left Agent Hopkins there to die, Gladys. But it didn’t seem like the Christian thing to do.”
“You’re a fine one to talk about the Christian thing to do. You ruined a perfectly good blouse with your little stunt yesterday. I will be sending you the bill for the new one I bought yesterday.”
I decided to make peace because I didn’t want to fight with her. “I apologize, Gladys. It was wrong of me to pour the tea on you. I will be glad to pay for your new blouse.”
She opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. It was obvious I had left her speechless. She merely nodded her head and sat down at her usual table.
As I took another bite, Jake came in. He had a big envelope in his hand. It was the same one I had seen the delivery man carrying when I was leaving the office. I got a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“You need to see this,” he said, sitting down and holding out the envelope.
“What is it?”
“Some information I was hoping not to get.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Just take it.” Putting my fork down, I took the envelope from him and opened it. There was a thick file inside. “Remember when I said that I thought I had seen T.J. somewhere before?” I nodded. “I called a friend in Washington and she sent me this.”
I slowly opened the file and began reading. When I finished it, I closed the folder and put it down next to me. A flood of emotions ran through me, and I didn’t know how to express any of them. I picked up my fork to take another bite of cheesecake, but it was all gone. I didn’t even realize I had finished it while I read.
“Are you alright?”
“Would you be after reading that?”
He shook his head. “Probably not. What are you going to do with the information?”
“I think I should go talk to Owen first before I do anything.”
“And say what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. ‘Did you know you have a traitorous snake in the grass working for you who isn’t what he appears to be?’ How about ‘You have a fox in the henhouse, Owen, and I happen to be dating him?’ Would that be too blunt?”
I heard Gladys gasp, but it was too late to take back what I said. “Would you like me to drive you to the station?” Jake said as I stood up.
“Whatever,” I said as I stormed out of the café. The only thing I was thinking about was how to tell Owen that his prize deputy was really a federal agent.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake dropped me off in front of the sheriff’s department. File in hand, I walked in to find Owen standing in the lobby with a cup of coffee. “Lizzie, what are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
He looked at me for a moment before nodding. “Alright, come on back.” I followed him down the hallway to his office. He closed the door as I sat down. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been tossed around in a dryer,” I replied. “I don’t think there is a spot on my body that doesn’t hurt.”
“Is the pain medication helping?”
“For the most part.”
“You didn’t drive down here, did you? I’d hate to have to arrest you for driving under the influence.”
“No, someone dropped me off.”
“Would that someone be T.J.?”
“No.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Owen. Jake is just a friend. It’s also none of your business.”
“I’m just thinking about T.J.”
“Let’s talk about T.J.,” I said, dropping the file on his desk. “Or should I say Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt?”
“Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say? ‘Oh?’ I was expecting you to be totally shocked.”
“You weren’t supposed to find out.”
“Find out what? That the man I have been dating the past few months is really an undercover federal agent?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me get this straight: you’ve known since last October that T.J. was really a federal agent?”
“Do you really think he could come to work here without telling me?”
I stared at him. “We’ve
“You’re a fine one to talk about the Christian thing to do. You ruined a perfectly good blouse with your little stunt yesterday. I will be sending you the bill for the new one I bought yesterday.”
I decided to make peace because I didn’t want to fight with her. “I apologize, Gladys. It was wrong of me to pour the tea on you. I will be glad to pay for your new blouse.”
She opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. It was obvious I had left her speechless. She merely nodded her head and sat down at her usual table.
As I took another bite, Jake came in. He had a big envelope in his hand. It was the same one I had seen the delivery man carrying when I was leaving the office. I got a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“You need to see this,” he said, sitting down and holding out the envelope.
“What is it?”
“Some information I was hoping not to get.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Just take it.” Putting my fork down, I took the envelope from him and opened it. There was a thick file inside. “Remember when I said that I thought I had seen T.J. somewhere before?” I nodded. “I called a friend in Washington and she sent me this.”
I slowly opened the file and began reading. When I finished it, I closed the folder and put it down next to me. A flood of emotions ran through me, and I didn’t know how to express any of them. I picked up my fork to take another bite of cheesecake, but it was all gone. I didn’t even realize I had finished it while I read.
“Are you alright?”
“Would you be after reading that?”
He shook his head. “Probably not. What are you going to do with the information?”
“I think I should go talk to Owen first before I do anything.”
“And say what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. ‘Did you know you have a traitorous snake in the grass working for you who isn’t what he appears to be?’ How about ‘You have a fox in the henhouse, Owen, and I happen to be dating him?’ Would that be too blunt?”
I heard Gladys gasp, but it was too late to take back what I said. “Would you like me to drive you to the station?” Jake said as I stood up.
“Whatever,” I said as I stormed out of the café. The only thing I was thinking about was how to tell Owen that his prize deputy was really a federal agent.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake dropped me off in front of the sheriff’s department. File in hand, I walked in to find Owen standing in the lobby with a cup of coffee. “Lizzie, what are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
He looked at me for a moment before nodding. “Alright, come on back.” I followed him down the hallway to his office. He closed the door as I sat down. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been tossed around in a dryer,” I replied. “I don’t think there is a spot on my body that doesn’t hurt.”
“Is the pain medication helping?”
“For the most part.”
“You didn’t drive down here, did you? I’d hate to have to arrest you for driving under the influence.”
“No, someone dropped me off.”
“Would that someone be T.J.?”
“No.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Owen. Jake is just a friend. It’s also none of your business.”
“I’m just thinking about T.J.”
“Let’s talk about T.J.,” I said, dropping the file on his desk. “Or should I say Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt?”
“Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say? ‘Oh?’ I was expecting you to be totally shocked.”
“You weren’t supposed to find out.”
“Find out what? That the man I have been dating the past few months is really an undercover federal agent?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me get this straight: you’ve known since last October that T.J. was really a federal agent?”
“Do you really think he could come to work here without telling me?”
I stared at him. “We’ve
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