Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [190]
The phone startled her. She grabbed the Smith & Wesson .38 that sat by her side. Again, it was a simple reflex. It was late, and few people had her new number. She had refused to give it to the pizza place. She had even insisted Greg use her cell phone number. Maybe Gwen had forgotten something. From the floor, she reached up to the desktop and pulled the phone down.
“Yes?” she said, her muscles tense. She wondered when she had stopped answering hello.
“Agent O’Dell?”
She recognized Assistant Director Cunningham’s matter-of-fact tone, but the tension did not leave her.
“Yes, sir.”
“I couldn’t remember if you were already using the new number.”
“I just moved in today.”
She glanced at her wristwatch. It was now after midnight. They spoke infrequently these days, ever since he had taken her out of the field and assigned her to training duty. Was it possible he had some information on Stucky? She sat up with an unexpected flutter of hope.
“Is there something wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Agent O’Dell. I just realized how late it is.”
She imagined him still at this desk at Quantico, never mind that it was Friday night.
“That’s quite all right, sir. You didn’t wake me.”
“I thought you might be leaving for Kansas City tomorrow, and I didn’t want to miss you.”
“I leave on Sunday.” She kept the question, the anticipation from her voice as best she could. If he needed her to stay, she knew Stewart was able to fill in for her at the law enforcement conference. “Does there need to be a change to my schedule?”
“No, not at all. I just wanted to make sure. I did, however, receive a phone call earlier this evening that gave me great concern.”
Maggie imagined a body, sliced and left for some unsuspecting person to find beneath the trash. She waited for him to give her the details.
“A Detective Manx from the Newburgh Heights Police Department called me.”
Maggie’s anticipation quickly dissipated.
“He told me that you interfered with a crime scene investigation this afternoon. Is that true?”
Maggie reached to rub her eyes again, only now realizing she still gripped the revolver. She put it aside and sat back, feeling defeated. Damn that prick, Manx.
“Agent O’Dell? Is that true?”
“I just moved into the neighborhood this afternoon. I noticed police cruisers at the end of the block. I thought perhaps I could help.”
“So you did barge in uninvited on a crime scene.”
“I did not barge in. I offered my help.”
“That’s not the way Detective Manx described it.”
“No, I don’t imagine it is.”
“I want you to stay out of the field, Agent O’Dell.”
“But I was able to—”
“Out of the field means you don’t go using your credentials to walk onto crime scenes. Even if they are in your own neighborhood. Is that understood?”
She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. How dare Manx. He wouldn’t have discovered the dog, had it not been for her.
“Agent O’Dell, is that clear?”
“Yes. Yes, it’s perfectly clear,” she said, almost expecting an additional reprimand for the sarcasm in her voice.
“Have a safe trip,” he said in his usual abrupt manner and then hung up.
She threw the phone onto the desktop and began rifling through the files. The tension tightened in her back, her neck and shoulders. She stood up and stretched, noticing the anger still slamming in her chest. Damn Manx! Damn Cunningham! How long did he think he could keep her out of the field? How long did he intend to punish her for being vulnerable? And how could he ever expect to catch Stucky without her help?
Maggie reset the security system a third time, double-checking the red On light, even though the mechanical voice told her each time, “Alarm system has been activated.” The hell with the buzz in her head. She poured another Scotch and convinced herself that one more would surely relieve the tension.
The mess stayed scattered on the living-room floor. It seemed appropriate that her new home be initiated with a pile of blood and horror. She retreated to the sunroom, grabbing her revolver and snatching an