“Mr. Silk?”

Breaking out of the brief moment of surprise, Oliver plastered a polite smile on his face. “Sorry, I'm just a bit confused. If it isn't about that... Honestly, I have no clue what the FBI could want to speak with me about.”

Jane glanced briefly at Officer Pierce, whom Oliver had been speaking with. “If you could excuse us for a moment, Officer?”

Meeting Oliver's gaze, who then nodded, Franklin simply shrugged. “Of course, Agent Doe. I'll catch up to you later, Oli...”

Once he had moved away, Jane focused once more on Oliver. Reaching into the folder she carried, she pulled out a picture before passing it to him. “We have reason to believe that you recently had contact with this woman, and are hoping you could answer a few questions.”

Glancing at the picture, Oliver couldn't suppress the flicker of annoyance and anger on his face. Of all the possible scenarios, from accidentally exposing himself doing something crazy to a simple slip of the tongue, why did it have to be her?

Despite the picture being taken at night, from a distance, and with what was probably a low grade security camera... It was obviously Eve. The petite figure, bright pastel clothes, and predatory smile...

“You recognize this woman, Mr. Silk?”

“Unfortunately.” He admitted after a second, realizing his slip. “Though I only met her once. Said her name was 'Eve'... If you don't mind me asking, what interest does the FBI have in her?”

“Could you expand on that a bit more, please? What was the nature of this meeting? And what sort of contact did you have with her?” Jane pressed, clearly ignoring his question.

Oliver stared at the agent for several seconds, his face stony. Slowly, he responded, tone clipped. “She was a bitch. But someone gave her my number and she tried flirting with me, so I told her to fuck off.”

Jane blinked at the sudden shift, not expecting the touch of hostility she felt. “You seem a bit... defensive... about these questions, Mr. Silk. Is there some issue I'm not aware of?”

“If I seem defensive,” He began slowly, shaking his head. “It's because this feels like an interrogation, and I've had quite enough of law enforcement officers giving me a hard time lately.”

Jane paused for a moment, then nodded sympathetically. “I understand, and apologize, Mr. Silk. That wasn't my intention.”

Reaching out slowly, she tapped a single manicured nail on the picture as she continued. “This woman, Evelyn Hart, is wanted in multiple countries for a variety of reasons- just about everything you could imagine, from assassinations to war crimes. She is extremely dangerous. So, I hope you can understand why we are taking this very seriously. If you would prefer to have your lawyer present, I understand. But we would appreciate any information that you could provide.”

Oliver couldn't hide his shock; he knew Eve was dangerous, but... Damn! A wanted, international criminal? What the hell had the pint-sized psycho done?

Other than bring the FBI down to his area and complicate his life even more...

Sighing softly, he shook his head. “Like I said, she was a bitch. Gave me a hard time, then tried to flirt with me. There wasn't really a lot to it, since I said I was in a relationship and told her off.”

“Are there any specifics you can remember? Anything she said that stood out?”

Tilting his head in though, he nodded slowly. “I mean... She asked if my girlfriend would be willing to share, but I don't think that is what you meant. Mostly, I just tried to keep my distance. Last thing I want is to end up with a crazy stalker, you know?”

“I haven't heard anything from her since, thank goodness.”

A faint blush crept up Jane's cheeks at his answer. Shaking her head slowly, she cleared her throat. “Ah, that... I... don't believe that helps us much, unfortunately. Especially if she hasn't attempted to contact you again. Did she happen to mention anything about why she was here?”

“Work, I'm pretty sure. Exactly what that is...” Oliver shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “Though, from what you have said, that probably isn't a good thing.”

Chuckling softly, he shook his head apologetically. “I'm sorry, Agent Doe, but other than her being a bit of a creep, I don't really have much to offer you. I mean, she did ramble a bit about a game on her phone, though I don't know how that would help either.”

“I understand, Mr. Silk. Would it be possible for you to provide us with the number for the phone she contacted you from? Odds are that she has gotten rid of it already, but it doesn't hurt to check.” Jane asked as she took back the picture, returning it to the file.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Sure.” Oliver replied, before pulling out his phone. It only took him a second to find the number, and he quickly rattled it off to her. Once Agent Doe had written the number down, he put his phone away again. “I hope that helps in some way. After hearing some of what she has done, I would honestly prefer if you caught her soon. I'm really not comfortable with the idea that someone who has committed war crimes is running loose... And that she tried to flirt with me.”

Jane smiled reassuringly. “I don't blame you, Mr. Silk. I would offer to have some officers keep an eye out for you, but, considering both the lawsuit you have against them and the Internal Affairs investigation that is ongoing, that probably wouldn't be the best idea... And I'm sure you and your lawyer would have an issue with it.”

“Though, from what I was told, your girlfriend is a Police Officer; I'm sure with her around, you have nothing to worry about.”

At that moment, Polina hurried over- having seen a woman she didn't recognize, in a suit and talking to Oliver, had immediately set alarm bells ringing in her head. If the State Police were trying to cause more problems... Well, she didn't know what she would do. But she was damn sure she would do something!

“Everything ok here, Oli?” Polina asked, her withering gaze locked on the unknown woman.

Polite smile still firmly in place, Jane extended a hand to shake. “Officer Ramirez? I'm Agent Doe, FBI. I just needed to ask Mr. Silk a few questions. Completely unrelated to his problems with this department, or the State Police, I assure you.”

At her confused glance, Oliver nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, pretty much. I'll explain on the way home.”

After shaking hands with Polina, Jane quickly pulled out her business card and offered it to the pair. “If you happen to think of anything else that may help us, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you for your time, Mr. Silk.”

Taking the card and wishing her well in the investigation, Oliver led Polina from the building... And wondered how this would affect him. With the FBI poking around, he knew he would have to be careful about anything he did... And probably need to avoid any Bounties for a bit...

Did that mean he had to pretend to have a normal job for a while?

'Fucking FBI... and Fuck Eve for fucking things up. Again.'

----------------------------------------

Jane watched the couple leave as she pondered the situation. Oliver was a difficult person to read, and it felt like he was holding back a bit... But his anger and annoyance at seeing the picture seemed genuine. It was clear that he wasn't happy with having met Evelyn, or with the trouble said meeting had brought him... Including having the FBI asking him questions...

But... Did that mean he had done anything wrong himself? She wasn't sure... And the 'evidence', such that it was, was purely circumstantial...

“You sure this was the right approach Janie?”

Jane sighed in frustration; no matter how much she corrected him, John kept calling her that. She was tempted to file a complaint, but right now they had a job to do...

But why, of all the agents available, was he the one that she got stuck with? She knew it was because he was the one that brought Evelyn Hart to their attention, but still...

“You disagree, Agent Smith? What would you have us do?”

Ignoring her harsh tone, John simply shrugged. “Maybe just lay everything out and put pressure on him? Faced with charges of terrorism for that thing on the college campus, and murder charges for those racist assholes, and anyone would crack.”

Jane sighed, shaking her head. While that was an option, she didn't have confidence in it working. “The evidence is all circumstantial; his lawyer would rip it apart in seconds. Plus, you have to consider that he probably wouldn't crack.”

“Why do you say that?”

Waving her hand at the Police Department around them, Jane spoke softly so no one else would hear. “He had the local and State Police breathing down his neck, tailing him... even harassing him, according to the lawsuit. And what did he do?”

“All he did was hide behind his lawyer, Janie. I mean, it was definitely the right move... And I can see how that would stonewall us right now, so I guess you're right...”

“Exactly. It was the right move, and still would be. He calmly stepped back and let his lawyer handle it. If we try to pressure him, he'll just do it again and we'll be stuck dealing with that.”

“At least this way there isn't a wall blocking us from talking to him again if we have any more questions. And, if Ms. Hart really was flirting with him... Maybe she'll try again and give us an opening.”

“You think he'll call if she tries to contact him again?” John asked. Having kept his distance during her conversation with Oliver so as to avoid making the young man feel pressured, he could only go on the facial expressions and body language he had observed from a distance... Which wasn't much, admittedly. While young, Mr. Silk clearly wasn't one to give away much.

With a small shrug, Jane turned to head back to the officer they were ' borrowing' temporarily. “Probably. I'm fairly certain Ms. Hart annoyed, and possibly angered, him with her behavior. At the very least, I doubt he would risk being at odds with the Bureau by protecting her.”

“Not that it matters. I gave him my card, after all.”

“So?” John asked, clearly not understanding what she meant.

Jane sighed. John was a decent agent, but sometimes... “You need to go back and read our procedures again before you get in trouble. Tonight would be best.”

The threat in her words was obvious, and a small, predatory smile flashed across her face.

“Because, if you had read them, you would already understand... Our business cards are all enchanted...”

“Yeah, I know that! Standard tracking enchantments...”

Jane scoffed, turning a stern eye in his direction. “Yes, but the cards of Senior Agents have additional temporary enchantments. Specifically one-way voice transmission. Everything Mr. Silk says for the next two weeks will be sent directly to us and recorded, just in case.”

“That sounds awfully similar to illegal wiretaps...”

Jane shrugged indifferently as she walked down the hall. “There are no laws that currently govern magic. Not yet, at least.”