Part Three

Curlly could barely keep the inane grin off her face. When she had ruffled Birkoff’s hair, she had planted a tracer from the panel on Birkoff’s coat. A few click on her panel and she knew his location. Which was not going to his apartment like he said! So Curlly hailed a cab to see where he was going.

She finally stopped the cab in front of an athletic facility. His had been there for at least five minutes. "Why that little fart knocker!" Here she was, doing him a favor, and he was off probably getting a fluff and buff massage! Well, she’d show him!

The building was historic and she would have normally admired it if she weren’t so busy plotting revenge. As she walked down the hall following signs for the lobby she put her hair in a bun, buttoned up her suit, and put a harassed expression on her face.

Two people were working the desk. One was a rather nice looking man, and the other a woman who looked like she wished she were in fact retired. Curlly walked up to the woman with a sigh. "Sorry to bother you…Kim. I’m Mr. Birkoff’s secretary and I need to find him. Again. Is he here by chance?"

The woman clucked her tongue sympathetically and said, "Sure thing honey. I’ll have his location in a jiffy!" After a moment she told Curlly that Mr. Birkoff was scheduled for a tennis match in 5 minutes in one of the indoor courts and gave her directions.

Five minutes! He was awful sure of himself! And it appeared her. Curlly’s disgruntlement grew.

"Kim, is there someplace I can hang my coat? This could take awhile."

"Sure. That room is just down the hall."

Curlly thanked the woman and made her way there. Once there she found Birkoff’s coat with the tracker still in place. She moved it to a more concealed location and hung her own coat up.

She found the court empty. Good. He hadn’t arrived yet. It was a beautiful room and the archway leading into the room was carved with great detail. And above the arch were lovely lead windows. Just perfect to spy out of! So Curlly decide to climb up the arch and wait for Birky.

She made it up on the third try. Her sore butt only fuelled her feelings of ill usage. As she peered out the window she saw Birkoff in a white tennis outfit (Curlly did snicker at the sight) with a pretty brunette at his side striding down the hall. The woman halted and said something to Birkoff and wiggled her hips back down the hall. Way to go Birky!

Seymour continued down the hall, and Curlly stood up as he passed under the archway. Once she could see all of him she leaped off the archway and down about ten feet onto his back. They fell a little heavier than she intended causing Birkoff to hit the floor and drive all the air from his lungs.

Curlly of course, landed safely on his back. She leaned over and whispered, "Thoughtcha have a little pat and tickle while I was off busting my butt did ya Seymour?" After a little chuckle she rolled of him and waited for him to catch his breath, feeling rather smug.

He turned over to look Curlly in the face and something in his expression gave her pause.

"Jason? What’s going on here?" drawled the brunette.

"Ma'am?" inquired ‘Jason’.

Curlly’s thoughts were in a whirl. Whoever this was, it wasn’t Birkoff. Something in the eyes were different, even if they were the same color.

"I’m so sorry sir. My friend told me he would be here and I wanted to surprise him. Please accept my profuse apology," started Curlly offering a hand to help him up. "What the devil was going on?" thought Curlly. Out loud she said while Jason dusted himself off, "Are you okay?"

Sensing that this woman wanted to get away fast and she knew Seymour, he said, "I’m just fine. Honey buns," he said to the woman, "I’ll just escort our friend out and I’ll be right back."

Curlly smiled an apology at the woman again and left with Jason.

************

Part Four

Now Seymour had warned him about Section knowing about they had meet. And this woman obviously knew his brother and was therefore Section. So Jason figured a little self-preservation was in order. So he put on his most innocent expression and said once they were outside, "Since you know Seymour, I was wondering if you could give him something for me?"

Curlly had two choices. She could pretend she didn’t know Birky or she could do as this man was asking. Just how well did Jason know Birkoff? This man wasn’t Section. That much was obvious.

"Sure. What is it? By the way my name is Lucy." Curlly was very grateful that her most prominent feature, her hair, was confined so Jason wouldn’t have a very good description of her.

"It’s in my car. Just around the corner." They walked around the building in silence. Finally at the back of the parking lot they came to a small silver sports car. He went over to the trunk on opened it. Curlly was standing with her back to him looking around for anyone observing them. She was just about to ask Jason if it was going to be much longer when she was a blur of movement aimed at her head.

Curlly ducked but not fast enough. Something metal landed a slight blow to her head. She dropped to the ground waiting for his leg to within arms reach. She remained still as she heard him through whatever he hit her with back in the trunk. Drat him! If Jason caused her to rip her new suit, the price would come out of both

Birkoff’s skis!

But a parking lot was not the place for such happenings. Jason came up behind her, putting his arms around Curlly’s shoulders. Right as he prepared to lift her up Curlly brought one of her legs up over her head to connect with his. A rip and a draft in her britches accompanied this piece of martial artistry.

Jason’s head hit the side of the car and he was knocked out. Curlly stood and inspected the seat of her pants, confirming the tear. As she stuffed Jason in the passenger’s seat, she felt malicious satisfaction at the dent his head made in his car. Serve the pond scum right!

Curlly hot wired the car and drove out of the parking lot. She didn’t want to take Jason to Section, but she didn’t know if this person was a danger to Birkoff. As they went out of the city, Curlly was amazed at how much these two men looked alike. But she noticed a scar on Jason that Seymour didn’t have. Well at least it wasn’t

Birkoff playing a joke on her with a southern accent.

Curlly pulled off into an open field outside of the city and drove back into a grove of trees. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a secured line to Birky’s number.

"Hello?"

"Birkoff! I need to see you know."

"What’s wrong?"

"Wrong is an understatement. Do you remember the place I took you to study ground tracking?"

"Yes. What’s going on?"

By this time Curlly was out of the car and stalking around it. Curlly’s next sentence was a code between her and Birkoff for a place they meet at on the outside. "Go to the second place we went to. I’ll-" Curlly stopped in mid sentence and whipped around. Jason had gotten out of the car and was sneaking off into the woods. Curlly pulled her gun out of her coat and took the safety off and said, "Stop!"

"Curlly what is going on!" demanded Birkoff.

"Now miss," started Jason.

Birkoff heard his brother voice over the phone and said, "Are you alone?"

"Yes," answered Curlly.

"I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Are you sure you weren’t followed?"

"I know my business Seymour. Just make sure you aren’t followed."

The line went dead and Curlly kept her gun pointed at Jason. "Just have a seat at the base of that tree. We’ll all have a nice little talk as soon as Seymour gets here. Until then, I think I would be healthy for you to be quite and not fidget."

************

Part Five/End

In less time than it should have taken Birkoff’s car roared into the thicket. Birkoff got out and took in his brother at gunpoint and his features hardened. "The gun isn’t necessary Curlly."

"Well the bump on my head says differently. Now, start talking Birkoff."

"Curlly, please just forget you ever saw the two of us and go back to CLHQ."

"Not good enough. Your good enough to hide this, but you’re not going to for long. You need help with more than your apartment. Start your car then toss me your keys Birkoff." Birkoff complied. Curlly went over to stand by the car keeping the gun on Jason. Now if anyone tried to listen to their conversation they couldn’t and if she needed to she could leave in a hurry.

"Are you twins or is one of you a clone?"

Both were silent. Curlly decided they would protect each other first and foremost. But if she was to make headway she’d have to through the first olive branch.

She put the safety on and placed the gun on the hood of the car. "Please talk to me Birkoff," pleaded Curlly.

Birkoff then told her of his talk with Walter and the truth of how he came to Section One. "And you were crazy enough to endanger Jason’s life by seeing him?" It was eerie to Curlly just how identical they were.

"I’m glad he did," drawled Jason. "It would be worth it."

"How did you find Jason Curlly?" inquired Birkoff.

"I followed the tracker to a country club and jumped Jason thinking he was you."

"I knew you had placed the tracker on me. Jason took me there a week ago." Seymour turned to his brother and said, "I thought you were out of town till Friday? That’s why I dropped my coat off there."

"Well. I think Jason should get back to his "Honey buns" and we should get back. And chat," suggested Curlly. "Birky, does anyone but Walter know you know?"

Both Birkoff’s shook their heads. The brothers hugged and parted. Jason and Curlly regarded each other warily not saying anything.

Curlly trudged down the hall to her room. But she ended up knocking on Brenna’s door instead of going into her own. "Come in," said a voice.

Curlly walked in to see Brenna at her desk working on who knows what. "You look tired Curlly. Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be delightful!"

After handing her a glass Brenna asked, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. It was just one of those days."

The end.

This story ©copyright Curlly, 2000