Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) Read online

  Jaxon raised her hand. “Director?”

  He glanced over, fighting not to roll his eyes at her insistence of getting their attention that way. “Yes?”

  “What if I had a way to obtain a pretty close likeness of her face, but it would take some time?”

  He stared at her, intrigued at the conversation. “How much time, and does it involve spells, Voodoo, or witchcraft?”

  Everyone laughed but the doctor. Obviously, she couldn’t tell by his dead serious face and tone that he was kidding.

  “Uh, I wouldn’t be using any of those things, and you could have the girl’s face by tomorrow at the latest.”

  That had his attention. From everything he’d learned about the woman in front of him, she was good at her job. Now he was curious to see what angle she was playing.

  “Tell me more.”

  “If you can get me the skull, I can reconstruct her face. I hate doing it, because I prefer to see them as bones, but I can add markers and clay and bring her back to life.”

  This was an interesting little tidbit. Ethan had no idea that she had skills as a forensic artist. He assumed she was only an anthropologist.

  His mistake.

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “Yes. My mother was an art teacher before she met my father. We had tutors, but she taught us to paint, sculpt, and draw.”

  Ethan was just handed a little break, and he could pass that on to the family. If this woman could pull it off, they would have their first victim’s face.

  “Come with me,” he said, heading back into the morgue room. “Keep digging,” he ordered his agents.

  Once inside, Chris Leonard was already working on the last woman with the most flesh, and Doctor Magnus was examining the bones of their first victim.

  Ethan knew this was going to be the hard part. Chris was very protective of his remains. He didn't like anyone touching them, since they were still people to him. When he stared at him over his glasses, he already knew something was up.

  “Uh oh. What now?”

  “I need that skull.”

  Chris put his scalpel down as he waited for the punchline to the joke. Surely, it was coming.

  “Doctor Armstrong has just informed us that she has the skill to do a forensic facial reconstruction. Our first victim doesn’t have enough for DNA and there are no photos online. I don’t want to go charging into her family’s house with false hope.”

  “No.”

  “Chris, you know I wouldn’t be asking unless I was out of options.”

  Tony turned to face the man he considered a brother. They’d served side by side in the trenches of the FBI. They were a family, and like he’d adopted Chris’s wife, Tony was hoping for the same thing.

  “You know how I feel about this. That’s not something to mess with. That’s someone’s loved one. We don’t even know if she can pull it off.”

  Jaxon said nothing. She had no doubt what she could pull off, if given the chance.

  If there was one thing that Ethan had learned over the last year, it was that Chris was very passionate about the dead. They mattered to him.

  “Chris, please?” Tony asked, hoping his friend wouldn’t let him down. From here on out, Jaxon would come first. “She’s a damn good anthropologist, and she’d never allow anything to happen to our victim.”

  “Her name is Ruth, and I can give her back to her family,” Jaxon offered, touched that Tony would come to her rescue.

  Chris saw the emotion in his friend’s eyes, and he understood.

  The line was drawn. This had the potential of coming between them if he didn't bend.

  “Okay, but she works in here. If at any time she compromises the victim’s skull, she’s done.”

  It was the best they were going to get.

  Tony grinned wickedly as he picked their victim’s skull off the table. “I’ll help apply the markers,” he offered.

  As the two went over to a spare table to dig out the things they’d need from the tech kits, Ethan focused on his ME. “What do you have for me to start working? My agents gave me Ruth’s name, but they haven’t found anything on victims two and three yet.”

  “Our tech team pulled some trace, but as to who it belongs to, that’s going to remain up in the air. It could have been the killer, or the dig team. They weren’t wearing gloves and most didn't have their hair pulled back when they were working.”

  That was just great.

  This was going to be a bog of evidence to process. Meredith was going to be busy.

  “I’m going to start pulling DNA and running it soon, sir,” Merry offered. “We’re getting everyone who worked on the site done first. It’ll only put us behind a little bit.”

  He was glad to hear that.

  “We’re going to head out for a while, so I need you to be in charge, Chris. Lock the doors and tell the team no one goes in or out of here without a buddy. I don’t like what happened today, and I don’t want to risk our people.”

  He understood. “Will you be taking the same precautions, Director?”

  “We’re going to try. Callen and I are going to head out and dig up some information,” he stated, motioning toward the door. When his brother followed, they made sure it was locked up before they got into the Denali.

  “Really, where are we going?” Callen asked.

  “To the local eatery.”

  Callen stared at him. “You’re hungry after standing in autopsy? The smell alone was enough to pickle my innards. This has to be a first for you.”

  “No, I’ve got something else on my mind. We’re not looking for food,” he stated, dropping on his sunglasses. “We’re searching for gossip. Where’s the best place to find it?”

  “At a diner with a potentially nosey waitress?”

  Blackhawk nodded. “You’re learning.”

  Yeah, he really was.

  * * *

  Oracle was making her bat shit insane. Chasing the woman down was almost as hard as running a full FBI office. Avalon was stealthy and sneaky.

  One minute she’d be sitting there, Elizabeth would get a coffee, and POOF! She was gone. Soon, she was going to suggest putting a bell on her to make their lives easier. Elizabeth wondered if Gabe would mind if they lo-jacked the president’s BFF.

  If Jagger was smart, while she was gone, he’d do just that. At the least, keep her trapped by duct taping her to a chair. At this point, Elizabeth wouldn’t say no to that option either.

  When she finally found the woman, she was on one of the balconies. Below her was the Marine swimming in the pool. Once more, it made Elizabeth edgy.

  For a blind lady, she was doing a good job checking out the nearly naked man below.

  “Nice view,” Elizabeth stated, referring to the near naked Marine, not the swampy surroundings.

  Avalon turned toward her, lines of confusion etched into her pale face. “He doesn’t know that his father is still alive, does he?”

  That caught Elizabeth off guard.

  Damn her and this bullshit!

  What the fuck was going on?

  Yeah, this was one cat that couldn’t be let out of the bag.

  “No, and he’s not going to. If you let that spill, that’s going to be one hell of a mess.”

  Yeah, and the US Marshals would be burning her body in effigy at their main office as they danced around some sand circle to curse her.

  “If he asks…”

  “Avalon, his father was a bad man. Jagger and his sister are happier now not knowing. Let them have that peace until they need to know the truth. That’s all I’m asking. I don’t give a fuck about the marshals, or the man in question. I don’t want two people’s lives tossed upside down over a heartless bastard.”

  She paused, tipping her head to the side.

  That simple motion creeped Elizabeth out. It was very reminiscent of a broken doll from some horror movie, as she appeared to look through Elizabeth’s body.

  Like she was searching.

&n
bsp; Seeking.

  “Deal, unless he asks. I don’t lie.”

  “You better learn how to, and fast. As a woman, we need to have that skill in our repertoire when it comes to the men in our lives,” she joked.

  When she looked confused, Elizabeth had to ask, “You’ve never been with a man?”

  She shook her head. That wasn’t necessarily the truth. There was that man in her one dream. He was the one she was waiting to find her.

  “Holy shit! We have a lot to talk about. I’m heading out soon, but I’ll fill you in on as much as possible.”

  “Like a crash course?” Avalon asked, taking the offered hand being held out to her.

  “Yes, just like that.”

  Avalon let Elizabeth lead her away. “Can we start with how you manage to balance two men?”

  Elizabeth laughed. “I think I can tell you a thing or two about my life.”

  “You won’t leave out any details, will you?”

  She found the woman funny. “I think I can get your heart rate up a little bit.”

  Avalon smiled. “That sounds nice.”

  * * *

  Blackhawk liked spending time with the man beside him. As they were sitting in the diner, they had the chance to listen to gossip and just be brothers.

  It was nice.

  “Dad called me before,” Callen offered, all the while focusing on everything around him.

  “How’s things at the fort?” he asked.

  Callen shrugged. “He mentioned that the new housekeeper is doing an amazing job, but the kids are a little off their game. They miss their momma bird.”

  Didn't they all?

  Here came the guilt.

  “Do you think they’ll be okay? I mean, we had it pretty rough without our mothers. Well, you did. I’m glad mine died. You don’t think this is damaging them, do you?” Callen asked.

  “Children are resilient. Ours will be fine once they see her again,” Ethan reassured.

  “Maybe we can fire Cindy and get Elizabeth to stay home full time.”

  The coffee sloshed over the lip of Ethan’s cup. “Say that again?”

  “I've been thinking about it. Maybe Elizabeth should retire. We could have more kids, she could be at home with them, and we’d have a normal life.”

  Ethan sat back in his chair and studied his brother. It wasn’t that he’d never thought the same thing, but he knew in reality that it would never happen. Being a Fed was who Elizabeth was inside and out. She was a mother too, and balanced it pretty well.

  “She’ll never go for it, Cal.”

  “Damn it! Why not?” he blurted, garnering attention from the next table. “Sorry.”

  Ethan leaned forward. “Cal, I love you, and I love Elizabeth. She’s fulfilled, and this is just a minor bump in the road. If she quit her job, she’d suffer. I know you miss her, but we have to hang in there and just suck it up. Nathaniel Carter is getting Oracle in a few weeks, and I’m working on a safe place for her. Lyzee will be coming home soon.”

  Callen sighed. “I’m just edgy.”

  He could see that.

  “It’s okay, bro. It’s coming to an end, and soon. You can look forward to the welcome home sex.”

  His smile brightened. “Yeah, there is that.”

  When the waitress approached, Ethan ordered some food. The coffee was burning a hole in his gut. “Excuse me, Selma. Can I ask you a question or two?” he inquired, giving her the best Blackhawk grin that he could muster.

  “Sure thing,” the woman replied.

  “We’re with the FBI,” he offered, pulling back the side of his suit jacket. When her eyes went big, he continued, “We’re investigating some women who went missing from this area. Have you heard anything?”

  She snapped her gum as she pondered the question. “Well, I’m datin’ this man named Freddy, and he said one of the girls he hired to work the ice cream stand stopped showing up. In fact, she never told him why she quit.”

  That could be a lead or a dead end.

  It was a tossup.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know her name, would you?”

  She tried to think about it. “It was Stacy,” she said, pausing. “No, it was Jacey. That’s right. I don’t recall him mentioning her last name, but you can head on over to the ‘Twist and Shout’ and ask him yourself. Tell him that I sent you.”

  When she wandered away, Callen grinned. “You were right. This place is a good way to get leads.”

  “I keep telling everyone that I was a Fed before Lyzee. I think I can hold my own. I might not solve them like she does, but I do have some redeeming qualities,” he stated, as the waitress dropped two large burgers in front of them.

  “Yeah, you do.”

  Before Ethan could take a bite of his, the cell at his hip began ringing. Glancing down, he took note of his agent’s name across the screen.

  “Blackhawk,” he stated.

  “Director, you wanted us to call if we found anything, and Johanna and I located a picture to go with the name of our possible first victim.”

  That was great news.

  “How?”

  “We found an archive online for the town’s local 4-H club. It seems that Ruth Hildebrant raised a few prize chickens for the competition.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “Well, she had her picture taken for the newspaper. Do you want me to take this in to Doctor Armstrong so she can stop working on her skull?”

  That was the last thing he wanted. Ethan Blackhawk was one to take advantage of all the little gifts that the crime solving gods were willing to offer up. If he could get a forensic artist, he might be able to add Jaxon to his staff.

  Granted, he had an anthropologist, but he could wiggle in a backup one with another skill. Gabe wouldn’t question it as much.

  He hoped.

  “No. I want to see what she can do. Keep this quiet until later. Callen and I will go interview the family, but we won’t mention that she’s dead. It’ll be more of a follow up to her going missing than anything else.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  “Did you find anything else?” he asked hopefully.

  “Nothing yet, sir. I don’t think the sheriff here uses electronic missing person reports. I can’t find anything logged online in our system.”

  Ethan wouldn’t be surprised. “That’s okay. I need you to run a place called the ‘Twist and Shout’. See if they pay taxes and claim employees. I want some information on a girl named Jacey. I don’t have a last name, yet.”

  “Will do,” Broderick Seaton offered, hanging up.

  Callen finished chewing a bite of his food. “That was pretty tricky. Are you checking the doctor’s credibility?”

  Ethan picked up his burger. “No. I’m trying to find a way to keep her on staff so Tony doesn’t mope around like a giant lost puppy when he’s back in-house. The second she has to head back to Gabe and Quantico, we risk losing him. That’s a bad deal for us. It took Elizabeth over a decade to train him. Why mess with perfection?”

  Whitefox laughed. “You’re just as bad as our Cupid. You know that, right? I don’t buy that you’re not trying to keep her here for a friend’s heart.”

  “I’m just doing what needs to be done as a boss.”

  Callen noticed his brother didn't look him in the eyes. Yeah, it was total BS. He knew better. “You keep trying to convince yourself of that, Ethan.”

  This time, Ethan couldn’t help but smile. Apparently, he was transparent.

  “I’m just trying to make my wife proud.”

  In fact, that’s all Ethan Blackhawk wanted. When she finally returned, he wanted her to know they’d held it together for her.

  Or at least they tried.

  * * *

  Chris Leonard was a man of science and watching the woman in front of him, he wasn’t buying it. Best buddy’s girl or not, it just wasn’t happening. When it came down to finding the truth, guessing and estimating wouldn’t cut it.

  Like no
w.

  Jaxon was quickly applying clay over the little foam markers that she’d placed over the victim’s skull. While that was precise, the rest was… hooey.

  She was guessing.

  And it was driving him insane.

  There was a reason his lab had the best record out of all the FBI satellite offices around the country. Doctor Christopher Leonard didn't let them speculate or guess.

  They went on cold, hard facts and nothing less.

  Yet, Chris could tell by the look on his buddy’s face that Tony Magnus was a goner. Now, Chris was wondering if he’d looked the same way at one time when Cyra was around.

  If he did, he owed them all an apology.

  Yet that wasn’t his biggest concern. Was Tony being lured to the dark side of guessing?

  If he was, could he find his way back?

  Chris was worried.

  “What do you think?” Jaxon asked her fiancé as she wiped her fingers on the towel he’d handed her. Tony had been standing over her shoulder, watching the process. While it should have bothered her, it didn't. His gentle fingers remained on the back of her white lab coat as he stroked her back reassuringly.

  “I think you nailed the maxilla. That’s the best looking jawline I’ve ever seen. Well, maybe except for yours.”

  Chris rolled his eyes as he tried to stifle a laugh. Yeah, his best friend was lost.

  Who would have seen it coming?

  “I should be done by tonight. I have to admit that this is very cathartic.”

  “And not a science,” muttered Chris.

  Tony glanced up, hearing his friend’s comment. “Knock it off, Chris.”

  The tone said it all.

  Yet, Chris couldn’t do it. He was a man of science and this was his job. He ran the team and had to answer for any screw ups.

  “I’m just being logical.”

  “Well, keep it to yourself,” replied Tony, his aqua eyes firing. “She’s doing a damn good job, and Doctor Armstrong is an equal here.”

  She tensed beneath his fingers.

  The last thing she wanted was for the two men to get angry. Jaxon knew that the ME was Tony’s family.