He sighed. “There was one incident with Joe. He had a day off and got a little looped.”
Callie made notes.
“He wandered onto base and confronted Major Gaines in the mess hall. She was having dinner with her men, and it got ugly.”
“Define ugly,” she stated.
“He called her a few names, went to push her, and the men on her team handled it. They beat the hell out of him.”
Callie leaned back in her chair. “And?”
“He ended up tearing the rotator cuff in his arm. He’s not fit for active duty, so he’s stuck on a desk job.”
She thought about it. While the man would want revenge, it didn't feel right. She was leaning toward Private Lewis. He was spiffy and perfect. Plus, a damaged arm would restrict some of Joe Hartford’s abilities.
“I need to interview them both,” she stated.
“NOW?” he asked. “It’s Sunday morning.”
Callie was losing her patience. “Well, had you been open with us, and had his file had this information in it, we could have done this during the week.”
“I just told you Private Lewis was clean. Why do you need to see him?”
“Why don’t you want me to see him?” she countered. “Are you hiding something, Colonel? Maybe I should get your personnel file.”
He started laughing, until he noticed she wasn’t.
“Are you serious?”
Callie’s phone beeped, and she opted to let him stew a little before she gave him his reply.
It was a text from her husband.
‘We have another dead Marine. Private Churchill is dead. His sin was cross-dressing. Jayson Woods is in the wind. There was a struggle. We’re not sure if he was hurt. Maura doesn’t know. Hope you find something soon. We’re down to two Marines.’
Well, shit.
This wasn’t good at all.
“What’s wrong?” the colonel asked, noticing she’d gone quiet and serious.
“That was from my husband. He and Director Carter were supposed to rendezvous and pick up Private Churchill and Captain Woods. We were about to transport them to a safe house.”
“Okay, and?”
“Redmond Churchill was found dead. We only have two Marines left on Bravo Ghost. We’re running out of time, Colonel. Will you set up those interviews now?” she asked.
Concern filled his face. “I’ll call them in.”
“No, have two men pick them up and bring them in. If one of them is the killer, we don’t need to have another body turn up. If one of them is guilty, he may bolt.”
“This is out of control.”
Yeah, he wasn’t telling Callie anything she didn't already know.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
FBI West
Tech Lab
It just wasn’t adding up.
No matter how Meredith Peyton looked at it, the facts didn't align with the witness accounts. Jayson Woods told his boss that someone had run him off the road.
Yet, there wasn’t any paint transfer or tire tracks.
They traced the vehicle all the way back to the main road, and they couldn’t locate skid marks either.
If another vehicle had tried to ram into him, then there would have been some sort of evidence.
This was a mess.
She needed to discuss this with the bosses, and soon. Since they had people out in the field, the Blackhawks had made this priority one. They would want to know about it.
Sending a text, she waited for them to arrive in the lab. The look on her face must have given it away.
“You found something,” Ethan Blackhawk said.
“That’s the issue. I haven’t found anything. We pulled that truck apart. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Explain,” Elizabeth said.
“I’ll break it down for you,” she said, pointing at the two agents who had been assigned to assist her. “They didn't find anything in the woods but one set of tracks. If you’re trying to kill someone and are on the edge of sanity, what do you do?”
Elizabeth went with it. “I would have tracked him to where the vehicle stopped. Then, I would have waited to end his life. If he came up, I would have been waiting.”
“That’s the majority’s consensus. Yet, there’s one set of tracks by the water. Jayson Woods came out, but no one was waiting for him.”
“Maybe this was a hit and run,” Callen offered.
Merry was waiting for one of them to go there. She told them about the lack of paint transfer and skid marks.
“When we pulled the truck out I didn't realize it at the time, but it wasn’t right.”
“How?” Ethan asked.
“That’s a relatively new Ford F-150. It’s all electrical. When he hit the water, he would have lost all power in seconds. The back window was open enough to let water pour in faster than he could have escaped. There are no busted-out windows and the driver side door was open.”
Elizabeth immediately, got it. “He wouldn’t have been able to open the door against the pressure of the water.”
“Exactly. That cab filled in less than thirty seconds, sinking the vehicle, and fast. The only way he would have been able to get that door open,” she began.
“Was if it was open to begin with,” Ethan added.
“Yes. Plus, when we looked at the vehicle, and the distance it traveled from where it exited the road until it hit the pond, there was no damage. Not to the trees and certainly not to the front of the truck.”
“So, you think it was driven in slowly.”
“Is that crazy of me?” she asked. “Look at the airbag,” she stated, walking them to the truck door.
“What airbag?” Elizabeth asked.
“Exactly. It never deployed. I’ve seen people accidentally let their cars roll into a building and it goes off. This didn't.”
Ethan was getting excited. This all pointed to one thing. “He set it up.”
“Yeah, he did. Only, he didn't think we’d pull out his vehicle and be able to figure it out. He obviously doesn’t know enough about forensic science. This was one big trail of breadcrumbs.”
“I think our amazing tech team has given us a huge piece of the puzzle,” stated Elizabeth.
“We need to tell Doctor Carter and her team,” Blackhawk stated. “This changes everything from here on out. We now have the truth.”
His wife needed to know one thing.
“Does this fit the killer in your head?” Elizabeth asked her husband as they headed back to her office. Since Ethan was the one she trusted with all her profiling, he would give her the reassurance she needed.
“Yeah, it does.”
That was good enough for her.
Now, their team just needed to reel him in.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sunday Afternoon
Nathaniel’s Condominium
W hen they arrived back at the condo, Callie was nowhere to be found. Immediately, Quinn had flashbacks of the last time they were working a case together. His heart began erratically thumping in his chest.
When Nate handed him the note she had left, it didn't get any better.
‘Quinton,
I’m at the base conducting interviews. I think I found something that may give us our killer. I’ll call you when I’m done. Stop worrying. I’m safe. You’re going to need medication if you don’t chill out.
Love you,
Callie’
“I swear she’s going to be the death of me yet,” he muttered, putting down the note. “Didn't I tell her to keep that sweet behind of hers here? I thought I was pretty clear.”
Nate found that funny. Big or not, if the man said those words to his sister, she would have dropped him like a lead balloon. “I’m glad I’m single. It makes my life so much easier.”
Quinn glared at him. “You wait. One day, you’ll fall in love and your entire well-ordered life will go to hell in a hand basket. Then you’ll sit there and wonder where the hell
you went wrong.”
He didn't buy that for a second.
There was no way in hell he’d let that happen. Nathaniel Carter was married to his career. No one could ever tie him up in knots like Quinn.
It just wasn’t possible.
Before he could protest, there was a beep on his tablet. Opening it up, he expected to see his sister there. Instead, he found his boss waiting to speak to them.
“Where is Doctor Gaines?” Elizabeth asked.
“She’s at the base doing interviews, why?” Nate inquired.
“We need to talk to all of you. Buzz her and get her on the video call.”
They waited until Callie answered the beep.
“This is a really bad time,” she said, her face filling half the screen. Then, she noticed her brother wasn’t alone. “Oh, hello, Elizabeth.”
“What do you have?” she immediately asked.
“I’m interviewing Private Lewis. I started with Sergeant Hartford, but he was with his wife all night. I knew he couldn’t be the one who killed Redmond Churchill. Right now, Private Lewis is sweating bullets, but I think I can break him.”
“Is he the one?” Nate asked.
“I think so,” she replied. “He fits the profile that Director Blackhawk came up with.”
Elizabeth hated to burst her bubble, but they had a wrench to throw into the works. “Set him free. I think we have your killer. The tech team is damn good at what they do.”
She had their attention.
Elizabeth began sharing all the details about the truck. She didn't leave out any information, and by the looks on their faces, she could tell that Doctor Gaines was putting it together.
“We’re waiting on DNA, and the sweep evidence on the crime scene report, but I have that gut feeling that it’s the last man on the team who was left standing.”
They couldn’t believe that Jayson Woods was their killer.
“Shit!” Quinn blurted. “We were the ones who told Maura to give out Redmond’s home location. We gave the fox the keys to the hen house.”
“Maybe he already knew,” Callie suggested, trying to ease the anguish on her husband’s face. He was a homicide detective and would take all of this personally. In fact, he would let it weigh on his shoulders. It was his job to solve murders, not help one go down.
Nate interjected. “What if he was bullshitting us? We don’t know that he was hours out. We only know he said his truck was in the pond. For all we know, he could have been right outside the location, waiting for the right time.”
“Or he had a vehicle stashed beforehand. He also could have hitchhiked,” stated Elizabeth. “You can’t sweat the things that are out of our control. Right now, you need to worry about his next move.”
“I can’t believe that we pointed him at that poor Marine,” Quinn said. “I know we didn't do it intentionally, but we handed him over to the executioner.”
“So, make him pay,” Elizabeth said. “Don’t let this break you. Make it break him. You now have an identity. Run with it and contact the other part of your team.”
Nate knew his boss was right. “I’ll put out a BOLO. We’ll find him.”
Callie had something nagging her that she needed to find out. “While you do that, I need to make a call.”
They all waited while Nate called in the BOLO and Callie made her call. They could see her talking into a phone, but didn't know to whom.
When she got back on the video call, she had more confirmation. “When we interviewed Stephanie Simpson, she stated that she was set up on a blind date with Redmond. It bothered me that we never asked by who, and I think we just got more confirmation. Jayson Woods set them up. He told her that he knew a nice guy.”
“Why would he do that?” Quinn asked, not getting it.
Ethan Blackhawk answered for Callie. “He may have been testing the man. Until that point, maybe he didn't know his secret. By wiggling some bait in front of him, he might have been assuming that the man would bite. Then, Jayson could study his prey more.”
“What kind of person sets up a trap like that?” Nate asked.
“One who is twisted and perverse,” Callie answered. “He believes himself to be a good Marine. To him, he was only doing his duty by cleaning up the corps. That’s likely why he has it in for Maura. She was letting this all happen under her nose. The cross-dressing, the cheating, the abuse of weaker people, and the gay couple. To someone hell bent on perfection, those incidents would make him want to rage around in anger.”
“He’s sick,” stated Quinn. “At least my sister is safe. That lunatic can’t get to her.”
“We still need to call her and let her know,” Nate said.
“I’ll head back to the condo. I can set Private Lewis free and be there in ten minutes,” she offered. “Thank you, Directors, for all your help. We couldn’t have done it without you,” Callie stated.
“It’s our job. Now, be safe, catch the lunatic, and no one get hurt or I’m going to kick your ass,” Elizabeth stated.
They cut off the call.
“Get your butt back here, Callista. We’re going to have a conversation about you not paying attention to my direct orders.”
Her laughter filled the air as she nearly cried in amusement. “Yeah, big guy, you get ready for that conversation. I’m sure it’ll go really well.”
Then, she was gone.
“You’re not actually going to do it, are you?” Nate asked, grinning. He loved watching his sister beat down the much bigger man.
“Hell no. I’m mad. I’m not freaking crazy.”
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
It didn't take him long to find them. Thanks to Maura’s coordinates and Redmond’s wheels, he was able to get there in record time.
Now, he could end this game.
From where he lay hidden, Jayson could see them inside the tiny rustic cabin. While he wished that he had the chance to scout out the area, he didn't have time.
Maura’s death couldn’t wait.
Jayson knew that in order to win this one, he would need to make it a sneak attack.
Looking down at his gun, he only had a few shells. When he rummaged through Redmond’s house, he had to move fast. The FBI was on their way, and he couldn’t get caught there. So, he dressed the man and left the mess behind.
Normally, he would have been more careful.
But then again, it didn't matter. Here was the true mission, and he needed to finish it.
He was winning this one. The foul animals, who wore the sacred Marine garb, were his focus now. They’d all fallen, including that cross-dressing freak. When he had seen him wearing women’s underwear under his dress blues, the secret was out.
Redmond was just as bad as the two gay men.
Now, he was where they were.
Dead.
How did their boss not see it? It was her job to be aware, keep them safe, and make sure that the corps was glorified.
She failed.
Miserably.
Oh, how she had made a mess of this, but that was fine. When this was all over, she’d be dead, and he would take her job. Then, Bravo Ghost would be a legend.
The Marines would be glorified.
There would be no sinners touting themselves as honorable men.
Without a doubt, he would lead them with honor, dignity, and all the courage that was needed. After all, he had the guts to kill people who he had once called brother. The enemy would quake in its boots when he approached.
Oorah!
Examining the situation, Jayson knew that he needed to make the shot, kill the woman, and then get back to the ATV, all before alerting the Fed with her. Once there, he would wander off and pretend he got lost in the woods. After all, who would suspect him?
The ‘killer’ tried for him and failed. There was no doubt in his mind that his cover would remain in place. When this was all over, he’d head back to where he left his phone, and retrieve it. With the GPS on, when they pinpoint
ed his location, he was safe. For all they knew, he was just hiding out in that dense forest area.
It was the perfect plan.
Jayson wanted to laugh.
Yeah, he would run Bravo Ghost.
And he would be legend.
Now, there was only one thing standing in the way. Her name was Maura Gaines, and she was destined to die. When all was said and done, he would be victorious.
And the winner.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
It had been a pretty spectacular afternoon. While down by the water, they had made love. It was gentle, sweet, and filled with so much affection.
It filled her heart, making Maura whole.
The entire time, Luke stared in her eyes, sharing his soul with her. They had a connection. It was there and each second with each other, it weaved more tightly together.
Together, nothing could stop them.
Already, they had built a strong foundation.
After eating, they lounged by the water, talking about their pasts. Where she wanted to talk about the future, she knew it was still uncertain.
While her heart was dedicated to Luke, from this moment out, she couldn’t take for granted that maybe he wanted to go slow.
For the first time in her life, she didn't.
Maura wanted to jump feet first into the entire feeling of love, immersing herself in the happiness she found there.
Trust was a beautiful thing.
As they set up the chess board, he teased her unmercifully. “I have to be crazy to play a game of strategy with someone who works on them all day.”
“Yeah, you’re nutty,” she teased back. “I’m going to own your bitch queen, and your puny king too.”
It made him laugh.
God, he loved her so damn much.
In that moment, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Lucas found the woman he wanted to marry.
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