“I feel angry and scared all at once,” Jay admitted.
No one blamed him.
Agent Melrose glanced down at the sheet covering the man on the table. His eyes filled with emotion. “I need to see him. I need to do this.”
“Jay, you don’t want to do that,” Ethan warned.
Only, it was too late.
His old partner moved around him before whipping the sheet off the victim. His horrified gasp filled the room.
“Jesus! What was done to him?” Jay asked, as he stared down in horror at the man’s destroyed body. “What animal did this to him?”
Ethan didn't want to tell him too much, but he trusted the man who was once his partner. They’d been through a lot, and he deserved that much from him.
“Remember ‘The Butcher’ case about fifteen years ago?” he asked.
Jay thought back. “Yeah, wasn’t some newbie handling it and jacked it up? She let him get away. Everyone rode her ass for being handed a gem of a case and then dropping the ball.”
Yeah, he was well aware.
Ethan had been one of those agents too.
More and more of the details were coming back to him. Ethan hadn’t just walked away from the chance to be her partner. He was now beginning to recall how horrible he’d been to her.
Shit!
He’d been an asshole.
God!
He regretted it.
There was a life lesson in all of this.
Callen glared at the agent. “So, you rode her ass, huh?” he asked, wanting to punch the man in the face for contributing to Elizabeth’s pain.
“We all did. Ethan, remember when he got away, and all the agents left a card on her desk wishing her our condolences on burying her career?”
Shit!
Yeah, he did.
Ethan glanced over at his brother. Instead of anger there, he saw the sympathy. Well, at least his brother didn't blame him for hurting their woman. When this got out, and he was pretty sure it would, he was screwed.
Blackhawk wished he could take it back. At the time, he was just following the crowd, trying to fit it. He’d let his insecurities win.
Ethan needed to get everyone refocused. “Well, it looks like we have a copycat killer.”
“How do you know it’s not the real deal?” Jay asked, his eyes never leaving his deceased partner.
Ethan was busy studying Jay, and something wasn’t right. He wasn’t mad. Jay looked like he wanted to throw himself on the dead man’s body and weep.
It was subtle, but it was off.
If someone had killed his partner, he would have been on a bender trying to get justice. With each tear Jay wiped away, Ethan became more and more puzzled.
“Ethan?” he asked.
“Sorry. I was thinking about your question. All I can tell you is that the set up isn't the same. The killer isn’t hitting his marks with the murders. It’s definitely a different person.”
“What do you mean?”
Chris spoke up. “The butchering of the victim is wrong, and he’s not setting the scene correctly. Certain unknown facts aren’t lining up.”
Ethan glanced over at that cue. He knew what the doctor meant. In not so many words, Chris Leonard was answering all the questions Ethan had.
“Are you saying you found it?” Blackhawk asked, regarding the medallion. He hoped to hell Chris hadn’t. There was always that chance that this wasn’t related.
“I just did,” Chris said. “I was about to remove it from the body before our guest rushed in.
Ethan went to move Jay from the room.
“I’m staying.”
“Jay.”
“Ethan, we went through a lot together. I’m asking as a friend. I need this. He mattered to me.”
Callen stared at him, waiting for his brother to make a decision. When Elizabeth wasn’t here, it fell on his shoulders.
This was Ethan’s call.
“Remove the medallion.”
Chris trusted that Ethan knew what he was doing. Picking up the oral forceps, he removed the medallion from the man’s throat. “It was crammed down there pretty far.”
Immediately, Merry was by his side with a jar. She was going to test for fingerprints
Maybe they’d get lucky.
“He shoved it down his throat?” he asked. “Where was the first killer putting them?” Jay asked.
“They were placed in more intimate locations,” Ethan said, not giving away too much information.
Jay’s face said it all.
He was a trained investigator. He got it.
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, we know.”
“I want to help. What can I do?” he asked. “Tristan was a good man. He was great at his job, he was tenacious, and he never gave up. In fact, he was a lot like you. Maybe that’s why we worked so well together.”
Ethan didn't say anything, but he was still waiting for the man to erupt in anger.
Yet, it didn’t happen.
“Come on, Ethan. Let me in. Aren’t you some bigwig now?”
It wasn’t that easy.
“I’m not the agent in charge of this case, Jay. I’m sorry.”
“You’re one step below Gabriel freaking Rothschild. Don’t give me that. You have pull. You can get me in if you try.”
Callen laughed at that comment, garnering all their attention. He knew the truth. “Sorry, but I know who is running this, and trust me when I say that no one has any pull over her. She’s the boss when she runs a case. God could come down from heaven, and she’d tell him to pound sand.”
They all knew Callen was right.
Ethan grinned. “He’s correct, Jay. My partner is in charge of this. I’m simply here in a profile capacity and to make sure no one tries to push their way into the autopsy.”
Apparently, he’d failed at that one.
This was one hell of a mess.
Jay sighed. “Yeah, I heard you were the king of the profiles. You’re hard to get a hold of anymore. We needed your professional opinion on a case not long ago. You didn't return my call.”
“Unfortunately, Jay, There’s a waiting list. I have to run FBI West too. I don’t have an endless supply of time to profile twenty-four-seven.”
Chris continued with the autopsy, hoping that his boss could keep the man busy. “Director, everything looks the same as with Donnelly. The cuts appear to have the same angle, and the same depth. I’m willing to say it’s the same killer.”
Ethan tried to lead his old partner from the area. “Let’s go get a coffee and catch up.”
“I want in, Ethan.”
“I know you do, but that’s not up to me. You have to talk to the lead investigator on this one, and she’s going to want to interview you.”
“Why?”
“You knew the victim. We don’t have a lot on this case, and anything we can dig up may help us find who did this to your partner.”
“His name was Tristan, and he was a damn good guy.”
“I’m sure he was, Jay. Let’s take a few minutes to get your footing.”
Callen watched as they left. “He’s going to need it.”
Chris agreed. “She may not let him in even if Ethan throws his weight around on this one.”
“I don’t blame her,” Callen stated. “He has a personal stake in this.”
“It’s not that,” Chris offered.
“What do you mean?”
“The agents on staff were ruthless after she ‘bungled’ that case. No one knew the truth, so Elizabeth had a rough time. She took all the heat of dropping the ball.”
“What did they do to her?” Callen asked, moving his right hand in and out of a fist to get the circulation going. “Other than that shitty card stunt?”
“Let’s just say it made a fraternity hazing look like nothing. Elizabeth is the strongest person I know, and she cried over it. For the next six months, she burned through partners, took dangerous assignments, and hated herself for what h
appened. She paid a hefty penance for her sins. To this day, she’s still paying.”
“I want to hurt each and every one of them,” Callen stated.
“Your brother too? He was in on it. That’s why, when she married him, I was shocked. He may not remember me, but I remember him.”
“A little, yes.”
Chris understood. “I wanted to make them pay too. Only, she wouldn’t let me. She closed herself off, and we made our own little family. When Tony started working here, we added him to the group. She was safely insulated by both of us. We protected her the best we could until it blew over.”
“That’s why she loves you two.”
He grinned as he picked up the cranial saw. “She loves us both because she has a huge heart. Elizabeth takes in the underdog, not because she feels for them, but because she was once one. She gets it.”
Callen hopped up on the metal table to play babysitter in his brother’s absence. “Thank you for loving her and never hurting her, Chris. That means a lot to us.”
“I was just holding her heart until you two came along—much like she held mine until I found Cyra and got my daughter.”
Callen smiled. “There’s no one I’d trust her with more than you and Tony. I know we growl when you two flirt, but we know the truth.”
“What’s that?”
“You two are her brothers. You can tell by the way that she loves you both. Without you, she’d fall apart. Thank you for following her to FBI West.”
“Trust me. The pleasure was all mine. It sucked when she left to be sheriff. I almost quit to follow her there. I promised I’d go wherever she did, and I planned to keep it. Only, she wouldn’t let me.”
Callen grinned.
Yeah, she was stubborn, but it all worked out.
“You better get moving. The boss is showing up soon.”
He laughed. “Want to take bets on what she does to Agent Melrose?” he asked.
“You’re on. Twenty says she boots his ass from the room and laughs like a crazy person.”
Chris laughed. “You took the obvious. I’ve learned that she’s never going to do what you expect. I say she plays nice for Ethan’s sake, since he was his partner.”
“We’ll see.”
“Oh, we shall.”
With that, Chris continued his autopsy.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
FBI Building
Mid-Morning
There was nothing that irritated her more than a press conference. Most of the time, she was fortunate and able to pass it off to her husband.
Ethan was the king of media manipulation.
He could run the show with both hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed. He was just that damn good at it.
This time, he couldn’t take one for the team.
It was on her and Gabe.
Honestly, compared to Ethan, they sucked at it. He had some finesse that he’d honed and perfected. Don’t get her wrong…Gabe was good, but Ethan Blackhawk could mesmerize them with his spiffy silk tie and wicked grin.
She shouldn’t be doing this.
Truth be told, she didn't have the patience to pull it off. All she kept thinking about was how to snap their weasely heads off their shoulders, then booting them into a snowbank.
Yeah, this wasn’t something she should be allowed to do. Thankfully, Gabe was driving the bus.
In her opinion, they were all a bunch of assholes, and deserved to be treated as such. She recognized quite a few of them. Her memory was good, and back then, they’d skewered her when ‘The Butcher’ went under.
They’d buried her in the media.
Elizabeth’s name had become synonymous with failure. It followed her, and it pissed her off.
Now, they were after her again.
The douchebag who sicced them on her knew what he was doing. If he wanted maximum damage, this was the way to get it. They were being tried in the court of public opinion. There was nothing like being judged by the public.
It pissed her off.
It made her cranky.
It gave Elizabeth one hell of a headache.
Yeah, someone was going to pay for this. When she found him, she was going to make him pay.
As Gabe stood there, trying to keep his patience, he was forced to listen to the media throw out the most ludicrous questions that he’d ever heard.
It started with why she was working this side of the country when Elizabeth always handled the west coast.
When that wasn’t answered to their satisfaction, they began tossing around conspiracy theories and wild speculation.
She was there returning to the Hoover building.
She was in dire danger of losing her job thanks to her threesome.
She was taking over Gabe’s position.
All of it was such bullshit that he wanted to laugh—but he knew better.
Instead, he had to handle it with grace and couth. He was the head of the FBI and decorum was needed. The last thing Gabe needed was POTUS breathing down his neck.
As he prepared to head them off at the pass, one of the reporters went in for the kill. Gabe only hoped that Elizabeth wouldn’t lose her mind and freak out.
“Is it true that she’s here because she let ‘The Butcher’ escape last time, and that you’re making her clean up her mess, Director Rothschild?”
He could feel her tense beside him.
Fortunately, she didn't react.
It was a small miracle.
“Actually, that’s not anywhere close to accurate,” Gabe began, trying to keep the reporters from going for blood. He was well aware that Elizabeth was a media powder keg.
They studied her every move.
At that moment, she was standing there, the wind whipping around her, and she was trying to be calm. Gabe knew the truth. He could see the anger in her icy blue eyes.
There was a line, and the media was fast approaching it.
She was going to blow.
“Isn’t it true that she let him go, and she’s here to make amends?” asked the reporter, refusing to let it go.
“Again, no, that’s not true. Director Blackhawk is here because she knows a great deal about this killer. She has personal working knowledge on the case, and that’s why we called her in.”
They didn't look like they were buying it.
“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” a few reporters shouted.
She simply glanced over at them.
“What do you have to say to the families you let down? Do you have any remorse over letting the killer walk free? Do you think that the FBI made a mistake when it let a new agent handle something so volatile?”
She took a deep breath.
Gabe was giving her the look.
What she wanted to do was lose her temper, but that wasn’t an option. She had to stay calm and answer their asinine questions.
“I don’t think my age had anything to do with it,” she stated. “As for the families, I am sorry that they couldn’t get closure, but the killer went under after four days. I didn't have that long to track him.”
There were more questions.
“What do you want to say to the families?” one reporter yelled.
God!
She hated the media.
What she wanted to tell them was she’d gotten them all closure, and that the killer was dead. She just couldn’t go there. If she slipped, she was going to jail, as was Gabe and Chris. It wasn’t just her life on the line.
They would all pay if she let her pride and ego win.
“I’d like to send them my deepest apologies for not catching the killer before he disappeared. The FBI has always had their interests at heart, and we will continually work on this until we can find the man who hurt their loved ones.”
More shouting ensued.
“So, this is ‘The Butcher’,” one reported shouted. “You’re confirming it?”
“It’s too early to tell,” she said, giving nothing away. “We do
n’t have a definitive answer as of yet.”
“Is it true that he’s begun killing men now?”
“We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, and you are well aware of that.”
The reporters were relentless.
They went for blood.
“Isn’t it true that you might be a little more focused if your relationship wasn’t a priority?” some blonde reporter shouted. “Let’s face it. You’re working side by side with your husbands.”
Elizabeth focused on her, but kept her mouth shut.
“You’re here with both men, and that has to be distracting. Can you tell us why you can’t work a case without them?”
She hated this woman.
It took everything to remain in control.
Gabe glanced over at her, gauging if he was going to have to play intermediary.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and focused on the woman who was spouting such nonsense.
Oh, she recognized her.
Years ago, there was an incident during an interview. This reporter had asked about her sex life and men, and Elizabeth ‘accidentally’ dumped her coffee on her. Since that day, she’d been dogging her steps.
It was borderline stalking and harassment, and they all knew it. Only, Elizabeth couldn’t stop her.
The woman was a bane to her existence.
“Ms. Reilly, I’m glad to see you’ve made it to Washington. Normally, you’re stalking me out West.”
“Well, inquiring minds want to know. Would you like to get a cup of coffee, and we can talk? I’ll make sure yours has a safety lid to prevent spills.”
Elizabeth smiled sweetly. “I’d rather eat my own arms off than sit down with you, so I’ll pass.”
Gabe gave her a look.
Sue her.
This trashbag stalked her family. Elizabeth wanted to grab her by her hair and bash her empty head off the nearest building.
There was no love lost.
“How about you answer my question?” she asked.
“Ethan Blackhawk is my profiler. When he works a case, he generally goes there to get the details. Since he wasn’t working ‘The Butcher’ case fifteen years ago, he needed to be up close and personal with the details.”
Choices will Destroy (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 14) Page 17
