Chapter Four:

The next morning Cortland checked out Reid's car. Careful about avoiding surveillance cameras, she broke into his car with ease. It was a shabby vehicle but it must suit is his needs. Like everything in his house, he kept it very neat. There was a stack of Beethoven CDs inside the console and a packet of gum in the glove box along with the registration and a thin book on car maintenance. In his back seat there was another messenger bag containing a set of clean clothes. His trunk contained a spare tire and jack. His neatness clearly extended to every part of his life.

It would be tempting to plant another bug here but there were no instructions to do so. Her employers were probably smart enough to know that cars in Quantico were subject to random inspections. It would make tracking him harder but not impossible.

She went back to DC to play tourist. The exhibits were stunning. At times she almost forgot she was there on business. She took the time to eat at a nice restaurant. She charged it all to the company card. It was part of her cover and some of it was fun.

Cortland spent the night watching his neighbors. He had one elderly neighbor who seemed to be enjoy her crossword puzzles. The other neighbor didn't have a light on. She went to bed early in hopes that Reid would be home tomorrow.

…

Tedium was part of a private investigator's job. Mastering how to stay alert while bored was important. It worked better with a partner but Cortland was used to the working alone. She spent the day watching Reid's apartment intently. She considered it practice for when he was actually home.

Q finally texted her at noon that the case was complete and he should be home by around six o'clock.

She watched him come in around six-thirty. She turned on the surveillance cameras and began to watch. Upon entering his apartment and turning on the light, he dropped his bags and rubbed his eyes. He looked exhausted. She watched uneasily as he entered his bedroom and began to undress down to a t-shirt and shorts. He then pulled the blankets up and laid on his bed. He appeared to fall asleep instantly.

It must have been a hard case. Cortland drafted some notes:

Subject falls asleep quickly after exhausting cases.

…

The next day she woke up extremely early and got dressed. Reid looked so peaceful as he slept. He woke up two hours later and began to undress. Her stomach churned as she watched him enter the shower. She didn't watch long. Cortland only took notes about the scars on his skin. She refused to admit to herself the possibility that she enjoyed it as she minimized the screen showing the bathroom.

It was raining today so he drove. Cortland grabbed a taxi and paid extra for him to follow her specific instructions. Reid always drove the speed limit and sometimes a few miles under. He followed all the rules of the road. She was careful to turn away when they drove past him as he took the off ramp to Quantico.

Cortland returned to DC to play tourist again for a few hours. She mulled over what she saw in the shower stall. She wondered what the client wanted to do with this information. It started to scare her to think about the possibilities.

She was ready and waiting next to the surveillance equipment when he got home around six o'clock. He pulled off his jacket, undid his tie and hung them in the closet in his room. Reid then turned on a Beethoven CD and began to cook pasta and meatballs. He ate it with a glass of red wine. Cortland watched as he read a thick book for a few hours after cleaning up. Not long afterwards he changed and went to bed.

Cortland decided to curl up on the floor and sleep also.

"Sweet dreams Reid," she said to the image of him curled up in bed.

…

He liked to shower in the morning, she noted and then minimized the screen. She watched him toast a bagel and make some coffee for a thermos. He always closed the drapes before he left.

She followed him to work again on the subway. This time she sat in another car with her hair down and her face in an e-reader. She caught a glimpse of him leaving the platform as the train moved away.

Cortland was in the apartment working on notes for her reports when she her phone rang.

"Hi, I'm Tasha," the woman said cheerfully when she answered. "So how is Reid?"

"He seems healthy and in good spirits," she said.

Tasha laughed. "I like you already Eileen. How does he look? He has a model's physique. Has it been fun seeing what's hidden under all those prim and proper clothes?"

"There is an element of appeal to him," she conceded and hated the words as they came out.

"That's what I want to hear!" she said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see the photos."

"I'll have a collection to show you in a little while," Cortland said. "I haven't mastered his schedule yet."

"Well you still have time. The weekend should be a treat, I wonder if he likes long bubble bathes?"

"We'll see," she said.

"Now I'll let you get back to work. I'll check in later next week, good-bye Eileen," she said and hung up.

It occurred to Cortland that Tasha was sounding a little too enthusiastic about Reid's body. She wondered if there was more the story. There was something that made Reid special and Cortland wanted to find out what it was if only to satisfy her own curiosity.