Page 80 of Special Agent Murphy

Chapter Forty-seven

Murphy hated being separated from Kayti. His protectiveness kicked in and knowing she was driving; his nerves were rattled. He’d give anything if she was next to him in his car… safe, even yapping.

How the fuck that girl hadn’t killed herself behind the wheel must be pure luck or good karma? He had to get her to see the reality of her incompetence. Suffering from being a realist, he figured it was only a matter of time. And the thought of her being hurt, or worse, dead, made the bile rise. It was unthinkable.

Unwilling to continue being negative, he switched his mind to ponder something else. Automatically, his thoughts flew to where they’d spent quality time.

Waking up in the morning with her naked, snuggled in his arms had been the sweetest moment in his life. The way she had of giving her all, holding nothing back was magical and drew a sigh from him.

He remembered when they first met, nicknaming her the Yapper. A grin formed. She’d stopped that aggravating bullshit, thank God. Must be she knew him now and figured out it irritated him.

Deep into the feel of her satin skin, her thick sexy-smelling hair and her soft lips, he almost ran off the road himself. Words slapped him that had him chuckling…Jesus, and you’re worried about Kayti’s driving?

He pulled into the Fairfax County police parking lot and headed inside to meet up with a detective the Chief had assigned to work with him, Detective Simmons. Walking toward the huge red brick structure, he appreciated the stunning white pillars in front.

Inside the large building, he noticed the swirling wooden upper balconies, and the spaciousness that added to the feeling of this being anything but a police station. Heading toward the uniformed man close by, he asked where he could find Detective Simmons.

Following directions, he knocked on the office door and was told to enter. A mid-thirties, good looker stood to shake hands and offered him a seat.

Not too surprised to find a woman in the office, he nevertheless became annoyed when she wavered on his questioning her for information.

“Hey, my boss, Special Agent in Charge, Edna Kale phoned ahead to Chief Shale. He said you’d be more than happy to assist in this situation.”

“And I am helping you with any material that seems useful. I asked around for knowledge of the lake districts, and my officers all admit that without more facts, your cabin could be found in a number of places. We’re at a disadvantage here. You haven’t given us much to go on.”

“Hell lady, if I had more, you’d be the one I’d share it with. It’s all we know. Surely, there are lakes that are more popular fishing spots, full of enthusiastic fishermen. Those wouldn’t be interesting to us. We’re looking for secluded areas, cabins on lakes that are off the main roads. That should rule out some regions.”

“Of course, let’s head into the main office where we’ve set up some maps we can study.”

When they stopped in a big room filled with desks, uniformed men and women all busy, computers on desks piled high, the Chief appeared to welcome Murphy.

“Chief Philip Shale, happy to be of assistance. Anything you need, Agent Murphy. Edna explained the timeline to me, and I agree that poor girl is in terrible danger. We have to move as quickly as we can.”

“Thanks. You’re right. I was just explaining to Detective Simmons that we can rule out areas more populated and focus on places off the beaten track. One thing I do know, it’s not a shack. The cabin has two bathrooms. I doubt if there’s any cable or Wi-Fi. In a discussion a witness overheard, the man holding Senator Bond’s daughter was disgusted because according to him, all they could do for entertainment was fish.”

“Well, using those parameters, we still have many areas to investigate. I’ve sent patrol cars out to a number of the places, but so far, no luck.”

They continued discussing their options, and Murphy could almost feel the seconds ticking by as if they were entwined with his heartbeats.

The fact that Kayti hadn’t called back also irked him. She’d promised to keep him in the loop. An hour had streaked by since they’d talked. He could kick himself for not getting more of an explanation from her of where she was heading. At least the name of the town.

He tried her number again and got upset when it went to voice mail for the second time. “Call me, Kayti.” It was all he could say without his voice wavering with worry.

They continued to rule out areas on the map until there were only three left. Unfortunately, they were large and would take a lot of time to search each area for solitary cabins that might fit the flawed description.

His phone’s buzz produced relief he hadn’t imagined he’d ever feel. The satisfaction lasted only a few seconds after he saw the caller ID and it wasn’t Kayti’s.

“Yeah, Murphy here.”

“Is Kayti with you?” Agent Kale’s abrupt voice meant business. “I’m trying to reach her. She must have shut her phone off. My message is going to her voice mail.”

“No, she’s checking out a lead. She arrived before me.”

“Not sure I like the sound of that.”

“What?”

“The worry I hear in your voice.”

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