“How do you know who I am? And how do you know I’m not the bratty ho-bag?” Eve asked. She had to hand it to the girl. Her description was dead to rights.
She sat back and looked Eve up and down. “As to how I know you’re not who Alex thought you would be, well, I’m a smart girl. I do my research. You are Dr. Eve St. James, only child to Donald and Jennifer St. James. You were the star of your high school debate team, on the swim team, and the editor of the Madison High Examiner. Busy girl. You graduated from Yale with top honors and everyone was sure you would go on and start a private practice. How upset were your parents when you joined the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit instead?”
She wasn’t sure she liked how much Kristen knew about her. “They were horrified, of course.”
“Of course,” Kristen said with a perfunctory nod. “Your father is one of the most respected therapists in the world.”
And she’d been a profiler, a woman who dealt with the worst of the worst, the types her father didn’t really believe in helping, and she couldn’t make him understand that by catching criminals, she helped out everyone. He’d expected her to fall in line and take over his practice, but the idea of listening to overly privileged men and women complain about their nannies and kids and the horrors of being left off the ma?tre d’s list at the latest overpriced restaurant bored her to tears. She was happier profiling for Ian and having sessions with the people who needed her most. “Yes, he wasn’t thrilled I chose the Bureau.”
“Was he happy that you married Alexander McKay? He wasn’t in your social class. Far from it, actually.”
Eve held a hand up. “Is there a reason my father’s reaction to Alex is relevant to this conversation?”
It was starting to annoy her. She felt like she was behind the redhead by more than a few steps.
Kristen gave her a bright smile. “I’m sorry. I’m going on and on. It’s just that I’ve been studying you all for a while now. I’m afraid it’s a little like meeting characters from a book you really enjoy reading.”
Eve felt her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Why have you been studying me?”
“Because I knew I would need Alex McKay if I wanted to break this story. I couldn’t go to the feds because I’m not sure that Evans doesn’t have someone on the inside. McKay only has one side to work here and that’s to take Evans down.”
Eve got the gist. “He wants revenge for what Evans did to me. You’re using that to your advantage.”
“I simply prefer that the people I surround myself with have open motives that dovetail nicely with my own,” Kristen explained. “To that end, I would advise you to keep an eye on Jesse Murdoch. I haven’t figured out what he wants yet, and that makes him dangerous in my book. Actually, you could help me with that.”
Eve let her lips curve up. “Yes, well, I think we can safely say he has an Oedipus complex.”
Kristen snorted a little, shaking her head. “You’re not old enough to be his mother. You’re barely older than me, and I’m not willing to play the cougar yet.”
“What do you get out of this, Kristen?” Eve never took her eyes off the other woman. She was usually quite good at detecting lies, and she wanted to see if Kristen had any tells.
Kristen stood, walking right up to Eve and offering her hands, proving once again that she was smarter than Eve had suspected. She held her arms out, palms up. “It’s okay. Feel my pulse. Watch my eyes. I’m not going to lie to you, but I want you to feel perfectly safe with me.”
Eve was game. She placed her fingers on Kristen’s wrists, finding her pulse quickly. “What do you get out of this?”
“I get to put on the white hat for once. I get to help out some people who I truly believe need helping out, and I might just get a little redemption. I had a job go bad on me a couple of years back and I lost someone I love very much. I want to honor his memory by being better than I was before.”
Her pulse stayed perfectly steady. There was no dilation to her eyes, and she never blinked or looked away. “Why Alex?”
“Because he always wore the white hat. And because I knew damn well he wouldn’t pass up a chance to avenge you. He’s trustworthy, and I know I can count on exactly what he will do. He’s a known quantity. You’re the unknown. Why are you here?”
Eve let Kristen’s hands go. Either Kristen was a sociopath or she wasn’t lying. Sociopaths could often pass lie detector tests because they simply didn’t feel enough to show physical signs when they were lying. “I’m here to watch Alex’s back.”
“You’re not here for Evans?”
She felt a shudder go through her. “No.”
“Not even a little?”
“No.”
“Now that does surprise me.” Kristen walked to one of the lockers and worked the wheel of the lock there.
It was odd. She actually thought the other woman sounded a little disappointed. “Why is that?”