Deadly Promise by Brian Crawford

Author:Brian Crawford [Crawford, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-05T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Special Agent Marshall may have majored in psychology, but she must have minored in drama. Jessica looked understandably confused. I smiled meekly at her and the rest of the customers staring at me, got up from my table looking as embarrassed as I figured I was supposed to look, wiped my face with a napkin, and left. Walking to my car, I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed Baxter’s Land Rover was gone.

Two minutes later, Jessica joined me in the BMW. “What the hell was that, Legend?”

“A trust exercise.”

“Excuse me.”

“That’s what she called it before throwing the drink in my face. Plus, she wanted to see how well I act on my feet.”

“So, that was all an act?”

“Yes.”

Jessica was quiet for several seconds before nodding and smiling in a show of mild awe. “Oh, she’s crazy, Legend. Like a damn fox. One drink, one little episode in the bar, and she walked out of the bar with Evan Baxter within 30 seconds. I barely got ten words out of him in two hours.”

I started up the BMW and drove away from the bar back to our hotel. “Two hours of nothing?”

“Yeah. Agent Marshall told the truth earlier about Baxter when she said he liked to work the bar and flirt. But there was something about his flirting that seemed off.”

“What?”

“He didn’t seem too interested in results if you know what I mean.”

“No, what do you mean?”

“He was charming, polite, witty, engaging. He seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly, but I’m telling you, he wasn’t trying to score with the women.”

“Any chance he’s gay?”

“Well, there’s always a chance now isn’t there, but I didn’t get that vibe. It was more like he wasn’t interested. Like maybe he was already accounted for.”

“Yet, Marshall walked out with him in less than a minute. Were you close enough to hear what she said to Baxter?”

“Yeah, she asked if he could call her a cab. Then, his face went funny for a second before volunteering to take her home. She said thank you, and they left.”

“You noticed the weird look on his face, too?” I asked.

“Sure did. I thought it looked like he had seen a ghost for a second.”

“A ghost. That’s it.”

“What’s it?”

“I thought Marshall looked different somehow at the bar. The hair, the makeup. She made herself up to look like Shelley Baxter.”

“That’s cold. And unbelievably effective. She is crazy like a fox. Now what, Legend?”

“We go back to the room and wait to hear from Marshall.”

“Meaning we’re at her mercy now,” Jessica said.

“It appears so.”

We drove back to the hotel and got ready for bed, both of us wondering how Marshall was fairing with Evan Baxter. I was torn between hoping she was successful and hoping she failed as the idea that any part of our investigation lay in the fate of an FBI agent that irritated me immensely.

I was crawling into bed when someone knocked on the hotel door.

“Speaking of the devil,” I said.

“Just in case, throw me my purse,” Jessica said.

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