CHAPTER ONE

'I'm here to see August Anderson,' the woman was tall and muscular looking and hid her strength well under her light grey pant suit. Her hair was severely swept off her face and held tightly in a bun. She shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other in a gentle sway. She looked pleadingly at the burly security guard.

'Look miss,' the uniformed officer rolled his eyes. 'You can't just walk in off the street.'

She awkwardly lifted her leg to balance her pocket book on her thigh as she dug into its contents. The officer reached for the grip of his firearm which was ever ready hanging on his waist in its black leather holster. He relaxed when all the woman produced was a card.

'Here, he gave me this. He told me if I ever needed him I should use this number, but it doesn't work. It was eight years ago, so he might have changed it by now but then I thought not Auggie, I mean August. So I wondered if this was some identifier code or something.'

The officer reluctantly took the small card. 'Wait here, I'll go check with someone.' He walked into a side office and disappeared. The woman zipped up her pocket book and looked around the almighty entrance hall. All the architecture designed to show immense power and intimidate visitors.

The officer returned, handed back the card. 'Someone will be down momentarily. Please come this way, we need to get you through some security checks first.'

It was half an hour before someone arrived, a blond woman, pretty but definitely not Auggie. Her heart sunk but she hadn't expected it to be a walk in the park, she would have been worried if it had been.

'Hi, I'm Annie Walker, are you the lady who's come to see Mr Anderson?' Annie's hand was out stretched towards the lady. She gave off friendly if guarded vibes.

'Yes, we're old acquaintances.'

'Would you mind following me please?'

Annie led the woman to a small interview room on the first floor. There were no windows and the woman immediately felt claustrophobic. She cleared her throat nervously.

'Can I get you anything to drink?' Annie asked. The woman shook her head.

'Is there some sort of problem, is August not here?'

'Well, he is currently in a meeting but...'

'You wanted to check me out first?'

'Something like that,' Annie flicked her hair back and clasped her hands in front of her on the desk.

'Do you have any form of identification on you?'

'No,' the woman didn't want to go easy on the presumptuous blond come guard dog. And since when did Auggie need guarding?

'Would you mind giving me your name?'

'Not at all.'

'Well what?'

'Your name.'

'Carolina Jefferson.'

'Ok, and can I enquire as to the nature of you visit?'

'Why?' Carolina crossed her arms in front of her chest mirroring Annie's posture.

'Well Auggie is both a colleague and a friend. I would like to just take a few moments to check the facts.'

Annie's cell phone buzzed. 'Excuse me,' she said to Ms Jefferson as she flicked it open to answer.

'Walker...no...no...yes,' and then quietly added 'on rye.' before hanging up.

Annie placed her phone on the table and returned to study the woman's face.

'So did you use to work with Auggie?'

Carolina stretched out her arms on the table, her hands in fists. 'I am not at liberty to discuss that I'm afraid. Look, we both know that Auggie probably knew I was across the state line before I did. So if he's here, he sure as hell knows I am too. He didn't have to send down his guard dog to interrogate me, I get it loud and clear; over and out,' Carolina stood up gave Annie a parting nod and left.

Annie Walker returned to the open plan office of the DPD, her expression confused over the bazaar meeting she had just had. It wasn't any secret that Auggie was a bit of a player when it came to the ladies but it seemed unusual for him to be this indiscreet. Ms Jefferson was in possession of his identifier code, used for field work verification and salaries. It was possible she'd got the number from something lying around Auggie's apartment. Surely even the best operative slips up now and again.

Her finger trailed over the sandwich on her desk. White bread and not rye, again. She looked around to see if anyone was watching and swept it off her desk into the garbage can which she'd slipped over with her foot.

Auggie was in his office, she could see that he was alone and didn't look like he was in the middle of anything important. Time for a visit.

'Hey Walker, what can I do for you today?'

It was so unnerving that he could always tell it was her even though she'd changed her perfume and taken to wearing lower heeled shoes. It was a mystery, one of many when it came to Mr Anderson.

'Was the meeting interesting? You guys discover the secret for world peace and the perfect ice mochas?' Annie rested her hand on his hard shoulder.

'Very funny. No, and no I'm not going to tell you about it so you'll just have to put up with Bern's cappuccinos for now.'

Auggie spun his chair round and looked up at her. His gaze unfocused but only missing potential eye contact by a centimetre or so.

'You finished looking through those reports Joan asked you to analyse?'

'Christ, I really need to get back out in the field. Are you sure there isn't anything on the horizon?' she wandered over to the window and stared out at the Autumnal scene. Seemed a bit ironic that the office with the best view was Auggie's.

'You getting itchy feet there Ms Walker? There may be something coming up soon but it wont be all that exciting. An info exchange, I was lining up Hashim to do it, give him some experience.'

'I'm not proud Aug, when the pickin's are so thin.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' Auggie replied with his voice deep and his lips drawn into a sexy smile. He spun round to face his computer. His fingers trailed the brail readout on his keyboard. Annie knew she'd been dismissed. As she passed him to leave she gently touched his shoulder. At the door she turned.

'Hey, I forgot to mention, there was a woman here asking to see you.'

'Yeah?' Auggie replied not showing much interest.

'Yeah. A civi; said she was some old friend of yours? She just walked in off the street, showed Harry a card she said you'd given her. He called me and I had a chat with her.'

'What was on the card?'

'Well it was your ID number.'

Auggie stopped his computer work and was listened more intently though Annie knew he was trying to show he wasn't concerned.

'What was on the other side of the card?' he asked.

'A picture of a -'

'Tree? Cedar of Lebanon?' he turned to face her again but his eyes stared straight ahead.

'Tree? Yes. Breed? I wouldn't have the first clue. It was big, evergreen, blue-sh tinge.'

'How long ago was she here?'

'Oh, about forty minutes ago.'

'What name she give you?'

'Carolina Jefferson. Do you know her? Is she inside?'

'Don't worry about it. If it was important she'll get back in touch,' Auggie turned back to his computer but called over his shoulder. 'Hey Annie, could you call Hashim in here please?'

Once he heard the door slide closed he rubbed his face with this hands and pressed his palms to eye balls. Blood rushed to them and relieved the growing pressure he felt building. Carolina Jefferson, typical. She was never one to go it simple. He could picture her faintly, a broad smile that soaked into her eyes. Her auburn hair shining richly in the sun. Her softly spoken voice.

The door slid open and he snapped back to reality.

'Hashim?'

'Mr Anderson.'

Auggie rolled his eyes and could vision the nervous rookie in front of him. Hashim was only two months out of the farm but was one hell of a recruit. Both his IT expertise and spy craft was beyond anything they'd uncovered since Annie Walker joined.

'Hash, I need a favour. I need it completely off the books. You report to me and only me.'

'Yes Mr Anderson.'

'Hash, it's Auggie.'

'Yes Mr Auggie.'

Auggie liked this guy, he could tell he was being messed with and couldn't help but show off his wide grin. That a boy, he thought to himself.

'I need you to track someone down for me. I warn you it is going to be hard. If you manage to do it, I don't want you to make any contact. Just pass me the details.'

'I understand.'

'You do? Cause I sure as hell don't,' Auggie briefed Hashim on his visitor. It was hard to give a description, Alexandra was an expert chamaeleon.