Page 11 of Special Agent Murphy

Chapter Eight

Waiting outside Kale’s office reminded Kayti of a day a few months earlier.

Raised by a single mom, Kayti had never felt strange or that she missed out because no father was in the picture. Spending every moment possible with the girl, her mother taught her right from wrong, empathy for others, sharing, caring and instilled a sweetness of spirit (her mother’s term) that often betrayed her no matter how hard she tried to protect herself from letting others take advantage.

Being best friends with her mom, when the big C snuck into the picture, Kayti felt betrayed. Why hadn’t Norma admitted she was dying? She’d have come home and stayed with her, helped her… spent their last months together.

Instead, Kayti was in Quantico, looking forward to the Christmas holidays so she could have quality time with her mom rather than relying on their nightly phone calls.

On arrival, finding her mother wasting away, using a walker and on so many pills she had to organize them in a weekly pill container to keep them straight, heartbreak struck her hard. By this time, her mom was so far gone, she only lasted a few more weeks.

Inconsolable, missing her best friend, yet forced to clear some of Norma’s belongings from the small apartment they’d always lived in, Kayti sifted through many heavy emotions. Anger vied with sorrow and made her grief that much harder to contain.

Her and her mom had always been there for each other. Told each other all their fears and their secrets, discussed spiritual beliefs and romantic ideals. Though it seemed strange doing this with her parent, her mom had a way of digging past barriers, and Kayti opened up every time.

While growing through the stages of puberty and her teenage years, she’d even shared the few romantic interludes she found herself experiencing.

Somehow, her mom always made her see the guys for the way they really were, not the way she’d romanticized them. It helped her understand there was one thing they wanted from her and it wasn’t her heart. She’d break things off and swear to stay celibate.

Even the one serious romance she encountered while in training had been kyboshed after a visit home. Norma had met her Mexican boyfriend, the one man who’d gotten through her defenses, so their relationship had lifted to the highest level, and by the time she found every flaw he possessed, helped by Norma, Kayti turned her feelings off. Soon after, they split.

Again, she’d relied on her mom to talk her through the pain and help her land on her feet. Her mother had always been there, until she wasn’t.

While going through Norma’s personal stuff, something she’d put off for a few years, another shock awaited. She discovered draft receipts from her mother’s sister – one she never knew existed.

Plus, curt notes that came with each one asking after their health, giving best wishes for birthdays and updates of addresses and phone numbers where this person could be reached. The draft receipts showed extra amounts during holiday times.

Clearly, over the years the amounts rose, becoming more sufficient as Kayti grew older. This money – that kept them in the style they’d become accustomed to – did not come from her dead father’s insurance policy as she’d been told. Obviously, those were lies.

She Googled the person sending them, a person called Edna Kale. And found her at the one place she’d never have suspected – FBI Headquarters.

Seems her career with the Federal Bureau of Investigations had taken her high on the FBI’s totem pole, and she held a rather esteemed position.

It also appeared that though she sent money to help her sister live decently, she’d never visited or spent any time with her. Something that Kayti found hard to forgive. After all, they’d lived a very sheltered existence and having family nearby would have given them a richer life.

Hesitating, worried because of her personal position with the FBI that she might be overstepping, she made an appointment and wondered if the woman would acknowledge her role in their lives. Pleasantly surprised by her aunt’s warm greeting, she shared the last few weeks of her mother’s life with the woman.

“I didn’t know Mom had any family. When I asked, she’d say we were alone in the world, except for friends. Are you really her sister?”

“Yes, I was Norma’s sister, and I would have liked to have had more of a relationship with you both, truly. I wanted to stay together as a family, but she refused.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“She had her reasons. Ones I’m not at liberty to share. But can we start fresh and be friends now that you’re alone?”

Uncomfortable with knowing her mother hadn’t wanted this to happen, though she didn’t understand why, she hesitated.

That’s when the woman showed why she’d risen so high in the ranks of the FBI to Special Agent in Charge of the criminal division. According to her research, Kayti had discovered that her aunt had been appointed from the ranks of her earlier position overseeing Counterintelligence.

Inflexible, even rigid, she projected a strength of will that others strove for. Her respected position and no-nonsense attitude set Kayti back in her seat, clutching her handbag.

“Look, Kayti. Your mother was a good person, but she had one flaw, and it’s kept us apart all your life. She didn’t share. Once you were hers, no one else mattered. You became her reason for living.”

Not allowing any disparaging remarks or even hints, Kayti replied, “She was the best mother a kid ever had.”

“Not saying any different. I wasn’t criticizing, just stating a fact. But that distance wasn’t healthy, and in the end, it hurt you both. Sure, I sent her money. She never could hold down a job, not when you were little. Afterward, she never wanted to work, rather she lived through you and kept the world at bay. I just thank God she didn’t instill those flaws in you. That she allowed you a chance to make a career for yourself.”

Relenting, Kayti admitted, “She was like a child, especially toward the last few years. I mostly felt like her mother. But a sweeter heart you’d never find.”

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