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

by Kelley, Morgan

  “I’m sorry! I didn't mean anything by it. She’s really beautiful,” he stated, trying to be profusely apologetic. “Is there anything else I can help you with then?”

  “Yeah, those four women, did they have any issues with anyone bothering them, hitting on them, or making them uncomfortable?”

  He looked at the woman at the desk. “Tiff, did anyone complain about being harassed or have issues lately?”

  “No Craig, it’s been quiet,” she replied.

  The man shrugged, not sure what he could tell them. “It’s a gym. Men are going to check out women in little shorts, and likewise the women like to see some man with muscles too. It doesn’t usually get out of hand.”

  Callen had a question, “How about this woman?” Have you ever seen her in here with any of those four?” He flipped to Artemis’s picture and showed him.

  “She doesn’t look familiar,” he said. “May I borrow your tablet?” he inquired. It was handed over to him, and he brought to the woman behind the counter. “Tiff, does she look familiar?”

  The woman stared at her. “I don’t think so, Craig.” Then she glanced up at the men. “If you give me her name, I can look her up in the system and let you know. We save everyone’s names and scanned driver’s licenses.”

  Ethan spelled it for her and even gave her both names. When she finished typing, she shook her head. “She isn’t a member, and we don’t even have her on our list as someone that came with a friend. I’m sorry.”

  They understood that it was a long shot.

  Ethan spoke up, “For the rest of our conversation, you’re going to want to take us to your office.”

  The man looked worried. “Am I in trouble?”

  “Should you be?” Callen asked, following the man as he escorted them upstairs.

  “No, but you both make me nervous.”

  Ethan laughed at that. “I tell you what. You help us out, and we will smile more.” They both did just that, but it wasn’t happy smiles but more feral ones.

  The man swallowed and sat behind his desk.

  “We have four women that have your gym in common. We need you to give us an alibi for your time.”

  Callen watched his brother work, not sure where he was heading with it. There was a gym full of men who could have been guilty. This man didn't really fit the bill, and that meant he was up to something. Rarely did Ethan chase his tail on dead ends.

  “You think that I’m a Satan worshipper killing people?”

  “It’s a little bizarre that all the sudden we have four members of your gym turn up dead. I’m just asking now, before the media gets wind of it. I mean, if we have a press conference and it gets taken out of context, it could be bad.”

  “Yeah, it could destroy a business with horrible publicity like that,” Callen added, joining him on good cop/bad cop.

  The man appeared to be getting sick to his stomach. “Give me the days,” he said, pulling up his time sheet. When Callen read them off, he had two of them covered with work. “Wait, I can find the last three.”

  Ethan shrugged. “If you say you didn't do it, we might be willing to take that into account if you’re willing to help us out a little bit.”

  Craig Decker nodded. “What can I do?”

  “We could really use a list of all your members here. I know you’re not supposed to do that, but if you help us out,” Ethan smiled, “when we have that press conference, we may mention your name and make you seem like a hero.”

  “Wow, that would make business boom,” Callen added. It was fun working with his brother. Like with Elizabeth, you never knew what was going to happen.

  “I’m not really supposed to do that.”

  “Well, we can get a search warrant, close you down, tear the place apart, but that’s going to make you look bad,” he said, standing. “I hope that doesn’t make people nervous about coming to your establishment. You are the only gym in town. Come on, Director Whitefox.”

  The man called after them. “If I email you them, can we just pretend that you never got them?”

  Ethan shrugged. “If that’s what you want, Craig, but know you’ll forever have the gratitude of the Federal government and the FBI. You’ll be an unsung hero.”

  “Give me your email. It’ll take a couple of hours, but I’ll send them as soon as I get it done. I’m going to do it from home and my personal email.”

  Pulling out one of his cards, he scribbled his work email on it. “Thank you, Craig. You’ve been amazing to work with on this, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate citizens like you.”

  Callen was struggling not to laugh. It was funny to watch, and if Elizabeth was there, she would have simply beat the names out of the man. His partners had vastly different methods.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, smiling like a little kid.

  The men headed from the building and once out of earshot, Callen began laughing. “That was priceless. You just got him to give you records that we wouldn’t have gotten without tap dancing before a judge.”

  “Yeah, it was fun.”

  “You, my brother, are super slick.”

  He hopped up into the Denali and laughed. “I like how you think Elizabeth is the ONLY one that can get people to do things. I’ve been a Fed longer than she has and learned a few tricks along the way.”

  Callen shook his head. “I don’t doubt that. I just like watching her do it, because it doesn’t turn me on when you have at it.”

  Blackhawk snickered at his little brother. “Way to think with the appropriate part of your anatomy, Cal,” he replied, laughing.

  “You trained me well.”

  Halloween Eve early evening

  Standing in the autopsy suite, Chris was suited up and watching Patrick Parrish finishing up Ares Lafay’s postmortem. When he’d heard that the man was coming in, it was incredibly poignant. Here was a man who had just lost his wife, and in the midst of grief, he took his own life.

  Chris couldn’t imagine losing Cyra. Part of him could rationalize what the man was thinking, and the logical part couldn’t justify pulling the trigger.

  Patrick Parrish shook his head. “It’s days like this that makes life harder to swallow. Here was this healthy man, and he died way too soon,” he said. “I guess when it’s your time to go, it’s your time.”

  He had to agree on that one, except that this man willingly pulled the trigger to follow his wife into death.

  “I guess it’s a good thing that they didn't have kids. This would have been heart wrenching for any children.”

  Chris had to wonder, if they possibly did have kids, might that have prevented it. Maybe Ares wouldn’t have been so willing to follow his wife into death if there were children behind to protect.

  “I only hope that I find that kind of love one day,” the ME said, glancing up at Chris. “You look like you have a good relationship. Have you been in it long?”

  He shook his head. “No, not long at all.”

  “Well, I hope you stay together. Too many relationships collapse after little bumps in the road.”

  God, he prayed they didn't hit any bumps at all.

  As if timed, Cyra walked into the autopsy suite and stopped beside Chris. “Is it all done?” she questioned, staring at him still in his scrubs.

  “I just finished her not too long ago. I moved slow, making sure I caught it all.” Chris forced the dead woman, and the sorrow that he was feeling, out of his mind by thinking about the living one in front of him.

  “Well, we’ve been summonsed back to the hotel to go over a few of your results, and what Callen and Ethan found out today.”

  Chris nodded as he began pulling off the outer layers of paper gown and coverings. Beneath them, he was wearing the aqua colored scrubs that matched his eyes. “I’m going to change, want to come with me? I could use some coffee too,” he added.

  She’d follow him anywhere. “I would love to, Christopher.” When he took her hand in his chilly one, she was awash in a sense
of contentment.

  Inside the office, he pulled off the scrubs top and dropped them into the laundry bag. Cyra was holding his shirt for him as she stared up into his face. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Pulling off the drawstring scrubs, he took his dress pants from her and slipped into them. “After we get some coffee, can we talk? I need time to decompress before we go right back at the death thing.”

  She didn't mind. “Absolutely, Christopher,” Cyra replied as she picked up his medical kit.

  When he finished dressing, they each made a cup of coffee in the office and then headed out.

  “Have a good night,” Patrick said, washing up his tools. “Oh, and tell the Blackhawks that I placed them in the same drawer together. I hope they don’t mind. I just thought it seemed fitting that they rest together.”

  Chris didn't believe anything about this was fitting or right. He really hoped Elizabeth found this asshole and made him pay for the carnage.

  “Want to walk back to the hotel?” she asked, pointing in the direction. “It’s only a ten minute walk, or are you too tired? You have been on your feet all day.”

  He didn't feel tired when she was around. In fact, he felt alive, warm, and very fulfilled.

  “I think that would be really great.”

  As they strolled side by side, she carried his medical kit, and he draped his arm lovingly over her shoulders. “What are you thinking about, Cyra?”

  She was lost deep in thought. “I’m feeling a little off balance by what happened. It had to be hard to deliver the bad news and then walk out to have the man eat his gun. I don’t know if in Elizabeth’s situation, I could handle it as well.”

  “She’s really good at compartmentalizing things like this. We’ve seen a lot of death together. There have been some cases where I stood there next to her at a crime scene and wanted to puke myself.”

  “That bad?”

  Chris laughed sardonically. “Yeah, they were that bad. The worst, I think, that she and I ever worked was a man that kidnapped his own kids. He ended up killing them and then taking his own life. That one was inhumane and gave me nightmares for almost a year.”

  She was glad that he had friends who got him through it. “That father taking his own life must have pissed her off. I’ve heard rumors about Elizabeth Blackhawk and killing.”

  He shrugged at her implication. “They’re probably true, and I have no doubt that if she caught the man that did that to those kids, she would have taken his life first.”

  Cyra didn't know how she felt about that. “Isn’t that what we’re not supposed to do? You know, justice and innocent until proven guilty?”

  They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and he sighed. “I think coming into this job, there’s this belief that everything is black and white, and it isn’t. In this job, there is a lot of gray in between. Do I advocate shooting every criminal? No, but when you hack five innocent kids to death just because your wife and you have a fight and she asks for a divorce, I’m going to lean towards shooting first and questioning it later. Elizabeth is old school when it comes to ‘an eye for an eye’. Can it be construed as crossing a line? Yes, but in some cases, even I find it justifiable. Those that are appalled by the notion of pulling the trigger have never had to stand ankle deep in blood and guts.”

  “I couldn’t imagine hurting a child like that.”

  Chris smiled, completely believing her. “You and she are a lot alike, minus the two men thing, because I’m not even entertaining that route. Elizabeth is very gentle like you. She’s even sweet and very compassionate too. I’ve seen her weep over the dead. You’re just more apt to wear your true self on the outside, where Lyzee’s not.”

  “She’s like a sister, huh?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, and I’m glad I have her. For a long time, it was very lonely. She took me under her wing when I was fresh out of med school. When I would screw up, she’d lovingly boot me back into line.”

  She stopped walking and looked up into his eyes. “You’re not alone anymore, Chris. When you have a bad day, you can come home and tell me all about it.”

  He loved how kind and tender she was and how her heart was huge.

  “I want to tell you something Cyra. I plan on marrying you. I’m not going to ask now, because this isn’t the place. I want it to be special and memorable, but I’m going to be popping the question. I don’t want to ever be away from you at all. I finally found peace, and I’m very happy that it’s with you.”

  She grinned up at him. “Christopher, you realize you’re supposed to surprise the girl, right?”

  Now, he was laughing. “I have a few surprises up my sleeve, but I want you to know exactly what’s in my heart for you. I want to make you my wife, have a boat load of kids, and live happily ever after in our haunted mausoleum.”

  Cyra giggled. “Okay, well we can work on the details another time, because I’m not having forty kids, just because you can afford them.”

  “Why not? If you do it in threes and fours, it won’t take as long.”

  She stared at him, until he began laughing.

  “I love you, Cyra.”

  What was she going to do with this man?

  “I love you too, Christopher.”

  ~ Chapter Eighteen ~

  Arriving at the hotel room, there was a sense of urgency and tension floating around everyone. It was subtle, as they all continued to push through with work, but none the less it was still there.

  Ethan was sitting against the wall, his tablet on his lap and his phone in his hand as he scanned some data. The serious look on his face showed that he was racing the clock to get anything he could on the man stalking his wife.

  Callen was leaning against the headboard. He had the dog beside him and was flipping through a file of papers that had been printed out. Every now and then, he’d absently patted Rex on the head, and then would go back to reading. Despite his peaceful exterior, there were nerves present below the surface.

  Then there was Elizabeth. She was silently pacing back and forth as she contemplated something that was spinning in her head. After she had let Chris and Cyra in, she went right back to trying to figure out the puzzle in her brain.

  “What can we do?” Chris asked, dropping his messenger bag and preparing to help them dig into this assignment. He too was worried about Elizabeth. His friend was next on the list. It was another reason he was there. They all wanted to surround her and make it harder for the killer to snatch her away. If he could get her while three Feds and an ME stood guard, he was a regular Houdini.

  “Can you tell us anything from the autopsy of Artemis LaFay?” she asked, stopping her pacing for a moment to give the man her full attention.

  Chris sat at the table beside Cyra. “I can tell you that he was in a hurry this time. The pentagram was done with less accuracy and Christina confirmed that there were no smelling salts. He didn't revive her during it. Unless, she was strong enough to stay conscious the entire time, but that would be an amazing amount of fortitude.”

  Elizabeth was glad he was making errors. That meant he was going to leave them something.

  Right now, they needed it.

  “Her body was pretty bruised up. He’s escalating in the violence, and that’s alarming,” Chris stated. The last thing that he wanted to see was Elizabeth taken and then abused before dying. What Chris wanted to say was ‘God help the next person he takes’, but he knew the reaction it would pull from the men. They were his friends now too, and that would hurt them.

  Besides, he was pretty sure that they were already well aware.

  “We had the team search the shop, and they didn't find any sign of her being abducted from her home. Although, Ares had just spread brains all around the room and that might have hidden something.”

  Ethan spoke up, “When we arrived, the place was fairly clean. We were looking for a crime scene to see if he hurt her personally. There was no sign of that.”

&n
bsp; “Then your guess is as good as mine as to where he got to her. There was no sign of break in, so she let him in or he tracked her.”

  Elizabeth already knew how it happened. “He stalked her. The man wouldn’t just walk up to her door, knock and ask to come in. In his head, this is a sick game of cat and mouse. Artemis must have left the building for some reason, and that’s when he took his chance. Maybe she went looking for her husband? I know if Callen, Ethan and I were in the middle of a huge fight, I’d go looking for them if one didn't come home.”

  Ethan had to agree with her. “I’d be out tearing the town apart if Elizabeth was gone all night.” It was exactly what he had done when she went missing, after their big fight they’d had when she was pregnant with CJ. “This man is a predator. It’s his nature to lie in wait and then make his move. Elizabeth is correct in believing that he wouldn’t take the frontal approach.”

  She started pacing again. “He’s a coward. It all points to that. He hunts in the dark and takes them then too. He may be switching up the crime scene, but he’s not going to change how he looks for and takes his victims. If it ain’t broke…”

  It was both terrifying him and filling his body with pride to watch his wife work through it. “Soon, you’ll have no need for your profiler,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  “That’s never going to happen, Cowboy. Without your insight, I’m only a portion of the Blackhawk crime team.”

  “I’m glad to see that I’m invaluable.” When she stared at him, his heart skipped in his chest. He believed every word she said, since the sentiment was echoed in his own soul.

  “I found bruising around her throat, so at some point he used that to control and get her manageable.”

  “Did he screw up and leave us anything to trace?” Callen asked, finally speaking.

  Chris shook his head.

  “I really wish I had that DNA evidence,” Elizabeth said, pacing again.

  Callen glanced down at his watch. “Dinner should be coming soon. I ordered it a while ago.”