Autumn's Rage

by Mary Stone

  Adequate, faultless documentation had the power to make or break a case, not only for upcoming trials but for the appeals that were sure to follow any conviction.

  Noah knew of one prisoner serving a life sentence for two murder convictions who did nothing else but study law books with every minute of free time he had. The man was searching for some sort of judicial error that might have occurred in his case, leading to his particular verdict and sentence.

  An error regarding a jury instruction or involving the presentation of evidence, or even a single tiny rule that wasn’t followed precisely in terms of things like warrants, submission of evidence, or chains of evidence could toss all the hard work they’d accomplished on a case out the window. Just one microscopic oversight that led to a conviction gave a prisoner the right to appeal the court’s decision.

  He had no doubt that one day the persistent bastard would find a technicality and walk. And for that reason, Noah made sure to dot every I and cross every T on each specific case he worked.

  He’d never be able to live with himself if a perp walked free simply because he hadn’t filled out a damn form correctly. His only deep motivation to face the grueling task was based on a firm determination to keep justice from being overturned.

  As he reviewed yet another form, his cell buzzed. He glanced at the screen. Aiden Parrish. Noah groaned. Whatever Aiden needed…no. Just no.

  But after swiping the message open, his intrigue was piqued.

  Come to Virginia State Hospital ASAP. Tell no one where you are going.

  Noah wasn’t a rocket scientist, but he knew that by “no one,” Aiden clearly meant Winter.

  He gazed at her, absorbed in work at her desk. She’d haphazardly thrown her shiny black hair into a semblance of a bun and bent over her paperwork in deep concentration. Was he supposed to outright lie to her?

  Shit.

  His thumbs jabbed out a reply: On the way.

  Noah walked as casually as possible toward Winter’s desk. “Aiden wants me. I’ll be back.”

  Winter’s head went up and down slightly in a semblance of a nod, but she was too engrossed to even make eye contact. Noah seized the opportunity to get the hell out before she had a chance to register his words.

  The walk to his truck and even the drive was welcome after sitting in that godforsaken desk chair.

  Better than some of the chairs you’ve sat in lately.

  Noah flushed. The embarrassment from the night before was still fresh, but he had an inkling that no matter how much time passed, Winter and Autumn would never let him forget that particular seated experience.

  Time to work, Dalton. Save your mortification for later.

  He parked in the hospital visitor lot and strode up the sidewalk. Cool confidence returned when he spotted Aiden in the lobby, along with Autumn and Special Agents Mia Logan and Chris Parker.

  Mia’s pleasant smile and open expression was a stark contrast to Chris’s frown and brooding demeanor, striking Noah as amusing. But nothing was as funny as Parker’s doo-bop doo-wop blond hair precisely arranged atop his giant head.

  He looks like a friggin’ highlighter.

  As soon as he reached the group, Parrish was on him. “Were you able to get away without any issues?” The SSA’s cool blue stare instantly hit a nerve.

  “How ‘bout we stop playing games?” Though Parrish bristled at his tone, Noah didn’t soften his words or lower his voice. He’d grown used to pissing off Aiden Parrish by now. “No. Winter doesn’t know that anything is wrong at the hospital where her brother and best friend currently are.”

  And I’m fucking exhausted. Too exhausted to cater to the SSA’s enormous ego.

  Aiden’s calm expression didn’t change. “Good. Winter not knowing is for the best. For now. No need to worry her before we better understand the situation.”

  Noah massaged the tight muscles in his neck. “So, you gonna tell me about the situation?”

  Parrish shot him a sharp glance. Noah’s mood was clearly not appreciated in this moment, and he knew, like it or not, that SSA Aiden Parrish should be addressed with polite civility.

  Parrish outranked him. On occasion, Noah despised this fact.

  Autumn stepped in to diffuse the tension. “The situation is a dead body that I was lucky enough to have fall through the ceiling of my elevator car.”

  Noah snapped to attention and listened carefully to Autumn’s story. There would be plenty of time to bicker with Parrish in his foreseeable future.

  “I assumed an accident had happened. The elevator jammed between floors, and there was this feces odor.” Autumn rubbed her goose-bump-covered arms. “Shit…actual shit seeped through the ceiling tiles.”

  Noah swallowed a gag, not wanting to imagine being in Autumn’s shoes.

  Autumn raised a hand over her head, mimicking her previous actions. “A couple pushes on the tile and…boom. Dead woman falls halfway into the car, right in front of my damn face. But the kicker is that she was clearly murdered. When I checked her neck for a pulse, I found the very obvious strangle marks.” Her expression had gone severe.

  “So. Not an accident.” Noah’s sympathy for Autumn’s “discovery” immediately tamed his edginess.

  Autumn grimaced. “Definitely not an accident, but at least they got me out of there.”

  “They?” Noah questioned, scanning the room. The lobby was crowded with law enforcement and hospital employees.

  “Some orderlies and maintenance guys. Pulled me through to the third floor, which is where I’d been heading.” Autumn’s bright green eyes were grateful, but her face was pale and drawn. It was obvious that the scene had shaken her to her core.

  “I’d like to head to the crime scene.” He gave Parrish a little sarcastic salute. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

  Parrish’s eyes narrowed the smallest fraction while the rest of his face was carefully blank. “What an excellent idea, Agent Dalton. You may go.” The man was ridiculously skilled in the art of showing no emotion whatsoever.

  Noah fought the urge to punch Aiden Parrish in his smug supervisor face. Instead, he gave a pleasant nod to Autumn, ignored Parrish, and headed for the door marked “stairs.”

  Elevator rides were overrated anyway.

  He didn’t even break a sweat running up the three flights. Noah stayed in excellent physical shape and could have easily ascended another dozen more.

  An FBI agent never could foresee when running would be necessary, but they all knew that a good sprint could be the defining difference between catching or losing the bad guy. Maintaining a healthy physique was a job requirement.

  Noah pushed open the stairwell door and joined the madness of the third floor.

  The crime scene was evident, having been taped off and secured. A female officer approached him, her face stern and distrustful.

  “I’m Adrienne Lewton, the local police chief. I figure it’s only fair to tell you right off the bat that I don’t need the FBI to get involved in this. I know one of your own found the body, but my department has the situation handled.” Her gray-blue eyes expressed the obvious resentment she’d incurred over the FBI’s presence.

  Noah held up both hands. “Special Agent Noah Dalton. I assure you, we’re only here to help, Chief Lewton. Nobody is going to step on your toes.”

  His promise was solid. The FBI was a powerful organization, but they couldn’t just throw the door open and take over a case.

  “You are correct, though. One of our agents found the body, and the Behavioral Analysis Unit was already working with a resident here in the hospital. We have good cause to get involved.” Noah studied Adrienne’s facial response.

  She was young for a police chief—he guessed mid-thirties—and therefore probably hadn’t had her position for a long period of time. In addition, Noah knew all too well that women in any branch of law enforcement still fought constant sexism.

  Adrienne deserved the same respect given to her male co-workers, and she
apparently wasn’t shy about demanding due veneration. Noah applauded her boldness. He had a deep appreciation for strong women. The proof was in the pudding on that matter.

  His girlfriend was a badass.

  However, history had displayed a clear favoritism for the male species, in this career and practically every other. Time had brought drastic change and improvement toward the caveman attitude, but Noah knew there were still dillhole male cops—males in general—who frowned at the idea of a female supervisor.

  “I understand. You guys have some irons in the fire here.” Adrienne forced a stray strand into submission with the rest of her short, light brown hair.

  “Exactly.” Noah was relieved. This police chief would be a tough cookie, but she appeared to be very logical as well. He surmised that she would make decisions based on what was best for the case no matter how much she didn’t want the FBI around.

  “Okay. Your team can help, as you said, but make sure you and all the other agents don’t forget that this is my case. I’m in charge here. Got it?”

  Adrienne’s stare reminded him of his third-grade teacher, and he offered her a quick thumbs-up. “Got it, Chief.”

  Adrienne’s crime techs dusted the scene for fingerprints while Noah stepped toward the edge of the yellow tape. He scanned the scene before him. The dead body of the female nurse had been removed and now lay zipped inside a body bag on a gurney against the hall wall.

  “I know it goes without saying, Agent Dalton, but don’t touch anything.” Adrienne’s warning was stern.

  And unnecessary. Noah was well aware that one misstep, no matter how small, could derail an entire investigation.

  A whiff of feces assailed him.

  Poor Autumn. What an effing mess to walk into. Or…have dropped on you.

  His friend had experienced quite the letdown less than twenty-four hours ago. He’d already been concerned for her, and Winter seemed more than convinced that Autumn was “not okay at all.”

  So, how was Autumn doing now? She’d seemed composed and pulled together in the lobby, but that was almost a prerequisite of the job.

  If an FBI agent started losing their shit in front of civilians, all hell would break loose.

  Noah repeated his scan, as he always did, to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. But aside from the noxious body fluid that still remained, even after the dead body with strangle marks around her neck had been removed, nothing else seemed out of order.

  Well, except for the elevator. That beast wouldn’t be operational any time soon.

  No blood. He knew the techs would scour the entire scene for every clue—a strand of hair, a drop of saliva. The smallest details nearly always told law enforcement the most crucial information.

  Granted, most people could figure out pretty quickly if the human before them was dead or alive. But only highly trained specialists could perform adequate searches through the fibers of a sweater or the miniscule granules of an invisible substance on a shoe.

  The fact that the murder had occurred in a hospital full of criminals was going to make this case a million times more difficult. The majority of the hospital’s “patients” were here for far more gruesome crimes than simply strangling a nurse.

  This would be like trying to find a hymen in a whorehouse.

  The madness was just beginning, Noah knew. He had hoped for at least a few days of quiet upon returning to Virginia. Living with Winter sure as hell didn’t mean spending loads of time with her. Not the kind of time a developing relationship needed.

  They were both dedicated to their jobs and the relentless nature of such careers.

  He admired Winter’s drive. He was proud of her and proud to be with her.

  But Noah couldn’t deny the ever-present fear that had settled and taken hold in his gut. Would the stress of being FBI agents serve to push them apart somewhere down the line?

  Assuming there still was a line after Winter became aware that he’d purposely withheld information about being called to the exact facility in which her mentally ill brother was being detained.

  He’d only followed a direct order from his superior by keeping his mouth shut, but Winter Black wouldn’t give a damn about those semantics. She would consider herself betrayed regardless of how valid his reasons had been.

  This exact type of situation fell into the dating your co-workers “gray area” that Noah feared.

  But currently, he didn’t fear anything quite so much as the impending wrath of his girlfriend.

  5

  Autumn mentally groaned as Noah marched away toward the hospital stairwell. She was well aware that Aiden and Noah weren’t the best of friends, but after what the entire team just went through together in Florida, the coolness between the two men seemed ridiculous.

  Get over yourselves. You’re not four-year-olds, and this isn’t a playground.

  Autumn absently massaged her temples.

  “Could I speak with you for a moment? Privately?” Aiden gestured toward an empty waiting room.

  Autumn didn’t bother to ask why. “Of course.”

  Why not? What could you or anyone else possibly have to say that is more upsetting than the events of the last twenty-four hours?

  “You must be exhausted, Dr. Trent,” Aiden stated as they sat on the cushioned chairs beside each other.

  Autumn smiled wanly. “What, from this? No big deal. Why would a dead woman falling into my stalled elevator car as I made my way to talk to a probable psychopath who also just happens to be my best friend’s little brother in a state hospital full of deranged, cold-blooded killers bother me?”

  She’d meant to be funny and allay Aiden’s concerns but nearly burst into tears instead. She kept them at bay by reminding herself that she’d promised SSA Parrish that her emotions would not affect her job performance.

  “Exactly. That’s a lot. You’re allowed to have human reactions, you know.” Aiden gazed at her with such intensity that Autumn wished she could sink through the floor and disappear forever. She didn’t have the energy for this conversation.

  “Yes, Aiden, I know. I’m fine.” She forced herself to smile again.

  Aiden shook his head. “I don’t believe any of us are ‘fine’ after the Florida case. Obviously, we’re in the business of dealing with disturbing shit, but that was some disturbing shit.”

  Autumn noted that he also appeared exhausted—more so than he already had before flying to Florida. The nonstop case hopping was taking a toll on everyone. Despite his authority, experience, and stupidly expensive suits, Aiden was a mere mortal.

  And he didn’t seem able to hide behind his concrete walls when they spoke.

  Most of the team assumed he didn’t have any emotions to begin with, and Autumn understood why. The man was steel cold and infamous for his serious nature.

  “Well, okay then. I’m as fine as the rest of you. Fair?” Autumn hoped they could change the subject to anything that didn’t involve emotions and well-being.

  Aiden cleared his throat and pressed his fingertips together. He was nervous. The fingertip movement was one of his very few tells. She wasn’t going to like what he was about to say next.

  “I know about your trip to find Sarah. I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you.”

  Nope. She didn’t like it at all.

  Autumn tensed as grief flooded her. The pain was too fresh. If the conversation turned to Sarah, she would lose her composure entirely.

  Too much. Too much. Too much.

  “Winter filled you in?” Autumn couldn’t imagine that Noah was the bean-spiller. He enjoyed knowing something the SSA didn’t too much.

  Aiden leaned back and rested his head against the waiting room wall. “Only out of concern for you. As your boss, she figured I should know in case…”

  Autumn whipped her head toward Aiden. “In case what? In case I’m too weak to handle that and my job at the same time?”

  “In case you seemed down, which you do. I’m only saying that I understand
why you would be. Nothing more. I’m supposed to monitor the welfare of my team. Part of the job.” Aiden turned and stared out the window.

  They both knew that he monitored Autumn a bit more closely than the rest of the team.

  “I’d prefer to focus on Justin. I haven’t met with him since before the Florida case, and then this case…” she closed her eyes against the image of the nurse falling through the ceiling, “practically landed at my feet when I tried to go to him.”

  Aiden stood and began pacing the room. “I’m pleased they’ve placed him here. You’re under no time frame to have him declared competent to stand trial. Really, the longer he’s in Virginia State Hospital rather than prison, the better.”

  That had been Autumn’s conclusion too, and she was glad Aiden felt the same. Still, she wanted to understand his thoughts on the subject better, so she raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

  “The hospital better enables you to research his case, his mind, his history. I want you to learn as much as you can about Justin. Your insight and background in forensic and criminal psychology gives you an advantage. You will pick up on details from before and after his crimes that most people wouldn’t.”

  Aiden’s faith in her abilities was simultaneously nerve-racking and heartwarming.

  “Justin is extremely intelligent. I might need more than an advantage to go deep into a mind like that, especially since we have to be careful with how I investigate him prior to his trial. Don’t want to be accused of leading the witness or any of the number of details a defense attorney will attempt to latch on to.”

  And Justin would attempt to create those mistakes. Autumn recalled his piercing blue eyes and the way he seemed to stare straight into her brain.

  He would have made an amazing psychologist.

  “You are extremely intelligent, Dr. Trent.” Aiden’s voice softened. “Remembering that would serve you well.”

  She looked away, focusing on a bird outside the window so he wouldn’t see her embarrassment. “I have to admit that I am excited to study Justin.” The science nerd inside of her broke out, and her skin warmed for the first time since stepping into that elevator. “Having direct access to a serial killer who was raised by a serial killer is a gold mine. A sad and twisted gold mine, but still. Can you imagine the insights he’ll provide to the nature versus nurture argument?”