Assassin's Apprentice: Chapters 10-11

10.

Harper ate only half the scrambled eggs and half a slice of wheat toast. She was too exhausted to chew. The dull throb behind her eyes kept beat with some Roy Orbison song whose name she couldn’t quite remember. She nursed a cold cup of coffee, killing time before returning to the airport.

“Everything all right?”

A hefty black woman about Harper’s age stood beside the table. She wore a shapeless blue dress that made her look pregnant. Not her waitress, so maybe the manager.

“Everything’s fine, thanks. I’m just not very hungry.”

The black woman laughed heartily. “Well, I don’t work here, darlin’, so tell someone who cares.” Despite her considerable bulk, she slid easily into the booth across the table from Harper. She picked up Harper’s unused spoon from the place setting, wiped it with a napkin from the dispenser, and scooped up some of Harper’s cold scrambled eggs. She chewed enthusiastically. “Hmm. Very tasty. Got some paprika in here.”

“You with Sanctuary?” Harper asked. “Making sure I didn’t steal some towels?”

“Me? Hell no. Not that I wouldn’t sell a vital organ to live there, mind you. If I could get my little girl into one of their fancy schools...” She shook her head and scooped up more egg. “Well, no use going down that path. Sharona’s going to be in public school as long as I remain a government employee. That’s for damn sure.”

“Which part of the government?”

The black woman reached into her purse and pulled out a wrinkled business card, smoothing it on the table with her palm. “I’m with....” She squinted at the card, reading it. “The Department of Energy, I guess.”

“Very convincing.”

She shrugged. “What branch of the government would you prefer? I got something in here says Treasury, if you’d rather.”