Agent by Her Side

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  The deer had bristled, heads turning in their direction, ears lifted as they measured the degree of danger to them. A few were skittish, eyes watching them cautiously. Neither Kiely nor Cooper moved, so mesmerized by the moment that they had almost forgotten why they were standing outside in the middle of the night, oblivious to everything, even the chill in the air. Almost, but not quite, acutely aware that they weren’t out of the woods and a potential threat to their lives was still very real.

  Finding nothing significant after one final sweep of the property, Cooper slowly slid his weapon into the waistband of his pants. Kiely did the same thing. She held her breath when a small fawn brushed past her leg, curiosity larger than its fear. It was eerie to have them inch as close as they came, curious to know if the two were friend or foe. Kiely reached for Cooper’s hand and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her as they stood in awe of the moment.

  Chapter 13

  The next morning as they sat over a breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice and egg casserole, Kiely said, “You were up early. Is everything okay?”

  Cooper swallowed the bite of toast he’d just taken. “After last night I wanted to touch base with the backup team. Another agent and I took a walk around the property just to be safe.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  He shook his head. “No. It was clear. Even the deer were gone.”

  Kiely blew a soft sigh. “Do you believe in God?” she asked, the question coming out of the blue.

  Cooper nodded his head. “I do. I consider myself very spiritual, but it’s been some time since I last went to church.”

  “Define some time.”

  “Sara’s funeral was the last time the pastor saw me.”

  Kiely nodded. “I was just thinking that there was something very spiritual about our experience last night. Like God walked us into an inspiring moment to show us something magnificent.”

  Cooper sat back in his seat. He nodded. “I wish Alfie could have experienced that with us. If they come back we should wake him up.”

  “It really was spectacular. Standing there in your arms, watching them, felt so calming. I almost cried.”

  “Baby! Aww!”

  “Almost. Don’t get sappy on me, Cooper Winston.”

  “We were just having a moment and you ruined it.”

  Kiely laughed. “Your daddy has jokes, Alfie!”

  Alfie giggled. “You funny, Dad-dy!”

  Cooper tossed up his hands. “It looks like I am never going to win with you two.”

  “Nope!”

  “What’s on your agenda today?”

  “Laundry. I’ve run out of underwear.”

  “It’s not like you really need them,” Cooper said, his voice dropping to a loud whisper.

  “So have you,” Kiely added.

  He blinked. “I can see where that might be a problem for us.”

  “What do you have to do today?”

  “I need to figure out how much longer we’re going to be here.”

  “I was actually going to ask you that. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve enjoyed our time.”

  “I really do need to get back to work, and I imagine you want to do the same thing.”

  Kiely rose from her seat and reached for the dirty dishes to clear away the table. Although she had thought about their return, she hadn’t truly been interested in committing to any particular day or time. “No,” she finally said. “I really could care less about returning to the job. Obviously, I want to solve this case so my foster brother Brody can come home, but I’m not invested in the rest of it.”

  “How is your brother going to feel about that?”

  “It’s not my brother’s life.”

  Cooper stole a quick glance down to his wristwatch. “Let’s put this conversation on hold until later. I have a conference call in thirty minutes and I need to go prepare.” He stood up from the table and leaned to kiss her lips. Alfie, who was playing with his cereal, picking out the marshmallows to eat first, gave him a wave.

  The video chat to Cooper began as scheduled. When he answered, the mayor’s secretary announced the call and connected them. The mayor, Grand Rapids Police Chief Andrew Fox, Lieutenant Tripp McKellar and Detective Emmanuel Iglesias had all been patched through.

  “Everybody know each other?” the mayor queried.

  A collective round of yeas responded.

  “Good, then I can dispense with the pleasantries,” he snapped. “Where are we with this case? I’ve got people dying, the press is up my ass, and you all have no answers! Someone tell me something!”

  Cooper chimed in first. “The FBI has gotten a few credible tips pointing us in the direction of Landon Street and Wes Matthews. Thus far they’ve continued to be one step ahead of us. The FBI continues to be committed to bringing them to justice.”

  “That just sounds like a load of double talk to me,” the mayor said. “I need results!”

  Police Chief Fox added his two cents. “I’ve got my best men and women on the case. We’ll get these guys.”

  “We’ll get these guys. We’ll get these guys,” the mayor said mockingly. “I’m tired of hearing we’re going to get these guys and these guys are still out here killing people.”

  “I understand your frustration, Mayor,” Cooper interjected. “We’re equally frustrated. But I assure you, we are all giving a hundred and ten percent. There are a lot of players tied to this debacle and each of them have their own agenda which has made bringing them down difficult. But we’re proud to say that we’ve arrested one of the Capital X henchmen and he named all of his associates. We know who was behind Capital X and we have him on our radar. I believe his arrest is imminent.”

  “Is that something we can announce to the media? We need to give them something!”

  “I can have our communications person write up a statement for you, sir.”

  “Get this done,” the mayor snapped one last time. “Or I’ll replace the whole damn lot of you!”

  Cooper disconnected the call, his frustration palpable. Had the investigation been that easy, they would’ve been finished by now. The mayor didn’t seem to understand that the criminals who didn’t want to get caught were hampering him getting the results he wanted.

  The rest of the day was nondescript. Cooper spent most of it on the lower level of the home working while Kiely sorted clothes and kept Alfie entertained. When he finally emerged from the dungeon, the two were playing a game of Simon Says. Alfie was having a hard time grasping the mechanics of the game, but his enthusiasm made up for his lack of skill.

  He moved to the kitchen hoping to sneak a bite of ice cream and leftover cake before dinner. He wasn’t surprised to find the cake missing and barely enough ice cream left to fill an eight-ounce cup.

  “Really, Kiely? You ate the cheesecake?”

  She laughed. “What makes you think I ate it?”

  “It’s just you and me, babe, and I didn’t eat it.”

  “Alfie, who ate the cake?” Kiely questioned.

  “Simon!” He threw up his hands with a loud cheer.

  “Simon who?” Cooper questioned.

  “Simon Says!”

  Kiely laughed. “Dinner’s almost ready, Cooper. And I made brownies for dessert.”

  “Brownies with those little chocolate chips?”

  “Lots of chocolate chips.”

  “As long as I get the last one I’ll forgive you for eating the cheesecake,” Cooper said.

  Kiely laughed again. “I did not eat the cheesecake!”

  “Then who ate the cheesecake, Kiely? Did the deer sneak in and eat the cheesecake?”

  “No, smart-ass! I hid the cheesecake so you could have the last slice. It’s in the plastic container on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Now say sorry.” />
  Cooper gave her a slight bow. “Okay, I might’ve stepped in that one. I’m sorry, Kiely. Thank you.”

  Laughter echoed around the room. As Cooper went for the cake, Kiely moved into the kitchen to finish the dinner preparations. She and Cooper traded a quick kiss as Alfie continued to run and play, making up his own game of hide-and-seek and Simon Says. The table was set and Kiely was waiting for the pot of water on the stove to boil to cook the pasta for their spaghetti dinner.

  Suddenly an explosion shattered the sliding glass doors leading from the family room out to the rear deck. It knocked Kiely off her feet and she narrowly missed fracturing her head on the edge of the marble counter. Cooper held tight to an upper shelf in the pantry as the room vibrated, soup cans sliding onto the floor.

  Kiely screamed. “Alfie! Alfie!” The little boy was nowhere to be seen. Kiely raced to the back bedrooms calling his name. She and Cooper met back in the living room. “I can’t find Alfie.”

  “He was just here!” Cooper exclaimed. “Where did he go?”

  “He’s probably hiding,” Kiely said. “He wanted to play hide-and-seek. I’ll check the laundry basket,” she said.

  She raced back to the laundry room and when she didn’t find Alfie there, she ran back. As she moved into the space Cooper stood frozen, staring toward the shattered glass door. Her gaze shifted to where he stared, her eyes widening. Meghan Otis, the RevitaYou-taking selfie queen, stood amidst the debris of glass, metal fragments and wood slivers, pointing a gun at him. When she saw Kiely, she shifted the muzzle from him to her and back again.

  She was taller than Kiely had imagined. Her body shape was athletic and she wore biker leathers; black pants, thick-heeled boots and a jacket.

  “Both of you, sit down,” she said calmly.

  “Who are you?” Cooper questioned, though Kiely knew he already knew the answer. He and Kiely had seen numerous photos of her and he had stalked her social media accounts until he thought he knew her well. Meghan Otis, however, had finally caught up with them and now he had to get her talking.

  Meghan didn’t answer his question, saying instead, “I warned you, Agent! I told you to leave Wes Matthews alone. It really didn’t have to be like this!” Meghan stepped back, to peer outside. It was almost as if she were waiting for someone. She turned back to them just as quickly.

  The large automatic weapon in her hands was intimidating. Both Kiely and Cooper were unnerved by how calm she was, speaking as if she were only talking about the weather and her latest Pilates class. Cooper suddenly gave Kiely a slight nod and gestured with his eyes toward the storage ottoman. Kiely realized the top was moving ever so slightly and she knew Alfie was hiding inside. She suddenly needed their baby boy to not move. To stay safe from the madwoman with the large gun who’d already kidnapped him once before. She started talking out loud, trying to keep her voice calm. “I’m counting,” she said. “Kiely’s counting. One, two, three, four...”

  The other woman turned to stare at her. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits and she frowned. “What are you doing? I told you to sit down and shut up!”

  Kiely didn’t respond, eyeing the woman cautiously. “What do you want?” she finally questioned.

  She pointed the gun back at Cooper. “I told him. I told him to leave Wes alone. I told him and he wouldn’t listen. I told him. Now, you all are going to have to pay. Where’s the kid?”

  * * *

  “Meghan, why don’t we talk about this?” Cooper said, his tone equally as calm.

  “No!” the woman snapped. She began pacing the floor, muttering under her breath. “I told you what to do. I told you! Now look what you made me do,” she ranted. Her voice rose and fell from a yell to a whisper. Meghan Otis appeared to be coming unhinged right before their eyes.

  Cooper shot Kiely another look, the top to the ottoman beginning to quiver a second time. “Still counting,” Kiely said. “Six, seven, eight...”

  Meghan suddenly stopped staring directly at Kiely, turning her attention back to Cooper. “I said, where is he?”

  “Where is who?”

  “The little boy.”

  “What do you want, Meghan? How can we help you?” Cooper asked, trying to shift her focus again.

  “I told you how to help me. I told you to leave Wes alone.”

  “You’re in love with Wes, aren’t you?” Kiely questioned. “Did he hurt you, Meghan?”

  Megan stopped pacing once again, turning to stare at Kiely. “Yes, I do love him. And he loves me. Everything was perfect. We were so good together. We were making money. Living well.” She shook the gun at Cooper. “And then he had to go and mess everything up!”

  “How did he do that?” Kiely questioned. “How did Agent Winston mess things up?”

  Meghan sighed, seeming relieved to be able to tell someone her story. To make sure they knew what had gotten her there and how she had found herself in the predicament she was in.

  She began to talk. “Wes and I met at the bank where I used to work. I was a teller and he would come to my window and flirt with me. It was love at first sight.” Meghan smiled at the memories. “One day he invited me to lunch. He was such a romantic! When he found out I’d recently come into some lottery money, he offered me the opportunity to invest in his business. Wes was quite the businessman!” Meghan exclaimed. “And the product was amazing! I used it myself and it worked wonders. I looked years younger. My skin was vibrant and the wrinkles practically faded overnight. My hair grew in thicker and I had the energy level of a woman half my age. In fact, I was able to drop twenty-five pounds that Wes thought I needed to lose. The weight just fell off! It was as if time turned back ten years.”

  “So, yeah,” she continued, “I invested. Who wouldn’t invest in something that was going to revolutionize the wellness industry! Sales were spectacular and then Wes asked me to partner with him. He said I was his good luck charm. I became his golden girl, recruiting others to come in and invest as well. The media keeps saying Wes scammed people out of their money, but he didn’t do that. I made all my money back and then some. And I wasn’t the only one.”

  Cooper shook his head. “Wes paid you back with the money he took from the investors who came after you, Meghan.”

  “No, he didn’t,” she snapped. “RevitaYou was doing well. The company was making tons of money. You don’t know! I saw the books. I was there helping Wes build the brand.” She stepped closer, shaking the gun in Cooper’s face for emphasis.

  She took a step back, inhaling deeply to calm her rage. She narrowed her gaze on Cooper. “You did that press conference. You called Wes a con man and a thief. You lied and told people the product was tainted. I’m proof there’s nothing wrong with the product! Then you said you were going to bring Wes down and I couldn’t let that happen. I have to protect Wes, no matter what it takes.”

  “So, you kidnapped my son.”

  “He was going to be my insurance policy. But then...” She hesitated, falling into thought. She began to slap the side of her leg with the gun, her frustration rising with a vengeance.

  “I’m sorry,” Cooper said.

  “You’re sorry!” Meghan spun toward the door and back to him a second time. “You’re sorry? If you had been sorry you would have stopped. You got lucky when you rescued your kid and you didn’t die when I shot you. But instead of walking away, you kept digging.”

  “So, you set those bombs off at my house?”

  “I sent you a message,” she snapped. She moved back to the door.

  “Who made the bombs for you, Meghan?” Cooper questioned.

  The woman gave him a look that spoke volumes, her disdain for him so intense that if looks could have killed, Cooper would have died a thousand deaths. “You can learn anything you want to learn with the internet,” she quipped. She turned back to peer outside.

  Cooper shot Kiely another look. Alfie ha
d slid the ottoman top over enough to peek out. He stared at them, his eyes locked on Kiely’s face. Kiely was smiling. She shook her head no and pulled her index finger to her lips for him to be quiet.

  “Good boys do what they’re told, right, Meghan,” Kiely said loudly. “Good boys sit quiet as mice. Cooper, you need to be a good boy like Alfie. Alfie’s a very good boy.”

  “Why are you talking?” Meghan yelled. “I told you to shut up!”

  Alfie appeared to settle himself lower in the storage bin and Kiely knew the woman yelling had frightened him.

  “Where’s that kid? I’m not going to ask you again,” she screamed, stomping back to stand in front of Cooper.

  “Why do you want my son?” Cooper asked. “He doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “You don’t deserve him. You deserve to die. He’s going to need someone to take care of him when that happens. I’ve been a good mother. I have a son. My Neil used to be such a sweet little boy. He turned eighteen and now he’s worthless like his father. He says I’m crazy. He was supposed to help me. Now I can’t even trust him. He tried to turn Wes in, you know! He called your office telling you where Wes was. I can’t believe he would do that to me. I was a good mother and Wes never did anything to him! He’s been trying to keep me and Wes apart since day one. Neil’s just jealous.”

  Meghan seemed to fall into thought reflecting on her child. Cooper realized it was her son Neil who had called in the tip that had led them to the property where she had been holding Alfie.

  “You don’t have to do this, Meghan,” Cooper said. He moved as if to stand up, holding both his hands high as if he were surrendering. “Just turn yourself in.”

  “Sit down,” Meghan hissed. She turned the gun toward Kiely. “Or I will kill her.”

  Cooper eased back into his seat. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the cavalry would be coming. He knew the explosion had triggered his team and they were already circling the property. They just needed to keep her talking. “How did you find us?” he asked.