He pushed past the men, slammed into Elizabeth, and bolted past her.
“I told you we were screwed,” Callen stated, as he regained his balance and he and Ethan gave chase.
And Elizabeth?
She let them handle this one.
She wasn’t having it.
This time, it was all on the men.
Chapter Seventeen
Sunday Noon
Paul Freeman’s
Home
When they finally caught him, he was nearly a block away. Fortunately for them, he ran right into Callen when they split up to cut him off.
Literally.
He ran right into his big barrel chest, and then he hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
Before long, he had him in cuffs and was dragging him back to the house when they realized that all three of them hadn’t chased the man down.
Elizabeth didn’t follow them.
That alarmed them.
“If anything happened to our wife while we were chasing you, I’ll personally hand you your ass,” Callen muttered to the man in cuffs.
“The drugs aren’t mine, officer,” Paul Freeman insisted over and over again.
“We aren’t the local cops, Paul,” Ethan said, hauling him back into his own yard. “We’re Feds. Running from us was stupid.”
When they got back to his house, Elizabeth was sitting on the steps checking her email.
“Are you okay?” Callen asked.
“Yeah, I just couldn’t muster the energy to chase him. I’m tired of running down stupid. I figured you two had it.”
They both stared at her as if she had three heads.
Was she serious?
“I guess I was right. I see you caught our runner.”
“The drugs aren’t mine. I swear.”
Ethan gave him a shake, and then sat him down on the ground. Behind him, he could hear the media asking questions. It wasn’t about the case, but again…Callen’s hooker.
They ignored it.
“That’s great, Paul,” Elizabeth said, brushing off her jeans. “Do you know how bad it is to run from the law?”
He looked freaked out, but they didn’t think it was for the right reason.
Something was off about the man.
He was babbling.
“Paul, we’re here to talk to you about some hookers.”
“I like hookers,” he said, staring at her. “Are you a hooker? Will you suck my…?”
Callen slapped him in the back of the head before he could even get the worlds out.
“I liked that. Can you do it again?”
“Are you insane?” Callen asked.
He started laughing.
“Yeah, our friend here isn’t all there,” she admitted. “That is crystal clear.”
Ethan stared at him. “Are you on meds?” he asked, crouching down in front of him.
“Yes, lots and lots of meds. The drugs aren’t mine. They belong to my other self.”
Elizabeth stared at him.
This guy was wacky.
“Where are your meds, Paul?” Ethan asked.
“Inside.”
“Can I go get them?”
He simply started to laugh over and over again.
Then he stopped.
“Who are you? Why are you here? Are you here to get me?” Paul asked.
“We’re Federal agents. We’re here to talk to you about some hookers.”
“I like hookers. No, I hate them. NO, I like them,” he said, and then he burst into tears.
Someone wasn’t taking his meds.
“Paul…” Ethan tried to get his attention again, and instead, he opted to go in and look for himself.
“I can’t remember anything,” he said, getting more agitated by the second.
Ethan headed inside.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth opted to show him some pictures. “Paul, want to look at hookers?” she asked.
He stopped crying. “Yes.”
She showed him the dead women.
“They said I abused them, but I don’t hit women,” he said, staring at her. “I just like to touch them. Women have really soft skin. They are so pretty.”
He puckered up.
Callen pushed him away. “Not on my watch.”
“Did you hurt those women who said you hit them?” she asked. “They’re dead.”
“OH NO! They’re dead? I didn’t hurt them. I just wanted to touch them. I like spanking women.”
The crying started again.
Ethan came out. “He’s schizophrenic,” he stated. “He’s not taking his meds. We have to call an ambulance. He needs a visit to the hospital.”
“Clearly,” Elizabeth stated. “I’m going to go out on a limb here, and I’m going to say our friend Paul is NOT a killer.”
“I’m a killer in bed,” he said, smiling again. “The ladies love me.”
“Call EMS,” she stated. “This was a waste of time.”
Then she looked at the man.
Maybe it wasn’t. He had needed help. At least there was that.
Right?
Ethan pulled out his phone and made the call. It didn’t take long for them to arrive. When they pulled up, Paul tried to run again, this time, they had him already cuffed and under control.
Paul was checked out, and they got him ready for transport. As they were wheeling him away, he was focused on Elizabeth.
“You’re pretty. Who hit you? I won’t hurt you. Want to be my girlfriend?” he asked.
She ignored him.
In these cases, it tended to be for the best.
“He’ll be out tomorrow morning,” the paramedic stated. “This isn’t the first time we’ve brought him in. When he goes off his meds, he’s a little wacky.”
Yeah, they noticed.
The team waited for them to load him up. As they were, Elizabeth’s phone began ringing.
She didn’t recognize the number.
“Elizabeth Blackhawk.”
“Hello, love. Miss me?” came the purring voice over the line.
Immediately, she knew who it was.
“You know what, Noor? You keep turning up in my life. I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” she offered.
The woman laughed. “We should be friends,” she teased. “We could work together.”
She would rather make out with Paul the crazy.
“It’s never going to happen.”
“Well, your loss, Elizabeth. I hear you’ve been looking for me. Meet me at our place. I’ll save you a seat.”
The phone went dead.
“Who was that?” Ethan asked.
“Noor, the madam, requests my presence at her favorite place.”
“A hotel?” Callen asked.
“Yeah, no. I need you to drop me off,” she said, pulling her gun to see if it was loaded.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked.
“I’m going to interview a snake, and when it gets too touchy feely, I just may put it down.”
They stared at her.
Honestly, neither man was quite sure she was kidding.
With Elizabeth, you never knew.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Nina’s Nails
Washington DC
When she arrived, Noor was already in her chair. It reminded Elizabeth of a meeting she’d had with the woman years ago.
She’d needed her help in catching a killer, who was offing call girls.
Noor had been starting out then, and she was more than happy to help for a favor. Only, when the time came to ask, she’d asked for something so huge, Elizabeth had turned her down.
The law was the law, and she wasn’t buyable.
Not then.
Not now.
As she headed in, the women started talking about her. Elizabeth spoke Spanish, but she didn’t even flinch. Yeah, her face looked like she’d been playing kiss me, fuck me with a baseball bat.
She got it.
S
he wasn’t all pretty.
Blah.
Blah.
Blah.
“Noor, it’s been a while,” she said, sitting in a chair beside the woman. When she kicked off her boots, the woman knew she wanted a pedicure.
“Yes, Elizabeth, it has been. A little birdy told me you’re whispering my name around town.”
She laughed as the woman began massaging her feet. It took everything she had not to moan in pleasure. Even her little piggies were feeling the pressure of her life.
What wouldn’t she give to have some time to do this more often, just not with Noor?
Maybe she’d bring Cat with her. Her daughter loved getting all girly.
“I haven’t been whispering jack shit, and you know it, Noor. Someone’s killing hookers, and with each one, I get to take a trip back in my past. The biggest seller of sex happens to call me, after her name comes up, and a girl has to wonder why.”
She laughed.
“You’re paranoid.”
“You’re a slippery eel, Noor. Let’s be blunt. While I love getting a mani pedi with the girls, you and I aren’t friends. What’s the deal?”
“Kristen is. I didn’t kill her or have her killed.”
Elizabeth sat there and enjoyed the bubbling water. As she did, she focused on the woman.
“You’re glad she is, so you can put the fake look of sympathy away. I don’t buy it.”
Again, she grinned. “You always did get me. How about we go back to my place and I show you what I can do? Better yet, why don’t you bring Miss Kitty.”
“Yeah, I like dick, Noor. Preferably my husbands’ man bits, if you know what I mean.”
“All the sexy ones are taken,” she said, playing with her straight black hair. “I’m sure you don’t care. By the way, I can see them siting outside and staring at us.”
“You’re supposed to see them. I wasn’t trying to be sneaky. Where I go, they are usually right behind me.”
She was aware.
“Talk Kristen to me. I don’t have a lot of time, Noor.”
“What’s to say? She was a sweet piece of ass, or so my husband thought. She started fulfilling his needs, and the next thing I know, I’m being served divorce papers, my kids are calling her mommy, and I’m on my way out.”
“That would piss me off.”
“Oh, it did. If you’re thinking I killed her, stop. I don’t hurt women. I protect them. I wasn’t into Robert’s dick anymore. He was really bad with it. I like mouth better—if you know what I mean.”
She wasn’t going there.
“So they hooked up, I moved on, and that’s all there is to say about it. There were no hard feelings.”
“Great. You’re a better woman than I am. Now tell me who would want to hurt her?”
“First, two men at once?” she asked. “Do tell.”
She didn’t flinch. “Nope. I don’t talk about my sex life.”
“Well, they are a step up from that mouse you were dating years ago.”
She didn’t say a word.
“He was such a nerd.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Today’s nerds are tomorrow’s millionaires,” she stated.
Too many people, in her opinion, overlooked really good guys because of them being smart.
She’d take smart any day.
“So was anyone bugging Kristen?”
“Not that she told me. I was her boss, and she never said a word to me about someone hurting, bothering, or harassing her.”
Well, it had been worth a try.
She pulled out the pictures of the other dead women.
“Ever meet them?” she asked, adding in her newly received copy of the pictures.
“No, but this one,” she said, pointing at the driver’s license photo of Linda Yu, “She’s one I knew. She wanted to work for me, but I passed.”
“Why?”
She smiled and dropped a big bill on the manicurist’s table. “That’s something I’m sure you’ll figure out.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m done here.”
“Why does your name keep popping up, Noor?” Elizabeth asked, as she, too, paid her girl.
“I cater to a lot of powerful men. They talk about me a lot,” she offered. “Here’s my suggestion, Elizabeth.”
“What?”
“DC has changed since you left. I’d be really careful what hole you poke that badge into if I were you.”
“Why?”
She smiled, dropped on her sunglasses, and walked toward the door.
“Because, sweetness, it’s going to get you bit. Watch your back, Elizabeth. Consider yourself warned.”
Oh, she was something all right.
Pissed.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Morgue
When he finished the autopsy, Chris was cleaning up his workstation. As he put away the last tool, he heard a rush of footsteps.
It was Amir, and he looked confused.
“What’s up?” Chris asked, before he could even say a word. “Did you find something?”
“I did. Her DNA is in the system.”
“The victim, Linda Yu?” he asked, filling out a sheet of paper to requisition more supplies for autopsies.
“Yeah, but it’s only a partial match.”
“What percent?” Chris asked.
“Fifty.”
“So one of her parents is in our system. Okay, who?” he asked, getting that wary feeling.
He suddenly felt off.
“Her mother was a victim in a killing, worked on by Elizabeth. I pulled the file last week to study it and learn more about being an investigator.”
“Okay, that’s great, but who is her mother?”
“Bao Yu. You did the autopsy. She was a hooker who was garroted by Clayton Frost.”
He dropped his pen at the mention of her name. “What?” Chris said, taking the paper Amir was holding in his hand.
He scanned it, and then compared alleles.
Amir was right.
It was a match.
Holy shit!
This couldn’t be good. If the killer was taking them back to that case…
Something seriously screwed up was going on if this woman was in his morgue.
Then he thought about how that had been when he and Elizabeth had hooked up.
Yeah, this was off.
Way off.
“Do you want me to call Elizabeth?” Amir asked. “Or I can just email it over to her if you think she’d prefer that instead of a call.”
He didn’t reply.
“Doctor?”
He shook his head as he grabbed his phone and walked toward the lounge.
He needed to talk to her.
Fast.
Privately.
And before this got out.
They had a problem.
They were being stalked by their past.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Sunday Afternoon
Ralph Dixon’s Home
This man was almost as batshit insane as Paul Freeman—not in an ‘I have schizophrenia’ kind of way, but in an ‘I plan on being a dick to a Blackhawk’ kind of way.
It was as if he wanted her to take his head off, kick it around the room, and then shove it into his colon.
Ralph was not cooperating.
He wouldn’t look her in the eyes, and he kept saying every cop’s favorite sentence.
‘Get a warrant.’
Yeah, it was an uphill battle.
“Ralph, you’re arrested for peeping. You stalked a couple of our hookers who are now dead. You can’t sit there and tell me that you’re seriously okay with ‘talk to my lawyer’.”
He shrugged.
The older man was tall, skinny, and had a really bad attitude. When they got to his house, it was all about trying to get him even to say a damn word.
Now, she was three days past frustrated.
“It’s not me. You can’t connect anything to me,” he stated.
“You work around warehouses. We had bodies pop up in them, and we think one of the last women was killed in one.”
He closed his mouth.
“You knew a couple of our victims. You peeped them, and you were arrested for stalking a hooker.”
“She took my money and didn’t give me a blow job. I was following her to get her to put out.”
“So rape?” Elizabeth asked. “Do you really want to plead to that one? Seriously?”
The man closed his mouth when he realized how deep he was digging the hole.
“Yeah, that’s about what I thought,” she said, as her cell phone rang.
She recognized Chris’s number, so she answered after passing off the interview to Ethan and Callen. They’d be able to handle the man.
It wasn’t going anywhere fast.
“Yo, Chris, I’m a little busy. I’m doing an interview. What’s up?”
“I need to see you.”
“Uh, I’ll be in for the autopsy update in a bit.”
“No. I need to see you now!”
He sounded worried.
“Are you okay? Did something happen?” she asked, lowering her voice.
Ethan was heading her way.
She made sure the volume was turned down incase Chris said anything in a fit of hysterics.
That was the last thing she needed.
“Can you meet me for a drink at the pub we always went to when we were a couple?” he asked.
And that was why she didn’t put it on speaker.
“Now?”
“If it wasn’t important, Elizabeth, you know I wouldn’t be bothering you.”
Ethan was staring at her.
“Yeah, Chris, if something has you this upset, I can take a lunch break and meet you there.”
Ethan lifted a brow.
What was this?
They had to pretty much knock her out with elephant tranquilizers to get her to stop work, but one phone call from Chris and she was done?
Really?
“Thank you, Lyzee.”
Dying to Love (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 18) Page 43