Half an hour later Carmen picked at the uneaten food, and wondered what could have possessed her to make a five-course meal for one person. She hadn't even been that hungry. Leaving the dishes where they were, she picked up the phone to call Frederick back.

Who was that person to you? What did he call you to make you so upset?

She'd call him later. Or tomorrow maybe. Carmen shook her head and walked out of the kitchen. She went into the living room and paged through her books, but each seemed too worn and familiar to be able to lose oneself in its story. She put the books back on the bookshelf. She opened a window and was half surprised to see that the sky was clear. A kind of restlessness was creeping through her, the kind one feels before a storm breaks, a vague feeling that something significant was about to happen.

Dhanna.

The word kept popping up in her mind, unbidden. He was angry, that's all...Running her hand through her hair, she sat down on a sofa. The pressing silence in the room made her want to be moving around again, doing things. As soon as she got up again she wanted to sit down. After about five minutes of pacing about the small room, she finally decided to call Frederick back. As she walked into the kitchen she changed her mind about Frederick again, and began cleaning up the dishes. She turned the TV on to break the silence, hoping to hear the national news.

"...not sure quite what the reasons are yet, Dan," someone on the TV said as it lit up, and Carmen went back into the kitchen. "There's been a great deal of speculation, however."

"Are they going to give us any more information on the subject?" the news anchor asked him. Carmen started running water in the sink and the answer was lost.

"...going to prepare a statement," came the reporter's voice. "She should be coming out here any time now."

"Thank you, Jerry. For those of you who are just tuning in..." Dan's voice was drowned out by a clatter of dishes in the sink. Carmen was not particularly interested in the news story and was concentrating on keeping herself busy. She was drying her third plate when she heard a familiar voice.

"...for the last week. And it appears that we have no choice to take action against her." Carmen stepped out of the kitchen with the plate and towel in her hands, curious; for the person who was speaking was Lynn Vickman.

Lynn was looking indirectly at the camera, head up, feet set and shoulders back as she squinted into the bright lights. Her face a bit troubled but her voice was cold and firm. "There is now no doubt in our minds that she has committed these crimes. It has been confirmed by a reliable member of our Agency." Carmen's breath caught in her throat, and she felt a sudden rush of alarm. Lynn couldn't possibly be talking about...

"Therefore, we have declared the former Senior, Carmen Sandiego, to be Exiled from the Agency on grounds of thievery..."

Crash! The plate Carmen was holding fell to the floor. For a moment she just stood there, motionless, as what Lynn had just said began to sink in. She didn't really say that...Carmen's eyes were fixed on Lynn, watching for any sign that she was hiding something, any sign at all that Lynn's own convictions were different, in her voice, her glance...

Nothing. Lynn continued giving her statement in the same brusque professional manner. "...a complete change of character. We don't know what caused this, but we are sure that she is indeed a criminal and therefore must be apprehended. We've already assigned this problem to Passangue Division and we hope that we will be able to arrest her as quickly as possible."

The words hit Carmen almost like a physical blow. Sick and hurt, she swayed and gripped one of the sofa arms as Lynn continued to condemn her. How could they do this? How could they do this to me? Don't they realize what I must be trying to do? Don't they know that I would never...

One of the reporters had a question. "What are you going to do with her once she is apprehended? Will she be tried in court?"

"No," Lynn said almost curtly. "She will be brought forth to the Council, and she will be questioned by the Seniors. Her sentence will then be decided by us. However, due to personal conflicts, the Seniors have requested not to be among those assigned to apprehend her..."

Carmen was in the bathroom by this time and didn't hear the last sentence.

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