“How long ago did you pay him off?”
The man had to think. “I think it was less than two years ago.”
“Can you narrow it down a little for me?”
Pulling out his phone, he pulled up his bank statement and showed it to the Fed.
Ethan studied the amount and the date.
Well, would wonders never cease? Clarence Rickert had cashed the check eighteen months ago.
Right about when the killer abducted his first victim, Ruth Hildebrant.
That was curious and very good for their investigation.
But very bad for the man in question.
Elizabeth stood in the kitchen, waiting for the ‘help’, as Mitzi had called her, to arrive. The debutant wife was watching her like Elizabeth might actually try to swipe some silverware.
“Are you going to have children?” she asked the young girl.
She laughed. “Fuck no. I’m not ruining my body for some sniveling little brats. Willy had his kid. I’m not a breeding factory.”
When she looked at Elizabeth in distaste, it took everything not to cross the room to knock her on her ass.
Yeah, she didn't like the little gold digger.
At all.
“Yeah, you know how us baby making factories are. I spend so much time on my back, but then again, I’m sure you do too. Thank God for condoms.”
Mitzi looked at her, not getting it.
Yeah, she was a genius.
Just then, a harried woman rushed back in. “I am so sorry, ma’am. I was making up the beds three floors up.”
“This woman needs to talk to you. Escort her back when you’re done. I don’t want to leave Willy alone.”
When she was gone, the woman mumbled something under her breath. Luckily for Elizabeth, she caught it, and by no means was it complementary. “Hate her guts, huh?”
“No. I absolutely love being bossed around by an eighteen year old who can barely spell her name.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I get that. My name is Elizabeth, and I’m investigating the death of Ms. Monroe.”
The woman went serious. “I’m Kat. I’ve worked for the Monroe family since around seven B.M.”
Elizabeth looked confused by the terminology. “Pardon?”
“That stands for ‘Before Mitzi’. I’ve been here since Magdalene was a preteen.”
At least this interview wasn’t going to be boring as hell. “What can you tell me about the family?”
“I don’t like to gossip, but…”
Then the torrent of information flowed. Generally, it did whenever a sentence started with those words. For twenty minutes, she listened to the woman tell her all the house chatter. When she got to the details about Mitzi being Magdalene’s friend from high school, her ears perked right up.
“Really?”
The woman nodded. “They’ve been together on paper for a year. But before that they were a couple.”
“You mean…?”
She nodded again. “Yes. He likes them young. Really young. She would come over here for sleep overs, but she didn't wake up in Magdalene’s room, if you know what I’m saying.”
“You don’t say?”
“She saw him coming a mile away.”
That was the perfect opening for the next question. “What do you know about Ruth Hildebrant?”
Her face softened. “Oh, Ruthie was a treat. That girl was working to put herself through school. She was in charge of cleaning the bedrooms.”
“Did she say anyone was bothering her?”
“Yeah, that bitch Mitzi. She accused her of taking a pair of her shoes. No one in their right mind would do that. Those things are insane.”
Elizabeth was learning plenty from Kat.
“The day she disappeared, what happened?”
The woman thought back to it. “It was a normal day, only she didn't show up for work. I really thought she left because Mitzi berated her in front of everyone the previous night. We all felt bad for her, but in this house, you learn to ignore the spoiled little brats.”
Elizabeth made a vow at that moment. Her girls wouldn’t be like that. They would have to survive Elizabeth’s boot camp. Although, that might be easier said than done. First, she would have to stop Ethan from spoiling them to death.
Yeah, right…
“Was Ruthie seeing anyone?”
She shook her head. “No. That girl had one thing on her mind.”
“What?”
“Getting the hell out of Belleville. That’s all she talked about. I hope she got away. Not many do.”
It looked like Ruthie wasn’t any luckier.
Outside, they rendezvoused before heading to the Denali. They’d both learned plenty. Ethan went first, sharing everything he’d discovered about the man who tried courting the rich man’s daughter.
“Yeah, that didn't end well,” she stated. “If my daddy had offered you money to leave, would you have?” she asked curiously.
“Did I have sex with you yet?”
She went to punch him.
“WAIT! No! I’m kidding! I want a redo on that question,” he said, laughing.
“Make it good.”
“Baby, I saw you in my dreams. You’re the woman I was meant to be with.”
Lowering her arm, she was mollified.
“You used to be far less violent before this pregnancy,” he teased.
Elizabeth ignored him. “So, if this man believed Magdalene was his dream woman, would some money be enough?”
He didn't know. “I wouldn’t have taken the money in the first place. I would have told your father to pound sand.”
She gave him a kiss. “I knew I loved you.”
Blackhawk tucked a curl behind her ear. “Yeah, well, maybe they hooked up in secret after the fact. Had it been me, I would have told him I needed to think about it. I would have come to you and we could have used the cash to run away together.”
Oddly, she found that really romantic.
“That’s sweet, but the time frame still trips me up with these two. Eighteen months ago, he took the cash and the killings started.”
It was just too in your face to ignore.
“How about the maid?”
“She hates the new little woman, who, by the way, was getting the older man’s rocks off well before she was legal.”
He lifted a brow. “Interesting.”
Elizabeth shared a piece of information that she’d dug out of the maid’s ramblings. “Yeah, it looks like the night of Magdalene’s disappearance, she was dressed to kill and on her way to a bar.”
He pulled open his tablet. “Which one?”
“Well, Kat was big into talking fast and gossiping, but I do believe she said ‘The Mad Hatter’. Does that ring any bells?” she asked.
Blackhawk nodded. “That’s where they found her car. It looks like she arrived but never headed to any other places. That might make it easier on us.”
They were definitely going there to check the place out, but before she could say as much, he already laid down the law.
“You will not be going into a bar at almost eight months pregnant. You can forget it.”
She laughed. “It’s like you don’t recall what happens when you tell me I can’t do something.”
Oh, he remembered.
Only, he wasn’t going to bend on this one.
Someone had to put their foot down. It might as well be him.
* * *
The second Tony arrived at the dig, he wished Jaxon was at his side. He felt bad for leaving her there alone.
Well, she wasn’t really by herself, but he always felt better when she was near. In his heart, he knew once this case was over, the hardships would really begin.
Technically, she still worked for the FBI out of Quantico, and he was all the way on the other side of the country.
That screamed big issues.
Running his hands through his hair in edginess, he led Merry into the tent. Unfortunately, the one
person he didn't want to see was right there—waiting for him.
Well, shit!
“Tony! You left me! That horrible bitch punched me in the face!” declared Doctor Seston. “I want to file a complaint to her boss at the FBI!”
Tony sat behind his makeshift desk and prayed for patience. “Well, you were manhandling her fiancé, so, I can see why she lost it. As for the complaint, you can absolutely file one, but please know that I’m filing one for sexual harassment. You had no right to put your hands on me.”
He hoped that worked.
Tony wasn’t really big on tossing those words around, especially since his past with women wasn’t that stellar, but it seemed to work in this case.
She stared at him. “You can’t tell me you didn't enjoy it.”
“Yes, I absolutely can, and I’ll add to that part the simple fact that I didn't ask you to do it.”
“You wouldn’t file.”
“Yeah, to protect Jaxon, I would. In fact, this here is my associate from the FBI. She’s here to take my statement before I file.”
The woman looked worried about what she had just said in front of the woman.
Meredith tried to play along, pulling out her tablet. “Now, Doctor Magnus, when she fondled your junk, was she this forceful?”
Tony nearly laughed when the other anthropologist jumped up and rushed out of there in a huff.
“Merry, that was priceless. You are an asset to this team. I just wish the boss was here. She’d give you a gold star for using fondle and junk in a sentence together.”
She smiled. “Glad I can help. You do know I’m going to tell all the techs about his, right?”
If that was the price, he would willingly pay it. Anything was worth it to keep the manacuda off him.
“Yeah, I suspected as much.”
“I still want to go on the record saying how much I love my job. It’s awesome.”
Tony laughed. “Yeah, it is pretty terrific. I happen to agree with you there.”
Meredith looked around. “Can I go out there and take a look around?” she asked, knowing Elizabeth would want an update on the area.
“Sure thing. I have to head out there to check the graves to make sure they’re still intact, so I’ll go with you.”
They left the tent. At the grave, Merry headed toward the wooded area. Once there, she began looking around.
“Tony?” she called.
Hearing his name, he headed over. “What did you find?”
Meredith pointed toward the field. “I need to get my bearings. What’s in that direction?” she asked.
“That’s the university. The body farm is about one mile that way,” he offered, pointing the opposite direction.
She made notes. “What’s this way?”
He didn't really know. “I’ve never looked. Why?”
Pulling some of the thicket back, there was clearly a path in the greenery.
“It looks like someone has been through here.”
Meredith agreed.
“We should check it out.”
Tony thought about it. “You know that if the boss was here, she’d never let us into the woods alone. In fact, she’d make us stay back in the open, and she’d head in herself.”
She weighed their options.
“We could go in,” Tony suggested.
“Do you have your gun?” she asked.
He glanced down. Since getting shot in the chest, the last thing he ever wanted to see again was a weapon. Jaxon’s nearly ended his life. To say they made him edgy would be an understatement.
Tony officially hated them.
“No. Do you have yours?”
Meredith shook her head. “Should we call for the rest of the team?”
Deep down, Tony knew that was the right answer. Only, he didn't want to do it. If this turned out to be absolutely nothing, they would have wasted everyone’s time.
He was torn.
“We should be fine.”
Now, he hoped he was right.
Heading in, they trekked through the thicket.
“This is pretty dense,” stated Meredith. “In all honesty, I can’t see the killer using this to carry bodies.”
Tony thought about it. “If he’s really strong, he could toss her over his shoulder. The women he took weren’t all that big. In fact, they were mostly your size.”
She was well aware, and it creeped her out.
He put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop. “Merry, you should get behind me. It just occurred to me that you have black hair and blue eyes. That seems to be what our killer likes.”
Suddenly, going into the woods seemed like a damn bad idea. Elizabeth would be kicking his ass if anything happened to either of them.
“I’ll be fine. Let’s just keep moving, Doctor.”
Together, they headed deeper into the woods, trying to remain on the trail. When Tony heard something, he put out his hand out to stop her.
“What?”
“I hear water.”
So did she.
“We better check it out,” he stated, leading them through the darkening woods. When he finally saw an opening ahead, the hair on his arms stood at attention.
Yeah, this was a bad idea.
Now Tony knew why Elizabeth made them carry their weapons, or she did the dirty work.
The anticipation that something was going to happen was horrible.
“I think it’s a river,” stated Merry.
It certainly was.
Approaching it, they moved cautiously through the underbrush.
At the river bed, they looked around.
“We found leaves like this shoved inside Magdalene’s clothes,” stated Merry. “The other ME bagged them. I didn't do the research on this area yet, but once I do, I might be able to narrow down the terrain and pinpoint a spot thanks to the greenery.”
“So, do you think this is the dumping sight?” Tony asked.
Meredith looked around. “I think that somewhere along this river is where she went in. Whether or not it’s the exact spot, I can’t give you that. If she was alive at the time, there might be some water in her lungs. I can test it to see if we have a bacterial match to the river water.”
Tony still felt off.
Something was making him edgy.
“We need to get out of here.”
Pulling her by the arm, he moved them back through the tree line and toward the dig site. All the alarms were going off in his head. If he got them back out in the open, he was never doing anything this insane again.
All Tony could be grateful for was that his fiancée wasn’t anywhere near them.
At the edge of the trees, he could breathe again. “I don’t know about you, but I’m damn glad to be out of there.”
Meredith made notes. “Yeah, except as soon as I tell the Blackhawks, we’re going to be going back in. She’s going to need to know about this.
He was well aware.
“Of course she is. Our last victim was dumped in the water. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of us was going for a swim.”
* * *
He watched.
Obviously the one shot didn't deter them. It looked like the FBI needed a little more to see that they were messing with the wrong town.
He’d have to make sure they got that.
It was easy to watch the doctor and the other FBI agents as they wandered the area.
Here, he was at his best.
The trees would keep him hidden, giving him an advantage that they wouldn’t have.
Now, he’d make his plan.
Cautiously he listened to what they were discussing, and he knew what needed to be done. More people were coming, and it was only a matter of time before they found out the truth.
The last one had been a warning shot, but this next one would be the bullet that scared them away.
This was his town.
His life.
His pride.
And nothing could stand in
his way.
Nothing…
~ Chapter Thirteen ~
Saturday Evening
Hotel
There was nothing worse than feeling like there was stress and issues between yourself and someone you loved. To Callen, he’d rather be bleeding than have Elizabeth mad at him.
It hurt knowing that she still didn't see why he did what he did. When the sheriff rolled in there, dropping a very nasty word about his woman, something had to be done.
They were in the presence of their team. What kind of husband, or man, would he be if he let that go?
Callen wanted to rage around the room, knowing that even after their last discussion about letting him be a man, Elizabeth wasn’t getting it.
He couldn’t understand it.
Being left behind hurt, but knowing she didn't see the real issue was far worse.
It was disappointing.
As he waited there, like a petulant child, Callen opted to order them dinner. Despite the tension, there was a pregnant woman to feed, and she came first.
Ordering their food from the pizza place, Callen got them meat pizzas. Was it petty? Yes. He knew deep down, that not getting Lyzee her favorite was childish, but he felt powerless, helpless, and scared.
If she was leaving him behind at work, then what was next?
As the door opened, he heard their voices and decided to man up and face them on their turf. Heading out to the main sitting area, he found her.
Waiting.
Apparently, she had the same idea.
“Callen.”
“Elizabeth.”
Immediately, the tension flowed through his body. He was ready for a fight, and it was definitely coming. It was only a matter of time.
When she moved toward him, he braced for it.
Elizabeth knew that they needed to fix this mess. As she crossed the room, she saw him flinch.
Her poor, sweet Callen expected the worst.
How could he assume she’d physically strike out at him? Then the anger filled her that Desdemona Adare had done a number on him in their brief time together. If she wasn’t dead, Elizabeth swore she would have hunted her down and kicked her ass.
Seeing the pain as he waited, Elizabeth did the exact opposite of what he thought was coming.
Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) Page 36
