Again, I apologize for the delay. I hope that you like it. 8/12/16. I updated a portion of this chapter to hopefully have it flow better as, to me, his intense reaction seemed a little over the top, so I wanted to provide some more context.
Amy never had the opportunity to attend a Ivy League school. The small community college that she attended, did not even have pretensions and was located in a single five-story building in an industrial part of Charlestown, MA. Seeing Tulane University was a surprise. The tree shaded lanes, tha manicured lawns, and the venerable buildings exuded an old world charm. The students who all seemed so young and fresh faced rushed to classes, walked slowly or lounged on the grass. The scene looked idyllic - like something from a movie or a postcard. Amy felt suddenly wistful for something that she would never have. She maneuvered the Jaguar through the streets within the university until she pulled up to the fraternity house.
Pendergast had stepped out of the car and walked around to open the door for Amy. Amy, however, did not appear to be in a hurry to get out of the car. She pulled down the window shade and opened the mirror. She undid the pins in her hair allowing it to fall freely then pulled part of it back into a ponytail. She unbuttoned the top button of her shirt and spread the collar. Finally, she reached into her purse and applied a bright pink lip gloss. She looked over and smiled at Pendergast. The unperturbable agent raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. She clearly had an approach in mind and he had a suspicion that he understood exactly what game she was playing. However, even he became slightly concerned when she walked to the back of the car, removed her shoulder holster and locked the gun in the trunk. Although he did not like the idea of her going in unarmed, he had to admit that her approach was very likely to get the answers they needed. Seeing the look of concer on the older agent's face, Amy gave him a bright disingenuous smile, leaned in slightly, and whispered, "Its OK. I know you've got my back."
Pendergast permitted Amy to step in front of him and knock on the door. A boy of about eighteen opened the door on the second knock. He was dressed in an old tee shirt and boxer shirts and his mussed hair and half closed eyes indicated that he had been roused from sleep. Amy wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell of stale, cheap alcohol wafting off the boy. Amy smiled her brightest smile. She and Pendergast showed the boy their badges and Amy used her small size to squeeze past the boy and into the house. "I am Agent Devereaux and this," she said, indicating Pendergast who used his bulk to muscle past him, "is Agent Pendergast. We are with the FBI and we have some questions. Who are you?," The question came so quickly and so sweetly, that the young man answered without thinking.
"I'm Josh Fines. I'm a Pledge." Amy nodded.
"Alright, Pledge Fines, may we please speak with somebody in charge?"
Pendergast noted that Amy's accent, normally subtle at best, was as broad, thick and honey sweet as it could possibly be. He suspected she now sounded like the girls this young man would be attracted to; non-threatening and seemingly not too smart. Pendergast smiled slightly – the Brothers of Sigma Theta Omega were in for a surprise if they underestimated Amy. He quietly moved into the shadows so that he would be near by to assist Amy if she needed it while making sure that his presence would not intimidate the pledge or interfere with Amy's interrogation.
The young man stared at Amy for a few more moments as if trying to understand what she had said, then nodded. "Our president is home. I'll go get him."
Amy graced him with another dazzling smile, "Thank you so much."
When Josh left, Amy looked around the hall way. It seemed to be a typical fraternity house; rather old, somewhat dark and non too clean. Pendergast was looking around too. Something on the stair case caught his eye and he looked over to see a young man dressed in a black coat with a familiar logo and striped pants stop briefly and then run back up the stairs. Pendergast was about to draw Amy's attention to what he saw when a loud voice interrupted his musings.
"How may I help you?" The voice was smooth, educated and definetely southern and the speaker was a young man of about twenty five. Tall and handsome with artfully tumbled hair, he wore a polo shirt with the franternity's logo, chino shorts and boat shoes. He smiled at Amy and stretched out a hand. "My name is Gray." At what must have been a quizzical look, he amended. "Grayson. Grayson DuBois. Of the Shenandoah DuBois."
Amy smiled as if the introduction meant something to her. "And you are...," the young man prompted.
"Agent Amy Devereaux." Amy showed him her ID, but refrained from introducing Pendergast since he was doing his best to be inconspicuous and since Gray's focus was on her...or more specifically on certain assets that she possessed.
"What can I do for you?"
"We need you help," Amy started in her honeyd accent. "Do you know any of these girls?" She lifted her phone and showed Gray the three pictures. The young man shook his head without even really looking.
"Never seen 'em."
Keeping her anger in check, Amy tried again. "Perhaps if you look carefully. We are fairly certain they may have come to a party here."
Gray heaved a sigh and made a great show of looking again. Finally he nodded. "Her. I've seen her before, " he said pointing at one of the pictures; a pretty girl with golded skin and dark curly hair.
"When did you see her last?" Amy asked
"How should I know?" The tone was defensive. "Do you have any idea how many girls come to these parties? They all want to party with the Theta's." Amy hated the emphasis that he placed on the word "party."
"Did she party with you?" She asked.
"There are so many," Gray smirked," I can't possibly remember."
"Try." The word was sweet, but there was steel in her eyes. Steel that Gray completely ignored.
"Yeah...maybe...," Gray started. "I can't be sure. She wasn't all that memorable."
Amy bit back a retort.
Gray was eyeing Amy. He looked her up and down and smiled his most charming smile. He closed the space between them until he was so close that her breasts were almost touching his chest. "Now you," he whispered, "you I'd remember." He reached out to touch her shoulder and Amy batted his arm away.
"Please don't touch me. I appreciate the attention, but I am really not interested."
Grayson completely ignored her and reached out again. This time, he was aiming for her breast. Pendergast, who had been watching the exchange with growing anger made a move, but he was not fast enough. Amy grabbed the young man's arm, twisted it back, used her elbow in the crook of his arm to bring it down and then kicked the backs of his knees making him collapse. When he was down, she quickly put handcuffs on his wrists, and kneeling with her knee at the back of his neck, purred in his ear.
"You have just committed an assualt on a Federal agent. This is a felony and I can arrest you. Or you can answer my questions. It's really you choice, Mr. DuBois of the Shenandoah DuBois – I will get my answers – the question is how uncomfortable are you going to be."
"Bitch," Grayson swore. "Damn, C..."
"Ah..Ah..Ah," Amy cautioned kneeling harder on his back. "I'd suggest a civil tongue." After a moment she asked again. "Are you ready."
Grayson nodded as best as he could lying prone.
"So tell me about the girl."
"She was at our party about a month ago," Grayson said. "She liked to party. We...," he hesitated trying to keep his response polite. "We had a party together."
"I understand," Amy said, "then what."
"She left in the morning."
"Have you tried calling her. Did she try to reach you?"
Grayson chuckled, "That's not how this works. Theta's don't girl the girls...unless they are very special. She wasn't"
"She had a name," Amy snarled. "Her name was Christina Farley. She was nineteen and she now she is dead."
"And that is my problem how?" Grayson was getting some spirit back after being humiliated.
Amy sighed, "Clearly this is not something you will lose sleep over. But I do have one more question." She scrolled through her phone and showed the young man a picture of the amulet. "Are you familiar with this? Is this something that you fraternity gives out?"
Gray took a look and guffawed. "This is a purity medal. That's what that loser Christian fraternity gives their girls because they can't manage to get it up. I mean girls that come here..."
Amy stood and roughly pulled him up. She removed the handcuffs. "I think I understand, Mr. DuBois. Thank you for clarifying it for me and thank you for being...," she paused, "...for being so helpful." She cast a look at Pendergast. "We can see ourselves out."
Pendergast and Amy walked down the steps away from the fraternity. "What a pig," Amy said. "I feel like I need a very long, very hot shower that includes bleach." She looked back over her shoulder at Pendergast. "You certainly kept to yourself during the questioning. I take it you are satisfied with my skills as a field agent." She had meant it as a joke, a light reference to their initial meeting a confirmation that he now saw her as an equal. She turned back and continued walking, missing seeing Pendergast flinch as if in momentary pain.
"At least we know Christina was here." Pendergast said. "I would be willing to wager, the other girls were here too." Amy nodded but slowed down as she heard a strange note in Pendergast's voice.
"Although there is something about the Purity medal. Somehow it fits. I feel it."
They had reached the car. They were walking around the back of the car so that Pendergast could let her in when suddenly. Pendergast reached for her wrist. He pulled on it, forcing Amy to turn and face him. Amy looked into his eyes which were burning with an intensity she had not seen. "I had no doubt that you would be able to manage that over-indulged, entitled lout on your own," his voice was just above a whisper. "But I swear, that I will be there when you do need my help. I will not just stand by if you are in danger. I will have your back."
Amy stared at the man. It seemed vital to him that she understand this. "I know, Alyoisius," she said gently, touched by the intensity and obvious depth of his feelings. Of its own volition, her hand raised and reached to stroke his face, but she managed to control the impulse and just awkwardly place her hand on his chest "I know. I" she said more emphatically, watching the man relax slightly. A realization hit Amy and she gasped. "Oh, God Aloysius. I was joking. I did not mean to imply..."
Pendergast interrupted her, his voice more gentle, "It is of no matter," he placed his hand briefly over the hand that still rested on his chest. "You had things well in hand, but if that bast..." he struggled for a word obviously not wanting to use an obscenity, "...that individual threatened you in any way..." He stopped speaking, leaving the threat in the air. Amy let it rest. She would not have envied young Gray DuBois if Pendergast had seen fit to become involved. She smiled tentatively and tried to change the subject and diffuse the tension between them.
"I'm hungry. What's there to eat around here?"
Pendergast handed her into the Jag and directed her to a café on one of the side streets. Amy parked the car and they started crossing the street toward the restaurant. "The Dove," Amy said. "A symbol of purity. All three girls had a medal with them when their bodies were found. That's a message. I know its important. I know that it means something." A tolling of the bell at a church across the street caused her to look up and what she saw caused her to freeze in her tracks. All of a sudden some of the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "My God," she whispered. "Oh My God."
Pendergast did not notice that Amy had stopped until he was several steps ahead of her. He turned to wait for her and that is when he saw the car screeching around the corner headed directly for the young woman. Even as Pendergast yelled a warning, he knew that Amy would not be able to react in time to avoid the danger. Covering the several steps that separated them in a desperate sprint, Pendergast raced the on-coming car as he lunged for Amy.
I had wondering if a Frat Boy would be so stupid as to hit on an FBI agent, and I think that the answer is yes - he can be that arrogant. A side note - I have never been at Tulane and am basing the description on photos only. PLease let me know what you think. I had Amy say something somewhat inopportune which triggered Pendergast's intense response. I am hoping to continue to build on their tension and the connection that they have, but are not quite rady to admit. I love your reviews and comments. What did Amy think of that was so shocking and will it help them solve the mystery.