He wasn’t in the mood now, but sometime, he might be. A guy had needs, and eventually, he’d need some company. There were days he was sick of being alone.
Today?
He craved it.
Blackhawk tucked his phone back into his suit pocket as the voice over the intercom system began explaining escape procedures in case they crashed.
Ethan closed his eyes and did just that.
He focused on his escape.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
Hoover Building
Interview Number
One
She strolled in like she owned the place. In a way, she did. This was a cop, not a Fed. She was running this case, and he couldn’t stop her.
What he could do was cooperate or be part of the carnage that she left in her wake.
It was up to him.
As she walked into the room, Kaleb Williams was waiting for her. He was pacing back and forth, and he didn’t look pleased.
Awwww.
That was too damn bad.
Gabe was in observation, and Elizabeth was flying solo on this one for a good reason. They had a history, and she wasn’t buying that he was involved.
So, in order to play the game, she needed this man to open up to her. She wanted to use their past, pit the men against each other, and use that to her advantage.
Kaleb was the weaker link.
She knew him.
Kaleb was a good cop, but he wasn’t hardcore. It was his job. It wasn’t his calling.
“Hey,” she said, taking a seat. “Ready to talk?”
“About?”
She slid the picture toward him. He stared at it.
“What is it?”
“Well, I know it’s hard to tell, but that’s Cathy’s face on the glass. We can’t find her eyes.”
He looked horrified.
She knew the look. He was vice, and while he was accustomed to gross things, death was a whole other ballgame. There was a reason some cops went vice, and others went homicide.
It wasn’t for the faint at heart.
“He cut off her face?”
“Yeah, it’s either you or your partner. One of you did this to her, and I have to figure out who.”
“WHAT?”
“You heard me. I really don’t think you need me to repeat that to you. You’re far from going deaf.”
“Where do you get that it’s one of us? The media is right about you. You suck at your job.”
She laughed. “Yeah, know what I don’t suck at? Let me tell you.”
He waited.
“The obvious. You see, you had a cop undercover. The killer wrote this,” she said, pointing at the words in the picture. “What’s wrong with it, Kaleb?”
He was getting pissed.
It was time to let the wind out of his sails.
“I don’t see what you’re asking me. The whole thing is sick and wrong.”
She pointed. “He used her name. Here we have a hooker, who no one knows is a cop, called out by her real name—not Precious. No, he specifically called her Cathy.”
His eyes went big.
He finally got it.
“You see, you think I blew her cover, but how would I? You guys didn’t tell me you had another cop undercover. I didn’t know the whole operation. All I knew was Cathy’s name. I’m betting that other girl was wired too.”
She saw it.
Bingo.
She was.
“Did you listen to it?”
Kaleb nodded.
“Did I out Cathy on any of those recordings?”
He shook his head. “You didn’t. We had the team go back and isolate your words. We have a transcript already.”
So, they were looking for a scapegoat to pull this case back to Vice.
Nice.
That pissed her off.
“So, what you should be thinking right now is who knew she was a cop, and that her name was Cathy?”
He looked worried, but he didn’t speak.
“Let me make you a list, Kaleb. Since you all think I’m shitty at my job, you can second check my work. You knew she was Cathy, as did Glen, your boss, the police chief, and the second undercover hooker. Anyone else?”
He shook his head no.
“So, if I didn’t expose her, and you proved it yourself with the transcripts, who did?”
He got up and started pacing.
“Kaleb, this is some serious shit. We’re not talking drugs, or B&E. We’re talking a serial killer, and with a cop under the killer’s belt, someone is going to the chair. I hope it’s not you. Help me out. Let me get you clear of this.”
She could feel Gabe’s eyes on her, and she hoped the man in front of her took her offer.
“I don’t know.”
“What’s up with your partner?” she asked, trying another angle.
“I don’t know,” Kaleb stated. “He’s obsessed with this operation. He’s eating, sleeping, and living it.”
She leaned back. “Who picked Cathy and Gina? Is that her real name?”
“No, it’s Lacey Lamont.”
“Okay, who picked them for this funfest?”
“He did. Glen worked with both of them before me,” he admitted. “He said they were the two best options for going undercover.”
“Where were you last night?” she asked.
“We got the call from our tech van that her wire went out. We had already been home at that point. As soon as we were alerted, we both headed there. The cops were already on the scene, and then we saw you. After you went back inside, we left the scene to go pull the transcript and see if you blew it for us.”
“Then?” she asked.
“We went to get Lacey out of there. Glen was worried that all of our covers were blown. He really believed that you blew the operation, and Gina, or as we know her, Lacey, had to be pulled. We grabbed her at her flop and transported her home.”
“Home?”
“Her real home. She has a husband and kids. She hadn’t seen them in three months to work that case. We didn’t want to risk her getting killed next.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
He sat. “No.”
Then he stared up at her. His brown eyes were filled with misery.
“What?”
“I need to know if she suffered. We were her backup. We let her down.”
Elizabeth glanced at the glass. “Sometimes backup does, but it’s what you do now that matters most.”
She hoped Gabe got it.
“Do I need a lawyer?” he asked. “Do you really think that I had something to do with this, Elizabeth? You know me. We’ve worked together before. We’ve even slept together. I’m not that kind of person.”
Her gut was confirming it.
“You don’t have an alibi, Kaleb.”
“I live all the way across town. In fact, I’m not far from you. How long would it have taken me to kill her, get home, and then have Glen pick me up?”
She already knew. She’d done the math in her head. Kaleb was clean.
“I know you didn’t do it.”
“Then let me help.”
“No. Go home.”
Elizabeth wasn’t giving him a chance to ask again. She had work to do. One cop was down, and there was one to go.
She walked out and met Gabe in the hall, ignoring his pleading. Elizabeth didn’t have time to babysit.
“It’s not making sense.”
“What?” he asked.
“Kaleb and Glen were together for most of the night, or that’s at least what he says. They couldn’t have killed her. Glen lives just as far away from Cathy’s flop.”
Yeah, well, he had worse news. “Captain Lewis had an alibi. I just got off the phone with his wife. I figured you’d want me to handle it.”
She did.
This was how it was when they once worked overtime undercover.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Now the problem was who was le
ft?
“What about the other cop who was undercover,” Gabe asked. “We don’t know if it’s a man or woman doing the killing.”
No, they didn’t.
Still…
“There was no way she could have killed Cathy, played with her face, left us the message, and then got the hell back to her place to be picked up. Cathy’s wire went off but Lacey’s didn’t.”
Yeah, she had a point.
“So, Glen is in the clear too?”
She wasn’t sure.
This was a mess.
They had suspects and every single one had an alibi.
“I’m going to find out. My gut is telling me someone is hiding something. I just don’t know what.”
“Dig. You’ll find it.”
Oh, she would.
There was no doubt.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
He was waiting for her when she entered the room. As soon as she did, Glen Sheehan let her have it, both barrels. Only, she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t a newbie anymore.
This room didn’t scare her. In here, she’d do the terrifying, and she’d run it her way.
This jackassery wasn’t going to fly.
“Sit your ass down.”
“You outed her! You cost Cathy her life!”
Elizabeth watched him.
In that moment, she saw something that she hadn’t seen before. Maybe it was because she was thinking about her own love life, or lack thereof, but she noticed something huge.
“You were having a relationship with her.”
His face said it all, even when he tried to play stupid. This man had been sleeping with the dead woman.
“What?”
“You were screwing around with her, now she’s dead, and you feel guilty! You’re looking for a scapegoat, and that’s supposed to be me!” At least, that was what her gut was telling her about the whole mess.
“I was not.”
Yeah, some of the steam was out of his sails now. He said it, but even he didn’t buy it.
It was time to dig.
She slid the same picture toward him.
He noticed it before Kaleb had. It only took a few seconds. That’s when he looked up.
“The killer knew her.”
“Yep, and everyone who was involved in this set up is cleared with an alibi but you. Tell me where you were.”
He did.
And it matched Kaleb’s to a T.
She was back at square one.
“Who betrayed her?”
She took a seat. “Here’s the issue. She broke cover on Fridays to get her paycheck and money to stay undercover. Did you ever go to her place?”
He stared at her.
“Glen, I want to help get her justice. I didn’t do this to her. Someone did, and time is running out. Did you go to her place when you shouldn’t have?”
Nothing.
Elizabeth turned around and signaled for the camera to be shut off. Hopefully, that would loosen his lips.
“How about now?” she asked. “Did you have a relationship with Cathy?”
“Yes. We were seeing each other before she went under. We’d have dinner, catch a movie on our day off, and stay at each other’s places so we could ride into work together.”
Holy shit!
That sounded like…
“Did she break cover to see you? I know when I’m dating someone, I want to be with them all the time.”
She immediately thought about Chris.
They were together nonstop.
Was that a relationship?
Shit!
Was she dating him but just without the sex?
“Not often. We had our moments in the car. When I’d pick her up as a John, we’d have dinner, talk, or have sex.”
She wasn’t shocked.
She and Chris had grabbed burgers and talked for that hour. They’d laughed, shared each other’s fries and shakes, and then she kissed him goodnight.
Oh boy.
Again, she was thinking about him, she couldn’t wait for dinner that night. She actually missed him.
Maybe she’d been wrong.
Maybe he was right about them being good together.
She was getting giddy just thinking about it.
“Chances are, Glen, someone followed you to her, or they followed her back there. This isn’t a criminal mastermind. It’s a serial killer.”
“I did this to her?” he asked, his eyes filling with tears. “She died because of me?”
She didn’t want to hurt him, but facts were facts. This didn’t happen by accident. The killer didn’t stumble onto her. He’d followed her or followed them.
“The killer did this, not you.”
He wanted to be sick.
“I loved her.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“I’ll do everything you ask,” he said, grabbing a tissue. “Just tell me what you need from me.”
Elizabeth stood and then patted him on the shoulder. “Go home. We’ll talk. For now, you need a break.”
When she went out in the hall, she was curious. As Gabe joined her, she had to know. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Did you pick up his slip up?”
Gabe stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Maybe I’m paranoid, but she just died, right? This should be fresh in his mind.”
“Yeah, and?”
“He said loved—as in past tense. Something isn’t right, and I need to find out.”
“Let’s wrap it up for tonight. Livy called. She’s having contractions. I have to get home.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The baby will be arriving soon.”
She patted him on the arm. “Go be with your family.” Then she hugged him. “Good luck.”
Gabe figured he was going to need it.
Fatherhood was a damn scary thing. For once, he was the newbie.
Let the hazing begin.
Chapter Seven
Friday Night
Christopher Leonard’s
Home
T o say he was nervous would be one hell of an understatement, only it wasn’t because he was getting a date with Elizabeth. It wasn’t that he was meeting her father.
It was because he’d planned a date the following evening with another woman. He still felt horrible about it. All day, he’d been trying to figure out what he was going to do.
Now he was having second thoughts about even going to meet her.
He was sure Madeline was a nice girl, since her profile seemed great. She loved pets, she did charity work, and she was interested in medicine.
He was into all of those things too.
Plus, she was pretty hot.
In fact, she reminded him of Elizabeth. She was tall, had that sexily mussed up hair, and looked physically fit. He was drawn to that, and he didn’t know why.
Maybe it was simply his sexual choice.
Maybe it was because his best friend was gorgeous.
Either way, the whole thing had him freaked out. This girl was his surrogate to the woman he was crazy about, and he knew it. He simply wanted to fuck her to get Elizabeth out of his mind.
Just for a little while.
It was damn hard spending each day around her without an outlet.
Her scent.
Her body.
Her laughter.
He was crazy about her, and the sexual tension was off the chart. One more day of her leaning, rubbing, or hooker incident, and he was going to do something rash.
Like jump her.
He wasn’t going to be able to keep that boundary. He wanted her, and he needed that forbidden fruit.
Christopher wanted to bed down with her in the worst way, but that would destroy what they had. Chris didn’t think he could survive losing that part of their relationship. There was too much on the line.
He loved sleepovers, breakfast in the morning, driving into work, him being her ME,
and happy hours.
He found a solution to it.
Sleep with someone who reminded him of her, then he wouldn’t have to give up what he had.
It was crazy, but it might just work.
So, when Madeline texted him again, he knew it was his last chance to back out of their meet and greet. If he told her he’d be there, he couldn’t bail.
Despite all Tony had said, he couldn’t wait until after the date to decide.
Chris had to go with his gut.
So, he did.
He’d confirmed their meeting. It was now officially set in stone. He didn’t know why he was worried. There was no way Elizabeth would look at him and see anything more than her friend.
She was out of his league.
Staring in the mirror, he fixed his shirt. Chris looked wealthy. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Elizabeth never said a word about how he dressed other than to tease him about his Newton boxers.
Maybe being himself was a damn good thing.
If she liked him for him, maybe someone else would too.
Glancing down at his watch, he knew he needed to get moving. He wanted to stop at the florist down the street and pick up some roses for Elizabeth, and he knew she wasn’t going to have time to pick up dessert.
He knew how busy she was, and he figured he’d have her back.
Tonight, it felt important to him, but he didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if they were a couple.
Right?
Grabbing his keys and wallet, Chris headed for the door. He wanted to make tonight special. He knew how important Charlie was to Elizabeth.
He was her dad, and that mattered.
Chris was going to make a good impression.
He wanted to make it count. Even if she’d never see him as anything more than her friend.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
She was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. The interview had run late. By the time she got out of DC, and through the traffic, it was already six thirty.
Elizabeth knew that Chris was always on time.
ALWAYS.
In fact, he was generally ten to fifteen minutes early to everything.
Movies.
Dinner.
Stalked by the Past: An FBI Flashback Novel. (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 17) Page 22
