Written by Scooplet

Concept by Cheryl and Scooplet

Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use. Sarah Stetson and Matt Granger are my creation, however, so please respect my right to claim ownership of them—I do not authorize permission to use them in stories not authored by me.

I Know He Watches Me, Part One

Chapter Four

Sarah was just pulling out of the Agency parking garage at five fifteen when her Bluetooth beeped. She touched the button. "Hello?"

"Hey, Pumpkin."

"Daddy! It's good to hear your voice."

"You should be proud of me. I thought about calling you at least ten times over the last week. Your mother harassed me about checking the weather in Winter Park. But I resisted the urge to dial your number."

"I am proud of you. I hope you don't mind I didn't call you."

"Listen, you don't owe your father a phone call. You've been on your honeymoon and starting a new job. How did it go today?"

"You want honesty?"

"Sure." She thought she detected hesitation in his voice. "But wait. Let me put you on speaker. Your mom is dying to hear how it went, too."

Sarah waited a moment until she heard her mother's familiar, slightly croaky voice. "Hi, sweetheart." Sarah knew by the way her mother said the words that she had missed her, but was trying not to say it. She smiled.

"Hi, Mom. It's good to hear your voice."

"And, it's good to hear yours."

"Well, Daddy asked about my day. It was pretty boring, except for lunch and walking to the parking garage at the end of the day. I had more fun eating a meal with a couple of the other agents and walking to the car with them than I did in the orientation."

Lee chuckled. "Well, I guess when you said honesty…"

"Gee, I hope I wasn't boring."

"Mom, it wasn't Wong or the materials. By the way, I think he uses your PowerPoints."

"Oh, you mean you already knew it all?" Amanda was still not convinced.

"Yes, Mom. I've been around there so much and heard so much—well, you know."

"Actually, I do know the feeling from when I was trained. There was a little friction over it. Your father would take me out of a class so we work on a case. It drove Efraim crazy."

"But you already knew the material. It was a waste of time. And I needed you."

"Now Daddy, save the mushy stuff for after the phone call."

"You don't get mushy with Matt? You're a newlywed."

"Not in front of you." Sarah could almost hear her father rolling his eyes. He had not really been mushy, while she and Matt had been mushy in front of her parents more than a few times.

"You're just trying to get my goat, young lady."

"Yep." She chuckled a little.

"How was the honeymoon, sweetheart?" Sarah knew that her mother's question had more than one meaning.

"It was really nice."

"Really?" Amanda's tone was hopeful.

"Yes, Mom. Winter Park is beautiful in the snow, the condo was very comfortable, it was relaxing—everything was really nice." Sarah and her mother had talked more than once about being with Matt for the first time. Thankfully she was not asking for details.

Sarah could hear her mother's relieved sigh. When her father did not have a snappy comeback, she knew he was glad she had not specifically mentioned the romantic side of things. Instead his response was polite and interested.

"How was the skiing?"

"Great. Plenty of snow. Matt had me do a mogul run. It went pretty well."

"Moguls? No kidding. I could never get you to do moguls."

"Don't be jealous, Daddy. I'm in better shape now than I was in college. And I was too chicken when I was younger."

"Did you go anywhere else?" Amanda was eager to change the subject.

"We drove up to some lakes just north of there. Matt took me snowmobiling and we did a little shopping, ate dinner out." Sarah paused. Lee and Amanda thought they heard a turn signal. "Daddy, Mom, I need to stop at the grocery store now. I decided to make something a little more elaborate for dinner and I need a couple of things. Matt has to work an extra hour, so I want to surprise him."

"We'll let you go. Have a nice evening and give Matt a hug for me, sweetheart."

"Love you, Mom, Daddy."

"Love you, too." Lee and Amanda spoke in unison just before the call ended.

Sitting on the couch in the den, they regarded one another. Finally Lee spoke. "At least she didn't seem to be aware of the tail."

"Or she didn't want to tell us about it."

Taking her hand, Lee was sober. "Francine has it covered, Amanda."

"I know." Amanda's eyes traveled to the shelves across the room. She could just make out the photo of Sarah and Matt from her place on the couch. "At least they had a good time."

He offered her a sheepish expression. "I was kind of acting jealous, wasn't I?"

Amanda hesitated, and then plunged ahead. "Yes, but you weren't too bad. Lee, you know that people in love will do more for each other than they will for a parent. Think about all of the things you were able to talk me into doing. My mother could never have gotten that far."

"Well, I am glad you blew her off about Bryce Topping. And that Dan fellow. She really wanted you two to get married." He moved closer to Amanda.

"It was Dean."

He angled his head so he could nuzzle his lips against her neck and he spoke softly to her. "And there were several things I was able to talk you into doing…"

Sighing a little, Amanda was not quite deterred. "Well, you finally got me to shoot straight."

"And carry a gun. You needed the protection."

"Oh, but I hated it for a long time."

Lee did not answer, instead moving his mouth to her jaw.

She sighed more loudly this time. "I really need to make dinner."

Apparently Lee could tell her heart was not in it, because he ignored her again. This time Amanda stopped talking and kissed him back.

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Letting himself in the front door, Matt was greeted by the familiar chime of the alarm system. It was not armed, but his arrival had been announced upstairs. A mouth-watering aroma—he guessed it was pasta primavera with chicken—drifted down the stairs from the kitchen. And the sweet voice of his wife drifted down as well as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hello, dear. How was your day?"

Matt chuckled and took the stairs two at a time. He dropped his backpack at their feet and wrapped his arms around her. He did not just offer her a peck on the lips. Sarah gasped a little as if she needed air when the kiss ended.

"I can say it has ended very well. Nothing like coming home to the love of my life."

"I missed you, too, today. Kept daydreaming about the honeymoon. Finally I had to force myself to take notes so I wouldn't blush."

"You're blushing a little right now." Matt had not released her, and Sarah's arms were wrapped around him as well. He bent his head to kiss her again.

"Do you want to take this upstairs, Mr. Granger?"

His chuckle was almost raspy. "That would be tempting, but I think I'll help you finish getting dinner on the table. I wouldn't want to ruin your efforts by letting them get overcooked or something." He stepped away and picked up his backpack. "Just give me a sec to change my clothes and wash my hands."

"Take your time. The food isn't quite ready." She turned back to the kitchen.

"You know, I wasn't kidding about coming home to the love of my life. You're not just visiting here anymore."

As she turned back to him, his expression was so earnest, so sincere, that Sarah felt an ache in her chest. How had she managed to find such a sweet man? "I'm grateful for you, my love."

"Me, too." He smiled at her as he turned to go upstairs. Sarah was glad that she did not have anything planned for after dinner, and she hoped Matt did not have much homework in that backpack.

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After parting ways with Sarah as he had done the day before, Matt made his way to the bullpen alone. Rene was due in shortly. He was glad for the moment to clear his head. Perhaps it had been their separation yesterday and the newness of their marriage, but last night had been even better than the honeymoon. They had shared a few snippets about their day over dinner; Matt had insisted on cleaning up the kitchen while Sarah had disappeared upstairs. After reviewing his notes for class, Matt had gone looking for Sarah and ended up in their bedroom, where candles had cast a soft glow about the room. Then she had appeared in one of the lacy little lingerie things that she had worn on their honeymoon. They had eventually spent some more time talking. Sarah had even asked if they could read a Bible chapter and pray together, but that was much later, as they had snuggled together in their big bed.

Matt was drawn back to the present as the elevator doors opened to the level where the bull pen was located. He was early—Sarah had wanted to arrive before the other freshman agents so they would not be seen together. At least until she had had a few days to get to know them and gradually drop hints that she had background there. She was quite anxious about giving anyone a bad first impression or letting them think she had some kind of favored status.

That was anything but the truth, he thought to himself as he turned on his computer and settled into his chair. Wong may have been kind and friendly to Sarah yesterday, but he could be quite tough. Matt suspected the senior agent and freshman supervisor might be jealous, too. Matt was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

As nice as the night before had been, reality had hit as they talked on the way in to work. Matt had broken the news to Sarah about being followed on their honeymoon. Surprisingly, she had taken it well, almost as if she had expected it. Something about her response left him feeling more concerned about her than the thought of being followed. He said a brief prayer as he settled at his desk. Once his computer was up and running, Matt started catching up on emails and the overnight flash traffic reports.

Twenty minutes later Rene breezed in. "Hey, my man. You ready for more classes?"

"Hey Rene." Matt watched him idly for a moment and then turned back to his screen. "Yeah, I'm ready. But we need to stay in touch here. You'll want to read some of these, too."

Rene sat at his desk, turning to Matt as he waited for his computer to power up. "This whole cloak and dagger thing with the car, fake apartment, and all that. Do you think it will really work? After all, you were followed in Colorado."

"To be honest, I think it's a waste of time and money. I think they want to cover their behinds. These guys are too high tech to be fooled like that."

"Exactly."

"But we need to humor them for now. Just give it a few more days. I've seen this before. They'll get tired of it too, or someone will finally wise up."

"I just don't like exposing Patti. Or Sarah."

"I know what you mean." Matt turned back to his emails. "We might be stuck with that beater for a while. Even if the guys we're after are on to us, we can't drop our cover at UVa."

"I know. I was just hoping. The stupid car won't let us charge more than one phone at a time." Rene grew quiet as he scanned through his own inbox.

Narelle stepped out of Francine's office and over to Matt's and Rene's desks. "You two have a meeting in the conference room on level eight in half an hour. Francine, Lady Farnsworth, and the other need-to-knows will be there."

Rene looked at Matt and then back at Narelle. "We're supposed to be out in the field then."

"Francine knows your classes don't start until after lunch."

"We have office hours."

"Not until tomorrow. You gave her your schedule, remember? That means I had to add it to your case file."

"Thanks, Narelle. We'll be at the meeting." Matt thumped his partner's arm when Rene threatened to say something more. He waited until Narelle was seated at her desk once again before turning to Rene. "Show some manners, dude. She's just doing her job."

"I just get tired of her attitude. We're agents and she treats us like underlings because she works for the chief."

"Get over it. It's the truth. In her mind we're a couple of young jerks because you don't give her any respect. Neither do Gonzales or Johnson."

"Hey, speak for yourself, Granger. I've been very polite lately."

Matt turned in his seat to find Manny Gonzales standing behind them, a smug expression on his face. "Well, I guess that's good news."

"Don't get too excited, Granger. He's just trying to brown-nose so a certain civilian employee at the desk nearby will be all impressed." Ryan Johnson, who had walked up to their little group, was rolling his eyes.

Matt sat up tall in his seat so he could see over the top of his monitor. A new employee, a young woman in her early to mid-twenties, sat at what had been an empty desk. Petite and blonde, she seemed to be studiously ignoring the four agents. He grinned and turned back to the others. "Well, she doesn't seem to have noticed you, Gonzales."

"Oh don't get all smug with me just because you're married now, Granger."

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Just telling it like I see it." He turned back to his computer, then looked back over his shoulder, speaking quietly so she could not hear them. "Be yourself, Gonzales. If that doesn't impress her, do you really want to hang with her?"

"Says the expert." Gonzales's bravado was beginning to fade.

Rene snorted. "If you consider who he caught, I'd say to shut it and follow his advice, you moron."

Johnson elbowed Gonzales. "You know, Enriquez has a point."

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"Today we'll start off with a tour of the Agency. Now that you know what the various departments are, you'll get a chance to see what they look like." Wong continued on, describing how the floor plan of the Agency worked, and Sarah found herself tuning him out.

Matt knew they had been followed. Sarah felt a twinge of guilt for not telling Matt about the man who had followed them on the ski slopes and helped her up when she fell. It had been no coincidence that he had been right there to lend a hand. She needed to talk with Matt, but this morning there had not been enough time—she had not wanted to tell him just as he was arriving at work.

As for her training, the morning had started off well. While she had enjoyed talking with a couple of the other agents the day before, this morning she had chatted with a few more, including Grant Hill and Catherine Scott, as they waited for Wong to arrive. The others had sat quietly, going over their notes as they waited for class to begin.

Wong finished his lecture and soon the group had begun their tour, passing personnel as they headed for the bullpen.

Catherine, whom Sarah had been friendly with the day before, leaned in to whisper, "I'm not sure why we went to human resources again. We spent enough time there when they first hired us."

"But you probably took the one elevator they use for new recruits. Now that we know where our training classroom and the other elevators are, we'll be able to find it more easily."

Sarah's new friend looked at her strangely. "You seem to have this all figured out."

"Well, I've been here before as a civilian. Long story."

Catherine raised her eyebrows and glanced at Grant Hill. "You mean like Grant? He had that preliminary training."

"I also went through prelim."

Now Catherine eyed her speculatively. "They say there can be a ringer in the class."

"That's just a rumor."

"Maybe." Catherine eyed her again and then laughed. "I was kidding. That's cool that you could do the prelim. I know it helps if you haven't been in law enforcement before."

Wong glared at Catherine and Sarah. They were nearing the bullpen and he did not want them chatting.

Catherine was not to be deterred. She simply lowered her voice so she could finish her thought. "You analyst types probably don't have much weapons training." Catherine had been quite clear from the start that she had joined the Agency for the field work. She had spent four years working for a state police agency before being recruited.

Wong stopped the group as they reached the doors leading into the bullpen. He stepped inside, and finding that it was rather quiet due to the early hour, he led the group inside.

Sarah glanced quickly into the room, only to see her husband staring back at her while Rene, Ryan Johnson, and Manny Gonzales laughed about something. Sarah looked about the room and spotted Grace Tanaka staring at her computer screen. She hoped that it would not be long before she could work with Grace again. Grace understood her—they had befriended last fall and could read one another fairly easily.

Before the group could walk through the doors, Catherine was elbowing Sarah and whispering in her ear again. "Oh, my God. Do you see that hunk with those blue eyes? You should have seen the look he gave you just a second ago. If you don't go after him, I will. What I wouldn't do to have him for an overnighter. And the other three aren't so bad, either."

It was Grant's turn to elbow Catherine. "Check out the wedding rings on the two at the desks, Catherine."

"Oh, well. There's still two left. And the hunk has wandering eyes."

Sarah willed herself not to blush and kept her eyes on everything except the four agents who were still gathered in a cluster near Matt's and Rene's desks. She feigned interest as Wong stood near the display screen and communications equipment, explaining their use. At one point Francine stepped out of her office to greet the group. Sarah was grateful when her parents' friend and the chief of the field section did not single her out.

As they walked out of the hub of the field section, Sarah noticed that Matt and Rene had left. Gonzales and Johnson were busy at their desks, studiously ignoring the group.

Catherine elbowed her again as they walked through the doors. "Looks like your admirer was married. Too bad. It's just as well he left without saying goodbye."

Sarah was tempted to say something about the "hunk with the blue eyes" being married to her and that those eyes were grey, but she stopped herself and held up her left hand, waggling the ring finger as a visual reminder. The wedding set sparkled under the lights. "Well, since I'm married, too, I guess that settles that."

Catherine shot her a look that was partly astonished and partly apologetic. "That's right. I can't believe I forgot. You just got married. I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth."

"It's okay. Actually, I know those guys. I'll explain it to you sometime." Sarah wondered at Catherine's seeming forgetfulness. For a somewhat experienced law enforcement agent, she did not remember details well. At least the one about Sarah's married status. Or perhaps she was covering for a social misstep. Either way, Sarah determined to keep up her guard.

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Matt still was not sure why Emily Farnsworth would be associated with this case at the University of Virginia, but her continued work with MI6 still kept her in much more highly classified circles than the ones he was privy to in his pay grade. He settled into his seat, grateful for the chance to sit still in a quiet room. The thought of driving to and from the campus, changing out cars, and wearing disguises was already getting old and it was only the second day of what might be a long assignment. Then there had been all of the activity in the bullpen early that morning.

He had been caught off guard by seeing Sarah in the bullpen. Of course it made sense that Wong would give them a tour of the facility. It had been a slip on his part to look at her the way he had. He could not risk exposing their relationship until Sarah was ready. He doubted their tour would make it to this floor, too, but he would keep his eyes open.

Rene stepped back into the room. "Looks like everyone is on their way. They aren't walking very fast, though."

"Lady Farnsworth is eighty-nine. She's entitled to take her time."

"How does she still get to work in intelligence?"

"You'll figure it out when you see her in action. Lee and Amanda can't sing enough of her praises."

A few minutes later Francine was escorting Lady Farnsworth and her two assistants into the room. Phillip and Jamie, as well as two of their assistants, had tagged along.

Matt and Rene stood up as the others entered the room.

"Ahh, Matthew. So good to see you again. I hope you are enjoying married life." She offered her hand to Matt before turning to Rene. "Hello, Rene." At Francine's surprised expression, Emily waited until after Tristan helped her to sit and uttered, "We met at the wedding," by way of explanation.

"I must have missed that." Francine took a seat on one side of Emily. "Well, it seems that I won't have to be making introductions for you, then, Lady Farnsworth." Francine smiled briskly. "Matt and Rene, you've met Tristan and Margaret Bates."

Matt and Rene shook hands with the Bates, but Matt was wondering if they had intended to have their marriage made public. He recalled Lee and Amanda telling their story—or what little they had felt they could share.

Francine took charge again. "Well, everyone. We don't want to keep Lady Farnsworth for very long, so I'll just let her have the floor."

The veteran agent nodded politely to Francine and the rest of the group. "First off, please call me Emily. Lady Farnsworth is quite a handle, and we may be working closely together." She shifted in her chair. "Besides, you might notice I do not really have a British accent. I'm from California originally."

Matt caught Rene smiling at her manner. Apparently he was catching on to the reason Emily was still mentoring young agents and consulting with top intelligence networks, even when others her age would be enjoying retirement.

"Margaret, would you please prepare the slide show for us while I begin?" Emily adjusted her glasses and consulted the electronic tablet Margaret had placed in front of her. "I'm sure you've been hoping that this case would be cut and dried. Rene and Matthew would show up on campus, attract the attention of the terrorist network who is somehow stealing technology secrets under our noses, and just like that, it would all be over." She glanced around the room, making certain she had their attention.

"However, that is not how our target works. He has many people working for him with highly sophisticated equipment at their disposal. We know this because of the evidence he leaves behind. His ability to find the Grangers so easily was a perfect example." She glanced apologetically at Matt. "He never stays in one place long enough for us to catch him. Just as Phillip located his team in Winter Park, he vanished.

"As frustrating as that is, it is his trademark." She leaned forward. "However, I think there was a specific motive for following you to Winter Park, Matthew. I believe he was testing you, and perhaps Sarah." She paused, allowing the words to sink in.

Matt sat back in his seat, sickened. Could they never catch a break? The thought of this man close to his wife, after all they had been through last fall, made his gut clench.

"But do not let his behavior in Colorado disturb you too greatly. As much as his end goal is sinister—obtaining technology for the building of nuclear weapons—he does not seem to relish murdering people outside his inner circle. And he knows how to keep his people loyal. However, you are not yet in his inner circle. We hope to avoid having to go that far."

Seeing that Emily had paused in her speech, Matt cleared his throat.

"Yes, Matthew?"

"Besides this intelligence, what personal information do we have on the target? What's his name? Where does he come from?"

Emily nodded to Margaret and Tristan. Margaret turned off most of the lights in the room while Tristan began to speak. "We have only a first name—Jamal. As an arms dealer and terrorist, he has never used a last name, to our knowledge. He was educated in the United States—we have a few short recordings of his voice that show him to have a slight accent. Most likely he's from the Arabian Peninsula. But we cannot be certain which country originally." The projector displayed a satellite photo of a desert compound, then a short video with heat signatures. "We know where he lives now. He is a family man—there are four wives, several children, and possibly a concubine or two at his compound."

"A modern-day harem, then." Francine raised her eyebrows. "Any photos of the man himself?"

"We cannot be certain this is our man, but two different subjects claim they saw this man following them. There was plenty of evidence backing up their suspicions." Tristan let the slide show stop at a photo of a middle-aged man, perhaps forty. He was clean-shaven, with dark hair and eyes.

"How did we manage to speak to these subjects?" Rene was studying Jamal's face.

"We, too, have attempted this same operation at a university in England. However, it did not go well." Emily paused to offer a compassionate glance towards Matt and Rene, whose tense faces revealed their responses to that news. "Our goal is to make certain this operation is a success."

Rene was quick with his comeback. "This time? How can you be sure? We have wives to consider. This guy may not kill people up front, but he doesn't seem to hesitate if they don't cooperate."

"We can cooperate, Rene. The technology isn't real." Matt's mood did not match his brave words.

Just then there was a mild commotion in the hallway outside. Matt leaned back in his chair so he could see out the door. He thought he caught a glimpse of Wong and his new agents. Then the group paused outside their door as Wong was explaining something. He thought he heard Sarah's voice. Then he could just see her profile and her arm as she gestured to the window of the door. When Wong spoke again, her arm quickly dropped and Matt could see her pull out her phone as she moved away with the group. A moment later he received a text.

Inside the room, the group had been discussing the serious nature of the assignment, and the dangers it involved, but Matt had not been paying attention. He tried to attract Francine's and Rene's attention, but they were in a heated discussion with Phillip, who was making promises about surveillance. Giving up, Matt ran from the room, hoping to catch Sarah before they boarded the elevator. Sprinting, he made it just as the doors were closing, and stuck first his foot, then his hand inside.

"Excuse me." He smiled politely at Wong. "But I would like to borrow Agent Granger for a moment." He glanced around the group and spotted Wong's assistant, Dava. Good. Wong might be willing to leave his group, since Dava could lead the tour for a few minutes. If he could pull both Wong and Sarah, it would make Sarah's actions less suspicious. "We would like to talk with you, too, Agent Wong."

Wong's brow furrowed, but he slipped through the group and exited the elevator along with Sarah. As the doors closed, Matt led them away.

"What's this about, Granger? You can't just pull your wife—or me—out of training when you have the itch to do so."

Matt fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I pulled you both out of training so it would be easier to explain my actions. I won't keep you long. Sarah has information that may be critical to an operation we're discussing."

"All right then," he huffed, "but I'm coming along."

Matt was hustling Sarah, who still had not said a word, down the hall. Francine stood in the doorway, staring at the three of them. He released Sarah's arm and offered a brief explanation to Francine. "She saw the photo." He sent her a knowing look, but did not say anything more. Wong did not have clearance for information about this operation, and neither did Sarah.

Francine was brisk and authoritative. Matt guessed it was her way of preempting any protests. "Wong. Thanks for letting us borrow Agent Granger for a moment. Could you please wait for her out here?"

Matt took that moment to whisper in his wife's ear. "Sorry, honey. I know you didn't want to draw attention to yourself."

Sarah did not have time to reply, but simply nodded as Francine was ushering them into the room.

Matt addressed everyone. "My apologies for that rude behavior. However, Sarah may have information for us."

"Hello dear. I was hoping I would see you here today."

"Lady Farnsworth." Sarah seemed surprised. Matt guessed she had not been looking at the people in the room once she had seen the photo projected on the wall. She went over to Emily to take the older woman's hand in greeting.

"Your husband said you might have some information for us?"

Sarah stared at the wall, then over at Matt. "It was the same man." She stopped herself, obviously flustered at being the center of attention and becoming more so as she noticed her brothers for the first time. She cast an apologetic expression towards Matt. "He had been watching you on the ski slope. Then he was the one who helped me up. He offered to take me down to the bottom of the hill."

Matt felt a chill. He had guessed this might be what Sarah had meant, but the truth was making his stomach clench once again. "You didn't tell me."

"I know." Again, her expression was apologetic. "That's not all."

Now Emily took her hand, speaking in a soothing voice. "It's all right dear. I'm sure you two know what you are talking about, but the rest of us need some clarification. Please start at the beginning. This could be very important."

While Sarah had been rattled at first, she took a deep breath and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "While we were skiing last Tuesday at Winter Park, I noticed a man following us." She pointed at the projected photo on the wall. "That man."

Matt had been standing off to the side of the room, allowing Sarah to be the center of attention. He had known what Sarah had meant, but her words of clarification only drove the enormity of her meaning home. Jamal had definitely been there. Not only watching him, but Sarah, too. He took his seat, finding it too difficult to stand any longer.

"Then, later on, a snowboarder came up behind me and tangled with my skis, then hit me in the back so I lost control. When I fell, the same man who had followed us was there to help me up." She blushed now and Matt held his breath. So it had been Jamal there helping Sarah up. He had not been certain before, but he was now. He felt the icy chill once again.

"He asked me to ditch Matt and join him for drinks at the lodge." Now she seemed to have regained her courage. "I guess he didn't know we were married—Matt and I were wearing gloves, so he couldn't see our rings. I basically told him to take off."

Matt did not want Sarah to read his face, so he looked down at the table. This was not the first time she had told off someone who had tried to come on to her while Matt was out of earshot. The other time the guy had ended up on the floor, doubled up in pain. But this was different. Jamal was not afraid of killing. Knowing that Sarah would sense his turmoil, Matt schooled his expression to hide his distress. Sarah might misread his emotions and think he was jealous. She would need his encouragement right now. Somehow he managed to bring a faint smile to his lips as he looked up at her.

Sarah had not missed his expression and had offered him a small smile in return. Her shoulders seem to relax as she waited for further questions from the group. She had been afraid to tell him about Jamal. They needed to talk. Tonight. He did not want his wife's fear of making him jealous to put her at risk.

Phillip jumped into the conversation. "You told this guy," he waved his hand at Jamal's photo, "to take off, and he did?"

Sarah's eyes flitted to first Matt's, then Francine's. "Yes."

"You're lucky you didn't piss him off, Sarah."

Matt bristled at Phillip's senseless comment, but Sarah was ready to take care of herself. By her tone, Matt could tell her patience was wearing thin. "What would you suggest I do? Take him up on the offer?"

Francine was quick to interject herself into the verbal sparring. "Enough, kids." Casting a disapproving glance towards Phillip, she directed her next remark to Sarah. "You were wise to avoid any more contact with the man." Francine's expression invited only a positive response.

"Yes, ma'am."

"So what exactly did you say, dear?"

Sarah was grateful that Emily was trying to put her at ease. "I told him that my husband might not appreciate me going to the bar without him. Then I turned away and ignored him while I waited for Matt to come up the hill. After less than half a minute, the man skied away."

Emily Farnsworth raised her eyebrows, not surprised by Jamal's actions. "It sounds like he was satisfied with the result of his 'test.' He did not want Matthew to identify him easily. It seems likely that he has not yet found out that Matthew is an operative, or he would not have dared to come so close, and then simply disappear."

Jamie had been quiet the entire time, but he had not been sitting silently as his assistant and Phillip's had. Still clicking his mouse, he used the break in the conversation to interject. "Sarah, did you get a look at the snowboarder?"

"It was pretty quick. He was wearing a helmet."

"I got a decent look at him." Matt leaned forward, interested. "Why?"

"I was able to dredge up some photos of Jamal's recent known associates in the U.S. I checked backgrounds to see if any of them might be likely to have snowboarding experience. Four lived in states with ski resorts and were under the age of thirty." Jamie turned his computer around and began slowly paging through the four photos.

Just then Wong knocked on the window. Francine got up and went to open the door. It was barely open before Wong was talking. "Look, I need to get back to my agents. Is Sarah done here?"

"She'll be with you in just a minute. She has important information on a case."

Wong glanced at the assembled group and frowned. "I see." He looked at Sarah. "We'll be in the training room when you're done helping here." Before anyone could respond, he had stalked off.

Agitated now, Sarah glanced from Francine to Jamie. "I really need to go now, Jamie. They'll all wonder why I'm walking around the Agency on my own."

Matt thought he heard Phillip say something about Wong having "thrown her under the bus."

Jamie scrolled through the photos, but Sarah shook her head at each one. Matt stared at them intently, hoping to recognize a face or something. He thought back to the snowboarder, a thickset man, possibly in his early twenties. He had been experienced, of that Matt was certain, and his manner had been casual. Without intending to, he blurted out his next thought. "He reminded me of a surfer. Laid-back, casual, but intent. That's why he didn't fall. He was moving with the board like a pro."

Jamie cocked an eyebrow, then scrolled over two more photos before sitting back and letting Matt examine the image. It was two photos, actually. The one on the left was a close up of the man's face, while the one on the right was a full body image. "These were taken in Colorado in a small town off Interstate 70. We had the facial recognition software running on video and still images from cameras at towns near Winter Park during the first three days you were in Colorado. This image is taken from a video feed outside a restaurant. It's been enlarged and enhanced. Jamal is in several of the frames. Frankly, I'm amazed he did not see this camera. It must have been hidden."

"It just takes once. He's very good, but he's not perfect." Emily wore a satisfied expression as she waited for the Grangers to examine the photo.

Sarah spoke up first. "That could be him. He had long hair under his helmet. I remember the hair. It was dirty blonde. And his face was round like that."

Matt was more certain. "I believe that is him. I recognize the body type, too. Of course it would be helpful if we had video. If I could see his mannerisms…"

Emily watched Matt's face as her mouth curved up in a smile. "Very good, Matthew. It is more difficult to hid mannerisms and body type than a face. You've been trained well."

Embarrassed at the praise, Matt tried to brush it off. "One can cover up quite a bit when they are wearing a kameez."

"Loose clothing does hide things, but not mannerisms."

Sarah interrupted Emily and Matt's conversation. "Um, will you all excuse me? I really have to get back to my training."

Francine stood up. "I'll walk you back."

Matt watched as Sarah left the room with Francine. Phillip was trying to get Jamie's attention, but Jamie was too busy talking with his assistant about searching for video of the snowboarder.

Rene leaned over and whispered, "That was good of Francine after Wong left Sarah hanging high and dry. She's a pro at coming up with cover stories."

"Would you buy it? They've been hired because they're suspicious by nature. The thing is, these new agents have practically no clearance, so Sarah can't say anything about even helping with our case."

"I'm sure Francine will remind her of that."

"I'm not worried about her letting something slip. I just hope they all cut her some slack."