Lucky Like Us

by Jennifer Ryan

  “I’ll suggest Sam take his vacation and go to Colorado with his family.”

  “I don’t know if Sam will heed that suggestion.”

  “If he won’t, I’ll make it an order. Time away will help him gain some perspective. I want to know the results of the DNA profile and if you miraculously get a hit.”

  Deputy Director Davies sat stone-faced for another moment. Something in his bearing concerned Tyler again. Weighing his words carefully, he began with, “I don’t think you’re leaking privileged information.”

  That ominous statement hung between them. Tyler didn’t move or say anything. What could he say? He had no idea where this conversation was headed.

  “I got a call earlier from someone looking for you. They left a message.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Morgan.”

  Tyler masked any outward spark of eagerness, but inside he came to full alert. So Morgan was the turn in conversation.

  “What’s the message?” Tyler’s heart raced. He’d been trying to find Morgan on and off for the past three years. She’d disappeared as quickly as she appeared. One moment she was there, dropped a bombshell on him, and then she was gone. He never had the chance to thank her. He’d even considered over the years she wasn’t real at all, but a figment of his imagination. She sporadically left him cryptic messages with a clue to one of his cases, but never spoke to him directly. She kept him guessing, and it pissed him off.

  Deputy Director Davies read the note on his desk. “She said not to blame yourself for what happened at the bar. The blonde agent couldn’t prevent what happened and neither could you. She said to tell you the Fox is hiding in plain sight, the woman has a double threat, and the blonde needs to mind his back. On your other case, you’ll find the Rose Princess under the grand oak, and when you find the King of Hearts you’ll solve the case.”

  Tyler had listened carefully, weighing and remembering every word. “Was there anything else?”

  “No. She made sure I got the wording right and hung up.”

  Tyler thought hard, looking into nothing, trying to link the last part of the message to one of his cases. “Did you happen to get the number she was calling from, or anything that would tell me where she is?”

  There wouldn’t be, never was.

  “No.”

  See. Figures.

  “She stayed on the line less than three minutes, and I didn’t think it necessary to try to find out where the call originated. What I want to know is who this woman is, and how she knows so much about your cases? Are you giving her information, or using her to help you with the cases? Is she an informant?”

  “I don’t know who she is, except her name is Morgan.” Deputy Director Davies wouldn’t let him off the hook with a short answer. He hated having to explain himself, but Davies was his superior and a damn good agent.

  “A few years ago, I lived in Texas. She sat down at a table next to me while I was having dinner at a restaurant one night. She ordered her food and sat quietly eating. She was a young kid, maybe eighteen or nineteen, probably a college student. She carried a beat-up backpack with her. She never looked at me, or said a word. I finished my meal and left the money for the bill and tip on the table. Before I passed her table, she grabbed my wrist, looked me in the eye, and told me to go to the yellow house and find my sister. If I didn’t go and get her that night, I would never see her again.”

  “She knew your sister?”

  “No.”

  Davies’s eyes grew more intense.

  “Morgan was so intent and serious, she really made me believe something could be wrong. I hadn’t seen my sister in several weeks. She and I had communication problems. I played the protective brother all the time, and she wanted to be left to live her life, despite the consequences of some of her poor choices.

  “Anyway, I believed Morgan’s warning, despite the fact I had nothing to support her claim. I went to my sister’s boyfriend’s house, the yellow house, and found her. Stoned out of her mind, the boyfriend was nowhere to be found. I took my sister to the hospital. Beyond thankful I’d come to get her, she was afraid to call and ask for my help when she’d screwed up so badly. She stayed overnight at the hospital while the doctors cleared her system of the drugs. Luckily, she wasn’t that bad off and motivated to stay clean.

  “The next day, the police and fire department were called to a house explosion. The boyfriend was cooking up a batch of meth in the kitchen and blew himself, the house, and half the house next door to hell. Had I not gone to get my sister, she would have been killed.

  “I asked my sister about Morgan, but she didn’t know anyone by that name, or with her description. I can’t explain how Morgan knew about my sister, or how she’s known about some of my other cases. She’s like a ghost. Sometimes I don’t even think she’s real. Over the last three years, she’s contacted me a handful of times with a cryptic message. I don’t know how she found out I’m FBI, or how to contact me. I don’t even know how she knows my name. I haven’t spoken directly to her since I met her in that restaurant.”

  “Is she some sort of psychic or something?”

  “She’s something all right. If she’s psychic, she’s the real deal. Every tip she’s given me has resulted in my solving a case.”

  Deputy Director Davies accepted Tyler’s explanation with a nod. “Well, what does the message mean?”

  “I don’t know. Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you sure that was the exact message?”

  “Yeah, she made me repeat it back to her.” He clipped out each word.

  Frustration and exasperation laced the Deputy Director’s voice. He didn’t like to be questioned about his ability, especially in taking a simple message. Asking had been difficult for Tyler.

  “I only ask because she left a message for me once on a case I worked in Kansas. The message was to find the green man hiding in the flour, f-l-o-u-r, although I didn’t know that at the time. I only figured it out after we solved the case. Anyway, the person who took the message didn’t understand the message and told me to find the green man hiding in the flowers. You know, like roses. I got it stuck in my head that I was looking for someone who worked with plants and flowers. Turned out a local flour mill sectioned off each work area by color. The workers wore jumpsuits specific to the section they worked. The green man turned out to be the brother-in-law of the victim.”

  “Are all the messages some sort of imagery or obscure reference? The Rose Princess and the King of Hearts? What does that mean?”

  “That’s just it. The messages are obscure. But once I solve the case, they make perfect sense. She never says, go find Bob at the local fried chicken shack. Like the other case, the message didn’t make sense until I narrowed down the suspects to the family members. When I set up the interview with the brother-in-law, and he told me to meet him after work at the flour mill, it dawned on me the message might refer to flour and not flowers. He worked in the green section and wore a green jumpsuit. After I caught him in a lie, we got a warrant and found a bloodied jumpsuit in his locker. The message made perfect sense, once I had all the information available to me. I’ll have to check the evidence and case descriptions I’m working and see if the new message makes any sense. More than likely, I’m close on one of the cases and the message will help me put the final pieces together. That seems to be the pattern.”

  “I can’t wait to see how this turns out. It’s a little strange,” Deputy Director Davies said intrigued.

  “Try being the one she calls and having her messages come true. I don’t even know how she finds me. She probably calls the Bureau and finds out which office I’m at. But still, it’s weird having someone who knows what I’m doing and which cases I’m working.”

  “Keep me posted on the Silver Fox case and whether you figure out the message. You better tell Sam to mind his back. That’s kind of strange she used the word mind and not watch.”

  “That’s why I asked about the way she said the m
essage. ‘Watch your back’ means one thing, but ‘mind your back’ means something else entirely. Sam said he had a bad feeling the night he went into the bar. He should have minded his back.”

  “You’d better figure out what the double threat to Elizabeth means, too.”

  “I’ll do that.” Tyler left the office with more questions than answers. He’d check over his cases for the Rose Princess and King of Hearts before going to the hospital to check on Sam and tell him about the message on the Silver Fox case.

  He wondered what Sam would think of his ghost. Maybe he needed to see the mind benders.

  Chapter Ten

  * * *

  Monday, 2:00 P.M.

  “I SWEAR TO God, Sam, as soon as I get you home I’m taking a pair of scissors to that hair and a razor to your face and turn you back into the gorgeous man I know is hiding under all this scruff.”

  Summer couldn’t stand seeing him looking so bad, it went against her grain. She couldn’t do anything about the cuts and bruises, or the way he felt, but she was good with a pair of scissors. Sam had no doubt the first chance she got, she’d tie him to a chair and start cutting.

  “You think you can take me, little sister?”

  “I most certainly do.” A wicked grin added to the challenge. “You’re no match for me and my scissors.” She grabbed his hair and gave a tug while she leaned down and gave him a smacking kiss on the forehead.

  “Is that so? And what do you mean, turn me back into a gorgeous man? You know I’m the best-looking guy in this room.” He smiled and tickled her ribs under the arm she used to hold on to his hair. When she squealed, it eased the tightness in his chest.

  “You’re the only man in this room.” Her grin faded and she turned serious. “It’s nice to hear you joking. I was afraid you’d never come out of your stupor. She’ll be okay, you know. It wasn’t your fault.” She stood back and glanced over at Elizabeth, silent in the other bed.

  “It is my fault. I shot her.”

  “You shot her in the arm. You never meant to hurt her. You were protecting yourself. You didn’t know if she was a threat. You’re a trained agent, and if you really thought she was going to hurt you, you’d have shot to kill.”

  “I’ll second that.” Tyler strode into the room and nodded a hello to Summer. He took a critical look at Sam, obviously not liking what he saw. “You look like shit, friend.”

  “Some friend. I blew the op and got myself shot. I shot an innocent woman and passed out while the asshole I’m supposed to arrest strangled, beat, shot, and stabbed her.” Tyler knew all that, but Sam needed to say it, repeat it, so he’d never forget what his mistake had cost.

  “And that’s my cue to leave, so you two can talk.” Summer gathered up her purse and jacket. “Sam, we’ll visit you later. Tyler, it’s nice to see you again.”

  “You too.”

  Sam nodded at his sister, but kept his attention on Tyler. “I think that pretty much sums up my part of the operation. I hope Davies didn’t chew you up and spit you out.”

  “Nope. He told me we handled the situation well within protocol, and even if we had called in backup, things could have turned out the same or gone the other way. You know that as well as I do. It should have been simple. I’m as much to blame as you are for what happened. I should have covered the alley, or moved in sooner.”

  Sam shook his head. Tyler was right. He’d sat in that bed for the last couple days replaying the whole thing over and over. No matter what, it all came down to one fact. You could wish for things to be different, but they are what they are. He couldn’t change what happened to Elizabeth. He prayed she’d wake up and forgive him for what he’d done.

  “Let’s not do the whole ‘if only’ thing. I’ve done nothing but run scenario after scenario in my mind of what I wished I’d done. It doesn’t get me anywhere, except angrier. You did what I told you to do. Who knew the guy would stick me with a needle and toss me in a car? I should have been more careful and watched my back.” He shifted on the mattress. He hated being laid out while Tyler stood over him at the end of the bed. “What are you doing here? Do you have any useful information on the Silver Fox?”

  “I’ve actually got a lot to tell you and some questions.” He cocked his head toward Elizabeth. “No change, huh? She’s still out?”

  “Yeah.” Sam put his head back and turned to look at Elizabeth. His mind playing the same message it had for hours, “Please, wake up.”

  “Here’s what we know. Obviously, we believe the Silver Fox showed up for the meeting. I’m sure you agree.” Sam nodded, so he went on, “After you got out of the car, he shot you in the back twice. The rounds were recovered and matched to a Ruger 9mm. We recovered the gun from the vehicle we found abandoned and burned several blocks away. No serial number or prints. How did you get under the car? Did she drag you?”

  “No. She threw herself on top of me, held on, and rolled me under the car.”

  “Really. God, that girl is smart. I couldn’t figure out how she got you under there. You outweigh her by fifty pounds, at least. I thought maybe you had come to and gotten under there yourself.”

  Sam shook his head no.

  “What do you remember once you were under the car?”

  “I shot her.” Sam glared at Tyler. The guy, obviously, knew he didn’t want to talk about what happened, but here he was poking an open wound, hoping Sam had the magic answer and they’d identify the Silver Fox.

  Tyler treaded on quicksand. Sam blamed himself for what happened and no one, including Tyler, could talk him out of it. The longer he spent in that room looking at the evidence of what happened, the deeper he sank into despair.

  “Tell me about her. What did she do? Do you have any memory of her fighting with the guy?”

  “You know something. What is it?”

  Tyler was fishing for something. Sam wished his mind wasn’t such a muddy mess.

  “Tell me what you know first.”

  “You’ll show me yours, if I show you mine.” Sam stared coldly. He didn’t want to play games, but Tyler remained impassable. “Fine. She got me under the car and found the gun and knife at my ankle. She was beside me when I saw the gun and grabbed it. She let it go, and I shot her. She still had the knife. I must have closed my eyes to steady myself because she was there, and when I opened my eyes again, she was gone.” She screamed. He didn’t want to tell Tyler the scream blared in his ears even now.

  “That’s it. You didn’t see if she stabbed the guy or cut him? Nothing after you shot her and she was gone?”

  Sam shook his head no, and Tyler let out a sigh. “Shit. I hoped you had more information.”

  “Sorry to disappoint.”

  Tyler ran his fingers across his brow and clamped down on his jaw before going on. “We found blood by the SUV. Type A negative. We found the same blood type on the knife after it was removed from Elizabeth’s thigh. Her blood type is B positive.”

  Sam turned back to Elizabeth and watched her.

  “She scratched him. The paramedics noticed her broken nails and bagged her hands. We recovered the guy’s DNA. I’m waiting for the analysis to come back, but I’ll bet the blood and skin from under her nails will be a DNA match.”

  “She must have really fought the guy,” Sam said, never taking his eyes off her.

  “Sam, we think she saw him. We think she can ID him, and that’s why he shot and stabbed her.”

  Sam ran both hands through his hair and thought about all that statement implied. “He’ll try to kill her if she can ID him. She’s the only one who knows who he is. Even Scott admitted they’d never met in person. They set things up by phone and used drop sights for the money exchanges.”

  “We won’t know for sure until she wakes up, but she provided us with a lot of evidence. Even with all we have, we probably won’t find him in the system.”

  “The guy’s too smart. I have a feeling he’s been playing this game a long time. He’s not stupid enough to be caught and win
d up in our database.”

  “There’s something else. It’s kind of strange.” Tyler almost looked away, but he held Sam’s gaze.

  “Lay it on me, man.”

  Tyler hesitated, and Sam found it odd, since the guy was usually a straight shooter.

  “I got a message today from someone who has helped me solve some of my cases. She left a message with Davies. It sounds strange, but the message was for you. She said that we couldn’t have prevented what happened the other night, and you need to mind your back. She also said there is a double threat to Elizabeth, and the Fox is hiding in plain sight.”

  “Have you been calling 1-800-PSYCHIC again? You should really lay off the sauce late at night. Get a girl. Spend some time doing something productive between the sheets besides calling 800 numbers.” Sam smiled wickedly at Tyler’s indignant face.

  “You realize the only thing keeping my fist out of your face is the fact you’re laid up?”

  “Is that so? Bring it on. I couldn’t feel any worse than I do right now. Maybe you could knock me into next week and this nightmare will be over.”

  “Listen, I know you’re feeling like shit about all of this, but the message is as real as it gets. This girl, she knows things. Because of something she told me, my sister is alive today. Every time I get some strange cryptic message from her, I remember my sister is attending nursing school and alive and well. So, what do you think about the double threat to Elizabeth?”

  Tyler was serious and believed the message was genuine. Sam would assume the same and see if it gave them any help in solving the case. He’d like nothing better than to see the Silver Fox behind bars for what he did to Elizabeth. The FBI used psychics. At times, they were a good tool, and other times it was just a bunch of BS. Sam would give Tyler’s message the benefit of the doubt.

  “Well, if she can ID the Silver Fox, that’s most likely one of the threats. Maybe her injuries are the other threat.” Sam hoped that wasn’t it. He wanted to believe she’d wake up any minute. “Or maybe more than one person was there the other night. I only remember one guy hitting me, but there could have been someone else. Has anyone found Scott?”