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

  They needed her.

  When they released her, Elizabeth spoke, “Now, how about we get down to business and you tell me what you have?”

  The men could do that.

  “It’s good to have you back,” Chris said. “No offense, Ethan.”

  The man laughed. “None taken, I think.”

  “Oh, while we’re sharing the love, I have a few messages,” she said, glancing over at Jaxon. “Jagger sends his love. He wanted me to give you a kiss, but after seeing how crazy Tony gets, I’ll just blow you one instead. I don’t want to make him even more of a crazed mess.”

  “Hey!”

  Jaxon was shocked. “You saw Jagger? Really? You know where my brother is?”

  She didn't want to give too much away. “I’ve been hanging out with him for the last month. We had something to handle in a joint venture for the military and FBI.” She left it at that.

  Jaxon blanched. “Uh, he wasn’t inappropriate…was he?” she asked, getting nervous. This was after all her boss, and her brother was the king of pick up lines.

  “He grabbed my ass a few times, but that’s it.”

  Callen choked on his coffee, spitting it out. “What?” His head whipped around until his woman was his sole focus. “Someone grabbed your ass and you didn't tell us?” Ironically, that had happened to him. Now, he only hoped that this wasn’t his karma for not telling her.

  Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. He knew their woman liked to rile Callen up. Surely, if another man grabbed her ass, he’d be dead.

  Or at least that was his hope.

  “Kidding, lust monkey,” she replied, tormenting him further. Yeah, it was damn good to be back!

  The doctors all started laughing.

  “Seriously, Lyzee? I hate that damn nickname,” he scolded. “We’re going to discuss this later in the privacy of our room.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Absolutely, Callen.” Then, she focused on the woman staring at her. “You have nothing to worry about. He was mostly a gentleman. Right now, he’s holding down the fort, so I could come help dig you all out of the crazy pit. When this is over, I’ll be going back to wrap it up.”

  Both men hated that.

  Loathed.

  Despised.

  Detested the mere idea.

  Jaxon looked hopeful. “Is he okay? I haven’t seen him in almost eight months. Is he eating? Was he happy? Did he look okay? Tell me that he didn't cover himself in more tattoos.”

  She was touched by the love the woman had for her brother, and amused by the barrage of questions. “Yeah, he’s great, he is covered in tattoos, and he sends his love.”

  “Did he ask about me?” she inquired, her eyes filling with tears.

  Elizabeth knew the woman needed to know he was okay. “Yeah, he did. In fact, he sent a message to ‘the old man who is molesting his sister’,” she began. Okay, maybe those weren’t his exact words, but she was allowed to have some fun.

  That had Tony’s attention. “What? Seriously? I’m not that much older than her, and really it’s not molestation. She’s an active participant.”

  “Do tell,” Elizabeth said.

  Jaxon looked horrified.

  Elizabeth was entertained. This was fun turning it around on the doctor. Generally, when in the morgue, it was her sex life being questioned.

  Tony opened and closed his mouth.

  “I'm kidding, guys. He said he’s going to kick your ass. Okay, so onto work related business.”

  Tony’s eyes got big. “What?”

  Elizabeth hopped up onto one of the metal tables, ready to get started. She chose to ignore her anthropologist, only because she could.

  “Someone tell me about our killer.”

  They had no choice.

  They put it all aside.

  ~ Chapter Six ~

  It was easy to see the working dynamic was back. It was just like every other case, only the victims, who they were sent to find justice for, were different. Elizabeth sat on a steel table, waiting for the information as Callen sat beside her, protectively guarding what was theirs. Ethan, as usual, leaned aloofly against a wall, making notes in his phone for the profile already building in his mind.

  It was their team.

  This was the core of who they were.

  “Tell me about the three new victims, Christopher,” Elizabeth stated. While she could just as easily read the files, it burrowed itself better into her mind when she heard it spoken out loud.

  Pulling on his gloves before drawing the sheets back from their bodies, he began, “Our three victims were all strangled. I didn't find anything on them which would give me any clues as to who did it. I sent any trace I found to Merry, who is processing it now. Our biggest issue, and what may hinder us the most, is that they were in the ground. The land here is very high in mineral composition.”

  Elizabeth stopped him. “Chris, maybe your honeymoon made you loopy, and you have Cyra on the brain, but I don’t want what you don’t know. Try giving me what you do know. That’s generally how I roll when I need to solve a case.”

  He grinned. “Oh, gee, thanks for that one, boss lady. I wasn’t aware how this worked. I’m so very new at this.”

  She shook her head in amusement at the sarcasm.

  God!

  She missed this!

  “Our last victim was sexually assaulted. While still decomposing, I was able to swab for some trace. She had sex likely before death. The sample won’t pull DNA, but it will tell you that your killer is a sadist.”

  Ethan glanced up. “Was she bound?” he asked, working on the details he would need for his wife.

  “Yes, but I didn't pull that from the autopsy. That was all from the anthro doctors. If you want more on that, I suggest browbeating the other half of the team,” Chris offered, grinning.

  The focus in the room switched to the anthropologists.

  “What do you know?” asked Elizabeth. From the smile on his face, she was well aware what was coming. This wasn’t her first day at the tech team rodeo.

  “I’ll need to do some show and tell.”

  The men groaned.

  “Elizabeth, hop up on the table and get into position.”

  She looked at him warily. “I’m pregnant, Tony. I’m not having you climb up there to pretend to kill me.”

  “What if I told you I’ve lost my taste for show and tell, and this time you could pick either Callen or Ethan to do it?” Yeah, the idea of having someone faux kill Jaxon freaked him out. Now he understood why the other two directors were worked up when he did it to their woman.

  She relaxed. It wasn’t that she didn't trust Dr. Magnus. It was just that this was Ethan’s child, so he was super protective. Who could blame him?

  “Okay, I can do that—rock, paper, scissors for it, boys.”

  They did just that, and Ethan grinned triumphantly. “I get to climb on the wife in the morgue. Today is my lucky day.”

  “Damn,” muttered Callen, trying to be a good sport, but he couldn’t help it. The men looked forward to these little moments of touching their girl. It was odd for his brother to beat him.

  As she got into position, Ethan slipped out of his suit jacket, handing it to his brother.

  “I swear you cheated,” Callen stated. He liked this kind of show and tell. He recalled the one time on assignment where he lucked out and was able to have that kind of contact. It was forever burned into his memory.

  Ethan stood on a chair. “What do you need me to do, Doctor?”

  Elizabeth wiggled her eyebrows at him, but said nothing.

  “Come on!” objected Callen. He longed to climb up there and ‘kill’ Elizabeth in the worst way.

  Jaxon watched the interplay curiously. She had to admit that she was fascinated with the threesome. This was something that an anthropologist lived for. It was rare to be privy to something so well hidden and private.

  It enthralled her.

  “I need you to straddle Elizabeth’s body acr
oss her hips. The killer likely went higher up on her body, but she’s carrying cargo. We don’t need you squishing Charlie.”

  Ethan would die before ever letting that happen.

  She stared at her doctor. “I can still run, Tony. The ‘cargo’ and I will kick ‘Uncle’ Tony’s ass.”

  It touched him that he was given such an amazing role in their lives. This was his family, and Tony was grateful.

  Before Chris Leonard could speak, she pointed at him. “Then, I’ll let Callen kick ‘Uncle’ Chris’s ass next.”

  He closed his mouth and couldn’t help but grin.

  Ethan did as he was asked, finding himself staring down at his wife. “Hey, dead lady, come here often? I think I’ve seen you here before.”

  She snickered. “Unfortunately, more than I like to admit, serial killer-man.”

  “I get to sit on Lyzee next time,” Callen stated. “I want to be the serial rapist next.”

  Everyone looked over at him.

  “Wait, I didn't mean it to sound like that!”

  Ethan Blackhawk had to laugh. “Son, think before you speak, especially in this room. You know how sick they all are.”

  The whole thing was beyond funny. This was just one way they all released some of the horrors of their jobs.

  Inappropriate humor was the best.

  “Okay, pin her hands over her head with one hand,” Tony directed. He waited as they got into position.

  Elizabeth stared up at him, trusting him completely.

  When Ethan leaned over her, his tie, tickled her face and she was forced to blow it out of the way.

  “Am I hurting you, baby?” he asked, right before kissing her on the tip of her nose.

  “See? That’s why I wanted to do this!” stated Callen.

  They ignored him.

  Tony was ready. “Now, our third victim was abused the most. At first, I couldn’t understand why the broken bones and fractures were on the one side of her body. Then, this occurred to me.”

  They all glanced over.

  “If you were going to beat the hell out of Elizabeth, without letting go of her wrists, what would you do?” he asked.

  Ethan thought about it. “I’d use my predominant hand to cause the blows.”

  Callen jumped in. “On which side of the body are all the broken ribs located?”

  “The left side,” Tony stated, waiting for them to piece it together. There was no doubt they would. “Plus, her face was pummeled too. All the strikes on the x-rays showed that she took full hits to her cheek and face on the left side too.”

  “Ethan’s a righty,” stated Elizabeth. “So, if our killer was too, all the damage would be on the right side, not left.”

  Tony, as usual, was impressed they got it fast. He wrote it off to their skill and years of working together.

  This was one more reason he couldn’t wait to get back to his job.

  “What about the older buried victims?” Ethan asked, staring down at his wife’s face. He couldn’t ever imagine hurting her like the killer had done to his victims.

  There was no love in that kind of violence.

  When you cherished someone, you didn't hurt them. It spoke volumes of what was going on in the killer’s mind.

  Jaxon opened the file on her tablet. “Most of the findings point to the right side of the body. There were a few with blows to the left side, but that could be from him using two fists.”

  Elizabeth spoke up, “So, we have two killers.”

  Blackhawk agreed. “I think we do.”

  Meredith strolled in and stopped dead in her tracks. The look on her face was priceless. Ethan Blackhawk was sitting on his wife. “Uh… I just found something, and thought that you’d want to know. Am I interrupting something?”

  They all laughed.

  “Yes,” Ethan stated. “I was killing my wife while everyone watched. I need a vacation and thought witnesses to testify against me would be convenient.”

  She opened her mouth, and then closed it. “Well, you’re the boss. I guess you know best, but that would be the chair, not a vacation.”

  Elizabeth snorted, and then scowled when Ethan leaned down to kiss her on the lips before climbing off. She let it go, since she would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. No kissy-face in the workplace went out the window a long time ago. She’d lost control of her men.

  Helping her up, she tenderly ran her fingers down his cheek to share a moment with him.

  No one missed it.

  “What did you find, Merry?” Elizabeth asked, as Ethan stayed by her side. “Please tell me that it’s big because we need something here.”

  “While the sperm wasn’t viable for a DNA check, I will tell you that I have something better.” Then, she paused. “I mean… shit! I don’t know the delicate way of putting this.”

  She pointed at Elizabeth’s belly.

  “She was pregnant?” Callen asked, wanting to vomit right there. They’d dealt with pregnant victims before, and it was never a good thing.

  “Yes.”

  “How far along?” asked Chris, needing the hormone percent. When he got it, he did the math. “She was easily in the beginning stages of pregnancy.”

  Meredith nodded. “She likely didn't know.”

  Elizabeth moved toward her coffee cup sitting on another table. “Yeah, but was this from the killer or did she get knocked up before she was taken? Do we have a name on her yet?”

  Ethan shook his head. They were having a rough time locking down the victims’ IDs. He couldn’t answer that for her.

  Just as he was about to explain the situation regarding the sheriff and how he had opted to withhold details, a tech rushed into the room.

  “Boss man, we have company!” She got out of the way just as the door swung open behind her, slamming into the wall.

  Elizabeth stared at the very angry man. If it wasn’t bad enough, she noticed that he’d brought backup. From the uniforms, she didn't have to play ‘guess his identity’, but she was a tad bit perplexed why the man was storming the morgue bunker.

  Before either of her men could cue her in, the man in the sheriff’s uniform erupted.

  “I have a bone to pick with you!” he blurted.

  As if on cue, Chris, Tony, and Jaxon covered up the bodies on the tables. They knew the boss didn't want the man seeing them.

  When Ethan took his time, slipping back into his suit jacket, he began planning out his strategy. This was going to be a delicate dance, and he knew it. Only when he was ready did he acknowledge the man before him. The ball was in his court.

  “About what?” he finally asked.

  “You know damn well what! Why do I have concerned citizens asking about missing women? Why do I get the feeling that you’re not being absolutely forthright with me?”

  Ethan continued to fix his dress shirt by tucking it into his belted trousers. Immediately, the deputy behind the sheriff took it as him going for his side arm and countered his move by reaching for his gun.

  Elizabeth had been watching the nervous deputy and instinct kicked in, along with the need to protect what was hers. With the back of her hand, she swung out, striking him in the throat. He went down, and she pulled her gun on the second deputy, who looked just as twitchy.

  “Easy, Deputy,” she said, her eyes and nose of the Glock never leaving him. “If you want to get shot, go for that gun.” Elizabeth put her booted foot on the downed man, ensuring that he wasn’t going to get up any time soon.

  The sheriff stared at her, caught completely off guard. Before he could speak, she tore into him.

  “You have to be out of your damn mind to be coming into this morgue in a huff with two trigger happy deputies at your back,” she stated, her eyes now flickering back and forth between the last two armed men. “Are you looking for a shootout?”

  Sheriff Carlton didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare down at his man on the floor.

  He was out cold.

  “Wha
t the hell did you do to him?”

  “I neutralized the situation. Now, if you go for your gun, Sheriff, I’m going to neuter you with a bullet. Before you ask, yes, my aim is that damn good. If you don’t have kids by now, you never will.”

  The man sputtered. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded, even as Elizabeth crouched down to remove the deputy’s gun.

  “I’m Director Elizabeth Whitefox-Blackhawk, so don’t let the momma belt buckle and baby bump fool you. I’m running this show.”

  His head whipped back and forth as Callen took the downed deputy’s sidearm from her. At first, he was sick to his stomach when he saw her move toward the armed men. Now, he was amused since they never even saw her coming. They didn't anticipate that the biggest threat in the room would be a pregnant woman.

  Their mistake. She was still pretty stealthy, even with child.

  It gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling.

  “I thought he was in charge!” the sheriff raged, pointing at Blackhawk.

  “Technically, he’s in charge of half of this. I run the other half because I’m his partner,” she offered. “We’re both of his bosses,” Elizabeth stated, pointing at Callen.

  He looked back and forth at the men.

  “You’re on our turf now, Sheriff, and while I appreciate you being accommodating, I don’t think you know how dangerous this could have been for everyone in here.”

  The techs in the room stayed out of the way and almost against the wall. They’d seen their boss lose it before, and they weren’t sure if she was going to do more than point a gun at the sheriff.

  She was pregnant and hormonal.

  That was a recipe for a big mess.

  “He’ll be awake in a few minutes. Now, how about you either hand over your guns or you keep your fingers far from them. Again, I know I may look harmless, but when people pull a gun on my husbands, I get bitchy. I’ve been known to shoot.”

  There were snickers from the team.

  Yeah, she absolutely did.

  “Here’s your chance to calm down and explain,” she offered.

  “The Indian came into my office and lied to my face. He told me that he needed our morgue to deal with the victims he was pulling from the mass grave out by the university.”