Amber paused for a few seconds before following Sloan and his instructions. Something chilled her about him, about his stare, and she looked away quickly. "I haven't exactly been here long, but the people are nice," she said putting her attention on the crates instead.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - "How did you get on with Jane?" he continued as he began unpacking the artifacts. "She can be quite vicious," he paused briefly to observe the color beginning to drain from Amber's face. "Still, she is one of the sharpest minds in the organization. Very, very hard to fool." Again, he paused on 'sharpest' very briefly before moving on to the coup d'grace. "Did you know she has had arthritis very badly in her hands. So much so that she lacks the stength in her hands to her a kitten," he added with a quiet smile. As he uttered the last words, his gaze quickly changed from benign back to the keen, sharp eyes that seemed to bore straight to Amber's soul as he glanced over her now ashen face. The strange old man knew. A sound from the main entryway provided a respite. Voices could be heard from the hall. "Ah, that must be Derek now." The sharp gaze was once again gentle as Sloan rose from the desk to greet Derek and Julia.
