Mystery: Family Ties: Mystery and Suspense

by James Kipling

  “Yeah, it was a real surprise to me too,” the woman agreed and let him take her hand in his and tug her towards the other two men.

  “Let me introduce you to my brother, David, and our neighbor, Ezekiel. Guys, this is Asa, we met yesterday at the pool hall in the city. She really showed some of the guys there how it is done.”

  “Nice to meet you, Miss…” David, Gabriel’s brother said, extending his hand.

  “Clark, Asa Clark,” she said easily, accepting his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

  The other man also offered her his hand and then the two of them excused themselves and walked deeper into the store. Asa and Gabriel were left alone to talk to each other and the man surprised her by asking her to a coffee and turning around without even waiting for an answer.

  “You look very sure of yourself,” the woman said playfully and Gabriel had to stop and kiss her in the middle of the road, not caring who was watching them.

  “Why are you complaining?” He asked, when he let go of her lips. “I thought that we agreed at least on that part of the situation?”

  “You mean that we like each other?”

  “Oh, you have no idea how much I like you,” Gabriel said softly, managing to sound both passionate and gentle.

  “Same here,” Asa added and they walked together into the café. “Tell me about your brother?” Asa asked, when they were seated at a window table and had already ordered their coffee. “He looks a lot like you.”

  Gabriel looked out of the window, as if searching for his brother and Asa could swear that she saw his eyes get darker, as if he was scared. “My brother,” he repeated. “What can I tell you about my brother?”

  Asa could tell that the atmosphere between them had changed. Gabriel was somehow guarded and started to close in on himself, and she didn’t like that. “Look, if you don’t want to speak about him, don’t. I was just curious.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” Gabriel smiled at her, some of his previous warmth returning into his gaze. “My brother is just a very sore subject to me. Since my parents died, he is being everything to me and sometimes I feel trapped by him.”

  “That could be very painful,” Asa agreed with him and waited to see if he was going to talk to her.

  “David is ten years older than me and as you could see, a very rustic type,” Asa smiled at the memory of David’s beard and way of dressing. “He is the best cattle rancher in the area and a very intelligent person, although he only graduated from high school. His idea of happiness is living on the ranch with his family. My brother had never dreamed of something more, and that makes it impossible for him to understand that I may want more from life.”

  “So, this is the reason, why you look so sad, when I asked you about him?” Asa asked him. “I had a similar experience with my mother. She wanted to control every aspect of my life. I fought hard and long to earn the right to make decisions for myself, but after years of struggle, I was able to look her in the eye and say what I wanted.”

  “I can see that you are braver than me,” Gabriel laughed. “Let’s change the subject. Do you have plans for tonight?”

  Before Asa could answer, however, David and his friend, Ezekiel walked pass the coffee shop. Neither of them saw Gabriel and Asa inside it, but Gabriel visibly became uneasy and Asa had to take his hand in hers in order to calm him down.

  Asa watched the two men disappear inside another shop, and paid more attention to Ezekiel, who at the moment was carrying something very heavy in a simple bag. He was probably the same age as David was and had a similar body build. The agent in her immediately wondered what he was carrying in that bag, but Asa made the wise decision not to ask Gabriel about it.

  By that time, Gabriel had recovered and was looking at her expectantly. “So, what do you say? Are you going to come to dinner with me, tonight?”

  “Tonight?” Asa was surprised by his invitation and at first was ready to refuse, but then she remembered the instructions from the headquarters to get closer to the locals and decided that this would be a great chance to be seen with a local man. She really hoped that the Kalispell population would start to open up to her thanks to her friendship with Gabriel. “Okay, I don’t have any plans for tonight. Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry, I meant that I will be happy to have dinner with you.”

  Gabriel laughed at her confused speech and leaned across the table to give her another kiss. “A yes would have sufficed, but your speech was also good.” He teased her and watched Asa became a little red in the cheeks.

  “Where should we meet?” She asked him. “I have to go now.”

  “You surely saw the big cinema sign on the main street, right? At only a few feet from it is situated a small family restaurant, which serves the best food in the area. Meet me there?”

  “Okay, I will meet you there,” she promised and with a final kiss said goodbye for the moment.

  Chapter 14

  Later that same night, Asa dressed with care in a beautiful silk blouse and elegant skirt. She decided to wear her hair loose and even put on some light makeup. Asa took a taxi to the restaurant and arrived just in time. She expected Gabriel to come in a car too, but the man surprised her once again by arriving on horseback. She watched him ride towards her on the back of a beautiful black horse.

  Asa thought her heart skipped a few beats, when she saw him for the first time. He looked magnificent on the back of the horse, dressed in a traditional jacket and a cowboy hat. The man approached her slowly and stopped the horse right in front of her, but Asa didn’t move away. On the contrary, the woman stood her ground even caressed the horse.

  “Now, this was unexpected,” she said to him with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me that you intended to arrive in style? I could have done the same.”

  “You like riding?” Gabriel asked not at all surprised.

  “I am half American Indian, don’t you remember?” Asa asked playfully.

  “Oh, believe me, I remember that,” the man muttered and climbed down from the horse. “I changed my mind about the place, where we are going to have dinner. Do you mind?”

  “No, not at all,” Asa shook her head. “Where are you taking me?”

  “This way, my lady,” Gabriel pointed at a side street and they walked side by side, with the horse following them. After a few feet, Asa was surprised to see a large meadow and people dancing, eating or just walking around. The place was like an oasis in amidst the buildings around it and was obviously used for fairs and country gatherings.

  “What is this?” Asa asked nevertheless and the man laughed.

  “This is the traditional restaurant of Uncle Bobby,” he exclaimed. “You will like it, I am sure of it.”

  Asa didn’t disagree, as she already had thought the same and followed him to a wooden table for two at the far end of the restaurant. “This is the area for those who search intimate settings, and I should warn you against the local chili. Don’t try it.”

  They sat down at the table and the waitress came quickly to serve them. Both of them ordered from the barbeque together with a couple of beers. The horse was taken to a nearby stable.

  “Tell me about the horse?” Asa asked. “It looks like a magnificent animal.”

  “Oh, he is magnificent, you can say so,” the man agreed proudly. “I had him since he was only a year old. You can say that we grew up together.”

  “I always dreamed of having a horse, a dog or even just a cat, but my way of life never gave me the possibility to do so. I am really jealous of you right now.”

  “That must be one of the few perks of living on a cattle ranch,” Gabriel laughed. “Personally, I am just glad that I live and work not too far from town, because all that close contact with nature can be a bit too much sometimes.”

  Asa had the time of her life, having a romantic dinner with Gabriel. She really wanted to get to know him better and the moment seemed perfect for that job. They talked about each other’s dreams and aspiration
s, with Asa learning of his great desire to get out of Montana and see the world and Gabriel finding it funny that Asa wished to see China, by reaching it by sea. The only dark moment in the evening was the fact that Asa didn’t mention that she was an FBI agent. She still wasn’t sure how he would accept the truth and although she never actually spoke about her job to Gabriel, she still felt as if she was lying to him.

  “I am here to reconnect with my Salish Indian roots,” she answered, when he asked about the reasons for her visit in Montana.

  “Then you should come to the Kimble Ranch for a real taste of Montana’s life,” Gabriel invited her, when the evening drew to a close.

  “That will be great,” she agreed. “But, not tomorrow. We could make arrangements for it in a day or so.”

  Asa could see that Gabriel Kimble was a kind-hearted, soft spoken young man who loved his family. He was a cattle rancher carrying on the family business, but he wanted more from life than Kalispell, Montana could offer. He wanted to see the world and embrace its diversity.

  After dinner, Gabriel took Asa to the back of the meadow, where a small stream was running through a beautiful forest. “They try to keep nature as close to town as possible here,” he explained to her. They walked in silence through the woods, following the almost invisible paths, until they reached a secluded place with a bench, placed under the trees.

  With an easy rise of his right hand, Gabriel closed her way out and proceeded to wrap his hand around her waist. “What are you doing?” Asa asked, looking up at him. She was trembling, she was excited, she was waiting for him to touch her, to show her what it meant to be loved by him. But, it was wrong, it was so wrong to do it in the open that it hurt to think about it.

  The man placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and then another one on the exposed skin of her neck. His hands had wormed themselves around her slender body and he was playing with her long hair.

  “Let me go,” Asa asked in a loud whisper. “I don’t think this is the place for this.” She was speaking the words with her mouth, but her body was leaning against him, having a mind of its own.

  “Ha!” Gabriel exclaimed. “I think otherwise.” Not fooled at all by her words.

  “Why are you doing this?” The woman in his arm asked exasperated.

  “Because I hate it when people tell me what to do…”

  “I am not doing that,” she insisted, but the man didn’t answer her that time, or at least not with words. Gabriel turned her slender body in his arms and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. In her surprise, Asa opened her mouth and he used her distraction to enter her mouth. His tongue explored her mouth, drinking from its sweetness, a sweetness he had never tasted before. Asa tried fighting the passion that was once again taking over her logical mind, but the man never gave her the chance to step back.

  Gabriel continued to kiss her, while lifting her skirt and removing her underwear. The soft piece of cloth fell on the ground unnoticed by Asa, whose mind was all clouded by the adrenaline and passion running through her veins. He was moving quickly, not willing to lose any more time.

  In his mind this was a kind of cure, something that was going to free him from his dull life. The man stepped back and lowered himself on the bench, bringing the woman down with him. If Asa was surprised to find herself straddling him, she had no time to show it, because Gabriel started sucking at her breast through the thin silk blouse.

  “Oh,” was all that came out of Asa’s mouth. Gabriel opened his pants and raised her up, so that she could sit on him. This time there wasn’t any pain and Asa closed her eyes, so that she could fully experience the feeling. The man’s erection filled her so beautifully that she couldn’t want anything more.

  Gabriel wanted to undress her completely and explore every inch of her body with his hands and mouth, but this wasn’t the place or the time for that. He had made sure to look around for other couples, but he couldn’t risk Asa’s reputation, if someone came in their direction.

  Asa was lying in his arms, leaving him to do all the work, but Gabriel didn’t mind, on the contrary, it gave him some strange feeling of power to know that he was the one in charge. One of his hands was supporting her left hip, while the other had sneaked under Asa’s skirt and was caressing her burning hot skin, providing more pleasure.

  The woman was touching only his shoulders, as if afraid to ruin his clothes and that thought once again made Gabriel regret the fact of not having more time and privacy. He was feeling at home inside that beautiful woman, who was moaning against his neck and making him forget all the problems in the world. With a soft cry, Asa reached her orgasm and Gabriel waited for her to relax a little, before making a dozen more trusts and coming himself.

  “We keep meeting and having sex,” Asa heard the man speaking against her ear.

  “Someone might come in…” Asa suddenly remembered and tried to get up, but Gabriel was holding her down with both of his hands, not allowing her to move even an inch.

  “I saw no one on the way here,” Gabriel informed her calmly. “Now, tell me what are you thinking?”

  “About what?”

  “About what happened two days ago and is happening right now.”

  “What am I supposed to think? We had sex,” Asa said softly.

  “Just sex, Asa,” Gabriel corrected her softly.

  “Why, what would you call it?” Asa said and finally lifted her head to look at him. The sudden movement not only put them eye to eye, but reminded both of them that they were still connected in the most intimate of ways. “God!” She muttered and felt the heat rise in her face.

  “What we had is special, Asa, you have to believe me,” Gabriel smiled at her discomfort and adjusted their position, so that he could slide even deeper inside her. “I know that you don’t see it, but not many people can say that they had had what we had right now.”

  “Really?” Asa asked again and couldn’t suppress a deep moan, caused by Gabriel’s movements inside her. “I think I believe you, as not many people have sex in the forest.”

  Something moved in the forest behind Asa and interrupted their laughter. Both Asa and Gabriel let out a deep breath and carefully dislocated. The woman turned her back to the man and tried to adjust her clothes and put back her underwear without showing too much. Gabriel, however, had none of her problems and adjusted his pants right in front of her. When they were both dressed and looking presentable, Gabriel approached her and carefully redid one of the buttons of her shirt. The action put his hand right over Asa’s left breast, which was still wet from his own kisses.

  “You are an extraordinary woman, Asa. Never forget that,” were Gabriel’s last words, before helping her up.

  Chapter 15

  Gabriel called her the next day and they arranged for Asa to drive to the Kimble’s ranch the following weekend to meet with him and his family. Asa was feeling a bit uneasy about not telling him the whole truth about herself, but she also realized that it could be very hard for Gabriel and his family to accept her as an FBI agent, especially before getting to know her better. The young woman wanted to convince herself that that was the only reason why she didn’t tell him, but at the back of her mind, there was still the nagging feeling that she also had other reasons.

  So, when on Sunday, agent Asa Clark drove to the Kimble ranch, she was both excited of meeting Gabriel and worried about what she might find there. The man had given her more than any other man had ever done, but Asa still wasn’t sure about her real feelings for the man.

  The trip to the ranch wasn’t long enough for her to have time to find an answer to all the questions that were bothering her. Asa enjoyed the ride and if it wasn’t for her tortured mind, she might even say that she was happy. The vast meadows, the green woods, the beautiful scenery were all reminding her of her childhood and the time she spent with her mother’s tribe.

  The FBI agent was surprised to see how big the Kimble ranch was and had to take a deep breath, before climbing down from the car. She
had left behind all signs that she was an FBI agent and was dressed in a comfortable long skirt and a cotton red shirt. A good pair of boots was complementing her attire and Asa really hoped that she would make a good first impression.

  She walked towards the main building, looking around, but seeing no one, until an old man opened the door and walked outside. Asa froze and watched him bring the rifle he was carrying up, pointing it at her.

  “Grandpa, grandpa,” it was Gabriel calling from one of the buildings on Asa’s left and running towards them. “This is Asa. I told you about her coming here this morning.”

  The young man ran over the porch steps and took the old rifle from the older man’s hands. “You really don’t need this.” Gabriel said calmly and put the rifle down beside the door. Asa could tell that the old man still wasn’t convinced, but didn’t make an attempt to protest.

  “Asa,” Gabriel turned towards her laughing. “Let me introduce you to my grandpa Joe. Grandpa, this is Asa.”

  The young woman could see how hard it was for the old man to let the younger man treat him like that, but he kept his mouth shut about it. “Nice to meet you, young lady,” he finally said. “And I am sorry for the old girl here,” he pointed at the rifle. “It is never safe to meet new people.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kimble,” Asa smiled at him and walked up the stairs. “You have a really nice home, here.”

  “Call me, Grandpa Joe,” the old man said. “Everybody is calling me that.”

  “Okay, Grandpa Joe, you can call me, Asa,” the young woman said. “Thank you for inviting me here.” She found Grandpa Joe to be quite adorable and put her hands up. “By the way, mister, I am here to see your grandson, Gabriel.”

  The man in question watched the scene with amusement and let them play along. Grandpa Joe took the hint and pointed at her warningly. “You make sure to take good care of my grandson or else.”