Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [192]
“And two medium Diet Pepsis.”
He looked to see if she was impressed by her influence on him. Instead, her light complexion paled, as discomfort converted to panic.
“Oh my God! It’s Josh Reynolds.”
Now she stood so close, Tully had to take a step back to collect their sodas and popcorn.
“Oh God! I hope he didn’t see me.”
“Who’s Josh Reynolds?”
“Just one of the coolest kids in the junior class.”
“Let’s say hi.”
“Dad! Oh God, maybe he didn’t see me.”
She stood facing Tully, her back to the young, dark-haired boy who was making his way toward them, his destination definitely Emma. And why shouldn’t it be? His daughter was a knockout. Tully wondered if Emma was really panicked or if this was part of the game. He honestly had no clue. He didn’t understand women, so how could he possibly expect to understand their predecessors?
“Emma? Emma Tully?”
The boy was closing in. Tully watched in amazement as his daughter manufactured a nervous but glowing smile from the twisted panic that had existed just seconds before. She turned just as Josh Reynolds squeezed through the concession line.
“Hi, Josh.”
Tully glanced down to check if some impostor had replaced his obstinate daughter. Because this girl’s voice was much too cheerful.
“What movie you seeing?”
“Ace of Hearts,” she admitted reluctantly though it had been her choice.
“Me too. My mom wants to see it,” he added much too quickly.
Tully found himself sympathizing with the boy, who shoved his hands into his pockets. What Emma called cool visibly took effort. Or was Tully the only one who could see the boy nervously tapping his foot and fidgeting? After an awkward silence and them ignoring his presence, Tully said, “Hi, Josh, I’m R. J. Tully, Emma’s father.”
“Hi, Mr. Tully.”
“I’d offer you a hand, but they’re both filled.”
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Emma roll her eyes. How could that possibly embarrass her? He was being polite. Just then his pager began shrieking. Josh offered to take the sodas before it even occurred to Emma. Tully snapped the noise off, but not before getting several irritated stares. Emma turned a lovely shade of red. At a glance, he recognized the phone number. Of all nights, why tonight?
“I need to make a phone call.”
“Are you a doctor or something, Mr. Tully?”
“No, Josh. I’m an FBI agent.”
“You’re kidding? That is so cool.”
The boy’s face brightened, and Tully saw that Emma noticed. Instead of heading directly for the phone bank, Tully stalled.
“I work at Quantico, in the Investigative Support Unit. I’m what you’d call a criminal profiler.”
“Wow! That is so cool,” Josh repeated.
Without looking at her, Tully saw Emma’s face change as she watched Josh’s reaction.
“So do you track serial killers just like in the movies?”
“I’m afraid the movies make it look more glamorous than it is.”
“Geez! I bet you’ve seen some pretty weird stuff, though, huh?”
“Unfortunately, yes, I have. I really need to make a phone call. Josh, would you mind keeping Emma company for a few minutes?”
“Oh sure. No, problem, Mr. Tully.”
He didn’t look at Emma again until he was safely at the pay phone. Suddenly, his belligerent daughter was full of smiles, genuine this time. He watched the two teenagers talk and laugh while he dialed the number. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy and glad that Emma was with him. For a few minutes, he had almost forgotten that the world could be cruel and violent, then he heard Assistant Director Cunningham’s voice.
“It’s Tully, sir. You paged me?”
“Looks like we may have one of Stucky’s.”
Tully felt instant nausea. He had been anticipating and dreading this call for the last couple of months.
“Where at, sir?”
“Right under our noses. About thirty to forty-five minutes from here. Can you pick me up in about an hour? We can go to the site together.”
Without asking, Tully knew Cunningham meant picking him up at Quantico. He wondered if the man ever went home.
“Sure. I’ll be there.”
“I’ll see you in an hour.”
This was it. After years of sitting behind a desk in Cleveland