Special Agent

by Valerie Hansen

  “I can see that. Too bad you don’t have extended family you can call on for help.”

  She huffed and jumped down. “I don’t even have many friends these days. The only ones who still speak to me are the folks from my church, and even they seem a little standoffish. I suppose they’re as confused as you are.”

  “You think I’m confused?” He locked the truck and led the way to the front porch past wild poppies, roses and tufts of gray-leafed lavender.

  “I think you’re deluded,” Katerina replied. “You’ve been around so many lowlife thugs you don’t recognize an honest person when you meet one.”

  “Meaning you?”

  “Yes.”

  They passed through the door into a foyer. Fans kept the warm, dry air moving and made the ambient temperature tolerable. Max checked the box for his room and found a key for an additional room, as Dylan had promised.

  He handed it to Katerina. “Here you go. Opal and I are right next door in room 203 so you’ll be perfectly safe.” A slight smile lifted one corner of his mouth despite his desire to squelch it. “Want help with your luggage?”

  “Very funny.” Tossing the sack over her shoulder she added, “I feel like a hobo ready to hop a freight.”

  “No railroad tracks up here in the hills. Sorry,” Max quipped. “I’ll see you to your room.”

  “I can manage.”

  His smile faded. “I know you can. I just want to be certain you get there. The last time I turned my back on you somebody tried to push you off a cliff.”

  “Surely there’s no danger here.”

  “Opal and I do a sweep of the whole house twice a day,” Max told her. “We’ll check your room again now.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Good. I saw you keep a cool head in an emergency today but that’s no reason to become complacent. Even smart, capable people can be fooled.”

  “Now you’re getting the right idea about me,” Katerina said with a grin. “About time.”

  Max saw no advantage to telling her he’d been citing failures in his own past rather than referring to hers. The scar on his cheek reminded him every morning when he shaved. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It paid to stay alert and doubt everything. Everybody. Too bad that hadn't been enough to keep agent Morrow safe.

  Forensics proved Jake had been wounded in the shootout during the raid on the Duprees when Reginald Dupree was captured. Since Reginald’s uncle Angus had abducted Jake and escaped the dragnet by helicopter, it was surprising there had been no ransom demands. Of course, Jake was resourceful and may have escaped. Max’s worry was that he hadn’t returned to headquarters or contacted Quantico because he was hurt or otherwise physically unable.

  And then there was Esme Dupree. She’d been in witness protection until she’d panicked and run from her handlers, too. Without her testimony it was possible they’d have trouble getting a murder conviction for her brother, Reginald, although he and his underlings were sure to spend time in prison on drug charges. If Max had thought it would be feasible to sway the second sister, Violetta, he’d have felt a lot more positive about satisfactorily wrapping up the entire case. One phone call to her had proved that she intended to be anything but cooperative. The minute he’d asked her about Esme she’d hung up on him. No doubt she feared her family. Too bad she wasn’t as brave as her missing sister.

  Which focused his thoughts on the crime family and the random bombings. And therefore on Katerina. She was standing in front of the door to her room, key in hand, waiting for him. She looked...

  Max set his jaw. She looked as innocent as a lamb with her big, guileless blue eyes and that wavy golden hair. Part of him wanted to believe her. Another part warned that even lambs could hide the spirit of a ravenous wolf.

  * * *

  The room Katerina had been given was charming. It was dwarfed by her boudoir at the ranch but far surpassed it in lovely decor and a sense of home. Moreover, someone had carefully folded and arranged clean clothes for her atop the antique chest of drawers. That, alone, helped boost her spirits. The view from the lace-curtained window did, too. Raising the sash she was able to look out at rolling hills beyond the massive, gnarled oak that framed the scene. Its shade brought relief from the late afternoon sun while a mild breeze ruffled its leaves and soothed her spirit.

  A soft knock at her door was startling. “Who is it?”

  “Room service.”

  The deep male voice sounded terribly familiar. When she opened the door a crack to peek out, her suspicions were confirmed. The very special agent stood in the hallway balancing a tray of food.

  “I didn’t order anything.”

  “You need to eat. And rest. Under the circumstances I thought it was sensible for you to dine in your room so you could kick back and unwind.”

  “And so you could keep an eye on me?” Katerina stepped back, holding the door for him.

  “That, too.” He placed the tray on a small table by the window. “You have to keep up your strength. I’ve contacted the diner where you work and explained that you’ll need a few days off. First thing tomorrow we’ll head out to the ranch, get your stuff and look over the scene. My people didn’t turn up anything but you may spot changes because the place is so familiar to you.”

  “Okay.” When he hesitated instead of leaving, she wondered if he’d intended to eat with her. “There’s enough for two, if you want to join me,” she offered with a sweep of her arm.

  “No, no. I won’t be staying. Lock your door when I leave and keep it that way unless you notify me.” He reached into his pocket and produced a small cell phone. “This is for you. My number is already programmed into it. Don’t use it for anything else.”

  “I had a smartphone in my truck. Was that ruined, too?”

  “Yes. According to the evidence techs.”

  She had other ideas. “You guys kept it to check my activity, didn’t you? Well, have at it. I have nothing to hide and the sooner you figure that out, the better.”

  Max was backing toward the open door. “Good night, then. Eat. Please? I really do want you to stay healthy.”

  “Because a feeble suspect is harder to explain?” Katerina laughed wryly. “Okay, okay. I’ll take good care of myself. You won’t have to make excuses for mistreating me.” A smile remained as she studied the stalwart agent.

  He frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. I was just realizing that I’m starting to like you. Given my terrible record for choosing friends, particularly of the male persuasion, I figure you’re probably planning to arrest me soon and throw me in the slammer with good old Vern.”

  “The slammer?” Max chuckled. “You watch too many B movies.”

  “Old black-and-white ones are the best,” Katerina said. “I love those.”

  “If you want comedy, maybe. Police work is nothing like that anymore.”

  “Imagine how it would have been if those characters had had cell phones and modern communications the way we do these days.”

  Max nodded toward the phone he had just given her. He was no longer smiling. “Keep that with you at all times. Understand?”

  “Yes.” She made a fist around it. “I don’t know how to thank you—for this room and everything.”

  “You can start by naming your boyfriend’s associates,” he said flatly.

  If Katerina had not been taken aback by the abrupt change in his demeanor she would have slammed the door instead of letting him close it quietly behind him.

  She had never met anyone, human or animal, as hardheaded and stubborn as that impossible man. The only plus side she could see was that he was undoubtedly thinking the same kinds of thoughts about her. Well, good. It was about time somebody gave her credit for courage and backbone, even if it happened for the wrong reasons.
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  Circumstances had forced her into independence and the more she experienced, the better she felt about herself. That, alone, was a prime example of good resulting from disaster, just as the Bible promised. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be homeless, practically destitute and in mortal danger she would have laughed at them.

  Now, however, she not only was not amused, she found herself calling upon an inner strength, a latent faith and trust in God, that she hadn’t realized lay within.

  SIX

  Balmy night breezes lifted the lacy curtains over the window in Katerina’s room. Because of the hilly terrain, semidarkness had arrived before true sunset. She was more than ready to rest. Matter of fact, she’d started to get really sleepy while eating at the small table in front of the window.

  Wrapped in the cocoon of the summer night, she went to the canopied bed, stretched out on the cool sheets and let the humming of cicadas lull her to sleep. As long as the buzzing noise rose and fell in cadence, Katerina was at peace. When it abruptly stopped, however...

  Her eyelids fluttered. She stirred, shifted position and stretched. “Umm. Thirsty.”

  There was half a carafe of iced tea left on the table from her evening meal, wasn’t there? She yawned, then sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, taking a moment to get her bearings and straighten the T-shirt and shorts she’d chosen in lieu of proper nightclothes.

  Quiet was welcome, of course, but something about the total silence bothered her. No insects were buzzing and other than the occasional hoot of an owl, night birds were silent, too.

  Katerina paused to listen. To think. The narrow road that wound past the B and B was mostly dark but headlights occasionally shined through her window as cars followed the twisted street.

  Fine hairs at the nape of her neck prickled a warning. Logic argued against fear yet instinct insisted she take care despite the fact that her door was locked and an FBI agent was lodged in the room next door.

  She could hear herself breathing, feel the thump of her pulse as if that, too, were audible. Maybe it was. Her heart was certainly beating hard and fast enough.

  A single, deep bark startled her. She tensed even more. The sound had not come from outside; she’d heard it through the wall from Max’s room. Opal? Why would she bark when everything else was so seemingly peaceful?

  Slowly, cautiously, Katerina began to reach toward the pillow at the head of her bed. The special cell phone was tucked under it. Whether she used the phone or not, it would be comforting to have it in hand.

  The rumble of a motor outside grew closer. Another car was passing. Katerina instinctively glanced in the direction of the open window—and saw a shadow.

  It froze for a split second, then began to move, to grow larger. It was inside and coming toward her!

  She crab-walked backward across the bed. “No! Get away from me.”

  “Too bad you woke up. I was just going to leave you a note but since you’re awake, we can have a little talk.”

  “No.”

  A hand snaked out of the dimness and grabbed her ankle. Caught!

  Twisting and kicking, she clawed to reach the cell phone. The more she fought, the farther away from it the prowler pulled her.

  “Let go of me.”

  Realizing how inane it was to argue with someone who had invaded her room and was threatening her, she resorted to the kind of ear-piercing, inarticulate scream she’d heard only in scary movies—and from herself during the incident in her hospital room.

  It caused her attacker to loosen his hold. She continued to screech until he turned and scrambled for the open window.

  Intent on escape herself, Katerina ran for help, twisted the bolt, threw the open the door and crashed into her FBI protector.

  * * *

  Max staggered back, kept his balance and grabbed her. “What happened?”

  Katerina merely pointed into her room.

  Rushing in with Opal at his side, Max checked the small suite in seconds. When he looked back, Katerina was standing in the doorway with her arms folded, hugging herself. “The window,” was all she said.

  Max leaned out, satisfied himself that the threat had fled, then returned to her. By that time, several other guests of the establishment as well as the concerned owners had gathered in the hallway.

  He shooed them away. “It’s all right. Everything is under control. It was just a bad dream.”

  “Bad dream my eye.” Katerina was almost shouting. “There was somebody in my room. I saw him. He threatened me and grabbed me.”

  Slipping an arm around her shoulders, Max sought to comfort and quiet her. “Take it easy, Ms. Garwood. Opal and I will look after you.” Again, he addressed the small group. “You can all go back to sleep. My apologies for the disturbance.”

  “Well I’m not going to stay in there,” Katerina said in a quavering voice as the others left. “Not when somebody has already found me.”

  Max turned her to face him and spoke quietly. “I understand. You can take my room and I’ll sleep in yours. But right now I need more details. Tell me what you saw.”

  “There was a shadow. It came at me in the dark.” She shivered. “I tried to reach the phone to call for help but he grabbed my ankle and started to pull me off the bed.”

  “Did he say anything?”

  “I don’t... Yes! He said he’d been about to leave me a note.”

  “All right. When I checked your room I was looking for a person, not evidence. Stay where you are while I look again.”

  “Not on your life. Where you and that dog go, I go. I heard her bark when I was about to be attacked. She must have heard something.”

  “That was what woke me.” Unwilling to argue when he could see Katerina trembling with fear, Max led the way into her room, leaving the door ajar. Supper dishes remained on the table by the window. A carafe of tea had been knocked over and liquid was puddled on the floor. Amid the chaos was a folded piece of white paper.

  Max pointed. “Is that yours?”

  “No, I...” She started to reach for it. He stayed her hand. “Leave it. There may be fingerprints.”

  Katerina studied her ankle. “I doubt it. I think I felt gloves, not bare skin.”

  “Whatever.” He lifted the folded paper with two fingers at a corner and laid it on a bare spot atop the dresser, then used a pencil to carefully unfold it. If it had been the kind of threat an innocent person usually received he might have kept Katerina from reading it. Instead, he stepped back and watched her reactions as she scanned the note.

  “Turn over the stash and we’ll leave you alone?” she read aloud. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t know anything about any stash. Do they mean drugs?”

  “Your guess is better than mine,” Max countered evenly. “What do you think?”

  She threw up her hands and began to pace. “How should I know? I don’t have a clue.”

  “I wish I could believe you.”

  “Yeah,” Katerina said, scowling at the piece of paper, “I wish you could, too.”

  * * *

  Max escorted Katerina back to his room and left her there with Opal. She knew he and the local police would be going over her original room with magnifying glasses, looking for clues, and was relieved to have a refuge away from their investigation.

  It was also comforting to have the trained K-9 for company, although at the moment Opal was acting more like a house pet than a police officer. “Must be because you’re out of uniform, huh?” Katerina said tenderly. “Your partner did say you were different when you knew you were working.”

  The boxer’s stubby tail wagged, making the rear half of her body move in sync. “Australian shepherds are just like you,” she cooed. “When they wag they wag all over. You’d like the dogs at the r
anch. They’re lots of fun.”

  Perching on the only chair in the room, Katerina let Opal rest her heavy head on her knee. “You’re a sweet girl, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Does your partner ever scratch behind your ears like this?” She demonstrated. “Do you like that?”

  If the boxer could have replied, Katerina knew she’d have agreed, because the expression of pleasure in her dark brown eyes was evident.

  Touching the animal helped calm Katerina, too. Medical science had long claimed that stroking a dog or cat had a beneficial effect on the human body. She believed it.

  So did having a pet as a companion. If she hadn’t had her horses to train and the ranch dogs underfoot when her mother had passed away, she didn’t know how she’d have coped.

  Yes, she relied on her faith to carry her through trying times, but as far as Katerina was concerned, God used his earthly creatures to augment His ministrations. And why not? They were a part of His creation, just as she was.

  That thought brought her musings back to Special Agent West. He was special, all right. The look on his face when she’d run into the hallway had proved his true concern despite words to the contrary. He might put forth the image of a hard-boiled cop but there was a kind man inside. She knew that without question. The element she doubted was whether she’d ever be able to convince him to let down his guard and see her as she truly was—innocent and worthy of befriending.

  Or more? she asked herself, blushing. Yes, Max was older than Vern had been but given her disastrous experiences in regard to that relationship, maturity was certainly a plus. Not to mention how good-looking he was.

  Could she get past Max’s original attacks on her? Others had said far worse and had hurt her deeply. She might not respect her dad the way she once had, but that didn’t mean she’d stopped loving him. The same went for her friends. Anybody could make a mistake. She certainly had. Forgiveness was the key.

  * * *

  Sleep eluded Katerina until almost dawn. She wasn’t certain Opal was allowed on the bed but decided to permit the welcome company.

  Sighing, she started to smile and made eye contact with the dog as it lay on its back, all four legs in the air. “You snore. Did you know that?” The smile grew as the boxer’s tongue fell out of the side of her mouth and she started to pant. “Yes, you do so don’t try to deny it.”