"Have you ever been on one of those big boats?" asked the little eight year old Asian girl to her grown up sister, chewing on a blade of grass now that all the proper food they'd brought for the picnic had been consumed.
Her sibling, a young woman quite a lot older than the little girl, old enough to be her mother in fact, just rolled her eyes heavenward toward the sun that warmed the late afternoon of this particular Spring day.
"Oh, come on Manda. How many more times do I have to tell you? they're not called boats, they're ships and no, I've never been on board one."
"But aren't you in the Navy?"
"Not exactly. I'm with N.C.I.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service."
Wasn't this like the 100th time she'd told Amanda what she did for a living?
"Then you're a cop and a spy."
"Sometimes." she replied. "When Gibbs lets me." she added under her breath.
"I know you're a spy, because you've taught me spy stuff. Like, if I ever got caught by the Taliban I could mark the days they're holding me by making marks with ketchup."
"Suppose the Taliban doesn't have ketchup?"
"In squeezy bottles?"
"In anything!"
The little girl grimaced. "Then I'd use blood."
Her sister groaned. "Oh, Manda don't say that."
The youngster screwed up her eyes and asked, "Have you ever arrested anyone?"
"I helped to once. Just the once." She spoke recalling the one and only time she'd gone under cover. Recalled the nervousness and the fear when she'd been made. That had been a little over a year ago now.
Manda asked another question one which her sister wished she hadn't.
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"No." she replied in hushed tones. " And I hope I never have to."
The child tried lightening the tone somewhat.
"When am I going to meet this Jim?"
The girls' ploy didn't seem to work in making her Sister any happier.
"I don't think you will now, pumpkin. He wants a commitment and I'm not sure that I do."
"I'm sorry, Michy. " Manda said, sadly. Then instantly perked up and, sporting a cheeky grin, added "He sounded like a Dork anyway."
The young woman laughed, but her amusement had been marked by more than a touch of regret,
She glanced at her watch and got ready to collect all of their things . "Come on it's getting late. You have school tomorrow and I have work."
"O.K."
"I want you in bed early if you've got that test to do tomorrow."
"O.K."
As they got to Michelles' car on leaving the park, neither noticed a black SUV parked across the street from them. The window had just slid shut. Someone inside had been taking pictures. A man wearing a scarf and hat.
Ted Bankston, formerly of The N.S.A. was nothing if not patient. like a spider in a web he could wait to spring his trap.
He had been watching them both for weeks now. Like he'd been watching them that afternoon. Watching, waiting. Simply biding his time for just the right moment.
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