A New Woman: Chapter 5
An Agent Carter Fanfic
“Don’t work too late, Edith,” her boss said as he collected his jacket and hat.
“I won’t. I just have to finish typing up this letter and I’ll be done for the night.” There was only half a page left.
He nodded. “That’s good. Have any plans for evening?”
“I don’t think so. I’ll probably just head straight home.”
“Good. You need some rest.”
Edith flushed. She knew it was true. It seemed she got worn out from simply existing lately. “What about you? Do you have plans tonight?”
He smiled. “My wife and I are going to the pictures.”
She ignored the sharp pang in her chest and forced a smile. “I hope you have fun.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As he left, she turned back to the letter she was writing, forcing all her attention onto it until she finished. As she gathered her things to leave, however, her mind began to wander again.
If Thea hadn’t been taken to the SSR, they would be going to see a picture tonight as well. Sneaking in, sitting in the back, making fun of all the characters, quoting it all the way back home. Now she would just head back to Peggy’s house, alone, to try to read a book or something until she fell asleep.
What if she snuck in on her own? She almost laughed at the idea, but she felt an intense longing for the familiarity of the theater. Hopefully no one had noticed the broken door yet.
She stopped on the sidewalk.
The broken door.
She turned around and sped off in the opposite direction.
When she arrived at the old bookstore, the shopkeeper sighed. “You again? Are you ever going to stop coming?”
“I came to give information on my roommate. I was told last time to come back if I thought of anything else.” That wasn’t entirely true, but surely Chief Cooper would want any other information she could think of, wouldn’t he?
“Go on,” the woman said, gesturing to the door. “But hurry up. Some of us want to go home.”
“Thank you.”
When the elevator doors opened, she lifted her chin and stepped out confidently. She would wait for permission this time. She knew where the chief’s office was, and he wanted information she had.
She felt the stares on her back as she marched through the crowd gathering their things to go home. She reached the office door and knocked, not realizing until afterward that the occupants were in the middle of a harsh discussion.
The conversation cut off abruptly and she winced. Maybe she should have waited.
The door opened and she found herself face-to-face with Thompson. They stared at each other for a moment, then she glanced at the name on the door. This was the right office, wasn’t it?"
Thompson gave a slight sigh and stepped out of the doorway. Chief Cooper was sitting behind a desk. He frowned when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”
She stepped into the office. “I remembered something else about Th–Dottie that I thought might be important.”
“Dottie?”
“The spy,” Thompson clarified from behind her.
Cooper leaned forward and folded his hands. “Ah, yes. You have more information on her?”
Edith paused, suddenly afraid what she had to say might be useless. “Well, I’m not certain it’s important, but it seemed strange.”
“What is it?” the man shot.
“Well, she worked at the theater, but she and I would also go see a picture there twice a week–”
“Girl, if I was going to investigate every woman who saw a picture multiple times a week, I would never stop working. Now if you have nothing else . . .”
“–But she always saw them at the same time, same day, in the same seat, no matter what was playing, or how many times she’d seen it while working.”
Chief Cooper blinked, then shook his head. “Everyone has their habits.”
“Sir–” Thompson began. Edith glanced back to where he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
“What is it, Thompson?” Whatever his faults, Thompson was clearly more patient than she was. He didn’t react at all to Cooper’s frustration.
“This wouldn’t be the first time she’s targeted a theater,” Thompson continued.
Cooper sat back, considering. “Fine. Why don’t you take a look at it, then.” Somehow his agreement felt more dangerous than his arguments.
Thompson nodded. “I can take a couple men–”
Cooper shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I can’t spare anyone on this, but since you want to investigate so badly . . .”
Thompson’s frown deepened, but otherwise he didn’t react. “Yes, sir.”
“Did you have anything else to say, girl?” Cooper asked. Edith shook her head. He gestured toward the door. “Then I suggest you leave.” He jerked a finger at Thompson. “I’m done with you too.”
Thompson clearly wasn’t happy about it, but he left the room, holding the door for Edith. “What’s the next day she would usually see the pictures?” he asked.
“Today. That’s why I thought of it.”
He nodded. “What time?”
“In about fifteen minutes.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I feel like I just made things worse for you.”
“You didn’t change anything.”
She waited while he collected his hat and jacket, then followed him into the elevator. He didn’t say anything until they passed through the bookstore. The shopkeeper raised her eyebrows at the sight of them, but Thompson didn’t look at her, only called, “Good night, Mrs. Clark.” The woman gave a huff as she watched them leave.
When they left the bookstore, Edith kept pace alongside him, wondering how to bring up what she wanted to say.
“Are you following me?” Thompson asked, and she grinned. Perfect.
“Yes, I am. I’m coming along.”
He stopped and sighed. “Why?”
“Well you can’t just go in there and tell them you’re a cop–”
“SSR agent, and I know how to blend in.”
“I’m sure you do.” She was sure of no such thing. “But what happpens if you don’t find anything tonight?”
“What?”
She straightened her specs. “Well, I’m sure you’re planning to buy a ticket–”
“I am.”
“So,” she continued, “What happens if you don’t find anything tonight? She went twice a week for several months. She must have been looking or waiting for something. If you don’t see that thing, whatever it is, tonight, are you going to buy another ticket later this week? Or next week?”
“I don’t see any other way to do it.”
“How do you think I did it? Do you really think I can afford that many tickets?”
He frowned and she sighed. “No, I can’t,“she said.
He glanced at his watch. “Alright, I’ll bite. How did you go see the pictures?”
“Thea has a lot of friends there, and when the lock on the back door broke, they agreed to turn a blind eye when they snuck their friends in to watch a picture for free.” In hindsight, it was awfully convenient that the lock broke Thea’s first week working there.
Thompson stared. “You want me to sneak in?”
“You wouldn’t have to pay for so many tickets.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why do you want me to bring you along so much?”
Her conflicted feelings tangled up inside and wouldn’t come out as words. She shrugged. “I–I want to help.”
Thompson gave a slight shake of his head and gestured toward the street. “Alright.”
She blinked, startled, but he was already walking again, and she ran to catch up.
When they arrived at the theater, she led him down the alley to the back door. She had never felt embarrassed before trying to jimmy the door open, but she had never had an audience before either.
They slipped into the crowd being led by the ushers into their seats. Edith looked around until she found Doris and caught her eye. The other girl grinned at her as they moved closer, but then raised her eyebrows when she noticed Thompson trailing behind her.
Edith gave a slight shrug, but said nothing. Doris showed them to the seats Thea always favored without asking to see their tickets.
“You realize that now I know there are people who sneak into the cinema and how to find them, don’t you?” Thompson asked as they sat down.
“Yes, but you’re an SSR agent, so I’m sure you have much more important things to do than arrest a few girls who want to see a picture on occasion.”
“So what is this picture?” he asked, casting a glance around the room.
“Didn’t you see the advertisement? It’s In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. It’s a good show.”
She settled in to watch and left Thompson to his work searching the cinema. He didn’t seem to pay much attention until the first song came on and he shot her an annoyed glance.
“What?” she whispered.
“It’s a musical?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?” He rolled his eyes in answer and sat back to watch.
“Did you not find anything?” she asked.
“No.”
They passed the rest of the movie in silence. Edith snuck the occasional glance at Thompson, wondering what he thought of the picture, but his expression never changed. A couple of times he glanced around the room again, but he never seemed to find anything.
When the credits were over, they filed out of the theater with the crowd and Edith spun around to grin at him. “Well, see you on Thursday!”
Next chapter coming soon!