Ron Tate looked like he was slapped.
‘Bingo!’ thought Emma. Now, she was getting somewhere. Emma was willing to bet that he was doing more than getting his nails buffed by the woman.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said, reaching into his drawer and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and took a long drag.
“It’s prohibited to smoke in the offices,” she stated, as he offered her a cigarette.
He shrugged. “I’m the boss. Let them complain.”
Emma didn’t like his arrogance, but she swallowed it. Obviously, the man didn’t mind breaking the rules.
“I assure you that I wasn’t acquainted with Connie Hart on a personal level.” He took another drag and crushed out his cigarette.
The sheriff wasn’t buying it. “Where were you the night she was killed, Mayor?” inquired Emma. She watched him turn three shades of red as the meaning of her question hit home.
“I didn’t kill her, Sheriff, if that’s what you’re implying.” He looked around nervously. The faux tan was going pale as the color was seeping from his face.
Emma had played this game with far better criminals in her life. Tate was a cheesy rat bastard, and couldn’t lie if his life depended on it.
If he wasn’t going to admit his relationship, then he certainly wasn’t going to admit the pregnancy-- if he even knew about it. She needed some DNA to run. Staring down at the cigarette he’d crushed out, and then at the tissues on his desk, a plan began formulating.
Emma needed to get her hands on that cigarette butt. If she couldn’t extricate it from his office, her next step was to head to her office and swab Lila Tate’s cheek. One way or another, she was going to trap the man in the lie.
DNA didn’t lie and arrogance always got you caught.
“If you could give me a listing of your appointments for that day, Mayor, I’ll be more than happy to rule you out as a suspect.” She crossed her fingers, praying he’d leave the room, but then again her luck today was shit-tastic.
“This is asinine, but I’ll get you a copy to humor you, Sheriff.”
“I’m doing what you pay me to do,” she added. “Didn’t you tell me to do my job?”
Ron Tate stood and exited the room. The look on his face said it all. He wasn’t her biggest fan then and definitely not now.
Emma could hear him talking to the sentinel outside the door. As quickly as possible, she grabbed a tissue and picked up the cigarette butt. Just as she was tucking it into her pocket, Ron Tate retuned with a copy of his schedule. “Here, this should clear me.” He handed her the paper.
“Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate your assistance in clearing your name.” Emma got up from her chair and enjoyed how he’d managed to go pale under his fake tan.
“Have a good day.”
It gave her great satisfaction to leave the man in his office scared shitless. Now, he knew she was on his tail. If he was lying, that should stir him up plenty. Emma strolled past Betty and nodded at the woman.
“Good day, Sheriff,” she quipped, icily.
Emma ignored her. “It’s looking that way after all,” she replied, opening the door and colliding with Will Taylor.
“Oh sorry, Sheriff,” he said, smiling at her.
The man’s hand was lingering a bit too long on her arm. It was probably a good thing Croft wasn’t present. “No, it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention, Will. Have a really good day.”
She walked past him leaving him to stare after her. She’d been pleasant and used his name. Something was up. “What was that all about, Betty?” he asked.
“I have no idea, Will.”
When he entered the office, it was hard to miss that the mayor appeared to be feeling unwell.
Something happened while he was gone.
“Are you okay, boss?”
The man shook his head. “I think I’m in trouble.”
~ Chapter Ten ~
Friday Noon
Emma picked up some pizza on her way back to the office and carried it into the building. She dropped them on a desk and grabbed the top one, bringing it to the meeting room. Inside, she found the younger agent working, and Emma relaxed marginally. At least there wouldn’t be a confrontation.
Behind her stood Croft, leaning against the wall and reading a file, as he remained hidden from her view. When he heard her voice, his heart began pounding in his chest.
“Curtis, did you get my request?”
“I sure did, Sheriff.” He slid the hard copies across the table.
“What do you have there?” Briggs asked, rubbing his hands together.
“This, my young friend, is payment and a bribe all rolled into one greasy pizza offering,” she replied, grinning wickedly.
Then she knew he was there. There was the scent of cologne, the tingling up her spine, and the knowledge he was watching her.
Emma glanced over her shoulder. Her face was completely blank and neutral. “Hello, Agent Croft.” She nodded to him, and then placed the pizza on the table. Picking up the file, she offered the exchange of paperwork for dinner.
“Had I known there was food involved and a bribe, I would have worked quicker,” he said. When he opened the box, he saw the cheesy goodness with extra dead everything staring up at him. The scent beckoned him “Oh man. I think I’m in love.” He stared up at her and winked. “Will you marry me right now?”
Greyson took the barb of the joke right to the heart and was forced to swallow the pain of the words.
Emma laughed. “I have to decline, but that’s the best offer I’ve had all day, so thanks.”
Croft fought to control his temper as the woman he was crazy about and his partner joked about something that was eating him alive.
“What’s this about a down payment?” continued Briggs.
“I think I have DNA evidence. I need it tested and compared to the fetus.” Emma pulled on a glove and pulled out the tissue.
Both men stopped moving.
It was Croft who spoke first. “How did you get that?” he said, pointing at the tissue.
“Creative acquirement,” she answered with defiance in her voice.
“You can’t just walk away with DNA evidence in your pocket! It won’t hold up in court,” he stated, unequivocally.
Emma dropped the butt into an evidence bag. She turned on him, crossing her arms. “You think this is my first day as a cop? I know the damn law, Special Agent Croft. I also know that there are loopholes. I don’t believe this belongs to the killer, but the baby daddy.”
He stared at her.
“It would be nice if you could trust me for a change. Believe that I’m not some scatter brained woman who’s completely clueless.” Emma alluded to his outburst over her and Reese. “That butt might give us the father, which could help us eliminate or find a suspect. THAT’s admissible in a court. If it falls through, believe it or not, I have a backup plan,” she added angrily. “I’m crazy like that. I like to make sure I don’t back myself into a corner in court when I have to swear an oath.”
Greyson was furious that she didn’t need him. It bothered him on some macho-ego laden level. “I would have gone with you.”
She’d had enough today, and her mood had the hell beat out of it. “It’s my job to stop him from killing again.”
“What the hell do you think we’re doing here?” he asked, taking a step forward.
“Croft, take it easy,” warned Briggs, standing. His partner was dangerously close to going over the edge.
“Shut up and eat, Briggs,” he growled. As he turned towards her, ready to continue the fight, she cut him off.
“Well, Agent Croft, when this is all over, you’ll get in your car and head to your nice safe home, and I’m the one left to wade through the blood and mess. If my way of doing this isn’t suitable to your standard of police work, I’ll turn in my Goddamn badge and gun. I’ll be more than happy to walk away, knowing I did everything I could do
to stop this animal-- even if you didn’t approve.”
Croft stopped talking because she was right. He could leave and go home. This was her nightmare, and when it was all over she’d be forced to face it alone. Celestia had become her haven, a place where she was supposed to feel safe. He pictured her standing in the blood and gore, trying to put the pieces back together, and it killed a bit of his heart.
Briggs dropped his pizza back into the box and walked over to her. “I’ll take it for you, Emma.”
Croft took the bag from the table. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it and get the lab to run it against the DNA report for Connie Hart’s baby.” Greyson didn’t want to fight anymore. “I’ll have them check it off the record. Gail will probably handle it for me with no questions asked.” He took the bag and closed the door behind him slowly. There was no way he wanted to hurt her any more. That meant taking a time out and giving them both some space.
“Will he get in trouble for doing that?” asked Emma.
Briggs shrugged. “It depends. If that ends up being the only piece of evidence tying the killer to the crime, then yeah, it’s inadmissible in court. His ass will be in a sling, but when isn’t the boss in trouble over something?” Briggs tried to make her laugh.
“Will Gail run it for him and keep it secret?”
This was dangerous territory for a few reasons. One, he was about to discuss his partner’s personal life with a woman Croft was now in love with, and two, he’d seen how happy Gail was to cause them both pain. He took a deep breath. “She’s been chasing him down for months. They went on two dates, and it was a bust for him. I think he went out with her just to prove he still could attract a woman.”
Emma’s heart flipped in her chest. “I see.”
Here’s where the tap dancing in the minefield began. “Can I be honest and off the record here?”
She glanced over at him. “Okay.”
“The big guy is like a monk. He’s married to the job, but I don’t know why. That’s a discussion for the two of you to have privately. I will tell you that he’s not one to jump into bed with just anyone.”
He hoped she got the message.
“Anything he experienced with Gail on the date, it wasn’t worth it to him. He didn’t sleep with her or bring her home.”
Emma patted his cheek. “If he knew you were telling me this, he’d go nuts.”
Briggs was well aware. “My life and job are in your hands.”
She thought about it.
“I need to know something,” he said, touching her arm. “Would you really toss down your badge and gun and walk away from Celestia?”
She thought for a moment. “For the right reason, Curtis, I absolutely would.” With that, she took the file on Billy Barnes back to her office.
Briggs crossed his fingers for his partner and hoped he’d figured it out before it was too late.
Croft strolled into the makeshift lab with the DNA evidence in his hand. He had two choices. Go in and be honest, or go in and lie his ass off. There was something distasteful about lying to his team, so he was leaning towards taking the heat and trusting Emma’s judgment.
Inside the temporary structure sat his lab staff, doing all their techie stuff with microscopes and other equipment. He understood the basics of the science behind it, but he was a cop and a soldier. The science was helpful, but not how he did his job.
Gail glanced up from her evidence she was processing and took off her gloves. “Hey, Croft, what’s up?” she asked, staring at the bag in his hand.
“I have some more evidence I need processed.”
She nodded. “Is it for the girlfriend?”
He tensed at the tone in her voice. This was going to be chick drama at its finest. “No, it’s for me.”
Gail shrugged. “Okay, I’ll run it.”
“I need it ran against the DNA of the zygote.”
She signed off on transfer of evidence and placed it on her lab table. “You think it’s the killer?”
He was going to pray Emma was right. “No, we’re trying to determine paternity.”
The tech nodded. “I’ll call you.”
He stared at her. “Text me when you get it. No call is needed.”
Gail’s eyes went cold and icy. “Sure thing. You’re the boss.”
Leaving the lab, he was angry at himself. This was his fault. He took Gail on two dates, hoping to make a connection to someone, and he should have known it was going to blow up in his face at some point. He’d tried telling her it wasn’t going to work, but she kept up the flirting and attempts to get his attention.
He wished he could turn back time.
On quite a few things.
As he stood in front of the sheriff’s office, he decided to not go in quite yet. His mind was a whirl of thoughts and until he worked through them, he’d be useless.
Croft began aimlessly wandering the sidewalks of the town, checking out the surroundings and simply observing. When he wandered into a quiet neighborhood, he stopped in front of a house that had a for sale sign in the front yard. It was a fairly large house, and it called to him. There were stained glass windows and a swing in back. He pulled the flier off the sign and read the information. It made him laugh.
If he sold his house outside Philly, he could buy the much larger house three times over.
He thought about it. He knew Emma wouldn’t go back to Philly and that left very few options.
Croft sighed. Now, he was forced to make a decision that was life altering. The walk that was supposed to help him think, only added one more dilemma he now had to carry.
Did he stay or go?
* * *
Standing in her doorway, he watched her sitting behind her big desk. Her feet were up on the corner, the file on Billy Barnes was on her lap, and she was twirling a piece of copper colored hair around her finger. Emma was lost in thought, and he couldn’t blame her.
He’d made it a rough day for both of them.
As he stared at the top of her desk, he found a slice of pizza missing one small bite. Her lack of eating worried him, making Croft want to spend the rest of the day feeding her.
Well, it was now or never, and they needed to talk. Greyson tapped lightly on the doorframe, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.
“Yes?” Her face gave away nothing.
“Find anything interesting out about Billy Barnes?” he asked, coming in and closing the door.
“Only the usual details that you’d expect to dig up. He was originally from Philly, and that’s one more coincidence that doesn’t sit well in my gut. I think I might need to dig past the surface,” she answered, civilly
“Philadelphia?”
“Yes, a suburb to be exact. When his parents were killed in a car accident, he came here. I have no idea why Celestia, but he inherited some money and maybe he just needed to get out of the town. I can relate myself.”
There was understanding in his eyes, along with complete and total misery.
Greyson continued talking work when all he wanted to do was talk about them. “What did he do before they died?”
“He had a job working as a letter carrier.” Emma tapped out a staccato on her desk. “That would give him the ability to cross paths with the first two victims. He could have delivered their mail.”
“We can contact the USPS and get his old route. That might answer some questions.”
The uncomfortable silence settled in the room again.
He pushed forward, trying to keep her talking to him. “Do you think it’s him?” he inquired.
“I have no idea. I don’t understand what goes on in the minds of men, let alone killers.”
There was no doubt who that barb was directed at. All he could think was Emma was slowly slipping from his reach. Croft was drowning in the reality of it all. He was dangerously close to losing her.
Emma closed the file on her lap and leaned her head back as she shut her eyes.
He pressed forward with the
case, just to keep her talking. “We got the information back on Connie Hart,” he added quickly. “Or should I say we didn’t get anything back on her.”
He had her attention. “That made no sense.”
Croft nodded. “She never existed. She just appeared a few months ago. The original Connie Hart was eighty nine when she died three years ago.
Emma looked up “So, who was she then?”
“I have Briggs working on that right now. I have a feeling once we find that out, another piece of the puzzle will fall into place.”
“What about the apartment?”
“As for her home, there was another set of DNA found there. We just don’t know who it belongs to yet. It could be the father of the child, the killer, or maybe it’s one in the same.”
“When will we find out if the DNA and the cigarette butt match?” Emma asked him
“Gail said it would be ready at five tonight.” He looked down at his watch. His earlier walk around Celestia to think had taken longer than he thought. It was almost time to get the results. “After I get the DNA results, I’ll take you home because we need to talk.”
Silence.
“Emma. I’m sorry about my behavior.”
She couldn’t look at him, or her heart would shatter. She was in love with him and desperately wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t risk the hurt when he took off for Philadelphia. Emma continually kept picturing him driving away, and her left sitting there watching him go.
She couldn’t follow him.
She wouldn’t go back to Philadelphia.
She knew he couldn’t stay here.
They weren’t meant to be, and Emma had to let him go. For his sake, she had to swallow her pain and let him move on with his life.
“Great.” Emma focused on the clock instead of him.
“Yes,” Croft added, “and I said I was sorry.” What he wouldn’t give to hear her call him by his first name again.
“Your tech Gail seems like a very nice lady. When you get back to Philadelphia, you two should get together.” She said it calmly, even though the thought turned her stomach. Emma used the memories of the night before to cushion the blow to her heart. There’d always be the night she had with him.
Celestia is Falling (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 1) Page 26