Daniel Sousa (Prologue)
Chief Daniel Sousa stared at the phone, his finger drumming lightly on the edge of his desk. To his left sat a thin file, the information contained within barely enough to justify pulling his men off of their other cases. He needed more to go on than speculation and rumor, and his best bet lay just a phone call away. Peggy Carter wasn’t currently on assignment, and she didn’t exactly follow the rules like everybody else. If he wanted to get enough evidence to open a full investigation, he needed her help. Still, Peggy was recovering from her most recent run-in with Whitney Frost; the last thing she needed was to be pulled into an investigation that might end up being nothing after all.
With a sigh, he reached out and picked up the phone, dialing quickly. If it was nothing, then it would be over quickly, and Peggy could go back to whatever she did when she wasn’t working. He brutally quashed the small part of his brain that admitted that really, he just wanted an excuse to see Peggy again. Their last meeting had only served to make him more confused, rather than less.
Two rings later, the other end of the line clicked as it was picked up. “Stark residence.” The smooth tenor relaxed something in Daniel’s shoulders - if Jarvis was answering the phone like usual, then Peggy was probably not in mortal danger at the moment. Probably.
“Mr. Jarvis, it’s Chief Sousa,” he greeted. “I was wondering if Agent Carter was available. I have something that might be right up her alley.” He kept it formal, still unsure of his standing with the other man. They might have saved each other’s lives a time or two, but that didn’t necessarily make them friends.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Carter has gone on holiday,” Jarvis replied.
Daniel blinked, absorbing that. Holiday? Since when did Peggy Carter go on holiday? “Oh,” he managed, mulling over the new information. “Anyone dead yet?” he asked, only semi-jokingly.
He wasn’t expecting the pregnant pause on the other end of the line. “Mr. Jarvis?” he prompted, suddenly worried.
“Only one so far, sir,” the butler answered at last. “Though Miss Carter has assured me that she was not responsible for the gentleman’s fall from the bridge.”
“I see,” Daniel replied slowly, because really, what else was there to say? He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, suddenly far more exhausted then he had been two minutes ago. “Does she need help?”
There was a brief hesitation, and then Jarvis said, “She seems to believe that she has everything under control, sir.” Daniel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course she did. Peggy Carter was going to be the death of him, he was absolutely certain of it.
“You’ll let me know if anything changes?” Daniel asked the other man, who murmured an affirmative. “Thanks.”
Hanging up the phone, Daniel took a deep breath, then slammed his fist down on his desk just as the door opened, one of the junior detectives no doubt bringing him another report. The young man – Williams, was it? – flinched. “You okay, Chief?” he asked.
Daniel smoothed out his expression. “Yes, Williams, just some rather upsetting news. What do you have for me?” Determinedly, he turned his attention towards the investigation. Peggy Carter would be just fine on her own for a few days. After all, it wasn’t like things could get any worse. Right?