Chapter 12 Calling cards
Morning came, as morning inevitably does. Sara noticed if anything Sands was more tense and irritable than before, she wished she could read him, usually she read people better than this, this man was infuriating. He seemed to relish giving nothing away, she has no doubt it was the nature of his work to play things close to his chest as second nature, but this relish she half suspected was because it was her job to figure just that sort of stuff out.
He had barely spoken half a dozen words to her since the night before, and she was beginning to wonder what benefit coming here was, she certainly was not learning a thing about him, in fact she felt she actually knew less about him than before.
Other than he didn't believe in wasting time, least of all on her and her own little project. He was talking to the clerk at the reception desk, she watched him, he was not into small talk and this conversation was getting more not less involved, he passed a small bundle of notes to the man and turned, he tilted his head as if attempting to locate her, he paused and walked towards her, she had sat a few seats down from him after he started talking to the clerk
"How do you do that?" she asked, over him locating her
"What walk… just place one foot in front of the other, the rest seems to take care of itself" he quipped
"No.. you know what I mean, find me like that?" she asked
"Obsession'' he said, cryptically
"Is that your way of trying to say you like me?" Sara mocked back, ok she wasn't dumb she had already worked out to work with Sands you had to at least make some attempt to give as good as you got
"The perfume you wear, you're the only one in here with it on.. hardly rocket science" he said
"More its elementary my dear Watson" Sara quipped back
"not unlike it" Sands conceded "That Watson, the poor dolt that needed help was also a Doctor right, so many coincidences.. Did I ever say I don't remotely believe in coincidence" he said
"No, but it doesn't surprise me, and Dr Watson was not written as a dolt, just wrongly played that way in all the films" Sara said, seeing as he had taken some pleasure in that misquote thing in the early hours.
"Well maybe people naturally like Doctors to be dolts" Sands quipped, but with a dangerously cold undercurrent to his tone. Sara seriously hoped that was aimed at a particular Doctor; Guevara, rather than all doctors
"Some do underestimate them" Sara said, trying to sound as if she were really holding her nerve here "So what was so interesting, over there, with the clerk?" she said, rather wishing to change the subject as well as knowing what was going down
"Oh that, Sugar-but sure, seems someone is asking about me, paying for the info, for if I turn up again down Mexico way. Now isn't that sweet" he said with sub-zero tones
"That doesn't sound good" Sara said, with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach
"Give the girl a prize" Sands drawled, "and seems they are not too careful at not being found out about asking either; left a business card and everything" he said twirling the card in his hand "Now isn't that SO convenient" he said
"You don't trust it, its too easy?" Sara stated
"Did they hire you to just state the bleedin' obvious?" Sands said with a tone of much strained patience "Of course I don't trust it, I don't trust anything, and no that's not paranoia, its experience babe" he said more wearily, "They are either real dumb at this game.. or they want to be found" he said.. He handed the card to Sara
"It is a business card, a lawyer , there is a number and address " Sara said
"So all the usual business card stuff, peachy. " he said dryly "There a name in there, just so I know who we are about to go drop in on?" he said
"It's a Jaque Mate" Sara replied
Sands looked over at her "Your shitting me?" he said "Well this should be… educational, to say the least, the very least" he said, running his hand over where his gun was holstered. An action Sara didn't miss
"What does that mean?" she said hurrying to catch up as he headed for the front door and the taxi rank outside
"Really, I can handle it from here" Sands said
"You have to be kidding" Sara argued, making sure she got in the taxi before it sped away "What's going on?" she said "You know this Jaque?" she asked
"Not so far as I know, but you know it might get a little bit dangerous Sugarbut, can you dig it?" he asked, more rhetorically
"Dig it or not, I will be there" Sara said determinedly, a comment that earned her a slightly less then thrilled 'look' from Sands.. she had at least learned enough about him to actually expect that one