Then she turned.
Her eyes immediately went to the figure hanging off the ground, his neck wrapped with a white, blood stained rope.
It was her boss.
And he’d soiled himself.
Now she knew why everything felt off.
With that, she dropped the coat, screamed bloody murder, and raced out of the house to find the gardener.
Her boss was dead!
Oh God!
He was dead!
Chapter Eighteen
Monday Mid-Morning
The ride to the deputy’s house was a pleasant one. As they headed down the tree lined streets, they also took a stroll down memory lane. Nick Rakin had, at one point, been a close friend. As Elizabeth dated his brother, the family had assumed that she was going to marry him and join their cop ranks.
She pondered it, yes, but it was never what her heart really wanted. The entire time she dated Dakota, she felt like the FBI was the only life she needed.
Wanted.
And now she knew why.
Ethan Blackhawk waited at the end of the trail and had she deviated from her gut, they never would have met.
She was very glad she’d gone with her instinct.
He and Callen were her biggest rewards, along with a house full of little ones. Had she accepted Dak’s proposal, there was no question that her life would have been vastly different.
By now, she would have certainly had a divorce under her belt. While she had once cared about him, there were no greater loves in her life than Ethan and Callen.
Well…other than her children.
So many people questioned her ability to love two men equally.
Could it be done?
Was it wrong?
Did the soul only have one mate?
In her case, she found that the men were perfect. They each fulfilled something so vital in any relationship. Callen was her humor and sensitive one. He would be more likely to write her sonnets and sing her love songs.
Ethan was the strong silent type, filled with undying devotion and with a heart of pure gold.
Together, the men were perfect for her.
She needed them both.
There was no doubt in her mind that without them, she couldn’t go on. Tough had its limits. She’d pushed out the world to heal, and each one gave her something back as they wiggled into her heart.
“You're lost in thought,” Sheriff Rakin said, glancing over as she drove. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m just mulling over this case.”
“Does it have you at a loss?” he asked, cleaning off his sunglasses on his shirt.
“I’m getting frustrated, but we’re not out of it yet. When people do shit like this, it only makes me angry. I’ll find this killer, and if it’s your deputy, I’m going to boot his ass to the chair, and yours for not knowing your own man is neck deep in shit!”
He laughed. “I guess I was wrong. You’re only different around the men in your life. You’re the same woman.”
Oh, he was so very wrong. She did change, and a lot.
Only he didn't see the real her.
This Elizabeth Blackhawk was the outer shell. On the inside, she was softer, had a life she loved, and even a family to call her own.
She was so much different than years ago.
“Yeah, I’m the same old Elizabeth.”
Nick pointed at a house. “He lives there.”
Pulling off the road, she parked her Escalade. “I’ll do the questioning, and you’re job is to let me know if you think he’s a lying sack of shit.”
He laughed. “Yes, ma’am!”
As they headed up the walk, Elizabeth pulled her side arm and held it pointed at the ground.
“Are you insane?” Nick asked. “He’s a deputy.”
She pointed silently at the front door. It was open a crack. “You want to stroll on in there whistling like an idiot, have at it. I have four babies to go home to. They kinda like their momma, and I’m not wearing Kevlar to keep me bulletproof.”
He glanced over at the door. “Well shit!”
Yeah, he could say that again.
“I’ll take low, and you take high. We go in, secure it, and then find your deputy.”
Nick didn't argue.
Instead, he watched her back as they approached the door.
Before stepping inside, she scanned their surroundings by peeking into the window. That’s when she saw the booted foot on the floor in front of the couch.
“There’s someone down.”
Nick’s heart began pounding. As they headed in, he expected a bloodbath. Splitting off, they cleared the space before heading in to check on the body.
When Elizabeth got to the prone victim, she noticed there was no blood.
He was also snoring.
If that wasn’t a big enough give away, the place reeked of booze.
It looked like someone was sleeping off one hell of a bender.
“It’s clear,” Nick said, still holding his weapon.
“Well, he’s not dead. Your deputy is out cold. I think he met up with his friends Jack and Jim.” She pointed toward the bottles of whiskey.
With the toe of his boot, Nick poked Deputy Reason. When he didn't move, he bent down and shook him.
“Whaa?” the man asked, opening his bloodshot eyes. “Where am I?”
Elizabeth shook her head. She didn't understand the whole ‘get shit face drunk’ thing to chase away your sorrows. Booze only made more problems.
“We’re here to talk to you about Harli,” stated Nick, practically shouting.
“I have a headache. I can’t think right now,” he muttered before trying to roll over on the carpet to slip back into sleep.
“Up on the couch,” stated Elizabeth, grabbing the man under one arm as Nick did the same.
“We have to interview you,” the sheriff stated.
“Was she your girlfriend?” Elizabeth asked.
He shook his head. “No. We just hooked up. We used to get it on. Want to get it on?”
She’d rather be jumped by a porcupine. “No thank you.”
“I hooked up with her and some other ladies, but I really liked her,” he slurred.
Elizabeth didn't find that odd. He was young, and that was normal for ‘boys’ his age. “How did you meet her?” Elizabeth asked, hoping he wouldn’t pass out before they got their questions answered. If he did, she was screwed.
“At the frat.”
She knew the story, but it was hearsay. She needed it right from the horse’s mouth. “Care to elaborate?” she asked, sitting beside him. It was a risk, but she’d take her chances. It was a sad day when she was so desperate for a lead that she’d risk getting puked on for confirmation.
“I used to hang in the frat. Beta Phi Ti are my brothers.”
She stared at her old friend. “He should have been eliminated from working on this case,” she said. They just dug a legal hole on this one.
Nick shrugged. “It’s not like we saw that woman’s death coming. How the hell was I supposed to know?”
The frustration came through for both of them.
“I played the game. I played the game,” he muttered.
She stared at him.
“Did you go into the basement?” she asked, patting him on the cheek when his head lolled back.
“Yes. I went to heaven. They went to heaven. That’s where I met poor Harli and Lori.”
Somehow, she wasn’t quite sure they were only talking about the name of their sex room.
“You knew Page Pinel?” she asked.
He nodded.
“How did you know her, son?” asked Nick.
“I had sex with her. We had dinner and drinks,” he muttered.
Elizabeth needed to know. “Were you the one seeing Page Pinel the night she was killed?”
He nodded. “I killed her,” he whispered.
“What?” they both said at the same time.
Elizabeth
knew they were screwed if he’d just confessed to a murder. They didn't Mirandize him, and he was incapacitated. This wouldn’t stand up in traffic court, let alone for homicide.
“How did you kill her?” asked Nick. “Come on, John. How did you kill her?”
The man passed out.
“Well shit!” Nick muttered. “Now what?”
Elizabeth couldn’t let him out of her sight. If he sobered up and had been the killer, he could make a run for it. “We take him back to the station, tell no one why he’s there, and put him in a tank to sober up. When he does, we’ll interview him again.”
“He didn't kill her. Despite what he said, I don’t believe that he did it.”
“Nick, if he was with two of the victims, and he was at the frat, he’s the best suspect.”
The man sighed.
“We need his DNA. We’ll swab him there.”
“Elizabeth, that’s not legal. He didn't give us consent. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
She laughed. “Okay. We’ll do it this way. When he starts puking, and he will, I want it. My tech team will check it. Puke has stomach cells in it. They’ll run that.”
He stared at her. “Are you serious?”
“I’m going to make my team wade through a bucket of vomit. You don’t get any more serious than that. Let’s get him out of here.”
Nick did as she asked, but he couldn’t help but think how this woman was out for blood.
And he wasn’t sure he liked the new Elizabeth nearly as much.
She was ruthless.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Johanna was sitting in her hospital bed working on her laptop when the call came in. Ethan Blackhawk wanted her to run the entire frat house, going back at least five years.
For some reason, he was zoned in on it, and he wanted to know about everyone who once lived there, played the sick game, and headed out after graduation.
The frat house had to be the center of it.
So, Johanna wasn’t going to say no.
As she worked, she heard Brody stir beside her. When she glanced over, his eyes were open, and he was watching her. That simple look made her heart skip in her chest.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
She leaned over to kiss him. “How do you feel?”
He stretched, and then grimaced. “Like a truck ran me over, and it was carrying explosives that are now still going off in my head.”
She laughed. “Yeah, my headache just went away. Give it some time, and you’ll feel better.”
He moved closer. “What are you doing?” he asked, pointing at the laptop.
“The bosses needed a research monkey, and I’m it. I’m running each and every frat boy who lived in that house over the last five years.”
“That sounds like fun.”
She went back to work, but noticed that Brody was squirming in his bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m stiff. I could use a shower.”
She moved the laptop aside and climbed out of her bed. “I’ll help you.”
He stared at her like she was crazy. “What?”
“Um, Brody, I’ve seen you naked. Trust me…there’s nothing new here that I haven’t seen before. I won’t be scared,” Johanna teased.
“Yeah, I wasn’t worried about that. What concerns me is that the second I’m naked, part of me may think about other things, and I’m in no shape to even go there.”
She laughed. “I’ll stay outside the curtain to help keep your cast dry. If I don’t help you, it’s going to be some random nurse. Won’t that be embarrassing?”
“Here’s a little news flash, Joey. Other women near me while I’m naked isn't a problem. You near me is. They don’t even grab my attention. I only have eyes for you.”
That was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard.
“I promise I won’t jump you.”
He snorted. “I never thought I’d say this, but okay.”
When she helped him out of bed, Johanna threw his arm over her shoulders to take some of his weight. “We better hurry or ‘The Wicked Nurse of the West’ will be in here trying to accuse me of molestation.”
He laughed, and it hurt like a bitch. “Can you help me shave?” he asked. “It’s my right arm.”
Johanna would do anything for him. He was her hero. “I think I can do that,” she offered, “but maybe you should be in bed for that. You’re wobbly.”
“Joey, I love you,” he said, his eyes filling with so much emotion. “I’ll never love anyone but you.”
She touched his cheek before offering him a soft kiss. “I feel the same, Brody. Now, let’s get you showered.”
She helped strip him of his hospital gown.
“Your father brought you some toiletries.”
Brody was glad. “I’ll have to remember to thank him.” He nearly choked on those words.
“In you go,” she said, turning on the hot water.
Then she did what she swore she’d do.
Johanna Madden began taking care of the man she loved. The man she would spend forever with.
Because her heart knew the truth.
He was definitely the one.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
As they arrived at the sheriff’s station, the call came in. While Nick wanted to go with her, someone had to be on deputy duty. Instead, she called her partners and headed to the address, a spare deputy in tow.
When she and Deputy Izak Manz arrived, Ethan and Callen were already there. The coroner had gotten a call and alerted Chris and his team.
As she approached her partners, she checked out the large house. It was bigger than theirs, and that said a lot. They had three FBI director salaries going into the bank, and yet this place was double the size.
“What do we have?” she asked.
Chris was waiting there with Ethan and Callen. “We have something you may or may not want to keep quiet.”
“Okay, who is it?”
“This house is owned by a Doctor Raymond Hallowell.”
She stared at him. “Come again?”
Callen continued, “Chris made the visual. He confirmed it. An hour ago, the maid found the president of the university dead in his family room.”
They were being vague. “What’s going on? You three are edgy. What gives?”
“He left a note.”
Chris handed it to her. “We wanted you to see this before you did your walk through.”
“Okay,” she said, taking the sealed up paper.
‘I killed them all.
It was me.
I consumed their organs and used them in black magic. I’m evil and needed to end my life.
I’m a killer.
I’m foul.’
She looked up.
Ethan began, “I need you to see the scene. I’ve already walked through.”
She glanced over at Callen. “It feels off, doesn’t it? That’s why you two are holding back.”
Both men nodded.
“We want you to give us your impression, but you needed to know that he left a suicide note. Once I read that, it confirmed my suspicions.”
Chris handed her booties to cover her cowboy boots, and a pair of gloves.
“Deputy Manz, hold the scene and if any media show up, say nothing. Just keep them back.”
The man trotted down the driveway to secure it.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she stated.
Chris led her in. When Merry went to say something, he shook his head. They were low on evidence and clues, and if Elizabeth could pick something up, they might have a shot at closing this.
Immediately, she headed toward the body. Looking up, she checked out the rope and the way in which he was hanging. She made mental notes.
Looking around the room, she checked out more of the scene. Finally, she spoke, “Get pictures of the body, that chair, and the carpet,” she ordered. “He definitely didn't kill himsel
f.”
Ethan was glad he wasn’t the only one who came up with that. He wasn’t sure if he was wrong or on the right track.
“It’s the rail, isn’t it?” he asked.
Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, that’s part of it. If he tied this up there and jumped, it never would have held his weight. It’s not sturdy enough. While it might hold two hundred pounds, it wouldn’t hold that plus the velocity of his fall. Once Chris cuts him open, we’ll have his hyoid.”
Chris nodded. “With a fall that great, the impact of the rope across his hyoid would have fractured it. Gravity would have increased the force to at least triple his weight.”
She agreed.
“I want his DNA processed right away. I don’t care what Merry is doing right now. Stop and get it taken care of this second.”
He motioned to her, and she got moving. “We figured as much. If he is the killer, we have a huge problem.”
Callen saw it too. “He didn't take his own life.”
“Yeah, so who did?” she asked.
That was the question.
“Someone set this up to make it look like a suicide, but the only thing is, they weren’t smart enough to know we’ve seen countless scenes like this.” She crossed the room to the desk chair. “Look at the carpet. I can see that this chair was wheeled across it to this final resting place. I’m going to bet he was standing on it, and then the chair was kicked away. Then the person who did this was nice enough to place it back by the desk.”
Ethan agreed. “Look at his throat. He clawed at it to get some air. He didn't go easily into death on this one.”
“Yeah, he didn't.”
“What else do you see?” Callen asked, trying to learn how they thought it through.
“That note is total bullshit for a couple of reasons. If he was genuinely into black magic, we would have found an altar. Satanists have one, Wiccans have one, but our dead guy didn’t. That’s suspicious to me.”
The techs rushed around.
“Did anyone find an altar?” she asked.
They all shook their heads.
“Let’s check out the refrigerator,” she stated.
Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) Page 45