“This woman must be Melissa Miller,” state Callie.
Speaking of the devil, Quinn stood up. “I’m going to call her and see if I can get her to come in for an interview.”
When he walked away, Callie and Jagger still studied the picture.
“What if he’s taking pictures that are relevant because of who’s in them?” she said, talking it out. “What if he’s in them?”
“What do you mean?” Jagger asked.
“Think about it. These victims weren’t just killed. They were abused. Who in the family suffered the most abuse?”
“Avalon. They picked on her unmercifully.”
“Okay, so you’re being bullied, hurt, abused, and broken by the people around you. Now, twenty years later, the same thing is happening. The victims have been abused, battered, and broken.”
He still wasn’t getting it.
“I don’t see…”
“Who would defend their child?”
Jagger thought about it. “A mother?”
“What if the mother was a scumbag who abandoned her child?” Callie asked. “Then who?”
“Then it would be her father.”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking, Jagger. What if this isn't so much about finding Avalon as it is about avenging her treatment?”
“If killing these people wasn’t about finding her, then Avalon and the other half of the team should be fine—in theory.”
She pulled out her phone to call her boss. When Elizabeth answered, she needed to know. “Is Ethan there?”
“Yeah, let me put him on speaker.”
“Doctor?”
“I have a question for both of you. Elizabeth, you’re first,” Callie stated. “Yes or no, is someone trying to get to Avalon?”
“Yes. It’s been bad. Why do you ask?”
“I feel like we’re onto something. All the victims were abused. What’s the chance that it wasn’t to interrogate them, but to punish them?”
“You mean that the killer is taking them out in revenge?”
“Yes.”
She went on to tell them about all they’d learned about how badly Avalon was hurt as a child. She depicted all the abuse and related it back to the family.
“That’s horrible!”
She didn't disagree. “Her grandmother hurt her, the siblings treated her like she was garbage, and the one cousin was pretty bad, calling her names in public. What if this killer isn't here to find out where she is, but avenging her abuse?”
Ethan thought about it. “He could be, but if this person was doing this, he’d have to have personal knowledge of what was happening. He would have had to witness it.”
“I think a parent is avenging her.”
Elizabeth stared at her husband. “We have a name, but we don’t know who it is.”
“What’s the name?” asked Jagger.
“Greene.”
“Has Callen found Margaret or Wade yet?” she asked.
“No, he’s still working on it. We’ve hit a wall. It’s like someone has gone in and given them a new life.”
She told them about the pictures.
“Can you get that album to us? I can have Merry scan them all in and run facial recognition on them.”
“Director, it’s a big book,” stated Jagger. “This person is taking evidence with him.”
“We might luck out. At this point, what choice do we have?”
Jagger picked up the book. “They have overnight service from the lobby downstairs. You’ll have it by the morning.”
“Great.”
“We need to find those three people. One of them is tied to this case. One of them might know something,” stated Callie.
“We’ll keep working on it,” Elizabeth stated.
“I’d go with your gut on this, Doctor,” Ethan offered. “It feels like you’re beginning to tie it all together.”
She was glad he thought so.
“We have an interview. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Good luck,” they said together.
With that, Callie hung up the phone. Jagger was already on his way out the door when Quinn returned. The look on his face was one of confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just had the oddest conversation with Melissa Miller.”
Callie waited for it.
“She’s coming, but she didn't sound thrilled. I asked her why she didn't come to her own mother’s funeral, and she said…”
She leaned forward in the chair. “Yes?”
“Well, it seems she’s afraid of him. I don’t know who ‘him’ is, but the woman is rattled.”
“She didn't give you a clue?”
He shrugged. “Nope. She hung up before I could ask her more. I think she knows who’s doing this,” he stated.
“Well, if that’s the case, we have to interview her as soon as she gets to town.”
“It’s on the top of my list.”
“I just called the Blackhawks.” Callie then proceeded to tell him what she and Jagger came up with regarding the photos. She could tell he was working the details through his cop mind.
“That’s not bad, baby. You should do this for a living.”
She laughed. “Gee, you think?”
“Let’s get ready to go. We have an interview to do.”
Following her husband, she was thinking about the woman coming to town. Would she be the key?
Or one more mismatched piece to the twisted puzzle?
* * * C a r t e r - G a i n e s * * *
When the call came in, he was a little surprised. Normally, he needed to demand that information was shared, but this time it was freely given.
It made him suspicious.
Maybe he was simply being paranoid, but a man in his position couldn’t take the chance.
For now, he’d accept it and play along. All the while, in the back of his mind, he’d expect to be betrayed. Maybe his partner in crime didn't see it coming, but he wasn’t an idiot.
No, this was definitely alarming.
“So, they’re moving her?”
“Yes. There’s a small abandoned property not far from where she was. You’ll find her there. I thought you should know.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want it over with, and fast. They’re getting too close.”
Part of him wanted to rage around that his men had failed. If the FBI was talking about moving her, they probably were—just not to that particular location.
It made him wonder why he was paying incompetent idiots to do a job they clearly couldn’t handle.
Well, that was a problem for another time. He’d handle them later. Until that moment arose, he’d worry about the FBI as his primary adversary.
“I’ll make sure my men head there. Thank you.”
“I’m worried.”
“Why?” he asked, wondering if he was the only one who found this suspicious.
“They’re going to figure it out. You don’t get that Elizabeth and Ethan Blackhawk are the best of the best, and they’re all over this.”
“Did you wipe my information like I asked?”
There was a pause. “Yes.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. If the time comes, I’ll pull some strings and call in a few favors. I have friends higher up than your office.”
“Okay. You’re going to cover my ass, right?”
He laughed. “Of course I am.”
That was a ton of bullshit. If this boat went down, it was everyone for themselves.
“Thank you.”
“Well, since we’re talking about helping each other out, I have one last thing that I need handled.”
“What?”
“I’m curious about dear Melissa. Has she tried to enter the states yet?”
He knew it was the simple task of checking with homeland security on her passport.
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Well, I need to know when she does. Y
ou can hide it under the guise of the investigation, no? You already told me that the FBI is trying to find her.”
“Okay.”
“Well, as soon as she lands, I’m going to scoop her up.”
“Hasn’t this gone far enough?”
His laughter boomed, filling his luxurious office. “That slut stole my child. She lied and hid her from me, so trust me when I say that this hasn’t gone far enough—yet.”
There was no reply.
“I know what you’re thinking, and as sick as you may think I am, she’s still mine. I’ll find her, I’ll use her, and then I’ll decide if my sins are so great that she can’t live.”
“I just think…”
“Well, stop doing that. You’re not here to think. You’re here to be my eyes and ears in Quantico. I get the big contracts with the information you get me and in repayment, you’re reimbursed rather well. That was our agreement, so shut up.”
“I’ll let you know when she hits US soil.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
With that, he hung up. With another call, he set the wheels into motion. His men would check the site out, but they would do it wisely. He’d lost most of his team, and Greene wasn’t willing to play games. The rest of his people would head to the airport. As soon as that bitch touched down, she was going to be his.
They were playing this all wrong. All this time, he was trying to find Avalon and that was a tactical error. From here on out, he wouldn’t search for her. He would find people who she found dear and bring them to him. Then when he contacted her, he would have leverage.
She would come to him.
Avalon would sacrifice her soul for the people who protected her. He had intel from his source. She was close with the team of Feds and Marines.
Yes, he wanted to gloat that he was winning this war. He didn't trust anyone but himself. He was pretty sure the world would plot against him.
Just as Melissa Miller had a long time ago.
Now the shoe was on the other foot, and there would be justice.
There would be retribution.
There would be blood.
Just not his.
* * * C a r t e r - G a i n e s * * *
When Callie and Quinn arrived at the school teacher’s house, she was outside working in her garden. The older woman was digging in the dark soil, toiling away.
Callie was jealous.
It was summer, and she should be at home doing the same thing.
Then she thought about her brother, Luke, and Maura. She had to do what was needed, even if she’d rather be safe at home with her family intact.
“Ms. Kile?” Quinn called, keeping his wife close to his side. He didn't trust anyone in this town as far as he could throw them.
“Yes?”
“I’m Detective Quinton Gaines, and this is my wife and partner, Doctor Callista Gaines. She’s with the FBI. I spoke to you yesterday.”
“Oh, yes! I’m so glad to meet both of you.”
Callie shook her hand when she removed her gardening gloves. “Your flowers are beautiful. Roses and lilies are two of my favorites.”
She admired her garden. “During the school year I cultivate minds. In the summer, while on break, I work the ground. I’m guessing that’s not why you’re here. What is it I can do for you?”
Quinn noticed that the older woman was staring at them suspiciously. He couldn’t blame her. If the FBI rolled up to his house, with a homicide detective in tow, he’d ask questions too.
“We need to talk to you about Melissa Miller.”
The woman clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “That family is something.”
“What do you mean, ma’am?” Quinn asked, giving his wife the chair across from the now sitting woman.
“I just mean all the trouble they’re having. You don’t have a cursed life unless you do bad things. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Was Melissa a bad person?” Callie asked.
“No, on the contrary! She was a sweet girl who loved poetry. I think it was that romanticism that got her into trouble.”
“What do you mean?” Quinn asked.
“She was my star student, whipping out gorgeous prose. Then, it was summer vacation. She came back in the fall a changed person.”
“How so?”
“She was depressed, dark, and borderline suicidal. Her lyrical style of poetry took on ugly undertones. There were even rumors that she began hurting herself.”
“What else can you tell us?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me. I pulled her aside and asked what was wrong. She only said her mother and father were mad, and left it at that. When I offered to speak to them, she became hysterical. I promised I wouldn’t, and I backed off. I didn't want to push her over the edge.”
“Were they abusing her?”
“Someone was. She’d try to hide the bruises on her arms, or the ones on her neck, but I always suspected it was more a boyfriend than a family member.”
“Really? Why?” Callie asked.
“These weren’t really bruises on her neck. They looked to be hickies.”
That fit the scenario. After all, the girl did get pregnant.
“Do you know who it was?”
“I can’t tell you, but you should talk to a few of the friends she hung out with at school. They might have a better idea of what her habits were. I was, after all, just a teacher.”
They agreed.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who they were, would you?” Callie asked. “I really would like to talk to them. I feel like we need a better picture of the family.”
She laughed. “What kind of picture do you need? They were religious zealots who abused their children to keep them in line.”
Well, that was the picture they were getting too, but they needed to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s. Lives depended on them doing a good job.
“The names, ma’am?” Quinn asked, smiling at her. He would use his charm if need be.
“I think there was the Duke girl,” she began. “Yes, Philomena Duke. That was her name.”
“And?”
“Polly Ann Carmichael. They ran together all the time. If there was one girl, the other two were generally close behind. I think they’re both in town, but not sure where. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of them in years. Then again, I keep to myself.”
Quinn knew who would know, and that made him edgy. He was going to have to bite the bullet on this one.
“We thank you, ma’am. If you think of anything else, like who might be the father of Melissa’s child, please give me a call.”
When he handed her his business card, the woman took it and then winked at him.
It took all Callie had not to start laughing. Her husband was a sexy man, but this cougar would chew him up and spit him out.
As they walked away, the giggles did surface. “She wanted you bad, big guy.”
He stared at her. “Really, Callista? Do you want to go there? You kissed a Marine.”
She slapped him. “That was nothing. What I do with you is illegal in twenty states.”
He laughed. “I needed that. I’m stressed.”
She stared over at him. “Why? It’s not like you to get freaked out by an older woman flirting. I mean, after all, you got hit on by a gay man before.”
Quinn ignored her. He didn't want to remember that. “We have to find these women, and there’s only one way to do that.”
She stared at him. “How?”
“There is one person in this town who probably knows all of them.”
She got it.
“Oh boy. You mean the sheriff?”
“Yeah, and if you recall, he loves us.”
That was an understatement. He’d love to kill them or throw them in prison.
“Well, there’s only one thing to do,” she stated. “We have to go in and play Fed.”
He glanced over at her as he buckled his seatbelt. “I’m not a Fed, so I’m pretty sure that’s
not going to work.”
“Well, then lucky for you, your partner is. I can play the game. It just won’t be pretty.”
When his wife went off the rails, it never was…
* * * C a r t e r - G a i n e s * * *
Sheriff’s Station
Friday Noon
When they arrived, there wasn’t a welcoming committee. Not that they had expected one. At least no one was trying to take shots at them and accuse them of being killers.
Once inside, Deputy Pasquale went and got his boss. The second the man saw him, they knew he was going to make them jump through some mighty big hoops.
“What do you want?” he practically growled.
“We have to find two people who might have some information that’s pertinent to our investigation. We’re hoping you can help us out,” Quinn asked.
He started laughing. “I’m a little beyond pissed. I don’t think I’ll be giving you any assistance.”
“Well, you did handcuff my pregnant wife and toss her in the clink. I guess that makes me pretty irate too.”
Callie stepped in. “Listen, you don’t like that the FBI rolled into your town, and we don’t like that you think one of us actually tortured and killed some of your fine citizens. Can we meet in the middle and let bygones be bygones? Or do I have to pull the FBI card and rub it in your face. You know damn well that my boss would love to come in here and tap dance on your ego a little more. How about we avoid that?”
He stared at her.
“Seriously. She was gentle. You don’t want the boning you could have gotten. It involves her dragging you back to FBI West for obstruction.”
“Okay, Mrs. FBI. I want in. When you break this wide open, I want the person who did this. We’re in my town, and I owe it to the people here to keep them safe.”
Quinn stared at him. What he really wanted was the glory and the re-election numbers. Quinn wasn’t an idiot. He’d been down this road before.
“You know I can’t guarantee that. It’s going to depend on who this person is, and if they’ve done any of the crimes across state lines. Then it’s federal jurisdiction.”
Sinner Reborn Page 34
