SAFE (7 page)

Picking up her cell phone, Melissa thumbed through her contacts until one came up that she hadn’t called in over two years. Why she hesitated Melissa had no idea. Her Aunt Mary wouldn’t be angry at her, opposite of that in fact. Her aunt was one of the few who kept up with her career, knew everything that went on with her and stayed in touch when Melissa forgot to call for long stretches at a time. So it was no wonder it was a smile she heard with the welcome when she finally pressed call.

“Baby girl. How are you holding up?” Her Aunt Mary’s Texas twang had always been strong but Melissa’s ear picked up how tired she was tonight and looked over at the clock. Shit, it was almost ten o’clock and Mary was usually in bed by nine right after the local Dallas/Ft Worth news.

“I’m good, Mary. You sound tired. I’m sorry to call so late, I didn’t look at the clock.” Melissa’s fingers pulled at the comforter on the bed, her mind finally slowing down for the first time in weeks.

“Hush, child. You’ve been busy. What’s going on to make you call now during a case?” Tears pooled in her eyes, Melissa’s mind recalling the little girl curled in on herself, terrified and refusing to talk

“I can’t tell you anything, you know that.” She hated that she couldn’t unburdened her heart on the one person who would understand what she felt but Melissa knew her aunt would understand. In the background she heard a ruckus and then a loud shout.

“Is that our girl, Mary?”

“Here, you need to talk to him first or I won’t get to talk to you at all.” Mary didn’t even wait. The phone was handed over to her uncle and Melissa had to smile.

“What are you doing girl? Keeping those criminals on the run over there?” There was a deep chuckle, and Melissa’s stomach cramped with loneliness at the sound. God, how she missed the two of them. Of all of her relatives it was these two who she was felt closes.

“Just doing my job, Uncle George. Are you keeping Mary out of trouble for us?” Melissa wiped at the tears she didn’t realize were falling and took a deep breath.

“Always, baby girl. She and those old betties down at the church are stirring up trouble again with their sewing circle. Determined to get the men folks to help them run a mentoring program for some teenagers. Seems these kids stay in trouble all the time.” She knew George would go out of his way to help Mary do whatever the group at church decided to do, but it was his way of distracting her and she loved him all the more for it.

“Those teenagers will learn a lot from you, Master Sargent McKinney, Sir.” She couldn’t help adding his title. Her uncle had served in the U. S. Army for twenty-five years and then as a civil servant for another ten after retiring. He was a role model every youngster could look up to, had raised two sons and lost one to Desert Storm. He and Mary knew heartache, and how to extend love to someone who needed it. Especially a lonely young girl sent to them one summer who had nowhere to go and was so lost in her own grief and heartache she could have turn out differently if not for their gently guidance.

Pay it forward came into being that summer for Melissa McKenny.

“Are you still there, baby girl?” George asked, his gruff whisper bringing her out of memories best left buried.

“Yep, Uncle. Now, are you going to let me talk to your pretty wife?” Melissa grinned, feeling better than she had in weeks.

“Well crap. I guess if my girls are going to gossip I need to go finish reading that Louis L’ Amour book I started this afternoon.” George held the phone away from his ear and called Mary back to it. Melissa wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. It felt good to talk to them and now she could sleep.

“He’ll read himself to sleep now,” was Mary’s whisper as she came back on the line.

“I’ve missed you,” Melissa whispered back, her voice shaky and it took all of her control to keep the tears contained.

“I know baby girl. I know. Yet the work you do saves lives and we both know those children would be dead without you and Ty out there fighting dragons.”

“How do y-y-you know Ty is here.” Melissa’s stutter never came out unless she was terribly tired and now it was pronounced.

“I watched the news the other night and saw both of you. Your boss was giving a statement but the two of you stood in the background. It’s no wonder your so stressed right now. He’s grown into a right fine man, now hasn’t he?” She was amazed her aunt remembered what Ty looked like since it had been one picture Melissa had shown her a long time ago. However, Mary was a smart woman who had helped her military husband survive twenty-five years of active duty and three tour assignments in Europe. She remembered faces and details, not to mention teach middle school students most of her life. Mary McKinney was no dummy.

“Yes, he has but I’m not even sure he remembers me, Auntie.”

“Oh give me a break, child. That boy loved you. He remembers you so I don’t know what game he may be playing at but you didn’t see the look on his face when he looked at you when you walked off camera.” Mary chuckled at Melissa’s gasp.

“You fibber!”

“Excuse me?” Now Mary laughed outright, and Melissa was glad her elderly aunt couldn’t see the deep blush covering Melissa’s face.

“Alright old woman, I’ve got to get up early to go check on a teenager of my own. Put her on your prayer warrior list. She and all of those kids need all of the help they can get right now.” Melissa started to hang up, but remembered to add, “I love you!”

“Already done, baby girl. You and Ty are also on there, so stay safe. Love you, too.” The other line went dead and Melissa closed her eyes. She let the quiet of the room ease her and filtered out the dim light of the bathroom. Soon she was asleep and allowed the calm to take her away on the first good night’s sleep she had had in a week.

Chapter 8

Tyrone DuValle was pissed and it seemed to be a recurring event for him since coming to Texas. He didn’t normally let his temper get out of control but this case was pushing all of his buttons. There was no other word for how he felt. There was no sugar coating it, no way to gloss over it and no way to get around it. He was straight up, top of the morning, badass pissed and someone was going to pay for it - now.

He had called everyone into the Team meeting room before 7 AM except for Agent McKinney because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she wasn’t the leak. However, he was going to find out what was going on or he was going to replace every God damn person on this team expect himself and Agent McKinney before anyone else left this room before noon today. Ty wasn’t in the habit of having his operations jeopardized and he wouldn’t stand for juveniles being terrorized who were supposed to be protected.

Chip Nicholson sat in the corner in a slouch drinking his coffee, head down and a sour look on his face. His partner, Danny Ashton, sat next to him whispering like two jocks snickering in high school. The two of them looked entirely too comfortable for Ty’s peace of mind. Go figure that it had to be Ashton who was his partner.

“Care to share with the class, Nicholson?”

“No Sir,” Chip growled, elbowing his partner away and sitting back up.

“Do it anyway.”

“Fine.” Nicholson scowled and stood, looking around the room. “Why isn’t McKinney here?”

Ty looked at the moron and just stared, unable to believe what he had heard.

“Really? You’re going to do this here?”

“You called a meeting. She’s not here so we want to know why.” Nicholson took a sip of his coffee, a smirk on his face and looked around. He didn’t seem to realize no one else in the room seem to have his back because they all looked shocked at his stupidity.

“All of you are here because someone leaked where the kids were put to the press. A hit was put on them so McKinney and I moved them last night.” A gasp went up from the rest of the team. Ty watched the reactions, keeping a discreet eye on each face.

“So McKinney is a snitch,” Chip grinned.

“Did I say that?” Ty asked, moving across the room so fast Nicholson didn’t even realize his Team Lead was in motion until it was too late. He had the other man pushed against the wall with his forearm across his neck before anyone could stop him.

“You said you called a meeting because there is a leak.” Chip was trying to get away from Ty but there was no moving a man who was as strong a Ty DuValle in full on mad.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Ty said between clenched teeth. “I didn’t say that McKinney was the leak. She helped us move the kids last night to safe locations. If she was the leak, why would we trust her to help move them, moron?” It took a minute for the lights to come one but when they did, Nicholson’s complexion turned pale.

“Hey, you think one of us did it?” Chip stopped struggling and shook his head. “Damn boss, we’d be nuts to do something like that.”

“Exactly,” was all Ty said as he let the other man go. “I want all frequencies changed as of this morning. No one goes on calls alone and I want leads followed up and documented. We have a psycho on our hands and there is no way to know if he’s done. So get a move on it and watch each other’s backs.”

Ty looked around the room for a few heartbeats, staring each person in the eye. He didn’t know these people but Buck Stanfield did. Buck trusted them or he wouldn’t have them on his team. He could only hope that trust wasn’t misplaced.

Lonnie sat in the corner, a frown on his face as he watched the two goons in the back row as they continued to whisper. He was typing on his tablet and Ty’s phone chirped.

“
Be careful of Chip. He can be dangerous.”
Lonnie’s text message was not a surprise but at least he knew the kid had his back.

“Noted. Thx”

“My door is always open if any of you need to come see me for any reason. But be warned. I will not tolerate anyone jeopardizing this investigation for any reason so hear me now. If you have a problem with me, Agent McKinney or Buck Stanfield then you need to get off this team. Now.”

Ty didn’t give them time to comment. He left them sitting in the room and headed to the coffee pot and then to his office. He had work to do and he was damn tired of numb-nuts acting stupid.

* * *

Melissa woke with a raging headache as the sun came up and the humidity promised to make the heat increase the ache to more than just a dull roar. After popping a couple of Excedrin and some water, a shower and a cool shirt made it easier to walk outside in cotton dress pants that didn’t cling like so many synthetic materials tend to do in humid weather. At least with cotton her skin could breathe and right now she needed to feel any breeze the Texas air would allow.

Her first order of business was to go back to the crime scene. After lying in bed for a while looking at the ceiling Melissa realized she had to go back and “feel” the area to get close to their perpetrator. Her gifts allowed her to use them in an uncanny way that incorporated the profiling skills she had honed with those ingrained in her genes to actually use her other abilities to sense what happened at crime scenes. It wasn’t scientific and it couldn’t be used in a court of law to convict anyone but it had helped her in the past to locate facts that had otherwise gone by the wayside. Her gut told her that she had to go back to those caves and at least try for the sake of those children.

Flipping open her phone, Melissa called the office as she walked to her SUV. Ty picked up on the second ring and that odd flippy thing happened again in the pit of her stomach when she heard his voice.

“DuValle.”

It took a couple of heartbeats for Melissa to realize she was just sitting there, listening to his breathing.

“Melissa, are you there?” she heard a frantic note in his voice and felt a slight clench in her guts.

“Yeah, sorry.” Clearing her throat, she pulled the seatbelt over and clicked it into place and shut the SUV’s door. “Trouble with the seatbelt.”

“Oh. Are you on your way in?”

“About that. I’m headed to the crime scene to take a look at it again.” Melissa started her SUV and let it sit for a few minutes, allowing the air conditioner to cool the interior down and closed her eyes.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just reamed the Team about not going anywhere alone. Come to the office and we’ll go together or you can take someone with you.” She heard a series of clicks in the background and figured Ty must be in his office. Melissa could actually close her eyes and picture him sitting behind the desk, clicking away on the keyboard with the phone receiver tucked into his neck.

“Melissa, did you hear me?” His question brought her back to the present and Melissa looked out the window of her SUV to the bright sunlight.

“Yes, I heard you and no, I’m not coming in.”

“Damnit woman.” There was a loud thunk and the sound of the receive dropping. She almost laughed to hear cussing the background before Ty picked it up and spoke again.

“Don’t go out there alone, Melissa. That’s an order! Something’s off with this case and going around alone is dangerous.”

“I have to go, Ty. It’s the only way I can feel out the area without a lot of people’s emotions getting in the way. I realize you don’t understand but this is how I do my job.” Her whispered explanation must have caught him off guard because Ty was quiet on the other end of the phone. She really expected him to order her back to the office. Instead she was totally shocked when Ty started cursing again.

“Damnit woman, you will be the death of me yet.” Melissa held the phone away from her ear and looked down at it but heard Ty again. “Fine, I’ll meet you there. Do not go into the caves until I get there, do you understand me? There are two local sheriffs posted on the trails to stop curious onlookers and but someone could still get past them.”

“You don’t have to meet me there.” She was used to working crime scenes alone, had been doing it for as long as she had been on the force and it bothered her that Ty felt she needed backup. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I didn’t say you needed help. Just wait for me.” Melissa heard the other end go dead and looked at her phone. Yep, the ass had hung up on her.

She started the SUV and headed out of town, turning the radio station to a country station. Florida Georgia Line crooned their latest song
Dirt
and she could imagine her Gramm’s on the farm with Gramps and the chicken coop out back that she hated to go gather eggs. Yep, Ty was going to be really pissed about this one when she went into the office.