by Lisa D Jones
For me, the bottom line was that I needed to work. That was the only thing that would truly distract me right now. Todd knew it. Nate knew it. We all knew it. Hell, even Agent Loughlin knew it.
The only person who didn’t seem to be in tune with this concept was Howard Rhodes. The whole time I was in Todd’s office, that idiot had been blowing up my phone trying to set up a private meeting for ‘just the two of us’.
My gut wrenches into a pretzel every time I hear his sniveling, irritating voice. UGH! I cannot stand that man! I swear, sometimes I really think that man is smoking crack.
Agent Loughlin and his cronies have been assigned to us for “babysitting duty”. In other words, their current assignment is not only to help find the psycho that’s killing random people in my name but also to make sure that no one kills me and/or my friends and chops us up into little, tiny, bite-sized pieces.
I’m not really sure which is worse: being stalked by a murderous psychotic freak or being forced to hang out with the dumbass rookie agent. I’m sure I’d feel better if I could taser him just once (okay more than once - a lot more than once), but I don’t feel like going to prison for assaulting a federal officer. At least not today. Maybe Tomorrow. I guess it depends on how much he annoys me between now and then. So far, it’s not looking too great for the rookie.
When we got back to my office, Agent Loughlin insisted on going in first to check everything out while the rookie and another agent stood in the lobby with me, Jessica, Keith, and Claudia. Loughlin went in with gun drawn, carefully and thoroughly going through each room before giving us the all clear.
The rookie led us in while the other agent followed behind with his back to us. He didn’t want to take the chance on anyone sneaking up behind us.
The office phone rang as soon as we were inside, which scared the hell out of all of us. It was Rhodes. UGH!!!
“Go ahead and answer it”, I said in disgust. “Let’s get it over with.”
After several “yes” and “uh huh” answers, Claudia hung up the phone. She was as irritated by him as I was, every…single…time.
“Rhodes will be here within the hour”, sighed Claudia.
“Dammit”, I snarled. “What does he want now?”
“He wouldn’t say”, sighed Claudia.
Sigh. I really don’t like that man. On a side note, I do sincerely hope that he gives me a reason to hit him with the taser again. I’m pretty sure it would make my year. Hell, I’m pretty sure it would make everyone’s year. It doesn’t even have to be justified. In reality, the fact that he’s still breathing the same air as the rest of us would be reason enough for me.
I knew Rhodes would show up and try to ruin the rest of my day. Until that happened, I was determined not to think about how much I hated him. Although, dreaming up ways to make him physically suffer does tend to put a huge smile on my face. It’s still the little things in life that amuse me the most.
I started flipping through the case files that Todd had just given me. Surely there’s something in this stack that will make me stop fantasizing about stabbing Howard in the eye with an antique quill pen that has just a little bit of anthrax powder embedded into the finely sharpened point.
The first of the new cases was for Charlotte Landau. She thinks her husband is having an affair. She didn’t really have a problem with it at first until she found out it was with another man. She told her husband to end it and he claims he did, but she doesn’t believe him. He’s lied before about affairs. It’s a bit irritating that people give their spouses a reason not to trust them. I’m not complaining (much) since these people are, for the most part, my bread and butter. It just makes me not like people in general.
“I need coffee”, I said. “C’mon, rookie. The best coffee is just a few doors down.”
“Me? You mean you don’t want Agent Loughlin to go with you?”
“You are learning. I appreciate the sarcasm. I really do, but I slept like shit last night and pretty much every night since that torso was found in my yard. With Rhodes being here soon, I need all the caffeine I can get because without it, I’m likely to kill him and enjoy every minute of it”, I said. Hmm. Maybe I should avoid the caffeine and just enjoy it. Sigh. Never mind. I don’t want to go to prison. I prefer men and I don’t look good in orange. “Besides, I trust Loughlin more with the safety of my people than I trust you.”
“And yet you want me to go with you.”
“Well yeah, someone’s got to carry all that coffee and it’s sure as hell not going to be me.”
The two of us ventured off to Babe’s. I ordered my usual, along with enough coffee and donuts for everyone else in my office, including the rookie. I can be nice when I want to. It just doesn’t happen very often.
Babe was his usual cheerful self. His injuries have healed for the most part. I assume that the psychological damage from the beating he received will always be there. I know it would be for me.
He still steadies himself with the cane, but I’m not sure if it’s because he truly needs it or if he just wants to keep a weapon within arm’s reach.
“How’s the leg today, Babe?” I asked.
“It’s getting there. Who’s your friend?” asked Babe, nodding towards the rookie agent.
“He’s my current FBI pain in the ass. Howard Rhodes is on his way to my office”, I said.
Babe was well aware of my hatred for Howard Rhodes. Hatred is a strong word, I know, but it fits. I truly loathe and detest that ill-mannered chauvinistic son of a bitch.
“Understood”, said Babe. “Callie dear, please bring me a triple shot of espresso for Savannah.”
“Bring two of them, Callie”, I said. “Plus ten coffees and 3 dozen donuts.”
“Sure thing!” said Callie with her usual bubbly persona. Normally, this cheerfulness would annoy the shit out of me, but with all the negative crap going on, I almost welcomed it. Almost.
Babe invited us to sit with him, so we did for a minute or two. It had been a while since I’d gotten to just sit and talk to him. He’s always felt like the father I never had, so in turn, I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He’s always treated me like I was one of his own. I never really knew my birth family, so it’s worked out well for the both of us.
“Here you go, Savannah”, said Callie as she handed me the two triple shots of espresso. “We’re almost done with your order. Evan and I will bring it over to you”. She smiled as only Callie can and headed back behind the counter to help Evan.
Babe leaned towards me and whispered, “Sometimes she’s too happy for her own good.”
I couldn’t help but to smile.
“She means well”, I whispered.
“Yes she does”, said Babe with a smile. He leaned back in the chair a bit and sighed. “Is everything all right, Savannah? I heard about what’s going on. It’s all over the news. Are you okay?”
“As good as I can be, I guess”, I replied. “I suppose things could always be worse. I mean, I could end up getting another pain in the ass rookie FBI agent in addition to this guy.”
I pointed to the rookie and smiled. His scowl said it all. He apparently didn’t think it was as funny as Babe and I did.
“You seriously need a sense of humor, Rookie”, I said, smiling.
Chapter 18:
“TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER”
IT WASN’T LONG before we made it back to my office with the coffees and a few dozen donuts. This was one of the few times that both of my employees were happy to see me without it being pay day.
“We were starting to think something happened to you”, said Claudia.
“More like we were afraid you did something to the rookie and were trying to hide the body”, said Keith.
Claudia elbowed him and gave him a “shut it or I will hurt you” look.
I told them that everything was fine and we had just sat down to visit with Babe for a few before coming back. That’s when I realized it. Everyone in my office was looking at me as if
I had just beamed down from the mother ship and tried to speak in my home planet’s language. The two triple shots of espresso must have kicked in.
I tried to speak more slowly. In my head I did, but it still didn’t come out of my mouth right. Eventually, the rookie told them that I sat down with Babe for a few minutes and had two triple shots of espresso before we came back. Everyone in the room let out a chorus of “Ahhhs” and nodded their heads in confirmation.
“Rhodes will be here any minute. You know how he is about showing up ridiculously early”, said Claudia.
I tried to read through some of the files on my desk but it was pointless until the espresso wore off. I’m far too jittery to focus on the written word or to speak coherently.
It dawned on me at that moment that I could say whatever I wanted to Rhodes and he wouldn’t have a clue what I was saying. This could really work out to my advantage! I could tell him what a sorry piece of shit I really think he is and he’d never know. It’s kind of like talking to infants or animals. They may or may not know the words you speak, but will understand the tone. This made me smile.
“She’s smiling. Oh shit, she’s smiling. Okay. Now I’m scared”, said Keith as he cautiously walked to the opposite side of the office then loudly and if I was all right. I said I was fine and continued to smile, even though I knew it sounded like complete gibberish to them. I admit I do enjoy making them wonder what I’m up to. It’s a hell of a lot of fun sometimes.
Rhodes came busting through the front door, briefcase in hand. He was accompanied by another man that I didn’t recognize.
“Oh don’t mind him. He’s just here to make sure you don’t use a taser on me again. This is for you, Miss Hartman”, said Rhodes in a blissfully hateful tone. He handed me a long envelope. “Bye bye, Toots”. He winked then turned tail and left almost as fast as he had come into the office.
“That’s a first”, said Claudia. “He wasn’t long winded babbling on and on about unimportant bullshit like he usually does.”
I opened the envelope and tried to read what was inside. Yep. That’s apparently not happening right now (too much espresso). I put it back in the envelope and tossed it into the trash can next to my desk.
“What is it?” asked Keith.
I tried to say I didn’t know, realized from the looks on their faces that I still sounded like I was spewing gibberish so I just shrugged. Keith got up and retrieved the envelope and began reading.
“He’s suing you in civil court for assault”, said Keith. “He’s claiming that you punched him at the sheriff’s office, breaking his nose then subsequently falsified a police report.”
I shook my head fervently. That is NOT what happened. I never filed a police report. Neither did anyone else at the sheriff’s office.
“Miss Hartman”, said Agent Loughlin. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, even though I know everyone here is thinking it. You do realize that until that situation is cleared up, you will have to be nice to Howard Rhodes. You don’t want to give him any ammunition to use against you in court.”
He was right. I felt my right eye twitch a little.
“There’s no way in hell she could be nice to him”, said Keith.
“True. She can’t. We’ll have to keep him away from her until after the court date”, replied Claudia.
“Get a restraining order”, said the rookie. “Tell them you feel threatened by his demeanor whenever he comes around.”
My eye twitched again. The rookie might not be so bad after all. I raised my index finger and shakily pointed at Keith.
“Got it. I’ll call Nate right now and get the ball rolling”, said Keith, nodding as he walked back to his desk and picked up the phone.
“Hang up”, said Loughlin. “I have a better idea”. He removed his mobile phone from his inside coat pocket and dialed. “Sir, there is a man working in the Dallas prosecutor’s office by the name of Howard Rhodes. He has been harassing Savannah Hartman. Yes Sir. That’s correct. Yes Sir. I’d like his name added to the suspect list as a person of interest for further investigation. Yes Sir. Thank you Sir.”
For the first time since I met Agent Loughlin, his expression changed. He was smiling.
“That should keep Rhodes busy for a little while”, said Agent Loughlin.
Chapter 19:
“Come out, come out …wherever you are”
Our first full day out of hiding did not go as well as I had planned. I had fully intended for us to just go to the office and not have any fan fair, any annoying phone calls, or visits from irritating idiots.
There were reporters camped out at the curb for most of the afternoon. Tucker and Kelly were doing their best to keep them at bay.
We needed to get some work done. I couldn’t run around taking candid photos for clients with a federal agent in tow, but I could go talk to the families and friends of some of the victims. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get at least one of them to speak to us.
When the rookie and I were ready to leave, Nate stepped in. He distracted the reporters long enough for us to sneak out of the office and get to the patrol car. I still wasn’t too sure about the rookie’s law enforcement capabilities, so Nate had prearranged for Tucker to accompany us.
The reporters didn’t notice the three of us leaving until we were driving away. They almost trampled one another trying to reach us before we drove off out of sight. Luckily, it didn’t take long for us to lose them thanks to Tucker’s crazy ass driving skills. Who knew?
A half hour later, I was standing on Tom Norton’s front porch, accompanied by Deputy Tucker Bradley and the rookie agent. Tom wasn’t the first victim, but he was one of the first ones to be properly identified.
We weren’t sure if anyone would be here, since Tom lived alone. As far as we were able to find out, his only living relative was his son, Travis who moved to New Orleans several years ago for a woman he met in college. They divorced a few years later, but by then New Orleans had become his home.
We waited a bit after ringing the bell then turned around and started back down the front steps when the door opened. It was Travis Norton.
“Can I help you?” asked Travis.
“Are you Travis Norton?” I asked.
“Yes?” he asked as he opened the screen door. “And you are who, exactly?”
“I’m Deputy Tucker Bradley from the Hope County Sheriff’s office. This is FBI Agent Nick Barstow and this is private detective Savannah Hartman of Silver Leaf Investigations. If we could take a moment of your time, we’d like to ask you a few questions about your father”, said Tucker.
Until that moment, I didn’t realize that I didn’t know the rookie agent’s name. Nick Barstow. I would never have pinned him as a “Nick”. He looks more like a “Steve” to me. I don’t know why. Maybe I think he looks like a “Steve” because I think he’s a prick. Hell, I don’t know. There was a guy I dated back in high school. His brother Steve was a prick, so from then on out, my friends and I would refer to anyone that acted like an asshole as “What a Steve”.
A glimmer of recognition flashed in Travis’ eye.
“Savannah Hartman? I know that name”, he said. “It was your name on the note left by my father’s murderer”. He turned his attention to Tucker and Agent Barstow. “Have you gotten anywhere with finding out who did this to him or are you too busy protecting Savannah Hartman?”
“Mr. Norton, we’re doing everything humanly possible”, said Agent Barstow. “There are several victims, including your father.”
“In the meantime”, said Tucker, “the more we know about your father and the other innocent victims, the better. It may very well give us the link we need to figure out who killed them. I-we would appreciate any information that you would be able to give us.”
“I don’t know how much help I could be. I talked to my dad every couple of months or so. We weren’t very close, but we were trying to change that”, said Travis.
“Mr. Norton, do you have any idea what yo
ur dad was doing in Burleson the day he was killed?” I asked.
“I think he said he had a lady friend there. Yes, I remember now. Her name is Shelly, but I’m not sure of her last name. I think he has a picture of the two of them here somewhere. Give me a minute”, said Travis.
He went to the back bedroom and came back a few short minutes later with a frame in his hand. He carefully removed the photo from the frame and handed it to the rookie.
“Please be careful with this and make sure I get it back. I don’t have any other recent photos of him. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here.”
There was a hint of sadness in his voice that made me feel like we were now intruding on him in his time of mourning.
“I will see to it personally, Mr. Norton”, I said. “I’ll have it scanned and have someone from the sheriff’s office will return the photo to you first thing tomorrow.”
“Thank you”, said Travis. “Miss Hartman, I don’t know how you tie into all of this, but make sure y’all catch him.”
“I’m not sure yet how I tie into this either, Mr. Norton”, I said, “but I guarantee I want him caught as much as you do.”
We bid him farewell and walked back to the patrol car. We had a list of the rest of the victims’ friends and families, but they were either not home or didn’t want to answer the door, which was fine by me. I don’t think I could handle seeing anymore grieving faces today, anyway.
By the time we made it back to my office, everyone was done for the day. Thankfully, the reporters were gone. I half ass expected them to be sitting outside waiting for me to show up again, circling like vultures.
The street seemed pretty quiet, which wasn’t unusual this late in the evening. By now, most people are home cooking supper or sitting in front of their television sets watching the evening news.
