Solemn Duty (1997) (8 page)

Others stood, saying they hadn't realized it was so late, and in less than a minute only the Tanners and the determined redhead remained. Millie eyed the vixen with suspicion and leaned over to her. "Barb, why don't you and I go and freshen our faces."

"Do you think I'm in need of repair?" the woman drawled as she wiggled her painted eyebrows at Eli.

He smiled. "Miss Barbara, I fear I'm not qualified to comment on such matters. I believe, however, that Millie would like your company. My mother always said a lady should never walk alone."

"And your mama was right," the redhead said, getting to her feet. "Now don't run off on me while we're gone. I want to talk to you about playing mixed doubles next time you come and visit We'll make a perfect team."

Jerome waited until the two women were out of earshot before shaking his head. "Watch her Elly, she's got playing in mind, but it isn't tennis. She was divorced last year and is on the hunt."

Eli sighed and picked up his mug of beer. "I couldn't play if I wanted to." He shifted his gaze to his brother and sank back in his chair. "We've been playin' tennis for two days straight and haven't had much time to talk about the move. I have to tell ya, Jer, it looks like I'm washed up--they're putting me out to pasture with this assignment."

Jerome lowered his head. "You knew that when you wrote the report on Ruby Ridge. They can forgive a lot of things, but in their minds you broke the code. Disloyalty to the boo is the one thing they won't stand for. How long do you think you have?"

"A year at the most. The Atlanta office posting is just window dressing to make it look good. They'll make it as miserable for me as they can The good news is, at least they gave me Atlanta for the torture. It'll make it easier having you and Millie just ninety miles away."

Jerome put his arm over his brother's shoulder. "Screw 'em, Elly, retire now and come work for me. I've got offices opening in Marietta, Selma, and Macon. You'll oversee the whole kit and caboodle and give Millie and me a chance to finally do some traveling."

Eli patted his brother's hand. "Thanks, Jer, but I'm going to stick it out so I can receive full retirement benefits. Keep the offer open, though. I'd like nothing better than to work with you. . . . We had fun today, didn't we? It really was like the old days."

Jerome squeezed Eli's neck. "Yeah, it was a day to remember. I just wish Dad could have seen us. He would have been happy to see his hard work pay off."

Jerome lowered his head a moment before looking up.

"Elly, I'm gettin' old. It's damn hard to admit, but I am. I can't move like I used to. My mind thinks I can, but my body says, `Screw you.' It was good winning again. Thanks."

Eli shut his eyes a moment, savoring the feel of his brother being close. It's been too many years, he thought. Opening his eyes, he patted Jerome's hand again. "Brother, they say things always happen for the best. After today I believe that saying. I was feeling pretty low when I got here, but now, being with you and Millie, I'm feelin' a whole lot better about the move.

I'm not going to let the bastards get me down. They don't know it, but they just threw Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch."

Millie walked up with her usual smile. "Who's Br'er Rabbit?"

"Men-talk, hon. Where's Barb?" Jerome asked.

Millie raised an eyebrow. "We had a little talk in the women's room. I explained to her Eli wasn't available."

"You're kiddin', right?" Eli said. He sat up. "I really liked Barb. Well, at least parts of her looked interesting. She said we'd make a perfect team in mixed doubles."

"Forget it, Bub, that's your hormones talking. She's not your type. It just so happens I have a friend who--"

Jerome sighed. "Aw hell, hon, ya promised you wouldn't try and fix him up."

"It's a woman's thing, okay? Now cool it. Cynthia is a sweet girl who--"

"Has a great personality," Jerome finished, elbowing his brother in the ribs. "And she makes her own clothes and doesn't eat much and--"

"That's enough, Jerome Tanner, or you'll be lookin' for a gal with a great personality who'll wash your dirty socks and put up with your snoring. Are you two ready to go?"

Jerome raised his hand from the table. "Almost, but I think there's someone who wants to talk to me before we leave." He looked over his shoulder directly at Ashley Sutton. "Is that right, miss? You did want to speak to me, didn't you?"

Shocked, Ashley stammered; "Well, uh, no, sir, actually I wanted to speak to your brother."

Jerome stood and pulled his chair out farther. "Then come on over, Agent Sutton, and sit right here beside him."

Caught off guard, Ashley put on a plastic smile, got up and walked toward the table.

Jerome raised an eyebrow as she sat down. "Just so you know I'm not psychic, Linda at the reception desk told me who you were and that you had asked about me. She said you showed your boo ID and said it was business."

Ashley winced. "I'm sorry about that but they weren't going to let me into the club without a member to sign me in. I didn't want to disturb you. It really is business. I have something to give Agent Tanner."

Shifting in her chair, she faced Eli. "Agent Tanner, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner, but with your victory and the party, I didn't think it a good time to hand you your assignment instructions."

Reaching into her purse, she took out the envelope. "Agent Tanner, I'm Agent Ashley Sutton. The Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta office asked that I give you this. Congratulations, you will be replacing me as the resident agent heading up the office here in Columbus."

Eli stared at the envelope. Jerome slapped his brother's back with one hand and took the envelope with the other. "You're in the briar patch, Elly ! Hot damn!"

Ashley nodded to herself, seeing Eli's reaction. He's good, very good, she thought. A great performance. He really looks like he's surprised-yeah, right.

Millie kissed Eli's cheek and gave him a hug. "Now, I'll have time to find you the right woman. This is wonderful, Eli!

We've got to celebrate! Come on, let's go to the house and break open a bottle of champagne. Ashley, you must come and tell us all how this happened. My God, assigned right here in town. This is going to be great!"

Ashley began to make an excuse and make a fast exit, but Millie already held her arm and was gently pulling her up from the chair. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Millie, the big guy's live-in housekeeper and, when he's nice, wife. I haven't seen you before, have IT'

"I don't believe so, Mrs. Tanner, I just moved to Columbus a month ago and-"

"Hold it, you two," Jerome said. He motioned to Eli, who was grimacing. "I think we've got a problem here."

Eli spoke through clenched teeth. "I-I can't get up."

"Cramps," Jerome said. "Take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax. Hon, go get the car and bring it up to the door.

Ashley and I will help him to his feet and get him to the entrance."

Millie looked worriedly at her brother-in-law, who was in obvious pain. "Anything I can do for you, Eli?"

Jerome rolled his eyes. "Yeah, get Barb back; she'd probably love to work on his cramps. Go on, hon, get the car.

Ashley, you get his right arm and I'll get his left. Good. On one, lift. One . . . "

Millie poured Ashley a cup of coffee and glanced toward the room where Eli was sprawled on the couch. "I gave him some muscle relaxers, I hope it helps."

"He was in a lot of pain. I'm surprised he didn't show it more," Ashley said.

"He's a Tanner. Oh, just listen to me! That's bull. My Jerome is the biggest baby I know when he's sick or hurt. Eli is different. He knows pain a lot more than the rest of us. The Vietnam War did that to him. He came back different Not in a bad way, you understand, just different. He went through hell during his therapy, broke my heart seeing him like that, but he made it"

"Does he have children?' Ashley asked.

Millie gave her guest a questioning stare. "How did you know he'd been married?'

"His file. The SAC gave me a copy to read so I would know about him."

"It's just more pain that he had to endure," Millie said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Yes, he has a son, but he hasn't seen him in almost ten years. It's a long story you probably don't want to hear."

"No, please, Millie. How come he hasn't seen him?"

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Millie shook her head.

"You have to understand, Eli is a very dedicated agent almost to a fault. His wife, Kathy, wanted him to quit the Bureau and get a job where he could spend more time with the family. Eli loved the boo . . . he couldn't give it up. Kathy pretty much gave up on him . . . started messing around with a doctor. Eli found out and confronted the doctor, who made the error of telling Eli he wasn't good enough for Kathy. Eli kind of lost . . . The doctor required twenty stitches and about two months of drinking his meals through straws while his rewired jaw healed. Of course there were charges filed against Eli, but because of the circumstances, he got off lightly . . . but he wasn't so lucky during the divorce proceedings. With the help of the doctor, Kathy got herself a high roller lawyer who used the assault as a means of keeping Eli from even having visitation rights. It was sickening. The lawyer called Eli dangerous, violent, and other horrible things that just weren't true.

The judge, a friend of the lawyer, ruled in Kathy's favor. Eli was not allowed to see his son or to communicate with him in any way except by letter."

Millie sighed and leaned back in her chair. "It almost killed Eli. It took a long time for him to accept the decision . . . and I still don't think he really has. He's just learned to cover it up for our benefit."

"I would have thought a man like Eli would have remarried."

"Ashley, the divorce and separation from his son changed him in a way even the war couldn't. It killed something inside him-relationships with women come very hard for him. He's had a couple of close calls over the years but it never seems to work out. Jerome and I are still hoping. We want to see him happy."

Ashley saw her opening and took it. "Your husband was lucky he still had connections and could get Eli assigned here in Columbus. It must be nice knowing he'll be right here in town."

Chuckling as if knowing an inside joke, Millie slowly shook her head side to side. "Jerome pull strings? That's almost funny. When he retired from the boo he was bitter, frustrated, sick and tired of the political wrangling. He didn't want anything to do with them ever again. To this day he has never spoken to any of his former superiors. Don't get me wrong, the boo was good to us; it's just that the higher you rise, the more political the job becomes. For years it was fun. But when Jerome made SAC of the Atlanta office, it got ugly. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you all this; you probably love the boo, and it's not fair for me to paint such a bleak picture of what lies ahead for you. I'm sure you enjoy your work very much."

"I-I must be honest with you Millie. I thought your husband had influenced his brother's assignment. I assumed it was just another good ol' boy deal. It was the only explanation of why Eli had been moved so quickly. It's very unusual."

Millie studied her guest's face a moment before leaning over and patting her hand. "I'm afraid you couldn't have been more wrong. I think Eli got the Columbus assignment because of a deal of some kind having to do with him writing that report on Ruby Ridge. You would know more about that than I would."

Ashley quickly shook her head. "No, I don't know. I mean I know the Bureau got a black eye from what happened, but I didn't know Eli was involved."

Millie stared at her cup. "Eli's investigation report told the truth. He wrote about the shoot-to-kill orders from Washington and how the higher-ups tried to cover their tracks. Needless to say, he got into hot water. If it weren't for the congressional hearings, he would have been forced out of the boo. Instead he was treated like a hero outside the boo for his courage for standing up and telling it like it was; inside the boo he was hated by those who hadn't wanted their dirty laundry exposed to the public. He was assigned to the academy as a special weapons instructor so they could keep tabs on him. Recently, Calvin Burton was made the superintendent of the school, and he was one of those Eli pointed a finger at in his report. I think you can guess the rest. The big surprise is them giving Eli the resident position. It's a good deal for him, and we didn't think that was possible."

"Millie, to be honest with you, the resident position is not as good as you think. It's a dead-end job away from the big action in Atlanta. To be assigned here is not exactly moving up the ladder of success."

"You're here," Millie said with a searching stare.

Ashley nodded without making eye contact. "Yes, because I'm a 'female' agent who won't be one of the boys. I got tired of the bigotry and decided I wouldn't take it anymore when I got to Atlanta. Sure enough, the Atlanta SAC was like the rest of them-he assumed I wasn't qualified and that I needed field experience so I could be like the guys. As I said, I had made up my mind to fight this time. I fought back with an E. O. complaint. It worked and I'll be going back to Atlanta, but I'm probably marked as a troublemaker."

Millie smiled without humor. "Sounds like you're finding out a lot sooner than we did how political things are. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it. If the SAC is moving you back to Atlanta, it means he's seen the light. From one female to another, I'm proud of you-hang in there, the boo needs you.