Gabriel stared at Rosa, trying to collect his thoughts. The devices that Rosa found and ripped out were very clearly cameras and microphones that Gabriel had no awareness of. It was unsettling to know that he was being tracked. He placed the device he had in his hand on his desk and he gave Rosa his full attention.
"How did you know that I didn't remember?" Gabriel asked.
"Because something similar happened to a friend of mine."
"What do you know about Claire and me?"
"You are married." Rosa hesitated. "You were married." She corrected herself. "Well, she still kind of is your wife but isn't. She married you as Claire Thompson which was her old identity and that one is considered dead now through the whole fake death ordeal. But she isn't dead. It leaves a lot of room for an interpretation." Rosa shrugged. She wasn't fussed about that part.
"You believe it?" Gabriel sat back in his chair.
"Believe it?" Rosa repeated. "I saw it with my own eyes. You were ready to risk your life for her."
"What happened during that night? During the incident?" Gabriel asked expecting to hear almost anything.
"From what I understand, Michael captured you both. He shot Claire with a full expectation that she will die and he took you away. What interests me is that someone send her all the way to Switzerland to some off-the-book sanatorium for her to recover in. It wasn't anyone from International Crime Agency, National Crime Agency, FBI, or any similar organisation. I am yet to determine who had it in their business to keep her alive and who might've known her whereabouts."
"Then tell me, why would everyone pretend that it didn't happen? Why is it only you and Elise, or Claire as you call her, that know of it?"
Rosa went silent as she scowled at Gabriel. She didn't like the question. It sounded like Gabriel doubted her even if it wasn't his intention. He just wanted to know.
"How can you be so sure that what Claire said isn't the truth?" Rosa asked in return.
"I can't be sure. But there's no evidence. There is no proof of our relationship. There is nothing aside of her and now your word."
"No evidence?" Rosa was absolutely fuming out of nowhere. She stood up with a new bout of energy. "Are you kidding?!" She scoffed in disbelief. She hurt on Claire's behalf.
Gabriel was taken aback by her reaction. He watched as she walked around the room, her curls bouncing in sync with her.
"Claire said that she had no evidence." Gabriel clarified his statement.
"Seriously?!" Rosa furrowed her brows. "Did she really tell you that?"
"Yes. On several occasions." Gabriel looked down at his hands that he clasped on his abdomen, interlacing his fingers. He was trying to conceal his true emotions in front of Rosa and he tried not to reveal too much.
Rosa was silent for a good few moments.
"That… that is a lie." She said more carefully. Gabriel looked back up at her. "I do not know why she lied to you but she found plenty of evidence. Claire has boxes of proof." Rosa hesitated. "The most obvious proof is that she found your marriage contract. But she also found recordings, your letters to her, documentation of all the shared assets. Did she really not tell you?"
"No." Gabriel squinted his eyes as he tried to work out Claire's intentions himself. "Where is it?"
"It's kept safe. It's secure in a storage. But no one else must know of it. It will put you and Claire in danger."
"Understood. I just…" Gabriel rubbed his face. "I want to know the truth. I want to see what she found. It'll make things easier."
"I have a key and an address. Claire asked me to keep it safe while she's away." Rosa spoke in almost a whisper. She felt like she was betraying Claire's trust.
"She's away?"
"She went abroad. I think it's a work thing."
"I see." Gabriel sat silently whilst Rosa unclipped a single small key from her key set. She proceeded to write an address on a bit of paper and she passed it to Gabriel.
"I know that you don't remember it but you loved her very much. Hopefully, you'll get to see it for yourself." Rosa let out a sigh. "But then, that won't make you love her again. Whatever it was that made you fall in love with her the first time might never happen again."
Gabriel looked at the address silently. Rosa's words bothered him. He started to like Claire anew. He felt attracted to her. But it was a growing feeling and not what he would expect of a married couple.
"Here are my details." Rosa slid a small card with a phone number on it.
"Do you work for FBI?"
"No." Rosa shook her head. "But I occasionally support some of their stuff. Many of my missions are big enough that they are inter-organisational collaborations."
"I see. Do you know Emilia Vincent-Hayden?"
"Oh, I thought they've split up." Rosa mused out loud. Her response confirmed Gabriel's thoughts.
"Christopher Hayden and Emilia Vincent?" Gabriel asked. "Last I saw them a few weeks ago they remarried."
"That's fantastic." Rosa smiled happily as if it truly gave her joy. "Anyways, have a good evening, Mr Moore. And watch out for all those extra pairs of ears around you." Rosa pointed at the few devices that she pulled out. "I think I've got all of them today. I suspect your father likes to keep tabs on you." She then bowed her head and hurried away.
She felt a bit too close to the case, hurting a bit too much for Claire and her misfortune. She hated herself for interfering and she decided to leave the rest to the luck.
Gabriel looked down at the address at the key and he didn't tell anyone of Rosa or Claire. He disposed of the devices that Rosa found feeling something very ugly inside of him.