Special Agent

SUSPICION OF GUILT

When Special Agent in Charge Max West and his K-9 partner, Opal, look into a series of bombings in Northern California, horse trainer Katerina Garwood instantly seems suspicious. As the ex-fiancée of a man tied to the criminal Dupree family, Katerina may know more than she’s letting on—especially since the infamous syndicate is targeting her. And Max isn’t sure he can believe her when she says she knows nothing. Despite his reservations, though, he can’t deny his attraction...or the impulse to protect her. And with the criminals closing in, Max must separate the truth from lies, or he and Katerina may not live to share tomorrow...

“Don’t touch it. There may be fingerprints.”

“I doubt it,” Katerina said. “I think I felt gloves, not bare skin.”

He lifted the folded paper with two fingers at a corner and laid it on a bare spot atop the dresser, then used a pencil to carefully unfold it. He stepped back and watched her reaction as she scanned the note.

“‘Turn over the stash and we’ll leave you alone’?” she read aloud. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t know anything about any stash. Do they mean drugs?”

“Your guess is better than mine,” Max countered. “What do you think?”

She threw up her hands and began to pace. “How should I know? I don’t have a clue.”

“I wish I could believe you.”

“Yeah,” Katerina said, scowling at the piece of paper, “I wish you could, too.”

CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT:

These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

Guardian—Terri Reed, April 2017

Sheriff—Laura Scott, May 2017

Special Agent—Valerie Hansen, June 2017

Bounty Hunter—Lynette Eason, July 2017

Bodyguard—Shirlee McCoy, August 2017

Tracker—Lenora Worth, September 2017

Classified K-9 Unit Christmas—Terri Reed and Lenora Worth, December 2017

Dear Reader,

As my pastor is fond of pointing out, the past does not have to dictate our future unless we let it. We can be forgiven and turn the page to a new life in Christ if we will surrender to Him. Yes, there may be lingering consequences, but the Lord will help us deal with those and make something great out of what we’ve learned from past mistakes.

Katerina was too naive and Max too hardened by life, yet they found a middle ground and allowed themselves to embrace change as well as forgiveness.

Every new day is a gift to you from your Father in Heaven. Don’t waste it wishing you could change the past. Look toward the future and trust the Creator.

Blessings,

VALERIE HANSEN was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. She now lives in a renovated farmhouse in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and is privileged to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Love Inspired. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Special Agent

Valerie Hansen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For You have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

—Psalms 116:8

Many thanks to fellow series authors Terri Reed, Laura Scott, Lynette Eason, Shirlee McCoy and Lenora Worth—plus editor Emily Rodmell, who keeps us all on track.

And to my Joe, who is with me in spirit.

He always will be.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

ONE

FBI agent Max West squared his shoulders and forced himself to walk away from the latest scene of destruction.

His job there was done. Unfortunately, the Dupree family crime syndicate, at least what was left of it, seemed determined to keep him and his team scrambling by randomly setting off bombs. Opal, his K-9 explosives detection partner, worked very well but it was frustrating to be called in after the fact.

He paused in the shade of an enormous oak and phoned Dylan O’Leary, the team’s computer guru, on his cell. “I’m done with this one. Just the usual leftover components and a lot of jumpy people.” Max sighed. “At least there was no loss of life this time. That family caught in the blast zone on the last one nearly made me turn in my badge.”

“So, what now?” Dylan asked. “You thinking of leaving Northern California and heading home to Billings?”

“Maybe soon. I thought I’d look into the backgrounds of some of the Dupree underlings we’ve scooped up while I’m in the neighborhood. See if we missed anything on the first sweep.”

“Little fish in a big pond,” Dylan reminded him. “We got Reginald Dupree, the real brains behind the drug operation.”

Max nodded. “While his uncle Angus kidnapped one of our best men and escaped. Has there been any word on Agent Morrow’s whereabouts?”

“Sorry. No.”

“Okay.” Max opened the rear door to his black SUV to air it out before letting his brown-and-white Boxer, Opal, get in. “I checked our files last night and was on my way to the Garwood Horse Ranch when I got diverted to this call. Vern Kowalski, one of the Dupree drug runners, had ties there. When we arrested him he insisted he was working alone but it won’t hurt to check. I can use a break and so can Opal.”

“You’re the boss, Boss.”

Max barely chuckled. Being SAC, special agent in charge, of the Classified K-9 Unit was no picnic. A lot of responsibility rested on his shoulders, responsibility that weighed heavily. Yes, he considered this job his calling, but that didn’t mean he never felt the pain of loss, never wished he’d been more successful and had prevented every explosion, every injury. Every death.

Closing his eyes for a moment he reminded himself that he was just a man, giving his all in terrible situations. Then he loaded his dog, climbed behind the wheel and continued his interrupted trip to the nearby ranch.

* * *

Katerina Garwood was halfway between one of the stables and the house, heading for her old suite, when she saw an imposing black vehicle pass beneath the ornate wrought iron arch at the foot of the drive. Unexpected company was all she needed. If her father came outside to see who it was and caught her trespassing on his precious property he’d be furious. Well, so be it. There was no way she could run and hide in time to avoid encountering the new arrival—and perhaps her irate dad, as well.

Chin high, she paused in the wide, hard-packed drive and shaded her eyes. The SUV reminded her of one that had assisted the county sheriff on the worst day of her life. The day when all her dreams of a happy future had gone up in flames.

Darkly tinted windows kept her from getting a good look at the driver until he stopped, opened his door and stepped partway out. Prepared to tell him to head up to the house if he needed to speak to someone in charge, she took one look and was momentarily speechless. The blond, blue-eyed man was so imposing and had such a powerful presence he sent her usually normal reactions whirling. When he spoke, his deep voice magnified those unsettling feelings.

“Katerina Garwood?”

“Do I know you?”

“No, but I know you. I’m Special Agent West. I’d like to talk to you about Vern Kowalski.”

“I have nothing to say.” She started to turn away.

“This is not a social call, Ms. Garwood.” He flashed a badge and blocked her path. “I suggest you reconsider.”

“FBI? You have to be kidding. I am so unexceptional that until recently people hardly noticed me.”

“They do now, I take it.”

She blushed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah.”

“Then you’ll understand why I need to speak with you.”

A quick glance toward the house told her she and the hunky agent had not yet been noticed. That was too good to last. As soon as one of the hands or the foreman, Heath McCabe, spotted her, word would get to her father and he’d be on the rampage again.

“Not here. Not now. We can meet in South Fork later. I work at the Miner’s Grub diner, on Main, near where the American River forks.”

He quirked a brow. “What’s wrong, Ms. Garwood? You seem nervous.”

“It’s personal.”

“Everything is when you get right down to it.” He reached for her arm as a familiar white pickup truck pulling a matching horse trailer rounded the nearest of three identical, rectangular stables and came to a stop.

She jerked free. Backed away. Her sky-blue eyes had widened and she was trembling. “I have to go. Now.”

“Care to tell me why?” Max’s gaze was unwavering. “Perhaps you’d better come with me and wait in the car while I have my K-9 partner check this place.”

“What? No. I’m not going anywhere with you. I haven’t broken any laws. All I did was believe Vern’s lies and fall in love with him. It’s not my fault I was duped. And I don’t know anything about his secret life as a crook, okay? Despite all the nasty rumors, I’m a good person.”

“Then why are you so jumpy?” Max continued to crowd her until she was ready to literally shove him away.

Unable to help herself, Katerina darted glances back and forth between the immense house and the complex of stables where the foreman had stopped with the horse trailer. Was he on the phone to her dad already? There was no way to tell. And no way to avoid another terrible scene once Bertrand was notified.

There was only one sensible course of action. She had to plead her case in person, and to do that she had to reach Heath McCabe despite the determined agent. Staring into the distance on his opposite side, she used that momentary distraction to slip away.

Max was on her in a flash, grasping her arms and holding fast. Katerina began to thrash around. If her father saw her now he’d be even more positive she was worthless. Tears of frustration filled her eyes.

I will not cry, she insisted to herself. I’m through letting any man make me cry. Nevertheless, a few drops escaped and trickled down her flushed cheeks.

Suddenly, she was pulled free. The middle-aged foreman had come to her rescue. His arm was drawn back, ready to deliver a punch, and the agent’s hand was reaching for his sidearm.

Katerina intervened. “Stop!” She gestured at McCabe. “This is just a misunderstanding. I wanted to keep you from telling Dad I’m here and Agent... West? Agent West must have thought I was running away.”

The adrenaline in her system had bolstered Katerina’s courage and she faced him as boldly as she could while her insides quaked.

Max met her gaze head-on. “Your father? Why didn’t you just say so?”

“I did. You weren’t listening.”

“No, you were acting guilty, behaving like a scared kid trying to make a run for it.”

“I’m not a child. I’m twenty-two.”

“I know. I read your file.”

She was thunderstruck. “There’s a file on me? An FBI file?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She felt the starch go out of her like a sigh lost on the wind. Her concentration moved to the foreman. “Please don’t tell Dad I’m here and make him mad all over again. It was bad enough when he threw me out the first time because of my horrible love life. I just want to pick up a few of the personal things I left behind.”

McCabe doffed his cowboy hat. “I’d never do you that way, Miss Katerina. You know I wouldn’t.” He gestured back at the truck and trailer. “If I didn’t have to get these horses to the vet for checkups I’d stay here and help.”

“Do you have Moonlight with you? I looked for her in the stables when I got here and she wasn’t in her usual stall. That whole section was empty.”

“Your horse is safe and sound with me.” The wiry foreman eyed Max. “All right if I leave or are you plannin’ to shoot me?”

“I just came to talk to Ms. Garwood. If she had explained the reasons for her reluctance in the beginning we’d probably be done already.”

“You gonna be okay if I go, ma’am?”

Katerina smiled. “The horses come first with me. You know that. I’ll be fine.” She noticed both men staring at the house across the driveway. “If Dad catches me here and starts yelling again I’ll just do what I did before. I’ll leave.”

“Okay, then. You and this cop goin’ into the house now?”

She looked to Max for confirmation.

“I do need to speak to Bertrand Garwood. If that’s a problem for Ms. Garwood I see no reason to confront her father while she’s present. She and I can talk out here.”

“Now there's a good idea,” Katerina said. “You can go, Heath. Take good care of Moonlight and the others.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Watching him drive off, Katerina turned to Max. “All right. If you want to ask me questions let’s get it over with. There’s nothing I can tell you that I haven’t already told the local police and the agents who arrested Vern, but I suppose it won’t kill me to go over it again.” She made a face. “I learned a hard lesson.”

“Oh? Did you?”

Her grimace grew and her eyebrows arched. “Yes, Mr. Agent, I found out that my loving father will disown me and throw me out if I make a mistake. I also learned to never trust a glib-talking man, and that includes you.”

She would have been happier if he hadn’t seemed to find that final statement amusing.

* * *

“Let’s sit in my car,” Max said, gesturing with his arm. “After you.”

“Can’t I go get my clothes and stuff first? It took a lot of courage for me to drive back out here and as long as Dad hasn’t noticed me yet, I’d like to finish what I came for.”

“I take it you expect me to just hang around while you do as you please.”

“Why not? I’m no criminal.”

The unwavering look she was giving him as she spoke demonstrated determination. And she was right. Law enforcement had nothing on her, personally. He’d merely hoped that some small fact she didn’t even think was important would point the way to more of the Dupree associates, perhaps even to herself, although at this juncture he viewed the young woman as more of a pawn in a crooked chess game than a true player.

Blowing out a breath, he conceded. “Okay. Do you want any help?”

“No. The less noise I make, the less likely I’ll be noticed. It’s a big house and when my father works on his accounts he always shuts the den door.”

“All right. I’ll wait in the car.”

As soon as she started toward the garden leading to the nearest door of the ranch-style home, Max turned back to his SUV. There was something appealing about Katerina Garwood; something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She was far too young for him, of course. It was too bad she hadn’t been born ten years earlier.

Max’s thirty-three wasn’t exactly ancient but there were times when he felt like Methuselah, particularly when he and his team failed to prevent mayhem.

Movement at the edge of his peripheral vision snapped him around. Now what was she up to?

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” he called.

Turning to walk backward, Katerina waved. “I left some empty boxes in my truck. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, you will,” Max muttered. He wasn’t taking any chances that she’d try to flee so he fired up his SUV, made a U-turn and headed for the main gate to block it. If worse came to worst and she got away from him he could always call for backup, but it would sure be embarrassing.

* * *

Katerina paused to watch his maneuvers. The man was paranoid. What did he think she was going to do, try to outrun his powerful vehicle in her little ol’ pickup truck? Talk about David and Goliath.

“Yes, but David won,” she mused, happy to have been reminded of a Bible story where the seemingly weaker combatant triumphed in spite of everything.

Before she had time to pivot and continue on her previous path toward the stable, an intense light flashed.

She instinctively ducked and covered her head with her arms.

Her eardrums felt as if she had plunged to the depths of the sea. Debris hit her as the blast concussion sent her—and pieces of one of the barns—flying.

Landing on the hard-packed dirt with the realization that a building had exploded, her last conscious thought was for the well-being of her favorite mare, and others. “Thank You, God. Moonlight is safe with Heath.”

* * *

Max’s heart was in his throat. Nothing in the files had suggested that Katerina was involved in the recent rash of bombings, nor had there been any threats against the ranch. Not that he knew of, anyway.

He was running toward her as he called 9-1-1, identified himself and reported the explosion. “At the Garwood Ranch. That’s right. Between South Fork and Groveland. Send an ambulance and the fire department. I see a lot of smoke.”

Dropping the phone on the littered ground beside Katerina he fell to his knees and began to check her over. “Lie still. Don’t move. An ambulance is on the way.”

She moaned and shifted position.

Max held her shoulders gently but firmly. “I said don’t move. You could have broken bones or spinal damage.” He could tell by the way her eyelids fluttered that she was only half-conscious. That was the worst time for exacerbating injuries. Out cold she wouldn’t move. Conscious, she’d probably try to do as she was told.

People were running to evacuate frantic horses from the remaining, undamaged barns. Dogs circled and barked, adding to the mayhem. A heavyset man stomped across the dirt drive. He was wearing boots, a Western shirt and hat, and jeans belted with the biggest gold buckle Max had ever seen.

“Who are you?” the man bellowed.

“Max West, FBI. You must be Bertrand Garwood.”

“Smart man. What’re you doing on my ranch?” He pointed at the prone figure of his daughter. “And what is she doing here?”

The coldness of the older man almost gave Max the shivers. No wonder Katerina didn’t want to face him. Well, he wasn’t backing down. Although he couldn’t safely release her until paramedics arrived he looked up and glared. “Your daughter is unconscious, Mr. Garwood. I’m not certain how bad her injuries may be. I don’t see any bleeding other than a split lip so she may have escaped the worst of the blast. It’s too soon to tell for sure.”

“Just get that trash out of here as soon as you can.” He started to turn away. “I’ve got valuable livestock to see to.”

If Max had not been busy tending to Katerina he might have resorted to language he hadn’t been tempted to use in ages. What a pompous excuse for a parent Garwood was.

Max gazed down at the injured young woman and gently stroked strands of honey-blond hair off her forehead. There was a first aid kit in his car but he didn’t dare leave her unattended to fetch it. Close by in the SUV, his trained K-9, Opal, was using her deep boxer bark to alert the world to danger, even though the worst of it was probably over.

As soon as the ambulance and fire department arrived, Max planned to assert authority and insist that he and his K-9 partner perform a bomb sweep for additional devices. It was his job—and Opal’s—to ensure no one else got hurt without actually revealing the overarching mission. It was going to be tricky to investigate Kowalski’s crimes without exhibiting too much interest in the man’s former connection to the Duprees.

He looked at Katerina again and realized he didn’t want to turn her over to the care of the EMTs. He would, of course, because it was the right thing to do, but he wasn’t going to like relinquishing control before he was certain she was okay.

TWO

Katerina could hardly breathe. Disoriented, she opened her eyes. The back of her head throbbed and her ribs refused to allow her to fully inhale. Gasping, she fought to regain her senses, to sort out confusing memories.

A weight was on both her shoulders, holding her down.

“Don’t try to get up,” someone ordered gruffly. “An ambulance is on its way.”

Nevertheless, she tried to move.

“I said, hold still.”

There was a gentleness underlying the otherwise firm tone and it gave her a sense that she was being well cared for. “Who? What?” Flashes of reality returned. “The stable! The horses!”

“They’d been taken out. Remember?”

“Only—only from the one barn.”

“That’s the one that blew.”

“Oh.” Blinking up at the face of her companion she saw mostly shadow. Sunlight behind him gave his short blondish hair a haloed look. The brightness kept her from reading his shadowed expression. She sank back down with a moan. “My head hurts.”

“I’m not surprised. You hit the ground hard.”

Her heart sped as she realized she could have been even closer to the barn when it disintegrated. What could have caused an accident like that? There was nothing more volatile than horse liniment kept near the animals. Even the tack room was safe.

The man restraining her shouted, “Medic! Over here. Everybody else stand clear.”

“I’m all right. Really. I need to get out of here.”

“The only place you’re going, Ms. Garwood, is to the hospital.”

“No. I don’t have insurance. I can’t afford to be hurt.” She pushed against his hold momentarily, then sagged back.

Bright flashes of colored light sparkled behind her eyelids. Shooting pain banished any thought of trying to stand. Escape was unthinkable.

Katerina felt as if she were falling into a bottomless abyss. Fog surrounded her, bearing her ever deeper into unconsciousness. Longing for release, she ceased to fight it. Rational thought fled.

The world, and her troubles, faded away.

* * *

Max stayed on at the Garwood Ranch to assist local authorities in searching for additional devices in the unaffected outbuildings and house after Katerina had been stabilized and transported in the ambulance. From what he could deduce from the damage, the explosion in the stable had packed a lighter punch than the others he’d recently investigated. Unfortunately, an ensuing fire had wiped out much of the evidence and what the flames didn’t consume, the firefighters’ high pressure hoses had dispersed.

By now the place was swarming with law enforcement, fire personnel and crime scene investigators. He was relieved that he and his K-9 had not discovered more bombs because a crowd like that was hard to safeguard.

When he reported to the incident commander, a fire department battalion chief, he brought Opal with him. “My dog and I have completed our search. All clear.”