Convergence

Chapter 8

Allafair's heavy eyelids lifted slowly, greeted by the dim morning light that drifted through the cracks between his window curtains. A dull buzzing had caused him to wake, and he spotted his cell phone lying face down on the bedside table, white light peeking out from the edges. Someone was calling him. Groggily, he reached out and latched his fingers around the phone. He dragged it toward himself, groaning as he tried to shake the hovering cloud of sleep that hung over him.

"Hello?" he asked, squinting at the wall across from him. He shifted his head so that he had his left ear pressed into the pillow and the phone to his right ear.

"Holt!" Anya's voice exclaimed. She had shouted much too loud, and Allafair yanked the phone from his ear with a wince. She sounded both relieved and annoyed with him, and he wondered what he had done wrong.

"Anya," Allafair began, "why are you calling me at—" he paused to check the clock on the bedside table—"seven thirty-six A.M.?"

"Allafair! Don't you remember? Mission report! Stat! We didn't know what happened to you! Every time we called—"

"How many times have you called?"

"This is my sixth call to you," Anya replied, her voice ringing with pure annoyance.

Allafair sighed, rubbing his eyes with his empty hand. He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Once sitting, he said, "I apologize, Anya. It's been a rough night."

Silence followed the statement. Allafair checked to make sure neither him nor Anya had hung up, then came Anya's reply. "What kind of rough?"

"How many definitions are there?" Allafair asked.

"What happened, Holt?" she pressed.

Allafair paused. What was he going to say? Oh, you know, just the usual running into my ex-wife that I thought I'd never see again. She's the Woman in the Red Dress, by the way. And I'm not bringing her in, I'm going to help her get out of trouble first. Allafair closed his eyes and shook his head. If he said that, he would lose his job, no doubt about it. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Anya, which phone are you using?" he asked.

"Why is that relevant? Have you started a list of phones you do and don't want people to call you from?"

"Anya, answer the question."

"My cell, why?"

Allafair smiled. "I'm going to put you on hold..." Despite the protests from Anya, Allafair did as he had promised. Leaving the call running, he sent a text to Anya that read:

Is this call being tapped?

After a few moments, Anya's reply came:

No.

Allafair smiled, then returned to the call with Anya. "Anya, are you still there?" he asked.

"What was that all about?!" she cried into the phone.

"Please calm down, Devers," Allafair pleaded. "Look, I will explain everything, but you have to go to my office."

"Allafair..."

"Anya, please. It's important that no one else hears this conversation." Anya didn't seem to trust Allafair completely, but she complied with his wishes.