Going to meet Lilah Morgan in her own office no less was something Fred never thought she'd ever find herself doing. After the 'talk' with her earlier, Fred didn't mention it to anyone else. They'd probably try to talk her out of it anyway. Either that or try to tag along
( ... )
Lilah leans back in her very ergonomic swivel chair -- once you're already dead, there's pretty much nothing they can do for a faulty disc -- and raises an eyebrow at Fred.
"Why in the world would I think that? You're clearly a smart girl. And, more important, you're curious."
She doesn't offer Fred a seat, curious about whether she'll take the initiative herself. Instead, she studies the other woman coolly. No glasses. Hair pulled behind her ears. A nice figure if you liked the Audrey Hepburn/refugee look. Not a beautiful woman, but a very pretty girl. Pretty. Nobody had ever called Lilah "pretty." Gorgeous, handsome, striking, sexy, yes. But nobody called her pretty, except, perhaps, on occasion, her father. And he hadn't exactly been a reliable witness -- on that count or on many others.
Shrugging, Fred places her hands on her hips and steps into Lilah's office. "No reason really. Just kinda curious." She stood there for a moment just looking back at Lilah. There was something about the way she was looking at her that Fred wasn't quite sure about. She waited just a moment to see if she'd be asked to take a seat, but when it wasn't immediately asked she shut the door behind her and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Lilah's desk.
"Yes, I am curious. Why you'd want to meet with me of all people, but mainly because you mentioned my family." Leaning back in the chair, Fred tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and raised a brow at Lilah. This wasn't the typical way she acted in a meeting with someone, but this wasn't just someone.
"I think we can skip whatever small talk is supposed to happen in any normal situation. Why don't you tell me why you asked me here and what it has to do with my family."
The girl was playing it tough. No nonsense. Or maybe she wasn't playing. Lilah realized that many of her assumptions about Fred Burkle were just that. Assumptions. And a lot of them had involved assuming that Fred was the opposite of herself, because that was what Wesley wanted her to be.
But the way a man viewed a woman that he (for whatever reason) cared about -- well, that didn't necessarily have anything to do with what that woman really was. Lilah had every reason to know that. She certainly should have learned it from her own parents.
Whatever the reason, Fred wasn't up for nonsense. Lilah approved and reached in the drawer for a bottle of Scotch and two glasses. Without asking, she poured a shot for herself and one for Fred. This wasn't a nicety, this was business. She held the glass out. "Please. I insist."
Fred watched curiously as Lilah carefully reached for and poured the glasses of Scotch. Raising a brow at her once she held out the glass, Fred wanted to laugh. This wasn't some drinking party. She was half nervous coming into this and half curious. So going along with this curious halfness, Fred reached out and took the glass from Lilah.
Drinking back some of the liquid, Fred then lowered the glass into her lap and looked back at Lilah. "Alright, Lilah. Why did you ask me here?"
She wasn't sure if it was justified, but she was starting to get impatient. There was almost this feeling that someone would find out she was here at all. Someone who probably wouldn't be too happy with Fred's visit to Lilah Morgan.
Fred was clearly impatient to get down to business. But Lilah was the one with information, which gave her some power over the situation, and she wanted to make sure Fred remembered this. So she took her time swallowing a large mouthful of the whiskey. It burned on the way down she could almost taste it.
"Just to clear, before we get started," she said, setting down the glass. "You mean absolutely nothing to me."
Letting out a short and almost involuntary laugh, Fred swallowed the rest of her drink and placed the glass back on Lilah's desk. She shook her head as she moved on leg on top of the other. "I might be disappointed if I did," she said honestly.
"Lilah, I know that by my coming here you're getting something out of it. I don't know what that something is, but I'm here waiting to find out and to see what information you have that's somehow relavent to me."
"You mean nothing to me," Lilah repeated. "As in, I don't have to be here with you. I'm not getting paid for this. In fact, I'm risking getting my ass in some serious trouble. You might perceive this is out of character."
She shrugged. "But since you don't seem to care about my reasons, we don't have to talk about them.
She reached into her file and takes out four large black & white photographs of a middle-aged man and woman walking through a grocery store. The next picture showed them in the parking lot, getting into a pickup truck. In the next photograph, they were standing on the front porch of a rambling frame house. The last picture was taken through the window, showing at their dinner table . Roger and Patricia Burkle.
"They look like very nice people," said Lilah. She gave Fred a chance to look. "Shall I continue?"
Fred stared at her while she spoke and paused before saying anything. She still wasn't sure if she believed that Lilah wasn't getting anything from this because when did anyone do anything that they really weren't getting something from?
Not saying anything and just listening, she watched as Lilah pulled out some papers from the file that was on her desk. Fred said up in her chair and her eyes widened when she saw the pictures of her parents. Why did she have those? Eyes narrowing, she looked away from the photos and back to Lilah.
"Those aren't important. Those are just for the file."
She now produced a thicker stack of documents. Credit reports, tax returns, mortgage reports, several savings accounts and a retirement fund. All in the name of Roger and Patricia Burkle.
"These are about to be seized by the federal government. At least, if some powerful people have their way." Lilah sat back and gave Fred time to look at the records. She had no idea how familiar Fred might be with her parents' finances, but she shouldn't find anything out of the ordinary in these documents. "It makes me wonder. Why exactly would powerful people care about your family? Any ideas?"
Not important? Lilah didn't think that someone taking pictures of her parents was important? Well, it sure seemed pretty damn important from where Fred was currently sitting. Then she handed Fred several more papers all which had her parents' names.
Frowning, Fred's lips parted as she stared at the documents. What in the world would the federal government want with her parents? They didn't break the law, they paid their taxes.. what could they want?
The way Lilah was handling this just irritated Fred. Lowering the papers, Fred looked at Lilah again. "Alright. You've gotten more than my undivided attention. Why does the government care about my parents so much?"
"The government tends to frown," Lilah answered, "On giving money to terrorist organizations. It's quite hypocritical of them, of course, but that's neither here nor there."
She reached into her desk and produced another shot. This one was rather blurry, apparently taken by a security camera.
"Do you know this woman?" Lilah asked.
Anyone who took a quick look -- or perhaps even a long one -- at the photograph, and then at the woman across the table, might have been forgiven for thinking it was a photograph of Fred Burkle. But Lilah had watched the remainder of the surveillance footage to see the woman efficiently assassinate several guards. Lilah could have been off base, but she didn't think it was Fred's style. She had also examined the shots in extreme closeup, and she was fairly certain the woman in the picture had larger breasts.
"What?" Fred asked in disbelief, now angry that she thought she could say something like that. "My parents wouldn't give money to any kind of terrorist group." Lilah didn't asnwer back except pulled out another photo.
Taking the shot i her hand, Fred just stared at the nearly identical face. Did Lilah think that she and the person in the shot were the same person? Fred stared harder and the picture. It had been years since she'd seen a face so familiar, but.. that had been years ago. Wouldn't she and her cousin have started to actually look like two different people over the years?
"That's not me if that's what you're thinking," Fred said putting the photo back on Lilah's desk. "But yes, I know her. She's my cousin."
"I know it's not you." Lilah couldn't resist a pointed look at Fred's chest.
Now was the time to tread lightly. Lilah had needed to call in every favor she could to pull in the information she had on Kelly Peyton, and what it was wasn't much. On paper, in fact, Peyton looked like a model citizen. That was what had pinged Lilah's radar in the first place. Nobody's that perfect. As somebody who had first hand experience with doctoring her own files, Lilah had a hunch, and when she'd finally received this surveillance footage, in an anonymous email, it all came together.
Still, it had taken Fred's remark to confirm Lilah's suspicion, and the lawyer had no idea what Fred might know about her cousin's extracurricular activities. "How long since you've seen Ms. Peyton? What was she doing with herself?"
How long? Well, let's see. Five years of being in LA, five more years of being stuck in a cave in a hell dimension and then there was the year or two at the university. In short, it had been quite a while since she'd seen her cousin.
Growing up, Fred never really got along with Kelly. People had assigned the terms 'good twin and bad twin' to the two of us even though we weren't twins other than our appearances. We might go a couple weeks of getting along when we were small, but the older Fred got the more she didn't care to see much of her.
Except she was still family and having no idea what Lilah had on Kelly, she wasn't about to let her know that little bit of her past. "At least fifteen years," she answered. "And as far as I know she's still in Texas. The last time I saw her she was still in college."
"Still," Lilah mused. "Family. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, I guess. Or," she said casually, "Anything to happen to the rest of your family because of her."
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"Why in the world would I think that? You're clearly a smart girl. And, more important, you're curious."
She doesn't offer Fred a seat, curious about whether she'll take the initiative herself. Instead, she studies the other woman coolly. No glasses. Hair pulled behind her ears. A nice figure if you liked the Audrey Hepburn/refugee look. Not a beautiful woman, but a very pretty girl. Pretty. Nobody had ever called Lilah "pretty." Gorgeous, handsome, striking, sexy, yes. But nobody called her pretty, except, perhaps, on occasion, her father. And he hadn't exactly been a reliable witness -- on that count or on many others.
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"Yes, I am curious. Why you'd want to meet with me of all people, but mainly because you mentioned my family." Leaning back in the chair, Fred tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and raised a brow at Lilah. This wasn't the typical way she acted in a meeting with someone, but this wasn't just someone.
"I think we can skip whatever small talk is supposed to happen in any normal situation. Why don't you tell me why you asked me here and what it has to do with my family."
Reply
But the way a man viewed a woman that he (for whatever reason) cared about -- well, that didn't necessarily have anything to do with what that woman really was. Lilah had every reason to know that. She certainly should have learned it from her own parents.
Whatever the reason, Fred wasn't up for nonsense. Lilah approved and reached in the drawer for a bottle of Scotch and two glasses. Without asking, she poured a shot for herself and one for Fred. This wasn't a nicety, this was business. She held the glass out. "Please. I insist."
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Drinking back some of the liquid, Fred then lowered the glass into her lap and looked back at Lilah. "Alright, Lilah. Why did you ask me here?"
She wasn't sure if it was justified, but she was starting to get impatient. There was almost this feeling that someone would find out she was here at all. Someone who probably wouldn't be too happy with Fred's visit to Lilah Morgan.
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"Just to clear, before we get started," she said, setting down the glass. "You mean absolutely nothing to me."
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"Lilah, I know that by my coming here you're getting something out of it. I don't know what that something is, but I'm here waiting to find out and to see what information you have that's somehow relavent to me."
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She shrugged. "But since you don't seem to care about my reasons, we don't have to talk about them.
She reached into her file and takes out four large black & white photographs of a middle-aged man and woman walking through a grocery store. The next picture showed them in the parking lot, getting into a pickup truck. In the next photograph, they were standing on the front porch of a rambling frame house. The last picture was taken through the window, showing at their dinner table . Roger and Patricia Burkle.
"They look like very nice people," said Lilah. She gave Fred a chance to look. "Shall I continue?"
Reply
Not saying anything and just listening, she watched as Lilah pulled out some papers from the file that was on her desk. Fred said up in her chair and her eyes widened when she saw the pictures of her parents. Why did she have those? Eyes narrowing, she looked away from the photos and back to Lilah.
"Why do you have those?"
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"Those aren't important. Those are just for the file."
She now produced a thicker stack of documents. Credit reports, tax returns, mortgage reports, several savings accounts and a retirement fund. All in the name of Roger and Patricia Burkle.
"These are about to be seized by the federal government. At least, if some powerful people have their way." Lilah sat back and gave Fred time to look at the records. She had no idea how familiar Fred might be with her parents' finances, but she shouldn't find anything out of the ordinary in these documents. "It makes me wonder. Why exactly would powerful people care about your family? Any ideas?"
Reply
Frowning, Fred's lips parted as she stared at the documents. What in the world would the federal government want with her parents? They didn't break the law, they paid their taxes.. what could they want?
The way Lilah was handling this just irritated Fred. Lowering the papers, Fred looked at Lilah again. "Alright. You've gotten more than my undivided attention. Why does the government care about my parents so much?"
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She reached into her desk and produced another shot. This one was rather blurry, apparently taken by a security camera.
"Do you know this woman?" Lilah asked.
Anyone who took a quick look -- or perhaps even a long one -- at the photograph, and then at the woman across the table, might have been forgiven for thinking it was a photograph of Fred Burkle. But Lilah had watched the remainder of the surveillance footage to see the woman efficiently assassinate several guards. Lilah could have been off base, but she didn't think it was Fred's style. She had also examined the shots in extreme closeup, and she was fairly certain the woman in the picture had larger breasts.
Reply
Taking the shot i her hand, Fred just stared at the nearly identical face. Did Lilah think that she and the person in the shot were the same person? Fred stared harder and the picture. It had been years since she'd seen a face so familiar, but.. that had been years ago. Wouldn't she and her cousin have started to actually look like two different people over the years?
"That's not me if that's what you're thinking," Fred said putting the photo back on Lilah's desk. "But yes, I know her. She's my cousin."
Reply
Now was the time to tread lightly. Lilah had needed to call in every favor she could to pull in the information she had on Kelly Peyton, and what it was wasn't much. On paper, in fact, Peyton looked like a model citizen. That was what had pinged Lilah's radar in the first place. Nobody's that perfect. As somebody who had first hand experience with doctoring her own files, Lilah had a hunch, and when she'd finally received this surveillance footage, in an anonymous email, it all came together.
Still, it had taken Fred's remark to confirm Lilah's suspicion, and the lawyer had no idea what Fred might know about her cousin's extracurricular activities. "How long since you've seen Ms. Peyton? What was she doing with herself?"
Reply
Growing up, Fred never really got along with Kelly. People had assigned the terms 'good twin and bad twin' to the two of us even though we weren't twins other than our appearances. We might go a couple weeks of getting along when we were small, but the older Fred got the more she didn't care to see much of her.
Except she was still family and having no idea what Lilah had on Kelly, she wasn't about to let her know that little bit of her past. "At least fifteen years," she answered. "And as far as I know she's still in Texas. The last time I saw her she was still in college."
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