“Good thinkin’ Batman,” he told her. “Tomorrow, we’ll get the whole lot out on a map and see where they hadn’t been before, and who knows, maybe the soil will match up with those areas or something.”
“Thanks,” Asa said, and stood up to go. “I think I need to crash and start out fresh in the morning. I’ll buy the coffees the next time.” They separated outside the diner and went to their separate cars. Asa realized at some point that she was really very tired.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Asa opened her eyes to a white ceiling. The now familiar noises of the town around her coupled with the warmth of the bed made her feel secure, and she was in that lovely comfortable sleepy place that makes you want to stay in bed all day. She shifted a bit and allowed herself another ten minutes, watching as the sun painted the room in beautiful shadows. Her body ached from the long hours yesterday, but she eventually made the move to start the day. It took her almost half an hour to get ready for the day and get settled for a cup of coffee in the local cafe. This place was a long way from home, but Asa was used to living this way and wasn’t complaining.
The ringing of her phone gave her a start and almost made her spill her coffee. She quickly took the offending object out of her pocket and looked to see who was calling. The caller ID revealed that it was Deputy Director Shepherd on the phone.
“Shit!” she exclaimed, and put down her cup, preparing for a hard conversation with her boss.
“Agent Clark,” she answered, grateful that her voice sounded normal again.
“Agent Clark,” the woman on the other end of the line repeated. “You were supposed to call me yesterday. How is it that I had to learn that the car of the missing agents had been found from someone other than you?”
“Yes Sir,” Asa agreed. “I’m sorry. I was trying to set the operation in motion, and was hoping to have more to report. What I have is damn little at this point. The car of the two agents was found, but so far it has given us no clues about what happened. I visited the site where the car was dumped, but was only able to retrieve the print of a horse hoof, which could be completely unrelated to the case. I left the pedals for soil analysis and the lab people seem to be efficient.”
Agent Clark was speaking fast and straight to the point, not leaving the Deputy Director the time to add something or ask questions. She described the situation in the Montana field office, adding how helpful they had been.
“Thank you for the briefing, Agent Clark. See to it that next time, you are the one making the call,” the director instructed. “I am not sure what you think ranch life and small towns are like, but ranches and farms these days depend on the digital world, there is a community college and an extension of Montana State U. in Kalispell, and they do have such modern conveniences as phones that could be tapped.” The Director was firing on all cylinders. “Any sign of the agents or their bodies?”
“Nothing, we have found no evidence that they have been killed,” Asa answered. “However, any hopes of finding them alive that I may have harbored are quickly starting to disappear.”
“My suggestion is to try and blend in more with the locals, so that you can use them as a resource,” Asa’s boss suggested. “Now that you have seen the reports, examined the car and processed the site, you should start working the trail.”
Asa agreed and listened to her instructions for another ten minutes. The Deputy Director was very interested in the outcome of the case and insisted that Clark call her every day with an update. Once the call was over, Asa ate some toast and headed out. Despite the lack of clues, there was much to be done. First, she went by the FBI office and checked to see if the results from the hoof prints and the pedals were ready. Ann assured her that she would call if they came in and Asa walked back out, ready for the next step of her plan.
Deputy Director Josie Shepherd, in her overly professional and commanding tone, had given her the boost in confidence she needed to approach the local people and talk to them for information. Shepherd had used her position and authority to make sure that Agent Clark would pull out all the stops. She usually found that it worked to be dominant and give directives. She knew that Clark was good and she would check over all of the present information and set out to talk to the locals. She fully expected to have more information before the end of the day.
Chapter 11
Later in the evening, Asa headed down to one of the pool halls in the town. She had left her FBI badge behind and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans, a silk top and a jacket that made her look sophisticated, but not easy.
For the first time since she had arrived in town, Asa left her hair down and put on some make up.
The receptionist had given her directions to the pool hall, assuring her that this was the best place to meet the locals. Asa decided to do just that. She was going to make some friends there tonight!
The pool hall was exactly what she expected and Asa quickly found her way to the bar and ordered a beer. The place was filled with people who were shooting pool, drinking, and talking. She approached two of the groups and both welcomed her.
Asa didn’t lose her courage and did the next logical thing, she started playing pool. She easily found a small group that accepted her request to join them and in no time, was beating them. Asa had learned how to play pool from an old friend in college and still remembered a few tricks. The locals continued to warm up to her and soon Asa had made a few friends.
“Come on, Asa,” Lilly Huston was shouting at her. “You have to tell us, how do you do it? I have never seen a woman beat my Rich at pool.”
Asa laughed at her enthusiasm and leaned over the pool table to give her final shot. Rich was completely defeated.
“Oh, sorry Lilly, but my secrets are my own. If I tell you, I will lose half of my advantage.”
The rest of the people around the table laughed and Asa relaxed a little, feeling like maybe she could fit in. “I am going to get another beer,” she told them after a while and headed over to the bar.
That was when she met him.
The man was standing alone at the bar, drinking beer and looking lost in his thoughts. He was maybe six feet tall, with dark blond hair and deep gray eyes. Asa’s professional eye placed his age somewhere between thirty and thirty-five, while his clothes immediately spoke of a rancher or a farmer.
She leaned against the bar, just beside him, and the young man turned to look at her with a friendly smile on his lips. The moment their eyes met, there was an instant attraction between them and Asa could tell it was mutual.
“Gabriel Kimble,” the man offered a hand to her, never breaking eye contact.
“Asa Clark,” she answered, accepting his hand.
“I saw you beating Rich Hall on the table,” he continued, letting her hand go slowly.
“Yeah, that was a sight all right,” Asa agreed seriously, and ordered a beer from the bartender. “Can I buy you another one?”
“Isn’t it my job to offer you a drink?”
“Uh-oh… everybody around here think women should cook the bacon instead of bring it home, or just you?” she threw right back at him.
“No ma’am, you got me all wrong. I’m just not used to seeing a woman who wants to pay, that is something else,” The man laughed, then took the offered beer, making a show of drinking from it. “Thank you. Man, I really needed that.”
“Are you from around here?” Asa asked easily, already feeling comfortable around the man.
“Yes and no,” Gabriel answered. “I live on a ranch a few miles from the city, but for tonight I am staying at a hotel.”
“That sounds interesting,” the woman commented. “Is it a cattle ranch? I always wanted to see one.”
“Consider yourself always invited to the Kimble Ranch,” the man said gallantly. “Just be open-minded and don’t expect too much.”
“Have you always lived there? I'm not sure I would be able to live my whole life in one place.”<
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“Me too,” Gabriel Kimble agreed. “I’ve always dreamed of seeing the world, finding love, and having a greater destiny than a cattle ranch.”
“Oh, such big dreams. It’s going to take some time to fulfill them all. You better start right away!”
“If only it was so easy.” The man shook his head. “But, maybe if I found the right woman, I would be able to man up and go against the very strong will of my older brother.”
“One of those. I know the feeling.”
After that, things went quickly. Gabriel invited her to his motel room and Asa was unable to say no. The room was typical… clean and tidy. Asa could say that the man hadn’t spent too much time in here. With a dull, heavy thud, Gabriel shoved her against the door, leaning against her and claiming her lips in a passionate kiss.
At first, Asa thought she should protest, but the words caught in her throat when their lips locked together and the man pushed her jacket off her shoulders. The door clicked shut behind them, and their ragged panting was loud in the silence of the room. Outside cars were honking and tires were screeching and street sounds continued, but both were oblivious to anything but each other.
Asa's eyes were shut and she blocked everything else out, including the sounds of motel guests in the hall. Instead she held Gabriel’s head, her hands curled tightly in his hair as he kissed her. His hands had vanished under her top, caressing her naked skin. Asa made an impatient sound, enjoying his hands on her body and wanting more. Gabriel ran his hands over her, caressing her belly, squeezing her bottom and slowly raising her top up to her armpits. He was trying to undress her without putting any distance between their bodies, and that made Asa smile against his lips.
“Let me help you,” she murmured softly, when his lips descended to her neck. She pushed him gently away and slowly raised her arms up, so he could remove her top. Gabriel smiled at her and used the position to remove his own jacket and shirt, showing his muscular chest and shoulders. “You are beautiful,” she whispered and the man laughed, stepping back and tugging her with him.
“Never tell a man he is beautiful,” he said playfully, while removing her jeans and doing the same with his own. “We are either ruggedly handsome or hot, but never beautiful.”
“You continue to tell yourself that, if it makes you feel better,” Asa answered him as she let him lay her down on the bed.
Chapter 12
The next day, Asa woke up late in the morning, feeling happy and content. The night with Gabriel had gone better than she had expected and she hadn't returned to her own hotel until the early hours of the day.
They were both breathing hard and Asa felt as if she was going to explode from the adrenaline racing through her blood. Their kiss started slowly, with the man nipping at her lips and tracing them with his own. Gabriel used his tongue, silently asking to be let in. Asa opened her lips and Gabriel dove in, devouring her mouth and examining every part of it. They both moaned at the wonderful sensations and Asa felt the radiant heat coming off of his body warming her own.
Gabriel had undressed them both, allowing Asa to get under the covers before removing the last piece of cloth from her body. Asa avoided looking at him while he undressed, and when his hot body slipped beside her in the bed, she weaved her limbs around him. He turned them around so that he was on top and carefully opened her legs, situating himself between them.
That time the sensation for both of them was different and Asa felt she could rightly call it love making and not just sex. Gabriel was showing her respect and affection, and although neither of them said the words, there were feelings, hidden behind every caress and kiss they shared.
Asa suddenly realized she was day dreaming again and cursed under her breath. She really needed to get up and ready and get to work. She was already late as it was. Getting up quickly, she washed and dressed in a gray suit and black shirt, pulling her hair back into a severe bun. She was almost ready to leave the hotel room when her phone rang, and she hurried to answer it.
“Agent Clark,” she said into the phone.
“Gibson here,” Todd spoke through the phone. “The results from the horseshoe came in. You need to get over here.”
“On my way,” Asa replied and closed the phone. So, she was back in the game. Sparing one last glance at the room, Asa once again went back to Gabriel’s motel room.
There was something magical in the way his lips covered hers and possessed her whole being. She could say it was easy to resist him, but she would be lying to herself. His hands held her close and Asa could feel her heat rising. As her mind knew she should slow things down, her body had other ideas.
When he lifted his head to look into her eyes, Asa let him go and took a few steps back. Gabriel followed, trying to claim her lips again.
‘Stop this now… we need to talk…’she pleaded with him, but the man cornered her against the wall and kissed her again.
This time the kiss went deeper, as his tongue entered her mouth and began to explore it. Asa felt his hands wander over her back, her buttocks, her thighs… as if he was trying to memorize every curve of her body.
Asa arrived at the FBI field office half an hour later. Ann had greeted her with a smile and a few of the others agents did the same, but Asa had no time to lose, and almost ran to Gibson’s office. Agent Gibson was waiting for her and even stood up to welcome her.
“We have the results from the horseshoe analysis,” he said with urgency in his voice. “The mark is consistent with a single shoemaker from Polson, Montana… near the Flathead Indian Reservation.”
“That is great news,” Asa replied. “Finally, a lead.”
“We need to go and check it out,” Gibson said, handing her the report to go through.
“Yeah, yeah,” Asa said, too taken with the report to pay any attention to the man in the room. She was especially glad to have something to take her mind off the previous night and the man, who had so quickly taken over her thoughts.
Gibson watched her reading the report, moving to the door without even lifting her gaze from the paper.
“We’ll take my car!” he told her as he closed door behind them.
Chapter 13
The agents arrived at a small town near Flathead Lake, Polson, just before lunch time and decided to get a bite to eat before meeting with the farrier who had made the horseshoe in question. They went into the first diner she saw on the way. Asa ordered a chicken salad with an ice tea, while Todd had a hamburger, fries, and a soda. They ate quickly and avoided unnecessary interaction with the locals.
Their meal finished, they loaded up and Asa drove to the feed store, which was the storefront for the barn, feed store, blacksmith shop and farrier. As they got out and looked around, Asa quickly realized she shouldn't have dressed in her suit for this trip. It screamed FBI, but it was too late now.
She walked around to the forge in the back and quickly found the stout-bellied farrier bent over a table and cleaning a horse shoe with a sharp instrument. Todd let Asa take the lead. A woman can often get a lot more out of a guy than another man can.
“Mr. Thomson?” she asked politely, and waited for the man to turn around. He was around fifty years old, with salt and pepper hair and a large moustache that made him look older.
“Yeah, that's me,” he said, and started cleaning his hands with a rag. “How can I help you?”
“I am Agent Asa Clark with the FBI. This is Agent Gibson.” She showed him her badge and walked closer. “We’re here to ask you to look at some prints left by a horse.”
The man looked at the pictures and compared them to the horseshoe in his hands.
“You are right about this being my work. That’s definitely my mark. But I can’t distinctively say who it belongs to. I sell a lot of these to ranches throughout Montana and even a few to neighboring states.”
“Can you give me a list of the ranches who have bought them?” Agent Clark asked, hoping for some other lead.
“Yes, I can probably do that, at least a partial list, but I’m not sure it will help you. A lot of these are purchased by wholesalers and stores. I sell very few of them direct,” the man commented.
Asa thought about what he had said and saw the truth behind his words. “Thank you, anyway, Mr. Thomson. If you remember something, please don’t hesitate to contact me,” she added, and gave him a card with her phone number on it.
Mr. Thomson accepted the card, left the work he was doing and fired up a computer instead. He found and ran off a list of buyers, promising to call if something came to mind, but doubted that he would be of any help. She took the proffered list and thanked the man. She walked out of the barn, pondering her next move when a familiar face caught her attention. Gibson was still talking to the farrier.
At the feed store, which was situated just in front of the forge, she recognized Gabriel Kimble talking to two other men. She debated the wisdom of speaking to him. Although her mind was urging her to go, her heart wanted other things. Making it look like an accidental meeting, Asa walked towards Gabriel and his friends.
“Asa,” he exclaimed, with a happy smile on his lips as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. She felt as if last night was replaying in front of her eyes and smiled back at him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. And here of all places?”
“Yeah, it was a real surprise to me, too,” The woman agreed and let him take her hand in his and turn 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's done.”
Family Ties Mystery Series Box Set Page 4
