The Agency

Chapter 2-3

It was well after nine when Kip finished installing the security cameras. It would have taken half the time if Mr. Collins hadn’t insisted on talking to him while he worked, asking why he put each camera where he had. Halfway through Collins left, returning with take-out dinners and coffee for both of them. That required Kip’s sitting in Collins’s office while they ate. He appreciated the man’s kindness. He would have appreciated it more if he’d been able to get out of the store an hour earlier.

When Kip got home, he flicked on the TV, settling down to watch the end of a show he liked. He was half asleep, the result of his long day, when he realized the news was on. He reached for the remote, stopping when the news anchor began reporting that the body of a missing man had been found in the mountains. Kip instantly flashed back to the murder he’d witnessed eleven years before.

“Mr. Alexander,” the anchor said, obviously recapping previous stories, “was the business banking manager for South Market Credit Union in Denver. The day after his disappearance three weeks ago it was discovered that a large amount of cash was missing from the bank’s vault. The police were unable to locate him until his body was discovered in a shallow grave five miles outside of Silver Plume early this morning. He’d been shot twice in the back of the head. The only clue to his killer is a photo of a man discovered on Alexander’s cell phone. From the time stamp, and the background, it was taken right before his murder.” A picture appeared on the screen, with a request for anyone to call if they knew or had seen the man. He had been caught in profile, obviously moving when the victim had shot the photo, so his face was blurry. Nonetheless, Kip recognized him.

He shuddered, his thoughts going back to the last time he’d seen him. He had been pointing a gun at Kip, seconds before Kip took off running. The man looked older than he remembered, but that wasn’t surprising. It was eleven years ago. Who is he? Why did he kill Mr. Alexander the same way Mr. Constantine was murdered? Constantine stole payroll money, Alexander walked away with money from the bank where he worked. Both of them disappeared right after. There has to be a connection because the same thug was involved in both killings. But eleven years apart?

Kip promised himself he’d start searching in the morning for similar murders. He had the resources upstairs in his office which would allow him to go deeper than just looking for news stories. If he wasn’t so tired, he’d have gone up right then and there. “But a working mind is a necessity,” he grumbled.

Shutting off the TV, he went to bed, his thoughts whirling. His sleep was plagued with nightmares about the murder he’d witnessed. By the time morning arrived, he felt as if he’d barely slept at all—and looked as if he hadn’t if his reflection in the mirror was any indication. A hot shower, followed by a cold one, helped some and by the time he went upstairs to the agency he felt and looked almost normal.