Kiss of Souls

by Morgan Kelley

  As was the commissioner.

  Now, Arsen was staring down the barrel of job suicide all by himself. It was one hell of a conundrum.

  When his phone rang, he absentmindedly grabbed it.

  “Woods,” he muttered.

  “Yo! Detective Woods.”

  His name got his attention. “Yes?”

  “Arsen, it’s Officer Dale Hood.”

  He remembered him from some case a couple years back. “Yeah, hey, Dale. How’s it going?”

  “I just had a call, and I was told that anything pertaining to the Beau Christensen case was to go directly to you since you’re lead detective.”

  Yeah, unfortunately, he’d pulled this one.

  “It is. What kind of call did you get?”

  Dale laughed. “You won’t believe this.”

  He was sure he would. This whole case was a hot freaking mess of global proportions.

  “Try me.”

  “I just had a call from an old cop who worked here not that long ago.”

  “Who?” he asked.

  “Her name was Vivian Graves, but you might know her as Vivian Littlemoon. She works for that bunch of crazy-ass private dicks.”

  He wasn’t sure he’d heard that right.

  “What? You got a call from a Littlemoon?”

  “Yeah, she wanted me to do her a favor. We worked the beat together at one time. She wants the autopsy for Shelby Christensen, and she wants it on the DL. I was shocked as shit to hear from her.”

  “Really?” Arsen wasn’t surprised at all. If someone from his family was framed, and he was a cop or private investigator, he’d be looking for the details to work it too.

  What was really shocking was that Dale was surprised. The man wasn’t getting a call from Mensa anytime soon.

  “Yeah, I’m supposed to meet her in a little while, but I wanted you to know I won’t screw the team over for the Littlemoons.”

  Curiosity was killing him.

  “Why does everyone hate them?” he asked, hoping someone would give him a clue as to why Commissioner Anders had his undies in a bunch over a bunch of Native private investigators.

  Was he a PI hater?

  Was he a bigot?

  He needed a clue to figure it out.

  “They are PI’s.”

  “And?”

  Dale spilled it like a parrot wanting that damn cracker. “Vivian solved one hell of a case, and instead of staying a cop, she bailed. She left the team, and we’re pissed. She made Commissioner Anders look bad. She actually picked those Indians over us.”

  “FYI, it’s Native Americans.”

  There was a pause.

  “Is it? Who cares. Anyway, she hit the limelight, and instead of letting it shine on her brothers and sisters in blue, she pointed it at the Littlemoons. They were actually called heroes.”

  Arsen did his due diligence as the man continued to speak.

  He Googled it.

  As he quickly scanned the news article, it was all coming back to him.

  “Isn’t that the case where they found those women being held in cages and tormented by that sicko?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “Didn’t Victoria and Vivian Littlemoon go into a burning building to save the women when the killer tried to burn them alive—still locked in the metal cages?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Uh, that would technically make them heroes, Dale.”

  He laughed. “Those babes are clueless. She used cop information to beat us to the punch. That’s it.”

  He rolled his eyes and stared at the phone. This cop was just like Anders.

  Well, that explained why a lot of cops were out to get Littlemoon blood.

  Clearly.

  “What do you want me to do?” Officer Hood asked.

  “Do you want me to meet with her and arrest her?”

  Was this guy serious? Did he have a freaking clue how to be a damn cop? This was going to help him figure this case out. He was going to watch the Littlemoons.

  Arsen’s mind was made up.

  “Give them to her.”

  “What?”

  “Text me where you’re meeting her. I want to get a visual when you pass them off.”

  There was a pause as if the man was trying to figure out what the hell the man was thinking.

  “Then what?”

  “I’m going to follow her. I want to know what is going on, and you’re going to drop the bait, walk away, and let me handle this.”

  “Are you sure…?”

  “Again, I’ve got this.”

  “Works for me. If you solve it…?”

  “I’ll make sure I tell them how instrumental you were in all of this, Dale. It’ll be a big shiny star in your personnel file.”

  “Thanks, Arsen.”

  He hung up.

  Arsen didn’t know what to think.

  Was this a gift?

  Had the Littlemoons just dropped themselves into his lap? They were impeding an investigation, and asking cops to help them. This had to be something and Arsen couldn’t help but rejoice at this gift. He’d hit a wall, and now he was going to find out where this trail led him.

  Another piece of the puzzle might just pop into place before the day was out.

  Later, when he followed Vivian Littlemoon, he was going to make sure he got a few answers to the case…

  Whether the Littlemoons liked it or not.

  Chapter Two

  Monday Afternoon

  Parking Lot

  Delta Falls Park

  J ustin was more nervous than she was, and it was clearly plastered all over his face. This whole thing was making him twitchy. The soldier in him felt an ambush coming, but his wife wouldn’t listen to a single thing he was saying.

  She was stubborn as hell when it came to these things. Granted, it was that determination that he fell in love with, but still…

  This could be a trap.

  Vivian couldn’t help but smile when she looked at her sexy Native man. Yes, he was freaked out. She could tell. The worry was etched around his mouth, and it was making his handsome face look older.

  He was beginning to age like Julian.

  Vivian wanted to soothe his worries, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  As of late, her man had become a hover husband.

  “You’re frowning,” she stated.

  “I’m worried about you and our babies,” he said, not even holding back. They had a new rule about never hiding things, and it was working in their marriage. Justin had to hope the truth wouldn’t irritate the shit out of his wife.

  She placed her hand over her stomach. They’d been to the doctor last week, and she’d gotten the good news.

  They were having not one Littlemoon, but two. Vivian had lost a baby, only to get that child back, plus one.

  She couldn’t wait.

  “I’m right here beside you, and I’m safe. You can probably take it down a notch. We don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “Yes, but we’re in a car.”

  She glanced over at him as they sat in the parked car, and she was a little confused. “Yes, we need cars to get around, Justin. Without them, we’ll have to walk really far distances. What exactly has you riled up about vehicles?”

  “What if there’s another accident?” he blurted, and then looked around frantically for some wood to knock on just in case.

  Yes, he’d become superstitious.

  Paranoid.

  Overly protective.

  Justin couldn’t help it. He wanted his wife to be safe, and he really wanted to be a father. When he’d held Veronica that first time, he couldn’t believe how awesome it felt.

  Julian was a lucky man, and he wanted to feel that too. Justin wanted a family with his wife, and this was their clear shot at it.

  “I’ll be safe.”

  He mumbled.

  “I know you didn’t just say ‘you will be once you’re locked in our home’.”
<
br />   He didn’t say anything.

  He also didn’t look at her which gave her all the answers she needed. If anything, her sexy Native was predictable.

  “Oh, Justin,” she said, tugging him toward her by his growing hair. Vivian gave him one hell of a kiss. It was deep, warm, and shared her love.

  Slowly, they broke apart, and his whiskey brown eyes said it all.

  “Want to practice making more babies?” he asked.

  She snorted. “Tonight, at home, yes. In our ride, no. We managed to evade the media. Let’s not draw attention to ourselves by getting caught naked in the company SUV. Julian will flip out and lose his nut.”

  That was half the fun.

  Truth be told, Vivian manage to calm him down. It was probably the kiss, but her calm violet eyes didn’t hurt either.

  “I have to keep trying, Mrs. Littlemoon. One day, you’re going to cave and I’m going to get lucky on this cheap pleather.”

  She touched his cheek. “I know you will. You, Justin, are persistent if nothing.”

  He was aware.

  “Is that your guy?” he asked, spotting the man heading their way.

  “Yeah, I worked with him a while before I made detective. He’s a decent cop, but he’ll never move up. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

  Justin got that.

  He’d served with some soldiers who would never move up in their lives simply because they had to be told how to do everything short of breathing. They were destined to stay in one place, tow the company line, and that was it.

  Vivian rolled down her window.

  Justin looked nervous.

  “Relax,” she said, laughing despite herself. Her husband was out of control.

  “Hey!” Officer Dale Hood said, as he leaned in the window to talk to them. He was in running gear, and had a hoodie covering his head.

  “Hey, Dale! Thanks for meeting us,” she stated. “I really appreciate this.”

  “I was surprised to hear from you, Vivian. How’s everything?”

  She laughed. “Well, it could be better. That’s why I need the files.”

  He smiled.

  Oh, he knew it was going to get worse for the Littlemoons before it ever got better.

  “I have your information. What are you going to do with it?” he asked.

  “We’re going to work on getting Beau off the hook for this,” she stated.

  Normally, she wouldn’t release any information, but what else could they possibly want the information for?

  The man was a cop.

  He’d figure it out.

  “Well, good luck to you. I have the autopsy report, a few of the completed trace reports, and some of the investigator’s notes. That’s all I could get without alerting everyone,” he offered. “I wish I could get you more, but you know how it is. This is a pretty big case, and everyone is focused on it.”

  She knew what that meant.

  The commissioner was going to be gunning for them all over again. The man was known to hold a grudge. Since her ex-partner, Detective Tom Lester, had opted to retire, she’d hoped the hatchet had been buried.

  Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

  “I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. Friends help. Now, I better go. I can’t risk being seen here. Commissioner Anders still has a big old chip on his shoulder over you, Viv. He’s not a fan.”

  There was her heads-up.

  She was grateful for the warning, but she was already aware. Honestly, she assumed he was with how hard he was pushing to get Beau locked up in prison.

  He was an asshole who carried a wicked grudge.

  Vivian couldn’t let her past with the man, him being her boss and her choosing the Littlemoons, be something that forced Beau to suffer.

  That wasn’t fair.

  Vivian wished Commissioner Anders saw that, but he didn’t seem to care. Justice was coming last after vengeance, and that was never a good thing.

  “Thanks, Dale. If you ever need a favor, call me.”

  He saluted and headed away.

  “I don’t trust him,” Justin stated out of the blue.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “He didn’t look at me once. He was shifty, and he was way too happy to help us out on this. We both know Commissioner Anders is a douchebag. No one crosses him, and yet this base level cop was more than happy to wade into that swamp. Why?”

  She was aware, but it was a risk they had to take. It meant getting Beau off the hook.

  “Stop stressing it. We’ll be fine,” she offered. “I promise that it’ll all work out.”

  He wasn’t so sure of that.

  How did he know?

  His gut was screaming.

  “Well, at least we got the info. Let’s get to the rendezvous spot to pass these off to Julian and Tori. They are going to need it for the next part of the plan.”

  “To the seedy, no-tell motel?” he asked, kissing her knuckles.

  “You’re a nut. Drive.”

  Justin grinned as he pulled out. Still, he felt off, and he couldn’t shake it. While Julian was gifted as a tracker, he was gifted too.

  Justin got into trouble a lot.

  And he always felt just like this.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  He watched them from his ride.

  Detective Woods didn’t miss anything as it all went down, playing out exactly how he had hoped it would.

  Dale had run over, handed them the files, and had a mini conversation right before he took off.

  Now the ball was in his court.

  The Littlemoons had turned on their ride and headed off to do God only knew what with the information. It was his turn to handle this play. He was going to tail them.

  Carefully.

  There would be no room for screwing up. Vivian Graves-Littlemoon had been a detective, and he had her personnel file beside him on the seat. She had closed all her cases, she didn’t mess around, and people said she was damn good at her job before she left the force.

  It seemed that she had a gift for saving people, solving crimes, and being a class A cop.

  That made him curious.

  So why had she left?

  Was it really marriage?

  Well, he was going to ask her—if he got the chance.

  For now, though, he was going to see what they did with his information. He was praying that the woman didn’t head back to the office building. If she did, he couldn’t tail them anymore. The media was all over that place and he needed to stay incognito.

  If he was working it from her side, he knew exactly where he’d head.

  As a cop, there was one logical place that the information would take him. Now he needed to see if he was right.

  Arsen was betting that they’d go right to the scene of the crime.

  As he followed in his non-descript ride, he wasn’t shocked when they handed off the file to someone at the shit motel. From his parking spot across the street, he watched as Vivian handed a purse to some hooker.

  BINGO.

  That had to be the handoff.

  Well, at least he was still on his game. He’d called it, and now it was time to decide what to do next.

  Did he follow Vivian or did he go with his gut and assume that his information was in that purse, and now headed into that low-class dive motel?

  He was following that purse.

  Why?

  He was pretty sure it would lead to the brains of the operation. Clearly, Vivian was only a player in the game. It looked like Arsen was about to meet the ringleader of this circus.

  Good.

  He was glad.

  Maybe then, he’d know what the hell was going on.

  The Littlemoons were on the move, mobilizing to save their family member, and Arsen needed to figure out if they were going to do it legally, or break the law.

  He hoped it wasn’t the latter.

  If they did, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw all of their asses in jail
.

  He didn’t like crooked.

  They had one shot, and this was it.

  “Okay, Littlemoons. Impress me.”

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Sumass Motel

  Delta Falls

  Thirty Minutes Earlier…

  When Tori and Claire arrived at the cheap dive, they were dressed the part. At least they would fit into their surroundings.

  While the name of the place was enough to break you into a fit of giggles, they knew there was something dark there.

  Tori could feel it the second she arrived. The dead were camped out, and they were waiting.

  Only, it wasn’t her dead.

  There were others. Tori could feel the difference. It was part of her growing gift as a medium.

  Still, she was being distracted. Bethany was in her head, chirping away, the radio was spinning, and neither spirit wanted her there.

  Why?

  Well, she was going to find out.

  While she and Claire looked like hookers, they stood outside the motel until they got the handoff of the purse. It would look less inconspicuous. Once they had the bag and the contents, they’d meet up with their ‘Johns’ inside.

  “This is too funny,” Claire said, grinning at her sister-in-law. “I can’t believe we’re dressed like this. I really love my job. Who would have thought?”

  Tori laughed. “I dress like this more often than you’d think for your brother,” she shared. “Actually, I used to, but now it’s all baby all of the time.”

  Claire kept an eye open for any media trucks circling the crime scene.

  So far, so good.

  “I don’t really want to know anything about my brother’s sex life, Tor. It’s damn creepy. Besides, I like to think of Julian as the stable one who only likes sex with the lights off, one position, and never anything fun. Don’t cloud that fantasy and ruin it for me.”

  She snorted.

  Oh, Julian was anything but a ‘lights off and missionary’ kind of guy.

  “I’ll keep it to myself. Don’t worry. He’d be freaked out if you knew anyway.” Tori changed the subject. “How are you and Beckett doing?” she asked.