Special Agent

by Valerie Hansen

  “A couple of reasons, Mr. Garwood. I understand you’re scheduled to ride in a parade this coming weekend. That may be inadvisable.”

  “What’s it to the FBI?”

  “Concern for your safety, sir.”

  “Bah!” He gestured at Katerina. “She put you up to this, didn’t she?”

  “No, sir. There was another bomb set off in town. Surely you heard about it.”

  “I heard,” the portly older man said. When he looked at Katerina again his expression was unreadable.

  “Then you understand why I’m suggesting you keep a lower profile.”

  “I have friends in the sheriff’s department. They’ll take care of me.”

  “Still, since your daughter has apparently been targeted twice, it would be wise to take precautions.”

  Katerina could almost hear her father’s reply before he said, “That has nothing to do with me. Everybody knows I have no daughter,” then slammed the door.

  That attitude was no surprise to Katerina. It did, however, send her emotions spinning.

  “I’m so sorry,” Max said. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a supportive squeeze. “I’ll contact Tate personally and fill him in, just in case your father is lying about having proper protection lined up for the whole day.”

  “Thanks.” She was shaking her head and sighed audibly. “Remember what I said about needing to forgive him? Well, it’s getting harder and harder to do.”

  “Good to know you’re human,” Max said gently. “Come on. Let’s make a sweep of the barns with Opal while you look for good hiding places for those diamonds.”

  Katerina rolled her eyes. “I don’t know where to start. I mean, every bale of hay, every sack of grain, every stall is a possibility.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “What do you mean?” She was having to take two steps for every stride of his to keep up.

  “The places you just mentioned all have drawbacks. Hay and grain can be fed. Stalls are raked and cleaned out regularly. They’re not secure enough.”

  “So, it needs to be someplace stationary?”

  “That’s more likely. Even the trucks and trailers are an iffy choice. Suppose your father sold one or shipped it away with horses in it? Then how would Vern have retrieved his stash?”

  She brightened. “You’re right! And when we find the diamonds you can announce it and get that terrible stalker off my trail.”

  “That would be the ideal result,” Max said pensively.

  Katerina saw doubt in his expression. “You don’t think it will help?”

  “It’s not that. My concern is based on what I know of the Dupree crime family. They don’t let traitors like Kowalski get away with stealing from them.”

  “They had him killed? I assumed it was some other prisoner who’d heard about the diamonds and wanted to cut himself in.”

  “It may have been, if Vern was dumb enough to brag, but I doubt it.” Max kept working Opal along the edges of the barns as they talked. “Latest word on the street is that Angus Dupree, the uncle of the kingpin we arrested, had already offered an enormous reward to anyone who could get the truth out of your old boyfriend. Once he heard about the gemstones, he was livid. He’d like the loot found and returned, of course, but he doesn’t care about the monetary value nearly as much as he does the Dupree reputation.”

  “But—”

  “Let me finish.” He paused and faced her. “Pride governs his actions. Pride and a need for retribution. He can no longer count on making Kowalski pay for his crimes against the family. Do you see what I’m saying?”

  Nodding, Katerina felt the strength flowing out of her. Vern was gone. There was only one other connection. One other person who could be punished to bring him satisfaction.

  Her.

  TWELVE

  Failing to get any leads that day, Max brought in Zeke Morrow and his tracking dog, an Australian shepherd named Cheetah, just in case Vern had wrapped the diamonds in something personal of his before hiding them. They got clothing samples from the jail and picked up a waiting warrant for the ranch.

  After a thorough search that included the main house, Zeke reported to Max. “Nothing, Boss. Sorry. Even if he used a sock or T-shirt it’s been too long.”

  “I figured. I just thought you’d be glad for a break from all that hassle about your half brother.”

  “Thanks. I was hoping you and Harper would come up with something helpful at Penny Potter’s when you were in Billings.”

  Max nodded. “Yeah, so did I. Any word from the stakeout of her place?”

  “No. Nothing. She did a better job of vanishing on her own than the US Marshals did hiding Esme Dupree.”

  “That reminds me,” Max said. “What about Esme? Do we have any leads on her whereabouts?”

  “Not that I’ve heard. I’ve been in the field quite a bit lately.”

  “I get regular briefings on my computer and smartphone,” Max said. “I wondered about rumors.”

  “It’s been quiet. They did tell you about the anonymous text messages, didn’t they?”

  “Messages? Plural? I know about the one we got right before we raided Penny Potter’s.”

  “There were two more after that. The first said something like, ‘Nah, nah, you missed him.’ The second was even harder to understand. We finally decided they had to be GPS coordinates but they didn’t pan out. Led us to a vacant house.”

  “All right,” Max said. “We’ll continue to treat the Potter woman as a blameless victim like Esme until we’re sure otherwise.”

  “She really may be innocently caught up in all this, you know.”

  “I know. That’s why we’re giving her the benefit of the doubt.”

  Zeke’s dark eyes narrowed on a slim figure in the distance. “What about the Garwood woman? Are you doing the same for her or are you playing her?”

  “She’s innocent,” Max said firmly. “Dupree bombs have come close to ending her life twice already. There’s no way anybody with half a brain would put themselves in dangerous situations like that on purpose.”

  “If you say so.” The other agent arched an eyebrow. “I know how easy it can be for a pretty face to turn an agent.”

  Ignoring the insinuation, Max asked, “Is that what you think may have happened to your half brother?”

  Zeke shrugged. “No, no. But he did seem right on track until he got involved with that Penny woman and fathered her kid.” He huffed. “Of course, he and I weren’t raised together so it’s hard for me to speculate. All I know is I owe him for inspiring me to join the FBI.”

  Offering his hand, Max shook with the slightly younger agent and wished him well. “Thanks for coming. Have a good flight home.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Are you heading back to headquarters soon, too?”

  “Probably. I need to use Opal to check a parade route tomorrow morning, to make sure it isn’t booby-trapped. So far there hasn’t been any loss of life around here but with a crowd lined up along a narrow street the chances of injury multiply.”

  Zeke grinned. “I have to say I’m happier chasing crooks and doing search and rescue than I would be following Opal around looking for bombs. I don’t know how you do it.”

  “One careful step at a time.” Max mirrored the grin. “It’s like being on a dull stakeout and then hearing gunshots. You go from calm to panic in a heartbeat. Most of the time it’s hard to keep my edge because we usually come up empty.”

  “So, do you want to send the Duprees a thank-you note for helping with your training?”

  Max laughed. “I think I’ll skip that this time.”

  * * *

  As far as Katerina was concerned, the search of the ranch was hopeless. She’d poked through th
e stables until she was sneezing from the dust and had accompanied both federal agents while they used their K-9 partners to canvas her father’s house and all the barns. If there really were diamonds hidden there she had no idea where they could be.

  Right now, her main worry was her father’s safety. Yes, he could be cruel and, yes, she sometimes got so mad at him she could scream, but he was still her daddy. Memories of the way Bertrand had acted during her early childhood sustained and bolstered her. He had loved her once. Surely there had to be a tiny trace of that parental affection left, even if he chose to deny it.

  She rode into South Fork with Max and Opal to point out the parade route and suggest places where the biggest crowds would gather.

  “They’ll march along Main, then turn on Park Street and everybody will head up to the city park for a barbecue. There’s no way one dog can police it all, no matter how good Opal is.”

  The boxer stuck her broad chest between the front bucket seats and gave Katerina a slurp on the cheek. She giggled and wiped at it with the sleeve of her bright pink T-shirt. “Eww. I love you, too.”

  “That’s what you get for mentioning her name when she’s not in uniform yet.”

  “Yeah. You’d think I’d have learned that by now. Doesn’t she ever get tired of working? I mean like yesterday morning when you didn’t find a thing?”

  “She can. If she starts to look bored I sometimes plant the odor of explosives and let her find it so I can reward her.”

  “That’s smart. I can see where she’d love that kind of game. I just wish we didn’t have to keep playing it for real.” Katerina pointed. “I see that the sheriff and his officers are on duty at the crossroads. If you check the parade route first, they can watch it from then on.”

  “Affirmative.” Max radioed his intentions on a local frequency, then pulled up next to one of the patrol cars. The deputy gave him a high sign that was almost a salute.

  “I see you’ve made peace with Dad’s bodyguards.”

  “His friend, Sheriff Tate, is a lot more sensible than Bertrand Garwood. We worked out a cooperative plan. After the parade, Opal and I will stay on scene at the park and circulate to make our presence known, just in case.”

  “Do you really think there will be more trouble?” The casual atmosphere of the small town seemed so peaceful it was hard to imagine more mayhem—particularly because if it came, it would be because of her.

  “Most of my duties are to keep folks safe, not pick up the pieces after a disaster. We can do that, too, we’d just rather head off problems instead.”

  Main Street was already filling with spectators. Many had brought their own lawn chairs and were staking claim on the best spectator spots along the curb. Katerina ran interference for Opal as she worked the line because so many excited children wanted to rush up and pet her.

  “This dog is doing a job now,” she explained. “See her vest? When she takes it off you can pet her. Maybe at the picnic, later.”

  A sweet, red-haired little girl pointed and lisped, “Ith that her name?”

  “No. That says FBI. She’s like a police officer.”

  Katerina kept smiling as she watched Max and Opal work their way farther along the street. The boxer’s nose was to the ground until she came to a plastic drum that had been placed at a corner to receive extra trash during the celebration.

  Max stopped. Opal circled the blue drum once, then sat next to it and panted up at her handler expectantly.

  Katerina’s heart skipped a beat. That was the sign. Opal had found explosives! And there had to be a dozen innocent little kids close enough to touch both the barrel and the dog.

  She saw Max speaking into his radio. Deputies began to converge. Some stayed with Max while others, arms outstretched, began to shoo the crowd away from the corner. Away from possible harm.

  “You, too, ma’am,” the nearest deputy said. Katerina remembered going to high school with him, but they never really moved in the same circles. “No. I’m with Special Agent West.” She pointed to Max. “I have to stay here.”

  “Orders are to evacuate for half a block. Move along, please.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “You don’t want to start a panic by refusing, do you, Ms. Katerina?”

  “Of course not. I...” She had to back up or be overrun. “All right. I’m not going far.”

  “Down to the sidewalk in front of the hardware store will be fine,” he said pleasantly, as if he had not just warned her of real danger.

  From where she and the others stood she watched Max and the sheriff confer. Finally an electric cart built like a small truck was brought in and the blue drum loaded gently into the back.

  The driver eased the vehicle forward, inches at a time, while Max led Opal a safe distance away and rewarded her with a favorite chew toy.

  Patrol cars, lights flashing, flanked the golf cart as it slowly moved off the parade route. Katerina figured the guy who was driving deserved a medal. She just hoped it didn’t end up costing him his life in the process.

  * * *

  Given the choices available in South Fork and the narrow window of opportunity during which the barrel had to have been placed, Max figured it had been delivered with the explosives already inside. That probably meant the device was stable enough to move again rather than wait hours for a bomb squad that might have to travel all the way from San Jose, or farther.

  He wasn’t thrilled with the sheriff’s choice to do so but had to admit it made sense. So did leaving the small cardboard box in the bottom where it lay. Since no other trash had been thrown on top of it since it was left there, he figured that the sooner he checked all the other trash barrels, the better. They weren’t the only places he intended to look, of course. The first thing he’d do was make a circuit of all the blue barrels, then retrace his route and look for other suspicious objects. Hopefully, whoever had booby-trapped the trash receptacle lacked imagination and had simply repeated himself if he’d planted more bombs.

  Katerina jogged toward him. Max stopped before Opal reached the fifth barrel. “You need to go wait with the sheriff’s deputies.”

  “You found a bomb already?”

  “Opal says we did. It’s been taken out of town and left in a safe place, under guard, just in case.”

  “What if she’s wrong?”

  Max huffed. “Opal is never wrong. And she never lies. That’s another reason why a K-9 partner is better than a human one.”

  “So, why are you still looking?”

  “Because nothing says that whoever put the device in one trash barrel stopped there. With all the confusion surrounding the celebration, it’s highly likely there will be more than what I’ve already located.” He didn’t like frightening her. It was just that she seemed to be taking the whole situation too lightly. Having been born and raised in a small town had left Katerina too gullible. Too trusting. That mindset had already led her to become involved with a drug smuggler. There was no telling what else she’d have done if the FBI had not sent him to South Fork.

  Max gave her his sternest look. “Listen, Katerina. Don’t be naive. This is no game. The earlier bombers may have targeted buildings and not cared about an accidental passerby. But the guys who set these bombs wanted to hurt people for sure.”

  He was relieved to see her shoulders slump and her head nod. “Okay. I’ll back off. Can I stay with you and Opal to watch the parade after you’re done working? I know there's no way Dad will ever call it off no matter what you find. Not after all this preparation.”

  What Max should have done, is tell her there was no time during the day when he’d be off duty. Instead, he gave her permission to rejoin him at Main and Park.

  Her joyful “All right!” brought a genuine smile.

  Max’s countenance mirrored her delight. How could a man not be happy when Katerina was
around. She was the kind of woman who always saw the glass half-full, the flowers in full bloom, the sun bright in a summer sky. She had been through plenty that should have depressed her, yet she seemed to always bounce back, no matter what life threw at her. Such as her father’s rejection. His jaw clenched and anger roiled through him. Garwood had a lot to answer for. He was also a prime target because, no matter how obnoxious he got, he was still related to Katerina.

  Max finished checking the last trash barrel and radioed Sheriff Tate with his location. “I’ve checked and cleared the rest of the route. Did somebody go over the floats and cars?”

  “Negative. I’ve posted a guard but some of them were already parked in the staging area when my man went on duty.”

  “Copy.”

  “It’s not far from where you are,” Tate told Max. “Go past the restrooms and you’ll see a bunch of cars and tractors pulling decorated trailers.”

  “On my way,” Max replied. He began to jog, purposely leaving Katerina behind despite minor misgivings. As long as she remained in a crowded area he had already inspected she should be all right. The shops and roads were safe. That left only the rolling stock that could be triggered remotely while passing certain bystanders.

  Like Katerina.

  Max shivered, picturing the first day he’d seen her a scant few weeks ago. Then, they had not yet formed a bond. Now everything was different. Very different if he were to listen to his instincts and put aside arguments against caring for her.

  No, that wasn’t right, he countered. He might care about her welfare the same way he was concerned for any citizen’s well-being. He didn’t care for her. Because that would mean his feelings were too personal, too special. He didn’t want to become romantically involved with any woman, particularly not one who was eleven years younger than he was and tainted by her past.

  Max could just hear somebody like Katerina preaching to him about forgiveness and second chances. And she’d be right, up to a point. He had come to believe she was truly innocent. However, that didn’t mean his bosses in the FBI would be inclined to trust her, and by association, trust him. Not as totally as they once had, at any rate.