For the remainder of that day and the next Adam avoided as much direct interaction with Danny and Lindsey as he could get away with without drawing attention to what he was doing. Since both Danny and Lindsey worked out in the field most of the hours their paths would have crossed it wasn't hard to get away with. On the third day Danny made a comment wondering when Emi was going to send more cookies. Lindsey was passing by and saw a look of anger on Adam's face that was so brief she thought for a moment that she'd imagined it.
But when Adam said, "Emi is working. She's busy." And then got himself called away she knew something was up.
"Danny?"
"Hey, don't look at me. Maybe Emi's cut off his supply or something."
Lindsey shook her head. "I don't think that's it."
"Whatever. Something is up. I just hope Adam isn't getting blindsided by finding out that Emi is …"
"Danny!" Lindsey hissed looking around to make sure no one heard. "Will you stop that already before someone hears you?!"
Kendall walked up and startled them both by saying, "Too late. Even the lab techs on the night shift are talking about it. And somehow, some way it has gotten back to Adam. But it wasn't me. I wouldn't do that to him, not these days … hell, not even when we were in the middle of fighting. There's hurting someone and then there's hurting someone. Good luck fixing this mess you've made. You're gonna need it." She shook her head and walked off leaving her two horrified co-workers behind.
# # # # # # #
Adam was adept at avoiding people he didn't want to deal with and escaped the lab by volunteering to take some paperwork to the precinct. He'd signed the box over to the detective in charge of that investigation and was about to leave when a man wearing a suit that screamed FED! stopped him and asked if he would meet with him and Don Flack for a few moments.
Adam glanced over at Flack. "Adam, we gotta talk to the man."
So Adam followed the two men into one of the interrogation rooms. Don rearranged the chairs so there wasn't a table between the them but to Adam it still felt like a two on one operation.
"'S up?" he asked trying to keep his voice casual and disinterested; however, Adam was nervous and worried.
"Mr. Ross, my name is Agent Fielding. This would not have been my first choice of venues to introduce myself but I suspect in order for you to take me seriously you'd want someone you trust being a third party. Your crime lab has too many interested parties so this was the best option I could come up with. And I'd like you to hear me out before making a rash decision." At Adam's cautious nod he continued. "I've known Emerald O'Ryan since she was sixteen when I was still a beat cop here in the City. And of her for a number of years before that. I'd … I'd like to know how she is doing."
"You're kidding me right?" Adam wasn't sure what to expect of the conversation but that particular question immediately set him off. Outrage was his main emotion, especially at the fact that this man would ask after they'd done a number on Emi last night.
Agent Fielding appeared to know exactly what Adam was upset about. "Mr. Ross, I have a lot of pull where Emerald is concerned but that particular decision was out of my hands."
"Well she feels like she's been run over. Thanks for that. It's not like she wasn't already dealing with a load of crap. She hardly slept last night and she woke up with a fever. If it isn't gone when I get home, I'm taking her to the doctor. Too much … too much of everything. Her doctors all warned that … that …"
"I'm aware that Emerald is still physically fragile, that a bad shock could re-lapse the pneumonia she had in the hospital after the kidnapping. If you need any …"
Jealously Adam said, "I'm taking care of her. Not you."
Agent Fielding stopped and then seemed to relax. "Maybe it will help if I tell you how I know her. My grandfather owned the business where her father worked. Pop would come home from work with stories of the kid that one of his guys would bring to work sometimes. I didn't know whether to believe him or not … a little kid like that brokered big deals, saved him from losing his shirt on some fake artwork, 'playing' with the displays and turning them into real attractions that brought the public and not just private buyers. Then I met her once at a Christmas party. She was an amazingly strange and funny little thing. When her family was killed … well Pop was bad broke up. The whole warehouse family was. No one we asked would say where Emerald had gone, even as a cop I couldn't find out, we all assumed that they'd found family to take her. I didn't find out different until I got called the night a certain person attacked her in the group home. Shortly after that for other reasons I was recruited by the people I now work with. And then the original Ying Yang incident and our paths crossed again."
"You're the one looking out for her."
"Yes. But I'm not the only one Mr. Ross. You need to understand that. The reasons why aren't pertinent to this case, but being aware of that will make things go smoother. By the way, you've been cleared. And if you ever need a job …"
"God no!"
Agent Fielding smiled then nodded. "That's the general consensus of what your response would be so the offer has never been made. But you might want to keep it in the back of your mind for future reference should the need arise. It isn't like other agencies haven't tried to recruit you over the years."
Flack looked quickly at Adam in complete surprise but all he saw was Adam shrug. Well, well, well … the King of the Lab Rats had more than one secret apparently.
Then Flack had a thought and shook his head. "Danny should be the one here."
Adam stiffened for a moment before saying, "I don't need a babysitter any more than Emi does."
The comment didn't set well with Flack but now wasn't the time to examine it. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. It's just if you are going to get into that Brainiac stuff he'd be the better choice."
Adam snorted. "Don't try and pull the dumb Irish cowboy thing Don. You've got more street smarts than almost anyone I know. And you understand things more than you want people to see. Just because you can't spit it out in the same format you hear it in doesn't mean that you don't grasp the concepts and use them when you need to." Flack's jaw dropped at how matter-of-factly the observation was given.
Adam turned back to Agent Fielding. "Fine. So you've known Emi since she was a little kid. I might even believe you don't mean her any intentional harm. But you didn't really want to talk to me for a family conference. You think Emi is in danger and someone isn't listening as much as you want them to. So is it Emi or the people you work with?"
Flack thought Ross had really been eating his Wheaties lately – or that he'd gotten a little crazy. Giving guys like this agent that kind of blowback wasn't healthy under the best of circumstances and under the current one it could really screw with your future. However, Agent Fielding just smiled.
"You see it all right. It's Emi."
Adam sighed. "She's … considering the possibility … about a lot of things. But I'm more concerned with what she'll do if she does think she is in danger."