The Blacklister's Secret

3: The Waitress

"Who is she?" Elizabeth asks, and the man freezes.

"I dont know what your referring to." He says, shrugging her off and continuing to flip through the papers.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Who is she?"

"Lizzie, if you really must know, it's the waitress at this lovely hole in the wall diner, they serve the most wonderful omelets-"

"I know you well enough to know that's a lie." She interrupts him. "If you dont tell me I'll just figure it out on my own."

Dembe Zuma's eyes widen from where he stands behind Elizabeth.

"Be my guest." He shrugs. "Dembe, let's do lunch." He nods, and the two exit.

"You shouldn't lie to Elizabeth. Shes going to find Emma, and it isnt going to be pretty." Dembe tells his boss as they walk out of the building.

"She wont find Emma. She's halfway across the country." Reddington says, but Dembe raises an eyebrow as he opens the car door.

"Are you telling me? Or telling yourself?" He asks as he sits in the drivers seat.

Raymond doesn't answer him, staring out of the window with a hard look on his face.

"I need to make a call." The man says, removing his fedora. He pinches the bridge of his nose as Dembe pulls out of the parking lot.

Dembe drives halfway across town to a payphone, and parks.

He watches as Reddington picks up the phone.

And he watches as he just stares at the number pad.

He turns down the radio as the man begins to press numbers, but again, he freezes.

Then he slams the reciever down and walks back over to the car, almost throwing himself into the backseat.

"Raymond-" Dembe begins.

"I can't do it. I can't tell her I'm not coming." The man answers, taking his hat off of his head and wringing it in his hands.

"Raymond-"

"She won't forgive me, Dembe." He shakes his head, sighing.

He places his hat back on his head and makes eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror.

He shakes his head, "I'm doing the right thing. I'm keeping her safe."

Dembe looks away, not daring to look at the man behind him.

"Tell me I'm doing the right thing, Dembe." Raymond says after a while.

Dembe glances into the rearview, and pure desperation is what he sees.

"You are doing the right thing." He nods.

He turns up the radio and then mumbles. "Just not the right way."