DEATH (The Justice Cycle Book 1) by J Kiefer (best classic books to read TXT) 📗

He handed the items to Dana, who in turn removed Jared’s ID and one badge and handed them over to him.

“You can park to the right. That’s the visitor’s area. My partner already notified Agent Johansson of your arrival, and he will meet you both at the north entrance over there.” He pointed to a large set of double doors directly across the parking lot. He smiled then and this time it was genuine.

“Thank you very much,” Dana said returning his smile.

“You’re very welcome, ma’am, and have a nice day.”

Dana rolled up the window and pulled the car through the gate. It did not take them long to find a suitable parking space not far from the entrance the officer had pointed out.

Dana unbuckled her seatbelt and started to get out of the car when Jared suddenly grabbed her arm. “Do you think they have any real-life aliens in there?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Jared? Why would they keep perfectly good aliens here? I bet if they’re anywhere, they’re at Langley.” She shot him a mischievous smile. “Of course, this is the city, and given the people that live here, nothing would surprise me.”

They shared a laugh as they exited the car and headed across the parking lot. “Did you ever think when we were kids that we would be here at FBI headquarters in New York City?”

“Not on my most imaginative day. Of course, when I was a kid, all I dreamed about was...” She broke off and never finished her sentence, embarrassed at what she’d almost said.

Jared smiled but did not press her. He knew full well what she was about to say. The sudden change in their relationship was all too new and he did not want to say anything that might jeopardize it.

They both walked in relative silence across the parking lot and were surprised as the door suddenly swung open. Johansson smiled and waved for them to enter.

“How was your trip in?” he asked as he ushered them into a small waiting room. A large desk with a security officer was all that adorned the rather unremarkable room. “I hope you didn’t get stuck on that damn bridge. I know this is supposedly the ‘greatest’ city on the face of the earth. I swear, the longer I stay in this damnable city, the more I miss Boston.”

Jared and Dana shared a look. “It was... an amazing trip in,” Jared said. “No problems at all.”

Dana never took her eyes off Jared, and Johansson saw the twinkle there. “Well. Anything you two want to share?”

“Nope,” Dana replied, forcing her gaze away from Jared. “Did you find anything out about our John Doe?”

Johansson gave her a look that said he knew there was more to the story to hear, but he’d let it slide. “Well, I wish I did. But we got nada.”

“Nothing at all?” Jared asked.

“Nope. As far as I can tell, this guy is an honest-to-God ghost. My first guess was that he was a spook or something, but my buddy at the CIA said he didn’t recognize him. He could be lying of course, but I doubt it.”

Jared grimaced. “Well, that sucks. At least we still have the locket.”

“Absolutely. I will get it into the hands of the geek squad immediately so they can examine it,” Johansson said, reaching out his hand.

Jared put his hand into his pocket to retrieve the locket and hesitated.

“You didn’t forget it in the car, did you?” Dana asked, noticing his hesitation.

“No, sorry, I’ve got it in my other pocket.”

No one noticed the slight blue glow in his eyes as he pulled the locket out of his other pocket and handed it to Johansson, who took it gratefully. Unbeknownst to everyone, even Jared, the locket he had handed to Johansson was a fake that the sentient sword had created. The real locket rested safely around Jared’s neck, right where it wanted to be.

Leaning against the wall, Johansson said, “Thank you very much. I could give you a tour if you want. Not the shitty tour we give to the public, but the kind of tour you can only get from an agent. Whaddaya say? At least you will get your money’s worth for coming all this way.”

Jared brightened at the thought and he turned to look at Dana. She was staring at him with a goofy look on her face, blushing slightly.

“You interested, partner? Want to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory?” he asked.

She bit her lower lip and crossed her arms in thought. “Well... I have a better idea. Not that a personal tour of FBI headquarters New York wouldn’t be fascinating, but we hardly ever get any time off, and I’d love to just walk around the city and be a tourist for a day.”

Johansson feigned being hurt and clutched his chest. “You wound me to the core, my lady.”

They all shared a laugh.

“Eh, you’re not missing much,” Johansson said. “The tour is nothing special, anyway. Now, if we were at Langley, then I could show you all the really cool shit. Shit that would blow your mind and give you nightmares for weeks.”

He ushered them back to the door. “Now you two country bumpkins from upstate run along and enjoy your day off in the big city. Try not to get into too much trouble.”

He held the door open for them and they walked back outside. “Actually, I take that back. Trouble can be fun. If you want to know the best places for it, I can help you out with that.”

“You know you’re welcome to join us if you would like,” Dana said.

Jared nodded his agreement even though the look on his face said otherwise. “If you are not too busy, that is.”

Johansson gave him a wink. “Naw, this old fart has too much work to do. Besides, who will catch the bad guys while you two gallivant around Manhattan? Go and have fun. We can catch up later.”

Jared nodded his thanks