Lie To Me {S. Reid}

ONE

Alethea shakes her head as she plays with her straw. "I help with a lot of interrogations as well and sometimes assist with cases."

"How come you never thought about joining law enforcement?"

The brunette shrugged as she fiddled with the handle of her mug.

"I like being my own boss, and I get to help out a lot of people who feel like local law enforcement has given up on leads," she consumes her coffee before resuming. "I also enjoy having my own office."

Spencer chuckled as he checked the time. "Well, I have to start heading to work." He stood up as Alethea mimicked his movements. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

Alethea nodded. "Yep, same booth, same time. Oh, and if you're ever bored, don't be shy to send me a text or give me a call."

With that, Alethea gave him a short wave before exiting the coffee shop, leaving Spencer to over-analyze her offer. Deducing that it was probably a friendly gesture, he grabbed his belongings and began making his way to work.

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                    RIGHT AS ALETHEA ENTERED THE BUILDING, a man in a blazer and a checkered scarf that hung from his neck greeted her. "Now, what the hell is that?"

Alethea rolled her eyes at the familiar British accent as she continued walking. "What the hell is what, Shawn?"

Her little partner in crime teasingly grinned as he began to follow her quickened pace. "Right when you walked in, you were thinking of something that made you happy or satisfied."

"I did not," Alethea defended as she strode towards her assistant's desk.

"You may be a good liar, but you can't get away with lying to me," he declared.

Alethea turned towards her best friend. "Shawn, I am not lying to you. Now, don't you have a meeting in fifteen minutes?"

Shawn chuckled. "Of course, changing the topic."

Alethea finally reached her assistant's desk with Shawn stopping right behind her. "Jan, are there any messages for me?"

The young red-head handed Alethea two sticky notes before replying. "You have a conference at three this afternoon. Also, the NYPD has sent you a video of a confession that they want you to look over to make sure the suspect isn't lying."

"Thanks, Jan," Alethea said, "and before you ask, yes, you can leave early on Wednesday for that significant event that you can't miss."

Jan grinned in thanks as Alethea walked into her office with Shawn trailing in behind her. "Was it something to do with your conference on Friday? Did anyone else feed into your ego?"

Alethea scoffed at her infuriating friend. "What ego? I don't have an ego."

"A well-respected doctor that is well known for being a human lie detector does not have an ego," Shawn states in a matter of fact tone. "Do you believe that I would ever fall for that?"

Alethea took a seat behind her desk and swiveled in her chair with a pen touching her lips. She pouted as she began to respond, "Is someone jealous?"

Shawn laughed as he leaned forward. "Ego!"

Before Alethea could come up with a response, a curly fro bounced into the office. "Thea, guess what I have for you!"

The two turn their attention towards their beloved friend. "Yes, Rochelle?"

"A case," Rochelle sang as she slid the manila folder across her desk.

"About what," Shawn asked, snatching it before Alethea could even grab it.

"Congresswoman Denise Wittman has multiple accusations of being involved in a scandalous relationship," Rochelle described. "Her associate Congressman Wyatt Holm hired us."

"Congresswoman Wittman has always been known for having relations with interns 20 years her junior," Alethea noted, already hesitant on accepting this case. "She's not doing anything illegal or something other congressmen haven't done. What's the issue?"

"Well, her alleged lover is rumored to be a minor," Rochelle began, "and she's apart of the Health and Human Services department— more importantly, she is one of the major representatives of the Administration for Children and Families."

"I'm pretty sure engaging in relations with a teenager is definitely against the ethics of the ACF," teased Shawn.

"Are you going to take it," Rochelle asked, veering towards Alethea who had been quiet for some time now.

"Give it to Shawn," she resolved, smirking subtly at her decision. "He handles politicians better than I do."

"Well, time to dig up a politician's dirty laundry," Shawn proclaimed, simulating enthusiasm.

A/N: This chapter was 1134 words long omg. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was kind of introducing what Alethea does before getting to the main plot!