Agent by Her Side

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Are you kidding me, right now? I need to...”

  He cut her off, stalling the rant he felt coming. “Calm down, Ms. Colton, and tell me what you know.”

  “We’re wasting time,” she snapped.

  “And you’re still a civilian,” he quipped. “So, please, take a breath, and update me! So, what do you have?” he asked, his tone even and inquisitive.

  “We just got a tip that Wes Matthews is hiding out in a cabin on Reeds Lake. I asked one of your agents to get me a satellite image and I want to go check it out. This might be the break we’ve been looking for.”

  “I’m inclined to think your tip is a hoax. We’ve gotten credible information that says Matthews is in the Caribbean, well out of our jurisdiction. He’d be a fool to still be here in Grand Rapids.”

  “Then he’s a fool. My gut is telling me that the caller might be credible and it’s well worth checking out.”

  He shook his head. “I think it’s a waste of time and resources.”

  “You do know that I don’t need your permission to follow up on a lead, right? That this is just a courtesy? Obviously, if I lay eyes on him, I’ll immediately call for backup.” Kiely’s tone was defiant and determined. She moved onto her feet. “Because I am going!”

  No woman should be so lovely and so darn exasperating, Cooper thought as he stood watching her. He hated to admit it, but he had honestly tried to forget how attractive she was. But having her in his space had made that harder for him to do. She wore black denim. The matching pants and jacket were flattering to her petite frame. The white blouse beneath it was crisply ironed and an FBI visitor’s badge hung from a lanyard around her neck. Her makeup was sparse, just a hint of eyeliner and clear lip gloss complementing her crystal-clear complexion. Bangs and a shoulder-length bob highlighted her lush brown hair.

  Cooper found the pout on her face unnerving, stirring heat in places that he was finding difficult to ignore. He shook the sensation away, shifting his focus to the door behind her. Despite his conjecture, she was determined to do what she wanted, whether he agreed or not. And he didn’t agree, believing she was headed out on another wild-goose chase.

  “Fine,” he snapped as she moved toward the exit. “But I’m going with you.”

  “Excuse you?” Kiely stopped short, turning around to give him a look. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “That’s not why I’m going. The FBI received a tip and an FBI agent will follow up on that tip. Chain of command and all that,” he said, moving his hand in a dismissive gesture.

  “That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”

  “I think that you interfering could be considered dangerous. What if something happens? Like you see him and he gets away because you didn’t have backup? I’d hate to charge you with obstructing my investigation. So, you will not go without me going with you. Give me ten minutes and we can head that way.”

  Kiely shook her head, her frustration knee-deep. “Fine,” she finally snapped. “But I’ll drive.”

  * * *

  By the time she was outside the office, standing at the bank of elevators, Kiely was not happy about the turn of events. She was very much a lone wolf when it came to the cases she investigated. Cooper’s insistence that he join her was not sitting well and she felt like there would inevitably be a conflict with what she would need to do and what he would want her to do.

  She watched him as he maneuvered around the office, moving from cubicle to cubicle. He dropped files onto desks and delegated orders. He had changed out of his black suit and was wearing khaki slacks and a dark blue nylon jacket with the prominent yellow FBI logo. She had always thought him attractive, but she hadn’t realized just how gorgeous he really was. Because he was gorgeous. He was a tall powerhouse of defined muscle. His chiseled features and ginger-red hair made him model-pretty. His beard and mustache had been meticulously trimmed and his eyes were the most mesmerizing ocean blue.

  As Kiely stared at him intently, his cell phone rang. He paused in the middle of the aisle and answered the call. The conversation was brief and clearly concerning. Kiely felt herself tense as the color drained from his face. He suddenly rushed toward where she stood, pushing past her as he hurried to the exit.

  “What’s wrong?” Kiely questioned, hurrying after him.

  Cooper shot her a quick look. Resounding fear echoed in his voice as he answered, “My son Alfie is missing!”

  Chapter 2

  They were a few good minutes away from the preschool Cooper’s young son attended. So, focused on getting there, Cooper seemed oblivious when Kiely slid into the passenger seat of his car. She said little to him, not even when he blew through three stop signs and barely stopped at the red light at the corner of Ionia and Fulton Streets. His frustration was palpable and growing exponentially. Kiely could only begin to imagine what he had to be feeling.

  “Tell me about your son,” she said softly, wanting to help center his focus.

  Cooper told her he had chosen the Goodman Children’s Center by default. Alfie had only been a few months old when he’d found the name of the day care and preschool in his late wife’s papers. She had made a list of preschools shortly after discovering she was pregnant with their first child. The Goodman name had been circled in red at the very top of the page. “That was just like Sara, to make plans for our son before he was even born,” Cooper shared with Kiely.

  Sara had been his first love. They’d been the best of friends in college, both having an affinity for old movies and buttered popcorn tossed with M&M’s candies. When their relationship became romantic it had surprised them both. One day they’d been bitterly debating the writings of William Faulkner and the next he was reading her John Keats as they fed each other strawberries slathered with whipped cream. Marriage had been a mere technicality, defining their relationship more so for others than themselves. From the moment they had claimed each other’s hearts, nothing and no one could have kept them apart.

  Sara had wanted children from the moment they said their vows. But getting pregnant hadn’t been easy. There had been three miscarriages and both had given up hope, declaring themselves enough for each other. For a moment they had considered adoption but just days after completing the application, they discovered Sara was pregnant once again.

  The pregnancy was immediately labeled high risk and his beautiful wife had been confined to their bed for the duration. By the start of her third trimester she’d made lists for everything. Lists for schools. Lists for doctors. Lists for everything she hoped for their baby.

  Surprisingly, labor and delivery had been a breeze. Alfred Cooper Winston arrived in the wee hours of August first, bellowing at the top of his tiny lungs. Cooper’s last memory of them together as a family, joyous and happy, was when they laid the newborn on his wife’s chest and she introduced herself, and him, to their newborn son. Minutes later, little Alfie was snatched from his mother’s arms and hurried off to the nursery as they rolled Sara to the operating room. The doctors were unable to stall the postpartum bleeding. Sara had died on the table, never able to hold her young son again.

  Cooper struggled with the memory and to keep driving. He could see Kiely fighting back her own tears out of the corner of his eye. “It was a rough time for me,” he said.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Kiely answered.

  Cooper shrugged his broad shoulders. “After that I had to take care of Alfie and he became my entire world.” He choked back a sob and when Kiely reached out for his hand, gently squeezing the back of his fingers, it took every ounce of his fortitude to contain the tears that pressed against his lashes. Her touch was consoling and warm and there was comfort in her touch that he had not expected.

  * * *

  Cooper turned in the entrance gates, speeding past the playground of sandboxes and swing sets. When he reached the administration building and the parking lot, he pulled into
the fire lane and shut down his vehicle. A team of local police cars lined the driveway, uniformed officers milling around the grass and steps outside the entrance.

  Kiely followed on his heels as he hurried into the building, flashing his federal badge at the officer who stood to block his way. “It’s my son who’s missing!” he snapped.

  “The parents are here,” Kiely heard someone say into a radio, the person on the other end responding with an admonishment to let them enter. She tossed Cooper a look but he seemed to not have heard the comment, blinded by the emotion that had him in a vise grip.

  The school’s administrator met them at the door to the office. “Mr. Winston, I am so sorry,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to...”

  “What happened? Where’s my son?” Cooper snapped harshly.

  The other woman repeated herself. “I’m so, so sorry! He was outside for recess and someone just grabbed him.”

  “How did this person get on campus? And who was supposed to be watching my son?” Cooper’s voice rose two octaves, his emotion explosive. “I need answers. I want to know who saw what happened!”

  A plainclothes detective rushed to Cooper’s side. He held out his hand. “Agent Winston, my name is Detective Cranston. Will you come with me, please? We’re reviewing the security tapes, and I need to know if you recognize anyone.”

  Kiely followed, standing at Cooper’s elbow as they moved into the administrator’s office. A team of police officers were all standing before a small video screen. Cooper pushed forward for a front row view.

  There was no audio and the footage was grainy, but there was no missing the man standing outside by the gate that led into the toddler play area. He was dressed in a security guard’s uniform and appeared to be on the job, wearing a ball cap, the brim pulled down low over his eyes. You couldn’t see his face, but he was sizeable, with a beer gut and thick arms.

  As the teacher and her assistant shuffled a group of eight kids from the play area back into the building, the man rushed forward and grabbed little Alfie. A dark sedan pulled up beside the two and just like that the child and the man were gone, the teacher screaming as she ran down the driveway after them.

  “I tried to stop them,” the young woman sobbed from across the room, where she sat talking to an officer. “I tried!”

  “Does he look familiar to you, Agent?” Detective Cranston questioned, pausing the video on the image of the kidnapper.

  Cooper shook his head. “No, I don’t recognize him. But the uniform’s off. The color is wrong. It’s more army green. You can buy them at any military supply store. The security officers here wear a more military blue.” Cooper sighed. “Do we know anything else?”

  “No, sir,” the detective said, “but we’ve issued an Amber Alert and all of my men are doing what we can to find your son. Right now, though, we need to ask you some questions.” He gestured toward Kiely. “Another officer will speak with your wife.”

  Kiely shook her head. “I’m not his wife. I’m a private investigator.”

  The man narrowed his gaze and shot her a suspicious glance. “A private investigator?”

  “Ms. Colton is partnered with the FBI on a case we’re working,” Cooper said, shifting his eyes back to the detective. “We were on another investigation when I got the call. Ms. Colton doesn’t know my son.”

  The detective nodded. “Colton? We have a Sadie Colton working the case. She’s an investigator. You’re not related by chance, are you?”

  Kiely said, “Sisters. Is Sadie here?”

  He nodded. “Outside, I think.”

  Kiely pressed a warm palm against Cooper’s forearm. “I’m going to go see what I can find out from my sister,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper meant only for his ears. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’m not going to be okay until I get my son back,” he muttered.

  She locked gazes with Cooper. The look he gave her spoke volumes, the hurt in his heart monumental. He was clearly struggling to contain his emotion, wanting to rage and cry and still be strong for his son. Not wanting to be seen as weak to his colleagues. His concern for his child pulled at her heartstrings. Cooper the father wasn’t nearly as hard and cold as Cooper the agent. His determination to find his son was impressive. She liked this Cooper a lot.

  As they continued to stare into each other’s eyes, it was a silent exchange that passed between them, words not needed. Kiely nodded her understanding. She squeezed his arm one last time.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said softly.

  Moving back to the parking lot, Kiely found her sister taking photos of tire tracks, the playground, and the landscape.

  When Sadie looked up from what she was doing, she was surprised to see her. “Hey there! What are you doing here?”

  “Working.”

  Sadie looked confused.

  “Long story short, Agent Winston and I were headed to check on a lead when he got the call about his son. I tagged along to see if there was anything I could do to help.”

  Sadie nodded. A former police rookie turned crime-scene investigator, Sadie approached all her cases pragmatically. “This was brazen. Broad daylight, other children and staff right there. Whoever snatched the kid wanted to be seen.” She pointed at the multitude of cameras positioned to capture everything that moved. “There was nothing haphazard about this. They were sending his father a message. Any idea who might have a vendetta against him?”

  Kiely shook her head. “He’s a stickler for the law. It could be anyone he’s ever crossed paths with. And I have no doubt, that list is miles long.”

  “What case were you investigating?”

  “The FBI got a lead on Wes Matthews’s whereabouts. We were headed to check it out.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed. The sooner we get Matthews, the sooner we can get Brody home.”

  “We haven’t talked in a while. Everything good with you?” Kiely asked.

  Sadie tossed a look over her shoulder, making sure none of the other officers could hear her. “Tate wants to elope,” she said casually.

  The comment hit Kiely like a sledgehammer. Tate Greer was Sadie’s fiancé. As far as Kiely was concerned, Tate was the product of bad sperm. He was egotistical and arrogant but deep down he was a coward who used others to make himself relevant. Everything about the man was a monumental red flag for the rest of the family. None of them were as charmed by him as their sister was. The two were like oil and water... snake oil and holy water, that is. But Tate had a viselike grip on her sister’s heart. Kiely swallowed, slowly digesting the pronouncement. “Elope?”

  Sadie nodded. “He wants us to sneak off to Las Vegas to get married.”

  “What happened to you two having a Christmas wedding?”

  “Tate changed his mind.”

  “But you’ve always wanted a big wedding with bridesmaids and a ridiculous cake and a big white dress and all of us there with you. That’s all you’ve ever talked about since we were all kids and you had a crush on Riley’s friend Preston. Preston Richards with the Coke bottle glasses and that cowlick thing that always stuck up on his head. Remember?”

  “I do, but Tate doesn’t have any family and he thinks since we’re going to be family that we should start our life together with it just being the two of us.”

  “You know how that sounds, right?”

  “I think it’s sweet! He’s such a romantic and he just wants it to be a private celebration for the two of us and then we’ll share it with everyone else afterward.”

  Nothing about it sounded romantic to Kiely. It sounded like Tate was trying to manipulate her sister. He tended to be overbearing and possessive. Because Sadie saw him with blinders on, Kiely found it best to say as little as possible about him when she could, not wanting to push her sister away and tighten the hold Tate had on her.

 
; “What are you going to do?” Kiely questioned.

  She made a mental note to call their other two sisters the first chance she got. An intervention was needed, she thought to herself. Sadie deserved so much better and Tate was not it. He professed to be in the import-export business but even that was questionable. Everything about Tate felt slimy, the man not having an ounce of substance equal to Sadie’s intellect and compassion. But Sadie, who’d always been very much a late bloomer when it came to men and sex, apparently saw nothing but golden opportunities with the man.

  “And don’t tell anyone,” Sadie said, seeming to read Kiely’s mind. “I still don’t know what I plan to do.”

  “As long as you don’t plan to do anything before we have a chance to talk more,” Kiely responded.

  Movement by the school doors drew both their attention, cutting their conversation short. Cooper had stepped outside, pulling his cell phone to his ear as the door slammed closed behind him. He stepped away from the two officers standing guard. Something about his tense body language triggered Kiely’s radar.

  “I need to run,” she said, tossing her sister a look. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Is that the father?” Sadie asked, looking toward where Kiely was staring.

  “Yeah.”

  Sadie hummed. “Interesting...very interesting.”

  Kiely cut her eye at her sibling. “Goodbye, Sadie!”

  “Love you, too!”

  * * *

  The image on Cooper’s cellphone screen read NO CALLER ID. Reception inside the school had been spotty and so he’d stepped outside. “Hello?”

  “Is this Agent Winston?” Cooper didn’t recognize the female voice on the other end and the private number she was calling him on wasn’t one he gave out readily. His anxiety level suddenly increased tenfold and he felt the knot in his midsection tighten.

  “Who is this?” Cooper asked.