Literally.
Or at least she was trying to get him to acknowledge her advances, flirting and assets. When he got home he was going to beat down his brother.
“Lulu, what can you tell me?” he asked, sitting at a table with the woman.
“I can tell you that I think you’re a really sexy man, and we can head on back to the private rooms for a few minutes. I’d make your day, Agent. Men never complain after a session with me.”
Blackhawk wasn’t amused. “See the beautiful woman over there with all the black hair?” he asked, pointing at his wife.
“Yeah, I spoke to her the other day. I don’t know if I’d call her beautiful. All that black hair is a bit much.”
He almost laughed. “If I call her over, she’s going to be less than pleasant. Just tell me what I need to know, and we can all get on with our day.”
Lulu leaned forwards and grinned. “You’re uptight sugar; you’re wife not satisfying you? You should come see me.” She slid her hand up his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch.
Blackhawk shifted, but knew she was right there. His wife had the best or worst timing- depending on your perspective. Right then he had a woman groping at him incredibly inappropriately.
“Lulu, we meet again,” stated Elizabeth, pulling out a chair and straddling it. “I see you have your hands in places they shouldn’t be.”
Ethan knew it was about to get ugly. He could hear the twang of southern in her voice, and that meant someone was going to be in a great deal of pain.
“The agent and I were just having a little talk, and possibly thinking about getting a coffee later, so back off.”
Now Blackhawk tensed at what the woman was implying.
Elizabeth started laughing. “I find that hard to believe, Lulu,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Why’s that?” she stated, with a great deal of hostility. “Because I’m a stripper? You think a man wouldn’t want to date me outside the job?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I happen to know for a fact that the director is a happily married man.”
The woman snorted. “Sugar, here’s a news flash. When they are out there, they’re happily married,” she pointed at the door. “In here it’s a whole other story. His wife is probably slacked off in the sex department, and he’s just biding his time until he can shake her off and get laid.”
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s very satisfied in bed.”
“Oh, so you know that now too? Aren’t you just a fucking mind reader?”
Elizabeth laughed. “I am. Let me teach you my trick. Are you ready, Lulu?” she asked. When the woman crossed her arms, she went in for the kill. Normally sex in the workplace was not going to be discussed, but she did just find the woman feeling up her husband in a strip club. This was a whole other ballgame, and when in Rome…
“Ethan, you last had sex with your wife yesterday, she wore that red silk number you liked, and you had a damn good time, didn’t you?”
Blackhawk grinned. “I certainly did. I actually enjoyed how she ended it all.”
“Oh yeah, you like her on top. We don’t want to forget that.”
Lulu stared at them both not getting it.
Elizabeth held up her left hand and pointed at her ring. “Now Lulu, what piece of jewelry is on my finger that’s identical to what’s on Mr. Blackhawk’s here?”
The stripper still didn’t get it.
“Look closely and you’ll see they’re matching rings. Hmmm, I wonder why that is,” she paused. “Oh yeah, I know. I’m his fucking wife, and if I see you put your hand anywhere near the parts of his body that I exclusively have rights to,” she pointed at his whole self. “I’m going to take your bleached out, skanky ass, outside and show you what a wife who doesn’t particularly like strippers is prone to do. I will make sure your damn dancing days are over. Are we clear?” Elizabeth was used to women hitting on the men in her life, but there was a big difference between flirting and running hands across his lap. Not happening.
Lulu gave her a dirty look.
“Now onto the questioning part of this interview. Fred stated a few women here were turning tricks. Are you hooking, Lulu?” Elizabeth was blunt and to the point.
“I do believe she offered herself up to me,” stated Blackhawk. “In the back room, assuming I’d be immune to her advances.”
“Wow, you solicited a federal agent, while his badge was on the table?” Elizabeth shook her head. “That’s has to be the easiest arrest I’ve ever had to make for solicitation of a federal officer.”
“I don’t have a need for johns,” she demanded.
Elizabeth cocked her head. “So you didn’t just offer to take Director Blackhawk for a little tumble down stripper lane?”
“I’m Lulu LaVous, I don’t need to turn tricks, and the men love me because of my name and my body. Men love all things French.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You realize when you make up a last name you should understand the language and not pick words that rhyme. You’re last name doesn’t actually mean anything, if fact it’s a dead giveaway you don’t speak French. If you translate it, the meaning is ‘I You’. Unless that’s something you were going for when you were picking it.”
“Please, you’re some back woods redneck,” she said, mocking the way Elizabeth’s accent came out, by supplying one of her own.
Ethan went to say something, but Elizabeth beat him to it. In perfect French, she spoke to the woman, and then turned her husband’s face to meet her gaze. She spoke of their love, his amazing body and how much she adored him. Ending it a touch to his cheek, she stared back at the woman. “I actually speak French. I guess that’s not too bad for a redneck.”
Blackhawk stared at his wife, his heart pounding in his chest. His brother had one thing absolutely right. Her speaking French was incredibly hot.
“Are you done trying to insult me and evade questions, Lulu? Or can we get back to the main discussion here? Are you turning tricks?” she asked again. “Because if I have to, I’ll run you in and have an arrest report on you so fast your head will spin.”
“I’ve been arrested in the past,” she admitted, knowing the woman would drag her in without batting an eye.
“Did any of the other women have a specific man that visited them regularly?” Elizabeth asked. “One that seemed to be in here more than anyone else?”
“Honey, it’s a strip club. Men come in here five times a week and tell the little woman they’re getting a beer with the boys. I don’t keep tabs on the regulars.”
Elizabeth simply sighed. “No one, Lulu?”
Lulu wasn’t giving her that information. “No, not that I can remember. We see a lot of men, as you can imagine, and some of us more than others.” If she gave the Feds the name of the men she had regularly, that meant she’d lose money and that wasn’t happening.
Blackhawk stood. “Thanks for your help,” he said, dropping his arm over his wife’s shoulders.
Elizabeth nodded at the woman, and let her husband lead her away. There had to be something Ethan needed to tell her. When they were off to the side, he motioned to Callen who joined them.
“How’d it go with the men?” Blackhawk asked. “Get anything?”
“A couple of them had ‘private’ dances with the victims and they swear they didn’t know they were doing anything illegal,” Callen said grinning.
Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, because this country just passed that pesky ‘no sex for money’ rule yesterday.”
“A few stated that the girls put out the first time for free, and then the subsequent times charged them.”
“That’s called the hook,” she said, glancing back and forth at the men. “To make sure the man’s not a cop, they’ll screw him once, and then the second time they ask for the money. They figure undercover cops won’t follow through with the sex.”
Both men stared at her.
“What? I played a hooker for about three weeks. Miss Kitty walked the street a long time.�
�
Callen was about to make a comment, when his brother punched him in the arm. “Hey! What’s that for?” he demanded.
“You sent me into Lulu land, and Elizabeth had to slap the woman down. Her hands were all over my lower region and dangerously close to…”
Elizabeth chimed in, “My property.”
“Oh shit, I missed it?” He was genuinely disappointed. “Damn it! I love when she gets all territorial.”
Elizabeth glanced down at her watch. “It’s time to head over to our appointment with Patrick Wells. Callen, can you stick here with Julian and Detective Austin to make sure the tech team gets all the trace done? I want them out of here in the next hour. We’re taking Tori. I want her opinion on anything she sees lying in the open that’s suspicious.”
“Yeah, I can stay. Will you both be careful?” he asked. Even though he knew they were going somewhere completely safe, Callen didn’t like to be apart from them too long.
“Watch your back here. Lulu is looking for a piece of ass to sink her teeth into,” snickered Elizabeth, taking the fist bump from Ethan.
“You both just threw me to her now!” He started laughing. “You’re a sadistic woman.”
Blackhawk crossed his arms. “Oh, and by the way, Cal. She whipped out the French, stared right into my eyes and it was indeed very hot.”
Now he stood with his mouth open. “You talked dirty in French without me and to another man? That’s our thing!”
“Boys, you’re both too damn much.”
~ Chapter Fifteen ~
Monday Afternoon
Parking in front of the house, both directors and Agent Christensen took in the surroundings. It was a fairly decent sized house in a really nice neighborhood. Immediately, alarm bells went off in the back of all three of their heads. Tori was the one to bring it up first.
“I get that you three live in an upscale neighborhood, but you’re all directors for the FBI. How does a fire inspector for the local fire department pull in the cash to score this house? I’m pretty sure I make more money than him, and I don’t live in a neighborhood like this.”
“That’s a good question,” stated Elizabeth, as Ethan Googled the average salary as a point of reference.
He held the phone up showing both women. “Patrick Wells didn’t get this house on his salary.”
That simply made Elizabeth more curious. When she locked into a trail, she dug until she found what she wanted like a rabid dog.
“Let’s go in and overtly ask questions. Shall we? Tori, you keep your eyes open and see if you can find anything suspicious.”
The three approached the front door and knocked. Waiting for access to the house, they all scanned the area. Patrick Wells had a brand new pickup truck and it was parked in the front of the house. It only added fuel to their fire.
Before anyone could say anything, the door was pulled open quickly. It had all three reaching for their guns, expecting the worst.
“Hey! It’s only me. No need to be jumpy! Come on in and we can get to work. Can I get anyone a drink?” said the man, exuberantly.
Elizabeth was beginning to think maybe he was just one of those irritatingly cheerful people. Like Ginny or Christina. “Thank you,” she said, leading the three in after him. Both agents were blocking Tori, so she could check everything out without Patrick Wells noticing.
They followed him into his office, taking seats facing his really old looking mahogany desk. Everyone declined his offer on the beverages.
Ethan silently observed the man, allowing his wife and Tori to run the conversation. He noticed the agent was doing a good job of covertly checking out the bookshelves for literature regarding fires. But then again, he was the fire inspector; of course there’d be books.
“We appreciate you having us here,” stated Elizabeth. “Great neighborhood. When Ethan and I were buying a house in the area, this was one of the places we considered.”
Patrick smiled. “We love it here. My son and I think it’s a great place.”
Elizabeth made the mental note that he didn’t mention a woman. “Yeah, we went with one closer to work and a lower homeowner association fees.”
“The fees aren’t too bad once you get used to them, I guess. I just wanted a place that we could call home.”
She kept at it. “Have you lived here long?” Elizabeth inquired, smiling easily.
“No, we’ve only been here since my wife passed away five years ago. We simply couldn’t stay in the other house. Her death there made it very difficult for my son.”
“I imagine,” Tori interjected, sympathetically.
Patrick Wells leaned back in his chair. “I was a little surprised to hear from you today. After our call, I pulled the files you requested,” he said, changing the subject.
It was obvious that the man didn’t like talking about his deceased wife. That would be easy enough to track. Glancing over at her husband, he immediately got the hint and sent Christina a text. They were going to find out everything they could about the woman that had been married to Patrick Wells.
“Thank you for helping us with this, Mr. Wells.”
“Oh I don’t mind! Anything to help out the FBI. I love my job and like solving problems.”
Tori took over. “Yes, me too. Fire enthralls me and how the slightest thing can change the burn pattern or affect the flame.” The agent laid it on pretty thick.
The man smiled and leaned forward. “Absolutely! The science behind it all astounds me. Then add in a human body to the mix and that alters everything.”
“When I first learned that fat acted as a fuel, I found that fascinating,” added Tori, trying to keep him talking. Before she could continue, there was a slam of the front door.
“Dad! Where are you?” called the voice.
“Trent, I’m in here with the FBI,” he answered back. “Sorry Agents. That’s my son,” he said as the boy walked into the room.
“Hey, wow! The Feds are in our house. What did you do now Dad?” he asked laughing. “I told you pay those parking tickets.”
Elizabeth stood and offered him her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Trent. I’m Director Blackhawk, and this is my team, Special Agent Christensen and my partner Director Blackhawk.”
Trent shook everyone’s hands. “It’s nice meeting you!” The young man smiled enthusiastically, much like his father did all the time. “Dad, the guys and I are going to grab some pizza and beer. Can I get some cash?” he asked.
Patrick Wells pulled his wallet out. “Don’t be out too late, and don’t drink and drive,” he said, seriously.
The young man laughed. “I don’t. Stop stressing. I’m almost done with college. I wouldn’t screw that up. Catch you later, Dad. Love you!” Trent said as he hugged the man. “It was nice meeting you three,” he added, hustling out of the office and up the stairs to his room.
“Great kid,” said Elizabeth.
“Trent is going into law school next year. He’s already been accepted. The boy has always wanted to be a lawyer when he was growing up. It all seems like a lot to memorize. I’m very proud of him.”
“I bet you are, Sir.” Tori hopped back into the conversation. “How’d you get to be Fire Inspector?” she asked, standing and moving closer to the books on the shelf.
“I was a firefighter for the local unit and then my wife died. I didn’t want to risk my life going into burning buildings, but I still loved the work. I couldn’t sleep at night when I kept dwelling on losing my life in a fire. Who’d raise my son? When the position opened I applied.”
Elizabeth stood. “Thank you for your files, Mr. Wells.”
He looked disappointed. “Oh we’re not going to go through them together?” he asked. “I assumed you wanted my help.”
She smiled. “We appreciate your offer, but we have a large tech staff to sort through them. We’ll call you if we find anything,” Elizabeth said, moving to the door.
“Director?” he called after her.
“
Yes Mr. Wells?” Elizabeth paused briefly, as she turned to stare directly into the man’s face.
“I get the impression that I’m being pushed off this case. You and your team are just barely being accommodating. Can I ask what I did to get black balled?” Patrick Wells kept his temper in check, because ultimately his boss said the woman had the final say.
Elizabeth wasn’t expecting that. “Mr. Wells, we’re being as forthright as we can. We honestly don’t have that much. When we get anything, we’ll bring you in on it, but until then there’s nothing going on behind your back.”
His boss had been right, she was tough and a bitch. He could see the attitude simmering just below the surface. “I see.”
Elizabeth saw the flash of anger. “Oh, there is one thing you can help us with, Mr. Wells.”
Patrick crossed his arms. “Yes?”
She was going to save her team some leg work. “I’m sorry, but I need to ask this. How did your wife die, Mr. Wells?”
It was obvious that her question caught him off guard. She watched him weigh the options and then finally he spoke.
“Unfortunately, my wife perished in a house fire.”
There was silence in the room as they all took that little piece of information in to process. She spoke first. “Have a good day, Sir,” she said, walking out and dropping her sunglasses back on her face.
In the Denali, Ethan pulled away from the man’s house before finally speaking. “What a coincidence, huh?”
Elizabeth started laughing. “Yeah, and you know how I feel about those. Wife dies in a fire and the man moves up to a fancy house in an expensive development with his son. He was a fireman and then decided to be in charge of inspecting fires instead of fighting them. In my book, Patrick wells just became my favorite kind of person.”
“Your favorite person?” asked Tori.
Elizabeth turned grinning. “Yeah, a suspect.”
* * *
Back in her office, Elizabeth dropped her gun and badge into her desk drawer. Callen was on the phone, dealing with issues that popped up from his mediation, and Ethan had a conference call. Rifling through her messages, she found one from Chris in the lab. DNA was in on the woman.
Fire Burns Hot ((An FBI/ Romance Thriller~ (Book 5))) Page 41