Bishop wasn’t done. She was three days past pissed. This was a long time coming.
“Where were you when my father died?”
She swallowed.
“You were gone.”
Roxy was aware.
“Where were you when I won the election for sheriff?”
She wasn’t around.
“Exactly, Roxy. You were off finding yourself for whatever reason.”
She was right. She had been.
“Where were you when I got shot and woke up to get married?”
“I wasn’t there for you.”
“Bishop, you can’t…” Jagger was cut off.
“Shut up, Jagger. You may be her husband, but I’ve been putting up with this BS for the last fifteen years. I get to tell her when she’s really hurt me.”
Roxy nodded at him. “I’m okay. She’s right, Jagger. This was a long time coming. I have it.”
He hoped so. If he got nasty with Bishop, it was going to be an issue. She was officially part of their team.
Jagger was screwed either way, and he knew it.
“I’m sorry, Bishop. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was dealing with Silas trying to tell me not to marry him, finding a dress, and keeping from freaking out. I wanted you there. I really did. I know I dropped the ball, and I should have called you. I was wrong, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t think about you.”
She wanted to believe her.
“When I was growing up, you were my first friend. You were my only friend, Bish. I was the new kid, I was scared shitless of everyone, and I couldn’t adjust. You protected me. When the mean kids rode my ass, you kicked theirs. I love you so much, and you’re my sister. How can you think I didn’t want you with me by my side?”
She didn’t say a word.
“Today, I married the man I love, but I hurt the woman I love. I’m so sorry, Bish. I’m a mess as usual. I’m being hunted, I’m pregnant, and now I’m married. I feel out of sorts, and I need you. I know I don’t deserve to ask it, but I need you again, Bish. I always dump my shit all over you, and I never think about your feelings or what you’re living. I’m a horrible friend, but please don’t hate me. Give me another chance, and I’ll prove I’m not the selfish bitch I seem to be.”
Jagger hurt for his wife.
He wanted to say something, but he was screwed too. He’d gotten married without Jaxon.
Crap.
“Please don’t hate me. I can’t carry that too. I don’t know how to do any of this. I’m going to be a mom. Mine let my father rape me. I’ve been married exactly thirty minutes, and I’m scared I’ll fuck it up.”
She had two choices.
Be angry or love her friend.
Bishop did what she always did. She took the high road.
“It’s okay, Roxy. I’m okay. I’ll get over it.”
“I wish there was something I could do to make you forgive me for hurting you,” Roxy said.
Jagger had an idea, and it might just save his ass too.
“Why don’t we get remarried once this is over? You know…you get the fluffy dress, I get the hot wedding night sex twice,” he teased, trying to calm them down.
It seemed to take the heat off the fire in the room. Both women looked to be calming down.
Roxy hugged her friend. “Please love me again, Bish. I’m a mess, and I need you. You’re the stable one. You’ve always been the one who everyone knew would make it. I’m the failure, and I need you in my life. Don’t vote me off the island.”
She hugged her. “I got your back.”
Jagger relaxed. It looked like the storm had passed.
“I do want that wedding redo,” Roxy stated. I want to walk down the aisle to meet Jagger at the end, and I want you to be my matron of honor. You can meet Jagger’s sister, Jaxon. She’s amazing, Bish, and you’ll love her.”
Bishop wiped Roxy’s eyes with her shirt sleeve. “No pink dresses with ass bows. I draw the line, even for you, bitch.”
“Now you’re definitely getting one.”
She laughed.
Bishop knew there was something else she had to handle. Turning, she strode toward Jagger.
He braced for her. He wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do.
He froze when she hugged him. “You take care of her. Promise?”
He awkwardly patted her on the back. “I will. I love her, and nothing is going to happen on my watch.”
That was all she had to hear.
“Great. Now let’s get to work.”
Bishop stuck her head out the doors and whistled for the two Feds. “It’s safe. Let’s get going.”
They headed in, and Nate was amused. Jagger looked freaked out, and both women had teary eyes. This was like his worst nightmare. It was funny as hell.
“Are we ready?” Nate asked.
Jagger simply moved into the corner where he was comfortable.
“I didn’t finish the autopsy, but I will have them done in a few hours. Can you give me some time?” Roxy asked, pulling on some extra layers before she went elbow deep into the dead coroner.
Nate was good with that.
“We have interviews to do. We’re going to stop and see Karl Conway first. He has a rental agency in town, and there’s an office.”
She listened as she picked up where she’d left off on the autopsy. A part of her was wondering why the body hadn’t been placed back into the cooler, and where Dillon was. It wasn’t like him to slack off. Yes, he’d gone out for Joann Rice, but he knew proper protocol. When she stepped away, the body was supposed to be secured.
It was bugging her.
She’d have to talk to him later.
“After that, we’re going to head to Jared Walker’s trailer. We need to talk to him regarding Brianna Moyer, Raizy Lowery, and Marian Hawkins.”
“That should give me plenty of time,” Roxy offered. “I’ll definitely be done by the time you come back.”
The team didn’t doubt it.
“Jagger, call us if you need us, and about tonight,” Nate began.
“What about it?”
“Turn off your phone and have a honeymoon night with your bride. We’ll be in contact if there is an issue. The cabin isn’t far. If Avalon and Lucian feel like Roxy is in danger, they’ll alert us.”
He grinned. “Yes, sir. I will be more than happy to do that. I’m looking forward to the honeymoon.”
They figured as much. They couldn’t blame him. If they didn’t have some psycho stalking women, and Roxy, they would have given them the day off.
The team headed out, Bishop following Nate and Luke.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked. “Are you and Roxy past this?”
“Yep.”
“You don’t want to talk about it, do you?” he asked.
“Nope.”
Nate laughed. “You’re just like Maura. I swear to God, I never saw this day coming. There are two of them.”
Now Luke laughed. “We are so screwed.”
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
Neither man answered. If they were going to inherit another tough woman, they were going to treat Bishop exactly the same as they did Maura.
They were going to torment her.
“I’ll kick your asses if you don’t spill it!”
They’d heard that threat before.
Here was their proof. They had two badass women to contend with now.
It was going to be one hell of a ride.
He watched them leave the morgue.
He was going to follow.
They knew what was going on, and he was going to get to the bottom of it. Reading through Kathleen’s files, he was beginning to believe that maybe she had been right.
Maybe psychics did exist.
What the Feds didn’t know was Kathleen’s interview list wasn’t in the file.
No, she was sneaky.
After he cleaned up her desk, he found the envelope tucked away, leaving an omi
nous warning behind.
If she died, there was a reason.
Now, instead of showing his boss, Scott Humphrey was going to start working the leads where Kathleen had left off. There was something there
He knew it.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Sheriff’s Station
He couldn’t believe they were hiding shit from him. Joe was a damn good cop, and even thought Happy was a small town, he knew his way around an investigation.
There was something going on.
He knew it.
Well, it was time to do what he was paid to do. He was going to keep the people in town safe, and he was going to get to the bottom of this entire mess.
There was no way in hell he was going to let a bunch of Feds dig around in his town without him being part of it.
All of those women died without a cause of death, and with the first five, he was suspicious.
Then add in the death of the town coroner?
That hadn’t piqued his interest, and that was on him for assuming. The man was old, but now the new stand in coroner was causing shit, and he was going to find out why.
Three more dead women, and one of them a girl he was dating. Yes, he was upset because Joann was a damn sweet lady, and he was going to figure out what was being swept under the carpet.
He wasn’t a fool.
No, there was shit brewing.
Turning on his computer, he did a few searches, and he started doing his duty.
He was researching.
Oh, it wasn’t the dead women.
No.
He was searching the Feds. He’d figure out what their game was one way or another.
This was a game they would wish they never played with him. As soon as he figured it out, their number was up.
And better yet?
Then he’d kick their asses out of his town.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Friday Afternoon
It was quiet at the cabin. Maura was watching out the window as Lucian and Avalon rested on the couch. The man was snoring soundly, but Avalon was stirring.
It was rare for her to rest long on a normal basis, but all the way back from the courthouse, she’d been edgy.
Bad shit was brewing.
Maura was on alert.
When Avalon stood, Maura headed her way. “Are you okay, Avi? Do you need something?”
“My back is sore from trying to sleep on this couch. I don’t know how Lucian is doing it. Can I go to my bed?” she asked.
Maura relaxed.
That couch would make her restless too.
“Sure thing, Avi. Do you want something to eat or tea?”
“No,” she said, moving toward the door, “but thank you. I appreciate you taking good care of me, Maura. I love you.”
She smiled.
“I love you too, Avi. Call if you need me.”
“I will.”
Avalon closed the bedroom door and flicked the lock with her thumb. She hoped Maura didn’t hear her. While she’d been sleeping, the static kicked up, and she knew why.
Elizabeth was near, and she needed her.
Silently, Avalon went to the window of the cabin, the one furthest from Maura’s lookout. Once there, she silently opened the lock and slid it up to speak to them.
“What do you need?” she whispered. “You’re going to get hurt if she sees you.”
“You have to come with us. We need to talk. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t important.”
She already knew what it was about.
“It’s about me endangering them, isn’t it?” she replied. “They’re in danger because of me.”
Elizabeth touched her cheek. “Yeah, honey, it is. We need to go somewhere safe, Spooks. I need you to trust me.”
Oh, she did.
Avalon had felt her near, and she knew there was a situation coming. Elizabeth was freaked out by her, but she would always keep her safe.
She trusted her.
“Who’s here with you?” Elizabeth asked. Her voice was so low, she didn’t think Avalon heard her.
‘Maura,’ she mouthed.
That worked for her.
Elizabeth, while not a Marine, could still outmaneuver one. She wasn’t a newbie. Plus, they’d been careful. This was important.
They needed privacy for it too.
“Where’s your phone?” she asked.
Avalon patted her pocket.
“We need to hurry,” Elizabeth offered.
“Can you help me out?” she whispered. When another aura stepped into her sight, she stopped moving.
She recognized it.
“Callen.”
He reached his hand out, and took hers. “I have you, Miss Miller. I won’t let you fall.”
She climbed out the window, hoping Nate wouldn’t be pissed. She had to do this. Something was coming, and it was making her edgy.
Besides, this was Elizabeth.
She’d never hurt her.
When Callen scooped her up in his arms, they began the slow trek back to their hidden ride.
They had to be careful.
As of that moment, everything was on the line.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Karl Conway’s
Office
When they got there, the man was sitting behind his desk. The office looked pretty much how you’d expect it. It was pretty sparse except for the desk and file cabinet.
“Hey! How can I help you?” he asked, standing to greet them when they came in.
“We’re here to talk to you about some cabins,” Nate said.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked, pulling out a few files of forms for them to fill out.
“Nope.”
“How many cabins will you need?” he asked.
They all pulled their badges.
The man’s face went from friendly to freaked out in about three seconds—one for each badge he saw.
“I swear to God! I’m innocent,” he said, backing up. “Don’t arrest me and take me away. I have a family to feed!”
They all looked at him as if he was crazy.
“Why are we arresting you?” Bishop asked.
“I didn’t claim all my income on my taxes. I know I’m supposed to claim rent, but I had some bills to pay, and I have an addiction to the strip club.”
Bishop started laughing.
Nate stared at her.
“What?”
“Really?”
“Come on! This is funny. The man just admitted to IRS fraud and buying lap dances. The power behind this shiny gold shield is amazing.”
Luke was amused too, but he knew better than to laugh. Nate was in work mode. He was going to have to talk to Bishop later and give her a heads up.
Then again, she probably wouldn’t care. She rolled differently than they did. Besides, Nate had been the one who wanted her on his team. This is what he got.
“We aren’t here to discuss that. We’re here to talk about some of the women you’ve leased cabins to in the past year,” Nate explained.
He relaxed. “Oh, well, in that case, I don’t know what I was just talking about.”
Bishop pulled out her phone and pretend dialed. “IRS? This is Agent Bishop…”
“I’ll tell you whatever you want! You can have my files!”
Nate grinned ferally. “Good idea. Now, last year, you rented cabins to women who died.”
“I did.”
“You didn’t find that odd that all the sudden your tenants were dropping dead?”
“People die. I get rent, they get a nice place to live, and we are all happy in the end.”
Yeah, the dead women might disagree there.
“What about Joann Rice?” Nate asked.
“What about her?”
“She was found dead today.”
He stared. “Are you shitting me? She’s late on her rent. Now how am I going to pay Bob?” he muttered. “Great! What the hell is wrong
with people?”
They were staring at him again.
“This sucks. I have to pay him out of my pocket now! Son of a bitch!”
Bishop was appalled.
Did he just miss the part about another woman being dead? Was he that clueless?
“Let me kick the shit out of him for being a douchebag,” begged Bishop. “He really deserves it for even thinking that statement, but saying it out loud? Yeah, we need to beat his ass. Screw this police brutality shit.”
Nate stepped out of her way while Bishop played bad cop. He knew she was acting when she dramatically cracked her knuckles. It was funny as hell, but he kept a straight face.
“Wait! That didn’t sound right. I’m just worried, because I have to pay my employee. He keeps the grass cut, and the place looking nice. I want quality people in my place, and now I have to pay out of pocket for a cleaning crew if Bob won’t do it. Was there blood?”
“There’s going to be,” she warned.
He backed up until his body was against the file cabinets.
“Who has access to the women in your cabins?” Nate asked. “Are there lots of keys floating around?”
“No! Bob and I are the only other people who have keys besides the tenants. I swear. Call her off. She’s out for blood.”
That statement was funny. Bishop, all five feet seven of her, was thin, pretty, and the least threatening of them all.
Apparently, someone had female issues.
“Who is this Bob you speak of?” Nate asked, so Luke could start running him.
“His name is Bob Buck. He kinda, sorta, runs his own cleaning business here in town. He picks up the odd jobs no one really wants. He does the morgue at night, and he’s the handyman at the local cemetery. He keeps that place in tip top shape.”
“Karl, has anyone been bothering your tenants? Did they complain about being followed?” Nate asked, trying to keep the man talking until Luke could dig something up.
He shook his head.
“Not that they told me. If you don’t believe me, you can have my files. I’ll help out. I swear.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 26
