“With a family like that, it’s probably a good thing you don’t consider us family. You might try to kill me next.”
“Don’t pretend to think you know a thing about my family, lass. Now leave me the hell alone unless this is official business.”
Carson cut through the trees, leaving Lucy on the side of the road.
“Your lucky charms are running out, Irish,” Lucy called out.
Lucy
Chapter 3
“He’s pissed we’re here,” I called up to the upper floor of the rented lake house where Noah was unpacking.
“Can you blame the guy? We invaded his personal space,” Sam said as he continued his search for outlets to power his computer stuff. “Not that I would mind. I have nothing to hide.”
His apprehension momentarily spiked. Sam had a secret that he wasn’t sharing, not that I’d press. Well, not until he was vulnerable and the time was right.
“There are five dead bodies, and they’re searching for more,” Noah called out from the second-floor landing.
I turned and rested my arms and chin on the back of the couch, staring up at him.
This lake house would be the perfect getaway. It was secluded enough and yet still close to the other neighbors in the event of a problem. The décor wasn’t half bad either. Everything I’d expect to find in a log-cabin type lake house. It wasn’t bad, but it would never do for me permanently. I like creature comforts, and if the coffee shop isn’t just around the corner, I could never live here unless forced; kind of like the psych ward.
“If they were just finding the bodies today, how is it the FBI knew about them before they were pulled from the lake? Did a little birdie tell you?”
“Our cyber forensic crew figured it out. For over a decade they’ve been getting coded letters about a killer, and they cracked a portion of the last one. That’s why we’re here.”
“Like the Zodiac Killer?” I asked.
“Similar,” he answered, “only this was from a tipster.”
“How do you know the killer didn’t send the letters?”
He grinned. “We don’t.”
I slowly rose from the couch. “Quit wasting time and give me the letters. I might be able to work with them if there’s enough emotion involved.”
“I can’t,” he said, jogging down the stairs. “The letters no longer exist. The clues were hidden on the paper. In order to see them, they needed heat, but it turns out the paper they were written on was flash paper, the kind that magicians use.”
“So, they were destroyed?” I asked.
“Genius,” Sam remarked from across the room.
“All that’s left are the clues the forensic team could remember, and that’s what we’re doing here. Those clues led us to this lake and Carson’s father, Drake Tines.”
“What do we know about him?” I asked.
Sam sat down at the computer. Within ten minutes he’d hacked into files, only to stop and look at the screen confused.
“He’s been arrested multiple times for drunk and disorderly, but that’s not the interesting part. Those charges didn’t start until after Carson’s mother was found murdered on the side of the road.” Sam glanced up. “Drake Tines was the only suspect.”
“Carson is a protector. He had to get that gene from somewhere,” I said.
“The military instilled that in him. He’s lived in this town most of his life, only leaving when he joined the Marines after his mother died and his dad went missing.”
“Well damn, no wonder he’s touchy about his family,” I said.
“So much for him helping us investigate,” Noah said as he grabbed a water from the fridge. “We’ll have to do this without him.”
“Noah, what are we going to do if it’s someone he cares about?”
“We’ll deal with it when it comes up.”
I slipped into my tennis shoes, adjusted the ponytail holder on my head, and walked over to Noah. I held out my wrists as if to be cuffed, unsure which arm he preferred his super-duper tracking device to be locked on. “I know you guys probably don’t want to go running with me, but I need the exercise. As you know, Camp Cupcake doesn’t let us out much. They’re afraid we’ll ruin our supper by eating the grass.”
Noah met my gaze. “You proved yourself last time.”
I grinned. “There were more eyes watching me.”
“Sam told me you could have run.”
My gaze shot to the computer nerd. “Did he now?”
Sam’s cheeks reddened. “What? We all had to file a report on our experience with you. It’s protocol.”
“I’m flattered.” I winked at him.
“I’m giving you a long leash, Dr. Bray.” He crossed the room and grabbed a phone sitting on the counter. “You’re to call in every thirty minutes no matter what. You miss a call-in, you’re off the team.”
He pressed some buttons on the phone. “I’ve set the alarm and no excuses about a dead phone. That won’t cut it. If your phone dies, you borrow one and call in. Memorize my number in the event your phone dies. It’s programmed as the only contact. I don’t care if you have to pickpocket someone to make the damn call. You call, are we clear?”
“Crystal.” I saluted and headed for the door. Stepping outside, I inhaled a deep breath of the surrounding forest and lake. Freedom.
Noah had probably forgotten my tracker back at base if I had to guess. Either that or he didn’t read the part of my file that said I’d been a cross-country champ. Maybe he assumed I’d get lost in the forest. He wasn’t that lucky, especially after pointing out Carson’s family home just around the bend. Stealing a car would be simple. The thought of leaving my sister and brother-in-law behind was the only thing keeping me from trying.
I pay attention, better than most. I could retrace our car ride back to the main street blindfolded just by following the sounds. I think that little trick was a byproduct of the injections the military were using on me.
Not that I would run.
Not yet.
I opened the archaic burner type flip phone and checked the number programmed inside, committing it to memory. The timer read twenty-seven minutes.
Snapping it closed, I jogged off the porch, ignoring the call of the swings and rocking chairs sitting there.
I started in a jog, ignoring the easy path around the lakeshore. I headed in the direction that Noah had pointed out earlier, where Carson and his brothers lived. It was situated on the opposite shore of the lake where the police were still collecting evidence. Eventually, I’d head in that direction, maybe under cover of night so the locals didn’t get a glimpse of what I was capable of. If there was any lingering anger, I might be able to tap in.
Pumping my arms and setting a brisk stride, I realized just how out of shape I’d become during my time at Camp Cupcake.
The last time they took me out on a hunting trip, we’d caught the killer but not before he sliced my abdomen. The stitches pulled with each step, but I wouldn’t stop. This might be the only time Noah let me free. Fifteen minutes later, hearing the sound of people talking, I slowed, trying to catch my breath. Deep in the trees, about a five-minute hike from Carson’s house, I spotted him, arguing, with himself.
“What the hell do you mean you don’t know?” Carson growled toward the trees and pointed to the lake. “They found you, and they’re going to pin it on one of your sons unless you tell me who actually killed you.”
My mouth parted, and then I snapped it closed.
“And who are these other four people? Who in the hell killed them?”
I covered my mouth with my hand as Carson ran his hand over his bald head.
“Now you listen here, old man—” Carson’s words cut off, and he spun around and glared at me.
“Don’t mind me.” I spun around and started running back toward the rented lake house. I had a secret, and this one was a doozy. Why was Noah wasting time with my talents when Carson could actually talk to their ghosts?
I’d gotten about ten steps when Carson tackled me to the ground. As I landed on my back, the air escaped my lungs with a swoosh.
“It’s not what you think.”
Chapter 4
I coughed as Carson rolled off me. My knee throbbed as the new cuts pooled with blood. I reached for the phone and flipped it open, making sure it still worked. “So, you aren’t yelling at ghosts?”
“Okay, maybe it is what you think, lass, but you can’t say a word. No one knows.”
Carson rose to his feet in one swift move and held out his hand, offering to help me up.
I ignored the gesture and rose. I hissed, lifting the hem of my tank top. I swiped at the droplets of blood where one of my dissolvable stitches had broken free. I cringed as I touched the area.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said and gestured toward his house. “Does Noah know you escaped?”
I clutched my side as I chuckled. “I didn’t escape. He set me free. Temporarily. I have to check in every thirty minutes, or I’m off the team.”
“Listen, about that, and calling you just an assignment…”
I held up my hands. “No, you were right. The last assignment I was used as bait. I’m expendable. That’s why Noah picked me.”
“That’s not why Agent Roth picked you. He picked you because you’re the best damn tracker to ever come out of the program. Now, Director Hunt approved the choice because you're expendable. Where is the rest of the team?”
Ford Rain was a master thief and probably off stealing something. My brother-in-law, Grant, was probably spending his spare time with my twin sister, Gigi, who hadn’t woken up from her coma yet. They told me it was probably just her mind’s way of protecting herself from what the psychopath Carl Chisolm had done to her after he kidnapped her. I’d never be able to tell her that it was supposed to have been me.
“Not sure. Noah didn’t tell me if Ford or Grant will be meeting us here or if it’s just us. So did the ghost confess anything?”
“Nope, he’s still sticking to the story he got caught unaware from behind. He claims he didn’t see it coming and doesn’t remember who it was.”
“And the others? I’m assuming you can see them all. Did they say anything?”
Carson jogged up the steps of the house and yanked the door open. “They won’t show themselves. They hide from me.”
“Oh,” I said as I followed Carson inside.
The brother that Carson had hit was holding a bag of frozen peas to his lip while sitting on the couch nursing a beer. The other brother turned to stare at us as we entered.
“Lucy, this asshat is my brother Michael, and that one is Bishop.”
I wagged my fingers at them. “You should have come clean, boys. Family is everything.”
“They aren’t like you, Lucy. Where you almost killed two guys to save yours, mine is willing to stab me in the back.”
“Same goes for you, Carson. Bros before hoes,” I said in passing as I followed Carson into the kitchen.
“She isn’t a hoe,” Carson said, lifting me off my feet. He plopped my butt down on the kitchen table. “Now let’s see the damage.”
I lifted my tank top over my head and sat in my bra, not caring that his brothers were watching. “So, then you love the bartender for more than her liquor?”
“I care about her,” Carson corrected as he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a first aid kit.
“Okay, so let me get this straight. You dated the girl, you left the girl, and you don’t love the girl, but you care about her?”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Do you love her?” I asked, glancing at the brother holding the peas.
“Michael doesn’t know how to love anyone but himself,” Carson said.
“Screw you, Carson. Yes. I do love her, and I plan on marrying her.”
Carson’s fingers paused on my wound, and I sensed the stir of anger in his gut. I also felt the truth about the love from the brother. It was a gift and a curse that I could connect to emotions thanks to the government experiment. In this case, because of the ability, it turned me into the middleman. I touched his hand and turned his head to look at me.
“He’s telling the truth. He does love her, and if you love your brother, and care about the woman, then you’ll stop being an ass and let them have their happily ever after.”
Carson held my gaze for a mere second before he poured peroxide into my wound, making me almost come off the table. “Stay out of my business, Doc.”
I took the bandage from him and attached it myself. “I’ll stay out of your business when you get your head back into the game. You’re losing your touch, Carson. You have yet to ask how it is that Noah knew to come here. You think it was a coincidence?”
Carson sighed as I grabbed my shirt and slid it back over my body. “You’re here about the bodies, right?”
“Yeah, you should really be asking yourself how he found out about them before they were dragged out of the lake.” I tsked and headed toward the door, grabbing the handle. I paused and turned to face all of the brothers. “Getting together with Carson’s ex was a dick move. You should have discussed it and at least warned him.” I glanced at the other brother. “And you…you should have made them talk or at least hired a referee and provided free popcorn.”
“Where you staying?” Carson asked as he followed me out onto the porch.
I pointed up the shore to one of the houses just as my phone alarm buzzed. “You might want to think about stopping by and checking in.”
I didn’t wait around for a reply. I dialed Noah, and he answered on the first ring. “I’m on my way back.”
“Good. There’s someone here that wants to talk to you.”
A grin formed on my lips. Maybe my brother-in-law had shown, or hell, even Ford showing up was enough to make this trip more tolerable. He could teach me exit strategies and how not to get caught.
I jogged through the forest and stepped out of the clearing to find Jack Sloan and my brother-in-law, Grant Mathews, waiting on the porch.
Jack was a guy we’d helped in my first excursion away from Camp Cupcake. We’d been tasked with finding his niece’s killer only a few weeks ago. From what the guys had told me, Jack was filthy rich, but that didn’t matter to me. Extra money in a psych ward wasn’t very valuable, and I had my own.
Now, extra socks and pretty-smelling soaps and a girl just might fall in love. If Sloan and I ever came together, our chemistry might ignite a forest fire.
I stepped up onto the porch. “About time you got here. We’ve got work to do.” I knocked Grant’s arm and smiled up at him.
He didn’t return my smile. A frown marred his lips as he glanced down at the blood on my shirt. “What happened to you?”
I followed his gaze. “I went for a jog, and I’m a klutz.”
Normally Grant would agree with me. He’d joke that I should stay away from sharp objects like tree branches.
He remained quiet, apprehensive even.
I glanced over at Sloan. His apprehension clogged my pores. My heartbeat tripled. Jack Sloan had no reason to be here. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my core.
I turned to Grant. “Is Gigi okay?”
“She’s fine, Lucy. Why don’t you take a seat,” Grant said, guiding me toward the swing.
I shoved his hand off my arm. “There’s nothing you can tell me that would be worse than something wrong with Gigi, so quit treating me like glass and just tell me.”
“Carl has woken up.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “We all knew it would eventually happen.”
“All the evidence you provided against him has disappeared. The prosecutor had no choice but to drop all charges.”
“Are you kidding me? He’s free!” I paced the porch as I tried desperately to wrap my brain about what they’d just told me. This wasn’t happening. Not now. Not when I was finally finding my groove. I mean I’d only worked one case with this team, but we were
feeling each other out. “What the hell happened to the evidence I found and left on his body?”
“It’s gone. The authorities are still trying to figure out where the screw-up happened.”
“Maybe they should be looking at how many more accomplices Carl had to begin with.”
They shared a pensive look.
I slowly sat on the swing before my legs betrayed me and gave out. With Carl’s release, I knew he was coming for me. I’d stopped short of killing him last time. I wasn’t so sure I could refrain again. Camp Cupcake would just be a pit stop for me before doing hard time behind bars. There was no doubt that man had to die. “Is that it?”
“Carl is adamant that you weren’t his attacker. He claims it was a man.”
My eyes widened, and my mouth parted. “He’s lying. I confessed.”
“I know,” Grant said. “The only answer we don’t know is why he’s lying.”
Sloan slid his hands into his pocket. “The good news is that, without evidence of your crime, and with the victim saying under oath that it wasn’t you, they have to release you and consider that you gave a false confession. I got your sentence reduced to time served, and we’ll probably be able to get your record expunged altogether.”
“Are you implying that I’m free?”
“Lucy, you don’t understand,” Grant said. He squatted in front of me, holding my gaze. “Carl is free too, and he’s connected to you. Your release from the psych ward will make you an easier target.”
“But I’m free?”
“Yes, and in danger,” Sloan added.
Any enthusiasm I’d been holding vanished like the last bottle of wine I’d drunk. I was in danger, not that I couldn’t handle Carl; I had before. My gaze drifted over their faces and then in through the cabin window to find Sam staring at me with a smile, giving me a thumbs-up. He’d dyed his spiky hair red to match his shirt. Noah stood next to him with arms crossed, his gaze keenly watching.
Now I had more pressure points for Carl to manipulate. If he found out about this group, he’d use them to get to me, and I’d willingly try and stop the guy.
Killing Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 2) Page 2