Die Hard (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Chapter One

Sue didn't particularly like venturing into the archives room, and she couldn't blame Levi for being less than enthusiastic. He was simply picking up on her discomfort.

The section she found herself in was poorly lit. Burnt light bulbs were creating shadows in the aisle. She couldn't hear the noisy ventilation system but she could feel the draft of warm air pushed out of the vents. Her eyes darted up.

1945. Too early. She strolled down to January 1946. Pulling out the dusty box, she brushed off the lid before removing it. She searched the randomly sorted files for Hanley.

Joe 'Trigger' Hanley was a wartime mob boss gunned down in Kentucky before the authority could build a solid case against him. After inheriting his large fortune, his son dismantled the organisation, or so it was believed... until the arrest and conviction of Tom Hanley, his grandson, in the mid-eighties.

Jack remembered studying the Hanley affair while in Quantico. The fascination the case held had never faltered, and he'd welcomed the excuse to reopen the cold investigation. Not that he expected to solve it, but he hoped to find evidence the organisation never died and to prevent Tom Hanley from being release on parole.

Jack recalled the shooting took place in either 1946 or 47. He scanned the shelves for December 47. He would start there then work his way towards Sue. Two aisles down.

"Are you bored, buddy?" He took a short break to stroke the dog behind the ears. "Did Sue send you away or are you simply stretching your paws?"

April 1946. As soon as she opened the box, the name Hanley jumped at her. The file was so thick, it was placed in a huge envelope. Sue pulled it out, precariously balancing the box on her raised knee.

Piercing eyes peeked through the hole. The furry animal was gone. Only the human female remained. After taking one last look, the intruder dashed through the aisle, grazing her ankle.

Sue screamed.

***

His search instantly forgotten, Jack rushed towards her. She was sitting on the floor, her stunned expression unreadable. A ripped envelope and a deformed box were lying near her foot. The deep worry lines that instantly creased his face at the sound of her screaming and tumbling slowly faded as he helped her up. She seemed fine, except maybe for her pride and her sore buttock she massaged.

"What happened?" he asked while brushing behind her ear a lock of hair that became loose during her fall.

Her skin was soft under his thumb and her perfume enticed him.

As she stared into his eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Was she imagining more than friendship? Should she dare to dream?

"Sue? Are you hurt?"

Forcing the haze off her mind, she shook her head.

"I was... it was silly, really..."

She took a step back, and reluctantly he let her go.

"A mouse startled me and I dropped everything, but I found the Hanley case." Grateful the box or the envelope didn't scatter their contents all over the floor, she breathed in relief.

"A mouse?" His brows arched and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I'm sure you scared the poor little critter way more than it scared you."

"For your information, Jack, it didn't scare me. It took me by surprise. There's a big difference."

His smile widened. "If you say so."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Oh NO... you WON'T tell anyone."