worrisome dark-suited men at the gate. When they came to the front door, she met them outside instead of letting them in, as a cautionary move and because she was in charge, after all.
Mabel: [ evenly ] Good morning…
Man #1: [ serious ] Ma’am, this is Agent Clark and I’m Agent Jones. We would like to speak to Mr. Whitcomb. Mabel: [ frowning ] He is not here, nor is his wife. Can I be of service? Man #1: [ shaking his head ] Uh, no ma’am, I meant to say Mr. [ emphasis ] Brody Whitcomb.
Mabel: [ lying ] He is not here either; he will return tomorrow.
Man #1: [ frowning ] Really? [ questioning tone, as if knowing she is lying ] That is a shame. Well, tellya what: [ pulls card ] you tell him to give us a call when he returns, okay? We need to talk to him about his application for federal service. Mabel: [ nods with slight confusion regarding the “application” ] Uh, yes, okay, I will tell him. The agents departed the property slowly, like they wanted her to feel uncomfortable. She walked back inside and then sat at the table, trying to decide what to do next. She didn’t know anything about him applying for much, especially federal service, so this all sounded quite peculiar. She knew that the Whitcombs would scold her if she didn’t inform them, but she wanted to hold off the outside world as long as she could. She could only imagine how they would react when their precious little boy’s exploits came to light…
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