Agent by Her Side Read online

  Kiely blinked away a tear. “I love you, too, Alfie.”

  “I hungry, Ki-Ki!”

  “You take Daddy and help him wash his hands and then you two come back to get lunch. Okay?”

  Alfie nodded. “Wash you hands, Dad-dy! Wash you hands!” He turned and raced toward the bathroom.

  “He and I had a very long conversation about that tantrum,” Cooper said. He tapped Kiely’s arm, the gesture kind and tender.

  “Go wash your hands,” she muttered as she swiped a tear away. “Before you both have me crying!”

  * * *

  Cooper grabbed two more cookies and a glass of milk. Although he was stuffed from lunch, he just couldn’t help himself. They were that good and Alfie had finally gone to sleep so that he could enjoy the dessert without having to share. He moved to the sofa, taking the seat across from Kiely.

  “I made those for Alfie,” she said. “I didn’t want him to stay mad at me over that candy issue.”

  “I left him some.”

  “I’m going to have to send my sister a grocery list so I can make some more.”

  “People in protective custody don’t usually cook gourmet meals.”

  “I’m treating this little adventure as a spa holiday of sorts.”

  Cooper smiled. “A working holiday, I hope. I could really use your help figuring out who this woman is. I’m coming up with blanks. Nothing makes any sense.”

  “Don’t feel bad. I’ve been thinking about her all morning, too. I’ve eliminated more women from the suspect pool than I’ve been able to consider.” Kiely sighed.

  “I keep thinking about Abigail Matthews. You said you don’t think she’s involved, but do you think she might know something? Something that might make sense to us even if it doesn’t make sense to her?”

  “She doesn’t, but maybe she’ll remember something if we ask again. I doubt it but it won’t hurt.”

  “Since you know her, I’m going to ask you to give her a call. She might be more inclined to open up and speak with you than with me. Meanwhile I’m going to see if forensics came up with anything from the explosion.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kiely said as she gave him a salute.

  Cooper shook his head, swallowing his last bite of cookie. “Beautiful and funny!”

  “Damn right!” Kiely said as she rose from the table. “And it’s a lethal combination.”

  * * *

  Kiely reached out to Griffin before calling Abigail. It had taken her sisters less than twenty-four hours to fill their brothers in on what she’d been doing and all that had happened and now they wanted answers she wasn’t yet interested in giving.

  “So, Riley says this Cooper guy is good people. But he has a kid. Are you ready to do kids, Kiely? That’s an important step, and I speak from experience,” he said reminding her of what he and Abigail had gone through to adopt their foster child Maya.

  “We’re just friends, Griffin.”

  “That’s not what Pippa said.”

  “Can I just talk to Abigail, please?”

  “Don’t change the subject, Kiely.”

  “I’m not. I’m trying to work and you want to discuss my personal life. And you know that is off limits.”

  “Maybe to strangers, not to family, right?” There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone that Kiely picked up on but ignored. Griffin sighed. “She should be home if you’re planning to call her now. I just had lunch with her and Maya, and the baby was going down for a nap.”

  “I need to make time to come by and see my new niece. I promise to do that soon.”

  “Yes, you do and I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “Love you!”

  “Stay safe, Kiely!”

  Disconnecting the call, Kiely sat back in her chair, thinking about her big brother. Griffin had been adopted when he’d been eight years old and she’d been six. He’d been a foster kid first and much like Brody, their father had seen his potential, believing in him even when he was unsure. Both their parents had loved him like he was their own. But there had always been something holding Griffin back from feeling like he belonged...until recently. Like he was really a Colton and not just carrying the name by default. Since he’d met Abigail and Maya, he’d changed and opened up more.

  Any time Griffin mentioned family he always sounded like he needed a pep talk. That he needed to be reminded that they loved him immensely and considered him kin, whether they were related by blood or not. But right then she didn’t have time to coddle his feelings and sing him a rendition of “Kumbaya.” It would have to wait until she saw him next in person. She engaged the secure phone line and dialed Abigail’s number.

  Abigail answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Abigail, hello! It’s Kiely.”

  “Kiely, hey! How are you?”

  “I’m well. Is this a good time to talk?”

  “Can you hold on for a second? Just let me check on Maya. She’s teething and it takes forever for her to fall asleep lately.”

  “That’s not a problem at all.” Kiely waited, listening to the silence on the other end.

  Abigail came back to the phone quickly. “Sorry about that. She’s out like a light! What can I do for you?”

  “I had some questions about your father.”

  Abigail groaned. “You know he and I don’t have a relationship, right? It’s been a while since I last spoke with him.”

  “I do. But we’re trying to identify a woman who’s connected to him. Someone he may be close to. She would be very protective of him. A girlfriend or lover, maybe?”

  “Wes really isn’t the relationship type.”

  “Maybe the two had a short-term fling?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “This woman has more of an athletic frame and she rides a motorcycle.”

  Abigail paused, seeming to think about who might fit that description. “I’m sorry, Kiely,” she finally said. “I don’t ever remember seeing him with someone like that.”

  “When was the last time you saw your father?”

  “It’s been a few months. My birthday actually, so it was in June. He dropped off a birthday gift.”

  “Do you remember what you talked about?”

  “Actually, I do. He said that he’d gotten a new investor that he was very excited about. In fact, he made a crude comment about her becoming my new stepmother if she dropped a few pounds! He was so infuriating! I started screaming at him and told him what a horrible person I thought he was and how much I hated him. He was genuinely perplexed, like he couldn’t understand what the problem was. He left after that and I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Do you know who the investor was that he was referring to?”

  “Sorry, Kiely. Since I never heard anything about a marriage or an engagement I never gave it another thought. I figured he was just talking out the side of his neck or maybe this mystery woman hadn’t lost those extra pounds,” she said sarcastically.

  Kiely could hear the disgust in Abigail’s voice and scathing tone. She could also detect the hurt and frustration. Knowing Abigail and Wes had not had a relationship for years, Kiely thought of her own father and the abundance of love that he had showered down on her and her siblings. Kiely had been a daddy’s girl, her father the first man she trusted. She couldn’t begin to fathom what it had to be like for Abigail to have a father like Wes Matthews. The young woman had gone through a lot when people discovered the connection between the two. She’d been bullied, threatened, and attacked, despite discovering the ricin connection to RevitaYou and sounding the appropriate alarms. Others hadn’t trusted her and wanted her to pay for her father’s crimes, considering her guilty by virtue of her bloodline.

  Recently, Abigail had been framed for a murder she didn’t commit. Despite being completely exonerated, she had found that the allegatio
ns had threatened her custody and pending adoption of Maya. Griffin had come to her rescue, riding in like a knight on a white horse. His actions had solidified the bond between them. Watching their happily ever after unfold had been the stuff of romance novels.

  “Abigail, I really appreciate you taking time to speak with me. You’ve been a big help.”

  “I haven’t. Not really. I wish I could tell you more. I really want you to catch him.”

  “We will. Don’t you worry. Drinks are on me the next time I see you!”

  The baby suddenly cried in the background.

  “And that would be Maya calling for my attention. I have to run.”

  “I understand. Talk to you soon,” Kiely said as Abigail disconnected the call.

  Kiely sat for a moment thinking about what Abigail had told her. She replayed the details of the case over in her head. The initial investigation into RevitaYou had found investors personally recruited by Wes Matthews. Those three had recouped their investment and then some, actually doubling their money. The investors that followed hadn’t been so lucky.

  It had been a typical pyramid scheme where money collected from newer victims was used to pay earlier victims, providing a veneer of legitimacy. All the victims were induced to recruit others, Wes Matthews promising them recruitment commissions for their efforts. It was fraud, plain and simple. By the time Brody had invested, it was too late. Soon after it was discovered that RevitaYou was actually killing patients. Landon Street, the chemist behind RevitaYou had disappeared and so had Wes Matthews, with close to a million dollars of other people’s money. Now someone close to Matthews didn’t want law enforcement to find him.

  Why? Was it personal? What was her motive? Was she a lover wanting to be a ride or die for her man? Or was her motive about revenge? Was she a lover scorned who wanted to find him herself without interference? And what was her connection to Cooper? Why had she singled him out to torment? None of it made an ounce of sense and there were still too many pieces missing from the puzzle.

  Kiely moved down the hall to peek in on Alfie. He was still sleeping soundly and she imagined his lengthy walk had worn his little body out. She also knew he’d be wide open when he did wake, needing lots of attention.

  She headed down the carpeted steps to the lower level where Cooper was working on his laptop. He wore a black T-shirt that clearly defined his muscles. He really was quite a handsome man. He was staring intently, reading something on the computer screen and there was something about this that was very attractive. She almost hated interrupting him. Almost. “Are you busy?”

  Cooper looked up and smiled at her. He shook his head. “Just reading my emails. What’s up?”

  Kiely moved to the chair beside him and sat down. “I just spoke to Abigail about her father.”

  “Was she able to give you anything?”

  “Not really, but she did mention an investor Wes may have been involved with romantically. Do you have a list of those women who gave him money?”

  “I do.” Cooper pulled a manila folder from the corner of the desk and began fumbling through the large stack of papers inside. “Here we are,” he said as he found what he was looking for. “There were three initially who made out well. Jane Rodriguez, Marley Runyon and Meghan Otis. And a few others after who all lost their money.”

  “What do you know about them?”

  “These three were the first investors. Their stories were instrumental in helping to secure the other investors. They got their money back plus sizeable profits for their efforts. All three also appear on RevitaYou promotional material.”

  “Have you talked with any one of them?”

  “Not personally. I believe other agents with our fraud and cybercrimes divisions did.” He punched keys on his keyboard, then nodded. “Agent Jeff Taylor spoke with all three and filed his report at the beginning of the investigation. Obviously, they didn’t have any complaints. They made money on their deals.”

  “Can we look at all the female investors? I know of one, Ms. Blythe Kent. My brother Riley is engaged to her niece, Charlize. Ms. Kent invested almost fifty grand and lost it all. She’s up there in age, though, so I know she’s not hot rodding around on a motorcycle. I’d also like to figure out who Matthews might have been involved with besides Landon Street.”

  “You think that’s who might be our kidnapper?”

  “It might be a long shot but it’s all we have right now. I just know whoever doesn’t want him found has to be personally connected to him.”

  Cooper typed again. “Jane Rodriguez...she doubled her initial investment. She’s sixty years old and a retired teacher.” He turned the computer screen so Kiely could see her picture.

  “I don’t think it’s her,” she said. “She looks like someone’s grandmother.”

  Cooper shook his head and typed again. “Marley Runyon also doubled her initial investment. She is newly married and very pregnant. I’d say by this recent social media post that she’s close to eight months along.”

  “The woman on the motorcycle was definitely not pregnant.”

  “And lastly, we have Meghan Otis.” Cooper paused, reading the screen.

  “What?” Kiely asked. She shifted forward in her seat.

  “Meghan Otis, thirty-five years old, former college track star. Worked as a bank teller and won one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the lottery six months ago. According to this she was instrumental in helping bring investors to RevitaYou and reportedly, she personally used the product.”

  “Any pictures?”

  Cooper grinned. “Yes, check this out.”

  Meghan Otis was quite the selfie queen. There were hundreds of pictures of her on her social media accounts. Meghan working out. Meghan eating. Meghan hanging with friends. And a favorite for Kiely and Cooper, a picture of Meghan with her arms draped around Wes Matthews’s neck.

  “So did Matthews prey on Meghan because she had money?” Kiely questioned.

  “That’s highly probable. I wouldn’t put anything past Matthews.”

  “But what was in it for her? It looks like she had everything going for her. Smart, accomplished, financially independent. And she’s pretty! Why would she even consider using RevitaYou? It wasn’t like she needed it.”

  Cooper shrugged. “Who knows why women do what they do. I stopped trying to figure you and your kind out years ago.”

  Kiely laughed. “My kind? You have some nerve!”

  Cooper shrugged a second time, pushing his broad shoulders toward the ceiling. “I’ll put in a request for everything we can find about Meghan Otis.”

  “I’d like to go talk to her, too.”

  “Let’s get the background information back first, and then we can figure that out.”

  Kiely looked down at her wristwatch. “Should we wake up Alfie? He’s been asleep for almost two hours now.”

  “Give him a few more minutes. He did a lot of running when I took him for a walk.”

  “I just don’t want him to be wide awake tonight because he slept so long this afternoon.”

  “I agree, but I don’t think we’ll have a problem.”

  An awkward silence danced between them, as she consciously tried to pretend that she wasn’t feeling the rise of sexual tension that existed when they were in each other’s presence. Kiely watched his mouth, thinking that kissing him would be the greatest joy. Both sat with clenched fists, struggling not to touch the other and desperate to shake away the fantasies that were coming all too frequently.

  Kiely stood up abruptly. “I’m going to head back upstairs.”

  Cooper nodded. “I need to finish up some paperwork here. Then I need to call and see where we are with your friend Gunther.”

  “Not a problem. As soon as Alfie wakes up and has his snack, he and I are going to go outside to play in the leaves.” Kiely was already at the bot
tom of the stairs. She gave him a wave and disappeared to the upper level of the home.

  * * *

  Cooper was smiling, and he felt slightly foolish. He found himself fighting not to gush when he and Kiely were in a room together. She had a way of amusing him even when he was trying to be serious. There was something very special about Kiely Colton. She was sunshine in the midst of a storm. Her carefree spirit was like a breath of fresh air. She was light in a well of darkness. She was everything he had been missing in his life. He had vowed to never love again, but something about Kiely had him reconsidering that pledge. Something about her had him rethinking what love might look like in his future.

  He appreciated her kindness toward his son. She was exceptionally good with the little boy and Alfie adored her. Alfie, who was usually shy around other people, most especially women, had told Kiely that he had “lub” for her. His childlike admission had been sweet and joy-filled. Cooper suddenly wished he had the courage and wisdom of a two-year-old, so that he could tell Kiely he was falling in love with her, too.

  Because what he was suddenly feeling for Kiely Colton felt very much like love. It was energizing and nourishing and made him want to be a better man. It left him happy and excited by the prospect of each new day. It was desire and passion and longing like he couldn’t ever remember feeling. It had him feeling blessed.

  Cooper rose from his seat and shook out his arms and legs, anxious to shake away the tension that had spread through his body. He sat back down and reached for the phone. He’d missed a call from Lieutenant McKellar, who had left a message for him to call back as soon as he was able. When he didn’t answer, Cooper left him a message.

  He sat for a moment weighing his options; trying to determine what it was he needed and wanted to do. Reaching for his phone a second time, he dialed the district attorney’s office. His secretary was all too happy to tell him that Eugene Beckwith was gone for the day. Leaving a second message for the man, Cooper wished her a good day and disconnected the line.