by Paris Morgan
He was back quicker than I expected, considering the fact that I didn’t think he would want to give her to Shea.
“What research did you discover?” Adam asked quietly as we all put our phones into the Faraday bag.
“He’s not doing this by some grand design. He got the idea from an internet game. I was looking into the signs and typed the question into the search bar, and then a site popped up with the exact list of weapons used to kill over the past nine months.”
“Holy cow!” Ryan exclaimed, only to have one of the cows “moo” at him.
It started out as a snicker, then turned into full burst of laughter. “Guess the cows are your ‘amen’ section.” I held onto my sides because I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Anyway,” Ryan continued, as if he hadn’t just had a cow agree with him. “What is the weapon for Scorpio? It’ll help us find him so much quicker if we know what we’re looking for.”
“Nope. It won’t.” I shook my head soberly.
I pulled the list out of the folder and put it on table in front of them.
“Shit,” Adam swore. “Tear out the soul of your enemy? How much more cliché can you get?”
“That’s what made me start drinking. Well, that, and the fact that he just pulled this list out of thin air.”
Ryan grinned. “Sounds like you’re disappointed in him. What did you want to find? That he spent hours calculating the position of the sun and the moon to find the correct weapon and time to murder innocent people?”
“No, silly. Well, I guess…maybe so.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just a letdown considering that he’s had such precise ideas on all of his killers. It was like he got to one point and said, ‘Hope this sticks to the wall,’ as he threw mud at it.”
“So our profile is changing. He thought this through, but maybe not as thoroughly as we’d previously given him credit for.”
I interjected. “He’s impulsive and driven by the events that happen. He took it personally that we raided his dad’s club, and had Kevin killed so he couldn’t investigate his dad’s company anymore.”
“We’re getting under his skin. What we’re doing is making a difference,” Ryan agreed.
“That’s the problem. Up until this point, he’s been fairly predictable, but now that we’ve gone after his dad, he’s been paying us back.”
“How do you figure?”
“Before, the only thing personal was Jesse. While that hit you hard, Ryan, I don’t think it was intended to be something that would be taken that way. Jesse had other links back to our killer that had to be taken care of. Chris was personal, Kara was personal, but more collateral damage to him. Kevin was a deliberate and personal attack on us. What do you think this psychotic killer is going to consider okay when we take down his dad’s company? Flora? Shea and the baby? Our parents and siblings?”
“He’s not going to stop coming after us, and I think that we need to hide Flora, Shea, and the baby. It’s our best option. We know he doesn’t have eyes here on the ranch. Let’s get them off the ranch in someone else’s car.”
“You really think they’re in danger?” Ryan cast a worried glance toward the house.
“Don’t you? He’s proven that if we care about someone, he’s going to make them a priority, and not in a good way.”
“Leslie’s right. We need to have the girls learn to shoot a gun, and because I know that the Demeter family isn’t going to want them all carrying around guns, we can get them Tasers. It will protect them in case something happens, but it should stop his killer from hurting them until we can get here.”
“If they’ll agree, then it’s what we should do. Any idea as to what our next step is?” Adam scanned the surroundings as if sensing the threat.
“Honestly, we can’t keep working out here. We need to find a way to take care of our FBI problem so we can return to doing things the normal way. If that even applies anymore.” I plopped into a seat, suddenly tired again after my long night.
“Barbie is now working with Mac, and what they have is very promising. The main problem now is going to be that the Urban Energy Corporation is watching their back.”
“Could be they think that’s all we got and they’re safe now. I mean, it’s been over a week, and if we had more, wouldn’t we have followed up before allowing them to shred all of their documents?” I pushed my sunglasses back down because the brightness was beginning to get on my nerves.
“Do you have an idea of how we do that, Adam?”
He let out a long sigh. “No.”
“There’s no real evidence right now. I mean, we have a few things, but until we can get actual proof then we’re stuck with him. After the raid, he’s going to know that we suspect him because of the things that went down.”
“Barbie showing up and wanting to speak with only me, didn’t help either.” Ryan nodded thoughtfully.
“From what I saw of her setup, if she’s anything like Kevin and Mac, then we’ll see some results. Wonder what they’ve got hidden up their sleeves.” I dragged the chair nearest to me over and put my feet up.
“I can’t comment on what they have, but I’ve had Mac doing some digging with what we discovered during those raids that I think will help,” Adam reassured, trying to get us in a more cheerful mood.
“Seriously, it’s like we’re fighting a war on two different sides right now. If we win on one thing, the other side retaliates and we fall two steps back. We can’t even have an actual meeting to discuss the case with those who could help us because we have someone who’s feeding information to the other side.” With a groan, I leaned my head back against the chair.
“Hey, don’t lump me into the uncheerful mode. I’m perfectly happy.”
I pulled my shades down far enough to glare in Ryan’s direction, making sure he saw me. “That’s only because you have a new baby, and not much can put a damper on that.”
Ryan shrugged, unashamed. “Yep. I’m on cloud nine.”
Shea appeared in the doorway with the baby in her arms. “Um, I think you guys are going to want to see this.”
Curious, we all got up and followed her inside.
The TV was tuned into the local news channel with breaking news.
“There’s something disturbing brewing in Topeka, Kansas. Our local station there is covering the situation as details are coming in. What can you tell us, Cindy?”
“Gail, the body of a local woman was discovered early this morning when she failed to show up for work. After repeated attempts to reach her, her family went to check on her, only to discover her dead in her own bed. They’re saying her heart was removed, but aren’t sure as to the motives behind it.” Cindy paused to listen to her earpiece. “I just got word from a source close to the family that said there was a word written above her bed—Zodiac. Now, we aren’t sure what that means at this time, but as more details are revealed, we’ll be sure to update you with the latest. Gale?”
“Make sure to tune in this evening for an exclusive interview with the family member who found the deceased, and what he thinks happened during the last hours of her life.”
Ryan turned the TV off angrily. “How does he know what happened in the last hours of her life? Was he there?”
“Good grief.” Adam shook his head. “Who actually spoke to the press about an active crime scene?”
“It doesn’t matter now. We’ll have to go up there and have a look.” I could just imagine the suspicion and problems this was going to cause with our normal investigation.
“Let’s see if we get a call from Agent Watson. As far as we know, this is just a murder and has nothing to do with our case.”
“Adam, there’s no way it’s not connected. I mean, he or his minion tore out the heart/soul of an enemy. They wrote a message in the blood.”
He held up a finger. “All of that is true, but so far, no one has made the connection that this is an FBI case. If they do, then they’re going to dig because that’s what a good repor
ter does, and they’re going to uncover all the murders that we’ve been keeping out of the media. It’ll be a shitshow.”
“Should we go into headquarters just in case?” I wanted to do anything but that, yet I was sure it was the right thing to do.
“I think Ryan should stay here with the baby. Agent Watson isn’t going to expect him, but the two of us should go in and see what he thinks of the situation. It’s what we’d do before we discovered he was a traitor.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” I grumbled. “Thanks for letting us know, Shea. Do you happen to have any aspirin? I’m going to need something to help keep my headache from getting worse. And can I get fired if I go into the FBI Headquarters drunk?”
Ryan’s jaw dropped.
“Dude, lighten up. It’s supposed to be the cure to a hangover. You know, drink what you had the night before and it makes it all go away?”
“Right. Adam, I think you need to make sure that Leslie doesn’t have to draw a gun.”
“Say what?” I placed a hand over my heart and grinned. “Ryan, you’ve wounded me.”
He pretended to scan me. “Nope, I don’t see any blood. Are you sure about that?”
“That’s it. Agent Watson can’t be any worse than this,” I announced dramatically, or it would have been if Shea hadn’t held out the bottle of pills. “Fine. Aspirin it is, then.”
***
Agent Watson
When Adam and Leslie walked in, I had to quickly hide the smile that crept over my lips.
“Well, look who finally decided to show up when we have another murder on our hands.” I snickered like a teacher who’d caught the students sneaking in late.
“We came as soon as we saw the news. Is there any information available yet?” Leslie asked.
“No, they haven’t asked us to get involved. In fact, we only just found out and were starting to gather everyone together. It’s been a little hard on us since Kevin’s memorial.”
“Yeah, that was tough,” Leslie replied.
“Everyone has been a little sluggish about getting back to work. Then again, there are a few of the IT group that haven’t stopped working since he was killed. Guess they’re motivated to find out who killed him.” I couldn’t help adding that little jab.
I was pretty sure I knew who had killed Kevin, and I was going to be next on the list if I didn’t find some way to distract Adam and his little posse. They needed to stay far away from my extracurricular activities. Plus, they’d hit a nerve when they took down one of the most popular private clubs in the area.
The main question was, how on earth was I going to accomplish this? It wasn’t like they were stupid criminals who would overlook vital information.
“Do we need to go up there?” Leslie questioned unenthusiastically through a yawn.
“Is the murder investigation stuff starting to bore you?”
“Nope. Just had a late night doing research.”
“Well, let’s get on this. I’ve got a call into the lead detective on the case, and he’s going to send over all the information as they get it,” I announced to the room.
“We could just watch the news at five and six to find out the latest. I’m sure all of their information will be very reliable,” Martha suggested from the back of the room as she clutched a tissue in her hand.
“Look, I get that we’re all really tired of dealing with this guy. He’s been having us chase our tails, and now that he’s managed to kill one of our own, it’s become even more personal. We’ve been doing it for so long now, I think we’ve gotten slack. We’re not taking all of the precautions that we used to take.”
“We’re FBI agents, we’re always taking precautions. That’s not what got Kevin killed. He was very careful. It was retribution for taking down that club. How can we know that we’re going to be safe if we continue to hunt this guy?”
“It’s a completely different situation. I’m the one who’s responsible for not making sure that Kevin had protection. I sent him undercover, and when he had the information, I should have pulled him out. I didn’t, and that’s on me,” I assured them.
“So why should we continue to work for you?” Martha stood up and crossed her arms, taking a stand against me.
As she stood up, several others around the room stood with her.
“I’ve already filed a complaint with our superiors. They are going to do an internal investigation to make sure that we’re receiving all the safety that should come from working here in a federal building that we’ve come to expect when coming to work.”
Great, I thought inwardly.
“I completely understand how it could seem to be a problem. I followed all the safety protocols, but that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous when we walk outside these doors. We’re up against one of the best mastermind killers the FBI has ever seen.”
“Well, I just thought you should know.” Martha gave a nod toward Adam and Leslie.
“I appreciate your honesty. I believe we can resume our duties, and if anything changes, I’ll update everyone.”
The room quickly started to clear out. “Uh, Adam? Could you and Leslie stay please?”
They both settled into their chairs again as we waited for the last person to leave.
I propped a hip against the table and made sure not to cross my arms in a threatening manner.
“So, I know that you’re down a man with Ryan having the baby and all, but if we get another one of these victims…” I trailed off, hoping they would finish the sentence for me.
“That’s kind of what we figured would happen,” Leslie sighed. “Hopefully, this was just a coincidence and not the real thing, because that’s a terrible way to go.”
“From the little bit of information they know at the moment, which wasn’t released to the public, is that there was no sign of forced entry. They’re thinking she may have known her killer.”
“Then it can’t be our guy. None of our other victims have known their killers well enough to just invite them inside. Could she have opened the door for, say, the pizza guy?”
I picked up the paper I’d been emailed. “It appears that nobody saw anything unusual. Her trash can was at the curb, so it’s possible that’s how he managed to get inside.”
“It would make sense and follow the pattern of not knowing the victim.” Adam nodded thoughtfully.
“At this point, we just have to wait and see if it’s another pillow smothering situation like in New Mexico, or if it’s a valid death. Either way, it looks like it’s all starting again.”
“Yay us! Death. Murder. Serial Killers. Rinse and repeat.” Leslie’s tone was filled with sarcasm.
“Anyway, keep an eye out, and let’s see what pops up in the morning or tomorrow afternoon.” I needed to spend the evening preparing to keep these two occupied until I could find a way to take them out of the game permanently.
Chapter 3
Flora
Ryan had mentioned Leslie’s idea about training so that we were more prepared in case someone came onto the ranch for us. I wasn’t sure that was exactly the way we needed to deal with this, though. Learning how to use a gun meant being willing to use it.
Taking a life, or attempting to, was something that I needed to consider very carefully. Could I really do it? Before I’d discovered my roots, it would never have dawned on me that it might be a problem for some people. I mean, guns were used for protection against the bad guys that were doing wrong.
I had always thought I’d leave this kind of thing to the police. I never dreamt that I’d be faced with having to depend on a gun to defend myself. If it came down to it, I was willing to give up my life, but I wasn’t willing to have anything happen to Shea or the baby.
My Romani family genes didn’t prohibit owning or having guns, much less using them. As the more sensitives of the family tree, it was harder for us to take a life or use violence. Things happened, but it was the essence left behind that most weren’t willing to en
gage in.
It was probably a good reason as to why Leslie had blocked out her gifts. It was one of many reasons her job and being psychic seemed so far apart from the normal. Hers was intertwined with her sense of right and justice.
They had also mentioned a Taser. I could manage to deal with that. Tasers weren’t known to cause death, and it would give both Shea and I a chance to escape in case something happened.
I’d come out to the woods to have a few moments alone. It was so peaceful and quiet out here where there weren’t life and death decisions that had to be made.
Since we’d pretty much moved out here over three…or was if four months ago? I’d been coming out to this spot to communicate with the universe.
There was a clearing in the woods that had natural seating with fallen trees and moss. It was the perfect place to refresh my spirit after all the evil that continually crept into our lives.
Adam, the man I’d fallen in love with, had the same evil magnet that Leslie and Ryan had. It was my job to clear away any traces and make sure that we were both ready to deal with whatever was coming next.
I spread a blanket on the ground and settled into my spot, ready to feel refreshed and recharged. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply the new fall smells that were starting to make their way into the air.
Texas didn’t really have much of a fall season, except that it was slightly less hot, which meant that it was just hot with leaves falling to the ground. I ignored the trickle of sweat that was rolling down my back.
Now that I’d reached my decision, I felt comfortable relaxing. The world faded, and I reached out to the door between worlds. Others might have another way to explain it, but I always envisioned opening a door and walking through.
Chaos. Everything was in utter chaos. What would normally be a peaceful setting was angry and swirling around me like a swarm of bees.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” I called into the angry mass, but all that did was make it worse.
Peering through the chaos was another version of myself as she mouthed “HELP ME!”
