Free Get Back Jack by Diane Capri Page A

behind her, intently focused on something, but Kim wasn’t sure what. When they reached a private office, Neagley waved her left arm toward the room without stopping and said to them, “Take a seat. I’ll be right back.” Neagley continued along the passageway and Paul walked away behind her.
    She’d ushered them into her personal office, though it took Kim a few seconds surveying its modest, characterless contents to be sure that’s what it was. The walls were painted nondescript beige and bare of adornment. The furniture was reasonably fine in quality, but also unadorned. Her desk chair was a high-backed, black leather ergonomic design. Expensive. Sleek. Nothing remotely frivolous.
    Unlike Dixon and O’Donnell, Neagley displayed no sentimental reminders of her Army days with Reacher’s unit.
    Gaspar was standing before the room’s window. “What a great view of Lake Shore Drive she’s got from here. I am absolutely in the wrong business. My office has a view of one the nastiest alleys in Miami. How about yours?”
    “I don’t even have a window,” Kim said, mindful that Neagley’s office was probably wired for cameras and audio inside. Probably had some sort of shield preventing inside conversations from being overheard, too.
    Gaspar laughed. “Okay. You win.”
    Neagley entered the room just then, stealthily, like a feral cat wearing socks. She stood behind her chair, sensibly manicured nails displayed while her hands rested on the leather.
    She said, “Win what?”
    “The worst office view award,” Kim said. “You might get the best view award, though. You must see some spectacular sunrises over Lake Michigan from here.”
    “I’ve got more clients to see before I can wrap up and they’ve been waiting a while already. Let’s get to it, shall we? What does the FBI want today?”
    She said “today” as if she routinely responded to the FBI. Maybe she did.
    Kim replied, “We need information from you to complete a routine background check.”
    “A background check for what?” She wasn’t hostile, exactly. More like detached.
    “We’re tasked by the FBI Special Personnel Task Force when the government is preparing to recruit a civilian.”
    “Why recruit civilians?”
    “Although the government employs millions of people, we don’t always have the expertise we need. From time to time, we hire that expertise outside the system,” Kim replied, matching Neagley’s no-nonsense tone. “We need to be sure the candidate is qualified. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially, as well as through his or her expertise.”
    Neagley nodded, as if the answer made sense. Maybe she was aware of the SPTF. Maybe she was just trying to get through the situation and move on with whatever her plans were for the rest of the day. She sat down and hid her hands from view, which made Kim nervous. She’d prefer to see Neagley’s hands at all times.
    Neagley asked, “What’s the job?”
    “That information requires a security clearance higher than ours,” Gaspar said. “Or yours, I’m afraid.”
    His participation drew Neagley’s attention from Kim for a moment, allowing Kim a chance to breathe again. Neagley looked directly at him. Maybe she wasn’t testing him. But it felt like she was.
    “Higher than your clearance, maybe. Not higher than mine.” Neagley stated this without inflection of any kind. She turned her steady gaze back to Kim. “Who’s the subject?”
    Kim made a point of observing carefully. She’d seen a variety of reactions when she first mentioned Reacher’s name to potential witnesses. She only had one opportunity to catch their immediate response. “You served with him in the Army.”
    Neagley folded her hands on the desk and continued looking steadily into Kim’s eyes. “I served with a lot of people a long time ago. What’s his name?”
    Kim decided not to speak the name at all this time. Just handed over a copy of Reacher’s last formal military photo and watched