“Do you know who it is that’s coming?” Asa asked, already suspecting who it might be.
“I’m not sure, but it must be someone big, because Gibson almost ran out to meet him,” Ann commented. “I thought that he called you, by the way?”
“No, but it’s okay, we’ll see who it is soon enough.” Asa tried to hide her displeasure and worry about the situation. With a final thank you, she walked out of the FBI office, just in time to see Todd’s vehicle pulling up. Beside him sat Deputy Director Josie Shepherd, looking very business-like, and probably here to oversee the investigation and keep a closer eye on her.
“Shit,” Asa said, and waited for them to get out and come closer. The Deputy Director spotted her almost immediately, while Gibson took his time closing the car and putting up the windows.
“Agent Clark,” the Deputy Director greeted her.
“Deputy Director,” Asa answered and stepped aside, so that the other woman could walk inside. Clark spared a last glance to Gibson, telling him silently what she thought about him, then followed Shepherd inside.
The Deputy Director had already walked into Gibson’s office and was sitting behind his desk, when Clark, followed closely by Gibson, entered the room and closed the door. Shepherd looked at them both and nodded for them to sit down.
“So, what can you tell me about this case of ours?” she asked no one in particular.
“I'm sure that Agent Gibson has been keeping you well informed, sir,” Asa said.
She cleared her throat and for a few moments she remained silent. The she began, shifting her position in the chair opposite the Deputy Director.
“I have been following the steps of agents Smith and Holliday, during the last few days I visited most of the farms in the area and talked with the owners. Most of them confirmed that they had been visited by the two agents, while others say that they never came to their farm or ranch.”
“What information were you able to gather?” the Deputy Director asked.
“There is a pattern in what the two agents were following,” Agent Clark explained. “But, I’m still unsure what it is. It seems that they have been visiting certain places, while avoiding others. I’m not sure which of them were those under suspicion, the ones they visited or the ones they didn’t.”
“That is solid footwork,” Shepherd said, “Is there anything else you can add?”
“I have found a lead based on the soil samples we recovered from the foot pedals of their car,” Agent Gibson quickly stepped in. “I’ve been going around taking soil samples. According to the lab, the closest sample of dirt to that particular soil type is found near the Kimble Ranch.”
“What else, Agent Gibson?” Shepherd asked the man.
“Agent Clark has been spending some time with one of the Kimble brothers,” Gibson said carefully.
“Okay. Agent Clark, you will continue seeing this man. Let’s see what you can find out about his ranch and family. Agent Gibson, you will help her and will report to me every step either of the two of you take. Now, Agent Gibson, will you excuse us? I need to speak to Agent Clark in private.”
Gibson exited his own office without another word and Asa was left to face the Deputy Director alone. Shepherd didn’t speak for a long moment, watching Asa in her chair.
“How did this happen, Clark?” she asked directly.
“I met him in a bar, and it was well before I was aware his ranch might be connected to the case,” she answered honestly.
“What now?” Shepherd looked angry, the warning clear in her stance.
“Now, I will use him to gain the information we need to solve the murder of the two agents.” Asa answered with what the Deputy Director was expecting her to say.
“Fine, now get back to work.”
Chapter 22
At the same time, just outside the FBI office, David Kimble had watched Todd Gibson leave the building and walk back to his truck. David had already witnessed the arrival of the man together with a woman, as well as their short conversation with Asa Clark. The girl his brother was falling in love with had acted as if the woman was someone of importance, and by the looks of it, Todd Gibson was taking orders from her.
David Kimble had come to town for supplies and it was by pure chance that he passed in front of the FBI office and recognized Asa Clark. Feeling betrayed, the man climbed back into his truck and headed towards his ranch. There were things he needed to do, and preparations he needed to make.
Back at the Kimble Ranch, Gabriel was working in the barn while Jane prepared lunch. David arrived just in time to see his brother looking at the horizon, head in the clouds, obviously dreaming about something. The older brother could just imagine who Gabriel was dreaming about, and that only made him angrier.
“Gabriel,” he called from the veranda. “Could you come in? I need to talk to you.”
Gabriel walked back to the house quickly, thinking it must be something important for his brother to call him so urgently. He was still smiling when he stepped inside the kitchen, where he found his brother and Jane sitting on the table.
“What is it?” Gabriel asked, looking from one to the other. “Did something happen in town?”
“Sit down, Gabriel. We need to talk.” David used a fatherly tone of voice and gestured to a chair in front of both of them.
“Why do I feel like I'm being judged?” the young man tried to joke.
“Listen, we need you to stop seeing that Clark woman,” Jane spoke before her husband and then went silent.
“Gabriel,” David started again. "We have been watching her closely and we know for sure now that she is an FBI agent.”
“So what?” Gabriel asked defensively. “Is it a crime to be an FBI agent now?” Gabriel realized that this urgent meeting was them confronting him about his relationship and it made him angry.
"Asa is not the one for you," David responded.
“So, you’ve been following my girlfriend?” Gabriel asked them, a bit surprised. “What, were you worried about me or something?”
“You know how I feel, what with our business endeavors, Gabriel,” David answered him. “An FBI agent has no place at our table or in our lives. You need to stop seeing her, immediately.”
Gabriel loved and respected his brother, but not even David had the authority to tell him who to date. On the other hand, he also felt betrayed. Asa had obviously been using him to get closer to the locals, successfully hiding her real profession. When Gabriel thought about it, he realized that Asa had never actually told him just what she was working on, but he had also never asked her about it directly.
“I very well may stop seeing her, David, but not because of the reasons you gave,” the younger man said. “I may stop seeing her because she wasn’t honest with me and there is nothing that I hate more than someone lying to me, even by omission.”
“That’s right, good for you, Gabriel.” Jane smiled at him and took his hand in hers. “From the first moment I saw her, I knew there was something fishy about her. Don’t let women like Asa make you think that you should leave the people who have loved and cared for you your whole life. We are your family and we will always take care of you.”
“Thank you, I know that Jane,” Gabriel answered her sadly.
David watched him carefully and noticed how his brother fought the tears back. “I have a big job for you now and I need you to focus on it.”
“What is it?”
“I have to go away for a while and I need you to take care of the ranch for me until I come back,” David said gravely. “This is very important to all of us, which is why I want you to focus on our family and on the ranch.”
“You’re leaving and expect me to take care of everything by myself?” Gabriel asked, incredulous.
“Yes.”
“But David, where are you going? Is there a problem? You know you can tell me anything, right?” Gabriel asked urgently.
“No, no, everyt
hing is okay.” David smiled reassuringly. “I just need to do something and will be away for a while, that's all.” In his mind, David was picturing the marijuana field so close to harvest. After that they’d be done with the cartels and the ranch would be saved. If anybody was ever truly done once they had business with the cartel, David thought.
“But...” Gabriel tried again.
“Please, Gabriel, just trust me on this? I can’t tell you anything more for now, just that I will be on a cattle run up in the mountains,” David pleaded with him, while Jane nodded encouragingly. “You just promise me that you will take care of Grandpa Joe.”
Gabriel had a lot of other questions to ask, but the look on David’s face told him that the subject was closed.
“Okay, I'll take care of Grandpa, of the ranch and of whatever else you need me to, but just promise me that everything is going to be okay?”
“Everything is going to be fine, I promise,” David assured him. “Now, is dinner ready? Jane?”
Gabriel went to look for Grandpa Joe. Asa and what he felt for her was still on his mind. Gabriel did his best to forget about her, but it was too soon and too fast to forget someone as spectacular as Asa Clark.
Chapter 23
The next day, Agent Todd Gibson and Agent Asa Clark made their way to the Kimble Ranch in force. The orders had been clear and Asa hadn’t wasted any more time considering her personal feelings. Gabriel had been a beautiful dream, but if the man turned out to be a criminal, Asa was going to put him behind bars and never think about him again. During the drive to the Kimble Ranch, she had lost herself in thoughts about the man and the few hours they had spent together.
Thankfully, Gibson had given her the time to rethink the whole situation and had spoken only once to warn her against getting involved with people she knew nothing about.
“Didn’t I already make it clear that you should keep your thoughts to yourself?” She had been pretty short with him so Gibson had kept quiet after that.
They arrived at the ranch mid-morning and Grandpa Joe greeted them in his customary way with his rifle.
“Stop where you are, turn around and leave my property,” the old man had shouted, pointing the old rifle at them.
Asa recognized the threat and acted quickly. She climbed out of the car and with raised hands and approached the porch.
“Grandpa Joe,” she called at him. “It's me, Asa. I came here with Gabriel. Don’t you remember me?”
“Asa?” the old man repeated. “The Salish girl? Yes, I remember. What do you want?”
“I want to talk to your grandsons,” Asa answered, slowly approaching him. “Can you tell me who is home?”
“Gabriel is here,” Grandpa Joe answered, lowering the rifle and taking out the pipe he had in his mouth. “What do you want with him?”
“I need to ask him a few questions. Can you call him for me?”
Grandpa Joe still looked suspiciously at her and Agent Gibson, but after a few more seconds, he turned around and opened the door.
“Gabriel, come out boy,” he called in a rugged voice and slowly lowered himself onto the bench beside the door.
“What is it Grandpa?” Asa heard Gabriel asking from inside. “Do you need something?”
Gabriel stepped out of the house and froze in place. His eyes were glued to Asa and she could read the hurt in them.
“Gabriel Kimble,” she spoke. “My name is Agent Asa Clark and I am here to ask you a few questions about the death of two FBI agents.”
“Agent Asa Clark,” the man repeated. “Why did you lie to me about who you were?”
“Mr. Kimble, do you know something about the murdered agents?” As Asa asked the questions, her voice and behavior were strictly business. “And can you tell me where your brother is?”
“I told you already, I don’t know anything about the murdered agents,” Gabriel said, almost shouting. “And about my brother… my brother is in the mountain country on a cattle run. As you can see here, the pastures are drying up from the summer heat, and along with some of the other local ranchers, we moved our herds further north.”
“And you really don’t know anything about the missing agents?” This time it was Gibson, who asked the question.
“No, I have never seen them,” Gabriel insisted.
“What about your brother, do you know if he knows something about them?” The FBI agents continued the investigation. Gabriel continued to answer no to all of their questions and Asa could see that he was telling the truth.
And then suddenly something unexpected happened.
“I sent those agents packing,” Grandpa Joe commented with satisfaction.
“What are you talking about, Grandpa?” Gabriel asked him, surprised. “Did they come here?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Kimble, but we’ll conduct the investigation.” Gibson took the lead again. “What do you mean, you sent them packing?”
“I told them to get off of my property and went inside to get my rifle. When I came back out they were gone, probably scared for their lives.”
“When did that happen, Grandpa Joe?” Asa asked.
“I can’t exactly recall, but it surely was a few weeks back.” The old man nodded to himself and put some more tobacco into his pipe.
It was obvious they weren’t going to get anything more from him, so Asa Clark produced the search warrant they had and gave it to Gabriel.
“We have a search warrant allowing us to search the entire ranch,” she said to him, looking pleadingly into his eyes.
“Go ahead, search everywhere,” he told her. “I don’t care.”
Agent Gibson proceeded to search the property, and sent the team of police, deputies and agents they had brought along to do the same. They fanned out over all the property, looking for any evidence linking the Kimble family or ranch to the murder of the two field agents. Asa waited for them to put some distance between her and Gabriel, and then climbed up the stairs of the porch.
“Gabriel, I want to explain,” Asa said, in a soft voice. “I didn’t want to lie to you, but you never asked me directly and I just decided to omit the truth for the time being. It never occurred to me that your family might be involved.”
“Omit the truth? Don’t you understand that is the worst kind of lie there is, Agent Clark? ” Gabriel asked, while the FBI agents were busy searching the property. “ You had all the opportunity in the world to tell me the truth and you never did. Do you have any idea how I feel about you coming to my home, meeting my family, and all the while you were investigating your murder case?”
“I can imagine, but as I said, I never really suspected your family…”
“I don’t want to hear it, Asa, I really don’t,” Gabriel said, then turned around to go back into the house.
“Gabriel, wait,” Asa called after him and tried to reach out for his hand, but he just shook it off and closed the door in her face.
Asa felt humiliated, although she understood why he was acting like that. In his place, she would have done something much worse than closing a door.
Chapter 24
Asa didn’t see Gabriel again after he closed the front door in her face, but she could tell that he was standing behind the windows, watching her. The search of the ranch continued for about two hours, but they found very little evidence that something horrible had happened on the grounds. One of the policemen found a few bullet entries on the walls of the buildings, as well as a few bullet casings on the ground, but there was no telling when the shots were fired. They collected the casings. They could be matched to, or excluded from, the bullets found in the bodies.
Agent Gibson insisted they look around one more time just to make sure there wasn’t anything they could have missed. When it became obvious that they weren’t going to find anything useful, Agent Clark gave the signal to pack up and go. She and Gibson were the last to load up.
Asa looked back at the house, searching for the man she had
started to love.
“Come on, Clark,” Gibson called from inside the car. “It is time to get back to Kalispell.”
Asa climbed in and closed the door with slam, shaking the entire car. Gibson huffed at her antics, but didn’t say anything. They drove in silence for a long time, until the man decided that she had calmed down enough.
Gibson just started talking about whatever came to mind as they drove. He was trying to distract her from the personal side of what had just happened at the ranch.
The woman listened to him, but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t in the mood for talking and the subject wasn’t her favorite one either. Gibson and his problems didn’t really interest her, but she had to admit that it took balls to say that he was sorry to a young woman like her.
“You saw the situation out here,” Gibson continued. “We are right in the middle of nowhere, and the big bosses tend to forget about our existence. We have very few interesting cases and when something really big comes our way, they send someone from the big city to work on it. You understand how that might get us irritated?”
“Yes, I understand.” Asa sighed, thinking that she should cut him some slack. “Don’t worry, we’re okay, you were only doing your job.”
“Yeah, well.” Gibson looked ashamed. “Getting the attention of the Deputy Director is not a small thing. Especially when she was the one who sent you down here in the first place. She must really think a lot of you, because she refused to believe me for a long time.”
“If you say so,” Asa laughed sarcastically. “From my point of view, things look pretty different.”
“I thought that you were stuck and needed an extra push,” he said, finally and defensively.
Family Ties Mystery Series Box Set Page 8