Anna jumped into the front seat of the car with Dembe.
"You could sit in the back." Dembe offered, "It would not offend me."
"No, I'm good up here," Anna responded she wanted to get to know Dembe more. He was important to Raymond, and she knew the two worked closely together. "Do you have a family?"
"Besides Raymond?" Dembe asked checking his mirrors before he merged onto the highway that would lead them to Anna's house.
"Yes."
Dembe was not entirely comfortable with the line of questioning. He liked to keep his daughter and granddaughters existence quiet. "How about you?"
"Not really. Both my parents are dead, and I'm estranged from my older siblings." Anna said noting how Dembe evaded her question.
Most people thought Dembe was quiet, and he was, but he also knew how to hold a conversation. He just chooses most of the time to listen instead of talk. There was a lot you could learn from a person by listening.
"How long has Raymond been working with Elizabeth?"
"You should ask Raymond," Dembe said clearly uncomfortable with Anna's questions.
"I will later," Anna said feeling like Dembe was shutting down every avenue for conversation. "How long will you and Raymond be in the States? I remember moving around the country to country a lot with him when we were together."
"I do not know," Dembe answered honestly.
"He should be moving safe houses soon thought, right. He moves every few days."
"How do you know about that?" Dembe asked knowing that early in Raymond's career when he had fewer resources, he moved safe houses less often. There was not as big of a target on him. It was only about ten years ago, well after Anna, that Raymond started to move every other day at least.
"He said something about it last night," Anna said as if she was ignorant of Dembe's suspicion.
They did not speak again until Dembe pulled up in front of Anna's flat.
"I'll only be a minute," Anna said rushing out of the car into her townhouse to gather clothes.
It took her ten minutes to find clothes and grab a few items she would need, in case she stayed the night at Raymonds again.
When Anna got back into the car, she gave up on starting a conversation with Dembe. Instead, she pulled out her iPad and started reading documents and briefings she had received about her organization's ongoing work.
"Would you find it extremely rude if I plugged my headphones in while I work?"
"No." Dembe responded, "If you wish we could play the music over the radio."
"I actually need the headphones to help block out the background noises. It's weird but listening to the music loud on headphones helps me focus." Anna plugged her expensive headphones into her iPad and choose to play Adele's 21. The CD contained bittersweet memories for her because she had listened to it after her divorce. The divorce sucked, to begin with, but it also brought up the memories of her time with Raymond. The good and the bad. There was something about Adele's ability to capture the sadness of breaking up that seemed to transcend time and make every important breakup seem like it was just yesterday.
Dembe kept an eye on Anna while he drove. She seemed innocent enough, but her questions today just seemed off. Maybe she was just trying to make conversation. What ordinary people do? She did not seem dubious sitting in her seat reading her iPad while her feet were tapping some unknown beat.
Raymond was not sure the house was ready for both women. He briefly contemplated moving to another safe house so that Anna and Lizzie would not have to be under the same roof, but he did not want to pass up a chance to be near Agnes even now that Lizzie was pissed at him over his use of heroin earlier. However, as usual, though with a much shorter frame of time, they seem to be back to ignoring the issues between them.
Leaving the kitchen, as the dinner was simmering, Red found Lizzie sitting on the floor playing with her daughter.
Red just stood there his head tilted to the side studying her, thinking she did not know he was in the room.
However, she was cognizant of him, and asked, "Were you using when we were looking for Agnes?"
"No," Red answered.
"Why then? Why now?"
"Lizzie we already discussed this," Red answered trying to stop her from questioning him more about it. He felt irritated. Not her fault per say, but she was adding to the annoyance. She always had to make everything so difficult. If she did not want to be around him, why didn't she just go and stay at her house?
"Then let's talk about your people searching for Tom."
Red raised a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. A headache was starting. "He left you." Red said, "If he comes back he'll come back on his own. My people have better things to do than tracking him down."
Lizzie was surprised by his outburst of anger. He had never aimed his anger at her. Oh, he'd been angry with her, but he always hid it.
"I'm going to go check on dinner," Red said leaving the room before the situation turned into a full on screaming match. He was not in the mood to back down today.
Lizzie could hear him banging around in the kitchen. Drawers and cabinets being slammed shut. Picking up Agnes, she placed her in the playpen for safe keeping and walked into the kitchen. She was looking for a fight, and she was not going to let him escape that easily. "How about we talk about Anna and how I'm pretty sure she's just using you for something."
"Besides the happenstance of us reconnecting what other evidence do you have?" Red knew he should not humor her, it would not end well.
"Because someone as successful as she is in helping people would never want anything to do with a monster like you." Lizzie said, "You take from people, ruin lives, and destroy everything in your path. She helps people, at least if that is her real job."
The words stung more than he would like to admit. After everything she still only saw him as a monster. "So what you are saying is someone like me does not deserve someone like that?"
"Yes. If she is what you think she is."
"Well, we agree on Lizzie," Red said slamming the steak's he pulled out of the fridge onto the counter. "I do not deserve her, and she definitely deserves better than me."
Anna was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, she had entered the house moments before hearing the loud voices coming from the kitchen. She heard every word Elizabeth and Raymond had said to each other starting with Elizabeth calling Raymond a monster.
Anna had a decision to make, she could make it awkward and answer Elizabeth's question as to why she wanted Raymond, she could act like she just walked in and heard nothing, or she could just leave now and let them fight.
Never one to back one to back down from awkwardness, "I am with him because I care about him." Anna said interrupting the fight. Both occupants of the kitchen turned to see her. Elizabeth looked shocked, and Ray was clearly trying to contain his anger. "I am with him because he is one of the most generous and loyal people I know. He would do anything for the people he loves. Raymond is not a monster. I have seen monsters, and he is far from it."
Elizabeth tried to interrupt Anna, but Anna persisted over her, "He has done horrible things. I am not blind to them. But I know when he did those things he had little choice. It was not his choice to become a criminal. He saved…"
"Enough," Raymond said stopping Anna before she gave too much away to Lizzie.
Elizabeth looked surprised, Anna knew what happened all those years ago that made Red abandon his family. She just said as much, and Red had stopped her from saying more. Who did Red save? Why did the bastard interrupt Anna before she could finish her sentence? Why had Red shared this information with Anna and never with Liz?
Dembe walked into the room, instantly noting the awkwardness. He handed Lizzie the bag of clothes and toys he had picked up from her apartment before he went to pick up Anna.
"Thank you Dembe." Lizzie said taking the bag but still glaring at Red.
"Dinner will be ready soon," Red said turning away he was suddenly physically and emotionally tired again. It was not the cocaine wearing off, as it had warned off hours ago. It was his new state of being, but he often could push through it. Right not it felt like if he went and laid down, he would sleep the rest of the week. He knew that wouldn't' happen. He'd lay awake in the bed replaying everything. From killing Kate to Kirk's torturing him.
"How about I help you," Anna said walking over to him and pulling him to face her so she could kiss him on the lips.
Lizzie wanted to vomit seeing that woman with Raymond. Either Anna had an ulterior motive, or she was a stupid woman. Elizabeth was confident it was the former, but she did not have evidence. She left the kitchen deciding it was better for her to spend time with Agnes in their room.
Anna moved around Raymond, ignoring Lizzie staring at them. Anna plugged her phone into the sound system and cued up the album she had bought for Raymond and even deleted some of her music to allow it space on her phone.
"I bought this off iTunes for you today." She turned the song on.
Van Morrison voice filled the house sing I'll Be your Lover, too.
"Do you remember when I found this record in London."
"Yes." Raymond said trying to sound jovial, "You made me dance with you that entire night. Our host was annoyed that we were up all night listening to the same song over and over."
Anna grabbed him into a hug, kissing him again, she whispered into his ear, "She didn't mean it, Ray. You know that. She's just upset."
Red tensed in her arms and did not respond to her. Anna did not know Elizabeth. Elizabeth meant it, at that moment she meant every word she said. Later, when things were going well, she would take those words back. It was who she was.
