Strong, Sleek and Sinful - By Lorie O'Clare Page 0,153
regrets for doing so. Kylie both admired and despised the woman for her efforts. She wouldn’t take advantage of a man’s weakness for a pretty lady to get what she wanted in life. Although more than once, other than arguing it was scruples, she wondered why she wouldn’t. “Where have you been?” There was concern in Susie’s voice.
Kylie pulled into a stall outside a Mexican restaurant, where the lot was starting to fill up with the early lunch crowd. Leaving her car in drive, she cranked the AC and reclined in her seat.
“You’ve been trying to reach me? I haven’t had any missed calls from you.”
“I tried calling your cell a week or so ago and then tried the field office there in Mission Hills. They told me there you weren’t getting a good signal with your service there in that town. I was promised a new number for you, but no one got back to me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I haven’t had any problems with my cell.” Kylie frowned, watching a young couple enter the large restaurant while her stomach growled. It hadn’t dawned on her until now that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. “Someone must have gotten their wires crossed.”
“Well, I have you now. How are things going?”
“I’m on the verge of discovery.”
Susie’s laugh was melodic, relaxed, and reminded Kylie that before long her stress would be directed toward a different case, in a different world, and the problems in Mission Hills, Kansas, would once again be resolved and those living here would get on with their lives. Would she ever see any of them again? The thought left her feeling empty and she sighed, her gaze drifting to a car that parked near her and several ladies who were all laughing and talking, got out and headed to the restaurant.
“That’s my line, and you’re reminding me why you’re one of my top agents. Fill me in on the details.”
Kylie put a neutral tone in her voice, offering the facts and fighting to keep her emotions and feelings for the people involved in this case at bay.
“Perry. Now who is Perry?”
Kylie smiled, although she felt anything but happy, and looked down at her lap as she realized how much she had just failed in keeping her emotions out of this case.
“Lieutenant Perry Flynn is with the police department here in Mission Hills. He is also working on this case.”
“Total hunk, huh?”
“He’s not bad.” Not bad in bed. Not bad at stealing her heart. “John Athey hasn’t contacted you?” she asked, changing the subject from Perry. Although talking about John, and what he might have told Susie, wasn’t a conversation Kylie wanted to have, either. Best to get it out of the way.
“I haven’t talked to him,” Susie said. “I’ve left messages, but he hasn’t returned them.”
“Really.” That didn’t strike Kylie as quite right. Usually supervisors kept in touch, especially when a field agent was sent from one location to another. “I’m sure there’ve been reports, though, right?”
There wasn’t any point hedging around the situation. “We don’t exactly get along.”
“Although that’s odd for you,” Susie said, sounding serious, “I’ve had agents before who clash with local FBI. You do what you’re there to do and move on. You know how to do your job.”
“I know.” She hated the emptiness that seemed to spread inside her.
“You know, oftentimes an agent gets involved with the community, especially when doing undercover work. It isn’t a bad thing,” Susie offered.
“I know where you’re going with this,” Kylie said, breaking off the inevitable pep talk about how this, too, would pass. “And you’re right. I think it’s just the timing with your call,” she lied. “I just left the field office after having it pointed out to me very clearly that I have absolutely nothing to nail this guy with. I have a clue who he is,” she admitted, and felt even worse as failure wrapped around the emptiness inside her. “But I really don’t have any proof.”
“Let’s break it down. What do you have?” It sounded as though Susie was typing in the background, her nicely painted nails she was able to grow sitting in an office these days instead of working out in the field tapping over the keys while she talked on the phone. “You have a description and a common location.”
“Yes. It appears he agrees to meet the girls at the bowling alley or at shops nearby. The bowling alley is a