Ch. 41

"Hello, this is Anna Devane." "Anna? This is Valerie Spencer. Thanks for taking my call. I hope you don't mind but I got your number from Jordan." "I don't mind at all; I'm flattered that you went through the trouble. What can I do for you?" "If you had some time to spare, I'd like to meet with you. There's something I'd like to get your advice about." "Sure, I can do that. Where do you want to meet? "I was thinking about the park, in about a half hour. Does that work for you?" "It does. I'll meet you there."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Val watched Anna as she approached the park bench with a confident stride, her coat flapping in the slight breeze. "She even walks like a boss," thought Val. Smiling a slightly puzzled smile, Anna greeted Val with, "Valerie, hello again. It's good to see you. I have to admit I'm rather curious as to what you could possibly want to speak to me about. How can I help you?"

Now that Val was actually face to face with Anna, she was feeling hesitant about disclosing the reason she had asked for the meeting. Anna seemed to sense that hesitation and she quietly told Val, "You appear to be struggling with something, something that may require my help. Don't be shy—tell me what's on your mind." "I don't want you to think I'm crazy or anything…" "Ooh, sounds intriguing. I can't promise not to think you're not crazy but I can promise to hear you out." Anna paused expectantly as she waited for Val to make her decision. "I have something-" Val began saying and then she stopped and shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she started anew, explaining, "I have the chance to try something. There may or may not be a risk involved but I won't know until I try." "What sort of thing is it and why is it risky?" "I'm sure Jordan has talked to you about Nathan West's stabbing and the Joe Scartone case?" "She's mentioned it in passing but we haven't had any extensive conversations concerning either case. You have a theory of your own about the cases that you want to pursue?"

Val's nervousness increased since it was now time to get to the heart of the reason for calling Anna. Swallowing and then exhaling, Val began, "Ok. It's widely assumed in the department that Joey Robbs is responsible for several robberies of various upscale estates in Port Charles. So far, no one has been able to tie him to anything, though." "Yes, I'm aware of that—he was a thorn in the side of the PCPD even when I was Commissioner. He's very clever when it comes to handling the merchandise from these robberies. No one is sure how he connects buyers to sellers." "Yeah, I'm aware of that. So I was looking at the master lists of the stolen items from the different jobs and I wondered, 'Would it be possible, since he doesn't know who I am, to get him to sell something to me, something specifically from the robberies?'" Val fell silent, waiting for Anna's response so far to what she had been saying. After mulling over what Val had stated thus far, Anna finally offered, "If I understand you correctly, you're thinking about setting up some kind of sting operation designed to trap Joe Scartone. You're right, it is risky. Chiefly because you're not trained in undercover work, which this essentially is. But say you're successful—you somehow manage to connect him to any or all of the robberies through receiving stolen merchandise. What then?"

"At the very least, we might be able to get him on several counts of grand larceny or something. If we could get him for that, we could hold him and maybe imprison him while building a case against him for Nathan's stabbing."

"We?"

"Well, the department." "Grand larceny is a far cry from an indictment for attempted murder, Valerie. Even if you managed it, he wouldn't go away for very long. What's your true goal here? Why, for instance, did you bring this to me instead of taking it to Jordan and Dante? Was it because you knew neither of them would approve?"

"When I first got my degree, I thought about becoming a cop. My mom got sicker and my plans had to be adjusted so I could be there for her. Flash forward to me hearing about your exploits as a spy, which left me wondering if I had what it took to do what you did. Adopt a persona, go undercover, accomplish a mission, and put a bad guy away."

"Which sounds like a noble undertaking but you have no training for such a 'mission'."

"When you did what you did for the WSB, had you been formally trained?"

"Somewhat, yes. You can't do what I did for them and not have some training. But for the most part, it was flying blind by the seat of my pants. Training can only take you so far once you're actually in the thick of things."

"I'm not talking about deep cover or spying for my country or anything. I want to know if I have what it takes to set this up and make it happen. It's not some huge sting operation or anything. I just plan to hang around the pool hall where Joey Robbs is known to frequent, drop a couple of hints about wanting to purchase some items, see if I can get those items, complete my transaction, get out." Anna was shaking her head as she listened to Val's plan and she responded, "I understand. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Get in, accomplish your mission, get out. The problem is that you're dealing with a killer who wouldn't hesitate to end your life if he catches on to what you're doing. There's nothing simple about undercover work, Val. It's dangerous, nerve wracking, stressful work, even if you have been trained. For a novice—I don't know…"

"Which is why I was hoping to get some tips from you about how to make this happen."

"Tips? From me? You know Jordan will kill us both if she finds out about this, don't you?"

"As long as she finds out about it AFTER I complete my mission." Falling silent once again, Anna appeared to be deep in thought. Eventually, she turned to Val and held her gaze and with a sober look told her, "Ok, you want some tips from me. Fine. First of all, don't do it. That's my first, knee-jerk response. But since I sense your mind is made up, then here it is. Believe in your cover. Become your cover. You have no other existence while conducting your operation. Compartmentalize. Who you truly are ends the moment you cross their threshold. Even if your life is threatened, the cover must hold—that's the only way you have a chance of being believed if you're caught. Anyone else you pull into this must help you sustain the cover. Anything you tell them should be able to be proven. If you use fake identification, it has to be top notch because they'll most likely initially be suspicious of your motives; they'll want you to prove your reasons for approaching them are genuine. Confidence is crucial. There is no room for error. Know when your operation is going south and get out while the operation is still going in your favor. Once you're caught, there's nothing nice waiting for you. I'm saying Scartone WILL kill you. Have no doubts about that. Keep your cover simple, as close to who you are and what you can easily remember. If you don't recognize a name or an incident he mentions, don't try to bluff and say you do. It's most likely a trap. If you use a disguise, make sure it looks authentic. If you use an accent, never drop it, no matter what. If you go into this man's territory, nothing he does or says must shock you—have no reaction. You're there to accomplish your mission and get out. If he orders a hit right in front of your face, polite disinterest. If you overhear plans for another robbery, it doesn't faze you. All you want is what you went there for. Valerie Spencer might be shocked or have a reaction but whoever you choose as your cover can't afford to. In a nutshell, never let him see you sweat. This is a dangerous undertaking, Valerie, have absolutely no doubts about that. If you start this, you'll have to commit wholeheartedly because if you can't get him, you may be putting a target on your back. You really need to give this some serious consideration. I don't advise you to go through with it."

Val had experienced an inward battle as she listened to Anna's advice. There was a part of her that was scared to death at what Anna was describing. She could easily be killed if this thing went wrong. She was beginning to grasp the seriousness of what she was planning. There was another part of her, though, that wanted to see it through. How would she ever know if it was something she could have done if she didn't try? The idea of not doing it because of fear didn't set well with her. Aloud, she replied, "I've heard what you have to say, Anna and trust me, I'm not taking it lightly. I bow to your knowledge, expertise and experience. There is a part of me that's saying, 'Listen to her, you nut!' I will feel like such a failure if I don't try, though. If I allow fear to keep me from even trying—I just don't think I could live with that."

"Understand this, then. Sometimes it's not your fear talking, it's your common sense. It's wisdom attempting to keep you from making a huge mistake. Do this for me, ok? If you insist on this recklessness, and don't fool yourself, you're being reckless right now, let me know where and when along the way. The level of anger Jordan is going to have for us both will be extreme but I can't let you do this by yourself without having someone on the outside monitoring. Wearing a bug or a wire won't work because that has to be done officially through the department, and it's better to keep things simple. They can't find what isn't there. This isn't an operation that is sanctioned by the department so there may be legal issues with any evidence you manage to collect. You can bet his lawyer will argue that you had no standing and try to get anything you find to be reconsidered and thrown out of any court. Don't rush into this thing, Valerie. Take the time to think it through. Pro and con it out and then make a decision. Whatever you decide, commit to it. And keep me in the loop, ok?"

"I can do that. I really appreciate you listening to me, Anna and for giving me the benefit of your experience. I want you to know that I'm not taking anything you say lightly."

"But I haven't been able to talk you out of anything, right?" They laughed together as Val acknowledged the validity of her statement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Val was pensive as she arrived home that evening. Anna had indeed given her a lot to think about. When she had been talking to Pippa, she expected the opposition and hadn't taken it as seriously as she should have done since Pips wasn't law enforcement. Anna, however, was another matter altogether. She had been there, so to speak. She knew the metallic taste of fear in her mouth when going into a potentially dangerous situation. Most likely, she also knew what happened when a cover was blown. It wasn't anything to be taken lightly.

When Val entered the bedroom, Dante was lying on the bed channel surfing and he looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, asking, "Where have you been? I thought you went home sick today but when I get here, you're nowhere in sight." "I think I just needed some air or something. I was in the park and I ran into Anna Devane. We got to talking about undercover life-"

"That again? Seriously, Val, doing undercover work sounds more glamorous than it really is. I hope she was able to convey that to you. She did it successfully for a lot of years, true, but she's paid for that life along the way. She paid, Scorpio paid, even her daughter Robin paid. The road of a spy isn't an easy one to travel. Like I told you before, I'm glad that's something we don't have to worry about. I came home to take care of you but you weren't here. How do you feel now?"

"Much better, Dante. I think the fresh air helped tremendously. Cleared my mind, which helped settle my body."

"Cleared your mind? About what?" He held his arms open towards her and after she kicked her shoes off, she crawled onto the bed and into his embrace.

"I'm still seriously thinking about going to the academy. The desire is getting stronger and weighing out the pros and cons of acting on my thoughts had my stomach in knots and was making me slightly nauseous. I don't want to regret going for it but I also don't want to regret not going for it."

"Well, the department can always use good, dedicated cops. I think you'd be good at it—I just don't know if my heart could take it. I realize that since it's what I do, though, it would be somewhat hypocritical if I objected to you becoming one. I don't have the right to stop you if your heart is set on it. I'll do my best to support you."

"So I have your backing with whatever I decide to do?"

"Of course. Always."

"That's good to know. I might end up reminding you in the future that you said that." Only Valerie knew that they were actually talking about two separate things so Dante, reinforcing what he had previously said, told her, "I want you to be happy and if becoming a cop will fulfill some dream or desire you have, I don't intend to stand in your way."

Pushing him back and moving over him, Val smiled down at him. "You know, there are times when I love you, and then there are times when I really, really love you!"

"Ok. But what'd I do?"

"You told me I have your support, one hundred percent. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"You could show me how much it means to you…"

"I could, later. Have you eaten?"

"No. I was waiting for you to get home."

"Let's do this. Let's go to Fat Bob's for dinner. I'm in the mood to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"Being that much closer to making a decision about the academy. We'll go, we'll eat and then, when we get home, I can show you how much I appreciate having your support."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night while Dante slept the sleep of the sated, Val lay awake, staring at the ceiling. She had taken Anna's advice and pro and conned the mission. She had looked at it from every angle she could think of. Danger was part of the life for a cop and especially for an undercover cop. If she intended to embrace this new career path, she had to accept that danger would be a daily challenge to overcome. She was used to overcoming challenges. She had to know if she had what it took to become successful as an undercover cop and this undertaking, she felt sure, would definitely tell her what she needed to know. Her mind was made up—she was gonna go for it. For better or for worse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX