arguin’ with me all the time, can I?”

“How do you know him?”

“Who says I know him?” Agatha says brusquely. Hester eyes her, unimpressed.

“It’s obvious.”

It’s not, but Hester always picks up on things that the others don’t.

When she doesn’t reply, Hester growls and flings her feet down from the table.

“Agatha, you knew damned well that he didn’t know anything about them, and you let us go in, anyway. Why?”