Page 53 of Fear of Flames
“Are you the bad guys or the good guys?”
“We know we’re the good guys.” He scoffed. “Or we’ve been brainwashed into believing what we do is for good.”
“Have you killed people?”
He nodded.
Shelly shook her head.
“Those of us in the agency get things done. Most of us have military or law enforcement backgrounds, but not all. There are agents like me who work independently. We don’t have liabilities, and that allows us to take greater risks, all for the good of humanity.
“There are also agents who function within societal norms, get married, have children, and work real jobs. Hell, they probably coach Little League. They also answer the call when it comes.”
Shelly’s forehead furrowed. “You asked me about my mom. How did you know about her?”
“Mostly from Denny, but Tracy Holdcraft is legend.”
“You’re crazy. My mom was a librarian, not military.”
“The agency isn’t all about brawn. It takes brains. Tracy had those.”
Michelle looked at Fletch as if he had two heads. “You’re saying it was my mother who was involved with the agency, not my dad?”
“They both were.”
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Michelle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This wasn’t like when she didn’t believe Fletch’s compliments. She enjoyed hearing them and while she didn’t totally agree, hearing them was nice. She was more than pleased that he saw her the way he did. Because to be honest, she hasn’t been at her best the last few days. What Fletch was saying about her parents was impossible or at least highly improbable.
“You’re saying my parents were agents for this no-name agency while they pretended to be normal parents.”
“I don’t know what kind of parents they were. It’s why I asked you about your childhood. I didn’t know them then, but if you thought you had everyday parents, they were very good at hiding what they did. I never wanted what they did—to live a double life. It’s risky in its own way. You were a liability for them. If they had been discovered…” He inhaled. “Denny called me to meet with him the night he was killed. He was worried about Ralph Perkins.”
“Did he want your help?”
“Not with Perkins. He called me because of you. That’s why I was nearby when the fire started. It’s how I knew you were there. Hell, I was about to run into the blaze when I saw you.”
“How did you see me and the sheriff didn’t?”
“Sometimes there aren’t answers. Maybe there’s a higher being. Maybe your dad got one last wish. I told him I’d take care of you if anything went awry.”
Michelle tried to make heads or tails out of what he was saying. “Can you tell me more about what they did? What you do?”
“I’m not supposed to, but I will. From what I’ve heard, Tracy was a master at navigating the web even before it was a thing. She had computer skills that the NSA would have wanted if they knew about her.”
A smile tugged at Michelle’s lips. She’d never thought of her mother as a crusader for justice. She had always just been her mom. Michelle recalled her mother’s death and her smile faded. “My mom died in a house explosion on the night I came home for holiday break my sophomore year.” She was recalling. “I was disappointed she wasn’t home. Dad wasn’t either.” Her pulse kicked up. “Could I have been killed in that explosion? Was that related to this agency?”
His dark eyes flashed to her and back to the highway. A string of small reflectors lined the asphalt, highlighting the road. “If you had been there…then yes. As for it being related to the agency, Denny suspected.”
Fletch’s answer gave her a sinking sensation in her stomach. The cheeseburger she’d recently consumed churned. “You don’t think it was the gas company’s fault—or mine?” she added.
“It wasn’t your fault. You wouldn’t do that. Denny said the accusations were baseless. He couldn’t tell them the truth. He couldn’t tell them that he thought your home was targeted due to their work with the agency.” Fletch swallowed. “It was one of the reasons he chose to move to Massachusetts.”
She sighed. “I thought it was because I reminded him too much of Mom. I always got the feeling that while he loved me, it was difficult for him to look at me.”
Fletch shook his head. “It was the agency, Shelly. Denny said he lost too much to the agency. He didn’t want to lose you too.”
