Chapter 386 - 386: Stalker
Jenny's mind began racing, compiling dark, terrible assumptions. Was Fred a mole? Was he leaking information to the enemy? But then her tactical awareness kicked in, forcing her to calm down and think rationally before laying treasonous accusations on her husband. She replayed the words she had just deciphered:
The offer still stands to join the EVA cadet program.
It seemed like he was just trying to convince Jayden to join the agency. That had to be it, right? They couldn't possibly have any deeper, sinister connection. Or maybe Fred was actually just trying to help her indirectly by getting closer to the kid, profiling him off the books.
"Pull yourself together, Jenny," she whispered in the quiet cabin of the hovercar. "Don't conclude on anything without any strong evidence."
She watched closely as Jayden walked out of the diner. He paused on the pavement, dropped into a low runner's stance, and sprinted away in a blur of motion.
Jenny gasped, dropping the binoculars into her lap. She was absolutely stunned. How could a kid move that fast? Was that his raw physical speed, or was he utilizing some sort of agility boost?
Before she could process the theory, the sharp trill of her holo-tab shattered the silence in the car. She blinked, pulling it from her pocket to see what was up. It was a call from Fred.
Her heart skipped a beat. Why was he calling her right now?
She took a deep, steadying breath, cleared her throat, and accepted the call, forcing a bright, casual smile.
"Heyyy, you. What are you up to?" she began smoothly.
"I could ask you the exact same thing," Fred's voice crackled over the line, carrying a low, amused chuckle.
"Um... I'm just at the office," Jenny lied. "Clearing out your desk for your big move to Arcadia."
"Oh, really?" Fred mused. "So you're not the one sitting inside the invisible hovercar parked across from the diner?"
Jenny's eyes widened in sheer, absolute shock. "I... I don't know what you're talking about, Fred. What diner?"
Suddenly, a sharp tap-tap-tap echoed against the glass of her driver-side window.
Jenny shrieked, violently flinching away from the door. She snapped her head sideways. Standing right there on the dark street, leaning casually against her invisible window with his holo-tab to his ear, was Fred.
Her mind blanked. She hadn't even seen him exit the diner. And how the hell did he cross the street without her noticing?
Fred flashed a smug, knowing smirk. Resting on the bridge of his nose was a pair of sleek, tactical glasses he hadn't been wearing inside the booth. They were specialized anti-concealment lenses, designed specifically to bypass optical camouflage. He waved at her playfully, not looking even remotely upset that his wife was actively stalking him.
Jenny recovered from the shock, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She hit the console, sliding the invisible window down. "You almost gave me a literal heart attack!"
"My apologies, Captain," Fred grinned, lowering his tab. "I didn't mean to startle you." He leaned into the window, tilting his head. "Though I have to say, this doesn't look much like my office desk."
Jenny groaned, realizing the massive implication of the moment. She had been made. "How did you know I would follow you?"
"I've known you for twelve years, Jenny," Fred smiled, taking off the tactical glasses. "And this isn't the first time you've shadowed me when I 'conveniently' leave out the full details of my afternoon. I already expected you to be sitting out here the moment I left the office."
Jenny looked down at the steering wheel, entirely flushed with guilt and embarrassment. "I... I'm really sorry for lying to you. And for stalking you. I just saw the encrypted line and I was so curious about who you were meeting."
"It's fine," Fred sighed, his expression softening. "I should have just explained the situation to you from the start."
The guilt instantly vanished from Jenny's face, replaced by the sharp, piercing gaze of a lead investigator. "Yeah, you should have," she snapped. "What the hell were you doing with Jayden Starrk? Are you secretly his partner? Is that the reason I haven't been able to get a single lead on him in weeks?"
Fred blinked, feigning surprise. Then he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Geez, Jenny. That is one hell of an accusation to throw at your husband."
Jenny sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. But I don't know what else to think right now."
"I get it," Fred said, his tone turning serious and professional. He leaned against the doorframe, delivering his prepared lie with flawless execution. "I am not working with Jayden Starrk. After we failed to recruit him at the tournament, HQ tasked me with finding a way to convince the kid to join the cadet program. They believe his abilities would make him an incredible asset to the agency."
He reached out, gently touching her arm. "I didn't tell you because you were conducting an active investigation on him, and i knew you would hate the idea of me having off-the-books meetings with your primary suspect. But I'm sorry. I should have told you."
Jenny let out a sigh of relief, completely buying the flawless cover story. "It's not your fault, Fred," she muttered, shaking her head. "It's HQ's fault for giving you such a ridiculous, conflicting task. Why do they want him to join so badly anyway? There are tons of other talented kids out there."
"Yeah, I've tried to tell the brass the exact same thing," Fred shrugged helplessly. "But you know how they are. They're adamant on getting him into the fold."
"Okay," Jenny relented, the tension finally leaving her shoulders. "But next time, please don't keep things like this from me. We're partners."
"I promise, I won't," Fred smiled warmly. He stepped back from the car and gestured toward the diner. "Now, why don't you come inside and let me buy you breakfast? I know for a fact you haven't eaten a single thing all morning."
"I can't," Jenny protested half-heartedly. "I have a mountain of paperwork and operational planning to do."
"I know you do. But I insist," Fred said, reaching out to open the door and pull her out of the driver's seat.
"Fine," Jenny laughed, stepping out onto the pavement. "But this means I won't be going out with you tonight."
"We'll see about that," Fred challenged with a smirk.
"I'm serious, Fred," Jenny chuckled as Fred wrapped an arm around her waist, the two of them walking seamlessly back into the warm, buzzing light of the diner.