Lorie O - Strong, Sleek and Sinful

The moment she held it in her hand, it buzzed, kicking her heart into overdrive. Taking a gulp of air, she glanced at the number.

“Well, hell,” she said, recognizing the Dallas area code. It was her supervisor, and she would probably get her ass chewed for not checking in sooner. Although she could just imagine John had touched base with Susie Parker, and what he might have said.

“Donovan here,” she said, switching lanes and signaling to turn into the nearest parking lot. Her brain was too sore to take this call while driving. And it was high time to check in and run everything she knew past Susie. In the past, oftentimes when the two of them brainstormed, Susie offered good input.

“It’s about time I reached you. I was getting worried.” Susie’s soft-spoken voice misled many people. A good-looking lady, in her thirties, Susie had used her appearance, as well as her intelligence, to climb the ladder to where she was today, and she had no regrets for doing so. Kylie both admired and despised the woman for her efforts. She wouldn’t take advantage of a man’s weakness for a pretty lady to get what she wanted in life. Although more than once, other than arguing it was scruples, she wondered why she wouldn’t. “Where have you been?” There was concern in Susie’s voice.

Kylie pulled into a stall outside a Mexican restaurant, where the lot was starting to fill up with the early lunch crowd. Leaving her car in drive, she cranked the AC and reclined in her seat.

“You’ve been trying to reach me? I haven’t had any missed calls from you.”

“I tried calling your cell a week or so ago and then tried the field office there in Mission Hills. They told me there you weren’t getting a good signal with your service there in that town. I was promised a new number for you, but no one got back to me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I haven’t had any problems with my cell.” Kylie frowned, watching a young couple enter the large restaurant while her stomach growled. It hadn’t dawned on her until now that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. “Someone must have gotten their wires crossed.”

“Well, I have you now. How are things going?”

“I’m on the verge of discovery.”

Susie’s laugh was melodic, relaxed, and reminded Kylie that before long her stress would be directed toward a different case, in a different world, and the problems in Mission Hills, Kansas, would once again be resolved and those living here would get on with their lives. Would she ever see any of them again? The thought left her feeling empty and she sighed, her gaze drifting to a car that parked near her and several ladies who were all laughing and talking, got out and headed to the restaurant.

“That’s my line, and you’re reminding me why you’re one of my top agents. Fill me in on the details.”

Kylie put a neutral tone in her voice, offering the facts and fighting to keep her emotions and feelings for the people involved in this case at bay.

“Perry. Now who is Perry?”

Kylie smiled, although she felt anything but happy, and looked down at her lap as she realized how much she had just failed in keeping her emotions out of this case.

“Lieutenant Perry Flynn is with the police department here in Mission Hills. He is also working on this case.”

“Total hunk, huh?”

“He’s not bad.” Not bad in bed. Not bad at stealing her heart. “John Athey hasn’t contacted you?” she asked, changing the subject from Perry. Although talking about John, and what he might have told Susie, wasn’t a conversation Kylie wanted to have, either. Best to get it out of the way.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Susie said. “I’ve left messages, but he hasn’t returned them.”

“Really.” That didn’t strike Kylie as quite right. Usually supervisors kept in touch, especially when a field agent was sent from one location to another. “I’m sure there’ve been reports, though, right?”

“Nothing.” Susie didn’t hesitate. “Why? What’s wrong?”

There wasn’t any point hedging around the situation. “We don’t exactly get along.”

“Although that’s odd for you,” Susie said, sounding serious, “I’ve had agents before who clash with local FBI. You do what you’re there to do and move on. You know how to do your job.”

“I know.” She hated the emptiness that seemed to spread inside her.

“You know, oftentimes an agent gets involved with the community, especially when doing undercover work. It isn’t a bad thing,” Susie offered.

“I know where you’re going with this,” Kylie said, breaking off the inevitable pep talk about how this, too, would pass. “And you’re right. I think it’s just the timing with your call,” she lied. “I just left the field office after having it pointed out to me very clearly that I have absolutely nothing to nail this guy with. I have a clue who he is,” she admitted, and felt even worse as failure wrapped around the emptiness inside her. “But I really don’t have any proof.”

“Let’s break it down. What do you have?” It sounded as though Susie was typing in the background, her nicely painted nails she was able to grow sitting in an office these days instead of working out in the field tapping over the keys while she talked on the phone. “You have a description and a common location.”

“Yes. It appears he agrees to meet the girls at the bowling alley or at shops nearby. The bowling alley is a local hangout for a lot of the teenagers here. He met one girl at a grocery store she went to on a regular basis.”

“He meets the girls at locations they’re comfortable going to,” Susie suggested.

“Yes. The grocery store was closed when Elaine agreed to meet Peter. Later in the evening, there is hardly any traffic around the bowling alley. The parking lot isn’t well lit other than the marquee from the local businesses’ lights. There are some streetlights in the parking lot but not enough to cover the dark patches where it’s easy for cars to park without being noticed. Dani met Peter there after dark.”

“So a secluded location where each girl wouldn’t hesitate going.”

“Exactly.”

“And the description?”

“One of the girls who agreed to meet Peter, the name we’ve given our killer since that is the name he is using online, or variations of it,” Kylie reminded her, “saw him and drew us a picture. It’s not a lot to go on but we know he’s got dark hair and blue eyes.”

“I’ve pulled up the local newspaper there. Sounds as if you’re battling the press and concerned parents as well.”

“It’s become too high profile for it to be otherwise. Fortunately, working undercover, I haven’t had to deal with either myself.”

“Which is how it should be. Leaves you open to focus only on your killer. What is your current objective?”

“I’m going to set up another meet and let Peter take me with him.”

“Should I send in backup?” Susie sounded concerned. “I think I’ll get in touch with the local chief of police there. I’ll try calling John Athey again, too.”

Kylie didn’t understand why John hadn’t talked to Susie. Unless he was one of those agents who believed their city was their own domain and didn’t care for outsiders intruding on their space. She’d run across other agents like that when traveling from city to city, those who tackled crime in their town and balked at outsiders, even when their intentions were good. She could see John being the one who would want credit for taking Peter down. Suddenly John’s behavior made more sense. He didn’t like her because she posed a threat at stealing his glory if she and not John received credit for nailing Peter. By sending her in, informing her she would go with the perp, John would get glory for rescuing her.