SurfAngel_1031
Striding into the rge executive room alone, Deputy Director Powell greeted the two attorneys on the opposite side of the long mahogany table. “Good m, cilors.” She put down her briefcase and the few items that she’d carried under her arm. Taking a moment to sit in one of the plush chairs, Sarah then opened her briefcase and id out a few files and thehe leather carrier on the carpeted floor. “I apologize for making you both wait, I o get the necessary agreement forms and have a little meeting with one of my agents.”
Adorned in a white dress suit, a woman eared to be in her mid fifties stood up and held out her hand. “Tatum Bckwell.” She waited for the director to shake her hand before sitting down again and shaking out her light brown and gray hair. “Think nothing of it, Deputy Director Powell. I take it you have everything that was agreed to by your superiors?” Tatum blinked her hazel eyes and turo the man beside her. “My apologies as well. This is cilor Dougs Dunbar, representing the is of Miss Casey Rivers.”
Taking a sed to pull her red hair into a tight ponytail, Sarah reached out and shook the older man's hand as well. “Good to meet you as well.”
“Likewise.” Doug briefly stated and then poio Tatum, “She will be doing most of the talking.”
Sarah leaned ba her chair and nodded, “Up to you. I think everything has beeled though.”
Tatum handed Sarah a huge stack of paper that was held together by heavy metal pins from the top. “The gover’s copy. You as the representative need only sigop page of both copies and the issue is settled.”
Deputy Director Powell raised one eyebrow with a ed look on her face. “You expect the govero just sign a dot that we don’t fully know what is in it? How do I know that you haven’t…massaged the w? I am no wmaker, I leave that to the folks in D.C.”
Smiling fidently and folding her arms across her chest, Tatum tered. “You don’t. It’s a matter of trust really. It is certainly within yhts to get a team of attorneys and paralegals io go over every word on the..” She bobbed her head thoughtfully for a sed, “..about two thousand pages, or trust my office.” Tatum watched as the elder FBI agent stood up to leave, “Your choice, Deputy Director. I caution you though. Everything iwo thousand pages will go public, trial by opinion to start.” She ughed and patted Doug on the arm, “Then the real battle begins. I am willing to go the distance, is the gover?”
Imagining the fallout as well as the yelling from all of the department heads, Sarah once more resumed her seat. “Fine.” Sarah grabbed the unwieldy stack of papers and sighe top sheet, and witatum do the same. Opening her own folder, Director Powell haatum another set of dots. “Your NDA. You say a word about this and the tract is null and void.” Gring at Tatum with her hard and intelligent brown eyes, Sarah nodded as the woman in white sighe st of the formal dots. “Here, as romised..by the gover.” Writhing ihe Deputy Director handed over all of the illegally obtained evidence from the Crow farm. “Be lucky she used a droer the fact, and not during the initial search of the property.”
Gathering up all of the items and smiling with the dog tags in hand, Tatum started pag away all of the dots. “It wasn’t lubsp; I am not responsible for the ck of detail when it came to the gover issuing warrants of the property.” She tapped her chest lightly, “I am responsible to my t and my t only. This was all supposedly settled months ago. False accusations of explosives, chemical agents and illegal sughtering of animals.” She winked, “Without cheg ermits were in pce.” Tatum stood up and snapped her fingers. “Gone in an instant. You have a nice day Deputy Director.”
Unafraid of any lingering fallout, Sarah waited until the two attorneys reached the door before popping a simple question. “How’d you do it, Miss Bckburn?” Sarah gathered her things and stared directly into the older woman’s eyes, “How’d you charm them? I have seen it time and again, when the gover wants something, they get it. I have seeimate cims get tossed out on a teicality.” She poi Tatum. “How’d you do it?”
Carefully looking around the executive room, Tatum smiled as she spotted at least twelve different cameras with matg rec equipment. Tugging and fttening out wrinkles in her immacute white suit, the older woman lightly smiled, “Deputy Director Powell.” Tatum paused and waved her hand so that the agent would get closer. “Ever seen the Wizard of Oz, my dear?”
“I think we all have.” Sarah chuckled.
Lightly pg her hand on Sarah’s shoulder, Tatum tinued. “Unlikely events happen all the time, right? It just so happens that a house nded on a bad woman and Dorothy had to have a little adventure and e to terms within her ow to get home, does that track for what you know, Director Powell?”
“Yes, but…” Sarah tried to ent, when Tatum raised her finger and she felt pelled to quiet herself.
tent that the director wouldn’t say anything for the time being, Tatum finished. “In 1947 a small k of debris caused mass panic about UFOs and aliens, didn’t it?” She watched Sarah mindlessly shake her head. “Good. The greater goht?” Sarah again shook her head. “Then I leave you with this, my new friend. A quote from Glinda herself. ‘You don’t o be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas.’ Questioning me isn’t the answer, you already know what you o do, Deputy Director.” Tatum used her right hand and touched Sarah on the nose. “Boop.” Spinning on her heel Tatum darted through the door and out of sight.
