by Nancy Mehl
She hesitated a moment. “I don’t know his name, but he sat on the third row, near the end. He wore a dark parka and a black shirt. He has brown hair with some gray at his temples.”
Turner’s expression hardened. “You’re talking about Special Agent Frank Navarro, one of the best agents I’ve ever worked with. You’re trying to tell me he’s working for the Mexican cartels? Are you crazy?”
Kaely seemed a little taken aback, but she held her own. “I’m just suggesting you check him out, sir. That’s all. Whether you do or not is up to you. I may be wrong. He could have something else on his mind. But in the group gathered here tonight he was the only one expressing behaviors that showed he was upset about something. Perhaps even expressing feelings of guilt.” She held her hands out in front of her, palms up. “What you do with this information is up to you. I have no intention of following up on it.” She put her hands down and nodded at him. “Good night, sir.” With that, she turned and headed for the door, leaving Noah standing there with a furious SSA.
“Good night, sir,” Noah echoed, then he quickly followed Kaely out of the building. When he stepped outside, the cold smacked him in the face like a fist. It took a second for him to catch his breath. “What did Navarro do that made you suspicious?” he asked Kaely, who stood by the door, waiting for him.
“He was upset before the operation even began. Why? We had no indication that Rosa or Guzman would show. Maybe it was some personal problem. But just now, I noticed that he kept rubbing his legs. It’s called leg cleansing. It means he’s under stress. He was trying to pacify himself.”
Noah was dumbstruck. “You told Turner someone on his team is a rat because he was nervous before a dangerous operation and after we were fired upon, he rubbed his legs? Are you serious? Everyone in that room was under stress. Turner was mad enough to open fire on all of us.”
“There were other signs, Noah. If I wasn’t convinced there was something wrong with Agent Navarro, I wouldn’t have said anything. Do you think I should have stayed quiet?”
Noah met her gaze. Looking into her dark eyes, he realized there was only one answer he could give. “No,” he said. “You did the right thing.” He sighed, and his breath turned to steam in the cold. “Did I mess up? Keeping us in the van while shots were being fired?”
“Of course not,” Kaely said. “We had no way of getting out of there safely. If we’d gotten up, at least one of us would have been hit, if not both.” She hesitated a moment before saying, “Look, I really appreciate what you did. It’s possible you saved my life. To be honest, it wasn’t until you pulled me down that I was aware we were in danger. Thanks.”
Noah nodded but didn’t respond. Agents were expected to protect their partners, but his reaction hadn’t been based on his training. When he’d realized Kaely was at risk, Noah had been seized with the kind of fear no agent could afford to entertain. He had been more than willing to give his life for Kaely Quinn. And the reason scared him more than he could admit.
twenty
We need to let Solomon know we’ve been suspended,” Noah said, changing the subject. “I guess that means we have some time off.” He stomped his feet, trying to chase away the cold. “How many inches of snow and ice do they have in Darkwater? Do you have any idea?”
Kaely took her phone out of her back pocket and pulled up a weather app. A few moments later, she said, “Four inches. That’s not much. But I have a feeling . . .”
“Oh no. Not one of your feelings.” Noah clapped his hands together. They felt numb.
“Yeah. I think something’s happened.” She took a deep breath. “We need to get back to Darkwater.”
“All right, all right.” Noah shook his head. “Let’s go. I knew I’d lost this argument before we started. Besides, I’m freezing. If I don’t give in, you’ll just make me stand outside until you get your way.”
“Why don’t you drive?”
“So you think it’s okay to head back to Darkwater, but you don’t actually want to tackle the roads yourself?”
Kaely smiled. “See? You can profile too.”
He chuckled and shook his head. When he’d first met Kaely Quinn, she rarely smiled. Things had changed. He assumed it was because she was learning to trust him. Sometimes he felt as if he’d be willing to give up a body part just to see that smile.
The drive back wasn’t as bad as Noah had anticipated. Road crews had treated the major highways, and even though some of the roads were down to one lane, they were passable. Still, he wondered what they’d face when they got to Darkwater.
They’d both checked their phones but couldn’t find any stories about a fire in the small town. Had Kaely missed it this time? He doubted it. Her feelings were almost always on track.
“Have you tried out your special . . . procedure on our arsonist?” Noah asked. Even though he was aware the process had spiraled out of control, he still believed it was a valuable tool.
“No,” she said quietly, “but I think I’m finally ready.”
He could hear the hesitation in her voice. Was she afraid to try it?
“Kaely, you don’t need to do this, you know. You’re the best behavioral analyst I’ve ever met. Just profile him the way everyone else does. Seriously. If others can do it, you can too.”
She turned her face from him and stared out the window. Although most of the snow had already fallen, light flakes fluttered around the car. The car’s headlights seemed to set them ablaze. It was hard to keep his attention on the road and off the glittering dance that engulfed them.
“It’s just . . . well, I know my method works.” She turned her head toward him. “I don’t do the dinner part anymore. That was leftover from meals with my father. It was the only time we talked. I always felt as if I’d missed something. I thought if I could just re-create those dinners, I could pick up on something that would have revealed who he really was.” She clasped her hands together as if she was cold, but the interior of the car was warm and toasty.
Drawing on his courage, he decided to attack the situation another way. “Can I ask you what happens when you do this . . . thing?”
“This thing?” she replied. “You mean my profiling technique?”
He heard a trace of irritation in her voice. “Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I was just curious. I’ve never seen you actually do it.”
“And you won’t. It would hurt my concentration.” She was silent for a moment before saying, “All I do is put a file in front of me . . . maybe add my own notes to it . . . and begin to look it over. Then I start the profile. Sometimes I ask the UNSUB questions. As they answer, sometimes I begin to see them.”
“You actually hear them speak?”
“Yeah.” She frowned at him. “I’ve explained how the process works. Why are you asking me about it again?”
“No reason. Just trying to understand it a little better.” Had he overplayed his hand? He focused on keeping his expression steady and not making any physical moves that would let her know he was nervous or being deceitful. He suddenly realized he was blinking too much. A sign of deception. He quickly put one hand up and rubbed his eyes. “The snow is bothering me,” he said. He put his hand down and forced himself to keep from blinking. It wasn’t easy.
She was quiet as she stared at him. Finally she said, “Sorry. You can ask whatever you want.”
He looked over at her. “Not if it bothers you. We don’t have to share everything in our lives just because we work together.”
“It doesn’t bother me. What else do you want to know?”
Trying to sound as nonchalant as he could, Noah said, “When they answer you . . . how does that work? I mean, you’re just channeling your profile through their mouths, right?”
“Yes, basically that’s true.”
“Basically?”
A voice whispered loudly in his head, telling him to back off.
“What is it you really want to know, Noah?” Kaely asked quietly.
“Y
ou know what? Forget it. It’s your process. We all have them.” He looked at her and grinned. “I tried doing it your way once. Wasn’t gonna tell you. Promise not to laugh?”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “And?”
“A dismal failure. No one showed up. I felt ridiculous.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it. It’s a real talent.”
“Maybe.”
“No, it truly is, Kaely. You’ve done some great work using that procedure. Anyone who makes fun of you is jealous. I know our parents used that line a lot when we were kids, and of course we never believed them. But this time it’s the truth.”
Kaely laughed. “My mother did say that. More than once.”
Noah looked at the clock on the dashboard, feeling relieved that he’d gotten past the uncomfortable moment, but also a little sad she wasn’t ready to tell him herself that she’d been having trouble with her technique. Would she ever trust him enough to be completely honest with him?
He realized they’d be in Darkwater in thirty minutes. “Should we stop somewhere for breakfast? It’s early, but I noticed an all-night diner right outside of town.”
He didn’t hear her response and looked over at her. She was staring at him with an odd expression.
“Sounds good,” she said. “And I’d like to talk to you about something. If it’s okay.”
“You can talk to me about anything,” he said gently. “I’m your friend.”
“I know that.”
Noah only nodded his response, but inside, his heart suddenly felt full. He realized that more than anything, he wanted a chance to show Kaely Quinn that she would always be able to count on him. That he would never let her down. Was she ready to give him that chance?
twenty-one
Tuck Reynolds sped to the hospital. One of his men had been injured and he needed to be by his side. Sam Lucas disobeyed orders and ran into a house engulfed in flames. At first they’d been told the family was away. But then a neighbor who’d thrown a coat over her nightgown and pushed her way through the throng of people had yelled at the firefighters, begging them to listen to her. When Tuck and Sam finally walked over to where she waited, she informed them that the family had arrived home the night before. The father worked nights, but his wife and child might still be in the house.
Tuck had seen Sam’s eyes widen. As Tuck yelled at him to stop, Sam ran toward the house and disappeared into the fire. Tuck was getting ready to order his men to redirect their hoses to cover Sam when suddenly he came running through the flames. He had one arm wrapped around a small woman whose body was totally limp. His other arm held an infant.
Tuck swore with relief. His wife’s voice echoed in his head. “Swear words are used by people who don’t have anything important to say.” He shook his head and swore again. Right now he wasn’t afraid of swearing. He was afraid that Sam’s heroic effort had come too late.
He ran toward them and took the woman from Sam’s arms. He carried her to the EMTs, with Sam running behind him, the baby next to his chest. The EMTs immediately began checking the mother’s vitals and took the baby from Sam’s arms. After they put a pediatric oxygen mask on him, he began to cry. A great sign. It was then that Tuck noticed Sam. His face was as white as the snow around them. Then he began to sway.
“He needs help,” he told the EMTs. “Smoke inhalation.” One of them jumped out of the ambulance and grabbed Sam.
“I’m okay,” he mumbled.
“No, you’re not,” Tuck said. “You let them take care of you. That’s an order.” Most fire-related deaths were caused by inhaling too much smoke. Tuck knew how serious it could be. Fear clutched at him. Sam had risked his life to save two people. Would his heroism cost him everything?
At that moment, another ambulance pulled up and two more EMTs jumped out. They ran over and checked in with the first crew, then helped Sam walk over to the ambulance. Within minutes they had him safely strapped in, an oxygen mask on his face, and on his way to the hospital.
As both ambulances raced away, sirens wailing through the cold night air, Tuck Reynolds did something he hadn’t done in years.
He prayed.
Noah and Kaely had just taken their seats in the diner when an old TV mounted on the wall broke in with news of another fire in Darkwater.
“We’re told the fire is under control,” the sleepy-looking reporter said. “Two people were pulled from the blaze. We don’t have any information on their condition, but it seems a firefighter was injured trying to rescue them. We’ll be back with more as soon as we have it.”
The waitress was on her way toward them, but they waved her away. Without a word, they ran out of the diner and got into their car. Neither one of them said anything as they raced back to Darkwater.
As they entered the town, Kaely called Tuck Reynolds. Unfortunately, her call went immediately to voicemail. Next she called the fire station. The phone was answered by a man who sounded exhausted. Kaely told him she was a friend of Tuck’s and wondered what was going on.
He told her Tuck was okay and the fire was out. When she asked about the injured firefighter, he declined to give her any details. Thinking she could get more information from Sam, she asked to speak to him. The silence that followed her question told her what she wanted to know. She thanked the tired firefighter and hung up.
“Sam’s been hurt,” she told Noah.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“About as sure as I can be.”
“Should we go to the hospital?”
Kaely nodded. “We need to find out how he is, and we need to talk to Tuck.”
The streets weren’t as clear in Darkwater as they’d been on the highway. Noah’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He drove as carefully as he could while trying to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. He pulled into the parking lot about fifteen minutes later and parked the car. Noah and Kaely got out and ran through the emergency entrance, where they found Tuck and several other firefighters either seated in the waiting room or pacing the hallway.
When Tuck saw them, he came over. He gestured toward a spot near the entrance, away from the firefighters waiting for information on their injured comrade.
After introducing himself to Noah, he said, “Don’t know anything yet. Sam disobeyed orders and went into an almost fully engulfed house. Brought out a mother and an infant. Stupid fool may have saved two people but put his own life at risk.”
“Anything on the mother and baby?” Noah asked.
Tuck rubbed his bleary eyes. “Looks like they’re both going to make it. The mother was touch-and-go when they brought her in.” He put his hand down and sighed. “Hopefully, we’ll get the same good news about Sam.” He nodded to them. “I want this guy. I want him badly. Can we talk?”
Kaely nodded. “Of course.”
Tuck looked at his watch. “Let’s go to the hospital cafeteria. It’s just past six. They’re open now.”
Before they had the chance to head toward the cafeteria, a tall blond-haired man came through the entrance doors and walked over to where they stood.
“What’s going on, Tuck?” he asked.
While Tuck filled him in on the fire and Sam’s condition, Kaely watched the man closely. She recognized him from the newspaper. This was Sheriff Brotton.
When there was a pause in the conversation, Tuck turned toward them. “Josh, these are the two FBI agents I told you about. This is Special Agent Kaely Quinn and Special Agent Noah Hunter.”
Kaely extended her hand to the sheriff. At first, she wasn’t sure he was going to take it, but he finally did. Then he shook hands with Noah.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Sheriff,” Kaely said. “I’ve been hoping for a chance to talk to you.”
“I know you’re here because you think we’re incompetent, Agent Quinn, but we’re not. I really don’t think we have anything to discuss.” He turned toward Tuck. “Please keep me updated. I want to know how Sam is doing.” With that, he walke
d back out the way he’d come in.
Kaely looked over at Noah and rolled her eyes. It was clear they wouldn’t be able to rely on help from the sheriff. And that was going to make things much more difficult.
twenty-two
Sorry about that,” Tuck said. “I’m working on him. His nose is still out of joint because of what happened the last time we dealt with the FBI.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Noah said. “But at some point we’ll need his cooperation. We’ve got to work together.”
Tuck nodded. “I know. Josh thinks his department can find this guy on their own. I’ll convince him that they need your help. It just might take a little time.”
“I’m not sure time is something we have a lot of.”
“I agree. Let’s go to the cafeteria. I need coffee. Badly.”
Noah and Kaely followed Tuck down the hall to the cafeteria. Noah was pleasantly surprised. They had a buffet with delicious-looking scrambled eggs, hickory smoked bacon, maple sausages, and light and fluffy biscuits with gravy, for those who liked that kind of thing. Noah was happy with a little butter and strawberry jam on his biscuits. They had that too.
After filling his plate and getting a cup of coffee, he and Kaely sat down with Tuck, who had a plate of biscuits and gravy. The aroma of the gravy made Noah second-guess his opposition to the combination. He glanced over at Kaely’s plate. It figured. A bowl of fresh fruit and a bagel with blueberry cream cheese. He didn’t care. He was starving. He picked up his fork and dug in while he waited for Tuck to open up the conversation. The food was wonderful. Even the coffee was great.
After a few bites of food and a gulp of coffee, Tuck put his cup down. “Who is this guy and how do we catch him?”
Kaely didn’t answer him at first. She just stared at her plate. Then she lifted her eyes and met his. “I have to be honest with you,” she said slowly. “He confuses me.”
Noah almost choked on the piece of sausage he’d stuffed into his mouth. Kaely was confused?