Dawn of Evil_FBI Flashback

by Morgan Kelley

  That meant a progression.

  With the report from the city medical examiner, the killer appeared to be escalating.

  “Are you getting a profiler for this one?” Chris asked, knowing they may need one. If someone was mimicking the ‘Boston Strangler’, it could get ugly.

  And fast.

  “I think I have this one. He’s getting angrier, and since the victims are white, I’m going to go Caucasian on our killer. I can do this.”

  They were all staring at her.

  “What?”

  “Uh, I’ll just say what everyone is thinking,” Tony stated. “You’re not a profiler.”

  Oh, she was aware, but the FBI was short staffed due to cuts. She had to do what she had to do in order to get the job done.

  “Seriously. Have some faith in me. I’ll listen to my gut. What could go wrong?”

  “Well, there’s a mob boss,” Chris offered.

  Tony’s eyes lit up.

  “Seriously? We get to play with some mob guy?” he asked a little too enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, Tony, try not to look so damn happy either. You look like a maniac when you smile like that.”

  “Bugs?” he asked, offering her the bag.

  “Or do that,” she added. “It’s clear. You’re just a maniac anyway you look at it.”

  He snorted.

  Elizabeth figured she should let them in on it since all of them were in danger.

  “Anyway, Gabe told me the local mob, Michael O’Banion, is making their lives hell.”

  At the mention of the man’s name, Tony began choking on one of his bugs.

  “Are you serious? That’s the mob guy you were talking about?”

  Chris was a nervous wreck by the whole thing. He wasn’t the only one who saw a nightmare coming their way.

  “Yes, see why I’m here?” he asked.

  “Is that safe, Agent LaRue?” one of the techs asked. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  She was appalled.

  Had she turned in her gun for a water gun?

  Was she five?

  It wasn’t like she was going to get in a van offering free kittens or candy.

  She had this.

  “Jesus. Can you all stop mother-henning me? I feel like I have to report to the principal’s office next. Maybe we can focus on these deaths?”

  They all shut up.

  Elizabeth knew they were just worried, but if she stressed it, that would just make it a million times worse.

  Back to the actual case. The mob guy might back down if he saw the FBI.

  Who knew?

  “The police questioned the housekeeper, and she stated that the gardener didn’t show that day.”

  She flipped some pages.

  “His name is Ryan Burch, and I’m going to be interviewing him at some point too.”

  Now she was basically just talking out loud, giving them a step by step of where she’d be in case something happened to her in the field. Working without a partner meant never going somewhere without someone knowing.

  “What about the last victim?” Tony asked, reading the information in her lap.

  “We have Joy Scott, found this morning by her mother. She was a secretary at the local bank. Her mother went over to pick her up—since she works there, too, and she found her only daughter dead in her bed.”

  Chris took over.

  “She’d been sodomized and raped. She had defensive wounds on her neck, likely from where she tried to get her fingers under the rope or cord that was used.”

  Elizabeth continued, “The police interviewed her neighbors, and she was quiet, she lived alone, and she never had a mean word to say about anyone.”

  Chris knew what she was thinking.

  He could tell by the look on her face.

  “You want to figure out how they connect,” he said. “Three random women, and they all died at the hands of some crazy.”

  Pretty much.

  That was where she needed to start.

  “Yeah, there was a teacher, a professor, and a secretary. I was going to go with someone hated the institute of learning, but then a secretary popped into this.”

  “So what are we doing first?”

  Elizabeth picked up her laptop and grabbed her bag. She knew what she needed to do, and it wasn’t a team sport.

  It was time to start investigating.

  “I’m going back there where it’s quiet, and for the rest of this trip, I’m going to start running the victims. The cops did it, but I don’t trust anyone to do my job but me.”

  He assumed.

  “Chris, go through those autopsy reports. Our first stop, when we land, is the morgue. We’ll get you situated, and then I’m going to make sure that the cops know that we’re here. I hope we get cooperation.”

  Chris just hoped that she didn’t get hurt.

  He’d take a shitload of torment by the locals to ensure she was safe.

  “Get researching, team. We land in an hour. Let’s find something. We are coming in at a disadvantage as it is. I’m down a partner, and we have outsiders digging in the evidence,” she said, heading to the back of the jet.

  Taking a seat, she got down to work.

  When everyone was else was settled, Tony moved over, making room for Chris to join him. They’d start on the forensics, and once at the lab, Tony would start taking the women apart by way of some beetles.

  Until then, he had some business to attend to, and his friend was it.

  “Spill it,” he whispered.

  Chris tried to play stupid.

  “What?” he asked, keeping his voice low. If Elizabeth heard any of this jackassery, she’d kill them both and dump them from the jet.

  “You smell like her, and I know for a fact you were off today. What’s going on?” Tony whispered.

  Chris wanted to say something.

  He really did.

  Only, he knew that it was a slippery slope. He liked Tony, but he was new to the team. Did he trust him? Trust him enough with this information?”

  “Nothing is going on,” he said, lying his ass off.

  “Okay, I’ll ask her.”

  He went to stand up.

  Chris pulled him down and nearly had a stroke.

  “Don’t! You’ll ruin it. Stop, okay? I have one shot at this, and you can’t screw it up!”

  That intrigued Tony.

  Probably more than it really should.

  Still…

  “One shot at what?” he teased.

  Chris zipped his mouth. This man was always checking out Elizabeth. There was no way he was going to tell him his plan.

  “What’s the hesitation? I thought we were friends,” he asked.

  Chris needed help, but was it worth the risk?

  He knew what he needed to know first and foremost.

  “Are you attracted to her?” Chris whispered.

  Tony laughed.

  “Uh, a corpse would be attracted to her. Did you see her ass in those jeans?” he asked.

  Chris stared at him.

  It wasn’t a good look either.

  Tony got serious. There was a time to be a jerk, and there was a time to be a friend. This was that time.

  Clearly.

  “What has you irritated?”

  “Are you going to make a play for her?” Chris hated going there, but he had to know.

  There.

  He put it out there.

  Tony knew he could bust the man’s ass, but he sensed that this was important.

  “Honestly, it’s not going to happen. I tease her, but she’s not my type.”

  Chris stared at him.

  “Then why are you always ogling her?”

  “Because it makes you crazy, and she’s pretty hot. She may not be my type, but it’s hard not to stare at a beautiful woman. That’s in our DNA. I can’t fight that. I can fight the need to bed down if I know it’s wrong. Why?”

  Chris had no choice but to believe him.

&n
bsp; “I made a huge mistake.”

  “Oh no. What did you do now? You’re not online dating again. You know how that worked out. You could have been killed.”

  Chris needed to tell someone.

  Anyone.

  He needed that third person perspective.

  “When I started having a sexual relationship with Elizabeth, I told her we were friends with bennies.”

  The man lifted a brow.

  “What?”

  “I told her I didn’t want a relationship. I wanted sex and that was it. She was free to move on as was I…”

  He let that hang there.

  “Are you freaking insane?” Tony asked. “You told her that it was a drive-by fucking?”

  Chris knew he was.

  “YES!” he hissed. “Like I said, I made a huge freaking mistake. I get to have sex with her, but she could walk away at any moment. Now I realize that I didn’t want that. I was settling for what I thought she’d give me, not what I thought I wanted.”

  Ugh.

  This was a mess.

  “Is this why you asked me what to do to get a woman to want more? She’s the one you want to woo?” he whispered.

  “GOD! Yes!”

  Well, there was an easy solution.

  “So, tell her you want to date her,” Tony stated. “Grow a set and say ‘Elizabeth, I want more than just sex’.”

  He stared at him.

  “You want me to walk up to Elizabeth ‘my ass looks hot in these jeans’ LaRue, and say, ‘want to be my girlfriend’? Are you out of your damn mind? Guys like us don’t go up to girls like her. She was a freaking cheerleader and I was the science nerd that got her through chemistry.”

  Tony stared at him.

  Was his self-esteem really that low?

  Then he needed to get comfy with a sexy woman. He thought too lowly of himself.

  “Chris, she’s letting you sleep with her. I’m going to go out on a limb and say she’s likely not going to be horrified with the idea. She let you jump her.”

  He was aware, and it was always the best day of his life when she did.

  “Do you use protection?”

  He stared at him.

  “Why do you need that information?”

  “If the woman is letting you saddle up bareback, she’s not just having some fling. It’s a relationship. Girls don’t let your dick go spelunking that cave without being really into that explorer—if you know what I mean.”

  He might have a point.

  He hadn’t offered to use a condom since their first night. In hindsight, that might not be a smart thing.

  Then again, she would tell him if she was sleeping with someone else—to protect him.

  “Tell her,” Tony stated.

  “I had a plan, and I need to know if it’s a good one, or if I’m out of my mind.”

  Tony was all ears.

  “I’m going to take her out on a really nice date.”

  He stared at him.

  “And?”

  “You know…court her. I’ll make her want to be with me by being romantic. Girls like romance.”

  Tony let out a breath.

  Jesus.

  This man…

  “Chris, you are going to jack this up. Why can’t you just walk up to her and say, ‘me caveman, you cave babe, let’s date’?” he asked.

  “Because the cave babe will kick me in the balls if I even go there with her. She’s not the caveman type. Elizabeth likes…”

  He had no freaking clue.

  That was the issue.

  “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her. I can’t see it being a total disaster,” Tony offered.

  “Swear you’re not trying to get her attention?”

  He ran his hands through his hair.

  “I am stunningly attractive. The ladies like my eyes. I think I could pull it off.”

  Chris glared at him.

  And handed him the warning.

  “Yes, really nice eyes that I know how to remove while you’re still alive.”

  He laughed and Chris hushed him.

  “Touchy,” he said, snickering. “You can relax, Chris. Really, she’s not my type. I need something different in bed, and I’m thinking she wouldn’t do it for me.”

  Okay, now he was curious.

  “What are you looking for that’s different?” he asked, already picturing certain things in his mind, and none of them were good.

  Creepy, yes.

  Sexy, no.

  “I’m more into a submissive girl. I think Special Agent LaRue would be too much for me to handle. Want to share stories so I can make up my mind?”

  “Over my dead body, and yours, if she ever found out that I told you anything about what happens in our bedrooms.”

  Tony grinned.

  “See? Not my type. I just like busting you and checking her out. It’s harmless. I won’t try to poach the woman you’re crazy about.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  The pilot came over the intercom, and he glanced back at Elizabeth. She was still reading as she twirled a curl around her trigger finger.

  His heart skipped.

  Chris had to figure this out, and fast.

  He was running out of time. It wouldn’t be long before she realized he was holding her back, and someone else came along.

  Shit.

  Now he was really scared.

  He couldn’t lose this girl!

  * * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *

  Washington D.C

  After the last time when Gabe ambushed him with his brother, Ethan told him if it happened again, he was going to leave the FBI. He’d had a few private sector jobs, based on his profiling skills, and he would absolutely do it too.

  While he always wanted to be a Fed, he wouldn't put up with someone running roughshod through his personal life.

  It wasn’t happening.

  Why?

  No one liked uncomfortable surprises.

  No one.

  Running into his brother, the man who betrayed him, had stung, and it dredged up the past that he’d tried to run away from years ago.

  He didn’t want to go back.

  It was a past he didn’t like to dwell on now that he’d remade himself into a Fed. Ethan Blackhawk was no longer some dirty Indian on the rez, but instead, he was moving up in the ranks of the FBI.

  That took time.

  Patience.

  A veneer.

  Already, people were contacting him, Feds he worked with, and they were begging him to work on profiles for him. He’d been good in training, but now they were calling on him to handle the hard cases.

  He’d even begun teaching some training classes on how he did it. Police departments were coming from far and wide to hear him talk about the art of profiling.

  He couldn’t believe it.

  In fact, he was supposed to be talking to a group of deputies the following day.

  He was working on his examples, filling out charts, and getting ready to boggle the mind.

  And then there was a knock on his door.

  Being his day off, that meant it could only be one person. There was only one pain in his ass who wouldn’t leave him alone on his day off.

  Jay Melrose.

  His partner.

  Heading to the door, he was barefoot, wearing his shirt open, and his hair was down. As he yanked it open, Gabriel Rothschild, the deputy director, was there.

  “May I come in?” he asked. “There’s a little woman across from you who told me you’re a Fed and will shoot me if I try and steal your shit.”

  He laughed.

  “She’s harmless. That’s Mrs. Feinstein, my neighbor. Come on in.”

  Gabe was escorted into his inner sanctum, and it was pretty much what he’d thought.

  Someone was locked in ice.

  His profiler was not living. He was merely existing. The stark black furniture and hideous painting on the wall proved that. It was
like he was putting on a show to hide who he really was beneath the all black clothing.

  “Nice place, Blackhawk.”

  “Thank you. Would you like coffee?” he asked. “I just made some.”

  “No, thank you. I’m on my way to meet Livy at the doctor’s office. She has an appointment.”

  He didn’t ask why.

  Blackhawk didn’t believe in butting into anyone’s business. He was not that kind of guy.

  Besides, Ethan was uncomfortable with his boss in his home. There was something about ‘The Dragon Slayer’ that always seemed to put him on edge.

  ALWAYS.

  “Well, then to what do I owe this visit? I turned in my paperwork, haven’t shot anyone…”

  He laughed.

  “Yet.”

  Well, that didn’t bode well at all.

  “I have something to tell you, and you need to stay calm when I do.”

  His heart began pounding.

  Oh, this was going to really suck. He could tell. Gabe didn’t do house calls unless it was bad.

  Really bad.

  “We got the list of deputies coming from out West to the training, and your brother is on it.”

  He stood.

  There was fury on his face.

  “Sit!”

  Ethan sat, but he was not happy.

  “Before you accuse me of something I didn’t have anything to do with, I didn’t know until today when I arrived at the office. My boss told me, so cool your jets.”

  He had no choice.

  Gabe was still his boss.

  “I’m telling you and giving you the option of still doing the profiler symposium.” This was exactly why he had asked Elizabeth to handle the deputy tour guide duty. Ethan would have shit a ton of bricks.

  From the artery in his throat, Gabe could tell his heart was thumping.

  “I don’t want to see him.”

  Clearly.

  “There will be three hundred cops there. I won’t tell your brother you’re doing it, and by the time it’s over, you can head out the back. You wanted to do this, and I don’t want to piss off the Natives. You or him.”

  “Gabe.”

  “Ethan, you have to cut it out. You have to stop running like this.”

  He was angry.

  “I don’t know what he did, but you have to face him. He’s your blood.”

  “Who cheated with my girlfriend and from what I hear, knocked her up.”