Her voice wavered.
The oddest things reminded her of Ethan. Here was one of those moments.
Tori patted her casted arm. “Faith, my friend. Have faith.”
If she didn’t get him back, that part of Elizabeth would remain dead, and she knew it.
“Go on.”
“We found an influx of money in his one account. It jumped in increments of fifty thousand.”
Well, that made sense since he’d left a note saying he’d been stealing money.
“Where is it coming from?” Tori asked.
“It looks like Delta Falls.”
Again, that made sense from the note.
“But then we found something interesting,” Mattie stated. “Something really interesting.”
“What?” Tori and Elizabeth asked at the same time.
“There were increments of money going out too. He was withdrawing one thousand dollars a month for four months.”
“Well, he was paying blackmail. The question is, for what? Did Shelby find out about the money? He said he was guilty of ‘some other things’,” Elizabeth offered. “What are the other things?”
That would take time.
They all knew it.
“Keep digging. Now that the truth is out, we just have to figure out if he killed himself out of guilt, or did this killer off him because of something he knew.”
“Well, we know he’s not the killer,” Roman stated. “There is our silver lining, right?”
She hated to break it to him, but they had jack.
“We don’t know that at all. When you’re investigating, no one is free of guilt until you’ve cleared them one hundred percent. That’s the first rule to being a good investigator.”
Tori laughed. “Roman, just be glad that we’re your boss. My old boss was a horrible bitch who kicked people’s asses around for shits and giggles.”
Elizabeth lifted her casted arm. “It’s hard to be badass when you’re sporting a pink cast,” she stated. “It’s dampened my street cred considerably. I’ll make up for it with threats and bad attitude.”
Tori snorted. “All I keep thinking is why aren’t any of the cops asking why you’re working. Clearly, you’re on the injured list.”
She laughed too. “I know. It would be my first statement to anyone I saw with a broken arm who was trying to work.”
“How did it happen?” Mattie asked. “I’m sorry. I’m curious.”
“I was hunting a killer, and I found him. Only, I wasn’t ready, and he was. He shoved my ass down a flight of marble stairs. I’m lucky I didn’t die. This is my reminder to always be focused and don’t assume anything.”
Yeah, it was damn good advice, and Tori was glad she wasn’t hurt worse. A world without Elizabeth would suck.
She’d miss her.
There were footsteps coming into the waiting area, and when the women looked, it was Callen and Julian.
“Hey, honey, I’m home,” Callen teased.
It made her smile.
His heart flipped in his chest.
“So, how was your body?” Callen asked, leaning down to kiss his wife. “I hear we both got lucky.”
“Ours was swinging. Yours?” she asked, as he took a seat beside her. Immediately, he held her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
“It was bloated and maggoty.”
“Ewww,” muttered Nyx.
“You get all the fun,” Elizabeth teased.
“Yeah, well, Xavier Lake is no longer missing. It might be a case of accidental drug overdose.”
Elizabeth pointed at Roman. “You have the magic tablet. Tell me about the man.”
He ran him.
“He’s been in and out of jail for tweaking.”
“Good to know. He’s a habitual drug user who went out by way of drugs. Talk about Darwinism finally catching up with you.”
Roman continued, “His rap sheet is long. The cops have him in custody at least once every few years.”
Elizabeth made a mental note.
Justin walked in and whistled. “Holy shit!”
“What?” Everyone asked.
He turned on the TV on the wall. On it, there was the commissioner and the two detectives.
No one looked happy.
“Aww, a press conference, and I missed it,” Elizabeth stated. “We all know how much fun I am when I’m invited to that kind of party.”
Callen laughed.
Yeah, she’d burn it to the ground.
“Listen,” Justin said, as they continued talking on the screen.
“Who called in the FBI?” someone shouted in the crowd to the commissioner.
“We did. We’re more than happy to have the illustrious Elizabeth Blackhawk working this case.”
“Did he just compliment or insult me?” she asked.
They all listened as the man continued.
“Her skill will take this case to the finish line,” he stated, trying to pacify the media. “We are glad to have her onboard.”
She snorted. “Liar, liar, his britches are a full-blown fire. I do like the fact that I’m infamous.”
“That’s not a compliment,” Callen admitted.
“Thank you, Jackson James,” she answered. “Where would I be without my wordy smarty pants?”
He wiggled his eyebrows.
The commissioner continued, “We will work side by side with the FBI in solving these murders.”
The media re-looped the detective’s words for the viewing audience who’d missed it the first four thousand times.
“Ouch,” Callen stated. “He ran his mouth, huh?”
She nodded. “You know the commissioner is going to chew his ass apart later. Now it’s time to save face.”
Yeah, that was clear.
Elizabeth glanced over at Beau. “You’re going to need an alibi.”
“For?” he asked.
“They are going to come at you first. You’re the ONLY suspect they can pin to Shelby’s scene, and they’re going to call this cleaning up the mess.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“Yeah, well, that’s how this works. Here’s a little newsflash. I don’t think they care if you did it or not. That should scare the shit out of you. They want to throw you in jail.”
The room began getting cooler around them. There were traces of their breath in the air.
“This is bullshit!” he stated. Beau stood and began pacing. “Why is it so damn hard for everyone to see that I’m mourning my mother? She was still mine. I don’t get why this is so hard!”
Tori stood up.
She knew something was coming. All the dead around her were going insane. No, that wasn’t the way to describe it. All the spirits in the room were getting whipped into a frenzy. They were starting to whip around her, popping into her peripheral.
“SHE’S. COMING,” warned Trey from the radio in the middle of the conference room table.
Shit!
The room filled with an icy wind. It whipped around them as Beau kept raging.
“What the hell?” Elizabeth stated, as the man and room changed before them. At first, she didn’t get it, but then she noticed anyone with psychic ability looked worried.
Callen looked freaked out.
“What’s coming?” she asked.
“Evangeline,” Tori warned. “She manifests through the anger, and Beau is feeding her!”
At the mention of her name, Beau rushed toward Tori and Elizabeth, taking Callen out in the process. He slid across the floor and slammed into the wall, going out like a light.
Tori was next, and Beau shoved his sister hard. She flew into Julian, and the chair flipped backward.
As Beau moved toward Elizabeth, she heard the tinkling of windchimes warning her, so she held her ground. If the dead wanted a bitch slapping contest, she was game.
When Beau was about on her, she sidestepped him, and then hit him in the back of the head with her casted arm.
It hurt like a bitch, but he
went down.
Justin was there, dumping holy water on the man before he could even think about getting up.
“What the hell was that?” Elizabeth asked, looking around.
The air was calming.
The windchimes were gone.
And the place was a wreck.
She didn’t know what the hell to think about it. This was one hell of a mess.
Tori got up, and so did Julian.
“That was HER,” muttered Tori, rubbing her arm. When she pulled up her sleeve, there was a red handprint on her arm. “We’re dealing with a lot here at ‘Littlemoon Investigations’.”
Yeah, she could see that.
“Your arm,” Elizabeth offered.
“The dead,” Tori muttered, covering it back up to hide it. She didn’t need Julian losing it too.
Then Elizabeth noticed her husband wasn’t getting up.
“Callen?” she called.
Nothing.
Elizabeth vaulted the table and slid to where he was downed on the floor. Gently, she touched his face.
“Come on, my love. Wake up for me.”
The man moaned.
Gently, she placed his head in her lap and lowered her mouth to his. With a meeting of lips, she kissed him awake.
When she pulled away, he was blinking.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
Of course that would be his first question. Callen was always worried about her safety over his. That’s probably why he stood between her and Beau.
“No, sexy, but you got dinged up.”
“My chest hurts.”
That scared her. She couldn’t lose Callen, and he’d been shot not that long ago in the chest.
She ripped open his shirt, buttons scattering everywhere.
“Holy all kinds of wrong,” she muttered. Across his big barrel chest was a raw, red handprint.
It pissed her off.
Some dead chick had just manhandled her man, and to make it worse, she could have killed him.
Yeah, Evangeline was a problem.
She glanced back at her friends.
“Shit like this happens all the time?”
Nyx began crying.
“Well, this violence is rather new, but yeah, you could say we deal with crazy more often than not,” Julian admitted.
“How did you take him down?” Roman asked her. “Beau managed to take out Callen, and no offense, but you’re just a girl.”
His wife hit him.
“Gee, thanks.”
She heard the chimes.
“Timothy is here, and he’s like my own Native guardian angel,” she said.
That’s when Tori heard his whisper in her ear. “The gift,” she stated. “He told me to share the gift.”
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her pouch. That had to be what he was focusing on.
“He made this for me before he died. I don’t often leave it behind when I’m out in the field,” she admitted. “Callen wasn’t wearing his, but I know he will from now on,” she stated.
“Yes, angel.”
Then she glanced over at Nyx.
“You’re good with herbs?” she asked Nyx.
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. You need copal, myrrh, frankincense, seneca grass, cedar, and sage. I suggest you find it and replicate these pouches,” she stated, tossing hers to the woman.
“I have most of that in my shop.”
Elizabeth had never been more serious in all her life.
“Find a Shaman, and fast. You have one hell of a problem with the dead.”
Chapter Fifteen
Wednesday Afternoon
W hen they finally got Callen to his feet, he was sitting in a chair and holding an ice pack to his head. The saying, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall’ was accurate in this case. The man had gone down like a ton of bricks.
And he looked like hell to prove it.
He said he was fine, but they weren’t quite sure.
“Do you need anything?” Tori asked, feeling horrible that he’d been hurt. This was the last thing they wanted.
Callen didn’t open his eyes.
“I’m good—no worries.”
It was a total lie.
To say he had one hell of a headache would be an understatement. Some crazy-ass Natives were drumming away inside his skull.
It was killer.
Elizabeth moved to stand in front of him.
“How many of me do you see?” she asked.
He opened his eyes. “I see only one angel.”
She softly kissed him on the lips. “I see a sexy Native man who just got his ass handed to him by a dead woman.”
He moaned.
“I have a headache.”
“Yeah, well, you hit your head on the wall pretty damn hard. You’re done for today.”
“You’re not going out alone.”
“Uh, it’s more dangerous to stay here. You’re the case in point on this one, darlin’.”
Clearly.
“Besides, I’m not going out. I’m taking you back to the hotel, and Tori and Julian are going to do the last interview for today. The bar is open, and you and I are cutting out. They can handle this without me staring over their shoulders. I trained her. I trust in my skill and hers.”
“Aww, thanks, boss. I had to say that again,” Tori admitted when everyone looked over at her. “I couldn’t help myself.”
She snorted.
“Come on, big guy,” Elizabeth said, helping Callen to his feet. “You’ll be good as gold as soon as we get you back to the inn to rest.”
He was more than okay with that.
“I’m just glad you’re fine,” he admitted. Truth be told, he didn’t want to take Ethan’s new temperament for a spin if he had to call him and break the news that she’d been hurt.
Yeah, no.
“I finally found something this cast was good for. I just hope I didn’t give Beau a concussion when I hit him with it,” she offered.
They all looked over at Beau. He was sitting on another couch holding a duplicate ice pack to his head.
They were quite the pair.
“I don’t remember any of it, but I know you had to hit me pretty hard. My head is killing me too.”
“What do you remember?” Elizabeth asked out of curiosity. She’d never seen anything like that before. This was a new world for her.
“I was listening to you, there was a buzz in my head, and then I woke up on the floor.”
Nyx began crying.
“This is all my fault. I am so sorry,” she whispered repeatedly to the people in her room. “Because of me, Callen got hurt, and so did Beau.”
Nyx wanted to go back in time.
They were going to hate her for what she did, and honestly, she couldn’t blame them.
Beau sighed and then pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay, Nyxie. It’s okay. We’ll find a way to fix this.”
Yeah, after they saved his ass.
“As I was saying before you flipped out and went all possessed,” she stated, “you need an alibi. Don’t go anywhere alone, and make sure you have a buddy at all times—preferably not another Littlemoon.”
He got it.
The shit was about to get real. He’d disobeyed orders once, and look where it got him. He wasn’t doing that again.
Ever.
“Again, I’m sorry if I hurt anyone,” Beau said, rolling his neck.
Tori patted him on the back.
“We have you, Beau. We’ll work this out.”
Elizabeth was going to leave that to their team. While she and Callen were investigators, they weren’t relationship counselors.
Look at their mess.
“We’ll see you tomorrow. Keep the herb pouch until you replicate it, Nyx. If you have any questions, have Tori call my father-in-law. He’s the king of herbs in our house.”
Julian grinned. “I think Callen might be the king of certain herbs.”
He p
ointed at the man as he tried to be funny. “Leave my youth and that bag of peyote out of this.”
If Callen was laughing, he was going to live.
They watched them leave. They seemed to be rushing out of there as if there was a fire.
“Wow, in a hurry much?” Claire asked.
Tori got it.
“Elizabeth doesn’t do woo-woo. This makes her uncomfortable. In her world, the killers are tangible. In ours, not so much.”
“So, we’re on our own?” Mattie asked.
Julian hugged his wife. “The dead demon is our issue, not hers. Get researching. I want to know how to get her out of our house.”
Tori agreed.
“Elizabeth will be dwelling on Beau’s case all night. I know her. She’s relentless, and we need to be just as focused on our issue.”
She refused to say her name.
Who knew what would happen?
“Are you and Tori heading to the bar or are you cutting out for the night?” Justin asked, as he held his pregnant wife against his body. He was glad Evangeline hadn’t gone for her. He would have lost it had she been even bruised. A giant handprint?
Who knew what he would have done to Beau?
That would have been one hell of an issue too. He was Tori’s brother, and they all knew he mattered so much to her. It was a dangerous line to cross.
Besides, he genuinely liked him…
When he wasn’t possessed by Evangeline.
He couldn’t help but think about Lena and what had happened to her.
It sucked.
“Yeah, we’re going there to interview Leon Brewer and have a drink. It’s been a crazy day, and I want to forget about dead bodies for a bit.”
Yeah, Tori too.
Julian continued, “If you have anything on him, send it to us. We’ll read it on the way.”
“Can do, boss,” Roman said, as he continued playing with the FBI tablet.
“Ready, honey?” Julian asked his wife.
Truth be told, he needed to get out of there. He was getting mad.
Mad at the police.
Mad at the dead.
Mad at the living.
He couldn’t let it slip. With the demon running loose in their building, it could be bad.
In fact, it could be deadly.
Kiss of Souls Page 30