Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) Page 8

  “I agree,” Tony stated. “Her abuse isn't nearly as evident. What has me concerned is the outward rage shown in the bones of victim three. She took the brunt of whatever anger was present at the TOD.”

  Chris shifted toward the final body, once more examining her. “I concur. Her soft tissue is in the moderate stages of decomp. I’m going to say that she was in the ground four to five weeks. It’s relatively warm here, but there was some rain. The clay hardened around her, so we may be able to get more details post autopsy.”

  The directors figured as much.

  “Was she strangled?” Callen asked.

  “That’s something I can’t answer yet, Director. I’m going to have to open her up to find out. I don’t want to add to the tissue damage by cramming my fingers through her flesh. It’s delicate enough at this point.”

  That visual made Callen cringe.

  How could it not?

  Blackhawk made more notes before glancing up. He was good with what they already had. This was generally more information than their ME ever gave out on a scene. He was being very forthcoming, and that was greatly appreciated.

  For now, they’d have to take it and run with it.

  Standing, Chris pulled off his gloves as he climbed out of the hole. “Meredith, you need to get DNA samples from the entire dig team. Call back to FBI West and get Doctor Magnus’s uploaded, and also Doctor Armstrong’s from Quantico. We’re going to be working against the clock on this one, and DNA might be our only link. I doubt the killer expected us to find his bodies.”

  When she rushed off, Ethan stepped closer. “What do you think? I know that by this point, Elizabeth would have made her mind up, but I’m not her. Give me some direction, Doctor.”

  Waving his partner in crime and Jaxon over, he lowered his voice. “Tony, do the earlier victims show strangulation?”

  He nodded. “Not all of them, but a considerable few do. We had some who were bludgeoned, and there are a few skeletons in perfect condition. Their deaths are a mystery.”

  “Any who gave birth?” Ethan asked.

  Jaxon took over. “Only one,” she stated. “Number twenty five had at some point. As to how many children she gave life to, or if it was a live birth, we can’t be sure. We didn't find any fetus bones with her.”

  Well, they had a silver lining there.

  Ethan thought about it. “I guess what I want to ask is do we have the same killer?”

  The doctors looked back and forth between each other. No one would answer that, not here, and not now, even if they could.

  It was one thing to give the team a few breadcrumbs to get them on track, but that was one huge speculation they weren’t willing to make.

  Blackhawk saw it was going to be a dead end by pushing for an answer. While his wife would keep pounding away until she got one of them to cave, that wasn’t his style. Besides, she was trickier than he was and could always trip them up.

  He sighed.

  “I was hoping that there would be something that made the new killings stand out to prove that.”

  “I can tell you that from body number thirty to our first fleshy victim, there appears to be at least twenty years in between. I can’t give you more than that,” Tony offered. “Whoever put them in the ground did so a long time after the thirtieth victim.”

  It was a start.

  Blackhawk couldn’t ask for much more.

  Finally, Jaxon raised her hand, much like a student in school might.

  “You can just speak, Doctor. We’re pretty informal here,” Ethan offered.

  She was glad for that. It was a little less stressful with Elizabeth Blackhawk MIA.

  “This wasn’t an accidental burial,” Jaxon stated. “If you look at the layout over the entire field, it was methodical. Each body was left beside the next, forming a grid pattern across the ground. Whoever killed the last three women was either privy to it, or the same person. I doubt they had ground penetrating radar, or just plain dumb luck to guess how to place them. Other than the depth, and the one hand being out of place, the killer continued the pattern. It’s like a graveyard.”

  Tony grinned. He was proud of his fiancée. No one seemed to catch that little detail, but of course she would. Jaxon spent most of her time in the dirt. She knew how to dig up bodies.

  The way her mind worked was incredibly sexy.

  “Okay, let’s get these bodies contained, and I’ll head into the town to see about a morgue. It’s times like these that I wish my wife was here to handle this.”

  “She’d kick some ass and get what she wanted,” Chris stated while grinning. He loved watching that go down each and every time. A stirred up Elizabeth was a thing of beauty.

  Blackhawk let them think that was why he wanted her there. In actuality, it was all because he doubted himself. Without her by his side, he felt off balance.

  What was going to happen once he got deeper into the case?

  “Want me to ride shotgun?” Callen asked.

  He wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t.

  “No, you’re going to have to watch our team. I’ll be on my own on this.”

  He hoped the tone of his voice didn't give anything away. Blackhawk wanted nothing more than a partner in crime on this, but they had a job to do, including Callen. He had to play watchdog.

  “After I get us a morgue, I have to get us lodging. On our way into town, I saw some big hotel chains. Someone has to have room for some Feds. Hopefully, that will be the easiest part of my day.”

  “Call me if you need me,” Whitefox offered.

  Ethan waved to his brother right before heading back toward the vehicle.

  Callen didn't like this at all. He was concerned. Ethan didn't look right.

  Tony lowered his voice before speaking, “Is he going to be okay?”

  Whitefox wasn’t sure. This was weird for all of them. By now, ass kicking Elizabeth would have this all under control. This was going to be a test of Ethan’s endurance, and the team’s too.

  This wouldn’t be a race.

  From the looks of it, this was going to be one hell of a grueling marathon.

  Whether they liked to admit it or not, Elizabeth Blackhawk brought a great deal to the table when they were in the field.

  She was the boss.

  She was badass.

  She kept them all safe, including her family.

  It was sad.

  You didn't appreciate those things until they were stripped from you. Now, they were both feeling bare.

  “Come on. Let’s get this done. I want us to have everything ready to move out as soon as Ethan returns. We’re burning daylight.”

  With that, Callen did what Elizabeth had taught him.

  He watched their backs as he worked on getting shit done.

  She might not be there, but this one was most definitely dedicated to her.

  * * *

  When Elizabeth hung up with Gabe, she had one hell of a time finding Avalon. The woman didn't sit still for long, and again that made her nuts.

  Letting a blind woman wander away was always going to be a disaster. Finally, she located her outside the home, near the water’s edge.

  Jesus!

  It was like babysitting a toddler. What was next? Running with scissors? Didn't this woman have the common sense to know that this was the bayou, and there were creatures in the water that would love to take a bite from her ass?

  “Hello, Elizabeth,” Avalon stated, before the woman could even reach her side.

  That made her bad shit insane. Her steps were silent, yet she was still detected. Elizabeth was beginning to believe that Avalon had eyes in the back of her head—ones that could see.

  “Gabe gave you permission to leave?”

  “I think you already know that.”

  Avalon laughed, turning toward her.

  When the empty stare met hers, Elizabeth wanted desperately to look away. The woman’s eyes were the palest of blue, but empty. She couldn’t put her finger o
n it, but something about that made her skin crawl. While a blind person might have opaque eyes, giving their secret away, Avalon’s were somewhere between, and deceiving.

  They were a little too reminiscent of dead eyes for Elizabeth’s liking.

  Yeah, Avalon had vacant dead eyes.

  Chills raced across her body.

  “It’s pretty here. I love listening to the call of nature. The chirping crickets are somewhat cathartic.”

  “Yes, I guess it is.”

  “You grew up here. I can feel the energy when I walk through the halls. The past leaves an impression behind. It’s like a finger or footprint.”

  She didn't reply at first. This was a house which held many memories for her family. While it wasn’t her main home in Salem, it was one that she had inherited when Samuel Trudeaux had been killed and eaten.

  This swamp fest was her inheritance.

  It still turned her stomach thinking about it. At first, Elizabeth didn't want to come here, but it had been a safe place off the grid.

  “Yes, we vacationed here a lot when I was growing up.”

  “Your mother died young, and you watched her pass.”

  God, she hated that this woman had the ability to freak her out like this. Elizabeth had built a wall so thick and deep, only letting certain people behind it. Avalon was like a ghost, passing through it.

  Elizabeth felt out of control and helpless to stop Avalon from digging her fingers into her thoughts.

  “Yes, I did. We should go inside. There are things in the water that might eat you when I shove you in.”

  Avalon laughed at her honesty. “I bet you’d love to do just that. I can feel violence all around you. I don’t doubt that you create almost as much as what finds you.”

  “Since you seem to believe in not filtering anything you say, I will be honest. I really would like to toss you in, and possibly hold you under too. I hate how you know about my past, and I loathe how you keep bringing it up.”

  Tipping her head, Avalon played with a strand of blonde hair. “I’ll admit something I never do, in concession to freaking you out. I hate that I do it too. I would give anything to be like you and Jagger. I would love to be normal.”

  There was pain in her voice, and Elizabeth couldn’t miss it. A part of her felt sorry for the woman. This had to be a hellish existence. She filled with compassion as her mothering instinct kicked in. “Let’s head inside, Avalon.”

  “I’ll only tell you one last thing, and then I’ll never invade your privacy again.”

  Okay, that was worth it to Elizabeth.

  “Shoot. I can’t wait to hear this,” she muttered.

  “Your mother heard you when you spoke to her from the back seat of the car. You thought she was gone, but she wasn’t. Her soul was about to leave, but she heard you tell her you loved her. Your words were with her when she passed.”

  Tears filled Elizabeth’s eyes.

  Elizabeth fought the demons of her past and one of the few thorns that remained buried in her heart.

  “All these years you blamed yourself for not being good and not telling her, but in the end, your mother knew. She heard you and whispered the words back, but you just didn't hear them.”

  Her heart ached.

  God!

  What wouldn’t she give for that simple sentence to be absolutely true?

  “Now we can go. I’ve told you everything I was meant to share. You’re safe from my prying.”

  Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her body, trying desperately to wash away the chill. The woman beside her navigated the hill and trees with ease, again freaking her out once more.

  She actually walked around a tree, missing the collision.

  How?

  What the bloody freaking hell was up with this spook? And was her karma this bad that she’d actually had to do this? Elizabeth was pretty sure that she’d rather be shot by a crazed maniac than deal with this.

  Tomorrow, when she was free from the house, Elizabeth was going to run for her life. It wasn’t like her to be a coward, but something about Avalon bothered her.

  No, everything about the woman bothered her.

  She hated that she was being a giant wuss over all of this.

  Elizabeth Blackhawk was tough, but Oracle was more than she could handle.

  God help Nathaniel Carter.

  He was in for one hell of a ride with this one.

  Hopefully, he didn't have any secrets, or they were bound to come out, whether he liked it or not.

  For that, Elizabeth was sorry.

  * * *

  Director Ethan Blackhawk’s first stop was a hotel. Gratefully, he was able to make the arrangements and not his boss. If Gabe had taken control of that little detail, they’d all be staying in some pest ridden hideaway that would make their skin crawl.

  Gabe liked screwing with him, despite them being family. It was a brother-like relationship, and Ethan tried to circumvent the trouble as much as possible.

  Like now.

  Allowing Gabe’s administrative assistant to handle the details would have been easier, but not in the long run. This was just one more part of his job, and he hoped he could pull it off on his own.

  Once inside the chain hotel, he meandered his way to the desk, hoping to negotiate a deal.

  “Yes, sir, how can I help you today?” asked the bright eyed man behind the desk.

  “I need twenty rooms, and I need your best rate. Do I need to speak to a manager?”

  The man stared at him. Before he could answer, the Fed continued, “I also need to know if you have a room being used by a Doctor Tony Magnus and Doctor Jaxon Armstrong.”

  The man’s eyes went big when Ethan pulled his suit jacket back to reveal a gun and his gold shiny FBI badge.

  That was just the response Ethan wanted.

  The concierge looked worried.

  “Sir,” he began. While he knew he wasn’t supposed to give out details, he didn't think the gun and badge were fake. The dark haired man in front of him looked dead serious.

  Plus, his eyes were creepy as they stared through him.

  On second thought, why fight it?

  “Yes we do, sir, and no you don’t need to talk to a manager unless I can’t make your stay here satisfactory.”

  Well, this made Blackhawk’s life a little bit easier.

  “Thank you for your help. Is there any way you can put as many of us on the same floor as the two doctors?”

  “Are they in trouble?” he asked worriedly. “We don’t want anything bad to go down here. This is one of the nicer hotels in the area.”

  Ethan shook his head. “They work for me, and we’re here on assignment.”

  It was all he had to say to reassure the man.

  Immediately, the man behind the desk began typing until he came up with a rate. Once he gave him the details, Ethan was extremely pleased. That fit into their budget and on the first try.

  “Deal.” Blackhawk pulled out his work credit card and ID before handing it to the man.

  Typing away, he looked up at the Fed before him. “This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened here,” stated the man behind the counter. “I can’t believe we have the FBI here in our small town. This is totally crazy.”

  He couldn’t wait to tell everyone he knew.

  Ethan read Johnny Antonio’s name tag. He should commit it to memory, since he may need to smooth some issues over later. Plus, the friendly guy might just look the other way. His team tended to get a little crazy when they were out on duty. The young man was not only in charge of check-in, but a concierge, and that could work to their advantage.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on? Or is it all hush-hush,” Johnny asked.

  “We’re here working over by the university,” Ethan stated, keeping it as simple as possible. This young man was fortunate that his wife wasn’t there. She was far less magnanimous to nosey townsfolk, and she would likely tell him as much.

  That might be the un
derstatement of the year.

  “Yeah, we heard. We have some college kids who work here. They said you found bodies.”

  Ethan nearly cringed. Well, so much for keeping this to themselves for as long as possible. It was already fodder for the gossip mill with the university students. Soon, there would be media coverage, and one more thing he would need to add to his plate.

  Shit!

  “Yes, we did.”

  “Well, if you need anything from us here, just let me know, sir. Belleville is relatively quiet. We’re a college town, so most of the stuff that goes on is minor.”

  This could work to his advantage. If they needed a conference room at some point, he imagined this place had one. “You wouldn’t happen to know who the sheriff is, and where I can find him, would you?”

  The man nodded his head enthusiastically. “You go back out the way you came in, head to the stop light, and turn right. He’s right there in that glass building. As for his name, it’s Sheriff Douglas Carlton. He’s a great guy! I’m sure he’ll give you a great welcome, being law enforcement and all.”

  Ethan dug more. “Oh, has he been around for a long time?”

  The man laughed. “Not as sheriff. He’s only about thirty, but from what I hear, he’s tough to work for. The man loves his job. He’s keeping the college kids out of trouble, and if you’ve ever been to the university, then you’d know that’s no easy task.”

  Great.

  They had a hard ass cop who wasn’t going to like the idea that there were interlopers in his town. Blackhawk had done this enough to know what was coming.

  Now, he was sorry he asked in the first place.

  “I appreciate all your help, Johnny. My people will be checking in later tonight. I hope that’s not going to be an issue for you.”

  He grinned. “No way, sir! Here at the hotel, we want your stay to be exciting and fun. In fact, there will be fresh baked cookies waiting. They go pretty fast, so I’ll have the staff put some in the rooms you booked.”

  Ethan couldn’t help but smile on his way out. He’d procured rooms, it wasn’t a roach coach, and the man was going to leave them cookies on top of getting the town scoop.