Free Twisted by Andrea Kane Page A

to see things rationally.
    Abruptly, it was over.
    That didn’t stop him from thinking about her. He did. A lot more often than he liked. That was bad enough. But his reaction to seeing her again, hearing her voice, that wasn’t just remembering. That was vulnerability. And vulnerability was
not
something he could accept in himself.
    As if to challenge that weakness head-on, he picked up the phone and punched in her number.
    She answered on the second ring. “Sloane Burbank.” The road noise told him she was in the car.
    “It’s Derek.”
    “Oh, good.” Her relief was genuine. “Thanks for getting back to me so fast. I was afraid I’d miss you, and I’ll be out of town for the next two days working twenty-four/seven. Phone tag’s not an option. We need to jump on this right away.”
    “What is it we’re jumping on?” Derek asked drily.
    Sloane filled him in on what Doug Waters had told her, about her trip to Richard Stockton, and about her conversation with Deanna Frost.
    “So Penelope did buy that ticket to Atlantic City. It just wasn’t her final destination.” Derek scribbled down some notes.
    “She meant to attend that seminar. We know she got to the college campus. So she disappeared on or near there, sometime between eleven-fifteen and noon. We need to figure out who else she might have talked to, where the common walking paths are, if any other suspicious activities were reported during that time period. We need to interview campus security, local police—”
    “Hey, drill sergeant, stop.” Derek snapped out the interruption. “I don’t need an education in how to conduct a missing persons investigation. What I do need is some clarification. By
we,
I assume you mean
me
. And that’s not going to fly.”
    “Don’t tell me you still think Penny disappeared voluntarily,” Sloane responded in a tight voice.
    “I never thought that. But you’re not the only one working twenty-four/seven. I’m in the middle of a case that’s just escalated to front burner. I can’t divert my resources, not now. What I can do is call—”
    “Don’t turn the case over to someone else.” It was Sloane’s turn to interrupt. “It’ll take you just as much time to bring the new agent up to speed as it would for you to handle this on your own.” A pause, as if Sloane were forcing out her next words. “You’re the best there is, Derek. I need that for Penny.”
    “I wasn’t going to suggest turning it over to another agent. I was going to suggest I call Newark and get Anderson involved. He was the agent who worked your friend’s case in the Newark field office. Richard Stockton is in his jurisdiction, not mine. He’ll call the Atlantic City RA. When we first ran down the AC lead, he worked with a good agent down there. Tom McGraw. He’s smart and he’s thorough. I’ll call Anderson now, see if McGraw can get started on the legwork right away.”
    “Makes sense.” Sloane’s wheels were still turning. “One favor. I told Deanna Frost you’d be contacting her as the agent in charge. I’d appreciate if you’d meet with her, just for a cup of coffee. She works at the New York Public Library, so it’s your jurisdiction. It would take maybe an hour of your time. But I think you’d have the best shot of getting her to remember something.”
    Derek’s brows rose. “Better than you? That’s one I never thought I’d hear.”
    “It’s a question of chemistry, not skill. I only spoke with Deanna briefly. She’s inherently decent and cooperative. But my instincts tell me she’s also a reserved, intellectual loner. You’ll be bigger than life to her. Between your FBI status, your whole former Army Ranger macho aura, and that classic charm of yours—trust me, she’ll do handsprings to come through for you.”
    Despite his best intentions, Derek found himself grinning. “Can I hear my résumé again?”
    “No. Just tell me you’ll do it.”
    “Consider it done.”
    Sloane’s exhale of relief