They agreed on that.
“We found some hairs!” Amir stated from across the room.
Elizabeth headed toward him. “Where?” she asked.
“In the blood,” he replied, holding up a few thin strands. “It looks to be blonde, but I’ll know more when I get it back to the lab,” he offered.
“Check to see if it’s been bleached,” she stated.
“Do you think Tammy is going to change her appearance?” Callen asked.
“No, she’s not going to bother. We don’t know Tammy’s real identity. She knows she safe—for now. What I do know is Lottie Tipton isn’t a natural blonde. The curtain doesn’t match the drapes.”
Amir bagged it. “On it, boss!”
Ethan’s cell began ringing in his pocket.
“Deputy Director Blackhawk.”
He listened.
“Okay, send me the footage, and I’ll let you know what we’re going to do next.”
When he hung up, Elizabeth was all ears. “What do we have?”
He led them outside so he could break it to her gently, and with more privacy.
“Don’t freak out.”
Well, he should know better.
“Yeah, well, that’s not going to happen, and we both know it. I have a dead doctor in a garbage disposal, a love letter on a ceiling like the freaking Sistine Chapel, and Bonnie tried to kill us when we came in the door. I think now is the appropriate time to freak out.”
Technically, she had a very valid point.
Still, here went nothing.
“Marshal Valley found Bonnie and Lizzie’s trail. She said it was relatively easy.”
“And?” she asked.
“They caught a flight out of DC.”
“Where are we going?” Callen asked. He knew that was the next line out of Elizabeth’s mouth.
They were on the chase.
“She tracked them to one location. Marshal Valley has the women using Doctor Michaels’s work credit card at an airport and at a small store.”
He was beating around the bush, and that made her more nervous than anything.
“Where, Ethan?”
He hated this.
“She’s in Salem.”
That was all he had to say.
Elizabeth had just about had enough.
“She’s walking around like she owns the place,” Callen stated. “She brought Lizzie to Lyzee’s hometown.”
Yeah, she was aware.
Only she had news for Bonnie.
Salem was hers.
And she was taking it back.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
One Hour Later
Security had been notified, Elizabeth had tried to contact everyone she called a ‘friend’ in Salem, and she was gearing up for the flight home. What was bothering her was that Tony Morel wasn’t answering his cell.
Here was the tricky part.
Did she have the cops head there and check, or did she show up and hope that Bonnie hadn’t gotten to him yet?
It was a mess.
“What do you want us to do?” Amir asked, as she gathered the team to give them the news.
“Amir, you are going to take half the techs back to the office and begin working on all the trace. You’ll be my eyes and ears here, getting me anything that will get me one step closer to figuring out who the hell Tammy Beard is. That’s the big mystery. She has to be the connection that will break this open.”
“Sure thing, boss. I can stay here.”
He sounded a little too happy to do just that, and she didn’t doubt that it was because then he could be away from the wickedly, nasty crime scenes.
Oh, and her.
“Slow your roll, my over excited employee. You’re going to have twenty-four hours to get it done, and then you’re on a plane to Salem too. The techs can stay, but you, since you’re the head tech, get the pleasure of a shitty motel, long hours, and me breathing down your damn neck.”
He laughed. “Great. More perks.”
Elizabeth pointed at Dakota. “You’re not going.”
“What?” he asked. He had to go. If Bonnie was there, that’s where he needed to hunt.
He was a hunter by nature.
He was the predator.
Bonnie was the prey.
“Elizabeth, you have to let me go.”
Ethan was watching her, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.
“Oh, you misunderstood. You’re going to be heading there at some point. For now though, I need boots on the ground. I need you and Sarah to hit up any address tied to Tammy Beard. Searching that den of iniquity might get us a clue to who she really is.”
He relaxed. “Then I head to Salem?” he asked.
“Well, then you canvas Doctor Michaels’s home. If Bonnie stalked her, we’ll know how. Those are your two directives.”
“And then we head there?”
“Yeah, then you head there. I know you want to hunt her, Dak, but we have to cover our bases. We need to make sure we block the exits so Bonnie and Lizzie have no way out. DC is much bigger than Salem. We want her trapped where we have a snowball’s chance in Hell to catch her. That’s not here.”
Elizabeth had a valid point.
He was good with that.
“As for us, we’re heading there now. We have to be ready for the next wave of crazy. We are three victims in, and there are three left. If she’s playing a game, she’s going to bring it as close to me as possible.”
“Why Salem?” Dakota asked.
“I was raised there, and it’s my turf. She wants to mock me and rub it in that she’s going to humiliate me and break people I know there. Plus, she can’t touch us here in DC. I’m in the office, or I’m at the fort. She can’t penetrate either. While she’ll pick a fight here, she won’t end one in DC.”
Again, she was probably right.
Dakota admired her skill.
“In Salem, it’s woods around my home. I can’t have fifty guards there. They have a better chance of coming at me there.”
That worried Callen.
It also worried Chris. “Am I here or there?”
His fingers were crossed.
“With us. After today’s little message about just missing you, Chris, I want you with Ethan, Callen, or myself at all times. When you’re in the morgue, you’ll have security.”
He was good with that.
“The FBI has other MEs, and honestly, there’s little left of the doctor. I say we tag you out, and let them handle it. If she’s in Salem already, we’ll have the next victim in a very short time.”
They all agreed with her.
“I’m willing to bet we won’t find anything we don’t already have if you do the autopsy. While you’re the best, we can take second string for this.”
He wasn’t offended at all.
“Once there, we can get the report. You’ll be working out of Doctor Trudeaux’s morgue. No one has been able to replace him. That’s going to work in our favor for now.”
He was good with that.
“Okay, team, get your shit done and check in. We’re heading to the airport.”
As they headed toward their ride, Callen needed to express his displeasure.
“We need to get the kids out of there.”
She agreed.
Ethan didn’t.
“If you move them, and she’s watching the house, she’s going to bail. We need to do this quietly, and hope we can get there without her realizing it.”
It was a slippery slope.
“How many security guys do we have?” she asked, needing to make sure her bases were covered.
“Two on me, one on Callen, and one on you. We have four available because our home up here has to remain secured. I have things in my office that can’t be walked away with—if you know what I mean.”
She got it.
Big boss issues.
“We have the dogs,” Chris stated. “They are pretty protective of
the family.”
Yeah, they had that. It was a good point.
Still…
Elizabeth sighed. “I need help.”
She picked up the phone to call Gabe. When he answered on the first ring, on his private line, she knew he was expecting her call.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“I need a new ME to takeover Doctor Michaels’s autopsy because Chris is headed to Salem with me.”
“So, it’s definitely her?”
“Yeah, Gabe, and she’s a hot mess.”
She told him everything. From the gunshot that nearly killed them, to the fact that Sarah had found the link to where Bonnie was now hiding out.
“I can do that. Doctor Wolfgang Blaise is in the rotation this week. He’s relatively new, but he’s excellent at what he does. One might say he’s more meticulous than your Doctor Death.”
She put her hand over Chris’s mouth to shut him up. There was no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth, and she’d bet her money against Gabe’s statement any day.
Chris was the best.
“I also need a HUGE favor.”
He waited for it.
“When I was in Delta Falls, Christina approached me about something.”
“Ex-head tech Christina, the one who talks a mile a minute?” he asked, clarifying.
“Yeah, she wants to come back to the FBI.”
“She’d have to recertify, get all the paperwork done, and…”
She cut him off. “I know. That’s where I need the favor, and I know it’s not policy.”
He laughed. “Twenty years. Why start with following the rules now? That would make my last ten years in this job so much easier, and we all know you want to make me stroke out.”
“Nah,” she admitted. “If I thought your heart wasn’t strong, I wouldn’t have sent you all that porn to get better.”
He laughed.
“Rules, Elizabeth.”
“Fine. It’s a minor one I’m asking to break. It’s not like I’m asking to have sex in the hallways,” she teased, trying to irritate him.
Gabe sputtered.
“See? Be glad I don’t break all the rules.”
“What do you want?”
“I need to push her paperwork through, give her access to the autopsy lab, and keep it hush-hush.”
He was confused.
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m taking Amir to Salem. He’s going to be up to his eyeballs in work and transmitting it back. If I have someone I trust at home, I’ll be more apt to focus. Honestly, Gabe, Bonnie’s been studying me. She knows every move I’ll make. I don’t think she’ll see Christina wanting to come back.”
She had a point.
That was not something he’d even seen.
Ethan continued for his wife, “Besides, Gabe, she’s a goddess among forensic scientists. Since Elizabeth lost her, and then Merry, we’re struggling. Amir’s heart isn’t in it. He’s waiting for an agent position. We need someone who lives, breathes, and can do trace in her sleep. For Bonnie, we need the best.”
He thought about it.
“The President wants Bonnie handled, right?” she asked.
There was a moment of silence.
They all knew what that meant.
“Ethan, that’s need to know, and she doesn’t need to know anything about classified operations,” he stated. “What were you thinking?”
‘Sorry,’ Elizabeth mouthed.
He patted her cheek in support. Ethan didn’t want any secrets from his wife, even if they were part of national security. He wanted that open relationship where they had nothing hidden.
It felt…better.
“I disagree, Gabe. She does need to know,” he replied. “When playing with Bonnie, you can’t go in with your hands tied, and you know it. This isn’t a breach of national security. It’s one nut bag in a sea of crazies.”
He got it.
“I’ll contact her and get her up here. No one says a damn word, but she’s going to need a babysitter. There is no freaking way I’m breaking the rules that much on my first week back. While she has been vetted, and background checked, we need to cover our asses.”
She got it.
He had a solution.
“Livy is free.”
Elizabeth was good with that. “If she’ll do it, I’m in. Can she stay with you?” she asked. “A friend is next, and I’m covering all my bases, here and elsewhere.”
She was thinking about Deputy Tony Morel.
Elizabeth owned it. “I have Doctor Magnus and his wife under wraps at our home. Chris was supposed to be the last victim, but my media interview freaked her out. He’ll be with me, so he’s safe, and you and Livy are protected. I think I’m about good.”
He agreed. “I can do that.”
“Thanks, Baldy.”
“Elizabeth, someone needs to spank you!”
Ethan, Callen, and Dakota raised their hands.
Chris had the common sense not to go there. Instead, he simply laughed.
It paid off when Callen drew his finger across his throat and directed it at the US Marshal.
Elizabeth was amused as usual.
“What else do you need?”
“I need our best sketch artist on the flight with us. We need to get a working picture of Tammy Beard. The fake one didn’t have a driver’s license taken, so there’s not a new picture of her.”
He got it.
“I have an agent who can do both. She’ll babysit the morgue staff while you’re in the field, and she’ll get with Callen and Ethan to draw her up.”
“Who is it?” Ethan asked.
“Special Agent Blue Garrick.”
“I’ve seen her work,” Ethan said, “and it’s stellar. She has quite the talent. Her renditions have helped the FBI catch quite a few killers and criminals.”
This worked for her. If Ethan was giving her his personal approval, she’d be more than happy to use the woman.
This was all hands-on deck.
Now it looked like they were set.
“Thank you, Gabe.”
He brushed it off as his job. “Get on that jet and watch your back. This is a dangerous one.”
Yeah, she was well aware.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Hoover Building
Dakota Rakin knew they needed to get out in the field to do what Elizabeth had asked, so he headed to the office to pick up his partner. When he got there, Sarah was still working out of the conference room. Beside her were four empty coffee cups, and a notebook.
“Tracking her?” he asked.
“Yeah, I am. I need to get something more to help Elizabeth break this wide open.”
He was impressed with her tenacity.
It was kind of sexy.
“Elizabeth and her team are heading to Salem,” Dakota stated.
“Are we going?” she asked, glancing up. Still, she kept the chill in her voice so he’d realize it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
Sarah was still furious.
“Yeah, we are, but she wants us to find the last known addresses and search them. We also have to visit Doctor Michaels’s home.”
Sarah slid the paper across the table.
She’d figured as much. Researching for the FBI was like researching for the US Marshals. Their job was bringing in fugitives, but mostly, it was about doing the legwork first.
“I only found one that is tied to the new Tammy Beard. It’ll be a short search.”
He didn’t think that was a coincidence.
“That’s why we need to figure out who Tammy Beard really is. Once we do, we’ll be able to find more hidey holes.”
She agreed.
There was no doubt in her mind that Bonnie was riding her new partner for the sole reason of anonymity. With Lizzie, she could rent them places, use a regular bankcard, and move around without anyone knowing. She had her real name hidden, and they couldn’t find her.
Plus, the only two people who had seen her were Ethan and Callen.
“We definitely need a sketch.”
He was aware.
“Elizabeth has one coming, Sarah. We’ll have it in our hands by the time they reach Salem. On the flight, they’ll have Callen and Ethan sit with the artist.”
That would help.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, as she grabbed her gear from all over the table.
“Yes.”
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.
That was a hard question to answer, and for so many reasons. Did she want to be angry?
No.
Did she want to hurt in her heart from this man?
No.
Sarah knew that chasing him wasn’t going to work. Dakota was a hot mess inside, and she couldn’t fix him.
Only he could fix himself.
“Yes. I’m just not wasting energy on you, Dakota. You’re not worth my time.”
Again, that stung.
“Ouch.”
She didn’t say anything.
What could she say?
He’d hurt her plenty of times already. Maybe just this once, it was her turn.
It was petty.
But that was life. Maybe, it would give him something to think about.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Across Town
When they got to the small house that was tied to Tammy Beard’s name, they both took out their guns. They were ready for anything.
With Bonnie, and her new cuckoo friend, anything was possible.
“I’ll take the back,” Sarah offered.
“We aren’t splitting up,” he stated.
“What if…?”
He stopped her.
“My last partner and I did this, and guess who got us inside?” he asked. “Bonnie and Clyde ambushed us, and we ended up being taken. She died. I didn’t.”
“Dakota.”
He stared at her. In his head, he couldn’t imagine going to her funeral too. While he was appalled at his lack of control around Sarah, he was even more horrified that he had feelings for her.
Revenge has Come (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 19) Page 44