by Sarah Markel
The Falls City Five
By
Sarah Markel
Author’s Note:
This book is a stand-alone story. Readers may recognize the location and some of the characters from my previous book, The Confessor.
This is only my second attempt at a crime-based novel, and I hope you enjoy it. Please note: this book is not meant as a police-procedural. The lack of investigative process within this story is intentional as I wanted to focus more on the undercover aspect of the operation, and the relationship between Max and Dani.
If you enjoy this story, please check out my other books. All my books are available in e-book form and paperback through Amazon.com. Thanks for reading!
Prologue
Meet me at the Lasco house in 20 minutes.
Bailey Chambers frowned at the message displayed on her screen. She didn’t recognize the out-of-state number.
Who is this?
Bailey set down her phone and picked up her tablet. She was in the middle of reading a book by one of her mother’s favorite authors, and she couldn’t wait to find out which woman was the protagonist’s real wife.
Just meet me. 20 minutes.
Bailey huffed as she typed out her reply. No. Not until you tell me who you are, creeper.
She tossed the phone onto the bed beside her and was just about to resume reading when her phone signaled twice.
Just meet me or I will send this pic to evry1 and post it all over town.
Bailey’s mouth dropped, and her eyes widened in horror. There on her screen was a selfie she had sent to an upper classman. There was nothing overtly inappropriate about the photo itself, but the message she had added across the center of the shot was enough to get her in serious trouble if her mother ever found it.
She had taken the picture while sunbathing with her best friend. The bikini she wore was skimpy, showing off as much skin as legally allowed, while still covering her business. Wanna see what’s underneath? was scrawled in curly script across the picture. The message, combined with the seductive look she’d given the camera, was now coming back to haunt her.
Where did you get that picture? Zeke, this isn’t funny.
Bailey’s eyes narrowed in anger as she jabbed at the phone screen. “Such a dick,” she muttered.
Not Zeke. 15 minutes. Lasco house. Rock Ledge trail.
With a sigh, Bailey glanced at the clock. Her mom would kill her if she went out at this time of night, and there was no way she’d be able to convince Ronnie to let her out.
“Guess I’m going out the window,” she muttered, slipping into her flip-flops. She didn’t bother with a jacket, but did snag her favorite ball cap before climbing through the open window.
Once outside, Bailey stuck to the shadows. She skirted the outside of the house, following the fence line until she reached the gate that led to the path down to the river. As she walked along the bank, Bailey kept her attention on her phone.
The mysterious sender denied being Zeke, which left Bailey wondering how they got her picture. She’d deleted the picture from her phone after sending it, just in case her mother went through her phone again.
When she arrived at Rock Ledge, Bailey waded across to the small island. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of whomever may have texted her. Seeing no one, she tucked her phone under her hat and kicked off her flip-flops.
Despite the early September heat, the water of the Luckiamute River was a shock to her system as she stepped into the shallow water. Careful not to get her head wet, Bailey eased into the deeper waters of the ledge and swam across.
When she reached the small outcrop that led to the back of the Lasco property, Bailey pulled out her phone to check the time. Not knowing who she was supposed to meet made her nervous, and she didn’t want to risk the person making good on their promise. As she looked down at her phone, something pinched the side of her neck.
It wasn’t painful, but the sensation startled her. She glanced around in the darkness, confused when the darkness began to close in on her. She wanted to turn around and go back home, but her legs weren’t responding. As the darkness enveloped her, Bailey had the fleeting impression that she was being lifted off the ground.
Chapter 1
“Great Job, Agents, another case closed,” Supervisory Special Agent Charles Cross greeted as Max and Dani walked into his office, “Are you ready for a few days of down time, yet?”
Agent Mackenzie Prescott, Max to her friends and colleagues, grunted and smiled at the younger woman beside her.
The woman, Agent Daniela Prescott, nodded. Their last two cases had come back-to-back, and the two Agents had barely gotten the chance to shower before being sent off again.
SSA Cross folded his arms over his chest, smiling as he appraised the pair. He’d had his doubts that the married couple could work efficiently with each other, but those doubts had long since fled.
Agent Max Prescott was five-feet-ten-inches of confidence and capability. She’d been with the Behavioral Analysis Unit for six years, and was an astounding profiler. Her eidetic memory and acute hyperawareness of her surroundings still astonished the man.
Agent Dani Prescott was just as efficient as her wife. Five-feet-tall with long, straight red hair and a petite frame, the unassuming twenty-five-year-old was a force to be reckoned with. Fluent in eight spoken languages, as well as American Sign Language, she was also a highly adept lip-reader. Dani’s uncanny ability to hear things that typical people missed was a coveted asset.
Max slung her arm around Dani’s shoulders and stuffed her free hand into her pocket. “Honestly, Cross, I just want to go home and sleep on my own couch.”
Cross’ eyebrow quirked. “On your couch? I figured you’d want to sleep in your own bed. Why the couch?”
Max grinned and tried to stifle a snort. “I may, or may not, have gotten myself in trouble last night.”
Dani’s hands flew to her hips and she stepped away from Max. “May or may not have?” she asked, her blue eyes flashing.
“Uh oh,” Cross mumbled. He’d seen that look in his own wife’s eyes many times over the years. Max had fucked up. “What did, or didn’t you, do?” he asked with a knowing smile.
Max shrugged. “Everyone else thought it was funny,” she defended herself, “Agents Young and Harrison laughed so hard I thought they might wet themselves.”
“It wasn’t funny,” Dani proclaimed, her eyes narrowing into slits.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Cross said, failing to hide his amusement at the look of annoyance on Dani’s pretty, freckled face.
Max cast her superior a mischievous wink. “While the guys were packing up the gear, Dani and I got into an argument. She asked me to grab the ammo case from the top of the cabinet, and I asked her why. She gave me this accusatory glare, like I was being an ass.”
“You are an ass,” Dani cut in. Max grinned at her wife and turned back to Cross.
“She asked what I meant, and said she wasn’t tall enough to reach it. I only asked why, because Young and Harrison were doing the packing. I told her I know she isn’t tall enough, because she isn’t even tall enough to reach a conclusion.”
Cross barked out a laugh. He knew, on a professional front, that he should at least attempt to smother his gaiety, but he couldn’t help it.
“She got all offended and started yelling at me, so, I picked her up and set her on the sill of the open window. Then I said, ‘Come find me when you cool off, Elf on the Shelf,” Max finished, chuckling at her own wit.
Cross doubled over with laughter. Dani managed to keep control of the irritation building inside her and simply huffed as she stormed out of the SSA’s office.
“Oh God, Max,” Cross said, swi
ping away the tears of laughter, “I’m surprised she’s still willing to go home with you. Hannah would have divorced me for a stunt like that.”
Max shrugged and glanced out the door, looking for her wife. She found her, standing in front of their desks with her arms folded across her chest and a glower contorting her beautiful features.
“Go on,” Cross said, once he managed to regain his composure, “Go home and make it up to your woman. There’s no telling when the next case will come in.”
Max smiled and thanked her boss, before hot-footing it out the door and over to her wife. “I love you, Dani,” she said, holding out her hand in truce.
Dani continued to glare at her tall, black haired wife, making no move to accept her hand. “I love you, too, Max. I just don’t like you very much, right now.”
Max stepped closer to the much smaller redhead and slipped her arms around Dani’s waist. “Can I at least try to make it up to you? I promise to be nice,” she said, putting on her most pathetic pout.
Dani gazed up into deep blue eyes. She struggled to hold on to her mask of aggravation, but seeing the promise of affection in Max’s eyes made it impossible. A wide smile spread over her face and she reached up to drape her arms around Max’s neck.
“Oh, alright, I guess. You can try,” she said catching her bottom lip between her teeth.
Max groaned and resisted the urge to kiss Dani. Cross was lenient with them regarding PDA, but the women had agreed to keep their more intimate displays away from the office. They shared the occasional caress, held hands across their desks, and hugged each other frequently, but kissing was something they waited to do until they were alone.
Their last case required the pair to act as if they hated each other, something neither had been keen to do. In order to lure out a murderer who targeted cheating husbands, Max and Agent Harrison posed as a married couple.
Dani was sent in as Harrison’s mistress, and to stage a messy confrontation with Max. The couple had played their parts so well, the killer took the bait and made his move within days.
The man crawled through an open basement window and tiptoed up the stairs, his every move caught by the multitude of cameras set up in anticipation of his arrival. When the man eased into the dark bedroom and raised a hatchet above his head, Dani gave the go order from the safety of the unmarked van down the street.
Max and Harrison sat up in the bed and Agent Young, who had been hiding in the closet, sprang into action. Guns trained on the would-be killer, shouts of “FBI, freeze!” echoed through the house.
A multitude of candid photos were found in the man’s house, proving that he’d spent days stalking Max, Harrison, and Dani. The undercover operation lasted nearly two weeks, physically separating Dani and Max until the arrest was made.
Although a common occurrence for the couple, neither was happy with the arrangement. Now that the case was over, the Prescott’s were eager to just be alone together.
Through all the cases they’d worked together, they’d yet to be undercover in a situation that allowed them to be close to one another. Most times, Max and Dani got plenty of time to spend with each other, after the case was closed. The past year, however, seemed to be one case after another.
The house the couple had purchased before their wedding still had unpacked boxes stacked in the guest room. Max hoped they’d at least get the weekend to themselves, before another case whisked them away.
“Let’s go home, Mrs. Prescott,” she said, stepping back and sliding her hand into Dani’s. The couple waved to Cross, who was watching the pair from his office door, and made their way to the parking structure.
***
“I’m so glad to be in our own home again,” Dani said as she kicked off her low-heeled boots and released her shoulder holster.
“I’m glad we don’t have cameras and other agents watching our every move,” Max supplied, hanging Dani’s holster on the hook beside her own.
“Me too,” Dani sighed, slipping her arms around Max from behind, “It feels like months since you’ve kissed me.”
Max turned within Dani’s embrace and bent to kiss her. Despite the need simmering within each, the kiss was gentle and unhurried. Max’s tongue prodded patiently, and Dani moaned softly as she parted her lips.
“We’ve been so close, but so far apart,” Dani whimpered as Max eased her onto the bed.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Max said, nipping Dani’s bottom lip, “maybe our next case will have us playing a married couple.”
Dani groaned, but her response was swallowed as Max’s searching mouth covered her own. Without another word, the couple lost themselves in one another.
***
“Welcome back, Agent Frost,” Lieutenant Cordelia Weston waved as the attractive blonde entered her new office.
“Hello, Lieutenant,” Frost replied with a smile, “the promotion looks good on you.” SSA Oakley Frost sat in the chair in front of Cordy’s desk. “Where’s Gibson?”
Cordy’s smile faltered momentarily. “He got an offer from Marilynn PD. Since we no longer have a dedicated homicide unit out here, Gibson took the offer and joined Baxter.”
Since closing a case involving a serial killer dubbed The Confessor, the Falls City Police Department had undergone several changes. Due to budget constraints, several units were combined into one. Homicides, robberies, sexual assaults, and kidnappings were now jointly handled by the Major Crimes Unit.
Captain Rick Brandon, formerly the Captain of the Homicide division, still held his rank. As the most senior Captain within the department, Brandon was chosen to remain in his position to oversee the newly formed unit. Cordy’s performance throughout her career had put her in the front running for the Lieutenant position, a promotion she’d gladly accepted.
Although the same promotion had been offered to her partner, Gibson Price had objected to combining the divisions. Lieutenant Steve Baxter had reached out to the man, offering him a transfer and a raise. With his first child on the way, Gibson had made the heartbreaking decision to accept the offer.
“How’s Stormie?” Cordy asked, changing the sore subject, “did she enjoy herself?”
Oakley’s smile lit her brilliant blue eyes. “She did. She’s happy to be home and ready to get back to work, though. The time away helped a lot.”
Following the end of The Confessor case, Oakley and Stormie had taken a leave of absence from their jobs. Being forced to confront their past pain, and reopen old wounds, had taken a toll on both women. The couple had spent the last six months visiting New Zealand, Australia, and Italy.
“I’m glad you two are back. Jenica and I missed hanging out with you,” Cordy said, blushing slightly at the admission. When Oakley and Stormie set out on their vacation, Cordy quickly realized that life seemed lonely without them.
“Me too,” Oakley replied, crossing one leg over the other, “We need to get together this weekend. Stormie has a million pictures she wants to share with you two. Especially the ones she took of Jenica’s family when we stayed with them.”
Cordy laughed. She adored her in-laws, and was eternally grateful that they had offered her friends a place to stay during their visit.
“So,” Oakley said, donning her professional demeanor, “Danvers said you need some help on a case. What have you got?”
Cordy slipped back into work-mode and handed over a case file. “Missing teen, gone four days. Minimal leads, history of running away.”
Frost frowned as she read over the file. “You need FBI help to locate a runaway? Is there a suspicion of foul play or threats against her?”
Cordy shook her head. “No. I need FBI help because we have four other cases of missing girls. All have disappeared within the last three weeks. We’ve canvased the entire town, the surrounding hamlets, and dragged the falls and deepest parts of the river. There’s no trace of the girls. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
Oakley scratched her forehead. “Alright,” she said, “send
over the other case files and we’ll get a profile going. Are you certain the girls were abducted?”
Cordy shook her head again. “I’m not certain of anything. A couple of the girls have the history of running away and they all have quite a bit in common. We’ve spoken to friends and classmates, parents and neighbors, but we’re coming up with very little. So far, the best lead we have is where the girls were last seen.”
“Where were they last seen?” Oakley asked, flipping back to the first page of the report.
“Near the Lasco house,” Cordy replied softly.
Oakley’s head snapped up. “Really?” she asked. Cordy nodded. “Alright,” Oakley said, “I’m taking jurisdiction on the case. I’m going to update Danvers and we will be back tomorrow to get started.”
Chapter 2
“What?” Max grumbled sleepily into her phone.
“Oh, good, you’re awake. Is Dani awake, too?” Cross asked, the forced cheeriness evident in his tired voice.
“Hang on,” Max huffed as she shifted in bed. Tucking the phone against her shoulder, she ran a finger down Dani’s nude spine. “Baby, wake up. Cross is on the phone.”
Dani groaned and mumbled a string of expletives. She rolled onto her back and sat up, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”
Max switched the phone to speaker and rubbed her hand over her wife’s back. “It’s six-fifteen in the morning,” she replied, before shifting her attention to the phone. “Go ahead, Cross.”
“I’m sorry to wake you,” the man said honestly, “but we have a case. Briefing is at seven.”
“Dammit,” Dani huffed, crossing her arms over her exposed breasts, “So much for a break between cases.”
Max hung up the phone and stretched. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said, pressing a kiss to Dani’s shoulder, “At least we managed to get one day this weekend.”
The couple had spent the whole of Saturday in bed, reconnecting in the most carnal of ways. Since their wedding the previous year, they had learned to cherish each moment they had at home.
