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

by Morgan Kelley

  She shook her head. “How the hell did Lila lose you? The woman can’t find the janitors closet without help, and she managed to shake off one of my deputies?”

  Croft was positive that Emma was on the verge of a meltdown.

  “No, Lila didn’t lose me, ma’am. I drove her up to the cabin the FBI agents were renting. She told me she didn’t need me to stay because she was going to be spending the night with a sexy man.”

  Briggs groaned at the implication. This was entirely his fault.

  Emma went to stand behind Briggs and placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “It doesn’t matter. I told you to not leave her side. If she was going in for a booty call, then you should have sat your ass in your car and waited until it was done.”

  He nodded, wishing now that he had.

  “I gave you direct orders. Lila Tate didn’t have the authority to send you off duty, but I do.”

  The man looked horrified. “Are you firing me?”

  Emma pointed at the door. “You’re on administrative leave. I can’t have deputies running around playing sheriff. That’s my shitty job. I just spent twenty minutes getting my derriere chewed out by the mayor and his ass kissing tag-along. That puts me in a foul mood.”

  Mason nodded. “I’m sorry, Sheriff.”

  She shook her head. “Yeah, me too. Out!”

  They waited until the door closed.

  Emma looked like she was ready to spit nails, and she knew she’d never been more furious in her entire life.

  Greyson was glad to see anger and not blame. He knew she could navigate through the one far more easily than the other.

  “How the bloody hell did he walk right past all those deputies to leave me a note on my secretary’s desk?” Emma stalked back and forth, stopping only to kick her own garbage.

  “That’s a very good question, Emma. We were just discussing the same exact thing,” replied Croft. He sat down in one of the chairs. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I either have some pretty blind, incompetent deputies, one of them is the culprit, or someone’s helping the killer. Those are the only three options we have.”

  Croft paused for a second. “I agree. I just asked Briggs to run a check on EVERY person that works here, or that has been in here since yesterday. Something isn’t adding up. We need to check everyone out and look for a connection to Philadelphia or Billy Barnes.”

  “I hate not being able to trust my own deputies.”

  “It looks like we’re the only three in the clear,” added Briggs.

  “No, you can put Deputy Reese on that list too. I’ll personally vouch for him.” Emma looked directly into Croft’s eyes as if challenging him.

  “I happen to agree with you,” he reassured, trusting her judgment completely. “Not for one second do I believe that he’s the guilty party. We can use a deputy on the inside to listen and look for anything unusual.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” called Emma.

  Deputy Reese opened the door and entered, closing it behind him. “What’s going on?” he questioned, his eyes searching each of their faces for answers.

  Emma stared at him. “Reese, I have a question. We found the killer’s next note on Lila’s desk. How did Billy Barnes get through a room full of deputies?”

  “What?” He looked surprised and caught off guard by her question, and then the implication set him off. “There is no way he could have! This place is always filthy with cops.” He glared at Croft and Briggs. The anger washed over his face. “No way! No one would leave a note for you from this son of a bitch!”

  “Reese.” Emma tried to reason with him. “Then how did a note appear on her desk?”

  “Em, I won’t believe it. I can’t!” He pointed at Croft. “He comes to town, and because they’re getting nowhere with this it’s automatically an inside job. We won’t be the FBI’s scapegoat!” Fury was all over his face.

  Greyson didn’t like his tone or accusation. He’d never even think of trying to push the blame off on Emma.

  NEVER. If it came down to it, he’d take the heat and lose his damn job first.

  “Listen, Reese and let’s get this perfectly clear,” growled Croft, standing in front of the man. “We aren’t trying to put blame on anyone. We’re trying to save a woman’s life.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Know what else I’m trying to do?” he hissed venomously. “I’m trying to keep Emma alive because she’s next on his list. Notice how he’s taunting her by taking the woman right outside her office door.”

  Reese glanced over at Emma. Her face was completely blank.

  “This is his way of tossing down the challenge, or his way of telling us he’s gunning for her,” Croft raged, pointing at Emma. “And you know what, Reese? I don’t plan on letting this bastard get any closer to her. If I have to I’ll stick my body between her and the killer.”

  Emma crossed to him and took his hand in hers.

  “I love her, and I’m NOT going to let him kill her. So stop pointing at me. My motives here are to save her life, not offer her up as the sacrificial lamb on the FBI altar.”

  Reese looked pale. Almost, as if, it just occurred to him that Emma was in danger.

  Croft continued, “You’re either here to help us or hinder us. I personally don’t give a shit what you think of me, but the woman I adore does. So calm down, shut up, and help me keep her safe. Prove to us it’s not one of them.”

  Emma was staring at Greyson and for that matter, so was Briggs and Reese.

  The deputy knew how Emma felt, but obviously it was reciprocated now too. He wasn’t sure how he felt about all of it.

  “What?” he asked Reese. “Emma knows how I feel. You think I would say it in front you before I told her?”

  She went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you too, Grey.”

  Calm heads began to prevail.

  “What do you need me to do?” Reese finally asked.

  “We don’t trust anyone outside this door. I need you to sit here and help Briggs do a deep search on every single person who was in here yesterday and today, and we need it done quietly and quickly.”

  “Ok, I’ll help,” he sighed. “Can I talk to Emma in private?”

  Croft rolled his neck. The pressure was tying knots all across his shoulders. “I’ll wait for you out by the Jeep, honey. Briggs, go get a drink and give them five minutes.” They walked out together.

  Out in the foyer, Briggs tapped his partner on the shoulder. “Fell hard didn’t you?” It was hard to keep a straight face.

  “Yeah, looks like it.”

  “You going to marry her?” he asked.

  Greyson nodded, knowing he needed to convince her of that little fact first.

  “Guess I’ll be getting a new partner.”

  He glanced over at the man, telling him about the job he’d applied for through the bureau. If he got it, they’d both be relocating.

  “You think she’ll go there?”

  That was the main thing. He didn’t have a damn clue. “Emma said she’d never go back to police work in Philadelphia, but she never really specified if she’d go back to being a detective.”

  “You got that covered?”

  He nodded. “I have a few strings I can pull from favors owed to me. There just happens to be one in the same city as the job.”

  “And if she won’t go?” inquired Briggs.

  “I love her enough to live here and be a dead beat husband,” he said, even though the idea killed him inside. “Maybe we can have kids, and I’ll be a stay at home dad.” That idea held some merit and brightened his day. He guessed he could pull it off.

  “It’ll work out, partner,” he reassured,

  Greyson hoped he was right. “See you later and keep your eyes open.”

  Briggs watched his friend walk away, and knew that when he left he was going to miss him a great deal.

  “You too, old man!” he y
elled after him.

  Inside the conference room, Emma and Reese sat next to each other not saying a word. There was no doubt what was bothering her friend, and she was waiting for him to drop it in her lap.

  “Emma, do you know what you’re doing?” asked Reese.

  “With Greyson? Yes.”

  “Do you really love him?”

  Emma looked up into the man’s face and saw the love and affection of her surrogate brother. “Do you believe in fate? Or love at first sight?” She watched the emotions rush over his face and waited to hear his answer.

  “Fate, yes, but love at first sight? I’m not so sure. What about you?”

  “All I know, Reese, is that day Curtis and Greyson showed up at ‘The Crossing’, I felt something immediately when I looked into his eyes. I think he experienced it too. It changed my life.”

  “But maybe you’re moving too fast.”

  Emma shook her head. “I think fate handed me a second chance to start my life. I would have sworn it was over the day Gage died on my lap, but then you came and brought me here. I know this man was sent here for a reason. I have to believe and give it everything I have in me.”

  “Are you leaving Celestia and going back to Philadelphia?” asked Reese softly.

  “I’m not saying yes or no. We haven’t talked about it yet.” She patted his arm. “I’ll be okay either way, Reese. You should have a little faith in me.”

  Reese ground his teeth. “It’s not you I don’t trust,” he mumbled.

  Emma laughed. “I trust him with my life. He reminds me a lot of my brother.”

  “Really?” he snorted. “I don’t see it.”

  “He’s smart, tough, and he finishes what he starts.” Emma pushed up from the table. “I have to get to ‘The Crossing’ now and do some work. We need to find Lila alive.”

  “Watch your back, Emma. I’m worried about you,” Reese said, adamantly.

  “Will do,” she answered, grinning. Heading outside, she found the man who owned her heart. He was sitting behind the wheel waiting for her.

  “Hey, my car, I drive!” she said laughing.

  Croft winked at her. “You’re on pain pills. I’ll drive,” he stated.

  “Yes, sir,” she smirked, as she slowly pulled herself into the passenger seat. “Damn.”

  “Feeling it, huh?” Croft asked, as he pulled out of the parking space. “I’d feel sorry for you, but you insisted on skipping the doctor’s orders.”

  “I’ll forgive you for saying that only because you’re sexy, and I like having you around,” she muttered.

  He tossed her a bottle of pain medication. “And I have the drugs,” he said laughing.

  “Shut up, Grey,” she growled, slapping him. “What’s your plan?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “I think we should check out why Deputy Ridge was hanging out in ‘The Crossing’. Something led him there, and we need to start where you found him.”

  She looked at him suspiciously. “You already know what he was looking for don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do,” he replied, glancing over at her as she popped a pain pill. “I’d like to say it was superior deduction on my behalf, but I cheated,” he admitted.

  “Cheated?”

  “Yeah, I called the hospital while you were talking to Reese and asked Ridge why he was there,” he admitted. “It looks like he saw a light from his car as he was patrolling and decided to check it out.”

  “Why didn’t he call it in?”

  “He legitimately believed it was some kids getting their kicks out of checking out a murder scene. He figured he’d check it out and call it in if there was a problem.”

  “Well, hell! That’s just stupid and dangerous. That’s the kind of thing that gets you killed.” Then again, before last week, it would have been kids fooling around and not a serial killer hanging out in a field. Emma sighed. “How’s he doing?”

  “He’ll be fine. He told me to thank you for finding him. With the amount of blood he lost, he would have died in the woods.”

  “Remind me to kick his ass when he gets back to work.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll certainly let my woman put her hands all over another man, even if it’s to kick his ass. That sounds exactly like me.”

  Emma just snorted and leaned her head back and closed her eyes, praying the pill would kick in fast.

  Pulling up to ‘The Crossing’, when they came to a stop, Emma opened her eyes. She had to admit, she was feeling a little less pain. “Which two deputies did you boss around behind my back and order to assist?” she asked.

  “I pulled Marshall and Carlisle. Are you mad?”

  “No, just tired and think I need a vacation.”

  Croft grinned. “How do you feel about Las Vegas?”

  “I've never been there.”

  Perfect.

  “I think you’ll like it,” he answered, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead.

  “If you’re there, I probably will as long as there’s a pool for swimming. The desert is hot.”

  He made a check in his ‘done’ column. “Anything for you, sweet stuff.”

  Emma gave him a look as she gingerly slid out the door. “Let’s get this done. We’re burning daylight.”

  “Stick with me, and remember that we don’t trust anyone you work with, Emma.”

  She nodded at him, and then went into work mode, shouting to her deputies. “Look for anything out of the ordinary, something that shouldn’t be there, footprints etc. Got it?” She turned to look at Croft. “What?”

  “I just like watching you work, Sheriff,” he answered.

  Emma rolled her eyes, knowing what he was thinking about, and she pretty much thought the same thing when he was engrossed in work too.

  Sue her. Emma had sexy man on the brain. She’d blame it on the pain pills.

  They worked in tandem, neither uttering a single word to the other. Both were worried they’d miss the slightest clue and lose the trail of the killer.

  As they scoured the area where Deputy Ridge was found, nothing unusual turned up.

  Croft suggested they head back further into the woods and Emma agreed, but not before drawing her gun. The transformation was there, from small town sheriff to inner city cop. He saw it, recognized it, and appreciated it. Croft wasn’t going to be caught off guard. Instead, he drew his Glock and followed Emma’s lead, scanning the area for any noise or abnormalities. After the previous evening’s festivities, he wasn’t taking a chance. Yes, he knew he was crowding her, but he just didn’t care.

  Emma stopped suddenly and pointed to her left. The brush was disturbed. Almost like it was dragged from one spot to this one to act as camouflage. Emma analyzed it and moved towards it.

  “I’ll go through first!” demanded Croft, placing a restraining hand on her arm. Greyson pushed through the bramble, calling to her. “Clear.”

  Emma entered through the brush and paused at Croft’s side. “Someone’s been here.”

  They both scanned, not missing the disruption of grass and brush. It was Emma who located the strange pattern of rocks.

  “Grey, this is all wrong. Rocks don’t settle like this.” She pointed the nose of her gun at the formation.

  “I think your right.” He moved closer, bending down and searching for anything to prove them both correct. Then he saw it. “Look Emma,” he called to her, pointing to the smear of dried red on the one rock.

  “Is that blood?” she asked, in horror. “That would make all these rocks…”

  “A grave. This is new!”

  “Oh hell!” Emma holstered her gun.

  “I think we found Lila Tate.”

  ~ Chapter Eighteen ~

  Tuesday Afternoon

  They knew what had to be done. Despite the horror of having to dig up one of her own co-workers, there simply was no choice. The woman was now theirs, and she needed justice.

  Emma was sick to her stomach that they managed to screw this up as badly as they
did. She was still blaming herself for the disaster that caused Lila Tate her life.

  Emma had called for backup and Croft for the tech team. Now, it was a matter of victim recovery.

  “I hear them,” he said, looking around cautiously.

  “Me too,” she said, feeling sick to her stomach. “I hate this,” she whispered, quickly wiping a tear that slid down her cheek.

  “I have you, Emma. You have nothing to worry about,” he said, moving protectively to her side.

  Emma believed him. “I really don’t want to see what he did to her before she was buried under those rocks, Grey.”

  “You can stay here with Briggs. I can take the tech team in and do the recovery.”

  He was offering her a way out. Croft knew she wouldn’t take it, but he still wanted to protect and shelter her from the inevitable.

  “Thanks, but we both know I need to be there when they unearth her.”

  “Maybe it’s just rocks,” he added, trying to lighten her heart.

  “I love you, Greyson. I really do,” Emma whispered, as the teams approached. “For what you just said, and why you did it.”

  “Let’s get this over with. I have a feeling the day is only about to get longer.”

  Together they led the tech team to the site. Emma watched as Gail glared at her and Croft, menacingly. She tried to extricate herself out from beneath his shoulder, but he refused to relinquish her freedom.

  Greyson lifted a brow at his tech as if daring her to say something. If she issued a challenge, Gail wouldn’t like the outcome.

  The woman wisely kept her mouth shut, getting to work.

  There were the telltale sounds of gloves snapping as the team suited up to protect the evidence. All the lab staff began the tedious process of moving each rock and cataloging all the miniscule traces of evidence. Time ticked away slowly, feeling like hours had passed before the team finally found something.

  “Sir, we’ve hit clothing,” stated one lab tech, excitedly. “It looks to definitely be a body. I can feel the flesh if I poke my finger into this crevasse.”

  “Great,” muttered Croft at the visual. His people enjoyed their jobs a little too much.