“No, not you,” MATE clarified. “Her. She’s pretty,” she said, waving her hand and then looking just like Tora down to her boots, but with MATE’S electric red hair she favored.
Tora gasped.
“Hey! That’s my face!”
Elizabeth sighed.
She didn’t have time for this today. It was looking to be a long one. There were interviews to do out the wahoo.
“MATE, I need you to dig into the pharmaceutical company in the male’s phone. Clone and get to work. Make surethey aren’t tied to our case. They went out of business, but keep cross-referencing everything in my drive as to the suspects to make sure we’re not being bamboozled.”
Mac looked wary when she said that.
“She can clone my phone? Just by being near me?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“She just cloned your partner. Do you need to ask that?” she asked.
Uh, okay.
Elizabeth had a very valid point.
“I’ll handle it, Mother,” MATE said, winking at Tora and then walking around her looking just like the detective.
Mac eyed her up, which was kind of amusing. It was a mix between his girl was in danger, and she was being hit on by a hologram.
It was clear he didn’t know which to be more offended by at that point.
“Go, MATE,” Elizabeth said. “Get that handled, and message me when it’s cleared.”
The hologram disappeared, and she explained.
“It’s not that I don’t trust your ability, but when my life is on the line, and I’m the focus, I don’t like to risk it. In my division, it’s common for a fresh set of eyes to look at something in order to keep the investigation moving.”
Well, that was all fine and dandy, except for one thing.
Tora was to the point.
“So, this is it? We’re done?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Pack up,” she said.
Tora sighed, but she wasn’t shocked. They’d lied to her, and they wereNOTgoing to be in the FBI—which sucked since they both just quit their detective positions.
“It was a pleasure, Ma’am. I’m going to go work on my resume and see if I can find a job.”
Elizabeth stopped her.
Clearly, they were confused.
“You have a job,” she said. “I keep my word, and you did the work you needed. Will you be partners in my division? No. Not at first. See, I have a problem with lying. That makes me not trust you. So your choices are this. You come to the FBI and work, but on separate teams, until you can prove to me I can trust you, or you can decline my offer, and stay detectives. I’ll give you a letter of recommendation to any department in the country you apply to.”
That hung there.
Both ex-detectives stared at her like there was a trick.
