.The Eraser.

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                                                              -9-

''What happened to your face?''  

Louisse grabbed Atara's arm roughly and observed her cheek with a deep frown on her face. Atara looked down to her mother's fingers clung tightly around her right arm and stared at her face with a look that said 'let go of my arm'. 

''I got hit by a door", she answered in what she hoped was a casual tone. 

''Atara I can practically sense it when you lie to me" 

''Mum, it's nothing" 

Louisse moved her eyes from the swollen and plaster covered cheek to look into Atara's eyes for a few seconds and she finally let her daughter's arm go when Atara did not give in to her stare. 

Mother and daughter walked in the base's lobby and walked to the black conference table in the middle; where Jean and Larry (the techno guy) and two other Erasers sat and observed the files, pictures and recordings that Atara had gathered the past week from observing Principal Walton. They had been looking at the information laid out in front of them for the past two hours. 

''sigh'' 

''okay, we're done piecing everything together'', Jean spoke as he looked at Atara with a small smile. He had already asked her about the cheek and she gave him the same answer. Jean was not so mean. He would understand, but she knew that he would tell Louisse about what had happened. She sat down between her mother and Larry and looked at the files and Jean expectantly, who was sitting across from her. 

''Sorry to disappoint, but your principal has nothing to do with the ZED'' 

Atara's face fell, from an expectant one to a slightly disappointed expression. She really worked hard this past week, but yet again she had a feeling. 

''Are you sure? ''She asked with uncertainty and received a nod from Jean and everyone on the table and then with an emotion less tone asked, ''how come?'' 

''Let's see. Where to start from?" Jean looked to the files in front of him in thought. 

''Start with today", Louisse suggested. 

''Okay yeah. That's better. Well let me say that I was hopeful about what we would find concerning Asher Walton. When you first sent me those documents from his computer we assumed that with the large sums of money he started withdrawing from the past seven months, he would probably be using the money to finance the ZED.

''But after a thorough look at his past and present financial dealings we have concluded that he is just a normal man with extreme debt issues and gambling problems", Jean paused to give Atara a moment to take that in and he continued when he saw her slow and uncertain nod. 

''The moustache man in these photos", he took one of the pictures from the park and pointed it to Atara, ''is his cousin'' 

''I know that, but what has he got to do with the money from today and the past months; and who were they referring to in their conversation?", Atara asked quickly in impatience. 

'Calm down. I am getting there'', Jean said and smiled widely as Atara folded her arms over her chest. She reluctantly returned his smile; her annoyance dissipating. He had one of those smiles that you could not help but return. 

''As I was saying, this Owen Wilfred works for a casino chain owned by high profile gang leaders in the country. Principal Walton has gambling problems as I have already mentioned and this problem did not start just seven months ago. It started when he was twenty one, fresh out of college and began working at a small firm as an assistant.