Free Time Skip by Craig L. Seymour Page A

Despite more than a year with no contact, he was not ready to give up all hope for a future with Katie.
     

CHAPTE R NINE
    It was September again when he finally heard from the Bureau. He had been granted an interview and within days he was in Washington, DC, sitting across the desk from possibly the most serious man he had ever met, Special Agent Ripley. Ripley wasted no time in informing him how fortunate he was.
    “Do you know how long it has been since I interviewed anyone who’s resume was as thin as yours?” he asked rhetorically. “Four years.” He paused, apparently for dramatic effect, but Lovelle took it to mean that he expected a reply.
    “I really appreciate the opportunity.”
    “If you didn’t speak Arabic we wouldn’t be talking right now.” Ripley continued as if Lovelle hadn’t even spoken.
    Over the next hour and a half the agent grilled Lovelle more like he was a suspect than a prospect, periodically reminding him of how under qualified he really was. Lovelle couldn’t help thinking that the only thing missing from the process was a bright hot light shining in his eyes.
    He went home all but certain that he wouldn’t hear from them again. He immediately began working on plan B. He had already done research into several police departments which were desperate enough for officers that they were recruiting out of state. He had to make some choices about where he might want to live, and about which departments would offer the best opportunity.
    Despite the certainty he felt about his failure to get into the Bureau, he decided to wait a couple of weeks before he would start applying. Right before his self-imposed deadline had passed, he got his second interview. He was so excited that he was almost giddy. He figured that if he could make it past Agent Ripley, then it should be downhill from there. So off he went to DC again.
    He found himself in a carbon copy of Ripley’s office, sitting across from a similarly stern looking man. This time, however, he was confident he could handle whatever was thrown at him.
    To his surprise, Special Agent Barnum was completely cordial. For forty-five minutes they had a pleasant conversation about his background and his aspirations. Then Barnum got to the meat of the matter.
    “So I gather Agent Ripley gave you quite a hard time?”
    “No, he was just doing what he had to do.” Lovelle replied, trying to seem more self-confidant than he actually was.
    “Yes, well, it’s easy enough to say that now, but I’m sure you didn’t feel quite the same way when you left here that day.”
    “It was pretty trying.” Lovelle conceded, “But, I’m not exactly applying for dog catcher either.”
    Barnum smiled. “True enough.” He set down some papers he had been shuffling through, but not really looking at. “With your atypical profile there is one thing that Agent Ripley had to determine, your commitment to doing this job. If he could shake your confidence in your ability, or make you waver in your determination to join the Bureau, then you wouldn’t be ready. But he was very impressed with you and your maturity, and so am I. I think you’ll make a fine agent.”
    So there it was. All Lovelle needed to do was pass his drug screen and background check and he was in. It was the first time he had felt any sense of having control over his life since the day when Alicia came to visit him at school and he found out just exactly what kind of mess he had made of things. He was excited, and not simply because one of his plans was actually coming together. He genuinely wanted to be an FBI agent. He felt like he could make a difference in the world. Even if he failed to prevent September 11 from occurring, he could still do some good. And he felt a sense of accomplishment. This was an honest achievement that didn't come from having some foreknowledge or other undue advantage from having been on the merry-go-round before. Being thirty something didn’t automatically get