“Okay,” she offered, taking the bag. “I’ll go change, and you get the team ready to tell me what they have. I want something before we head out.”
“What’s our plan?” Callen asked.
She paused, hand on the door. “For the first time, Cal, I have no idea. Nothing is adding up in my mind. Maybe I’m losing my touch with this. I don’t know, but it may be time to hang up my sleuthing badge.”
They watched her leave and were surprised by her words. If Elizabeth was ready to quit, that was a very bad sign.
A very bad one indeed.
When she returned, she dumped her clothes in a biohazard bin and faced the team waiting for her. Now, she had grabbed a cup of coffee, was clean, and ready to regroup.
“First off, thank you all for working so hard on this. It’s been a long night for everyone, and you’re probably tired, but we’re doing this for our friend. Tony survived the surgery, and right now, he’s lying in a bed trying to heal. While he does that, we’re going to find this killer and get him and the victims’ justice.”
They all murmured in agreement.
“If I need to say this, then so be it. From this moment out, you all work, live, and sleep in your Kevlar. I know it’s uncomfortable, especially for the ladies, but do it. Our killer managed to get Doctor Armstrong’s sidearm when she was grabbed. Now, he’s using it on Feds. If I have to stand over your body and ruin my boots, I will be pissed. Am I clear?”
They all saluted but it was with very little enthusiasm. One of their own was hurt, and the wind was out of their sails.
“Okay, what do we have?”
Meredith stepped forward. “He didn't touch the door, other than to knock. We’re trying to figure out if he used the handrail alongside the porch. It’s going to take some time.”
She understood. “Did you get Tony’s clothes from the hospital?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Run them. There might be something there. Maybe he touched him before he fell.”
“Ma’am, we found boot marks. We know that when Tony hit the floor, he stood over him, straddling his body.”
She thought about it. “It could have happened. We heard the gunshot, and we all stopped.”
“We compared them to the print marks found at Toni Michelle’s sex shop, and they’re a match.”
That gave her confirmation. At first, there was that little sick awareness that maybe it wasn’t the killer. After all, Jaxon’s father was a mob guy. Who the hell knew where that was going to lead?
“We just need to put a face to him. We suspect that our killer was after Jaxon. She found his hidey hole, and that had to have pissed him off,” she stated.
Blackhawk picked it up, “Yes, he’s going to feel like we’re trying to stop him from doing ‘God’s work’, so he’s trying to protect his ‘job’.”
“He’s sick,” stated Meredith.
“Yeah, and he’s an asshole,” Elizabeth added.
Just then the door swung open, and everyone jumped as a man rushed in. It was one of the deputies.
“Are you insane?” she asked incredulously. “We just had one of own shot, and you rush into a room full of edgy Feds?”
He was out of breath. “Sorry, ma’am. We had a police report, and the sheriff told me to hustle down here and tell you.”
She waited for him. “Well?”
“We just received a nine-one-one call. Someone found a body while she was arriving at work.”
“Who?”
He rattled off the details.
The three looked at each other. They were well aware of who lived at that address. After all, they’d just been there visiting the man.
“What the hell is going on in this town, ma’am?” asked the deputy.
Yeah, in her opinion, Devil’s Lake was appropriately named. Something evil was definitely hanging out here.
“Half the team stays here to work on Tony’s trace, the rest of you get ready to roll out. Again, I want you in gear, guns on your person, and for you to be ready for anything.”
They nodded as they all started getting ready to head out.
Who knew what the hell they were walking into?
It wasn’t like it could get much worse.
* * *
“Well, holy shit!” she muttered. Apparently, she had been wrong. It wasn’t just worse, but a travesty.
Elizabeth was pretty sure that this was a sure sign of the killer being one hundred percent crackers. What he did to Wade Dixon was nothing short of a slaughter.
He was mutilated.
No, that was an understatement. The man was three days past that. If the killer wasn’t proving Ethan’s profile correct, she didn't know what he was doing.
Callen whistled.
“Yeah, I know.”
Ethan stood there, staring down at the man who was now splayed out in his really expensive home. He may have had it all in life, but in death, the killer stripped him of all dignity.
“He’s way out of control.”
She didn't even have words. Where Toni Michelle had been eviscerated, so had this man, but to add to that, the killer had found some power tools and used them to his advantage.
Wade was now nothing more than a bloody mess.
“Okay, Doctor Legend, I know this is going to sound insane, but what do we have, and can you pinpoint any of this to be COD?”
He glanced up from kneeling beside the body. “Well, he used a saw to take off the top of his skull. His brain is severed and hanging out of his cranium. I can’t imagine he’d hold still for that, and I don’t see any wrist abrasions.”
Yeah, she agreed there.
“His heart is missing, but when I stick my fingers in the hole, I think I feel something metal.”
“Like a bullet?” she asked, hoping for his sake that he was dead before the lunatic went shit nuts on him.
“Yes, and once I travel lower, you’ll notice not only are his entrails on the outside, but it looks like he pulled them out viciously.”
“Like he was digging in there?”
“Yep.”
“Awesome,” muttered Callen. “Welcome to the crazy train. First stop is a padded cells and competency testing.”
Yeah, wasn’t that the truth.
“Oh, it’s not done yet,” Doctor Legend said, lifting a part of the bowel. “He’s had his genitalia removed too.”
Elizabeth glanced over at her husband. “Well, oh profiler of the crazies, what do you think of this one?”
He stared in horror. “Yeah, I’ve NEVER seen anyone escalate this fast. Generally, it happens slowly over a few kills. He went from his methodology, to Toni Michelle, shooting Tony, and now this. He’s unhinged and another true sociopath.”
“Awesome. I love when I get back to back killers who are certifiable.”
“I’m going to guess there was no need to strangle him,” stated Callen, “or knock him out.”
Zane picked the skull cap up off the floor. “No damage from a strike. There are just bone chips from the saw cutting through the skull. I do have to say, I’ve removed quite a few cranium caps, but even I’m grossed out by this. I won’t ever look at power tools the same again.”
“Amen,” stated Ethan. Him either.
“Meredith!” Elizabeth called. “What do we have?”
She pulled out her tablet. “We checked the gate. It was open when we got here, so either he got in while someone came in, or he scaled the fence. It surrounds the perimeter of the entire property. It’s fifteen acres. So, we’ll have one hell of a time fingerprinting all of that. Right now, we’re walking along it, trying to find footprints. The ground is soft, so if he jumped from an eight foot fence, he may have left impact marks when he landed. If we don’t find any, he walked in off the street up the driveway.”
She closed her eyes. “Okay, how did he get inside this fortress?”
“We contacted the alarm company and the house alarm was deactivated by the master code. There are three different
ones which can be used. The housekeeper, who found him, didn't have to use hers. When she unlocked the door, went to the keypad, and tried to enter it, she saw that it was already off.”
“Okay, who has the other one?”
“We believe it was the one which was used by Emelia Southland. It hasn’t been used since the day before her death. Apparently, she stopped by the previous night.”
“What door did he come in?” Ethan asked.
“Wade Dixon made it easy for the killer. There’s a sun room off the kitchen. It has those doors that open all the way across to make it an outdoor space. He left them wide open. Our killer literally walked in off the street and right into the house.”
Callen thought about it. “Of course it wasn’t locked down. He lived his life arrogantly. He believed he was safe behind this gate and nothing could touch him. His wife was killed, and he was cleared of that, since he was with his mistress. Then, she was killed, and he wasn’t responsible for that either.”
“Callen’s right. He believed he was untouchable.”
Elizabeth stared down at the wasted mess. “Yeah, this was probably a very bad thing to be wrong about.”
They agreed.
“Okay, I need you all to keep working this. What deputies are outside on the fence?”
Meredith glanced down. “Well, we have Deputies Richardson, Elis, and Ricky Turner just showed up. He was off duty and heard it on the radio. He wanted to help. He’s with a few techs, walking the perimeter.”
She ran her hands through her hair. “Okay, keep looking. I have to head out,” she said, walking toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Blackhawk asked, stopping her from leaving. He wasn’t exactly happy with her running around alone. He kept thinking about the child she was carrying and the chance the killer would go after her.
“I have to head back to the hospital. A nurse at the desk texted me an hour ago. Jaxon left Tony alone. I don’t want him waking up by himself and being scared. When I was shot after the Ray debacle, both Tony and Chris took turns sitting there with me. If I have to camp out, I will.”
Ethan relaxed. “Will you be safe, Tex?” he asked, stealing a kiss. As soon as he finished, Callen did the same.
“Yeah, just push the team as hard as you can. I’m going to go work on healing his heart.”
As she strode away, she turned and blew them both a kiss. To reassure them, she patted the gun on her hip and winked.
Neither man liked it, but they wouldn’t stop her from taking care of one of their own. Elizabeth had two skills, at which she excelled. One was being a Fed, and the other was mothering those who were wounded.
Now, she was going to go and do the latter.
“I hate not being with her.”
Ethan agreed. “Let’s push them hard. We need to get back in-house. I don’t like having our team out in the open with a gun wielding nutjob on the loose.”
Callen could agree whole heartedly.
* * *
Saturday Mid-Morning
Waking up, he couldn’t remember anything. It eluded him as to where he was, and why he was there. Everything was foggy and blurred in his mind.
Keeping his eyes closed, he could hear the beeping of a machine, and two people discussing something in hushed whispers. One sounded like Elizabeth and the other was unfamiliar.
Slowly, he took inventory of his body, trying to figure out what he was doing. The last thing he remembered was talking to Elizabeth, and now this.
Something was very wrong.
It felt like his body was on fire, and pain was searing through his chest. As he tried to move, the talking stopped.
“Tony, can you open your eyes for me?” Elizabeth asked, as she took his hand in hers.
When he struggled to do just that, she leaned down to drop a kiss to his forehead. “You can do it, Tony. Show me how bad ass you are,” she urged.
When he finally got them open, he was forced to blink a few times to clear his vision. Before speaking, he scanned the faces and room. He had been right. One of the voices had belonged to Elizabeth, and the other appeared to be a nurse.
“I’m going to give him more morphine right now,” she stated, pushing the buttons on the machine beside the bed. “He’s going to be in a lot of pain once the drugs wear off.”
Yeah, Elizabeth knew the truth.
Her friend was going to not only be hurting physically, but emotionally too.
It was coming.
Tony watched the woman in the scrubs and couldn’t understand it. In his mind, he was back on the reservation, and he had just been with Elizabeth. Had something happened?
Why was he in a hospital?
“Tony?” she said softly, touching his face. “Do you know where you are?”
He looked around. “A hospital?” he asked, his chest on fire with pain. What the hell was going on? The last thing he recalled was his heart to heart with his boss.
Had Ethan and Callen taken it the wrong way and kicked his ass?
Tony was confused.
Obviously, he was missing something.
“What happened?” he whispered through dry lips. The hushed inquiry didn't even seem like it was from him. The voice sounded distant and odd.
Elizabeth took a seat beside him on the bed, still holding his hand in hers. When she’d gotten there and held it, his fingers had been so cold. Now, life was ebbing back into him.
Yeah, for now.
“You don’t remember what happened?” she asked. “Or who did this to you?”
He tried to think about it. “No. My head and chest hurt.”
She rubbed his forearm with her hand, trying to offer comfort. “You’ve been shot.”
It was like she was speaking a foreign language. What she was saying made absolutely no sense to him.
How the hell had this all happened?
“We were talking,” she began.
“I remember that part.”
“I left you alone and headed back to my cabin. I was talking to Jaxon there, and we heard a gunshot. The killer came after you, and shot you in the chest. The doctors put you back together again, and you’re recovering.”
His heart began pounding. The monitors began chirping like crazy as his blood pressure spiked. Where was Jaxon?
Oh God!
“Jaxy!”
The nurse stared at her as if warning her not to stir the patient up.
“She’s safe,” Elizabeth reassured. Right now, she imagined the doctor was on a flight home.
“I want to see her. I need her.”
If Elizabeth could give him that, she would. Glancing over at the nurse, she spoke, “Do you think you can give us a few minutes? I need to speak to him privately.”
“Don’t upset him.”
This was more reason why she shouldn’t be in there. What she had to say was going to cause his monitors to go off again. There was no doubt that Tony was going to get upset.
She waited until the woman was gone.
“Tony, I need you to stay calm.”
He stared at her. “I trust you, Elizabeth. Just tell me the truth. She left me, didn't she?”
It broke her heart that he already knew. Love shouldn’t hurt like a bitch, but unfortunately it sometimes did. Now, she would be left to break Tony’s heart.
When she got her hands on Jaxon Armstrong, she was going to kick her ass.
This was a cowardly thing to do.
If the woman was going to leave, she should have had the balls to stand here and tell him to his face.
All of this made her mad.
“Please, Lyzee. I need you right now. You won’t lie to me. She’s gone, isn't she?” he asked again.
“Yes, Tony. When I got here, she was gone. She left you a note. Do you want me to read it to you, or can you manage on your own.”
Normally, he would want to read his ‘Dear John’ letter alone, but he trusted her. Elizabeth was his family, and he wasn’t strong enough to do this on hi
s own.
In that moment, he needed to lean on someone stronger than he could ever be.
“Please read it to me.”
Immediately, he closed his eyes, to abate the pain beating at him.
Dearest Tony,
If you’re reading this, then you’ve woken up. I know that leaving you while you’re hurt is a horrible thing to do. I only hope that with time, you’ll forgive me. In fact, you have a great deal to hate me for, and I probably don’t deserve your forgiveness for any of it. I don’t believe that gunshot was meant for you. It was supposed to be my fate. Instead, you were hurt because I’m cursed in this life.
As I sit here watching you lying there, I’m filled with so much pain. I’ve never loved anyone before in my life other than my mother and brother. Then, you came alone.
I fell for you the second I saw you.
Maybe it was your eyes or the sweet man you are deep down. All I know is I can’t stay. If I do, the vile past that chases and haunts me will taint your life too. So please forgive me for being a coward. It was harder to leave, but I needed to do it for you. If I were to stay, you’d only hurt more. I’m not girlfriend material, and I think you lying in a hospital bed proves that.
It was my gun he used to shoot you. I never noticed it was gone. I was so wrapped up in my feelings, me hurting, that I never noticed.
And so, it nearly cost you your life.
Please forgive me for being selfish. I wanted you more than anything in my life, but I don’t deserve you. If I stayed, my horrible life would taint yours. Before long, you’d resent me and hate me. It is better if I just walk away, and let you hate me for that. I couldn’t bear to see you look at me with anything but love. It would destroy me.
I know I’ve hurt you. I really hope that you find someone you deserve. I want you to have a beautiful life. What you deserve is more than I could ever give you. I’m just a burial rat, and you’re too good for me.
I hope when you heal, from both the bullet that damaged you, and from my words, you’ll forget the five days we had together. What happens next is my penance. I’ll carry the memories forever in my heart, because you were the one.
Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) Page 48
