Hidden Allies

Chapter Two

Emma knew it.

  She had felt it in her gut when Ari had spoken to her on the phone. Her instincts since then had whispered it constantly. Emma had hoped and prayed to God that she was wrong, but here the truth was now, plain and hard, and even though she already knew it deep down inside, it surprised her like a sudden cut to her arm.

"Oh my God!" Emma gasped. She wanted to say something more, but her thoughts just didn't want to align themselves enough to create a verbal reply.

Oh my God! I knew Ariel was in trouble! I felt it, but I didn't do anything. I didn't help her!

  The agent named Soil remained calm, taking in Emma's emotional response to the news. He made no attempt to console her. When the other office looked like he was about the say something the agent waved his hand lightly, belaying the action.

"When was the last time you saw Ms. Leigh?" He asked.

  It took her a second to find her voice, but Emma collected herself. "Yesterday. We met and had lunch at the café close to where she worked. Then she went back to the office. I came back here. I talked to her early this morning."

  The FBI agent nodded in affirmation. "We found her phone a block from the building where she worked. After checking it out we saw that she had called you around four this morning, correct?"

"Yes."

"What did you two talk about?"

"She just mentioned that she had worked overnight and that she wanted me to bring some things to class for her."

"Some things?" Agent Soil shifted his pose. Where he had his arms folded across his chest before, emminating a vibe of masculine confidence, he now undid them. His hands were on his hips, parting his jacket enough for anyone paying attention to see his holstered firearm.

"Ariel wanted me to bring her laptop and notebook. She was supposed to meet me during class."

"Do you have the items now?"

"Umm, yeah." Emma palmed her bag with the items she had mentioned.

"Good." The agent said. "We're going to have to take a closer look at those."

"Wait. Why?" Emma asked as the accompanying officer took the bag from her and shouldered it. She wasn't sure what her friends laptop had to do with the situation.

  Agent Soil gave Emma a look that was both suspicious and sympathetic in an odd way. He seemed to think for a second then stepped closer. "Is there somewhere we can talk more privately, Ms. Marsh?"

  Emma nodded. She suggested her dorm room, which she and Ariel shared and led the way. Agent Soil and officer Krovski escorted her like her own shadow.

  As they're walked through the hallway and left the building that housed the majority of the colleges classes Emma noticed the many quizzical gazes that followed her. She focused on her feet and on walking. She was still too shook by the news to feel any embarrassment she got from the other students.

  The trio picked up a member of campus security and another officer when they cut through the courtyard, and when Emma entered the dorms another security guard was waiting at her door with a woman dressed in similar attire to the man from Hoover.

"This is my partner, Lisa Hamming." Agent Soil said when they were close enough.

"Ms. Marsh." The woman smiled and offered a narrow smile.

  Emma only gave a nervous look. "Is all of this necessary?" She understood the seriousness of the situation but the presence of the six law officials, two of which were FBI, told her something else was going on that she didn't know about.