Chris grinned like a little kid. “Yes, Dad. Can I borrow the car to transport some dead women?”
He laughed at his ME. “Yes, but think back to the last time I had staff take a van out after dark.” His face went serious. “That’s still on my shoulders, Chris. I know you’re not big on strapping on your side arm, but you’re going to and you need to stay alert.”
There was no doubt that his boss still carried the guilt. He would too if he would have been in his place.
“We’re not sending you two off on a honeymoon. Cyra, you’re still my report and research monkey. Try and focus on the dead and not the hot and bothered doctor.”
Before she could stop herself, her mouth took over, “You’re a little too late on that.”
Chris blushed, and everyone found that entertaining.
“If for some reason, we find another body,” Ethan added, “Be prepared to haul yourselves back. It’s only a two hour drive, so it’s feasible.”
They all looked over at the town ME, trying to play nice.
“We do have backup just in case.”
Patrick Parrish grinned.
Elizabeth would rather roll naked in a pit of cobras than work with anyone but her own people. She was less than impressed with the town, the chief of police, the cops and the ME.
Yeah, she’d rather let a bunch of kids handle it. At least they would be fascinated and not miss anything.
The phone across the room rang. “If you’ll excuse me,” Parrish said happily. He’d never thought he’d be able to work with the Feds. This was going to be exciting.
Elizabeth moved closer to her team so the man wouldn’t be privy to their conversation, “Cyra, I want you to run those properties. I want to know who owns them, and why they were picked. Get a map ready too. We’re going to see if they’re significant.”
“I’ll have it ready for our meeting tomorrow.”
They all nodded.
“Chris, get cutting. Cyra, you want to join us? We’re going to eat something and talk shop,” Elizabeth offered.
The ME didn't want her to stick around and not do her job. “Go, sweetheart. I’m fine. I have backup,” he nodded towards the man talking behind them.
Elizabeth felt bad for sticking him with the town incompetent. “Just for that, Chris, I’ll get you lunch. You’re going to need it.”
He laughed and suddenly stopped. His gaze went to the wall behind them. When they all turned suddenly, he grabbed Cyra and kissed her.
When the directors didn't see anything, they looked back at the ME, currently locked in a kiss.
There was laughter from all three of them.
“I’m not going to even comment,” Elizabeth began, “Other than to say that I’m damn glad I’m not the only one getting kissed in autopsy. I was beginning to believe it was only me.”
Her words made Cyra begin to laugh and break the lip lock.
“Nice one Doc,” Elizabeth said, offering him a fist bump. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
Chris watched her go as his heart pounded in his chest. Part of it was from the kiss, the rest was his fear for her safety.
“Are you ready, Doctor Leonard?” inquired Parrish, standing behind him. “You used an interesting technique to extract the bowel yesterday, can you teach me?” he asked, hopefully. While the man was here, he might as well use his brain. “Your knife skills are amazing. You have a very steady hand.”
He glanced over at the man. “Thank you, and it’s called the Branson Maneuver. I certainly can teach it to you. I learned it in medical school. Shall we begin?”
The man slipped into his gloves. “Absolutely!”
* * *
Sitting at the table at the restaurant, the four feds had already ordered their lunch and were about to get a little work taken care of next.
First thing up on their agenda was the research that Cyra had been handling.
“You did a deep search on Arlen James. Please tell me that you found something that will give us a direction,” Elizabeth practically pleaded.
“I have all his information. Like the Lafays had stated, he hasn’t been in town very long. Prior to residing here, he was out in California, Arizona, Utah and even New Mexico.”
Callen pondered that information. “That’s only five locations, and he has to be in his forties.”
Cyra corrected him. “Thirty seven by birth records, but you won’t find them under that name.”
That made Elizabeth excited. “Are we talking a name change like Scarlet Red, or are we talking about an alias?”
She grinned. “Oh, it’s definitely an alias.”
“Yee haw!”
Cyra began laughing. “As for the locations, Callen, those were in the last three years.”
“Okay, then I retract my prior statement, because that is odd. No one moves around that much.”
“Arlen James or his real birth name, James Arlen is a notorious grifter and con man.”
“Awww, isn’t he so clever? He just flipped the name. You can tell he’s a genius mastermind already,” Elizabeth retorted.
“What was he running?” Blackhawk questioned, not really surprised that the Satan worshiper was full of shit.
“From the looks of his rap sheet, there were all kinds of things. He was popped on various card games, dice and all that petty stuff that cops will just let go if you pack up and move out of their sight. He would have been in the clear except one of the people he took for one hundred bucks lost it and a fight ensued. That’s how he got arrested.”
“Nice. His misfortune is our winning hand,” Elizabeth added.
“We need a search warrant,” Callen interjected, already warning her. “You can’t go crazy on him, so this needs to be by the book.” As much as he liked watching her go off, he was concerned for his brother’s sanity.
Ethan knew that was likely what was going to happen. “I’m not worried about it. She’s smarter than that, Cal, and she probably already has a plan.”
“I’m glad someone has faith in my devious nature,” she replied, leaning back as the waitress placed their food on the table.
Callen hoped he didn't upset her. “I have faith in you, Lyzee, but I know how stupid people make you want to lose your damn mind. Then you’re wiping the floor with them and drawing blood.”
“Or killing them,” Ethan added, biting into his burger. “Violently.”
“I will have you both know that I haven’t hit, punched, shot or killed anyone in a while. The last two assignments we went out on, I wasn’t the one that pulled the trigger. In fact, I haven’t been in a brawl lately either. That can be arranged, though.”
Callen began laughing. “Count me out. You fight dirty.”
“All we’re saying, baby, is get a warrant. You’re smart. You can get him to spill it and give you motive and opportunity.”
She sat there and pondered what they were saying.
“Is it wrong that I’m incredibly nervous about how the killer isn’t following the same pattern with every victim?” Cyra asked, taking a bite of her salad.
“If you weren’t, I’d fire you,” Elizabeth added as she ate a fry and tried to not choke on it. “He’s either screwing with us or is a total jackwagon. I’m betting on him being an idiot.”
Ethan was nervous too. If he couldn’t use similarities, then they’d have nothing but holes in his profile. He was well aware that Elizabeth needed him to be spot on to do her thing.
“I lean towards crazy train myself,” added Callen as he stole some of Elizabeth’s lunch.
“He’s changing it up and that has to show us something,” Elizabeth said, staring at Ethan. “Give me your gut, Cowboy.”
He wiped his fingers on his napkin and tenderly pushed a curl back from her cheek. “To me, it feels haphazard, but also like he’s perfecting it.”
“You don’t think it’s random?”
He shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, the man is nuts. No sane person sacrifices another one to the devil.
That’s a special kind of crazy.”
Elizabeth winked at him when he used her phrase. It was like he was picking up little pieces of her along the way. That had to horrify him as much as it entertained her.
“I just believe that he’s doing it for a reason. I can’t put my finger on it yet, but I’m getting there. Once I get the third victim’s information, I can give you all I have on him.”
“How soon?”
Thinking it over, he paused. “Since we have an operation planned tonight, by tomorrow morning for our meeting I’ll be ready to go.”
Cyra looked up from her salad. “Who’s having an operation?”
Elizabeth snorted. “Not that kind. We’re going out on an op.” She broke it all down, telling the woman about the witches and their circle.
“You have to have a big set to let those witches lead you away from Ethan and Callen,” she said, pointing at her husbands, “especially while a killer is stalking you to make you his.”
“I trust them to keep me safe.”
Both men leaned in, kissing her on the cheek at the same time. It garnered stares from a few patrons, like it always did.
“See, they were all thinking I was with one of the men, until you just got the kisses. Thanks for ruining it for my ego,” Cyra teased.
Callen immediately winked at her. “I can pretend if you want,” he teased, only to have the wind knocked out of him as Elizabeth sucker punched him in the gut.
“Uh, there was your answer right there, Cal,” Elizabeth added, eating her lunch.
“I loved every second of it,” he wheezed.
His brother shook his head. “You won’t if she aims lower. Her accuracy is deadly.”
Elizabeth ignored them both. “You wouldn’t want to cuddle up with a Native, Cyra. You have big ol’ hearts in your eyes for our genius, death doctor.”
That she did, and she refused to react to her words.
Oh, it was as if her agent just threw down a challenge. Elizabeth had ways to make her talk. “I do have a personal question,” she began as she leaned back against the booth. It was odd to be the one asking and not being on the receiving end for once.
“Uh, yeah?”
“If you were ever going to get married, who would be your maid of honor?”
Cyra didn't know where this was heading. “I guess I would pick my sister Chelsea. Why?”
“Does she like dates with black hair?”
The woman stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Her husband has dark hair, why?” She was beginning to panic at where this was heading.
“I only ask, because if you marry Chris, he’s already declared that I’m his best man. I hope your sister doesn’t mind being escorted by a woman.”
Cyra stared openmouthed while they all laughed. She wasn’t sure which to be more shocked by, the fact that Chris was thinking marriage or that Elizabeth was going to be his best man.
“I’ll keep the bachelor party clean. I’ll hand pick the strippers personally.”
Her fork fell from her hand. Cyra knew that Elizabeth would absolutely do it. In her head, there was the flashback of ‘The Pussycat Club’.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled in glee. “Oh, sure I am.”
Both men laughed even harder.
Oh shit!
This couldn’t be good.
~ Chapter Eleven ~
Thursday Afternoon
When you knew what you were about to face down, it made the day easier and that was the case for all four Feds. They were armed with plenty of information while heading into the devil’s den. Arlen James’s little production was about to be shut down.
The beauty was that the man didn't even know what was coming. Since they found the truth, it made the smoke and mirrors a lot less unsettling. It was like when you were a child and the lights came on after the nightmare. You had no reason to be afraid once you found that the boogey man wasn’t under your bed.
The same was true with the man that they waited for in his lobby. This was all about sleight of hand and using fear to taint logic, and they were going to yank the carpet out from under him.
“I see that you’re back,” he said as he walked towards them. Today, he wore all black, and his eyes were altered by the hazy contacts once more. Since they had a driver’s license photo that he had recently taken, they knew it was all part of the illusion.
David Copperfield he wasn’t, and the gig was up.
“Yes, we are,” Callen replied, holding the tablet. “We want you to look at all our victims. Hopefully, you can recognize them.”
The man pretty much ignored him. Moving forward he reached towards Elizabeth’s face with one of his hands.
Both men tensed, but trusted her to handle it.
“You’re wasting such beauty with mere men. My Lord would love to have you on his altar,” he whispered. “You put the other offerings to shame. I would love to see your hair cascade down the side, and your amazing eyes filled with intense pleasure.”
The minute his fingers touched her skin, she grabbed his wrist, twisted and her foot swept him to the ground. With one hand she held his arm in a painful position and with the other, her gun remained pointed at his forehead. “You can’t randomly place your hands on federal employees of the government. Then, toss in unwilling contact with women when they don’t authorize it. Maybe you should learn some manners.”
The man stared up nervously at the nose of the gun.
Ethan crossed his arms and shook his head. They told her to figure it out, and she took the easy route on this one. A part of him was a little disappointed, since she generally came up with better ways to outsmart the suspect than this.
“I didn't do anything,” he whined.
She put her booted foot on his chest. “Listen up, Arlen James or as we like to call you James Arlen. You may be able to jack with the feeble minded, but we have your number. You’re a two bit con man who is taking money from people to have sex.”
Surprisingly, he didn't argue with that.
“We know everything about you.”
“Please, can I get up?”
She stepped back and released his arm. “I suggest you start talking, because you’re in our sights for being a murderer. You want to go down as a con man or a killer?”
Cyra added her opinion, “He does look like a killer. Check out those eyes. So creepy,” she stated, with a mock shudder.
The man pulled his contacts out. “It’s part of the show.”
Ethan hid a smile behind his hand. Yeah, this man was pretty much out of his element. His initial though about his wife taking the easy way out was wrong. She was about to catch him in her web and quite easily.
“Listen, I’ll be honest. I put on a show, collect money and let some horny old men use a few babes. They get high from the smoke and love every second of it. They come to and never complain.”
Callen started laughing as Elizabeth glanced over at the men.
“Boys, was that good enough for you?” she purred, winking at them.
Ethan promptly began working on a search warrant.
Whitefox offered her a fist bump. “Why I doubt you, is beyond me. You had it planed from the second he touched your cheek.”
“Yes I did. Hey Cyra, cuff the dark prince. He’s going to jail and we’re getting a search warrant to tear this place apart.”
The man started backing away. “Why?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “You just admitted to drugging women, pimping and other lascivious acts on females when they aren’t coherent. In this state that’s rape, my friend.”
She read the look that flashed into his eyes and knew that the fun was about to begin.
Arlen James bolted and he didn't have a chance. Elizabeth was faster and took him down like a scared antelope on the Serengeti. When she smacked his head off the ground, he went out like a light.
Blackhawk started laughing. “So much for not using brute force on this one,”
he snickered. “It looks like your pacifistic streak has come to an end.”
Cyra cuffed the man and led him away as her boss brushed herself off.
“Hey, did I shoot him, punch him or bitch slap his weasel-y ass?”
“No,” they replied at the same time.
“Then it’s all good, boys. I was detaining a suspect that was trying to escape and nothing more.”
Both men moved closer to her body and pushed their way into her personal space to whisper in her ear.
“That was incredibly sexy, Elizabeth,” Ethan stated, nipping her ear.
Callen had the same exact idea. “I’m all hot and bothered and want to have you rough me up next,” he murmured. There was something about watching her take down a criminal that was purely erotic.
“You boys haven’t seen anything yet,” she replied as she followed her agent out to the Denali.
“Really?” they answered at the same time.
“Wait until you see me all ‘witched’ up tonight,” she replied, chewing on her bottom lip.
“It’s going to be a long night,” Ethan stated. He was man enough to admit that his thoughts had already gone there. It was hard not to picture her in the gauze-y concoction.
Callen had to agree. “Yeah, it is.”
Thursday Afternoon
After arresting Arlen James for his crimes, Cyra headed back over to the morgue to wait for Chris to finish with the autopsy. Because they were heading back home to drop the bodies, she couldn’t be part of the search warrant team. That was a little disappointing, but it was easily forgotten once she saw Chris again.
The man, who she was absolutely crazy about, was trying to handle the other ME. In all the times that she had worked with Chris, he rarely was at a loss for words. He would talk about pretty much anything to keep the mood light, and he was always trying to make someone laugh. It was that easiness that made her fall in love. But now, he looked frazzled. Patrick Parrish was gabbing a mile a minute and trying to bond over different professional procedures, medical journals and also the case.
Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) Page 30