“How long have you employed Bob?” Bishop asked, as she continued to intimidate him.
“I’ve been here two years. I’m new to this town. I bought the cabins dirt-cheap, fixed them up, and began renting them out as soon as they were habitable. You can ask around. I’m a good guy.”
“Where does Bob live?” Nate asked.
“He works for me, and I let him live for free in one of my smaller cabins. He’s a reliable worker.”
“Which one?” he asked again.
“Four twenty five.”
Yeah, that was right beside Roxy’s cabin. It was the one on the other side of her that Lucian couldn’t rent because it had been occupied.
“If you call him, warning him we’re coming, Karl, I’m coming back, and you’ll realize why they call me ‘Lefty’, and it’s not because I write with that hand,” Bishop warned, trying to keep a straight face.
He didn’t move. “I won’t talk to him. I promise.”
Nate headed out, shaking his head. Outside, he stared at her. “You’re insane.”
“Yeah, probably. I grew up with all boys. I know how to scare them. One time, I snuck a pregnancy test that I drew a pink line on into my brother’s girlfriend’s bag. He found it. He was sixteen at the time. The boy nearly shit himself for a week before he asked her about it.”
Luke laughed. “That’s sadistic.”
“Yeah, well, my brother needed a little shot of reality. He thought he was a stud. He was impotent a few weeks. It was fun to watch.”
Luke gave her a fist bump.
Nate pointed at him. “Don’t encourage her. She’s like Maura. You know what happens when you feed the beast.”
He had a point.
The beast could, and would, turn on you.
“Well, what now?” Bishop asked. “Cleaning guy or boyfriend connected to three of the eight dead women?” she asked. “I love when you have more than one suspect. You actually get to feel like you’re in control.”
“I say Jared Walker. Then we can get dinner. We can always walk over to Bob’s cabin after we eat. He’s close,” Nate offered.
“That works for me. Can we get Chinese?” she asked. “I’m really damn sick of pizza. A girl needs more than sauce and cheese to keep her shining personality.”
Luke dropped his arm over her shoulder.
“What are you doing, Luke,” Nate asked.
“Are you kidding me? I’m bonding with Bishop. I may need to employ her assistance in the wife prank wars.”
“You’re pathetic.”
Yeah, he was, but Maura was tough to beat.
Luke needed to stack the deck in his favor, and she may just be his ace in the hole.
Chapter Fifteen
Friday Late Afternoon
Jared Walker’s
Trailer
When they pulled up, he was home. The lights were on inside the trailer, and they could hear a game playing on the television. They wanted to sneak up on the man, ensuring her didn’t make a break for it. After Karl, they were beginning to think everyone in Happy was a flight risk.
Splitting up, they sent Bishop to the back door to wait out the interview. It was also to stop her from beating the hell out of, or scaring, the next suspect.
When she rounded the trailer, Nate knocked. It didn’t take long for the door to open. There stood an incredibly inebriated and drunken man in his boxers.
“Are you Jared Walker?” he asked.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Did you know Brianna Moyer?”
His eyes filled with tears. “Yeah, she was my best friend. We recently started spending more time together. Wait! Who the hell are you?”
Interviewing drunken suspects was a crapshoot. Sometimes they’d come right out and admit to being dumbasses, and other times, they’d go for your gun and try to shoot you.
It was a tough gig.
“We’re the FBI, and we’re investigating her death, along with Raizy and Marian’s.”
His face said it all.
He definitely knew them.
“Can we come in?” Luke asked.
“No. You don’t have a warrant, so screw you. I’m not letting you into my place.”
“Okay, then can you tell us what you were doing with Brianna the night she died?” Nate asked.
“We were getting a few drinks. She called me that morning and needed to talk about something.”
“What?”
“None of your business.”
“Okay, we’ll call the sheriff, bring you in, and question you there. You see, you’re connected to three of those women, and that means that you’re a suspect.”
“They died in their sleep. In fact, Brianna just passed away. I don’t need you hassling me about it. She meant something to me. She mattered.”
They didn’t budge.
It was a matter of waiting him out. Sometimes, uncomfortable silence could move mountains. It was cop one-oh-one.
“Fine. I’ll tell you, but then I need you to leave me alone. I want to mourn her. She was my only friend. Everyone in this shithole town thinks I’m nothing, but she was important to me. I don’t know how I’ll go on without her.”
“Why?”
He closed his mouth.
“Just tell us, and we can help you, Jared.”
“She was teaching me to read. I don’t know how, and it’s hard to get a job when you can’t fill out the paperwork. I work for Mordechai at the store, but he doesn’t need me there all the time. His son works there too. We split shifts, and I need more money.”
“For?”
“I want a new life. Brianna was helping me. We went to school together, and she was always smart. I saw her one day, and I asked her for help. I offered to pay her, but she let me go to her place and study there.”
“That was kind of her.”
“It was. She was a gem. She promised me that when I got my GED, she’d go out to dinner with me. That’s what we were talking about that night. Before she left, she gave me a kiss. I didn’t think I had a chance with someone like her, but I did.”
They felt bad for him.
“What about Raizy and Marian.”
“We had sex a few times. There are not a lot of single women in town. I’m sure I’m not the only one who screwed them. Ask half the men at ‘Lucky’s’. In fact, ask Austin. He’s always there.”
He took a drink of his beer.
“I do believe that he asked Brianna out a few times. I saw him in town following her around. He’d turn up wherever she was, and he’d be a little too friendly. I hate that bastard.”
That was news to them.
Austin had never mentioned that to them.
Then again, in his defense, they hadn’t asked if he’d had a relationship with any of the women. Well, that was over. He was going to be asked a few more questions.
“Was anyone else bothering Brianna?” Nate asked, seeing Bishop rounding the house.
“She told me that Harold creeped her out.”
“Who is Harold, Jared?” Luke asked, getting ready to start running the man’s name.
“That’s Mordechai Fry’s son. He’s the guy I split shifts with at the store. Brianna told me that he dropped off groceries, and then sat outside her house for a while. When she went out to get the mail, he took off.”
Well, that added one more suspect to their list.
“So after she left the other night, I finished my beer and came home,” Jared stated.
“To do what?” Nate asked.
He turned around and reached inside. The Feds reached for their guns.
“To do this.”
He held a book in his hand. “I was studying to get my GED. I really wanted that date. I guess there’s no point,” he said, stepping back inside. “Now leave me the hell alone. I want to mourn my only friend.”
The door slammed.
“Well, that was interesting.”
Bishop closed the space between them. “Know what was even more
interesting?” she asked, grinning at them.
“What did you do, Bishop?” Nate asked. He knew it wasn’t going to be good. He could see the look on her face.
She pulled some papers out of her pocket. “I went through his trash.”
They stared at the papers in her hand. There were hearts drawn on paper with his and her name through them, and then angry red scribbles.
Someone had been pissed off, and big time.
“His garbage cans are right here. How did you go through his trash…?” Then Nate Carter got it. “BISHOP!”
“What?”
He stared at her.
“Well, then you don’t want to know what else I found,” she offered. “It starts with ‘S’ and ends with ‘alking’.”
They were confused.
“What do you mean?” Luke asked.
She pulled out her phone. “You should have seen his bedroom.”
“Jesus, Bishop. You have to have some rules to follow,” Nate scolded. “You’re supposed to be acting like a Fed. You’re not a burglar.”
She snorted. “You’re getting red.”
Luke cleared his throat. “When he gets to that color, it’s right before he flips his shit. May I suggest you stop and calm down before he has a stroke? Avalon likes him, and she’s really sweet. She doesn’t need to be looking for a new fiancé when he drops dead.”
She patted him on the arm. “Okay, I’ll behave, listen, and not do anything stupid.”
He relaxed. “Thank you.”
“Well, do you want to know what I found or not?” she asked, as they walked toward the vehicle.”
“Yeah, what?”
She handed him her phone. “Ironically, you’ll get it when you see.”
They looked at her phone, and she had snapped pictures of more pictures all over his room. They were of Brianna. He had been stalking her.
“Well, I’m not buying his sob story anymore,” stated Nate. “Here I was feeling bad for him.”
She laughed. “You’re a softie.”
“I am not.”
“Are too.”
“Shut up.”
She grinned. “What’s next?”
Nate thought about the bartender, the guy at the general store, and the man who was cleaning the apartments.
Then he thought about the victims.
He needed to prioritize.
“We need to head to the morgue and get an update. We need to know what Roxy found in her autopsies.”
“You know there’s going to be nothing, right?” she said, buckling her seatbelt.
Luke gave her the look to zip it.
“You know who you remind me of?” Nate said, turning to stare at her in the back seat.
“Who?”
“My pain in the ass kid sister. She used to be reckless, dangerous, and get herself into trouble all the time.”
“And?”
“She’s still a pain in my ass.”
“Is this a compliment or should I start feeling like my job security is going out the window?” she asked. “I’m new at gauging your reaction. Do you love me or hate me? Are we going to be BFFs or should I call that a pipe dream?” she teased.
Nate didn’t answer.
He simply sighed and started their ride.
In that moment, Luke knew the truth. There was one person, next to Avalon, who Nate loved with all his heart. It was Callista Gaines. It looked like Bishop had ensured herself the opposite of unemployment.
Nate was smitten.
And that was that.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Building Outside
Town
They had finally found a place where they could talk.
When Callen and Elizabeth helped Avalon inside, they were happy to see that the old textile mill had the accommodations where they could relax. Elizabeth had to stay away from using her credit card, or leaving a trail, so this place would have to do.
It came down to being a ghost and keeping Avalon safe.
“Where are we?” she asked, as she held onto Elizabeth’s arm. It smelled like musty old basement. Avalon knew, because she’d been locked in one by her grandmother a lot.
Her heart started pounding.
“It’s okay, Spooks. I feel your pulse kicking up. You know I won’t hurt you.”
“I just thought about my childhood.”
“We’ve got you. After we talk, I’ll get Nate here. You and I are going to have to have a private conversation without any outside influence.”
What that basically meant was she didn’t want Avalon making a decision under duress or Nathaniel Carter’s pressure. What was coming was going to be hard on all of them, but she deserved the privilege of making up her own mind.
It had to be her decision.
“It’s about the President, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“He got wind of me and he’s about to send out everyone he can to bring me back, isn’t he?”
“Yes, Spooks, he did. Despite us trying our best, he did. I’m sorry.”
“You’re in trouble for helping me, huh?” she asked, knowing what was coming. She felt sick that she’d risked them all. They were all good people, and they were going to bat for her.
They mattered.
“Don’t you worry about me. He’s got to prove I had something to do with it first.”
Avalon got quiet. As she did, the energy in the room changed. “Bad things are coming, Elizabeth. Your worst nightmare is coming back to visit you.”
She really hated when Oracle made an appearance. It was like witches, tea leaves, and tarot cards. She wanted no part of them—at all.
“She’s coming back.”
“Who?” Elizabeth asked.
“Bonnie. She’s out for blood.”
Well, she wasn’t telling her anything she wasn’t completely aware of in her life. She knew Bonnie was biding her time. They had to wrap up this grudge match once and for all.
It was due.
“You’re going to hit a relationship bump in the road. You’re going to stumble. You’re going to be weak.”
Great.
This was the last thing she needed. Elizabeth struggled not to look over at her husband. She didn’t want to know who it would be with either. It made her twitchy thinking about it.
Oracle faced Callen. “She comes for you too. All of you are in danger. She’s planning her game. She’s making sure to be ready to end your tribe.”
He hated that Bonnie got away.
She gasped. “Death.”
“Stop,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t want you to continue. I hate this Avalon. I came here to help you. Don’t do this to me. I can’t spend every day afraid. I can’t look over my shoulder every second, be a mother, and do my job.”
Her eyes lost their vacant look. “Just be cautious then. If you need me later…”
“Yeah, I know, Spooks. You’ll be the first psychic I call. I promise. Now, let’s discuss your situation. That’s why I’m hundreds of miles from home and my other sexy Native.”
“What should I do, Elizabeth? I don’t want them to suffer for me. I love Nathaniel, but I can’t risk him. Jagger just got married, Luke and Maura are happy, and they deserve it. We’ve even brought on Bishop and Lucian.”
Yeah, she was aware. Nate had sent her an email from a dummy account telling her they’d acquired two new helpers.
“Help me do this, Elizabeth. I trust you.”
They sat on a couple of boxes that were there in the open warehouse.
“I’ll do what I can, Avalon. You know I want what’s best for you.”
“Maybe I should just go back. Then they would be free. They wouldn’t have to live like this. For all of them, I’d make the sacrifice.”
“Is that what you want, Spooks?” she asked. “If you want to go back, I can help you. This has to be your call. That’s why we absconded you out of that cabin.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Avalon never w
anted to go back, but for the people she loved…she’d die in the cage.
“I want to be free, but at what cost? How do I make them pay for my curse?”
She understood.
“I guess you only have one choice, Avalon. If you aren’t sure, then you let them decide. If you can’t make that decision on your own, then you need to trust them enough to do it. Do you believe in them?”
“Yes.”
Avalon wiped her eyes.
“I don’t want to be ashamed of myself anymore. I want to be free. I want to help people, but I won’t let my only family die because of it.”
They both knew the truth.
The president would kill to get her back. Going forward, there were no guarantees.
“Then let’s get you ready, Avalon. Then we’ll message them. You need to let them make this choice. Then we’ll do what it takes. We have your back.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth. I love you. Thank you for buying us some time. I know it cost you.”
She hugged her.
“I love you too, Spooks. Now, I have something for you.”
“What is it?” Avalon asked.
She told her.
Her face lit up in happiness. “Is that possible?”
“Yes, Spooks, it is. Would you like that?”
She smiled. “Yes, please.”
So, Elizabeth Blackhawk, true to her word did what it took. Tonight, she’d get it done, and they’d figure out how to deal with the shit mess that was brewing, and she’d, once more, save Oracle from the cage.
If it was the last thing she did.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Morgue
They were just walking into the morgue as Roxy was finishing up with the paperwork for the last autopsy. She looked frustrated as hell, and they weren’t sure if it was because Jagger was crowding her, or if it was because she had jack.
“We’ve got nothing. Neither had any signs of what killed them,” she offered.
That was pretty much what they thought.
“This is making me insane,” she stated. “I hate that he’s doing this, and that we can’t stop him. I’m definitely screwed.”
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 27
