They made a generous financial offer, considering how few hours they were asking of her. They explained they would call her from time to time and ask her input. Now and then she would have to visit Quantico. Occasionally she might need to travel to the crime scene. However, they added, they had several private jets that would be at her disposal, should the situation arise. They smiled and kept pouring it on. Kelly was so overwhelmed she asked if she could stroll the grounds and consider their offer.

A typical summer Virginia afternoon—high clouds, heavy humidity. The walk around the academy changed her life forever. She saw young men and women working out, shooting guns, practicing karate, apprehending fake bank robbers, and all around having fun. If I’m going to work for the FBI, she thought, I shouldn’t be a consultant. I should be one of them.

Kelly wanted to carry a badge, a gun, and be tough.

But just on the side, she told herself. She could still be a consultant and get paid the big bucks. When she returned to the profiler’s office, she told them she would accept their offer if they would first train her as a field agent.

Her demand did not bother them. They saw the logic in it. She would be better able to advise them if she understood their methods. They threw her into the class that was just starting. NYU and Tony and Anna loved that. Her husband had to stay in New York with his job. At first she tried caring for her daughter in a small apartment outside Quantico, but the hours were brutal. Tony eventually had to take Anna back home. Kelly found the separation devastating, and liberating. She called home twice a day to assuage her guilt. But she did not fool herself. She was being a bad mother.

She had always been athletic and enjoyed the physical aspects of the training. The classrooms were a challenge because the material was so different from what she was used to. The legal texts were particularly grueling to memorize. They reminded her of the days she had spent writing her thesis. Nevertheless, Kelly embraced the training and graduated near the top of her class.

The profiler’s office waited. Then fate intervened. Her husband got a great job offer. The hottest ad agency in Los Angeles wanted him. Fat salary and stock options. Plus an old college pal to work beside. He told her he could not say no. How could she say no to him? She had put him through hell indulging her own fantasy. She inquired if the FBI would be adverse to her practicing the things they had taught her for a short time. In other words, could she work as a field agent out of the L.A. office?

They said okay, but just for a few months.