Lost in Bliss

by Sophie Oak

coworkers, they were all in bed by ten-thirty. No one is sharing

  rooms, and the Movie Motel doesn’t have keycards, so we can’t tell

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  when someone leaves or accesses their room.”

  That was a dead end. If Rafe thought for one second he could

  convince the higher-ups that this BAU team should be pulled, he

  would call the director himself, but no one was going to listen to him.

  He’d quit.

  Nate shook his head. “The feds are finishing up forensics. They’ll

  transport the body to the morgue, and then I’m sure they’ll bring in

  their own expert. Sorry, Caleb. I know you don’t like other doctors in

  your clinic.”

  The doctor shook his head briefly. “I’ll take care of it. I think

  you’ll find the feds will be more than willing to let me do the

  autopsy.”

  Rafe stepped forward. He felt bad for the doctor. It was hard to

  give up control. “I’m sorry, but Joe is going to insist on his own guy.”

  The doctor set his bag down. “I already have the go-ahead.”

  Cam’s mouth dropped open just a bit. “How did you manage

  that?”

  The doctor shrugged slightly. “I know a few people. I made a call,

  and now I’m the one doing the autopsy. Don’t worry. I won’t fuck it

  up. I’ve had a lot of practice doing autopsies lately.”

  The last bit was said with a ferocious scowl sent Nate Wright’s

  direction.

  “Damn it, Caleb. I did not invite the Russian mob to town. You

  can’t blame me for that.”

  The doctor grunted as though he really, really could blame the

  sheriff. He walked over to Holly and put a hand on her shoulder. “Get

  dressed and come with me.”

  Holly looked up. “Caleb, I appreciate you spending the night, I

  really do, but I have to work.”

  “No.”

  “You have got to stop doing that,” Holly complained. “You can’t

  just say no.”

  Nate stepped in. “Stella closed for the day. We’re all closing up

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  shop so we can stay in. It’s better that way. Consider Bliss closed for

  a few days. We can all handle it. It should keep the tourists safe.

  We’re sending some business to Creede and some to Del Norte.”

  Holly’s hand curled around Laura’s. “All right, then. But I could

  just stay home. I promise I won’t answer the door.”

  Caleb stared at her.

  Her mouth turned down in a stubborn pout. “I know—no. Fine.

  I’ll get dressed, or should I go to the morgue in my undies?”

  The doctor’s lips curled up just the slightest bit in a way that told

  Rafe he would be perfectly fine with that scenario.

  “I don’t suppose there’s any way we could get on that crime

  scene?” Laura asked, wiping her eyes. She straightened up, and Rafe

  saw the minute she put her tears behind her and pulled her

  professionalism around her.

  “I’m supposed to bring you in for questioning,” Nate admitted.

  “What?” Cam practically screamed the question.

  Laura put a hand on his chest. “You know they’re going to want

  to talk to me. The key now is to make sure they don’t take me into

  protective custody for my own good.”

  “I will not allow that to happen, bella,” Rafe promised. He turned to Nate. The sheriff was really his only law enforcement ally. “I am

  convinced that someone on my former team is responsible for this.”

  “Rafe,” Laura breathed as though she couldn’t believe what he’d

  said.

  “You knew it all along,” Rafe replied. “It’s someone very close.

  Cam and I are going to run back to our motel and pick up our things.

  You have wireless somewhere in this town?”

  Nate grimaced. “At the station, but I doubt you’re going to be

  very subtle investigating people who are standing right behind you.

  It’s a small station. You’re out at the Movie Motel? Gene has dial-

  up.”

  Now Cam was the one groaning. “I can make it work. We need

  access to employment files. There has to be something in there. I have

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  three suspects in mind, though you’re not going to like them, Rafe.”

  Rafe was being realistic. There was no longer any room for

  friendship beyond Cam’s. “We look into Edward, Brad, and Joe. Even

  before Brad was on the team, he was always hanging around. And

  he’s been divorced three times.”

  “But his girlfriend from high school was murdered,” Cam added.

  That little fact was not lost on Rafe. “It’s why he claims he joined.

  They all have something in their pasts. Edward’s never been married,

  but his mother died in a car accident, and we all remember what

  happened to Joe’s wife.”

  Joe’s wife had committed suicide. He remembered standing

  beside his friend at her funeral. And Brad had more than once talked

  about how he couldn’t forget his girlfriend, his first love. Edward had

  lived with his mother. He’d never been married, and as far as Rafe

  knew, he’d never even had a real girlfriend.

  The Marquis de Sade hated women.

  Rafe’s brain was working overtime. “We need to look at those

  files and dig up everything we can. If we eliminate these three as

  suspects, we move deeper.”

  Cam crossed his arms over his chest and looked supremely

  confident. “If the information is on a computer, I can find it. I can find files they thought were long buried.”

  Translation—Cam was a gun. All Rafe needed to do was point

  and shoot. But he didn’t have to be there while Cam looked. “Cam

  can take the SUV. I’ll go back with Laura.”

  “Yeah,” Cam said. “I would be happier with that scenario.”

  “No,” Laura said, her eyes wide, and her voice rising with panic.

  “No. You are not going to leave Cam alone.”

  “Baby, I can handle myself,” Cam protested.

  Tears formed in her eyes. She looked up at Rafe, pleading with

  him. “Please. I can’t lose either one of you. He killed Jana. He could

  be anywhere. He could take out one of you. You can’t be alone.

  Promise me, you won’t leave Cam alone.”

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  Rafe’s heart ached at the fear in her eyes. “Bella, I can’t leave you alone.”

  “I won’t leave Nate’s side. I won’t let them separate us,” she

  promised. “I’ll be at the station, surrounded by agents. He won’t come

  after me there, but he could come after someone I love. If he’s been

  watching me, then he knows about us. Please.”

  Rafe hugged her. He couldn’t argue with her logic, and Cam was

  out of training. He looked over her shoulder and exchanged a glance

  with Cam. “All right, bella.”

  “I should go get dressed,” Laura said.

  “I’ll go with you. That way I won’t be alone and Caleb doesn’t

  have to tell me no. It’s his favorite word.” Holly took Laura by the

  hand and started to lead her away.

  “It’s not,” Caleb said, watching the women as they walked. He

  didn’t seem to notice Laura was alive, and Rafe was perfectly fine


  with that scenario. The doctor had a thing for Laura’s best friend. “I

  don’t actually have a favorite word.”

  Rafe couldn’t tell if the man was serious or joking. He got the

  feeling Caleb didn’t joke often.

  “Caleb, if you want to go and get started, I’ll bring Holly and

  Laura with me to the station,” Nate offered.

  “No,” Caleb replied. It really did seem like he had a favorite word.

  But Rafe was with him on this one. “No.”

  Cam stood next to Rafe. “We’re not letting Laura out of our

  sight.”

  Nate scrubbed a hand over his face. “If I don’t bring her in with

  me, it’s going to look suspicious. Your SAC has already asked to talk

  to her. If they think she’s going to run, they might take her into

  protective custody.”

  “They can’t force that on her,” Rafe said. He had no intention of

  letting them get their hands on Laura.

  “They can hold her for forty-eight hours,” Nate replied. “And I

  wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they do. If you let her come in

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  and talk, I think they might back off.”

  “All right,” Rafe conceded. “I’ll take Cam to the motel and meet

  you at the station. But I expect you to have eyes on her the whole time

  she’s with you.”

  “Either Logan or I will be with her at all times. And we don’t have

  to worry about Holly distracting anyone because apparently she gets

  to go see an autopsy,” Nate said sarcastically.

  “Yes,” Caleb replied. Rafe admired the doctor. He wasn’t about to

  let anyone intimidate him.

  Panic threatened to swamp Rafe. Everything was happening too

  damn fast. Maybe he should rethink. Maybe he should just take off

  with her.

  Cam looked at him. “I know what you’re thinking, man. She

  won’t go.”

  “We could make her go.”

  “After last night, we can’t leave here. We can’t make her leave.

  Our best option is to find this bastard and take him out,” Cam said.

  “Otherwise, we’re running for the rest of our lives. Let’s get dressed,

  and I’ll get on this. She’ll be safe with Nate and Logan. It’s broad

  daylight, and she’s going to a police station.”

  “I’ll lock her up if I have to,” Nate offered.

  “He likes to do that,” Caleb said with a little growl.

  “If you don’t like to go to jail, you should pay your parking

  tickets.” Nate pulled out his radio. “Logan, can you read me? I’m

  bringing Laura in with me. Can you tell me who is at the station from

  the FBI?”

  “The athletic asshole who got his face beat on and the asshole

  who looks like a professor,” Logan replied over the radio. “I guess the

  corporate-looking asshole is still at the crime site.”

  “Thanks, Logan. Very professional.” Nate sighed and turned back,

  giving Cam a stern look. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a

  second radio. “Be better than Logan. Please.” He handed the radio to

  Cam. “There you go. It’s set to contact the station or me or Logan.

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  And unlike our cell tower, it’s Farelly brothers proofed. I’ll keep you

  updated on who’s where at all times. I guess the SAC decided to stay

  and supervise the forensic team. He said he wanted to view the

  autopsy when it’s ready. I bet the other two will go to that, as well.”

  “I do not need an audience. I already have to tape the thing.”

  Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “I hate bureaucracy. I hate

  autopsies. I hate all this crap. I’ll wait in the car.”

  The doctor might hate bureaucracy, but the man had major pull if

  he’d managed to overrule Joe.

  “I’ll go wait with the doc. He can be an obnoxious son of a bitch,

  but he knows what he’s doing,” Nate said. “When Laura’s ready,

  we’ll go. And if you two need anything, let me know. I still know

  people in Washington, and I know Stef’s dad has some pull.”

  The sheriff walked off to get in his Bronco, and Rafe was left

  shaken. Just a few minutes ago, the world had seemed damn near

  close to perfect, and now it felt like it could fall apart at any minute.

  “Come on, man, let’s get dressed,” Cam said, urging him inside.

  He clutched that radio in his hand. “The quicker we start eliminating

  suspects, the faster we know who she’s safe with. Except for Brad. I

  don’t care if he has a rock-solid alibi for every murder. He’s still an

  asshole.”

  “Agreed.” After the way Brad had talked to her, Rafe couldn’t

  really consider him a friend.

  But was he a killer?

  Hopefully the answer was somewhere out there. Rafe had to pray

  Cam could find it.

  * * * *

  “Sweetie, are you okay?” Holly asked the minute they were alone.

  Tears threatened and Laura couldn’t give into them. If she broke

  now, she wouldn’t be able to stop. “Please, Holly. I can’t talk about it right now. Just tell me what happened with Caleb.”

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  “He spent the night on the couch,” Holly said with a sigh.

  Laura walked into the bedroom and pulled out a clean pair of

  jeans and a yellow blouse. She tried to still her racing heart. She was

  pretty sure they could hear it in Del Norte. She forced herself to

  answer in an even voice. “That’s disappointing.”

  Holly opened Laura’s closet and started looking for something to

  wear. She was shorter than Laura, but they shared as often as they

  could. She pulled out a simple black T-shirt and cotton skirt. “I asked

  if he wanted to share my bed, just to sleep, you know, since he

  wouldn’t leave.”

  “I bet I know what he said.”

  “No.” Holly did a damn fine impression of the man. She shrugged

  out of her nightgown and pulled on the clothes. “You didn’t have the

  same trouble.”

  Holly was staring down at her bed. The sheets were twisted and

  tangled. Of course, there were also clothes scattered through the

  house. If Holly hadn’t picked up on that clue, her destroyed bed was a

  dead giveaway.

  “I love them.” Laura shimmied into fresh underwear, wishing she

  had time for a shower. Maybe she could use the one in Nate’s office.

  Nate had a decent bathroom. She understood the necessity to move

  quickly, but she smelled like sex.

  “I know. Everyone knows.” Holly gave her a soft smile. “I’m

  happy for you. I’m just going to miss you.”

  That was bugging her? “No, you won’t. I’m not going anywhere.

  They’re moving here.”

  Holly gave a little squeal. “Yes! That’s awesome.” She sobered a

  little. “Now I can watch another of my friends be happy and settle

  down.”

  Laura zipped up her jeans. “Sweetie, that man is crazy about you.”

  Holly sat on the bed, utterly dejected. “No. That man is just plain

  crazy. I don’t know how to deal with him. I swear it’s easier to deal

  with the mobster. At least he talks to me—well, he writes to me

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  because his handlers won’t let him call. Caleb is a mystery. He won’t

  talk about his past. All he seems willing to do is boss me around. I’ve

  already been married to one man who turned out to be a bully. I don’t

  need another.”

  Laura turned to her friend. “I don’t think Caleb is anything like

  Scott. And you know it. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

  Holly’s hands twisted in her lap. “Someone fixed my roof. You

  know I had that leak? Someone from Del Norte showed up yesterday

  morning with a work order and fixed the bad section. He’s coming out

  next week to replace the whole thing. Do you know how much that

  costs? He had a paid receipt, but he wouldn’t tell me who paid it. Just

  that they paid cash. Do you think that was Stef?”

  Stef Talbot was known for his acts of anonymous generosity, but

  she doubted it in this case. Jen would have blabbed. It was the best

  thing about Stef getting a wife. She loved to gossip. “No. It was

  Caleb, and that is the most un-Scott-like thing he could do.”

  Holly’s ex was very powerful, but he wouldn’t help anyone. He

  was all smiles on the television when he was campaigning, but off TV

  he was an asshole of the first order. Sort of like…

  Laura sank to the bed. Jana was dead. Tears filled her eyes. How

  could Jana be dead? Nate had said she’d been left behind with a note

  addressed to Laura. Guilt pressed down on her.

  “How close were you?” Holly always seemed to know what she

  was thinking.

  “She was a horrible bitch. We hadn’t been close in years, but I

  didn’t want her to die. God, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” Laura put

  her hands on Holly’s shoulders. “You stay with Caleb today. You

  don’t walk away or let him out of your sight. You should be okay as

  long as you’re in the clinic, but don’t you dare go outside without

  him.”

  Holly’s green eyes went wide, but she nodded. “I won’t. I think I

  should stay with you.”

  Laura forced herself to move. If she stopped, she would dissolve

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  into tears, and she couldn’t do that. Rafe and Cam had a job to do.

  They needed to get those files. Once they had what they needed and

  she’d pacified the feds that she wasn’t going anywhere, she would