Elizabeth measured her options as she tried not to think of the pressure now on her shoulders. Yeah, she solved things, but this early in the game, it wasn’t going to be easy. She still didn't have her profile yet.
“I can’t lose her. You have to help me, Lyzee,” he begged, his fingers digging into her arm.
“Tony, let me think,” she said, staring at the room. “The cemetery is guarded by cops. Right outside this door, we have the grounds crew. Callen, go out there and make them shut the machinery down. I need to think, and I can’t with all the noise.”
Tony began pacing as Elizabeth stared at the marble slab.
“She obviously figured something out,” she stated. “Tony, why did she want to search the cemetery? I know what she told us, but what did Jaxon tell you?”
He pointed at the slab. “Every other one in this place is built above the ground except this one. We’ve searched all of them. It bothered her that it wasn’t on a pedestal, but housed in the ground.”
“How long was she out of your sight?” Ethan asked.
“She was only gone five minutes at the max. I saw her, and then went into the last tomb across the walkway. When I came out, she was gone.”
She examined the inside of the crypt, and then the angels on the glass. Finally, she dropped to her knees and felt around the base. There was nothing there. “Jaxon!” she yelled, hoping the woman would hear her.
Only, there was no reply.
“Okay. Let’s split up and call in the rest of our team. This is a crime scene, and we’re going to work it that way.”
Tony Magnus wanted to puke.
“I’m sorry, Tony,” she said, standing. “We’ll get her back before you know it,” she offered, hoping that wasn’t a big fat lie.
Tony stood there, his heart aching in his chest.
Why did he leave her side?
God! He wished he could go back and fix this.
All he wanted was one more chance.
* * *
Jaxon slowly came to.
Her hands were behind her back, and she was hog tied. There was no way she could determine how long she’d been out, but it had to be long enough for the killer to restrain her.
Over her mouth was a gag, and she knew her only hope was to get free.
Oh God!
Why had she wandered off alone? If she got out of this, she swore she was going to rethink careless stunts like this. In fact, she was going to stick to Tony’s side the rest of this case.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on her surroundings. All around her was total darkness. In fact, she wasn’t even sure she was in the same location. Trying to think back, she focused on what had happened.
Her head hurt, so that meant she had been struck. Then, she fell. The crypt! He’d shoved her into it. Jaxon knew she’d been right. Wiggling, she struggled to get the gag away from her mouth. Thankfully, the person who did this didn't use duct tape. By rubbing her face against her shoulder, she was able to pull it out of place.
The smell of Christmas assaulted her senses.
Yeah, she was in the bowels of the crypt. Maybe there wasn’t enough time to move her. Now the big question was, had he come down with her?
Her flesh crawled. Was he watching her?
The second the gag was free, Jaxon took a chance. If he was in the dark with her, certainly he’d put a stop to her screaming, but she had to try and survive. The options weren’t pretty if she didn't put up a fight.
Shouting for help, Jaxon prayed that by now, Tony was looking for her. Her only saving grace was she left her purse and phone as breadcrumbs. All he had to do was follow the trail...
That was if the killer left her things behind.
If not, she didn't have a fighting chance.
* * *
Time was not on their side.
Elizabeth tried to think it all through as Tony paced back and forth, talking out loud. He was driving her crazy, but she understood.
She’d lost Ethan and Callen once. The terror, which had gripped her in those moments, was gut wrenching. Elizabeth knew what he was living. For now, she needed to move forward.
Both Callen and Ethan were out questioning the small crowd which had gathered. It was comprised of the cemetery maintenance staff and a few deputies who had come to investigate the yelling.
Inside the crypt, Elizabeth focused on the things around her. The answer had to be here.
Logically, she knew that there wasn’t enough time to transport Jaxon. Tony would have seen her being moved or someone in the cemetery would have taken notice.
The killer wouldn’t risk it.
When Tony took a break, she thought she heard something. Once more it was drowned out with his self-loathing.
“Tony, stop.”
When he continued to talk, she threw her hand over his mouth.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Listen. I hear something.”
He did stop, and this time he focused on the sounds around them. There were birds chirping, church bells ringing, and talking outside the structure.
Then, he heard it.
It was muffled, low, and barely audible.
“Is that…”
Elizabeth dropped to her knees and placed her ear against the slab. She could hear screaming for help, and it had to be their missing anthropologist.
“Ethan! Callen! Hurry!” she shouted, bracing her back against the wall as she tried to push.
When they rushed in, they didn't know what was going on.
“She’s in the sarcophagus! She can’t have much air left. We have to get this open!”
Tony was horrified that she’d been there all along. Sitting beside Elizabeth, he mimicked her actions. “We’re coming, honey!” he yelled, as they all began pushing.
It barely budged.
Ethan stopped them to feel around the half inch gap. “It has to be on a mechanism. I can feel metal under here.”
Elizabeth was up, feeling along the walls. Inside, there were sconces, urns, and lots of tiles. “Start moving everything. There has to be a release somewhere in here!”
They began lifting, shifting, and moving all the objects. When nothing opened the slab, Tony became panicked. “Oh God! We have to bust it open!”
“It’s marble, Tony. We can’t break through that,” she stated. “Plus, she could get hurt if we bring in machinery.” What she didn't point out was that time was ticking away, as was the viable air.
Glancing over, she could see the look of horror on Ethan’s face. He’d been buried alive, and in that moment he was reliving it. There was panic and stress etched into his features.
She had to let it go. Her focus for now had to be on figuring all this out.
Leaning against the wall, Elizabeth took in her surroundings. There were four walls, three windows and one intricate picture made of tiles. In the center, there was an angel holding a sword.
Ethan and Callen watched her as she slipped into thought. Grabbing Tony’s arm, Blackhawk silenced him before he could interrupt Elizabeth. “Shhhhhhh. You wanted her to figure it out,” he whispered in his ear, “now let her.”
The men watched Elizabeth as she approached the artwork. It had obviously piqued her interest.
There were about ten tiles and they told a story. Only, it was out of order.
Touching the center tile, it had some give. Pressing, nothing happened. She then tried another tile.
“It’s a puzzle,” she said, staring at it. “We have God’s hand coming down from heaven,” Elizabeth began, pressing it as hard as she could. “Then, we have an angel going into battle,” she added, pressing it firmly. “After the battle comes the judging,” Elizabeth said, once more pushing it. “Last, there is the scale of justice as death is served,” she stated, selecting the final one.
There was an audible click.
“Hurry, let’s move it! I don’t know how long we have until it is going to reset!” Elizabeth ordered, getting back into position to push with her feet. This t
ime, it moved easily.
As it slid open, they all stared down the hole. There were stone steps leading down.
“Jesus!” muttered Tony, rushing down into the darkness.
“Callen, stay here, in case it closes up,” Elizabeth said, pulling out her phone to use it as a source of light. “You know the order of the tiles. You’ll have to set us free.”
He nodded.
Heading down the stairs, Ethan was right behind her. Later he’d kiss her for solving this. For now, they needed to retrieve one of their team.
Jaxon heard the slide of marble and prayed it was the FBI and not the killer. As she saw the light stream down into the darkness, she blinked, trying to adjust to it.
“Jaxon!” called Tony, pulling out his phone to seek her out in the darkness.
“Tony! Over here!”
He rushed toward the sound of her voice. When his phone light fell over her, he wanted to be sick. There was blood on her face, and she was a bound mess. “Oh God! Honey!”
Dropping to his knees, he tried to get her free. “Elizabeth! Over here,” he said, from the dark. “She needs an ambulance. There’s blood, and he tied her up!”
She rushed toward him as Ethan made the call.
Elizabeth stared down at the woman. “Hey there, Jaxon. If this was an attempt to get some attention, it worked,” she teased, touching the pulse in her throat.
Despite the situation, it got her to laugh. “I’m so glad to see you right now.”
“Ethan, check your back pocket. Callen usually keeps a knife in his jeans,” she stated. Having the men switch clothes had an added benefit that she didn't see coming.
When he pulled it out, Elizabeth handed Tony her phone. “Keep it steady, I’ll cut her free,” she stated, working on her bindings.
Tony’s hand shook. “Please be careful. Last time you were wielding that knife, you cut Callen,” he warned, reminding her of their trip into the swamp.
“Yeah, but then I kissed him and made it all better,” she stated.
Jaxon could feel her legs being freed. As Elizabeth worked on her hands, the second she was released, Tony pulled her into his arms. She started sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to him.
Tony picked her up and cradled her against his body. “It’s okay, Jax. We’re getting you out of here,” he said, refusing to let her go. This entire situation had scared the shit out of him.
“What happened?” Elizabeth asked, as she followed the anthropologists out of the dark and toward the stairs.
Once up in the mausoleum, Jaxon finally began to calm down. It probably had something to do with Tony whispering reassurances in her ear.
“When I entered the mausoleum it felt off. When I saw the slab on the ground, it looked out of place. I’ve spent some time in Rome, working in the catacombs and recalled a page in a book. When I saw how this crypt was set up, it reminded me of it. The priests used it as a way to get in and out of the burial site. Instead of burying their dead in graves, they used the catacombs to house them.”
Elizabeth could hear the ambulance in the distance.
“When I looked at the tiles on the floor, some were crooked. As I played with it, I thought Tony was coming up behind me. Then, I was falling.”
Pointing at the blood, Elizabeth spoke, “While I appreciate your sleuthing, you could have gotten yourself killed.”
“I know,” she whispered, clinging to Tony. “I don’t know how long I was out, but he must have followed me in. I woke up bound.”
“Did you hear or see him?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Callen glanced outside. “The paramedics are here,” he stated.
Tony got to his feet, holding her in his arms. “I’m going to the hospital with her,” he stated.
Elizabeth could still see the terror in his eyes. Yeah, her anthropologist was more than smitten. She’d see that look in Ethan and Callen’s eyes every time she got hurt.
“Go ahead, Tony. We have it here. The team is coming in, and we’ll tear the crypt apart.”
They watched them leave.
“Well, boys? Want to help me explore our killer’s lair?” she asked, rolling her shoulder. “While Agents Madden and Seaton question all the people outside, we can dig through the madman’s hideaway.”
Neither man planned on leaving her side. The killer had technically abducted a Fed. Ethan and Callen weren’t taking the chance that she was next.
“We’re right behind you,” stated Ethan. “I think you’ll be interested in what I found,” he said, as they descended into the darkness.
Oh, she was sure she would.
* * *
He was furious.
When he knocked her out and tied her up, he didn't believe she’d wake up. Had he known, he would have made sure she never did again.
She disturbed his sacred space, and now the FBI was all over it.
It made him want to scream.
When he had found that location, it gave him joy. God had led him there, and he lost it.
Where was he supposed to prepare his victims now?
His workspace was stolen from him.
That was a sin. It was right in the commandments. Thou shall not steal.
The FBI broke the rules, and now he was going to make sure they paid for it.
Staring down at the gun in his hand, he smiled. He couldn’t get one legally, since the FBI would figure it all out. What better way to acquire one than to steal it from the woman’s hip while she was out?
The time would come where he would need it.
Already, a plan began forming in his mind.
Oh, this was far from over.
As far as he was concerned, it was just beginning.
* * *
Tony didn't want to let her go.
Not after today.
In fact, he used the power of the FBI to remain at her side. When they arrived at the hospital, they told him to have a seat in the waiting room. Instead, he did something he never did before.
He lied.
Pulling his badge, he prayed they didn't read his name and only scanned his picture and shiny gold shield. Telling them she was to be guarded at all times, they seemed to buy it.
When the doctor examined her, he didn't leave her side.
As she got her stitches, Tony held Jaxon’s hand.
Even as the tech took her clothes and handed her FBI sweats, he never let go.
There was no way he was going to take another chance with losing her. This was the scariest thing he’d ever come across in all his life.
When the doctor left to get the nurse to discharge them, he ran his fingers across her bruised cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m not cut out for this,” she said softly.
Tony stared at her, not saying a word.
“No one’s ever tried to kill me before. Maybe the FBI isn't the place for me. I like the safety of being in a hole and just looking for victims. I never realized that being in the FBI was this dangerous.”
His heart was being squeezed in his chest. Already, he could feel her slipping away. Tony was a smart man. He could see the writing on the wall.
He was going to lose Jaxon.
“I see. What’s your plan?” he asked, trying to remain calm.
Jaxon waited for him to say anything else like, ‘you can’t go. We just found each other’, or ‘you have to stay’, but he didn't. Her heart dropped in her chest.
Yes, she knew it was only one night together, but she’d felt something.
Obviously, he hadn’t.
Her heart actually hurt.
So, this was part of having a boyfriend. Now, she wasn’t sorry she’d never experienced it before.
“I’ll finish this job up, but when I go back to Quantico, I think I’m going to resign.”
He bit his tongue, knowing he had no right to demand she stay. In fact, he almost wanted to offer her a place to live in his home. There were plenty of universities and jobs nearby.
Then, it was clear. She was going to run, and he was helpless to stop it.
“I’ll call Elizabeth and see what she wants us to do,” he said, releasing her hand. If he stayed, Tony knew he’d beg.
In fact, he’d crawl after her.
“Okay, Tony,” she said, watching him leave. Jaxon wanted to cry. Rolling onto her side, she thought about her brother’s advice.
Suddenly, spending half her day among the living didn't seem all it was cracked up to be.
At least with the dead, they didn't break your heart.
* * *
Once they entered the hidden space, they found a bunch of battery operated lights. One by one, they were turned on until the entire area was illuminated.
“Holy hell!” muttered Callen, looking around.
The place was creepy. In the shadowy area, there were bottles upon bottles of frankincense lining the shelves. Staring down at the floor, there were dried brown stains.
Blood.
“Well, we definitely found his workshop,” stated Elizabeth, looking around.
“I think it looks more like a mad scientist’s laboratory,” added Callen. “Some sick, twisted, screwed up nutjob.”
Ethan felt the need to warn them. “He’s going to be pissed about this,” he stated. “We’ve desecrated his workspace. He didn't kill Jaxon for a reason. Whether it be because he didn't have time, or God didn't tell him to, this is going to put him right over the edge.”
All around them, there were religious icons watching them, from statues of the Blessed Mother, to ones of a crucified Jesus. They all faced the metal table in the middle of the space.
“Exactly how unhinged is this going to make him, Ethan? Are we talking about him randomly killing people out of anger, or following up with his plan?”
“He won’t deviate much from his methods, but let’s just say that I want to pack you up and send you home. We’d be right behind you.”
“So the mummification will continue?”
Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) Page 34
