I didn't protect you from the killer, and you can’t be expected to save me the rest of our lives. It’s a job I can’t saddle on anyone.
Be safe and have a full and happy life. Please know that you gave me the only happiness that I’ve ever felt. That’s enough to keep me going.
I love you and always will,
Jaxon.
Elizabeth folded the note, and found herself unable to despise the woman for hurting her friend. It was obvious that she loved him. Jaxon was scared, and that she could forgive.
She was sacrificing her heart to save Tony.
It couldn’t have been easy.
When he opened his eyes, there were tears there. “So, I’m alone again.”
His words cut at her heart. What wouldn’t she give to save the ones she loved from pain?
“No, you’re not. You have us. As soon as you’re able to move, we’re transporting you back. We’re going to get you to a hospital back in Damascus.”
“Then what? Am I supposed to go through life an empty shell?” he asked. “I would have rather died than wake up and find her gone. I have no reason to go on, Elizabeth. When she left, she took my heart.”
She squeezed his hand.
“I love her.”
Leaning down, she kissed him on the forehead again. “When we get you home, you’re moving into our house. You’ll stay there until you’re healed and able to go home.”
He closed his eyes. “I’ll never be healed again. There’s a hole in my chest.”
“Look at me, Tony.”
Elizabeth waited until he listened. When he finally opened his eyes, she was staring at him. “Yes? What can you say to heal me, Elizabeth? What do I do now? I’ve never loved before, just for this reason. I never wanted to feel this pain of being left alone again.”
She patted him on the cheek. “I can’t heal you, Tony. Only you can do that. I can only tell you what I’d do if I was you. If my heart was broken, and the person I loved told me they had feelings for me, I’d never give up. You do what you need to do, Tony. You fight to get her back.”
A tear slipped down his cheek. “I don’t know how. I feel so cold and dead inside.”
Elizabeth wiped it away. “You just heal and get better. When you’re back on your feet, I’ll make sure the rest is taken care of.”
He stared at her hopefully. “Really?”
She crossed her heart. “I promise. I have your back.”
~ Chapter Twenty ~
Saturday Afternoon
Ethan Blackhawk knew he was an imposing man. In order to run FBI West and keep over six hundred employees from running amuck, he had to be. When it came to the job, he knew there could be no excuses.
Not in the FBI.
Generally, his people would come to him if there was a problem. Considering the options, they were terrified to go to his wife. While he had moments of temper, she was more apt to explode at jackassery.
Unfortunately, today his team was pushing their luck. They had arrived back at the morgue and were working on the crime scene data when he heard someone approach.
Glancing up from his work, he saw Meredith standing there.
“Can I talk to you?”
It made him flash back to the last three techs who had quit amidst an assignment. “If you’re telling me you’re done as head tech, let me warn you, I may erupt.”
She took a step back. “Uh, no. That wasn’t what I needed to tell you, but when I’m finished you may fire me.”
He stared at her.
“I think we have a problem.”
Those things he could handle. In fact, he preferred a conundrum or situation over someone needing their ego stroked. If one more person told him, ‘they weren’t Christina’, he was going to lose his mind.
“Well, I am the problem department, so what is it?”
She took a deep breath.
“Meredith, just spill it.”
“I think we had a screw up while we were out in the field. When I got back, I was scanning the data that the techs were working on, and something looks wrong.”
“What?”
“They logged a hair found on Tony’s clothes.”
Ethan wasn’t getting it. “I don’t see where this is going.”
“The hair matches the first victim, Walter Dennison. There’s no way that could happen. Tony wasn’t wearing those clothes in the killer’s hideout. That means we inadvertently contaminated evidence.”
He stared at her. “Mistakes happen, Meredith. We all know that. The important thing is that you found it now, and brought it to my attention.” Blackhawk had to give her credit. Just coming to him with this showed how good she was at her job. Someone else might have hidden it or played dumb.
“You’re not mad?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not pleased. Once we log something, you can’t remove it. We’re going to have to tell Elizabeth. She uses that evidence to solve the case.”
“I understand.”
“I’m assuming you want me to tell her,” he stated.
“No, I’ll do it. The lab is my responsibility, and I need to own it. I’ll tell her as soon as I see her. This isn't something you do in a text message. I’ll take one for the team.”
He was impressed, and that wasn’t easy.
“I do have one question though,” she began.
“Yes, Meredith?”
“I know she’s pregnant, but how fast is she if I have to outrun her?”
Blackhawk started laughing. “Really damn fast.”
“Oh hell.”
Just as Callen and he were about to call out the dogs to hunt her down, they received a text message.
Head to the Rez. Meet me at the cabin and bring Merry, the agents, and reports. We have an all-nighter to pull.
Doing as she asked, they knew Elizabeth wanted to start pouring over the details of the case and getting everything in order. She had a whiteboard and would need to be near it in order to do her job.
They’d been down this road before.
It appeared the end was near.
Elizabeth had reached her max and wanted the team together to start filling in the blanks. Hopefully, when all the information was on the table, they’d be solving this and catching a killer.
* * *
God, he wished he could go to mass.
It would be nice to kneel at the altar once more and worship his god. Unfortunately, he couldn’t.
If he did, they’d all know the truth.
Instead, he needed to hide in the crappy apartment as he tried to pretend it was his church.
The statues made it easier, but still, he wasn’t happy. Maybe he would sneak back into town, taking a slow drive and head there. It would be late, and no one would be around, especially that priest.
If he wasn’t one of God’s ordained, he’d be dying too.
He didn't follow the laws, and was far too lax.
If he ran his church according to the Lord’s plan, none of those sinners would have had to die.
The man had too much compassion, and not enough fire and brimstone in his soul.
Yet, there was nothing he could do. God didn't tell him to make the priest pay, so he wouldn’t defy the Almighty.
As he pulled on his hoodie, he could use it to hide in plain sight. He’d walked past him before in the guise of being just another person in the church. It was how he got into the storage areas and found his places to hide.
Now, he’d use it to worship God, until he was given his next message.
There was no doubt he was doing a good job. The judgments were coming quicker and quicker.
It was only a matter of time.
God would bless him. It was his time to shine. Just like his brother had all those years.
Now, it was all about him.
God’s angel was in the spotlight for a change, and it felt damn good.
* * *
When they arrived, Elizabeth was waiting for them. The board was in the center of th
e room, and all the suspects were listed. From the way she was pacing, they all knew it was going to be a bumpy ride.
“Please, have a seat. We need to dig through this ugly mess. Right now, we have seven victims, and one Fed who is recovering in a hospital bed. We’re obviously missing something. I need my team to help me find it.”
Ethan took a seat. “We can do this,” he reassured.
Pointing at Johanna, she began, “What did we find when we dug into Toni Michelle’s past? Is she only connected to this by way of wanting to be a nun?”
The agent flipped through her tablet. “No, we were able to connect her to a victim.”
“Who?” Callen asked.
“It looks like when she was in high school, she not only attended with Walter Dennison, but she dated him. We used the library database and searched back through the school annuals. We found that they were a couple for a little while.”
Elizabeth got excited. “That’s excellent work, Johanna.”
“It wasn’t me. Broderick dug it up. He’s good at finding things like that.”
She offered them both a fist bump. It made her proud of how well her people were working together. “This team is on the verge of earning another gold star.”
“There’s more, boss,” Agent Seaton said.
“Elizabeth. You both earned it. Now, let me have it.”
He grinned in triumph. “When I traced their living arrangements back, I found they lived across the street from each other growing up.”
Ethan pointed something out. “Maybe she didn't lose her eyes because of looking at sex all day. It’s possible the killer took her out because she saw something he didn't want her to spill.”
She contemplated it.
Elizabeth thought back to what Tony had said before he passed out.
The first victim.
There had to be something there.
“I want everyone here to do their magic, but point it at Walter Dennison. We must have missed something. He was recommended by the priest, he dated Toni Michelle, and he went to the church. He may be out ground zero.”
“What do you suspect?” Ethan asked her.
“I don’t know, but before Tony passed out, he mentioned the man. We’re missing something. I can feel it in my gut.”
That was good enough for him. “Dig deep,” he suggested, as they all got to work.
“Let’s lock this up.”
* * *
As he lay in the hospital bed, he really wished that he’d gotten her cell number. Tony wanted to send her a text in the worst way, telling her he wasn’t mad.
Oh, and to come back.
He didn't want her to leave him, and there was nothing she could do that would ever make him hate her.
In fact, he was pretty sure he couldn’t do this without her. From the minute she rolled into his life, he’d been lost. Now, he had to find a way to get her back.
He wasn’t above begging.
Crying.
Crawling on his knees.
At that point, Tony would do anything to have Jaxon return to his arms.
Rereading the letter over and over again, he felt the emotion that was living in her. She did love him.
Now, he needed a way to get her to feel the emotions running through him too.
What would it take to make her see?
Telling her wouldn’t be enough. What Tony needed was something so ‘in your face’ that she’d see the truth.
All he could do was keep his promise to follow her, no matter where she went in the world.
Staring down at his chest, he willed his body to heal faster. For now, Tony had to hold on until he could get out of that bed. He’d do everything he promised, and then some.
He was going to get her back.
And this time she’d never get away.
Not if he had anything to say about it.
* * *
The coffee was flowing, and everyone was working their asses off. No one on that team wanted to let Elizabeth or Tony down. They were going to figure this out, if they had to stay awake all night.
Honestly, that was a possibility.
“Johanna, you’ve made me happy so far. I want you to break down everything we have on Walter Dennison.”
The woman got ready. “Good old Wally was the oldest of two children. From everything we could find, he came from a strict Irish Catholic family. They went to church on Sundays and lived the bible.”
Elizabeth flipped the board around, so it was only his name and picture. “Continue.”
“His dad was a teacher and taught Sunday school, much like our one victim.”
She scribbled that down.
“Dear old mom was a stay at home mother. She was tough and didn't like to take any bullshit from her sons. We have some accounts that the boys would sometimes attend school with a few ‘bumps and bruises’, if you know what I mean.”
“Potential abuse could be the foundation for this kind of path in life. Children who were abused could also become violent as they grow and do the same,” Ethan suggested.
Callen tensed. If that happened to him, he’d die inside.
Elizabeth glanced over at him, and the look they shared was reassuring.
He relaxed.
“What about his brother?” she asked, making a line on the board.
Broderick flipped through his files. “He’s a missionary.”
Ethan and Elizabeth glanced over.
“Seriously? How the hell did we miss that first time through?” she asked in frustration.
Neither agent spoke.
“Okay, mistakes happen. Let’s just go on,” she said, thinking back to how hard they had worked for her. In this case, she’d forgive and forget.
Ethan spoke up, “Where was he a missionary?”
Johanna checked his passport. “It looks to be Africa.”
“That’s a damn big continent. Can we narrow that down a little bit?” she asked, rubbing her belly. She was praying for calm, but her lucky fetus talisman was failing her.
“Libya, Egypt and Morocco.”
She stared at her husband. “Did my team just tell me that the brother of one of our victims worked in Egypt, all the while we have a killer leaving mummies?”
He nodded, knowing where this was going. “Yep, they just did.”
“Does anyone here find that… I don’t know… like a big screaming neon sign pointing at the god damn obvious?”
They all stared at her.
She took a deep breath. This was going to be her test. She could feel it. This was why she liked doing her own research. Unfortunately, in the field, she didn't always have that luxury.
“I’m taking back that second gold star. Don’t make me strip you of the first one. It comes with me kicking your ass.”
Callen opted to try and help. “I’m sure we checked to see where the brother is, right?” he asked, hoping.
“We searched his passport, and he arrived back in the US about four weeks ago.”
“Well, okay. That makes up for missing Egypt,” she stated. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “So, we have a man who preaches about God, in Egypt, and his brother is the first dead victim.”
They all nodded.
“When we located him to tell him his brother was dead, what happened?” she asked.
“We called the only contact number we had on him, and left a voicemail to call us back. He’s yet to do so.”
She stared at them.
Ethan could see it. His wife was ready to blow.
“Seriously? You’re waiting on him to call us? Find his ass! I want to know where the hell the missionary is hiding out, and I wanted it five days ago!”
Elizabeth headed to the front door. She needed a few minutes to calm herself down. Once out there, she glanced over at the cabin where her friend was gunned down. Staring at the little log building, Elizabeth couldn’t believe that a few hours ago, something so horrible happened there. Now, it looked peaceful as all the lights wer
e out and the police tape was gone. Filling her mind with Tony’s face, she fought to remain calm.
Elizabeth was on a mission, and it was to get justice for her friend.
Before long, the men joined her.
“I can’t believe this,” she said.
Neither man spoke.
“If there is a next time, I’m doing my own damn research.”
Yeah, it was probably for the best.
* * *
God had spoken.
He wanted the female FBI agent taken care of, and soon. It wasn’t like he was surprised. After all, he’d shot the wrong man.
Now, the Almighty demanded that he fix his mess. The one who tried to interfere needed to find herself judged.
There was to be no forgiveness until that point.
As he snuck out of the vestibule unnoticed, there was no doubt what he needed to do.
He was heading back to the reservation, and he would have to wait her out.
Eventually, he’d catch the redhead. It was only a matter of time.
Patting the gun at his side, he sent his vow to God. “I’ll fix this, even if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
With that, his fate was sealed.
It was all in God’s hands.
* * *
Two Hours Later
When she glanced down at her watch, she knew they had to give her what they had. They didn't have the luxury of waiting on this. If the killer was escalating, he would likely move soon.
Since they didn't know the next target, they couldn’t sit on their asses waiting.
It was now or never.
“Give me all you’ve got,” she said, breaking the silence of the room.
Once more, Johanna Madden went for it. “We show him arriving home from Africa, and then he’s off the grid. The man has a thousand dollars in the bank and one major credit card. Nothing has been charged to it. In fact, his bank account is clean too.”
Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) Page 49
