Celestia is Falling (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 1)

by Morgan Kelley

  He nodded.

  “How can I prove it?”

  Right then, he wanted to propose, but they were about to interrogate a suspect. This certainly wasn’t the time or place. When they looked back at it, he wanted her to remember it fondly. Not something blurted out in a hurry.

  She deserved better.

  “We’ll talk about it later.” He changed the subject. “It’s getting late. I don’t want to miss screwing with the mayor.”

  Emma knew he’d discuss it when he was ready. With Croft, he was an immovable force. You couldn’t get him to spill it if he wasn’t in the mood. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  As they both attempted to access the mayor’s office, they had to get by a few reporters that seemed to have pooled outside the building. Greyson charged straight toward them, and he could see that Emma had lifted her chin and had the look of a warrior heading into battle.

  His warrior.

  Croft couldn’t believe how in six days she’d turned his life upside down so much, he’d been ready to propose.

  When you knew, you just knew.

  “Sheriff, excuse me. Is this a serial killer?” asked one reporter.

  “What are the details of the recent victim’s slaying?” yelled another.

  Croft turned to answer them, but he felt Emma’s hand go to his arm, planning to handle it.

  “Ladies and gentleman, I can’t give you any information at this time. The case is ongoing and as soon as there’s any material that can be released to the press, you’ll get it. Until then, we can’t give out a comment.” She started walking away with him.

  “What about the notes being left at the crime scenes?” yelled out a reporter.

  Emma and Croft stopped in their tracks and he turned first.

  “What notes?” he asked with an empty stare.

  “Are you denying there were messages from the killer, Special Agent Croft?” the reporter shouted again.

  He paused, weighing his words cautiously. “I’m not denying or confirming, just like Sheriff Starling said in response to your prior question. When we can release the information, you’ll get it.” He could feel his temper spiking. “Come on, Emma.”

  She knew he was going to blow. Being a cop, she knew leaks happened, but the Feds liked to believe they were above that little fiasco.

  “How the hell did they hear about the notes at the scenes?” bellowed Greyson, once they were safely out of earshot of any media.

  “Maybe it was leaked or it slipped. We have no idea if they know what the notes said at all. He could be fishing for a story.”

  “Possibly.” It was all Croft said as they walked into the office, trying to bank his temper.

  Will Taylor was sitting in Betty’s old chair, looking distraught.

  “He’s waiting for you,” the weasel said to Emma, putting up no fight. He nodded his head toward the door.

  “Fine. Come on, Agent Croft.”

  “I’ll be right in,” stated Will Taylor.

  Emma wasn’t letting that happen. “You can wait here. This is official business.”

  He stared at her as if she had just punched him in the gut. “But I…”

  They ignored him.

  Croft pushed open the door, and they stepped into the mayor’s office. The man looked like he hadn’t slept. His hair, what was left of it, was sticking up, and his clothes were wrinkled and messy.

  “Mayor, you ready to talk to us?”

  “Uh, yeah. I am.” He looked down nervously at his hands.

  The appearance of terror and worry on his face pleased Croft. Making him wait a few hours to stew on the events had worked as planned.

  They exchanged knowing looks, and she started the ball rolling.

  “Where were you last night, Ron?” Emma asked, using his first name as she hit him hard and fast with the questions. It was going to be all about rattling his cage.

  He looked panicked but had an answer. “I was at home all night.”

  “Anyone there that can corroborate that?” asked Croft.

  “No, I was alone. Lila was out with some girlfriends.” He looked downright sick.

  “What time did you leave the office, Ron?” she asked.

  It took him a while to get an answer out. “It was after six in the evening, I believe.”

  “Wow, Ron. Here you are such a dedicated employee that you’re here working on a weekend with your secretary. I find that…” She glanced over at Croft. “What’s the word I’m thinking of?” she asked.

  Greyson grinned, supplying her with some choices. “Odd, bizarre, strange, weird, inexplicable?”

  “It’s the end of the fiscal quarter. I had some budget work to do. So?”

  He tried to sound belligerent, but since they both knew what he and Betty Kline were doing, the man’s attitude wasn’t working.

  “Were you working on the budget alone, or did Betty Kline stay late with you?” inquired Emma.

  “Mrs. Kline is a dedicated employee. She stayed to take dictations. You could learn from her,” he snapped, viciously.

  “I’m sorry that you feel I’m not dedicated to my job. Seeing that taking dictations from you seems to be the requirement, I’d prefer to be a shitty employee,” Emma shot right back.

  The mayor sputtered at what she was implying.

  Emma crossed her legs and glared at Ron Tate. “I’m thinking Betty was doing a little more in this office than simply taking notes because the coroner’s report found semen on Betty’s body, or should I say in it. You were giving her directions all right, but they had nothing to do with the budget, and more to do with your couch, I’m sure.”

  The mayor was furious at the implication.

  Emma jumped as the door to the office flew open and Will Taylor came charging in through the door.

  Croft had his hand on his gun and his body protectively in front of Emma.

  “Stop this! Are you really implying that the mayor was having a sexual relationship with Betty Kline? She was happily married for God’s sake! Maybe the sample belonged to her husband.” He was bright red.

  They both took in the scene. The weasel was trying to come to the mayor’s defense as usual. It was almost going to be entertaining to add the next piece of evidence to the situation.

  “That’s exactly what we are saying. You see the DNA came back from the lab, and it matched the mayor’s perfectly. So we need to know who Betty was having sex with, and it wasn’t her husband,” added Croft.

  The mayor looked like he was going to cry.

  Will Taylor spoke next.

  “Where the hell did you get the mayor’s DNA? He was never asked to supply a sample of it.” He looked back and forth from Greyson and Emma.

  This was the situation that Croft had hopped wouldn’t come up. He could sense Emma tense. He knew there was a very fine line there.

  “Maybe you don’t know how this works, Mr. Taylor. We ask the questions not you. Would you have refused to supply a sample if you were asked?” added Croft.

  SILENCE.

  They stared back and forth at the two men then each other. The mayor finally broke the silence. He stood up abruptly and his chair slammed into his bookshelf.

  “Ok, I admit it! We were having an affair. It’s been on and off for months,” he spat out. “It just happened one day.”

  “Mayor!” It was the only word Will Taylor could get out, and it was said with disgust. “I think you should call your lawyer before you say anything else to the sheriff and FBI.”

  The man looked terrified all of the sudden, but shook his head. “No, I want to cooperate. I need to get it off my chest. “

  It was Emma’s turn. “Thank you for that, Mayor. We appreciate it.”

  He nodded.

  When he looked back in control, Emma struck. “Did you know that Connie Hart was pregnant at the time of her murder?”

  DEAD SILENCE AGAIN.

  “Well, Mayor? Did you?” she asked again. Glancing back and forth between the men, Will Taylor loo
ked mortified. It was obvious that he put the clues together.

  “Oh my God! What have you done?” With that he left the room and slammed the door.

  It was probably petty for her to enjoy Will Taylor’s reaction in the middle of a murder investigation, but she did.

  It took a while for the mayor to finally speak, “I didn’t know. She never… Oh Jesus.” It was all he could say. Then he looked up. “How do you know that it was mine?”

  “DNA,” Greyson simply added. He was thoroughly enjoying letting Emma drive the questioning. She was like a hungry animal desperate to devour the man alive, trapping him with the details. He’d admit it turned him on to watch her in action. His babe was voracious in an interview.

  “Were you also having a relationship with Connie Hart?” asked Emma, trying to sound compassionate.

  “Yes. Lila had her to the house a few times to do her nails after hours, and that’s how we met. She never told me she was having our baby.” It must have hit him all at once. “I didn’t kill her or Betty Kline. Sheriff, I swear it.” He started rocking in his chair.

  Emma gave Croft a look, and tagged him into the fray with a simple lift of her brow.

  It was his turn.

  “What about Megan Landry? Care to discuss your relationship? How long were you sleeping with her?”

  The mayor froze, looking like he was going to be sick.

  Emma jumped up to get him the garbage can. She was just in time for him to begin tossing his lunch.

  “I’ll take that as an affirmative on your relationship,” stated Croft, glad the man was ill. It was about time he was accountable for some of the mayhem he’d created.

  “Mayor, how long did you think we’d be in the dark? Now we need to know where you were on these nights.” Emma watched him sit up and reach for tissues on the desk.

  When he was done retching, he grabbed his planner and began offering the Sheriff and Croft his alibis.

  Greyson took notes and his gaze flickered up at the shaking man.

  “Your daughter seems to be your major alibi, Mayor,” he stated. “Well, except for the last victim, where you had none. In fact, she disappeared right after having a late night dictation session with you.”

  Emma stood. “We need to talk with Lila, and we’ll get back to you, Ron.”

  Croft waited at the door for her, but before they walked out together, he turned. “Don’t leave town. You’re officially a suspect in this investigation.”

  They heard the sobs as they were leaving. The mayor was breaking down and Will Taylor just looked repulsed.

  “I guess it’s hard when your idol falls off his pedestal,” she said to Will Taylor. “It really sucks to be a lackey now. Pick a higher quality of ass to attach your lips to next time,” she recommended.

  The man glared angrily as they strolled away.

  Greyson offered to drive as they headed back to the station as Emma sat in silence. It was too quiet for Croft’s liking, and he was beginning to worry. He may have not known her long, but he knew her well enough to know she was on the edge.

  “I’m fine.” she said before he could even ask. “Let’s go check the mayor’s alibis, and then I want to go home. I’m tired.”

  “Sure thing, honey.”

  He could agree with her there.

  It had been one hell of a long day.

  ~ Chapter Fourteen ~

  Sunday Afternoon

  Emma sat at her desk waiting for Croft and Briggs to finish talking to Lila, regarding her father’s whereabouts on the nights of the murders. Croft had insinuated it would be best if left to the men to question her. After all, it was blatantly obvious that Lila had a crush on Briggs.

  Emma didn't put up a fight. She was happy to have a few minutes to think about everything that was happening in Celestia and her life. Staring up at the clock, she watched the second hand sweep around the face as if hypnotizing her and helping her mind go blank. She lost track of how many times it revolved until her door opened.

  “Em, excuse me. You busy?” queried her deputy.

  “No, come on in, Reese. I was just thinking. What can I do for you?”

  “Agent Briggs asked me to help the FBI track down Billy’s past. I thought you might want to know what we dug up while you were with the mayor.”

  “Sure thing. I’m listening.” She steepled her fingers, gazed out the window, and waited for him to continue. Closing her eyes, her focus was on the man’s voice and the information he was relaying.

  “It appears he was clean until he began working for the USPS. Billy passed all standard testing, but he started to spiral down sometime after that. He was working under a Carly Wilson and the trouble began.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Something about that name set off her instinct, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. It seemed… familiar.

  “It was the sexual harassment kind. Apparently, he was making plays for his boss and even had the balls to follow her home a few times. She eventually called the police, but they had no proof, so they couldn’t do a single thing about it but file the complaint. The USPS went a little further though. They fired him.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, unrequited love hurts like a bitch to a stalker. From what the USPS relayed to us, there were ongoing problems in the parking lot and at the woman’s home. It became very stressful to Carly.

  “What did she do about it?”

  “Well, that’s just it. She put in for a transfer, but before it could be approved, she disappeared.”

  Emma sat straight up in the chair at the word ‘disappeared’. The rest clicked. “Holy shit! It can’t be a fluke!” she blurted, jumping out of her seat. “It’s too coincidental! I need Grey right now!” She was already to the door, had it flung wide open, and was on her way to the room where they were questioning Lila.

  She didn't bother to knock and both men jumped, reaching for their side arms.

  Greyson came up out of his seat. “Emma, what’s wrong?” he blurted, moving quickly to her side.

  “I have to talk to you right now. I know you’re busy, but I think I just fell into something, and I need your opinion.” She rushed out and back to her office.

  Croft knew it had to be huge for her to interrupt an interview. “Finish up for me, Curtis. “

  Briggs nodded, turning back to Lila, who looked like she didn’t mind at all. “Shall we continue?” he asked.

  “Yes, please,” Lila purred.

  When Croft arrived in her office, he found Emma sitting behind her desk and Reese pouring her a cup of coffee. His gut twisted at the visual as he fought to control his first instinct of strangling the man. This idea of jealousy was a new thing for him. He was well aware it was irrational and uncalled for, but something in him roared to life when he perceived others too close to her.

  Emma grinned up at him.

  He couldn’t miss the ‘cat who swallowed the canary’ look on her face. “What’s the problem?” he inquired, sitting in a chair as he watching Reese put the mug into her hand. The second his fingers lingered, his blood began to boil. When the deputy placed his hand on her shoulder, he was pretty sure he was going to have a stroke.

  “While we were out tormenting the mayor, Reese and Briggs finished the run on Billy Barnes. I’ll spare you the useless details, but let me spell out a whole new story for you. Billy was a harasser and had a thing for his boss, Carly Wilson. Stalking her was how he ended up getting fired.” She watched him go still as more of the puzzle came together.

  “Really?”

  “Oh wait, Grey. There’s so much more. Carly Wilson asked for a transfer to a new post office, but unfortunately she disappeared before it could be approved.” She stopped waiting for Croft to catch up.

  “Which means, she either vanished for her safety or something happened to her,” he slowly answered. He got that she was excited for the details, but not sure why she looked jubilant.

  Emma saw he wasn’t connecting it. “Do you find it odd th
at we have a victim who has no past, and a missing woman with the same last name as your first victim?”

  The name ‘Wilson’ finally registered.

  “Holy shit!”

  Emma nodded. “More coincidence, babe?”

  Greyson grinned at her calling him that in front of Reese. Okay, so maybe he could relax a little. “Not likely. This entire investigation is one happenstance after another.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said, grinning.

  “So, you’re thinking that Billy Barnes killed Maggie Wilson when he became so enraged that his intended victim disappeared? Then Carly tried to escape Billy by coming to a small town to hide--only Billy found her.”

  “Exactly what I’m thinking. We wondered what brought him to Celestia. This could be it,” she answered, thinking about it. It wouldn’t be hard for a young man like Billy to have gotten to know every woman in town. Celestia is tiny. It looked like the finger of suspicion was now pointed at Billy Barnes.

  “I think we have a new front runner for killer.”

  Emma nodded. “I did a little research, thanks to FBI technology,” she said, turning the tablet around and giving him a side by side of the women’s driver’s licenses. “Look at the birthdates.”

  Croft studied both Maggie and Carly Wilson’s information. “Twins.”

  “Uh huh.”

  He glanced at his watch. “First thing I need to do is call the lab and get Maggie Wilson’s DNA tested against Connie Hart’s. That’s going to help tie up a few loose ends. If our murdered hairdresser is a genetic match, the case is looking bad for our friend Billy Barnes. After I call the lab, I want to head to his place and get some answers from him.”

  Croft stood and joined her around the side of her desk. “This was a really good catch, honey,” he said, leaning down and slowly kissing her.

  Emma finally pulled away when Deputy Reese cleared his throat, reminding them he was still there.

  “That was a really great kiss. If that’s my reward, I can’t wait until we find the killer.”

  Greyson laughed, holding out his hand. “Will you, Emma Starling, be my back up out in the field?”

  She giggled at the way he asked her. “I certainly will, Senior Agent Love Muffin.”