Deep in the Night Ch. 01

Jordan knew she was getting close to Shawnee. Houses started to dot the landscape and became more prevalent as she neared town. She exited the Interstate and it turned into Main Street. She quickly came upon the Shawnee Sheriff's Office and jail on the west side of town. She pulled up in front just before 3:00 p.m. The street was fairly busy. As she got out of the BMW she took a long stretch.

Jordan, always on the alert, took everything in. Stretching gave her an excuse to discreetly scan her surroundings from behind her dark frames, a habit that became automatic to her whenever she was in a new location. She was not oblivious to the looks she was getting from mother's pushing strollers on the sidewalk, kids riding their skateboards and old folks who blatantly stared out the window from the diner across the street. Most had never seen a classy looking woman step out of an expansive sedan in Shawnee wearing makeup during the daytime.

It seemed too quiet, even for a small town. The onlookers didn't wave or smile; they knew why she was there. Despite the afternoon's heat, she sensed a chilling fear underlying the solemn town.

She entered the glass doors and allowed her eyes to adjust to the light after removing her glasses. A desk was situated in the center of the lobby with hallways extending toward the back of the building on either side. Offices branched off both hallways and the lock-up was located in the extreme rear of the building. A simple radio console was built into the wall behind the desk and a young, perky, strawberry blonde served as a receptionist and dispatcher for the small force.

She immediately displayed her western hospitality and smiled broadly at Jordan, saying, "You must be that FBI woman. Welcome to Shawnee."

Jordan sighed. She knew this was going to happen and thought the herself. How can you get work done when your arrival is front page news?

"I'm Special Agent Jordan Connor. Sheriff Hagan is expecting me."

"Of course, he is, honey. I'm Sarah and if you just follow me, I'll take you to his office." She rose from her chair and began to walk around the desk, taking a good look at Jordan as she did so. But she didn't have to escort Jordan anywhere. Bill Hagan had heard Sarah's voice and came out of his office.

He had on his western hat and looked even taller than he did earlier that morning. He took all of her into one look too. Just as earlier that day when he met her she looked classy and self-assured, but she was taller now too. Her 5'6" was now good 5'8" in those boots. He found it hard to look her in the eyes without blinking at her obvious attractiveness.

He finally managed to say, "Hello, Agent Connor. Glad you found your way. I took the liberty of booking you a room at the motel. It's lucky number 7. Raven has it ready for you." He tossed her the room key attached to a gigantic, gaudy, orange plastic key ring.

Jordan caught the key, "Thanks and call me Jordan," she replied turning the key over in her hand, "Why do they always make these things so inconvenient?" Not like a simple card you get at a fancy hotel in the major cities, she thought to herself.

Looking back at Hagan, she asked, "Who's Raven?"

"She owns and manages Shawnee's only motel." Hagan informed her, "I'm sure you will meet her before long."

In her no-nonsense matter, Jordan delved right into the matter, "Very well. I'd like to get started right away."

"Sure Agent Con.., Uh, Jordan. Uh, why don't you follow me?" Hagan started down the left hallway to the first door when two plainclothes officers exited from one of the other doorways.

He stopped, "Oh, Jordan, these are detectives Matthews and Samson from the New Mexico State Police. They have been assigned to assist with the case." Turning to the two officers, he introduced Jordan, "This is Special Agent Connor. She had been kind enough to come and lend her expertise. I expect you to cooperate fully with her."

As they looked up, their expression changed from boredom to wonder to something else. On first glance she was the best looking woman either had seen outside of a fashion magazine cover, then the reality of who she was sank in.

Jordan shook hands with them, but sensed their resentment towards her, either jealous of her looks or because of her title. Same old thing, insecure macho types, she thought. They always think I have come to take over because they are incompetent.

"I would be interested in hearing what you have come up with so far," she told them. Actually, she had no such intentions. She didn't want to prejudice her perception of the evidence beforehand. But, she had a knack for reading people, for sensing their moods and she used it to her advantage. She then felt the eyes of both the male and female officer roving over her body again.

Detective Gary Matthews was tall and dark with a thick mustache. He was a good dresser and sported a muscular physique. He rarely had to expel much energy in picking up women. They came on to him everywhere he went. He had developed an air of arrogance and expected every woman he met to fall all over him. He was beginning to feel a bit put out when the hot-looking FBI woman hardly gave him a second glance.

His female partner, Detective Casey Samson, was also tall with short curly blond hair. She had an athletic body and while she wasn't exactly butch, she certainly wouldn't be classified as feminine either. She dressed more casual than her partner in jeans, a golf shirt and Nike running shoes and she liked to cram as many items onto her gun belt as she possibly could. As they turned to leave, she traded smirks with her partner. She considered the agent to be definitely worth a shot, among other things.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, here's the room I set aside for you Jordan." Hagan showed her into the first doorway off of the hallway. It was a small, neat room with a conference table surrounded by chairs. There was a phone on the wall next to the door and a whiteboard and corkboard on the right wall. He added, "I'll have Jimmy gather everything up for you and bring it in. Here is the key so you can keep it locked up." He poked his head out the doorway and nearly knocked into Sarah who was lurking outside the doorway, determined not to miss anything. "Sarah, why don't you bring some coffee for Jordan?"

"Sure thing, Sheriff," she bubbled, glad to be included in the proceedings.

Hearing the exchange, Jordan interrupted, "Actually, I'd prefer bottled water, if you have it."

Sarah retrieved an Evian from a small fridge in the kitchenette and handed it to Jordan with a smile, adding as she did so, "Sheriff, Terrell Grant called again. He is complaining that you won't return his calls."

Hagan sighed with exasperation, "I can't accommodate every do-gooder in Shawnee." He headed back to his office, calling over his shoulder, "Jordan, as soon as you're finished..."

She interrupted him, "...I will be sure to give you my assessment."

Jimmy gathered up the case files, photographs and bags of evidence and brought them to the conference room. "Anything else you need?" he asked, trying to find some way to linger in her presence.

"I'll let you know." she informed the eager, young deputy. "I would prefer to not be disturbed. I promise to fill you in on my findings as soon as I am finished."

"No problem." Jimmy answered. "Just give a holler if you need anything." He exited the room closing the door behind him. Damn, she's good looking..

Jordan removed her blazer and tossed it over the back of a chair. She opened a black leather bag with a shoulder strap that she had brought in with her and pulled out a laptop. It contained various powerful, but classified programs that allowed her to conduct sensitive searches with its wireless capabilities. But now she opened the Lotus Notes program so she could type notes as she worked. She organized the paperwork and evidence in front of her into three piles for each of the murders. Then, she sat down and took a deep breath before diving into her momentous task.

(To Be Continued)