The English Detective and the Rookie Agent

by Pat White

  “Is this your girlfriend?” He looked at Mercedes. “Better watch it, he’s not exactly the responsible type. He’ll get you pregnant and leave you with the baby.”

  “What’s your name?” Jeremy asked.

  “Why?” The kid eyed him.

  “I’m trying to be polite.”

  “What’s her name?” He winked at Mercedes.

  “Mercedes Ramos,” she said.

  “Andrew Burke, nice to meet you, Miss. I’d kiss your hand, but me dad might think I’m making a move on his girl.” With hands interlaced behind his head, he leaned against the wall.

  “Let’s put the whole father-son issue aside for a moment,” Jeremy said. “What do you know about the Weddle case?”

  “I know the ransom’s a fake. No one’s got that boy.”

  “Really? And you know this how?” Mercedes quizzed.

  “I’m psychic.”

  “You’re going to be charged with kidnapping and extortion if you don’t start cooperating,” Jeremy reminded him. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

  The boy’s gaze drifted from admiring Mercedes to glaring at Jeremy. “What bothers me are fathers abandoning their sons. What bothers me is being forgotten, like the Weddle boy. He was forgotten, but he wasn’t kidnapped. No, that’s another crime altogether.”

  “Do you know who made the ransom demand?”

  “Whoever it is, he’s not your kidnapper. He just wants money. He’s probably going to lose his house, or worse, the love of his life. That would make a man steal, wouldn’t it, maybe even kill?”

  “Why are you here?” Jeremy demanded.

  “What, in jail? I still don’t know that, me self. I’m trying to help, is all.”

  “Why?”

  “To contribute to society,” he mocked.

  “That’s rubbish.”

  Andrew jumped to his feet and grabbed the bars. Mercedes took a step back. Jeremy didn’t budge. He kept eye contact with the boy.

  “I came to prove I’m smarter than you, my dear father. I’m smarter, I’m better and you’re nothing but a fumbling fool. I did pretty good up to now.”

  “How’s that?”

  He squeezed the bars. “I had the controlled, intelligent Inspector Barnes coming apart at the seams, didn’t I? The mousetrap, the note, the skeleton on the beach. You were sweating it up pretty good, yeah?”

  “Why?” Jeremy felt, his control slipping.

  “So you’d know what it’s like to have your whole life crumble into pieces at your feet.” His blue eyes radiated hatred.

  “What happened to you?” Jeremy whispered.

  “I woke up one day and discovered my life was a lie. Thanks to you.”

  “Young man, I don’t even know you.”

  “But you know Nancy.”

  Jeremy clenched his jaw and stared at him. Someone had done their homework, right down to Jeremy’s Achilles heel.

  Nancy. The woman who’d seduced him, made him feel loved and wanted, then left him without a word of explanation.

  Jeremy turned and walked away, Mercedes right behind him.

  “What, don’t want to talk anymore?” Andrew called.

  “Not with a liar.”

  “Wait, where are you going?”

  “I’m done with you.” He turned and stared him down from the other end of the hallway. “You’ve compromised this investigation. You’re an arrogant punk. I’ll let the federal agents have their run at you. Maybe they’ll have more luck.” He opened the door to the stairs.

  “No, wait, Dad—Barnes. I’ve got something on the Weddle case that you need to see.”

  Jeremy closed the door and turned to him. The kid’s expression had changed from cocky arrogance to genuine concern.

  “What, you afraid they’ll beat you to a pulp and dump your body in the ocean when they’re through?” Jeremy taunted.

  “I could care less about them. That boy is out there, alone. You’ve got to find him.”

  “That’s news?” He reached for the door again.

  “Wait, Miss, make him listen.”

  Mercedes placed her hand to Jeremy’s shoulder. He glanced into her eyes and she nodded as if she thought the boy’s plea was genuine.

  “Don’t tell me you’re being fooled by this?” Jeremy said.

  “We’ve got nothing to lose by listening to him.”

  “You listen. I’m finished.”

  “They didn’t send a photograph or let the parents hear the boy’s voice, did they?” Andrew called out. “That’s because there are no kidnappers. Why not send a photograph and why wait so long to send a ransom demand? Someone is extorting money and I’ve got a short list on my laptop. It’s in my car, by Meyer’s Creek. Get me out of here and I’ll show you.”

  The boy suddenly sounded more like an educated teenager than an ignorant punk.

  Jeremy opened the door.

  “He’s been gone a week!” the boy shouted after him. “I can help!”

  Jeremy went upstairs and was met by a group of curious agents.

  “I can’t get anywhere with him,” Jeremy said.

  “Is he your son?” Agent Timmons asked.

  “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

  He strode out of the police department to the sidewalk where Max and Cassie were waiting.

  “The young man inside who claims to be my son, is also the man who’s been threatening me and attacked me on the beach. I don’t know why or who sent him.”

  “So he’s not connected to the Weddle case?” Max said.

  “I doubt it. He’s unstable and is best kept in jail. But I don’t think him capable of kidnapping a boy.”

  “He said something about having suspect leads on his laptop,” Mercedes said.

  “He’s been working on this case?” Max said in disbelief.

  “He claims to have leads, yes, but I’m not sure I believe him. I think he’s psychotic.” Jeremy glanced at the police station and back to Max. “In any case, they’ll get it out of him.”

  “I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” Cassie said.

  “It’s what he deserves,” Jeremy shot back.

  Bobby pulled up to the curb and they all climbed into the rented sedan. The drive back to the Command Center was quiet—too quiet—Mercedes thought. She wondered what Templeton thought of this development and if she should share her gut instinct that the man in the cell was, in fact, Jeremy’s son.

  She struggled with the concept, trying to figure out how a man like Jeremy could have conceived a child and know nothing about it. Jeremy Barnes was not the type to abandon his own son, she thought. No, not after being left by both his father and best friend.

  Who was this Nancy that Andrew had mentioned? Could she have really been the mother of Jeremy’s child?

  She glanced at him. He stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched.

  If the boy was his son, that would blow Jeremy’s life to hell. What had the boy said, that he wanted his father to know what it felt like to have his whole life crumble into pieces? If the boy’s claim was true, it would tear the honorable Jeremy Barnes apart.

  She shouldn’t care. Jeremy was a means to an end, a way to carve out a permanent spot on the Blackwell team.

  Oh, stop lying to yourself. You kinda like the guy.

  They pulled up to the Command Center and Jeremy jumped out, making his way to the office. It was almost as if shame drove him away from the rest of them. Did a part of him sense the truth, deep down in his heart?

  Max motioned for Cassie to go inside, leaving Mercedes and Max standing just outside the door.

  “Agent Ramos, what do you make of it?” he asked.

  She sighed. “I don’t think Andrew is involved in the Weddle kidnapping. He said Lucas wasn’t kidnapped but he thinks someone is exploiting the situation to extort money from the family. He seems to be genuinely concerned about Lucas, as if he identifies with him somehow.”

  “You don’t think he’s crazy?”

  �
��No, it’s more like he’s in pain.”

  “Why is he after Jeremy?”

  “He says he’s trying to prove that he’s smarter than his dad.”

  “Is it possible?”

  She didn’t answer. What could she say? That although it didn’t make rational sense, she suspected it was true?

  “We need to find out everything about the young man,” Max said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll get Eddie started on some background, the rest of us will work on the Weddle case. I need you to continue watching over Jeremy to make sure he isn’t in danger.”

  “You make it sound as if I’m incapable of taking care of myself,” Jeremy said from the office door.

  She closed her eyes in dread. He’d heard them talking as if he were a victim, not a fellow agent.

  “So, that was her job all along? To spy on me?”

  Chapter Ten

  “I asked her to keep an eye on you, yes,” Max said. “I was concerned about post trauma issues.”

  Mercedes kept her mouth shut, not wanting to aggravate the situation.

  Jeremy walked up to Max. “Don’t be. I’m perfectly capable of performing my job responsibilities.”

  “It has nothing to do with that, mate.”

  “And when did we become mates?”

  Max didn’t answer, but she read disappointment in his eyes. Thinking they needed privacy, she took a step toward the office door.

  “Stay right there,” Jeremy ordered.

  He glared at her, his blue eyes darker than usual, his expression controlled. “You’re officially relieved of your duties as spy. Since I can’t trust you, I want you off the team.”

  “That isn’t your decision to make, Jeremy,” Max said in a low voice.

  “Isn’t it?” He turned his attention to Max. “Re member what happened in Chicago? We agreed that members of Blackwell must be able to trust each other, implicitly?”

  “Yes,” Max said.

  “I don’t trust her.”

  Mercedes lost it. “Grow up, Barnes. So I was keeping an eye on you, so what? Has it occurred to you that if I hadn’t been watching out for you, you could have been hit by that car or killed last night on the beach? You should be thanking me instead of trying to get me fired. I have better things to do than stand out here and argue. Lucas Weddle is still missing, remember?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Ay, you drive me crazy.” She waved her hand and went into the Command Center.

  She shifted behind her desk and started making notes about their interaction with Jeremy’s supposed son.

  “Where’s Templeton?” Bobby Finn asked walking over to his desk.

  “Arguing with Barnes outside.”

  Cassie walked up to Mercedes. “Is the boy really Jeremy’s son?”

  “Not much of a boy. He’s at least eighteen,” Mercedes said. “Barnes denies it, but you have to ask yourself why Andrew would go to all that trouble, stalking him and setting up that scene on the beach. The kid’s got one helluva grudge.”

  “But Jeremy was never married,” Cassie said.

  “You don’t have to be.” No, Mercedes’s older brother got his girlfriend pregnant before marrying her.

  “Listen up,” Max said, walking into the room. “This case is still hot, the stakes are up and a boy remains missing.”

  Barnes followed closely behind and positioned himself a few feet away from Max. Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a support beam. He didn’t look at Mercedes. He was obviously still angry.

  She’d saved his butt last night. Didn’t that count for something?

  Ah, chica, not when a man’s pride is wounded. He probably thought she’d followed him around because she admired his keen investigative sense. She knew it irked him that she was following orders, that she wasn’t connected to him by choice.

  But then that wasn’t entirely true, was it?

  “The new development is about Jeremy’s stalker, who we think is the same man they took into custody. Jeremy?” Max stepped aside.

  Jeremy uncrossed his arms. “As you may have heard, the young man says he’s my son. I’ve never been married, nor do I have a son, so this is impossible. We need to determine the man’s angle and his involvement in the Weddle boy’s disappearance.”

  “The boy’s name?” Eddie asked.

  “Andrew. Andrew Burke. From England.”

  “Doesn’t ring any bells, guv?” Bobby asked.

  “None,” Jeremy said. “No old cases, no enemies, nothing.”

  “Why’s he messing with the investigation?” Spinelli asked.

  “The boy says he’s trying to outsmart his father,” Mercedes offered. “In other words, he’s trying to solve our case to prove he’s better than Jeremy.” She glanced at him. He still hadn’t looked at her.

  “Sounds like he’s off his trolley,” Bobby said.

  Then a thought struck Mercedes. “Maybe not. What if he’s telling the truth?”

  Jeremy shot her a furious look.

  “Hear me out,” she said. “At Quantico I took a class on profiling serial criminals. It’s possible that Andrew thinks, for whatever reason, that Jeremy is his father and he’s going to show him up by solving this case. These criminals can be mentally ill, but brilliant, which means he may actually have something legitimate on the investigation.”

  “Impossible,” Jeremy said.

  She ignored him. “When we were leaving lockup, he called out two things. First, that Lucas Weddle had been gone for days before the ransom request. Why wait?” She glanced at each team member.

  “And two?” Spinelli asked.

  He was buying into her theory. Good, she had an ally. “The second point—why weren’t the parents given proof the boy is still alive? Why weren’t they allowed to hear his voice, or see a photo of him holding the daily paper? Because maybe the kidnapper and the ransom demand are not connected. Andrew mentioned having a short list of extortion suspects on his laptop.”

  “He’s bloody insane,” Bobby scoffed.

  “I agree,” Jeremy said.

  Max shifted on his cane. “Agent Ramos, what do you think?”

  She took a deep breath, held Jeremy’s gaze and said, “Instinct tells me he’s not insane. I think there’s more to it and it’s worth pursuing.”

  “Too late,” Spinelli said. “The feds won’t let us get close again.”

  “Not necessarily true,” Mercedes said. “He hasn’t been formally charged with anything and my guess is they’ll have to let him talk to his father.” She glanced at Jeremy.

  His eyes narrowed and the room went silent.

  She’d been waiting years to be respected enough to be asked for her opinion, a theory, and with this team she finally had her chance.

  She glanced at Max. Was he going to fire her because he assigned her a task that broke trust among team members? More importantly, was he going to write off her opinion about Andrew Burke?

  “She’s right,” Max said.

  “What the bloody hell—”

  Max cut off Jeremy’s objections. “It’s a solid lead. We’ve been at this for days and we’re no closer to finding the boy. This Andrew Burke development could be something.” He turned to Mercedes. “Why did they bring him in?”

  “He was seen hanging around the wine shop. He actually went inside and used the bathroom so they figured he was their man. But when they caught up to him, he didn’t have the money.”

  “So our friend, Andrew, could be a diversion,” Max suggested.

  “You mean he’s working with the real kidnappers?” Bobby asked.

  “It’s a possibility,” Max said. “Although why is he involving Barnes?”

  “That’s easy,” Spinelli offered. “He bypasses the Feds.”

  “We’re his direct link to the Weddles,” Max said. “Clever.”

  “So he dreams up the story about being related to Barnes so he can work the ransom angle directly with the Weddles thr
ough us?” Eddie questioned.

  “But why stalk Jeremy?” Mercedes asked. “Why attack him on the beach? Something still doesn’t fit.”

  “That’s for you and Barnes to figure out,” Max said. “What other developments do we have? Eddie, anything from the boy’s computer?”

  “Not yet, but I found some threatening e-mails in the father’s trash. When I asked him about it, he said he deletes anything from an address he doesn’t recognize. I didn’t catch it the first time around.”

  “Do you think he could have received a ransom demand days ago but didn’t open the e-mail?” Jeremy queried.

  “Definitely possible,” Eddie said. “I’m going to keep working on the father’s computer, then go at the kid’s again.”

  “Bobby, work with him on e-mail related leads,” Max said.

  “Pardon me, guv, I thought you wanted me watching over Agent Barnes.”

  His choice of words couldn’t have been worse, Mercedes thought.

  “New assignments,” Max said. “I think if we focus on the computers we’ll find a lead. Next, Agent Spinelli, find out what went wrong at the drop. Go to the wine shop and try to make sense of it. Talk to the shop owner, ask about unusual customers, odd moments, things like that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Eddie interrupted, looking at Mercedes. “I have a hit on the plate number you called in.”

  “Plate number?” Max said.

  “The car that nearly hit Jeremy yesterday,” Mercedes explained.

  “Our friend, Mr. Burke?” Max asked.

  “I’m assuming,” Mercedes said.

  “See if you can find his laptop,” Max directed. “You’ll either find evidence of the next ransom demand, or he’s telling the truth and has information about the case.”

  “He’s not telling the truth,” Jeremy blurted out.

  It was the first time Mercedes saw him lose his composure. She knew, by the expression on his face, that he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

  “That’s it, then,” Max said. “Let’s check back at nine this evening.”

  Mercedes went to Eddie and got the information about the car.

  “Agent Ramos,” Max called. “A moment in my office?”

  She held her breath. This was it. He was going to let her go so he could keep his number two guy happy.