Page 18 of Special Agent Murphy

Chapter Twelve

Kayti wasn’t happy with the directives given to her from her Aunt Edna, not at all. But the woman was her immediate superior and had to be obeyed.

Even though Edna had insisted she let another agent take his information, she hung on a few minutes longer and got the specifics from Senator Bond herself. She’d let someone else deal with Ryan Stover. Her questions were ones that only a close family member could satisfy; things that brought the girl alive in her mind.

Rereading the information, she admitted to needing those answers as much as having the basic details for the missing person’s report form.

A picture of Misti had begun to take shape, she loved to swim in summer and ski in the winter. Took ballet lessons for years and then switched to basketball when she started senior high school. As far as her father knew, she was well liked, popular and aced her grades. And absolutely no drugs.

Ok-ay. Sure…

***

Having slept for maybe four hours, still nestled in her bed, Kayti reviewed the night before. She returned to the beginning of yesterday evening. Being in purgatory might describe how it felt locked in a car for three hours with Agent Shane Murphy.

Not that he was ugly, far from it. She remembered watching his hands on the steering wheel and thinking they looked strong. He’d worn a darkish gray shirt and had rolled up his sleeves partially so the digital hands on his watch had glowed in the dark.

She remembered him in Edna’s office, the obvious chip on his shoulder evident, and chronicled his description in her mind. Not too tall yet appeared so because of the way he carried himself.

He’d worn jeans, tight and washed out, low on his hips which showed off a nice ass. He’d worn his black hair short on the sides and kind of messy in front which would make any woman he was with want to run her fingers through it to see if the slight curls wound around a finger.

He’d needed a shave, his beard dark, appearing thick, but not long enough to have been there for more than a day. More like a five o’clock shadow. Finally, she zeroed in on his face and that’s when her heart sped up.

Brown eyes that penetrated, no expression other than boredom, until he’d worked his magic with Ryan. Then they’d softened with understanding and male tolerance. Sent a shiver over her just thinking about the change from soulless to caring.

Yep, his face was all male, thick eyebrows, lush lips, a strong chin. He could easily play the male star in a cop show where the hero worked miracles with his fists and his sex appeal.

That actor would never have trouble getting a woman and no doubt, Murphy didn’t either. His attraction radiated and would suck in any female within his radius.

It was this maleness, this charisma that had stressed her, turning her into a gibbering idiot. Lord Almighty, looking back, shame flooded so she pulled the covers over her head and groaned loud and long. He must think her a naïve whack-job.

And then driving the car into the ditch. Seriously? Where were her skills? The ones that had put her at the top of every Quantico class. Even Roberts, her driving instructor, though not impressed, had passed her. Of course, it was only after she’d blackmailed him.

No one understood. And she’d never shared. It was the one fear she’d agonized over – being behind the wheel and having a motorized vehicle in her control.

No one knew about the many accidents her mother had gotten into while Kayti had been a kid, confined in her child seat in the back, terrified from every honking horn and skid sound and many times the inevitable crunch.

Terrorized by the time she’d reached ten, having had a broken arm, stitches in her forehead and other places from broken glass, multiple wounds, gashes, bruises, whiplash… all leading to nightmares. Self-preservation finally kicked in and made her stubbornly refuse to get into any car her mother drove. A lightbulb moment suddenly happened.

Seeing the re-enactment in her own skills, she promised herself she’d fit in more driving instruction as soon as this case finished. No doubt, Edna would be after her about the car incident when they met up for dinner on Sunday, and she couldn’t lie. But then, she couldn’t get Murphy in trouble either.

Frickin’ fu…dge!

Not wanting to even go there, she changed direction and began revisiting the case. To the last time she’d seen Misti. Their eyes had caught in the mirror, and as strangers sometimes do, they bonded for a few seconds.

She recalled the way the girl had dressed, like one of the monied teenagers of today, with her styled hair shaved over her left ear, jewelry dangling, and makeup applied to make her look like a movie star rather than like the defenseless young girl she was.

Her clothes resembled a safari-style in the taupe tones, sleeves rolled up to show her bulky bracelets taking up a good section of her wrist. And… Oh Lord, did she have on a Fitbit under all those junky accessories?

Kayti flew out of bed and ran to her tablet. She’d emailed a copy of the Senator’s information to herself, his address and phone numbers. Within seconds she’d gotten through to him. “Are there agents there with you now in case the kidnappers call you?”

“Yes, they arrived a while ago. Though I haven’t heard anything more from Agent Kale. What are you doing about finding my daughter?”

“My supervisor will be following every lead they have, no doubt she has people questioning those who were at the bar last night to see if anyone knew Gina and Alex. The Amber Alert is set up and every police officer in the city is on the lookout for the vehicle. Sir, the reason I’m calling, did Misti have a Fitbit?”

“I don’t know. Hold on, I’ll ask my wife.”

Kayti waited. Her heartbeats doubled, anxiety ramped up and her fingers crossed as she held onto her cell. Please let her be wearing one.

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