Heaven is Weeping (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 5) Read online

  Now, she pictured stabbing her new partner in the eyes with a fork--a rusty one that would give him gangrene.

  “He was shot in the line of duty four months ago. He took that bullet to keep me from dying,” she stated. “I would also prefer you didn't use the word ‘cripple’. It’s very demeaning and pisses me off.”

  Joe was a good agent. He could see this was her hot button, and he intended to dig deeper. When he’d first met Tessa Brass, he was enthralled. He’d never seen eyes that green before. Plus, there was something about her full lips and tipped up nose. She looked like some wicked wood sprite.

  Now, he needed to see if he had a chance. While he wouldn’t break up a marriage, they weren’t at the altar quite yet.

  He still could make it work.

  “So, you’re marrying him out of obligation?”

  This conversation was getting worse and worse. Tessa was struggling to keep calm. “No, I’m actually marrying him because I love him. His being in a wheelchair has nothing to do with it.”

  It was time to switch it up.

  “He’s a profiler? Do you really believe in all that mind fucking?”

  Before working with Paris, she was wary. Tessa honestly believed that a cop was good because of his or her gut. Then, she’d met Paris. He’d proved her wrong. “He’s very astute and can read people very well. I trust him one hundred and ten percent. In fact, I won’t ever trust anyone more than him.”

  Joe could see that this was going to be tough.

  “Is he really a doctor?”

  “Yes, he has a Ph.D. in criminal psychology and deviant behaviors.”

  “Well, since he doesn’t have his legs, at least he has his brains.”

  Tessa stared at the man, trying to stay calm. She recalled all the times that Paris had told her to breathe. She was going to try and do just that. This was going to be a tough day in the field.

  God, how she wished Paris was at her side.

  “For the record, and the last thing that I plan on discussing about my fiancé, is that he has a lot more going for him than just his brain.”

  “Yeah, that’s a tough break though. You can’t be a cop without your legs. I’d swallow my gun if that happened to me.”

  Right at that moment, Tessa wanted to see that happen.

  Yes, it was wrong, but she was very protective of Paris. She always would be.

  He was her heart.

  “Let’s get this interview over with. I want to get back to the bosses to check in.”

  Tessa hopped out of the Denali and headed toward the casino. Once inside, it was hard not to be calm. While there was chaos all around them, it was like a circus inside. There were balloons and clowns all over the place.

  Vegas had many interesting places, but this one was friendly and oddly warm. When a clown saw her gun and made her a balloon one, she smiled. Then, when he sprayed her partner with a fake flower filled with water, she could have kissed him on his big, red nose.

  Navigating their way through the crowds, they finally found the restaurant in the back. It was a steak place, and looked pretty fancy. While there were clowns out front, there were only serious faces inside.

  After pulling their badges, they were escorted to the kitchen where the chef was busily working on his prep.

  “Are you Jordan Harris?” Tessa asked, flashing her badge.

  “Yes.”

  “We’re here to talk to you about your wife, Zara.”

  He stopped working. “Is she okay? When I get my hands on her for pulling this stunt, I just may strangle her.”

  Well, that had their attention, since that’s how she died.

  “She’s dead, sir.”

  There was no softening of the blow. Tessa had more confirmation that that her partner was an asshole all the way around. He’d just dropped a bomb on a man who was holding a large butcher knife. If he was the killer, they had a problem.

  “What?”

  “Her body was found yesterday,” stated Tess. “We’re so sorry for your loss.”

  He didn't cry, but he did lean back against the counter as unshed tears filled his eyes.

  “How?”

  They went into the details that they could give, and then some. Again, brash Joe Longfellow went too far, telling man she was scalped.

  Croft was going to do the same to them once he found out. That was a key part of the investigation. If this man leaked it to the media, the entire team was up shit’s creek without a paddle.

  The more her partner spoke, the more Tessa was beginning to believe that she was being secretly recorded, and someone was going to jump out and say she was being punked.

  It had to be it.

  This man was just ridiculous.

  “I can’t believe this,” he said, wiping his eyes. “We had a fight, and I really believed that she was off somewhere trying to make me suffer.”

  “Did you fight often?” Tessa asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Zara is my total opposite. While I’m stable and like to work all the time, she’s a gypsy. She didn't believe in rules. She’d wander the world the rest of her life, if she could.”

  “I can’t believe she was murdered.” He paused. “I’m sorry, but that’s a lie. Zara was wild. I’m not shocked.”

  Tessa began making notes. “How about you walk us through it?”

  “My wife liked lots and lots of sex. In fact, the wilder it was the better. She was always asking me to do crazy things, like tie her up, spank her, or pretend I’m someone I’m not. I like plain old sex. I stand sixteen hours a day, so the last thing I want is some elaborate plan to get some.”

  Tessa glanced up. “Was she having an affair?”

  He paused, trying to decide what to say.

  “Sir, we can’t help find her killer if you don’t tell us everything.”

  “She was having an online fling. She’d log into some chat rooms, flirt with some men, but to my knowledge, she never met them.”

  They stared at him.

  “I know. It makes me seem like an idiot, and also likely the one who killed her. I love my wife. I just couldn’t fulfill her needs. When you care about someone, you have to try to make them happy. So, if her calling some man daddy online meant keeping our home intact, I’d swallow it. We hadn’t been intimate in over a month.”

  Tessa could feel her partner staring at her. If he even went there, she was going to kick his ass. There was no way she’d hurt Paris like that.

  Never.

  “We’re going to need her computer.”

  He nodded. “You can swing over and get it. We have a housekeeper. I’ll call her and notify her to let you in. I’m going to stay here and work. When I’m here, I don’t have to think. I don’t want to deal with her death right now. It breaks my heart.”

  Tessa felt bad for Jordan Harris.

  “We’re sorry for your loss, sir,” Tessa said, patting him on the shoulder. After giving him the basic information on how to get in contact with her or the FBI, they were on their way.

  Outside the restaurant, Tessa shook her head. She couldn't imagine how empty that man had to feel. When she nearly lost Paris, she wanted to die.

  If he was gone…?

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, his words just resonated with me.”

  Joe saw a chance. “Well, he had a good point. If he wasn’t taking care of her needs, then he was right to let her be happy. I don’t think he did anything wrong.”

  She stared at him. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  Tessa started heading through the casino.

  “So, how about it?” he asked.

  She stopped to stare at him. “What?”

  “Want to have dinner with me? If the cripple can’t make you happy, your partner can.”

  Tessa didn’t know if it was when he patted her on her ass, or as he once more called Paris that horrible word. All she did know was she lost it.

  Big time.

  When he laughed, adding
insult to injury, Tessa did the one thing she could.

  She knocked her overbearing dick of a partner on his ass with one shot to his face. As he crumbled to the ground, she was filled with satisfaction and fear.

  Now, she was going to have to face her boss.

  There was no doubt in her mind.

  Greyson Croft was going to go shit nuts on her.

  ~ Chapter Five ~

  Homicide Precinct

  Thursday afternoon

  The team began trickling back in with all their information. As they took their seats, the only two agents who were missing were Tessa and Joe Longfellow. Paris was getting edgy and visibly agitated.

  “Brynn and Curtis--go get a coffee,” their boss stated. It was crystal clear that he wanted some privacy.

  It was discussion time.

  When they were gone, he stared over at his profiler. “Spill it.”

  Paris knew better than to lie to the man. He was smart and saw through just about everything. Plus, he was his friend. He’d gotten the chance to see the other side of Greyson Croft. The man was kind and very protective with the people he loved.

  “This was my worst nightmare,” he stated. “I was afraid that Tessa would have another partner in the field.”

  “Yeah, but you’re the one she picked to spend the rest of her life with. You’re golden, Paris. Since you’re a smart man, you know that letting Joe Longfellow get to you is going to damage what you have.”

  Emma agreed. “Tessa loves you. If you’re going to marry her, you need to trust her. With marriage comes many more issues that will sideline you. Trust the girl.”

  He took a deep breath. “I know. I’m trying. I just look at him and see…”

  Paris couldn’t even finish it. The words hurt him too much. What he wanted was his legs back, but at what cost? He had to make the sacrifice for Tessa to live.

  He wouldn’t take back that choice.

  It was worth it.

  “Let’s just work. I need to keep my mind busy.”

  Croft headed to the door and whistled. His agent and Detective Westmore carried in three more coffees.

  “Let’s start the official profile,” stated Paris Archer. “I’m ready when you four are.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Tessa and Joe?” Briggs asked.

  “No, they’re late. You know my rule,” Croft said, taking his coffee and getting comfortable beside Emma. Immediately, she leaned into his body.

  It was familiar.

  Comfortable.

  Perfect.

  Paris threw himself into his work in order to forget. “Our killer is going to be in his thirties or forties. I definitely think it’s a man, even if we removed the possible sex. He’s preying on females, and that’s typically a male response to a sexual preference.”

  They were with him so far.

  “This predator isn't a genius. If he was smart, he wouldn’t have left them together in the desert. By putting them in the same grave, he’s showing that it was done in haste or that he’s familiar with this area. An older, more calculated killer would have left them all over the place. There’s more likelihood that you’d find one, but not all three. He made it easy.”

  Croft got that. “What else?”

  “If that’s his sperm, which was found, it shows that this is his first batch of killings. With time and practice, a killer gets better. He hones and refines his skills. This one is an amateur. That’s good and bad news.”

  They all glanced up from their notes.

  “How so?” asked Brynn.

  Emma had this one. “It makes him easier to catch because he’s leaving us a trail, but it also makes him harder to predict. He’s not going to have a pattern for long.”

  “Exactly,” Paris stated. “We know he likes brunettes, but that’s about it. Other than all three bodies in the same hole, the pattern stops here. We discovered his hiding place, so he’s going to find another location to use.”

  “Is he challenging us?” Croft asked. He personally hated killers who made this a game.

  “I don’t think so, but I’ll know more when Tessa reports in, and we see who he kills next.”

  “So, it’s definitely going to happen?” Brynn asked.

  “Since he’s having sex with them prior to their deaths, he’s not going to be able to quit. It would be like asking any of the men here to stop having intercourse.”

  Paris was personally living that hell. It was as if his body and libido were on lockdown. He didn't wish this on anyone.

  “It’s going to be a matter of time. At some point, he’s going to make his next move. We just have to hope we catch him in the act, or at least can use the next victim’s death as a way to stop him.”

  “Is there a reason he’s only after brunettes?” Curtis asked. “I’m partial to them myself, but I dated blondes, redheads, raven haired beauties, and even…”

  He didn't get to finish, because Brynn elbowed him in the rib cage. From the look on his face, she wasn’t gentle about it either.

  Paris laughed. It felt good to have that one moment of levity. “All men have a preference. I never thought about it before Tessa, but now I have a specific type that I’m drawn to. He is too. It’s likely because of something that happened in his past. Maybe she reminds him of his wife, a lover, or possibly even his mother.”

  “Oh boy,” Croft stated.

  “Yes, we may have a classic case of Oedipus complex.”

  Brynn wasn’t familiar with that. “What the hell is that? Why does it sound totally painful?”

  Paris tried to explain it in the simplest terms. “It’s where the child lusts after the parent of the opposite sex.”

  “Ugh, I’m sorry I asked.”

  “Yeah, he may have a mother fixation, or he may just like brunettes. Either way, sex is going to be the connector between it. It’s setting off something in him, causing this reaction.”

  “Is that why he’s not taking hookers?” Croft asked, impressed with his profiler. In the short months since being shot, Doctor Paris Archer had come into his own.

  The man had grown into the profiler role, and he was proud of him.

  “Yes. In this case, it was probably likely that he came from a single parent home, where the mother wasn’t abusive, but she tended to be over loving. She was likely his best friend, made him cookies, and tucked him in at night way into his teens. Then at some time during his early formative years, he fell in love.”

  “This creeps me out,” stated Brynn. “My parents were awesome, but I never once thought I wanted to sleep with my father.”

  Paris shrugged. “We learn our tendencies from the opposite sex parent. Let’s look at the boss. We’ve all seen him woo Emma with flowers, loving glances, and gentle touches. Now, how did your parents act around you and your brother?”

  Croft thought about it. “To this day, my father still does the same things for my mom. They have an amazing marriage.”

  “How does your mom react?”

  “She loves it, giggles, and then sits in his lap.”

  Emma winked at her husband. That was very much how she reacted to his romantic gestures.

  Paris continued, “So, while growing up, the director saw this and knew that was how he wanted his wife to respond. He mimics his father’s actions, and thusly follows what he was taught by watching.”

  It made sense.

  “I didn't have parents,” Curtis admitted. “My grandmother raised me.”

  “What kind of woman was she?” Paris asked.

  “Funny, kind, and liked to do things for people,” he stated. “That’s why she probably took me in when she didn't have to.”

  Croft knew this was a sore point for his friend. “You’re just like that, and she was the opposite sex parent.”

  Paris continued, “We’re going to look for a man who maybe had a mother he loved, but when she was with someone, she wasn’t strong. He views women as weak and something he can control, but he also loves them. He’s definitely
conflicted.”

  “I appreciate all this insight, Paris,” Greyson said. “You did a damn good job with very little to go on. Thank you.”

  Paris didn't mind. “I’m glad I can help, Director. Do you need me to assist the agents in going through all the data? My workload is pretty light. I only have one other case I’m profiling.”

  Yeah, and it would help him stay busy. If he wasn’t thinking about how his relationship with Tessa was dying, maybe he’d get through another day.

  “You can help out all you want,” he stated.

  Curtis was thrilled. That meant lighter paperwork duty for them. He was down with that.

  Before Croft could say anything more, his phone began ringing. Looking at the caller ID, he noticed it was a local police number. That was odd, since he was sitting in the police station with his cop.

  “Hello?”

  He listened, trying to stay calm. Croft didn't want to alarm anyone in the room, specifically Paris. “Yes, can you meet me at my office?”

  There was a pause. “Uh huh. Yeah, I’ll handle it.”

  Hanging up, he glanced over at his people. “I was going to say I was heading out for the day to work at home, but something came up. You can all head out at normal time. Emma, honey, can you catch a ride home with Curtis?”

  “Are you okay?” she asked, worried about her husband. He was flushing beneath his collar. That meant something bad was coming for him.

  Heads were likely to roll.

  “Yes, but I just had an agent issue pop up. I’ll handle it and be home before you know it.”

  With that, he stood. On his way out, he was trying to be rational. There had to be a reason that his agent had been arrested for a brawl.

  When he found out what was up with Tessa Brass, there was only one thing he could do.

  Kill her!

  Right after he shook some sense into her…

  * * *

  FBI Vegas

  Thursday Late Afternoon

  When Greyson Croft arrived in his office, his agent was sitting there in handcuffs. There was a cop with her, holding her badge and gun.