A New Woman: Chapter 7
An Agent Carter Fanfic
Edith woke to voices–male voices–coming from downstairs. Then she heard Peggy’s laugh among them and relaxed.
When she dressed and came downstairs, she found Peggy standing beside the kitchen table, where Jack and another man sat. Pastel files littered the table around them.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked.
Peggy spun around. “Oh, Edith! I hope we didn’t wake you.” She turned back to the table and gathered some of the files. “You’re not interrupting. I’ll just–” She stacked them precariously on the edge of the table to clear off a corner. “There.”
Edith smiled gratefully and fixed herself a cup of tea. As she stepped over to the empty seat across from Jack, Peggy gestured to the other man sitting at the table.
“Oh, yes. And this is my–Daniel.”
The man stood up and held out a hand to shake hers. “Pleasure.”
Edith smiled. “Hi.”
Jack leaned back in his chair and looked up at Peggy. “‘My Daniel’? Wow, Carter, that sure sounds–”
“Don’t,” the other two said in sync, and the corner of his mouth twitched as he held up his hands in surrender.
Edith sipped her tea and snagged a piece of toast off Peggy’s plate as the other three resumed their conversation. She studied the papers strewn across the center of the table and the photos where she could see the man from the theater walking down the street or entering a dance hall. Several photos featured the same dance hall. She frowned at the sign and leaned closer.
“And you’re sure he’ll be there?” Daniel asked. “Whatever we do, we won’t get a second chance on this. We need to be sure.”
“I’m sure,” Jack assured him. “The woman performing tonight, he never misses one of her shows.”
“Great,” Peggy said with a firm set to her mouth. “So now we’ve circled right back to where we started–how do we get in?”
“Can’t we just get a warrant?” Daniel asked. “Chief Cooper may not like us, but he wants this figured out as much as we do. If we give him the evidence–”
“What evidence?” Jack asked. “That I saw a guy in a theater and he ran when I tried to talk to him? I doubt that will convince him.”
“And we can’t be sure he doesn’t have friends at the hall who would tell him if we showed up asking questions,” Peggy pointed out.
“I still think our best bet is trying to sneak in,” Jack said.
Daniel shook his head. “A place as exclusive as this, they’ll definitely have people watching for that.”
Edith finished off her tea and glanced at the clock, then took her dishes to the sink. She grabbed her hat and bag, then double checked it to make sure she had everything.
“Where are you going?” Jack asked.
She looked over at him and raised her eyebrows. “I do work, you know.”
“Do you?”
She ripped a page out of her notebook, balled it up, and tossed it at him. He gaped at her as it hit his leg (she was aiming for his chest) and picked it up. He threw it right back, but long, red nails snatched it out of the air.
“Really?” Peggy asked, looking from Jack to Edith. “Are you children?”
Edith looked down at her shoes. “Sorry, Peggy.” She scooped up her purse and hurried out of the room.
She got to the office early, just as she planned. She put her bag on her desk, then picked up the phone and dialed the theater’s number.
“Good morning, this is–”
“Hey, Beth,” she interrupted, “It’s Edith. Is Betty in?”
“Oh, hi, Edith! Yeah, I just saw her a minute ago.” The sound on the other end grew muffled as Beth shouted, “Hey, Bets! Get over here!”
There was some incomprehensible chatter and some giggling before Betty picked up the phone. “Hi, Edith!”
“Hey, Betty. I’ve got a favor to ask. Does your boyfriend still work at that place over on 47th?”
“Oh, yeah! And it’s a nice place too. He gets to bring friends sometimes, and he brought me a few nights ago.”
Edith smiled and turned around so she could sit on the edge of her desk. “So it’s as nice as they say?”
“Oh, it really is, and the music is divine!” Betty’s voice took on an amused note. “Perfect for a date. And speaking of which, this favor wouldn’t have anything to do with the good-looking guy Doris said you brought here the other day?”
Edith laughed. It wasn’t hard when she thought of Jack’s expression if he ever heard of this conversation. “Maybe. He and a couple friends are from out of town, and I want to show them a good time while they’re here.”
“Did you want to go tonight?”
“If that’s okay. I know it’s a bit last-minute.”
“I’ll check with Harry,” Betty assured her. “Can I call this number back?”
“Yes, that would be great. Thanks, doll.” Betty hung up, and Edith did the same before sitting at the desk and starting her work.
Not even half an hour later, Betty called back with the good news that Harry would be able to get them in, and Edith thanked her about a dozen times.
The only problem with getting the answer so early was that she could barely focus on work all morning, and when her lunch break finally came around, she grabbed her hat and bag and practically bolted from the office, heading back to her place.
Just as she had guessed, Jack was already there, in her and Thea’s bedroom, sitting on the floor and thoroughly inspecting a desk as though he was looking for some sort of hidden compartment. Several tools were scattered around his knees, and Edith suppressed a grimace. Mrs. Harrington would not be pleased.
“I want to come along,” she said.
Jack didn’t turn around. “You realize this is technically a crime scene, right?”
Edith shrugged. “It’s also technically my home, and I have to pick things up on occasion.”
He gestured around the room without looking up from the desk, which he was now taking apart. “Then go ahead.”
“I usually wait until everyone’s gone. I prefer privacy when gathering my nightclothes and unmentionables.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit when he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “That’s Mrs. Harrington’s, by the way, so unless she’s leading a double-life as well, I doubt you’ll find anything.”
He sighed. “Thank you for that. Don’t you have something better to do? Like go talk to Mrs. Harrington?”
“Oh, that’s a killer diller idea! I supposed she and I should just have ourselves a little tea party while you’re up here knocking around on furniture and looking for dangerous weapons.” Jack sat up, looking for a clear space to lay the wooden panel he had taken off the back of the desk. Edith took it from him. “I want to go to the dance hall.”
“What dance hall?”
The one you, Peggy, and Daniel are going to tonight. I know you’re expecting to see the guy from the theater there, and I want to help."
“How would you help?”
If it were anyone else, she would assume they were trying to insult her, but by now she was used to his brusk manner. “I’ll help you blend in! You’re all SSR agents, and if someone recognizes you, he might not show up. But if I go along, they’ll think we’re just there to have fun, and no one will think anything of it.”
He finished his search of the desk and held out his hand to take the wood panel back. She handed it over and waited as he nailed it back into place before mentioning the important part. “Also I can get you in.”
He turned around. “What, is the backdoor broken there too?”
She folded her arms. “No. Betty’s boyfriend works there.”
His eyebrows drew together as he thought. “Is that the one who asked you about Underwood?”
“No, that’s Doris.”
“Right. Doris.” He turned back to the desk and stood it upright before pushing it back into its corner. “Well, I’m not taking an untrained civilian with me into a stakeout.”
“That’s not what you said about the theater.”
“The theater was different.”
“Not that different.” She held up her hand and ticked off her fingers. “I’ll stay out of the way, I won’t talk to anybody you tell me not to, and I’ll do whatever you tell me to.” He raised his eyebrows skeptically. “What? I did at the theater, didn’t I?”
“Except when you got up after I told you not to.”
She shrugged. “Well he was gone by then, wasn’t he?”
Jack crossed his arms and Edith smiled brightly up at him. Neither of them moved.
“Good afternoon, Jack,” Peggy said as she came upstairs, interrupting their staring contest. “Hello, Edith. Is everything alright?”
Edith turned around and smiled at the other woman. “Oh, everything’s fine. I just got us all into the dance hall tonight.”
Peggy raised her eyebrows. “You did?” She turned to Jack, who was still frowning. “Then what’s the problem?”
“I was just explaining to Jack why it would be better for me to come along tonight,” Edith explained. “He disagrees.”
Peggy tilted her head contemplatively. “Well, you live here and are clearly more familiar with the dance hall. And posing as two couples would be easier than three coworkers. I think it’s a reasonable suggestion, so long as you’re careful and follow our instructions if anything goes wrong.”
Edith turned back to Jack with a triumphant grin, though she wondered if he’d protest again to posing as a couple. Instead, he raised his hands. “If you’re both set against me, I have no choice, do I?”
Edith laughed and patted his arm. “I’m glad you’ve realized that.”
Next chapter coming soon!