“She’s been arrested a ton of times.”
“She has. However, she doesn’t . . . match up to our records.”
“How so?”
“Altered fingerprints for one. And she doesn’t look the same as the photos we have of her from the P.T.C.U.”
“As you said, she’s been arrested more than once,” Officer Larry added. “And while those pictures show a natural age progression, how she looks right now . . .” He made a face. “It’s not good if it’s really her.”
“How do you mean?”
“She was a decent looking woman before,” Officer Curly replied. “Now?” He shook his head. “Now, it looks like she’s been rode hard and put away wet for the past decade.”
“Kudos for your likely apt Old West saying. Being from Pueblo Caliente, I really appreciate, and understand, the description.” This earned me a big grin from Officer Curly.
“How did you get her into custody?” Vance asked, presumably before Officer Curly and I could start bantering.
“Gutermuth,” Melville replied. “He called us to share that he had a stalker with a gun following him around. He’s a public person who espouses some nasty views, so it’s not a shock that he could have someone following him, and after the last few months, our Chief takes any complaint like this more than seriously.”
“Did he send you guys to apprehend her?”
“No, K-Nine was not involved. Six cars were sent, she was surrounded and apprehended easily, without a fight. The moment she was captured she started asking for you, Kitty. By name and title.”
“We haven’t received any calls from the D.C.P.D.,” Mrs. Maurer said. “At least not officially, and all calls come through me.”
“I’m sure you haven’t.” Melville shrugged. “Half of the crazies we arrest ask to talk to the President or First Lady.”
“So your Chief sent you to bring me down to the station?”
“No,” Melville said, sounding just a little angry. “We’re not supposed to be here.”
CHAPTER 13
“EXCUSE ME?”
“This isn’t officially sanctioned,” Melville explained. “The Chief doesn’t want you bothered over some nut job. But we,” he indicated himself, Larry, and Curly, “think you need to talk to her. She’s saying that she has information you’ll want.”
“We want to sneak you in,” Officer Larry said. “So that no one knows you’re coming to the police station. And then sneak you back here.”
“I approve of the sneaking,” Vance said.
“So, Potentially Casey is still in the station?” I asked.
Melville nodded. “She’s still being processed and if she’s who we think she is, we’ll have to turn her over to your mother’s agency anyway.”
“Good point. Okay, so I’m all for verifying if it’s her. Because if it is her, then she may indeed have a message for me. That said message might just be ‘we all still hate you’ is likely, but, hey, it could be worthwhile intel.”
“I’d like to know why Gutermuth threw her under the bus,” Vance said. “You verified that she was still working with both Club Fifty-One and the Mastermind. Why would they disown her now?”
“Yeah, because I can guarantee that Casey’s still a True Believer. Well, I guess that’s part of why I’m going to go to the police station. So, we need Len and Kyle, and I’d like Manfred, too.”
Len Parker and Kyle Constantine were, officially, my driver and bodyguard and had been since we’d arrived in D.C. They worked for the CIA and reported to Chuckie. Well, now everyone reported to Chuckie, but back in the day, they’d reported into his division and him directly. I’d met them in Vegas during Operation Invasion, they and the rest of the USC football team had helped me out, and they’d chosen the career of Kitty Wrangling over going pro. There were many days I questioned their career choices, but never a day I wasn’t happy they were with me.
Manfred was an A-C troubadour assigned as the head of my Centaurion protection detail, meaning that he, like Colette, undoubtedly answered up and into Serene’s A-C CIA. He was a great guy and rarely if ever complained about who he was stuck babysitting.
“What about the rest of us?” Vance asked.
“Nancy and Abner will stay here.” Neither one was good in a fight, neither one knew Casey or any of our other potential Crazed Lunatics who might be this prisoner, and I preferred to leave the easy hostages safely at home, call me overcautious. “Vance, you’ll need to go back to the meeting and run interference while representing our FLOTUS interests. Colette, you’ll be with me.” Keep the A-Cs close was my motto, and it was a good one because hyperspeed remained the best superpower going.
“Sounds right,” Vance said as he sent some texts, while Colette looked pleased, Mrs. Maurer looked disappointed, and Abner visibly relaxed.
“We also need to bring along my Secret Service detail, at least some of them. Though I know we need to ask them to allow us to be stealth rather than trumpeting that I’m coming or going.”
“I’m ready to faint to hear that you plan to bring us along on whatever the latest mad scheme of yours is.” Evalyne, the head of my Secret Service detail, definitely had a sarcasm knob and, like my mother’s, hers went well past eleven on the one-to-ten scale.
“I think we misheard.” Phoebe was the second in command of the detail, and she, too, was honing her sarcastic abilities. “There’s no way Kitty was saying she wanted to bring us versus ditch us.”
“Wow, I’m almost sorry I was behaving, since you both seem so disappointed.” Looked behind them. I had four male Secret Service agents, too, but they were nowhere in evidence. Well, realistically, I had a lot of agents assigned—no one worked 24/7 unless they were A-C Security. I always had a team of six if I left the White House Complex unless, as mentioned, I’d managed to ditch them. However, due to the fact that Jeff and I were pretty much winning the Worst People To Guard Ever Award on a regular basis, there were times when it was just easier to have them come along, and this certainly seemed like one of them.
“It’s just the shock of it all,” Evalyne said. “I’m waiting for the roof to collapse or something.”
“Hilarious. Anyway, where are the dudes? Not that I think we actually want them along.”
Len and Kyle trotted in, and Manfred zipped in right behind them. “You wanted us, Mister Beaumont?” Len asked, while Kyle gave a little wave in Colette’s direction. She beamed at him, but quickly went back to looking professional and nodded to Manfred, who I figured she’d advised to show up pronto. Len looked at Melville. “What’s wrong and what’s going on?”