Time Sensitive Target

Part 44 - Invitation for Trouble

"Can I write on these?" I glanced up to Lorres, who perched on the edge of the table watching me read.

"Sure," she rolled a pen across the surface. I reread each page, scrawling notes when thoughts emerged, pulling unwritten information from behind the words.

"I suspect one of these people was responsible for a data leak we recently experienced, but we've absolutely nothing tangible to go on. Who do you think it is?" She eyed me carefully with a gaze that said she was making her own assessment of me.

"I'd put my money on this one," I pushed the second thin pile of papers towards her. "I've written notes. It wouldn't fit the profile of the other two."

"Why not?" Lorres skimmed my tiny scrawls of writing across the pages.

"Person A more than likely has abandonment issues, it wouldn't be in their nature to be disloyal. Person C is unlikely with their financial issues... and Person B," I nodded to the papers I'd pushed towards her. "Seems the most dependable and obligingly helpful. They're too accommodating in the interview, they're saying too much, which is an automatic technique people use to distract the other person from focusing on their responses. The only time they seem nervous is at the start, which was probably fake. The answers they gave are rehearsed."

"How can you tell?" Lorres raised her brows in quiet interest.

"They're using longer words, unnecessary fillers or complicated jargon. I'll bet that person speaks like that whenever they have to plan what they're going to say, in a meeting or something. They do it to make themselves seem more impressive," I took a long gulp from my glass of water, surprised by how the knowledge returned to me as soon as my eyes locked on to the information.

"That's very interesting, thank you," Lorres gazed at me with a sparkle of intrigue. "I'll have to let you know how it turns out." A knock at the door interrupted the short silence that followed and Jase entered the room, not even addressing Lorres with a greeting.

"How are your fledglings doing?" Lorres smiled at Jase and packed the files away.

"Floundering," Jase grimaced. "I don't remember finding it that hard."

"Ah but even the young Jason Hill was determined above everything else. They'll find their feet, and one day I'll be cleaning up their messes instead of yours," Lorres continued smiling in familiarity. She was clearly fond of Jase, but whether their relationship held more than that it wasn't clear.

"Cleaning up my messes? I used to solve yours."

Another sharp tap rattled the already ajar door. Jack lurked in the doorway, apparently irked by something.

"I'm on my way to the Falcon briefing, do you want coffee?" He asked Lorres, ignoring the presence of the other two people in the room.

"I'm just leaving, no thank you to the coffee," Lorres dismissed him without so much as an upwards glance. "Oh Jack-" she called suddenly and he halted his exit. "Did you give Paige the details of the personal trainer?"

"No, I'll-"

"Oh that reminds me, Charles showed me this earlier," Lorres turned to Jase and led him out of the meeting room, opening the door directly across the hallway and leaving Jack and I alone.

He pulled a smirk of disbelief and yanked his phone from his pocket, clearly incensed by the casual spurn of attention he suffered from his superior.

"I can't find this guy's number, I'll give it to you when we meet next," Jack huffed and pushed his phone back into his pocket. "Shouldn't he be taking you home?" He glared at the door.