“I don’t know that it will ever happen,” Ava finally replied. “I can’t say never but I don’t see myself ever writing that book. Your father and I are against giving Wade Bryson any more publicity or fame. Plus, I don’t ever want to profit from the misery he inflicted on society.”
She reached out and placed a hand on each of her children’s shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about your father. He’s fine. Your uncles are there as well. Safe as kittens.”
“When Dad calls tonight can we talk to him?” Brianna asked.
“Of course. You can call him right now if you want to. If he’s busy, he’ll call you as soon as he can.”
Colt reached for his phone. “I’m going to send him a text.”
“Me too,” Brianna said.
Was there now peace between her children? Wanting them to have privacy, Ava backed out of the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. But she did go grab her own phone and tap out a quick warning text to her husband, letting him know that the twins thought that the trip was about Bryson and they had been worried about him. Especially Colt. He’d be prepared for whatever they threw his way.
Heading back into her office, she straightened up her desk for the day, saving her work in progress in about three different places, including an external storage. She’d learned the hard way to be paranoid about stuff like that. Her phone vibrated and she saw that Logan had sent her the crime scene and autopsy photos.
It would be easier to see them on the large monitor so she fired up her email on the laptop, opening one after the other.
They were gruesome and grisly. Bloody and violent. The slashes from the knife on the torsos had almost flayed the skin off the bones. It made her stomach lurch sickeningly but she swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat.
The two letters carved into the thighs captured her attention next. Logan had said that they didn’t have any idea what message the killer was trying to send. Opening a spiral notebook to an empty page, she wrote each set down.
TM
SR
RM
GS
JM
LW
She jotted down phrases that might match but nothing seemed to stand out. There had to be a meaning. He didn’t do this by accident. What was he saying?
Opening up the crime scene photos again, she studied the wounds on the victims. Were the letters a message to the dead men or to law enforcement? There was pure fury in the manner of death. Whoever had done this was angry, possibly frenzied in their actions, yet at the end they’d taken the time to carve two letters into the victim’s flesh. It had to mean something important.
Her phone vibrated again and this time Logan had sent her a text that he was going to meet Tanner and Seth along with Reed, Dare, and Drake. If anyone could solve this murder mystery it was these men. She’d trust them with her life. Hell, she’d trusted them with her children’s lives. They were an unbeatable team when they worked together. After all, they’d brought down Wade Bryson.
She stared at the paper for a long time, the letters blurring in front of her eyes. Just staring, her brain trying to make heads or tails of it all. She lost track of time eventually, the minutes ticking away as she doodled on the paper, writing phrases that didn’t make any sense. Rubbing at an aching temple, it was probably time to get up and walk away. Look at it later with a fresh perspective. She was getting nowhere.
She’d began to close the notebook but something made her open it again. It was the same stubborn letters staring her in the face but they were different somehow. They were familiar but she couldn’t quite place them. Something clicked in her brain but she didn’t see it right away.
And then she did. She couldn’t unsee it.
These men. The team.
Shit. Shit. No. She didn’t want to see what she was seeing. It couldn’t be. But….
TM - Tanner Marks
SR - Seth Reilly
RM - Reed Mitchell
GS - Griffin Sawyer
JM - Jared Monroe
LW - Logan Wright
Six of the best men Ava had ever known. But…they were fine. Unharmed completely. None of this made any sense.
If those initials represented what she thought they did, what initials might be next? Dare? Evan? She needed to let her husband know what she’d found. With any luck, he’d tell her she’d lost her mind and was imagining things.
I’d really like to be wrong.
Another memory, way in the back of her mind, was bugging her as well. The way these poor men had been murdered. She hadn’t given much thought to it before now but they’d basically been tortured with a knife and bled to death while handcuffed to a chair.
That sounded far too familiar for comfort.
That was how Wade had intended to kill Logan.
12
Seth and Tanner had sent a second text to meet them at the local cafe for lunch. They’d been traveling and were starving. Logan and the others met them there, sitting at a large table in the back. There weren’t tons of places to eat in Corville so the restaurant was about eighty percent full when they arrived.
Logan only made it halfway to the table before a small figure stepped in front of him. Alice Weaver, an older woman who had lived a few doors down from him when he was a kid was now standing in his path. Funny, when he was a child they’d thought she was old and now she was really old. She’d been a widow then who had a lot of cats, but she was involved in Corville’s town politics for years because her daddy was the mayor at one time - before Myron.
“About time you got here, Logan Wright,” she said, her gaze taking him in from head to toe. For someone as tiny as she was, she could be intimidating. To a kid. Not a grown man. “We have a murderer here that you need to catch right away. I’ve been sleeping with my shot gun.”
He didn’t want to laugh at the older woman’s fear, although she didn’t fit the victim profile in the least. He imagined that the entire town was on edge.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, Ms. Weaver, but I’m not the sheriff in Corville anymore. Haven’t been for about fifteen years now. Drake is the sheriff. I’m just here to help him out a little.”
“Once the sheriff, always the sheriff,” Alice sniffed. “You need to put a stop to these murders so we can all get some peace again.”
When he was young, Logan hadn’t much liked being told what to do. He’d always had an issue with authority. Being back here in Corville and standing in front of Alice was bringing all of it back.
“Once again, Ms. Weaver, with all due respect, this is not my circus or my monkeys. I’m here to help a friend. The rest of this town, which apparently hates my guts and has for over a decade, can respectfully kiss my ass. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
Leaving a shocked and scandalized Alice standing in the middle of the cafe with her mouth hanging open, Logan joined his friends at their table.
“You sure know how to win friends and influence people,” Seth joked, opening his menu. “I can’t believe you told that little old lady to kiss your ass.”
Logan opened his own menu. It hadn’t changed much since he was a kid except that now they had a few vegetarian options.
“Technically, I told the whole town to kiss my ass. I just delivered that message directly to her. And don’t feel sorry for Alice. She can be a menace when she wants to be. Likes to think she runs things and bosses people around. Drake, can I get a witness here?”
Drake nodded, trying to hide his laughter. “She’s meaner than a snake and twice as annoying. I swear she’s in my office at least once a week complaining about something that isn’t against the law. Drives me and my deputies crazy.”
Logan didn’t want to talk about his relationship with Corville. Their feelings and entitlement hadn’t changed a whit. He’d be in and out of here as quickly as possible.
“So did you guys take a look at the crime scene photos?” Logan asked Seth and Tanner. “What are your thoughts?”
Tanne
r’s expression was thoughtful. Logan admired the older man who only talked when he fucking had something to say. He listened more than he spoke, which was a rare trait in humankind.
“I think he’s definitely trying to communicate with you,” Tanner said. “He’s angry as all get out. He’s furious at something or someone. I think he might try and reach out. Perhaps contact the press which, by the way, have heard about this. They’ll be all up in your business before nightfall.”
Logan wasn’t planning to talk to any reporters. He was only here to make an appearance. He’d done that, albeit a little dicey with Alice Weaver. He could work on this case remotely.
Logan nodded toward Eli, who had also been mostly quiet this morning. Another man who didn’t talk just to hear his own voice.
“You’ll need to watch out for that. Don’t give them anything. Blank expressions, non-committal nods. State that all communication regarding the investigation is going through the sheriff’s office.”
Drake groaned. “Shit, I’m going to have to make a statement. I’ve already got the governor on my ass.”
“Just tell them you cannot compromise an ongoing investigation by commenting on it,” Tanner said. “No reporter wants to be the reason that a case is blown and someone ends up dead.”
“I don’t know about that. I’ve seen some real assholes in my time,” Dare rasped. “You may be giving them too much credit.”
“How about that an ethical and professional reporter wouldn’t want to get someone killed?” Tanner said. “Screw the rest of them. They don’t deserve your attention.”
“Just ignore them all,” Logan said. “Walk by and tell them no comment.”
Dare shook his head. “Shit, even as dumb as I am, I know that won’t work.”
Tanner pointed to Logan. “He’s right. It’s not going to work. I have a few friends in the press now that I’m in politics and you need to get your head out of your ass immediately. They’re intending to report on this story and putting you at the middle of it.”
“I won’t be here to be in the middle of it,” Logan said. “Reed and I only came for the day. We’re leaving in the morning. Eli is in charge.”
Seth’s brows shot up. “You’re not going to lead this investigation yourself?”
“I don’t do that anymore,” Logan chuckled. “Ava likes me at home. Even if this turns out to be one of Wade’s loony followers it doesn’t have anything to do with me. Besides, I doubt Eli would want me hanging around his case.”
Eli laughed and shrugged. “Honestly, I’m fine either way. I’ve always been a team player.”
They continued with lunch, talking about the case and just generally catching up. He received a call from his kids at one point who seemed concerned for his well-being. He assured them that he was fine and not in any danger.
They were all exiting the cafe and going to head back to the station when Logan’s phone vibrated with a call from Ava.
“Hey, babe. What’s up?”
“A lot. You need to see something. I want to be crazy but I don’t think that I am.”
Logan stopped on the sidewalk, not liking the tone in his wife’s voice. She didn’t sound like herself. Or maybe a better description was that she didn’t sound…good.
“Are the kids okay?”
“Yes. Yes, the kids are fine. This is about the case. I was looking at the crime scene photos.”
Those were enough to make anyone lose their lunch, although Ava didn’t normally have a weak stomach.
“They’re gruesome. Stop looking at them. I don’t want you not to be able to sleep tonight.”
“It’s not the blood, Logan. It’s the initials. The initials on the men’s thighs. I think I know what they stand for.”
“Holy shit, you figured it out? That’s amazing.” He motioned to the others and then pointed to his phone. “Ava thinks she’s figured out the letters carved into the bodies.”
Everyone’s expression brightened visibly. They could use a break in the investigation.
“I’m sending it over to you now,” Ava said. “But Logan, there’s something else. Did you see how the killer is doing this? He’s got the men handcuffed to a chair and he’s slashing at them, slowly killing them by bleeding to death. Logan, that’s how Wade Bryson intended to kill you.”
He didn’t reply, instead opening the document his wife had sent over. His chest tightened and his stomach twisted in his abdomen as he scanned the contents. He shifted his gaze from the phone screen to his friends.
“I think you all need to look at this.”
If she was right, and she usually was, this changed everything.
Reed’s gaze focused on the paper that Logan had passed around the station. He’d printed it out when they’d returned and they’d all studied it before taking it to the bulletin board. Ava’s call certainly had changed the investigation.
His name was right there next to the initials RM. So were the names of his friends, although not all of them. Dare wasn’t there. Neither was Evan. Yet. That’s what they were talking about.
If Ava was right, then there would be more bodies. Maybe there already were, and they simply hadn’t found them yet.
Eli tapped on the board. “So if Ava has broken the code, we have several open questions. The first one being, is she actually correct? If she is, then why you guys? Clearly this guy is angry, so why is he mad at all of you specifically? And if he’s so pissed off at you, why is he going after surrogates instead of the real thing?”
Seth crossed her arms over his chest, his expression somber. “Those questions are just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got more. Is he going to go after others? Who is next? Has he already chosen his next victim and how in the hell is he selecting them? Because I don’t just want to catch him, I want to stop him from doing this again. Let’s save a life here.”
“My question is what set him off?” Dare asked, settling back in his chair. “You guys, technically, haven’t been working together for almost a decade. Why now?”
“Likely some inciting incident,” Eli replied. “Usually one of the big ones like a death, birth, divorce, or a move. It could also be an anniversary of some sort or maybe something in the news.”
“But we can’t figure out the inciting incident until we have a suspect,” Seth pointed out. “Until then we need to concentrate on keeping him from killing again.”
Drake nodded. “We still have a whole mess of unanswered questions. The most important one being is he done yet? And if he isn’t, how do keep him from killing someone else?”
“It goes back to the victimology,” Tanner said. “How is he choosing them? On the surface, they seem to have a few things in common. The man with my initials, for example, had three kids just like me but from there any resemblance pretty much ends. He’s not going to make this easy for us. For example, if Dare’s next, then is he going to look for a guy with two kids or maybe someone whose wife does tattoos? Or something completely different? From their photos, they don’t look like us. They don’t even come from our towns.”
Eli walked over to the map on the wall. “That’s an excellent point. Three of the men are from Idaho and the other three are from Wyoming. I’m not sure that’s going to help us much at this point in the investigation. It might narrow down where he lives a bit. I’m guessing he’s not in North or South Dakota only because if he’s working alone then he has to transport them. These are healthy males that could hold their own in a fight. He might be drugging them to keep them cooperative. What’s the average time of a knockout drug? Six, maybe 8 hours? I think that’s as far as he could live from where he’s kidnapping his victims.”
“That’s my big question,” Logan said. “How is he getting these men to cooperate and go quietly? The third one, Brian Wells, he was last seen in a home improvement store parking lot. That’s usually a busy place. How did the killer get Brian to follow him and then maybe take some sort of drug?”
“I’m leaning toward him not working alon
e,” Reed said. “As Eli said, these guys weren’t out of shape. They were physically fit and even drugged might have put up a fight. Personally, I wouldn’t want to drag around their dead weight bodies by myself. I think there’s a strong possibility it’s two guys working together.”
“Two sick fucks who somehow found each other,” Tanner remarked. “What is mankind coming to?”
“Nothing good,” Dare said. “I can barely read the news anymore I get so disgusted. What kind of world did Rayne and I bring our children into? It’s getting crazier every damn day.”
“I have a feeling our parents said that, too,” Drake chuckled. “At least mine did. I have a specific memory of my dad when I was about ten saying that the world wasn’t the same anymore and he wished he could turn back the clock.”
“I agree that we need to talk about all of this but so far we’re not talking about the elephant in the room.” Eli pointed to all the men, one by one. “All of this goes back to you. This killer is filled with anger. We need to figure out who has reason to hate your guts enough to want to kill people and carve your initials in their skin. So I ask all of you… Do you have any enemies?”
Inwardly, Reed groaned at the question. This might take awhile.
“And I don’t mean guys that you put in prison years ago,” Eli went on. “This person hates all of you. Collectively. He may hate even more of you if he’s not done. Who has a reason to hate all of you together? Who would want some sort of mental revenge and would kill over it?”
They all exchanged glances, the answer not so simple.
“Wade Bryson,” Logan finally said out loud. “That’s the only person I could think of. He wouldn’t bother with surrogates, though. He’d come right after us.”
“Wade Bryson is dead,” Tanner said. “So it can’t be him. It could be one of his loony groupies. He had plenty of followers over the years, and maybe even more now. Perhaps one of them is upset that we took him out of this world.”
Forgiven Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 14) Page 9
