Free Solemn Duty (1997) by Leonard B Scott Page B

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.
    Come on, let's go join the guys and see how Eli is faring."
    Walking into the great room, they saw Eli on the couch and Jerome in an overstuffed rocking chair, both men sound asleep.
    They retraced their steps to the kitchen. Millie patted Ashley's back. "Sorry about this. They aren't making a very good impression, I fear."
    "They deserve the rest. I need to get back to the hotel and get some rest anyway. Thank you for inviting me over, Millie.
    And thank you for straightening me out about Eli."
    "Hotel? Are you still in a hotel after a whole month living here?'
    "I rented an apartment, but I found termites a couple of days ago. They sprayed this morning, and I had to move out for a few days."
    Millie nodded in understanding and walked the agent toward the kitchen door. "Ashley, I'll call you and we'll go see if we can find Eli a decent place to live. If we don't, he'll rent a trailer or something worse--he lives kind of simply, if you know what I mean. I'm going to make it my mission to get Eli back into the real world; a nice place is a start. Next I'll be finding him a suitable lady friend."
    Ashley forced a smile. She knew all too well how he lived; he lived the way she did, alone, with only the job. But not anymore, she thought. Eli now had Millie and Jerome to help him find more than the Bureau.