Page 4 of The Killer You Know
Not all that relatable.
2
Special Agent Fallon Baxter
The second Jack and I step into the FBI headquarters here in Denver, the air crackles with urgency. Three people have been shot in Aspen Heights and a woman has been kidnapped from the scene.
It was Jack and I that both got the call this evening while we were still waist deep in my hot tub, celebrating the win from our last case. I met Special Agent Jack Stone a few weeks back and that last case, which was also our first together, bonded us faster than a shotgun wedding could have.
We head straight for the situation room where we find our SAC, Special Agent in Charge, Grant Hale clicking away at this laptop, and across from him at the elongated table is a feisty redhead, our colleague Special Agent Nikki Knight.
Nikki and I work well together, unlike Jack who is known to crawl under my skin and stay there for the fun of it. As it turns out, Nikki was supposed to be celebrating with us in the hot tub but backed out last minute for no good reason. I might have to get back at her for that, seeing that I almost made a questionable decision with Jack because of it.
A sharp bark comes from my right and I quickly give my new dog, Buddy, a quick pat. Let’s just say he was collateral damage in our last case and I didn’t hesitate to bring him home and make him mine.
Buddy is a sweet yellow lab who happens to be young still, so we have quite a bit of runway ahead of us and I’m glad about it, too.
“Stone, Baxter.” Hale stands as he gives a nod our way.
Grant Hale is tall, balding, with a paunch belly at hand. He’s put in his hours with the Bureau, and from what I’ve gleaned in the short time I’ve been here is that he’s a darn good leader.
I just transferred from Reno a few weeks ago where I finished up a two-year stint in their FBI department, but now I’m living right back in the hometown I grew up in, just about twenty minutes from Denver. And I’m glad to be back.
The truth is, I missed my sisters and my mother. The only reason I took the job in Reno to begin with was because my younger sister, Erin, has been missing for going on three years now. Erin was always the smartest of the bunch, a child prodigy who could run circles around college professors before she was old enough to drive. But she’s well into her twenties now, missing in action, and as it turns out, she doesn’t want to be found—she’s made that abundantly clear.
There was a sighting of her at the cult compound that our last case was centered around. But once we blew the lid off that, Erin made a run for it to who knows where. I’m so angry at her, but nonetheless, it doesn’t seem to be waning on my desire to hunt her down. How else am I going to slap her for putting our family through this hell?
Hale nods our way. “Like I said in the message, we’ve got a serious situation unfolding in Aspen Heights. Three people were shot and a woman kidnapped right from the crime scene. I don’t have to tell you time is not on our side. The details are still coming in.” He clicks at his keyboard and frowns at his screen.
Buddy leaps and hops between Nikki and me as we scratch and pat him as best we can.
Nikki wrinkles her nose my way. “How come I didn’t end up with the dog? I was the one sleeping with his owner.” Nikki pulls the pooch close and offers up a kiss to his little nose.
“You just admitted to sleeping with the killer,” I say, trying my best to woo Buddy in my direction but to no avail. “Clearly, you have questionable decision-making skills.
Nikki scoffs before looking at Jack. “Oh, she is hilarious.”
“You should have seen how funny she was in the hot tub,” he shoots back while flipping open his laptop.
“Hey. Watch it.” I try to swat his arm, but he’s too far out of reach. “Nothing happened in that hot tub.” I look right at Hale as I say it.
The last thing I want is to give Hale the wrong impression of me. I’m not some lust-stricken teenager. I’m here to work for the Bureau in the most sincere capacity—and utilize every resource the FBI has to offer to track down my sister. But I’m not sharing that last detail with anyone.
I hardly doubt Hale would appreciate the fact I’m using their database for my personal gain. Although so far it hasn’t netted me anything. Regardless, Hale holds my career by the reins. Him, I still need to impress.
Buddy trots over to the front of the room and begins sniffing around a chair that’s filled with Hale’s belongings.
“You just reminded me of something,” Hale says as he slips a platter out of a plastic bag and lands it on the table. “I’ve got a cheese tray. Help yourselves.”
True to his word, there are three rows of different cheeses, each sliced and cubed into one-inch portions, enough to feed the masses. Looks like Gouda, Swiss, and cheddar.
“A cheese tray?” I lean over and pick up a slice of cheddar. “I didn’t know a near mass shooting called for one.”
“It’s the kidnapping we’re more concerned with,” he says as the giant screen ignites behind him. “And I was on a date when I got the call. I didn’t see the need to waste it.”
“Speaking of dates.” Nikki shoots a grin from me to Jack. “You never did extrapolate on how that little tussle in the hot tub turned out.”
And just like that, the night gets worse.