Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7)

by Kelley, Morgan

  Callen was handling their personal issues, and had made a call to his father to check in with him and the ‘Bly’ situation. Apparently, she had arrived that morning with the intention of keeping it strictly work related. She was helping with the kids and doing the housework, but anything that Wyler needed personal ‘assistance’ with, was now off the table and possibly over for good.

  Wyler reassured them all that he was fine. As for the children, they were his priority and that too was under control. Hearing that update had helped take a little bit of the pressure off all of them.

  Now, they could all move onto other issues, like the Austin and Rickard situation. That little hot mess was being managed by Ethan. Since he was the calmest and most likely to maintain his composure, he was up to bat.

  “I’ve sent him a text to come up here,” Blackhawk stated. “We need an update on the crime scene walk through he did yesterday, and then I’m going to send him back to FBI West.”

  Elizabeth was glad. The last thing they needed was one giant emotional free for all.

  After knocking on the door, the man entered. “You needed to see me?”

  Ethan pointed towards an open chair. “You went back to the first crime scene, did you find anything that stood out?”

  Agent Thomas Rickard thought about it. “Not really. We seemed to have swept it really well. I didn't even find any trace that we had been there.”

  Ethan nodded. At least he had confirmation that his team was doing their jobs.

  “What’s my assignment for today?” he asked, really wishing they weren’t there. Then, he could run this his way. It was cramping his style to have to play second fiddle to the three directors.

  “You’re taking a little trip.”

  “I am?” He was confused. “Where exactly am I going?”

  Ethan leaned forward. “I need you to head back to FBI West to be reassigned. You’re done here.”

  “Why?”

  “We have enough staff on duty. We’ll take over training Agent Austin, so you’re free to go.”

  “I can’t believe this!” he raged as he pushed back from his chair.

  That simple motion caused all three directors to follow suit. An angry person carrying a weapon was a dangerous thing. They had all seen rationale being tossed to the wayside, in lieu of violence, many a times.

  “I come to work, do my job, and then get reassigned. How is that fair?”

  Ethan tried to calm him down. “Listen, Thomas. You’re not being punished. We have three directors working on this, and you can be used elsewhere.”

  “Then why is my partner remaining here?”

  They all knew where this was headed.

  “She’s going to stay to help with the paperwork and get some interview time in the field. She’s only a probationary agent and can use the time under her belt.” Ethan tried to make it sound as nonchalant as possible, and he definitely could see why Chris Leonard was worried.

  The man was a tad bit over the edge.

  He slammed his chair into the table. “This is total bullshit, and when you get back, I want to file a complaint with your boss. This isn’t going in my personnel file!”

  Okay, maybe a lot over the edge.

  Rickard stormed out of there and slammed the door as he left. There was no doubt how he was feeling about the situation.

  “I think we have a problem brewing on the horizon with him,” Elizabeth finally stated, breaking the astounded silence. “I’m surprised that you didn't lose your temper with his belligerence.”

  Ethan wanted to, but he preferred more to have him leave without an incident. “I better update Gabe as to what just went down. I don’t want him to be surprised to see that report he’s going to file against us.”

  Callen just shook his head. “See if you can get him some anger management evaluations. I’m betting he’ll fail them.”

  He agreed. “Then I can get Gabe to terminate him. We can’t have a loose cannon running all over the place toting a gun.”

  “Amen,” muttered Callen.

  Now they could get to the job at hand.

  “Cal, can you run the victim and find me anything that might help us out?”

  He began working on the tablet and searching for anything on Dyana Carlos.

  “I’ve been thinking about what Chris said about the altar,” stated Blackhawk, pulling up the picture. This time the killer had used a set of stone slabs that looked like they had once been part of a building’s foundation.

  “I’ve been thinking about that too. Maybe we should revisit the Church of Satan.”

  Callen glanced up. “Yeah, and you should stay here.”

  Ethan agreed. “You’re Arlen James’s focus. He’s trying really hard to get into your pants.”

  To hear Ethan, the more reserved of the two, state it like that, made her snicker. “I don’t think that’s what he had in mind, exactly. Me naked on his altar was more his thing. I doubt the killer could catch a woman if she fell on top of him. I wouldn’t lose any sleep on it. He couldn’t charm me out of these britches if he tried, boys.”

  Neither man was entertained at her attempt to be humorous. In their heads, there were two possible scenarios that kept them from laughing. There was the one where she was tied there like the victims and murdered or the second where Arlen James was using Elizabeth as some sexual sacrifice.

  Both options raised their blood pressures.

  “The more I think about it, the more it makes me want to punch holes in something,” Callen admitted.

  “Stop getting all stirred up. We’ll all go in together and get the re-interview done. I’m not worried.”

  Yeah, that was a lie. It was hard to not think about the chimes and the way the man stared at her. She was woman enough to admit that she was a little nervous about the entire thing. Here, Halloween had once been one of her favorite holidays. How do you not like a day devoted to free sugar? Now, it was rapidly slipping down the list. This whole assignment was leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

  “Maybe he’ll know if any of his devotees were part of any covens before wanting to worship the devil,” she added.

  Ethan tried to remain calm.

  “Hey, we have two victims now, and that means you can start working on the profile,” Elizabeth continued. Her master plan was to distract him enough that he could refocus his attention.

  Tapping his head, he grinned. “I’m already working on it. I just need a little more time until we get the autopsy results.”

  Elizabeth glanced over Callen. “Can you text, Cyra? We need to see if she found anything when she did the search on ‘Mystic Memorabilia’.”

  “Sure thing, Lyzee,” he replied as he pulled out his phone. It might be good to get out and start working. Then he wouldn’t be forced to sit there and think about how his gut was churning.

  He may be a newbie at all this, but deep down, Callen knew something bad was brewing, and it wasn’t the shit in the local coven’s cauldron.

  ~ Chapter Eight ~

  Cyra sat in the autopsy suit quietly observing everything that was going on around her. From the techs to the ME, the staff was hustling around. The only person in the room who had her full attention was Christopher Leonard and unfortunately, it was unrequited. In her opinion, he was purposely moving around and trying to avoid her.

  Or at least that was the impression he was giving her.

  Doctor Leonard was working on the trace removal from the body as Christina stood at his side. Not once had he looked up at her or even given her a reassuring look. Her mind was a jumbled mess over the entire situation.

  What had she done?

  Why was he pushing her away?

  Yes, she’d heard what he said at the crime scene about his mother, but that didn't matter to her. Why would she hold him accountable for his mother’s choices in life? Chris Leonard was his own person, and she of all people understood that you didn't judge a person by their family.

  Before her father remarried, they
had been staunch Catholics. As soon as he met his new wife, he converted to Judaism. She didn't hold that against him or stop caring about her father. What he chose in life was his decision. If the man who she was crazy about wanted to believe in Wicca, who was she to stop him?

  Cyra wanted to say something, but she was afraid to get rejected. Maybe, it was best to just let him have his time and hope that he would get over it at some point.

  Just then, her phone went off.

  Thank God! She could escape the tension that was filling the room. Who would have thought that she would want to be summoned to talk to her bosses? Hopping down off the counter in the corner, she walked towards the door to escape. Part of her hoped that he would say something to her as she was leaving.

  Anything at that point.

  When he didn't speak, she glanced back at him. Chris didn't even look up to see if she was fine. Tears threatened to fill her eyes and slide down her cheeks, but she fought them. Cyra refused to let emotion win.

  Her heart ached as she walked out.

  Everything that morning had seemed so perfect. Maybe that was the problem. Now it was crumbling and she was helpless to stop any of it.

  Chris watched her from his peripheral vision, and desperately wanted to go to her. Every part of him wanted to hold her and pull the woman against his body to kiss her.

  He wanted her to know that he was sorry, and that he wasn’t some wacked out nutjob.

  It was a precarious position to be in, and he didn't know how to work through it. Here on one hand was his mother, the woman who raised him and gave him life. Yeah, she was a little nutty, but she’d been a great mom. They walked the woods, learned about bugs and science, and she was the reason he became a doctor.

  Then there was Cyra. God, he was lost when it came to her. When she smiled at him, his heart stopped, his brain didn't function, and all he wanted was to hold her in his arms.

  Now, he needed to find a way to blend bizarre and odd with normal and perfect. Chris needed the woman that gave him life, and the woman who made him come alive to exist together in harmony.

  Yeah good luck with that.

  “Doc, we found some hairs,” Christina said excitedly.

  It drew his attention back to the dead woman. At least everything on the work front was moving smoothly. He wasn’t sure he could handle a mess there too.

  “Run them and see if they match our victim. If they don’t, then maybe we have our killer’s DNA.”

  Cyra arrived at the door and knocked before entering. When she was told to come in, she took a seat wordlessly. The three directors were staring at her. She might as well get it out in the open and deal with whatever punishment they had planned for her. She’d been late to the crime scene, and Cyra was sure Thomas Rickard had reported his findings at her room.

  “Yes, I slept with Chris.”

  Elizabeth started to laugh. “We weren’t going to ask. In fact, we were going to tell you that we shipped your partner back to FBI West, but thank you for your sex update.”

  Callen and Ethan were grinning.

  The woman went bright red. Today was turning into a really big nightmare.

  Elizabeth decided to cut her a break for Chris Leonard’s sake. Since they went way back, she’d be gentle for a friend. “We called you up here to give us an update on your search. What did you find on the shop?”

  Cyra was grateful it was going to be work related. That she could do with her eyes closed. She began to focus and went into cop mode. “Mystic Memorabilia is owned by Artemis and Ares LaFay. They’ve been running it now for the last five years. I pulled some cross comparisons with previous financials and found that it has been very profitable. Most of their revenue is due to the internet. They sell all kinds of trinkets, incantations, mojo bags and other various things online to anyone interested in getting their ‘spell’ on.”

  “So, they hock witch goods. I find that interesting,” she stated. “In fact, I look forward to wandering around their store.”

  Cyra continued, “I checked and the business lists no employees, but that doesn’t mean they’re not doing it under the table.”

  “Well, we know one victim worked there, so let’s plan on showing them some pictures and see if they know Dyana Carlos too. I would rather talk to the witches about her than the grieving family.”

  Ethan agreed, glancing down at his watch. “Chris is about to start the autopsy. We should head there first and get that taken care of before we head out to the interviews.”

  They gathered all their files and tablets as they prepared to leave.

  “Maybe, if we’re incredibly lucky, our killer will have left us a little clue,” Elizabeth said hopefully.

  “One can only hope,” Ethan replied, holding the door open for the women.

  The sooner they caught him, the quicker they would get Elizabeth away from the devil worshiper and a lunatic calling her out.

  Right now, there really was no place like home.

  Downstairs, Chris leaned against the counter to finalize his last checklist. The other ME stood not far from him, as did the police chief and the two officers who had been on scene.

  “I don’t know what we’re waiting for,” Patrick Parrish said, glancing at his watch.

  “The boss,” answered Chris. “I don’t start until she shows up.”

  “It’s not like you’re doing anything that she hasn’t seen, she can catch up.”

  Chris looked over. “I like my assistants to keep one thing in mind. Just stand there and do your job, don’t tell me how to do mine.”

  The man looked at him in shock.

  Elizabeth took that moment to roll into the room, only catching the tail end of the tension. “Sorry, if we’re late, Doctor Leonard, but we had some reports to work on, and now we’re ready.”

  The man gloved up and moved towards the woman. He glanced up at Cyra and the look on her face forced him to look away.

  “Okay, let’s cut her open,” he answered, doing the Y-incision. “We did all the swabbing and it’s on its way to the lab, as is the blood work.”

  “Thank you, Doc,” Elizabeth answered.

  He nodded but kept his gaze adverted.

  Yeah, there were issues that needed to be settled. Elizabeth could feel it surrounding them. Generally, Chris Leonard was fun and jovial. Even when he worked, he was known to chatter and spew out useless information. If he was silent, there could only be one reason.

  There were woman troubles brewing on his horizon.

  “I can tell by looking at her that she was struck in the face fairly hard, and it wasn’t right before death either. The blood pool under the skin had already formed. That usually takes a couple of hours.”

  “Could that have been how he disabled her to abduct her?” asked Agent Austin, keeping her voice cool and neutral as she did her job. She’d already screwed up by admitting she was sleeping with him to her bosses. The last thing that she needed was for them to watch her pine away for a man who was suddenly chilly.

  “It could be, Agent. If he was large and strong, it could have disabled her enough for him to bind her hands and feet. That would have made it easier for him to handle her. I found rope abrasions on her hands and ankles, much like the first victim.”

  “Anything else?” asked Gena Lowry. This was her first autopsy, and she was finding it fascinating.

  Chris glanced up at her and noticed that the woman looked excited. “Would you like to move closer? As long as you don’t touch our victim, I don’t mind.”

  The woman did just that.

  “The pentagram carved into her body is the same also. A little more crooked this time, as if he was in a hurry. I also noticed that she has a few broken teeth. It might be from having something shoved down her throat or again from the strike to her face.”

  “Like the last woman’s necklace?” Elizabeth asked.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking, Director. I’ll open her larynx first to cut this short for everyone. I know that
watching a full autopsy isn’t fun.”

  They had seen enough of them that one more was just the same old thing. They would take the abridged report after the fact, since they had a full day ahead of them. “Thanks, Chris.”

  He started rooting around in the general location and making a long slit in the esophagus. When he paused, the room went silent. “There’s no necklace in her throat.”

  “Really?” Ethan asked, a little surprised by that news.

  “No, there’s none at all. I’ll have to check her stomach contents next. It is possible that it was swallowed if she wasn’t dead at the time it was shoved down her throat.”

  Both cops moved closer too, getting a better look. All the Feds knew better. The minute Chris dumped the gut juice, someone was going to puke. The smell was just that bad. They all started holding up fingers, picking a candidate.

  The majority were picking the cops. Men tended to have a worse reaction, at least in their experience.

  Chris cut out the stomach and freed the pouch. As he poured everything into a large evidence jar, the Feds tried not to make a peep. The sound alone was disgusting and could take down the strongest of people. If the locals wanted the full effects of an autopsy, here it was.

  As if on cue, Officer Murphy made some gagging noises.

  “Away from the body,” Chris ordered, pointing.

  The man ran from the room.

  The Feds began laughing. Cyra and Elizabeth lost that one to Ethan and Callen. They each reached into their pockets and pulled out some cash. It was passed to the winners.

  Chris glanced up at his team. “No fair, I was busy!”

  Ethan grinned. “If you snooze then you lose.”

  The police chief looked around confused. “What?”

  The ME let her in on what she’d just missed. “There’s a little game we play in autopsy. It’s called ‘guess the puker’ and the game just concluded. You were each assigned a number in the order you were standing. When I dumped the bile and stomach contents, they were picking the one that would toss first.”