Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) Read online

  They didn't give a shit.

  Bonnie and Clyde wanted to leave an impression.

  Well, they’d certainly done that. It looked like a scene from a horror movie, only this blood was real.

  “Holy shit,” muttered Dakota, covering his nose. It smelled ripe in there.

  Callen didn't flinch. When he first saw something like this, he swore he’d never get accustomed to it, but he’d been wrong.

  This was another day in his job.

  Pulling out his phone, he sent texts to the techs, informing them that it was safe to enter the building. They needed to gather anything they could.

  “Glove up,” he stated, holstering his gun. When he pulled a pair of purple latex gloves from his pocket, they looked confused.

  “Oh, I forgot. You arrest fugitives. You don’t run a crime scene. Find a tech and hold out your hand. The magic glove fairy will appear.”

  Sure enough, Dakota and Delaney did just that, and the gloves were placed in their palms.

  “More of Elizabeth’s training?” Dakota asked.

  “Yep. She likes them to be ready for anything.”

  “What are we going to do now?” Delaney asked.

  Callen started for the kitchen counter. “We’re going to walk through here like Elizabeth would and make notes. She’s going to have to go through the information, and possibly revisit the scene.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Tied up.”

  “She never let me do that with her.”

  Callen spun, grabbing the man by the front of the shirt. All the techs in the room stopped.

  “How do you not get that what is coming out of your damn mouth is insulting? You’re talking about our partner on the job and in life. That’s my wife. She’s the mother of our children, and while you find it amusing, I find it rude. I’m not going to tolerate it.”

  He stared at him.

  As did all the techs.

  “I was only joking.”

  Callen let him go. “I don’t find it funny. My brother wasn’t amused, and I bet our techs aren’t either. Are you?”

  They all shook their heads. Elizabeth had gone to bat for all of them at one time.

  “We run this team with respect, and if you can’t have it, I’ll call Gabriel Rothschild, and he can call your boss. I’m willing to bet you’ll be heading home, we won’t be.”

  Dakota opened his mouth.

  “Before you go there, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. I’ve had enough. One more comment about how easy my woman is, or how she never let you tie her up, and I’m going to kick your ass off this scene. Then I’m going to find you on my own time, and I’m going to leave a lasting impression on your face. Got me?”

  Delaney Moore tried to sooth the situation. “Dakota has a bad sense of timing, Director. He didn't mean it.”

  Callen didn’t care.

  “His bad sense of timing is going to get him hurt.”

  “Duly noted,” Delaney stated, as she waited for the man to set her partner free.

  Callen released his vest. “Now, if you’re done being a douchebag, shall we do the job?”

  “Yes.”

  Callen refocused on the task at hand. Walking through the kitchen, he paused at the counter. Beside the large puddle of congealed blood there was a half-eaten sandwich.

  “Merry, I need you to bag this.”

  She popped up right by his side. “Sure thing, Director,” she stated.

  Then he saw the blender, and inside was a bunch of liquefied goo.

  That didn't sit right.

  He was pretty sure he knew what was in there. “Were there other blenders at the other crime scenes?” he asked.

  Dakota had to think about it. “I think so.”

  “Did your ME test them?”

  “For?”

  Callen stared at him. “What’s the one thing the ME’s haven’t been able to find from the male victims?”

  Dakota swallowed. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

  “I think we figured out what they’re doing with the missing penises. Someone has some anger issues toward men.”

  Dakota looked sick. “You have to be shitting me! What kind of person does something like that?” he asked.

  The team laughed.

  All the crazies they chased.

  Callen picked up the blender and swirled the goo around. “It’s completely liquefied. Merry, can we test this and get a definitive answer?”

  She nodded. “If it’s a penis, there may be some sperm or seminal fluid in the mix. I can run it through the machinery.”

  “Test for saliva along the rim. I want to see if someone’s drinking people.”

  She didn't bat an eyelash.

  The US Marshals were a different story.

  “You’re kidding right?” Dakota asked.

  She stared at him. “If you can’t stand the heat, Marshal, stay the hell out of the frying pan. This is what we do.”

  Callen grinned at her.

  Their people were loyal to a fault, and he was damn glad.

  “We’re accustomed to depravity. It’s how we roll,” Callen admitted.

  When he saw Johanna and Brody, he called to them. “Can one of you get the sheriff? I need to ask him some questions.”

  Broderick went out to find the man. When he came back, the sheriff looked a little freaked out. Apparently, he didn't see a bloodbath all that often.

  Lucky him.

  “Sheriff, I need all the gossip, details, or information you can give me on Christian Bourdain. Hold nothing back.”

  He waited.

  “Well, I don’t know what I can tell you. He was outspoken, loud, and didn't play well with others.”

  Well, that helped.

  “Examples?”

  “He was a proponent to rightwing craziness. He would get on his radio show and stir the pot. One day, he got it in his thick skull to burn some books.”

  “Moron,” muttered Merry. “People who burn books deserve to have their dicks processed in a blender.”

  She said it low enough that only Callen heard her. He patted her on the back.

  “And?”

  “Well, he did it on the air, and one of our citizens took poorly to his insanity.”

  “A lot of people would. Hitler burned books—look how that ended.”

  “Well, Jacob Heller marched down to the studio, got inside, and punched him in the face. They got into it, a scuffle ensued, and it was all on air.”

  “I see. Where can I find Jacob?”

  “He owns the local bookstore and cyber café. They’re side by side. He was arrested, and then let go. It seems that Christian didn't want to press charges. It got him countrywide media, and that boosted his ratings.”

  “So it was a publicity stunt?”

  “Pretty much. It eventually blew over, but Jacob was pissed that the man used him to create a spectacle.”

  Callen made notes.

  “What about Ann Kong? What can you tell us about her?”

  “She spent most of her time at the dance studio. She liked to work on her body. She’d been known to flaunt it as much as possible.”

  “Did that piss anyone off?”

  “Not to my knowledge. If you want details, you should head over to the dance place. It’s called ‘In Motion’. The owner is Rena Woods. She might be able to give you more gossip on her. We didn't know her all that well. She was a transplant.”

  Callen noted the name of the dance studio. They would definitely be going there, and to the radio station as well.

  At least they now had a direction.

  “Thank you, Sheriff,” he stated.

  “Oh, wait!”

  They all looked over. “He had a personal assistant at the station. We’d see them together in the café all the time.”

  “Okay, and?”

  “His fiancée put a stop to that. She wasn’t having another woman ‘helping’ him at work.”

  They got what he meant.

  “
So, he was fooling around with her?”

  The sheriff shrugged. “You’d have to ask her. I only know what the gossip says.”

  Well, they would definitely do just that.

  “Can you give us her name?”

  “Alessandra Savage. She’s a local student at the college. She didn't work for him long, and she might not have been in a relationship with him, but it might help you find who did this.”

  Callen hoped it would.

  He was pretty satisfied with the outcome.

  The whole day had been pretty great. They found the victim’s identities, crime scene, and a few possible leads. Elizabeth and Ethan would be happy.

  “What happened in there?” asked the Sheriff.

  Callen noticed he was pointing at the dining room.

  “It looks like the woman was restrained in there. Her undergarments are strewn all over the place.”

  Merry followed them in. Immediately, she was drawn to the table. “It looks like someone rolled around on the top of this.”

  They all moved closer.

  There was a substance on the dried blood.

  “Is that…?” Callen asked, hoping he was going to be wrong.

  She took out a swab. “I’m thinking it is, Director.”

  “What?” Dakota asked, not seeing anything but some dried white stuff. “What are you seeing that I’m not?” he asked.

  “I’m willing to bet that it’s semen,” Callen admitted.

  Dakota didn't look impressed. “Okay, so he raped her on the table, and then got off.”

  Merry shook her head. “It’s not that simple. In fact, I wouldn’t bet on it, Marshal Rakin. The blood is the bottom layer, and the semen is on top. It’s still tacky while the blood isn’t. I’m going to bet that someone had sex here post death. If it was the other way around, the blood would have covered and masked this.”

  Now he looked horrified.

  “So, he shagged someone else on the bloody table?”

  She nodded, snapping pictures of the smear marks. “Someone slid around in the blood.”

  “Bonnie perhaps?” Callen asked.

  “Well, either way, we have his DNA. If there is some vaginal secretions, I’ll be able to compare it to Ann Kong. If it’s not hers, then it’s likely going to be Bonnie.”

  “Your job is gross.”

  She stood up. “Actually, Marshal, my job is fascinating and very important. We all can’t ride around and bring in the bad guys in gun fight. Someone has to find the evidence to point you in the right direction. Without me doing my ‘GROSS’ job, you wouldn’t have a court case and the bad guys would go free.”

  “I didn't mean…”

  “I’m sure you didn’t, but you should think about what you say before you open your mouth. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll get back to work.”

  Callen covered his laugh with a cough. “Way to piss of the tech team. They’re like a hive of bees. You go after the queen, and they eventually will attack. You shouldn’t have been talking shit about Elizabeth. You made no friends with them.”

  Yeah, Dakota could tell.

  Callen looked around the room, taking everything in. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and that worried him.

  “Merry, gather everything you can so we can get the hell out of here. It’s late afternoon, and I don’t want to be here for too long. If the killers squatted here, I don’t want to be surprised if they come back.”

  She understood.

  Callen was obviously thinking about the note, and honestly, they couldn't blame him.

  “Hustle up,” she ordered her techs.

  Then she got down to work.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  Wednesday Evening

  His screams were out of control.

  They had to muffle them because they were afraid his girlfriend would hear them before she entered the house. That was the last thing they wanted. They needed her to make a matched pair.

  Plus, it was ruining the pleasure of listening to Christmas music as they made him bleed.

  As he remained strapped in place, writhing in pain, Clyde sliced long lines in his flesh. He wasn’t trying to bleed him too much, but instead, he was trying to mark where they’d make the cuts.

  It was easier on a living person as he flexed. He could see where the joints moved, and not have to battle bone when he cut him apart.

  There was a method to his madness.

  “Anyone coming?” he asked, glancing over at Bonnie. She was perched in a window, watching the driveway.

  “Not yet.”

  “When she pulls in, let me know. I’ll knock him out.”

  She stared out into the night. “Where are we going after this?” Bonnie asked.

  “I don’t know. Where would you like to go?”

  She thought about it.

  “Maybe somewhere warm. I hate the snow. It was never my thing.”

  He grinned. “We can do that. I’ll take you wherever you want, doll.”

  She smiled sweetly, not willing to make him angry. He was calm tonight, and she needed that to last.

  “You know how much I love you.”

  Before she could say anything else, there were lights in the driveway. “She’s home.”

  The bound man began screaming to warn her.

  Well, that wouldn’t do.

  Clyde picked up the closest object and hit the man in the head. There was a sickening crunch of bone before he was out cold.

  “Let’s get down there.”

  When they heard the garage door opening, they each took a side. When the woman called out to her lover, they grinned at each other in the dark.

  The fun was about to begin.

  As the door to the adjoining garage opened, she stepped in, not expecting them. Then suddenly, she must have noticed that she wasn’t alone.

  She went to fight.

  Only, it didn't matter.

  The Taser to her spine took her to the ground before she could even get in a blow.

  “She’s out,” Bonnie stated.

  Clyde kissed her. “Shall we get this fun on the road?”

  “I’ll go search for valuables.”

  With that, she wandered away to leave Clyde to his work. He was humming along with the music, and still in a good mood.

  She wanted to give him some space.

  It was for the best. He didn't like to be bothered.

  Not when he was destroying two people.

  It was just how he was.

  * * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *

  ‘That’s the Spot’

  Motel

  Ethan was out cold on one of the beds. After he’d finished tossing his cookies, Elizabeth held onto him and wiped his tears. Her husband was being chased by so many fears, and that was an issue.

  The demons weren’t gone.

  While they thought he’d been exorcised of the things that haunted him, this was proof they were wrong.

  When they got back to FBI West, Elizabeth was going to call Doctor Carter. For the last few months, they were worried more about Callen, and apparently, Ethan fell through the cracks.

  Their family would rally around him, giving Ethan all the support he needed. Hopefully, this little incident wouldn’t set him back.

  That was the last thing they needed.

  As she sat there in the silence of the room, she knew Callen would be there soon, and she was glad.

  She was starving.

  Her clothes were ruined.

  She was trapped.

  When there was a knock to the door, Elizabeth only prayed it wasn’t the killer, or housekeeping. She wasn’t exactly dressed for company.

  As she peeked out, there was a handsome smiling face waiting for her.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” she said, opening the door to let him in.

  Callen took in the state of the room. It smelled like booze, Elizabeth was in Ethan’s shirt, and he was out cold on the bed.
>
  “Nice place you have here, angel.”

  She snorted. It wasn’t that long ago that he took her to a similar place. It ended pretty much the same way, only there wasn’t any booze staining the carpet.

  “Thanks. I hope you have food, or I’m going to eat someone in this room, and that’s not nearly as kinky as it sounds.”

  Callen held up the takeout bag. “I remembered. We can eat and discuss the case if you’re up for it.”

  “We can do that.”

  Climbing onto the bed, she waited for him to kick off his boots and pull the takeout from the paper sack.

  “I got you your favorite.”

  “Spicy shrimp?” she asked, her mouth already watering. “I may kiss you.”

  “Well, then…”

  Callen made a giant container appear.

  She did what she promised, planting one on his mouth. “Bless you. I may have your baby in gratitude.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, since it’s already happening, I’m ahead of the game. I guess I owed you.”

  Elizabeth dove into the food. It was so hard not to talk with her mouth full. She was so damn hungry.

  “What did you eat today?” Callen asked, watching her devour the Chinese.”

  “Coffee, coffee, and two sticks of chewing gum. I swallowed them to appease the pregnancy deity growing in my belly. Does that count as food?”

  He shook his head in admonishment. “Angel, you have to eat more often than that. You’re growing a child.”

  It was the same song, just a different singer.

  Ethan said the same to her last pregnancy. It wasn’t like she didn't know that. Only, she had one hell of a crazy job that took precedence. It wasn’t like every place they visited had a vending machine packed with delicious delicacies.

  The men got bitchy when she ate candy bars as a meal.

  “Well, in my defense, I didn't plan on skipping lunch. Ethan had a meltdown, and I couldn’t leave.”

  “Why didn't you walk next door? There’s a sub place. I’m sure you could leave him for a few minutes.”

  She pointed at her clothes. “This is all I have to wear. I hope you have extra gear in your vehicle.”

  He did.

  Callen had learned his lesson.

  Now he began laughing. “Wait until I bust his ass over this one. He did the same shit to me when I accosted you.”