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“Nobody, yet.” I explained the problem with going to OPS, HR, or my boss, hoping she’d have a better idea.
For about five seconds, all I got from Serena was silence. “I’d call Ashley.”
I hadn’t considered my brother Vincent’s wife. She was in the FBI. “Not Vincent?” I asked.
“Not unless you want a one-way ticket back home.” It was good to know she understood my brothers’ likely response. “I’ll send you her direct number. Let me know what she says.”
I thanked her before we hung up, and I only had to wait a minute for my food to come.
After more checking of my surroundings and a bite of my food, I dialed Ashley.
“Benson here.” There was a lot of background noise, but her voice was familiar even though I’d only met her at the wedding.
“Ashley, it’s Kelly Benson. Serena gave me your number.”
“Hi, Kelly. I’m about to go into a meeting. What can I do for you?”
“If I talk to you about something FBI related, can we keep it from Vincent?”
“I don’t keep things from him, but I also don’t discuss active Bureau business with him.”
“Let’s call it active FBI business then. I’ve gotten a threatening note, and I need help.”
“Give me a sec to get to a quieter room…”
I heard a door close, and the background noise died away.
“Okay, can you send me the note?”
“Sure.” I texted her the picture I’d taken.
A moment later she’d received it. “Is this Melinda Brooks they’re referencing?”
“How’d you know that?”
“The abduction and murder of a federal employee is a high-priority case at the Bureau.”
That made perfect sense.
I looked up as the older couple at the other table left.
She sighed. “I have to be honest. In a case like this, which looks like the perp wants to get leverage, and it’s not personal, you have two choices. I won’t judge you regardless.”
I took another bite of my food as the waiter appeared to bus the other table.
She continued. “You could remove yourself and let the Bureau and the museum look into it, or we could get you some security and try to catch this guy.”
“So you don’t think I should go to our security people?”
“This has to be handled by the Bureau, no question about it. How did you get the note?”
“It was in an interoffice envelope on my desk after the weekend.”
“Okay, here’s what we do. I’m going to call the DC Field Office, and they’ll figure out a plan to get you protection. I’ll call you back on your cell. If you can talk, call me Ash. If you can’t, call me Ashley. Got it?”
“Okay.”
“It’ll be all right. The Bureau will take care of you. I’ll make sure of it.”
