Midnight Sun (63 page)

She
took
them
up
in
the
elevator
and
led
them
down
a
long
hallway
lined
with
offices
on
both
side
s
.
As
they
passed
each
office
,
agents
glanced
up
through open doors
,
throwing
suspicious
looks
at
the
strangers
as
if
they
were
trying
to
see
through
them
with
x-ray
vision.
It
was
the kind of
look
only
a
cop
can
give,
or
a
distrustful
mother
-
in
-
law.
In
the
office
,
Hilde
noticed
that
the
secretary
’
s
desk
looked
very
expensive,
a
nice
dark
cherry
wood
that
glowed
reddish
brown.
The
office
was
warm
and
comfortable.

“
Is
that
them
,
Amy
?
”
called
a
smooth
masculine
voice
from
an
open
door
in
the
wall
behind
the
secretary
’
s
desk.

“
Yes
,
sir,
”
she
replied.

The
SAC
came
out
of
his
office
as
she
spoke.
Caufield
was
tall,
about
six
feet
,
five
inches
,
and
handsome
in
a
friendly
way.
The
forty
-
something
agent
sported
a
thick
mane
of
red
hair
combed
straight
back
that
seemed
to
strain
in
rebellion
against
the
gel
that
held
it
in
place
.
Beneath
manicured
eyebrows
of the same solid red
shone
electric
blue
eyes
that
sparkled
with
a
hint
of
mischief.
A
prominent
nose,
spattered
with
a
collection
of
freckles
,
looked
as
though
someone
had
tossed
a
handful
of
dots
at
him
that
stuck
above
his
amiable
smile.
He
looked
more
like
a
high
-
school
chemistry
teacher,
the
kind
prone
to
wild
experiments
and
having
fun
blowing
stuff
up
in
class,
than
a
senior
federal
law
enforcement
officer.

“
Come
on
in
,
folks,
”
he
said.
“
Undersecretary
Hogan
called
this
morning
and
gave
me
a
very
brief
overview
of
what
you
told
him.
He
also
faxed
some
paperwork
regarding
a
Mr.
Farrah
who
resides
here
in
Anchortown.
”

He
led
them
into
his
office
. The difference in décor was somewhat of a shock, as if they’d just stepped through a time portal
a
nd landed in 1982
.
Unlike
his
secretary
,
Caufield
’
s
office
was
decorated
strictly
in
the
US
g
overnment
’s
functional
style.
The
desk
was
solid
brown
wood,
large
and
clean
,
but
at
least
thirty
years
old.
Hilde
remembered
seeing
one
just
like
it
in
the
office
of
her
first
SAC
in
the
mid-nineties.
A
large,
matching
table
with
eight
worn
cloth
-
covered
office
chairs
around
it
filled
one
side
of
the
room.
A
flat
-
screen
television
topped
with
a
video
teleconferencing
camera
rested
on
a
stand
where
it
could
both
see
and
be
seen
down
the
length
of
the
table.
The TV and the computer on Caufield’s desk were the only modern looking components to the office.

While
Marcus
and
Mike
both
seemed
oblivious
to
the
décor,
Caufield
noticed
both
women
appr
a
ising
the
room.