Liar Ch. 02

With one quick tug on the seal, I pulled out the laptop that had been tightly wrapped in its clear plastic shell since our investigation was concluded.

"Early bird?" Ross commented as he entered the task room. He was juggling a pile of documents while trying to carefully sip on a Starbucks; the aroma of which filled the room quickly.

"Just wanted to think things through before the noise pollution raises in this den of hyenas." I mumbled.

"Need me to leave you alone?"

"Yes." I said in my typical gruff voice.

Adrian Ross was a good kid and a quick learner. He already had figured out when to leave the boss alone and walk away. He started to back out of the room as silently as he had arrived.

"Wait." I demanded, dropping the evidence log back onto the table. He may be young but he's a trained investigator and I needed more eyes on this. He paused facing me with his butt to the door and an expression that asked, 'okay, which is it?' "Ross, is there anything in this case that would lead you to believe that Jessica Quinn wasn't the ring leader of this whole thing?"

Ross took a step back toward the table and put the pile of documents down. He took a quick sip on his dark roast before pausing and looking at me directly. It was almost as if he was building courage to tell me something that had been on his mind. "Okay, you asked. So here's the deal."

Ominous. Ross was a rookie but capable. I could tell that he seemed to have something that was bothering him about the case. But clearly being a rookie, he had seen something he wasn't sure if he had the status to address.

He pulled the laptop around to face him and opened the screen making the Macbook light up. Pulling up terminal mode, he began clicking at the machine; which responded by pouring out a cascade of data. He used his foot to hook the leg of a stool and drag it over next to his place. He sat down without looking to the stool while scrolling through the flashing screen.

"There's something that's been nagging me about this data." he said pointing to the list of data files that had revealed encoded information buried deep in bits and bytes. "Yeah, the hidden files were embedded in these, thirty three photo files. We originally discovered it because you noticed the file sizes didn't match typical file sizes for the camera she used. But if you look a bit deeper there's more. The file sizes didn't match, that's true. But neither did the metadata's timestamps."

"So the metadata updated the timestamp at the time she embedded the data she was hiding to the files. We got that. That all fits with the scenario." I mused. "Why's it nagging you then?"

"It's just that the metadata for all thirty three files shows a network signature that the laptop was tied into the intranet at One Gateway Center." Ross explained.

"Still not getting you." I questioned back.


Ross looked me in the eye as he rambled off information. "Jessica Quinn was in Denver at the time this file was opened, embedded, and saved. She was in Paris on the date of this file's time stamp. And several of the other files here were uploaded to her laptop remotely but through the intranet system at One Gateway Center. Her laptop was tied into the intranet at One Gateway Center in Pittsburgh but on the dates tied to most of these files, she wasn't in town." He took a deep breath as a load of pressure had just been released.

"So you're saying Jessica didn't have a hand in this, she was just an unknowing mule?" I quizzed.

"Possession is as they say nine tenths of the law. But only nine tenths. It's not my job to tell you she didn't know about it. But I can tell you that she may of had this laptop in her possession and not even known what was on it." He hesitated and looked for some response from me. "Just sayin'" He continued following an awkward pause. "Like maybe the laptop was in Pittsburgh but she wasn't." Ross stammered, waiting for my response that was delayed as I was thinking it through. "Okay, well maybe I'm totally wrong for bringing it up." He stood and started to pick up the files he had previously been carrying before I stopped him.

"Hold on. I may be a bastard, but I'm not the kind of bastard that puts someone away with even a hint of the possibility that I could be wrong." I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the stool he was using. "Show me everything."

For the next two hours, Ross pulled up each of the files individually and pointed out the discrepancies of the timestamps as they correlated to which network system the computer had been connected with at the time the file was placed on her computer.





Be Straight With Me

Night had fallen and I just finished my after dinner routine by cleaning up before getting liquored up. I turned out the kitchen light and made my way to the den. The glow of the tv cast a rectangular light that fell into the hallway as SportsCenter was cycling though the top stories again for the fourth or fifth time. Dropping back into my old leather easy chair I rattled the two large ice cubes around in the amber liquid of my glass before taking a sip.

I can't remember if I had drifted off for a while or if only a moment had passed, but I heard a pecking sound at my kitchen door. Someone was timidly knocking at the door as if there was hesitation in their intent.

Climbing up from my groggy resting place and heading to the door I could see the shadow of someone turned away from the glass. I switched the porch light on and the body turned. It was Jessica.

I quickly shut the off the porch light and opened the door; grabbed her arm and tugged her into the room. Slamming the door closed behind her the miniblinds mounted on the door flew to one side, then back into place with a loud clanging sound.

"How the fuck did you find my home? And just what the hell do you think you're doing, coming here?" I demanded.

"Easy there Max. I followed you home two weeks ago. Thought it was information I'd need some day." She furloughed her brow and shrugged off the question as if to ask 'who cares?'

"You know I could lose my job if someone catches you here?" I shouted back at her. I gripped her arm a bit too tightly as I continued pulling her into the darkness of the kitchen. Even as the words left my lips I could see her disregard my concerns.

"Max, I'm sorry. I just need to know if you had a chance to even consider what we talked about. It's not like I can call the FBI office and ask for 'Max'" She quietly replied.

I let her go long enough to twist the mini binds rod, closing off any view to lessen the likelihood of someone seeing us through the window. "Come on in here away from the windows." I grabbed her arm and drug her toward the den where the glow of the tv was the only light in the room.

"Tell me you know something more." She stated as I let go of her arm. She then strode boldly into the center of the room while taking off her coat. Tossing her leather coat to the couch she displayed a skirt far to short for this time of year. It was red plaid and pleated, barely covering her firm, round ass. Black, tight leggings reached up to the middle of her thighs leaving a soft milky, ring of white flesh for my eyes to feast upon just below her short skirt.

A soft black sweater that opened in the front permitted only a sheer, silk camisole underneath to peek through. The sleeves of her sweater had been tugged up her forearms. She made the 'innocent school girl look' seem hotter than any porn video I had ever watched. All I could think about was wanting to be schooled by her.

She turned to took at me with anticipation, folding her arms under her breasts. Scanning the room she looked over the furniture and decorations. Slowly she was drawn to a wall of photographs that were framed that covered one side of the room. She studied my photography as if there was nothing unusual for her to be in my home. But I knew she was a photo geek too. It's the way we all respond to a new cluster of pictures to view.

Jessica was petite and small breasted but her folded arms under her breasts made her look a bit too enticing for my liking. I knew she was hot but I didn't want her looks to cloud my judgment. One look at her was causing blood to rush from my thinking head to my non-thinking head.

"I can't promise anything," I started. But that was all I needed to say. She realized instantly that I was no longer convinced she was the sole culprit of the crime for which she was accused. Her whole demeanor brightened as she turned away from the exhibit of framed photos and rushed toward me.

"I knew I could trust you!" She exclaimed. Her words stung a bit. I was the one who threw her in jail, convinced she was the hideous creature that had transported women from third world countries to be used as toys for executives.

She rushed toward me and wrapped her arms around me, enveloping me. I could feel the warmth of her cheek against my chest. My business white dress shirt was unbuttoned half way and my sleeves had been rolled up from cleaning up after dinner.

The warmth of her body flooded mine; or was it just the flush of the whisky I had been sipping.

"I just knew that if anyone would do the right thing and get me out of this mess it would be you!" She continued. She let go of her grip around my body and reached up to take my face in her hands. She kissed me, full out, and dug her tongue into my mouth.

I pushed her back down and away from me by grabbing both of her arms. "Wait; wait just a second." I cleared my throat from the tongue lashing she was giving me. "I just mean that there are some discrepancies that need to be cleared up. While I'm convinced you weren't the ring-leader of this thing, the jury is still out on if you were involved."

She just stood there and grinned. "What?" I asked her non-response. She didn't reply. "What?" I asked more firmly.

"Nobody believed me but you." She closed her eyes in joyful expression. Almost as if a weight had been lifted. Her hands still against my chest, I could feel her melt with relief.

"Jessica, I can't say that I believe you." I started. "I'm just saying that I see the discrepancies in the evidence that we have to look into."

"It's okay Max. If you see the problem you'll dig out the facts. And if you dig out the facts you'll see that I was framed. God, don't you get it? I didn't do this. When you start sorting through all this you'll find out that I'm telling the truth!"

Her voice rose gradually in volume and in pitch with each sentence. She was obviously excited by the news. Once again, I watched for any tell she would give to indicate she was lying. But I couldn't find it anywhere. Her excitement seemed legit. Her emotion was not contrived but genuine.

She pushed back past the grip of my hands holding her away and started kissing me again. But this time I let her. God she felt good. Her warmth, her taste, even the aroma of her perfume; all worked to break down my resistance.

Jessica's tongue danced in my mouth as she tilted her head to one side to take mine in hers. She gripped the back of my head. The feeling was astounding. I could feel the remaining buttons of my dress shirt being unbuttoned through fumbling fingers as she worked one handed.


Within seconds she was ripping shirt tails up out of my waistband and shoving my shirt off my shoulders; never letting her lips leave mine. I tore my shirt off my arms and pulled her toward me.

She pulled away from my lips and looked at me. It was as if she wanted me to say something; something I truly didn't understand. I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to spill the details of why it was I now had some doubt of her involvement. But all I could think about was the pale flesh of her thighs just below that skirt. Why is it that I can't think straight around women like this one? And why is it that they seem to know it?

Doesn't she get it? Doesn't she understand just how vulnerable I am right now? Just having her in my home could jeopardize the whole investigation and get me thrown out of the FBI.

"Jessica, just understand that I can't offer you any more right now, so .." I was trying to tell her that she didn't need to do this sex thing; that I would do the right thing and continue investigating the discrepancies without her needing to 'buy' my attention with sexual favors. But she was now tugging at my belt; the clanging sound of the buckle being thrust aside gave way to the sound of a zipper being opened. Her hands moved with the exuberance of her youth.

Jessica moved in next to me. I could feel the warmth of her breath against my chest as she got close. She looked intently down my torso to my hips as she slid her hand past the waistband of my boxers. Her head fell against my chest and I could feel her whole body gasp, then exhale slowly as she gripped my cock in her hand.

"Jessica. You," I started to speak but the sensation was so astounding that I couldn't finish the sentence.

I let my fingers rake through her hair. Then I gripped her head, gently pulling her head backward by the handful of hair in my fist. She looked up and gazed into my eyes as she gripped my cock just a bit more firmly.

I kissed her. I wanted to stop myself; to admit that this was wrong, to do the right thing, to end it before it began. But I was weak. I kissed her. The warmth of her mouth made me all the weaker. She shouldn't have to offer herself to me like this. I'm sworn to duty as an FBI agent yet here I am taking a 'bribe' so to speak.

I slid my free arm around the small of her back and pulled her tightly to me and kissed her again. Gently this time. It took self control. I was hungry for her. Maybe I was just hungry for any woman but the fact that it was Jessica made me even more ravenous.

Her tongue in my mouth brought the taste of peppermint and just a hint of a recent cigarette. I drank her in, gripping the back of her head now as I explored her mouth with my tongue. Jessica lifted herself up onto her toes, pushing her tongue deeper into my mouth. I caught a brief whiff of the smell of her sweet shampoo.

Jessica's fingertips scratched at the back of my head and then along the side of my face as she paused to feel our mouths interlocked by our kiss.

Somewhere in her kiss I lost reality for a moment. I lifted her off the ground solely by pulling her into my grip and I backed her up against the wall behind her. The wall shook with the force of her body striking. One of the framed photographs slid to the side and then fell from the wall harmlessly onto the couch.

I pressed my body against her as she hung in the air supported between my body and the wall. She wrapped her arms around my neck to help hold her there as we kissed. I could feel her legs raise up and wrap around my hips.

Reaching down my right hand found the white flesh above those leggings that had captivated me from the moment her jacket was thrown aside. I could feel her soft skin against her surprisingly strong leg muscles that gripped my hips. With a handful of thigh flesh in my grip, I helped to hold her in position and pressed in against her body to kiss her again.

I slid one hand across her face, pulling her now disheveled hair out of her eyes to look at her. She was lovely. I tenderly slid the back of my fingers against the softness of her cheek before I kissed her again. Her legs wrapped around behind me as she rested her weight on my hips.

The warmth of her fleshy leg in my hand drove me insane. I slid that hand up under the short skirt to find nothing but more flesh; just her hip bones, pelvis, the slightness of her waist and the warm, firm ass that I had watched every day while undercover at her office.

The confusion in my eyes must have been clear. She looked deeply into my eyes as I explored under her tartan skirt. My fingers suddenly discovered her bear, wet, pussy but no panties.

She grinned for a moment before she explained. "I knew you'd find something. I believed you could prove me innocent. So I came prepared to repay you as promised."

My clouded judgment came crashing in me. I can't! This isn't real. She's only offering herself to me for my information. I pulled my mouth from hers; grabbing her shoulders I let her slide down the wall and lowered her to the floor.

My brain felt like it was buzzing. My whole body was trembly. But I willed myself to composure. "Jessica," I tried to start again. I tried to tell her that she didn't have to do this. But the silence was deafening. The confusion on her face said it all. Her lips were still parted. Her cheeks were flush, red with warmth from the encounter.

"I'm sorry Jessica." I stammered.

She stood up, no longer supported against the wall. Utter bewilderment gradually melted across her expression. "Is it me? Don't I please you?" She asked as she looked to my eyes for an answer. She sounded almost hurt by my reaction.

I wiped my mouth. I was exhausted and not thinking correctly. "God no, that's not it at all." I creaked out. I stood up erect and looked up at the ceiling for a moment as I exhaled.

"Then why?" she asked again.

I pressed the palm of my hand against my forehead as if to hold my brain together. I looked for some way to express it to her. Then I took a deep breath before turning to look her in the eye. "Because it's wrong of me. Because I don't take advantage of people. Because I shouldn't demand this of you. Hell, because I think I care about you. A thousand reasons to know it's not a good idea."

Jessica smirked at me. It wasn't a smirk of distain. More of a 'for god's sake tell me something I don't know' kind of smirk. It was a bit disconcerting. Almost as if she knew the punchline to the joke and I was the punchline. It seemed like forever before she spoke. "Max, I know just how fucked up you are. I don't care."

Her words didn't make sense to me. Maybe because much of my blood flow wasn't getting to my brain cells right at this moment. "Look, I can't just use people like this; this sex for information thing. I shouldn't be so fucked up that you can twist me this way. I don't much like being used by someone who knows how fucked up I am."

"That's not what I meant. I'm not just using you." She put her fists to her hips as if to stand her ground. "I mean, I know you're just getting over someone. I don't know who it is but I get the impression she hurt you. So I don't care how fucked up you are about it. Frankly, it's because I knew you'd do the right thing that I find you so attractive. You have that 'boy scout thing' going on that is kinda cute."

"Jessica, the other night I was weak. You caught me at a time when I was a bit off my game. I normally don't do things like that." I tried to explain.

"Maybe you just can't get it through your head that I came to you because I knew you'd doggedly go after this and fix my mess if I asked you. And for the record, I knew you'd do the right thing even without some incentive. But are you just to boy scout to catch on to the fact that maybe I gave you a blowjob because I wanted to?" She shot back with a hint of sarcasm.

Her words caught me a bit off guard. There was nothing in our prior contacts that would lead me to believe that such a thing would ever be even imagined; let alone possible. Unnerved by her comment, I reached for my glass and took a brief sip to shake the cobwebs away.

Jessica reached for the glass after I sipped from it and took it away from me. "Hell, I know we're worlds apart and you're obviously pining away for whoever it is that did you wrong." She downed the rest of the drink and grimaced at the hard liquor. Sucking in some air from the shock of the whisky she set the glass down on the coffee table.

"Okay, confession of my own." She started, putting one hand on my chest and looking me in the eye again. "I haven't had sex since this whole thing hit the fan. It's not like guys are just lining up at my door to spend time with me when I'm out on bond before trial, being followed everywhere by FBI agents in black suits and watched over by my husband's private security."