All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [64]
Kennedy placed her hand atop his, unsure as to why she stopped him. “I’m a woman with a lot of baggage. You don’t want to get involved with me.”
“I have a lot of closet space.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”
“Look, Kennedy. I’m not going to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do, especially right now. But I do want you to know that I’m interested.”
Spellbound by his sincerity, she gravitated toward him as if he had spoken magic words. She wasn’t disappointed when his lips met hers halfway.
FBI Field Office, Atlanta, Georgia
Sunday, 8:45 a.m.
Special Agent Jonathan Mason reviewed Kennedy St. James’s statement, satisfied that at least part of the Marion Underwood puzzle had been solved. Keenan Lawrence’s case file had been delivered to him in less than thirty minutes, and plans to retrieve Thomas and Alice St. James were in full swing.
“Why didn’t you come to us earlier?” Mason asked, returning to his desk.
“I told you. He warned me not to involve the police.” She glanced over at Max, who smiled encouragingly.
“And you have had no further contact with Mr. Lawrence since this morning?”
“I’ve already told you, no.”
Agent Mason locked gazes with her.
“Look, are you guys going to save my son or not? I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Calm down, Ms. St. James. We’re doing the best we can. I just need to get some more information.”
Her shoulders drooped and she rolled her eyes heavenward. “This is a big waste of time.”
He smiled. “Trust me, we are going to do all we can to protect your family. I’m only going over things because sometimes people bury things in their subconscious, perhaps dismissing them as irrelevant. More times than not though, it’s the small things that are important.”
She dispelled some of her anxiety in a long sigh. This had to have been the longest day of her life.
After another hour of questioning, Kennedy and Max were led to another room, where a dozen agents were gathered, all either on phones or hunched over mounds of paper.
“We’ve already contacted our Memphis office. We’ll fly up within the hour to establish a liaison.”
Kennedy pivoted toward the agent, her eyes wild with desperation. “What about me? You’re not leaving me here, are you?”
Mason set a hand on her shoulder as he responded in a soothing voice, “We wouldn’t dream of it.”
She then turned to Max. “You’re coming, too, aren’t you?”
His gaze dropped and he slowly shook his head. “This is no longer a police matter, Kennedy. I would just be in the way.”
She tugged on his arm, petitioning for his full attention. When his gaze returned to hers, her body grew warm and the air seemed dense.
“But I need you there.”
His lips fluttered at the corners before a full smile carved his mouth. “Then I’ll be there.”
The door swung open and a man, whom Kennedy assumed to be another agent, entered. “Is there a Detective Collier in here?”
“I’m Detective Collier,” Max said, stepping forward.
“We have a call for you—a Lieutenant Scardino.”
He nodded, and then turned back toward Kennedy. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded and watched with a whirl of tangled emotions as he disappeared with the agent.
Max followed the immaculately dressed agent into a small room at the opposite end of the hallway, all the while wondering why his lieutenant wanted to speak with him.
“Hello.”
“Collier?” Scardino’s firm voice filtered through the phone line.
“Yeah?”
“I hope you’re sitting down.”
He took a seat. “I am now. What’s up?”
“I have a new case I need for you to go and check out.”
“Now? I’m still working on a few things down here.”
“Ms. St. James is the FBI’s problem now. I need you back here.”
Max mumbled a curse under his breath.
“I think you’ll be interested in this one. A homicide has been reported down on Memorial Drive. The victim has already been identified as Aaliyah Hunter.”
Sandra packed bank records, receipts and even tape recordings of every