Past Will Haunt Read online

  Club Death was never fun.

  In fact, you had to be bat shit insane to hang out there. Only lunatics liked to party with death.

  While there were other departments, like drugs, vice, and accounting, Elizabeth always wanted to be a homicide investigator. They were the hardest cases, and she liked to use her brain.

  Not everyone thought she had one, and this was proof to her that her skill wasn’t some fluke. She wasn’t some backwoods hick from Salem who got lucky. They weren’t just scholarships to Cornell because she had ovaries.

  She had a brain.

  She had guts.

  She was badass.

  Well, she wanted to be. One day, she knew that would happen, but for now…she had to earn her place too. Chris wasn’t the only one struggling to fit in. She was just too stubborn to let the other agents win.

  “I understand, Chris. Can I persuade you? I did give you my candy bar, and I did teach you the trick to surviving a crime scene meltdown. What if you gave me something you saw when you looked at her? It might jumpstart this for me,” she offered, tapping her head.

  He smiled. “No. You’ll never be able to manipulate it out of me. There are rules, Elizabeth.”

  She patted his cheek, more to make sure he wasn’t still clammy. When he stared up at her, he looked better.

  “Okay, Chris. I hear you.”

  He was feeling better, and he didn't think it had anything to do with the candy.

  “Well, I’m going in. Can you sit here until my partner arrives? When Livy rolls up, point her in my direction, okay?”

  “I can do that.”

  As she walked away, he called her name.

  “Elizabeth?”

  “Yeah, Christopher?”

  “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  She smiled. “Hell no! We’re a team. We’ve got many years ahead of us, Doc. Who needs to keep score?”

  He watched her head into the building, the black suit fitting her perfectly. Chris sighed.

  He wanted her to keep score in the worst way.

  Better yet, he wanted her to see him—really see him—for a change. His hand went to the spot she touched on his cheek, and it tingled.

  Yeah, he wanted that more than anything.

  Inside, the stench of death nearly brought her to her knees. It was a mix of drying blood, spent bowel, and all the other nasty smells a body emitted when it was dying.

  Chris wasn’t kidding.

  It was bad.

  Since Elizabeth was still new at this, she felt the sick roll of her belly as she got closer to where the woman was left. It took everything she had to keep herself from pulling a Doctor Leonard. She didn't have any more candy, so she was going to have to suck it up.

  As she moved closer, she got her first look.

  Holy shit!

  Someone bled the poor woman out.

  “Jesus,” she muttered. “There has to be about ten pints of blood on the walls and floors,” she stated.

  The head tech glanced over.

  “You’d be about right. She’s empty,” Carol Spade stated. “She’s been bled dry, and it was probably when he began cutting into her.”

  Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen to get a better view. It nearly made her want to puke. She had an iron clad stomach, but this was even too gross for her.

  The whole thing was just wrong.

  Whoever did this was a total sicko, and they’d won the award in her book. This was true depravity, and she knew it.

  Elizabeth knew she’d never get used to this kind of killing. If she did, it was time to hand in her badge.

  As she approached the island, she could see the woman’s arms were tethered to the sides, and her body was bent over the top of the marble.

  It was sick.

  It was grotesque.

  She’d never forget it.

  “What do we have?” she asked, hoping someone would tell her something. Elizabeth wanted to get the hell out of there, and fast.

  “We have a white female age twenty four. We found her purse by the front door, and we’ve done the visual, since our ME is outside puking.”

  They all laughed at the man’s discomfort.

  “You all had your moments, I’m sure,” Elizabeth offered, coming to Chris’s defense.

  “He’s going to quit his job. We have a betting pool going on, Agent. Do you want in? The majority thinks he’s gone by Christmas.”

  She stared at her.

  “Come on. Toss in a few bucks. The pot is up to three hundred.”

  “I won’t be betting against him,” she stated, getting their attention. “Plus, the first person who busts his balls about being human is going to be riding a lab table. As in, you’re off my team for my tenure with the FBI.”

  Immediately, the comments and snickering came to a screeching halt. She figured that would do it.

  “He’s new, but you all were once too. Cut him a freaking break. This is gross. If he wasn’t sick, then something would be wrong with him.”

  No one commented. They all knew that the lead investigator, or the ME, were the bosses in the field. They could make or break you.

  “Now, back to work.”

  Elizabeth hated when anyone picked on someone who was just starting out. Being at the bottom of the ladder was tough. She knew.

  She was there too.

  The newbies had to stick together.

  “Sorry, Agent,” the head tech stated. “Anyway, she’s been bled out and as you can see, he did a number on her. He took all the flesh from her bones. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deboned victim before.”

  Yeah, she could see that.

  It was freaking gross.

  The woman looked like a deer after running into a couple hunters. All her meat was splayed out, and all that was left was a head, hands, and feet as she was spread out in some weird position. He’d taken her down to her organs, leaving them in. She swore the woman looked like some medical picture in a training manual.

  It was macabre.

  “This is going to be a fun one,” stated Carol the head tech. “You’re going to need a profiler for this. This guy is nuts.”

  Yeah, she could see that.

  “We’ll have the trace done and back to you as soon as we can. We’re going to need a few hours. Everything in here is coated in blood. We’ll have to do multiple swabs and hope for a miracle.”

  After seeing this woman, she didn't believe miracles existed. If they did, surely someone would have granted this woman one to spare her of this mess.

  Elizabeth crossed herself.

  “Yeah, that’s great. Thanks.” She couldn’t help but focus on that poor girl.

  As she took it all in, Elizabeth could hear footsteps across the floor behind her. She knew that gait anywhere.

  “Livy, I hope you didn't eat,” she said before the woman could arrive in the room.

  Once her partner saw this, she was going to be turned off from food for a long time.

  She knew she was.

  “Holy mother of God,” Livy muttered. “What the hell?” she asked, as she stared wide-eyed at the mess. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

  “Yeah, tag. We just got screwed. I think we were handed the sickest killer in all of DC. Someone wanted to make a name for themselves.”

  Livy swallowed as she scanned the scene. The woman’s face was serenely relaxed, and everything from the neck down was a nothing less than a horror show.

  Shit!

  This was bad.

  Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She jumped right into the case, catching her partner up to speed.

  “What’s her name?” Livy asked, seeing the one tech with the woman’s ID.

  “Her name was Stephanie O’Malley.”

  “Is,” corrected Doctor Leonard as he entered the room from behind them. “She’s dead, but she still has her identity. Let’s put her back together again and get her out of here.”

  Apparently, he’d gotten his second wind.

&nb
sp; When he came to stop beside Elizabeth, he patted her on the arm. “Thank you for the candy bar. You were right.”

  She smiled. “No problem, Doc. I knew you’d pull through,” Elizabeth offered, checking out his color. He was back to his normal shade of flesh.

  As they stood there, the techs began moving around, picking up the removed pieces of her flesh that were garishly arranged around her body.

  “We got pictures of all of this, right?” Elizabeth asked, pointing to the spread out body.

  “Yes, Agent,” replied Carol.

  She was glad. This had to mean something. It was too much like a specific pattern.

  “I told you. Sick, huh?” stated Chris.

  “Yeah, Doc, you weren’t kidding. I’m as confused as a cow on AstroTurf.”

  He stared at her for a second until he got it.

  “Yeah, you’re not alone.”

  “I’d say I’d have something for you by tomorrow with the autopsy, but whoever did this to her made my job easy. She’s open. I just have to figure out what killed her.”

  “I’m willing to bet the blood loss,” Livy stated. “You could bathe in it. I don’t think there’s a spot on the walls not covered.”

  He didn't disagree.

  “It very well could be exsanguination. Usually, it’s the obvious, but I have to eliminate a few other things.”

  “Like what? Aliens?” Elizabeth asked. “Holy hell, Christopher, but I can bet what killed her. Death by crazy person seems to fit.”

  He didn't disagree.

  “Just give me a couple hours, okay? I’ll give you everything I have then.”

  She smiled at him, patting her friend on the back. It was the least she could do. “Sure thing, Doc. I’ll pick you up a coffee. It’s going to be a long day for all of us.”

  He felt that heat rush his body. “You know how I like it, Elizabeth. It’s a date.”

  She stared at him, catching the tone in his voice. It caught her off balance. His words may have been innocent, but Elizabeth was good at reading people.

  Something was there.

  She could hear it.

  “Okay, Doc,” she said, giving the team, and ME, room to work. She didn't want to hinder their part of the investigation. Gabe would kick her ass.

  Immediately, the techs and ME got back to work.

  Livy led her to the next room. “What the hell? That’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” she admitted. “I don’t think anyone has ever run into something this bad before.”

  Elizabeth agreed.

  “Yeah, you can say that again. I can’t say I’m thrilled about this one,” she admitted. “I wanted to puke.”

  “You gave the ME your candy bar?” Livy asked. “When’s the wedding? Am I a bride’s maid?”

  She got punched.

  “Ouch! You can’t hit your partner!”

  “Sure I can, especially when she’s being a bitch. Now, let’s talk case and not Christopher Leonard, okay?”

  “Fine! You’re mean.”

  She laughed.

  “I wish Gabe picked other agents for this mess. I can tell already we’re about to be boned.”

  “I second that. I wish I wasn’t with Gabe when he got the…”

  She stopped.

  Elizabeth stared at her.

  Livy knew what she just did. She’d pointed Elizabeth LaRue right at her. If anything, her partner was more curious than a cat. One whiff and she was like a dog on a bone.

  “What did you just say? You were with Gabe? Are we talking as in with or WITH? There’s a huge difference.”

  Livy closed her mouth.

  Crap!

  She screwed up.

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to work for Elizabeth. She grabbed her partner by the arm and pulled her outside so they were out of the team’s way.

  “Olivia Spencer, you better come clean!” Elizabeth stated. “If you’re getting some, you have to share with your partner. That’s not fair! If it were me, I’d tell. We have the girlfriend code! You know the rules.”

  She laughed. “I know! Rule number five. I haven’t forgotten. I just didn't get anywhere with him, and besides, you have some weird thing with the ME. When are you going to share that with me?”

  She looked confused. “Wait! Are you talking about Christopher Leonard? No, I don’t have a thing with him, and you’re trying to deflect to point me away from the obvious. You said you were with Gabe, so spill it!”

  Livy told her about the run, how he nearly killed himself falling, and how she flirted up a storm. “He was immune to my charm. Maybe I just make him nervous in a stalker kind of way,” she admitted.

  Elizabeth and Gabe were close. While she and Livy were partners, Elizabeth worked more cases on her own with the man. They’d sat in surveillance vans, old buildings, and piss filled alleys. That bond was why he picked her, and Livy, for his team. All that overtime together built a very strong bond.

  There was something between them, and it wasn’t sex. It was love.

  “I can talk to him if you’d like.”

  She gasped. “Don’t you dare!” Livy whispered. “I’ll kick your ass!”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, okay. I won’t say anything if you tell me not to, but the offer is still on the table.”

  They both watched as the ME exited the building, pulling off his clean suit and gloves. When he looked up, they both knew who he was gazing at, and it wasn’t Livy.

  “Are you sure there isn’t something between the two of you? Look at how he’s staring at you,” she said.

  Elizabeth glanced over.

  Livy was right. Chris was watching her.

  When he smiled and waved, grinning like a school boy, Elizabeth saw what her partner was saying.

  Shit!

  She had a problem.

  “See?” Livy whispered. “He’s crazy about you. He watches you like some puppy after a bone. I think he loves you,” she sang so only she’d hear.

  Elizabeth punched her again, but this time harder.

  “Ouch!”

  “Don’t even go there. I don’t need some mushy eyed ME falling for me. You know I’m all about the job.”

  “Well, you’re the job, and he’s the job, so that means…”

  “Do you want me to hit you harder?” Elizabeth asked.

  Livy laughed. “Point taken. We should head in while the team finishes up with the trace. We can always swing by later to check out Stephanie’s place.”

  She was good with that.

  “Besides, Gabe wanted to see us as soon as we were done on the scene. He said something about this being a career making assignment, and he needed to debrief us.”

  She was good with that.

  Finally, they were talking about work. That was what she wanted to spend her time focused on from here on out.

  As they headed back to their ride, the media was already there, and they were snapping pictures left and right.

  “I really hate them,” stated Elizabeth. “They’re nothing more than a pain in my ass.”

  “More than killers?” Livy asked, getting into the Denali. “They aren’t bad if you just ignore them. You let them get to you, and that’s why they make you nuts.”

  Elizabeth actually had to think about it. Honestly, it was a tough call—raging maniacs who made her work hard or idiotic reporters who made her life hell.

  It was a close one.

  Livy started laughing. “That bad, huh?”

  “Yeah, it’s that damn bad.”

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

  FBI Building

  Washington DC

  Traffic was a bitch, but with some lights and sirens most of the morning commuters got the hell out of her way. Elizabeth missed the quiet of Salem. There was no hustle, bustle, or chaos. There was something to be said about the small town.

  Plus, she missed her dad. Charlie was the love of her life, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Elizabeth was pulled back to
focus by the honking of horns. Rush hour was one of her least favorite things, but it was the element of the beast. If you wanted to work in DC, you had to deal with the chaos. One day, if they were lucky, their office would be in Quantico. If Elizabeth ever moved up the ladder, there was always a chance she’d work out of there. That was where all the bigwigs hung out.

  She had hope.

  As she and Livy headed in through the basement with the body, Elizabeth knew what was next. At the elevator bay, she gave her ME a deadline. “You don’t have long, Chris. Gabe is going to want details, and fast. I can only cover for you for a couple of hours before he’s breathing down your neck.”

  Chris was grateful. He didn't think the man liked him very much.

  “If you keep him waiting, he’ll be heading down.”

  “Yeah, I’ll put a rush on it.” Chris didn't want a run in with him. Gabriel Rothschild intimidated everyone.

  “I don’t know how you two work with him,” he admitted. “He makes me nervous.”

  “Gabe makes everyone nervous,” Elizabeth said. “I just ignore him and that makes him nuts.”

  “I picture him in his underwear,” Livy said.

  Elizabeth laughed. “You’re such a hussy. Where I come from, you see a man in his skivvy’s, you better be marrying him. My daddy has a shotgun and likes to use it.”

  Livy offered her a fist bump. “There’s nothing like a shotgun wedding to get your blood pumping.”

  Elizabeth winked at her.

  Chris felt his face flush. He wouldn’t mind seeing Elizabeth in nothing more than a pair of panties. As the heat rose, he had to take a deep breath. “I’d rather not see him in his underwear. He’s not my type.”

  Livy went to make a comment, and Elizabeth stepped on her foot in warning.

  She yelped.

  “Oh, sorry, darlin’. My bad. I didn't see your foot there.”

  Livy gave her the look, knowing that was total BS. “Anyway,” she began, trying to cover her outburst, “when I see him, I think of him as the Dragon Slayer. He’s badass, but necessary.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Well, since he likely has us bugged, he now knows who made up that silly nickname. You’re screwed.”