Yeah, that would go over well.
So, she had to put on her big girl undies and make the dive. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe her vision and Beckett’s sense were way off.
She nearly laughed.
That wasn’t likely happening.
Now that they were standing at the waterside of the pond, Julian looked even more agitated.
“I can go in,” offered Beckett. He could tell his boss wasn’t happy, and he didn't want him worked up over this. His swimming skill was sufficient enough that he could pull it off.
Not that he really wanted to.
“You can’t,” Julian stated. “If you touch the body, you’ll go under with a vision. Then, we’ll have to save you from drowning.”
Tori was already pulling off her shoes. “I did find that black plastic garbage bag at the bottom of the swamp, Jules. This is going to be easy.”
Yeah, and damn gross.
Bloated bodies were the worst. The water distorted them, making their flesh soft to the touch. Then there were the creatures who liked to snack on the body.
Tori was not looking forward to this at all!
“Let’s just get it over with, okay?” Julian finally stated. He didn't want to wait any longer. The anticipation was killing him.
Tori began stripping down.
“Wait! What the hell are you doing?” he asked as her hands went to the hem of her shirt. It looked like she was going to take her top off. Julian might have to let her do the dive, but getting half-naked--that wasn’t going to happen. After all, there was another man standing right there.
She laughed at the look on his face. “Jules, if I go down in clothes, I could get tangled up. Remember what I wore the last time?”
Yes, he certainly did.
That was the problem.
Julian didn't even say another word. He simply pointed at Beckett.
Tori shook her head, pulling her shirt off. Beneath it, she was in a sports bra. “This is more conservative than the swimsuit I’ve worn. You need to take a pill, babe. You’re going to give yourself a major stroke, and for no reason.”
He was well aware of it.
Beckett was man enough to admit that he was intrigued. Not by Tori in a sports bra, but by what she planned on doing.
Claire took her clothes from her. “Be safe, Army. We don’t need you getting hurt.”
The sound Julian made was somewhere between a moan and exasperated hiss.
Tori headed toward the water. Looking back over her shoulder, she winked at her husband. “Be ready to de-leech me, Jules. You remember how that ended.”
He certainly did. It was how this whole ride began. It was funny how it had come full circle.
Wading in, she turned to face him. When he stared at her, so much pain in his eyes, her heart melted. “Time me, babe. I’ll be right back.”
With that, she slowly submerged until all of her was gone from view.
Julian tracked the bubbles in the water until they disappeared. He truly hated that his wife was diving blind for a dead body. It pissed him off and made him want to be sick all at once.
When the bubbles eventually stopped, Claire glanced around. “I don’t like this. She’s disappeared.”
Julian fought through the pain he was feeling. As he glanced down at his wrist, he was consumed with the second hand as it swept the watch face.
Just as he was about to freak out, the bubbles reappeared, but this time further away. When Tori’s head popped up, he finally took a breath himself.
“I need your knife,” she stated.
“Did you find him?” Julian asked, pulling it from his pocket to toss to her. When she caught it, all while treading water, he had to admit that he was a little turned on. His wife was so much more than the beautiful redhead he’d fallen for.
Tori was fearless.
Reckless.
Feisty.
“I think I found something. Unfortunately, the lily pads are obstructing it. I need to cut through. I don’t have time to play around in them.”
What she meant was ‘get caught’. Tori didn't have time to get tangled up and trapped down there.
“Be right back,” she said, taking another deep breath.
Claire had to admit that she was impressed. Her sister-in-law was pretty tough. There was no way in hell that she’d enjoy going into that swamp to do that. There were too many creepy things in there. While she had offered, it wouldn’t have been fun.
Julian timed her again. He wasn’t above diving in to save his wife and child if need be. Already, he was planning on kicking off his boots. When she slowly resurfaced, the look on her face said it all.
“Babe, call the FBI tech team for a pickup. Have them arrive quietly,” she stated, no emotion in her voice.
“You found him?”
Tori nodded. “Yeah, and he’s not pretty.”
It didn't take them long to pull him from the water. Using the rubber cleaning gloves that Julian procured from the kitchen, he helped his wife pull him to shore.
Jeffery Lamont was a mess.
And so was this case.
They were at a crossroads. If they told the family they found their brother, they were surely getting booted from the case. If they hid it, they were definitely going to make some enemies.
Where Julian didn't want to lie, he really didn't feel like he had much of a choice.
“We’re screwed either way,” stated Beckett, knowing what his boss was thinking.
“Yep.”
They stood there beside the body, praying that no one, other than the FBI, would show up. If the sheriff or the real estate agent made an appearance, they were screwed.
Tori pulled the tarp that they’d covered Jeffery with back to check him out. This was where being a trained Fed was going to come in handy. She began assessing the corpse, trying to ascertain as much information as possible.
“He took a shot to the back of the head. You can tell that’s where first impact was. Most of the flesh is eaten away at the initial wound site.”
That grossed Claire out. She was tough, but this was a bit too much. Instead of looking, she slid closer to Beckett. Once his arm was around her, she immediately felt better.
“How do you know that?” Beckett asked.
“Marine life will go for the eyes, extremities, and face first. That’s the easiest way to break through the flesh. By the way they were snacking, you can tell that his scalp was open. They had an easy meal.”
Julian knew Beckett was stalling. “If you’re going to do this, you better get it done, unless you want an FBI audience.”
He crouched down, having Claire keep her hands on his shoulders. Cautiously, he reached out and placed his hands on the man’s arm. It was squishy beneath his fingers.
Beckett didn't have time to be grossed out. Already, he was being pulled under.
The flashes were of anger.
Betrayal.
Hate.
He was furious right before he was swamped with a wave of pain. Jeffery Lamont hadn’t been dead when he went into the water.
He’d suffered.
Just as the wave after wave of hideous images continued to assault him, Beckett could feel himself being torn away. When he opened his eyes, looking around, he was resting on the ground with his head in Claire’s lap.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gently stroking his cheek.
“He recognized his killer. He was pissed at him.”
Julian wished the man would have just showed Beckett who it was. Then they could get the hell out of there.
“He was alive when he went into the water. Oh, and that didn't make him happy at all.”
Could they blame Jeffery Lamont?
Tori stared over at her husband as she covered the dead man’s body. “What’s the plan?”
“I hate that I’m going to say this, but we’re not telling the family. We have to find this killer. If we don’t, this won’t end. This maniac will keep taking lives.”
Julian had a point. If this had been going on for over a hundred years, who was to say it would ever end?
“I agree,” offered Tori, knowing how conflicted her husband was over his one. “You’re doing the right thing.”
He sure as hell hoped so.
Just as he was about to say more, they heard the crunch of tires on gravel. Julian prayed it was the lab team. If not, their day was about to get far worse.
* * *
He watched them.
They found the last bastard who tried to screw him out of his family’s treasure. The precious gold, which had been promised to them so many years ago, wasn’t going to be anyone’s but his.
How they located the victim’s body, he didn't know. He was pretty sure that he hid the man well. Who would accidentally come across a dead man in the swampy pond?
It puzzled him.
All of this was making him increasingly nervous. They’d found a few of the bodies, and weren’t working on the real mystery. They were his only shot at finding that gold.
If he didn't get it, his life mission would be a failure.
They were truly his only hope. If the Littlemoons couldn’t pull this off, then who could?
It looked like desperate times called for desperate measures. Someone was going to have to get hurt.
He didn't have a choice.
There was one way to motivate them.
Now, he’d get rough.
* * *
Wednesday Mid-Morning
‘The Killing House’
They needed to sit down, regroup, and see what they had. This case felt like they were being pulled in a million directions. They accomplished what they were supposed to by finding Jeffery Lamont, but unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet.
Yes, they would get him justice, but they needed to do the same for the other five victims too.
“Okay, what do we have in the way of suspects?” Tori asked, slipping once more into her old role of investigator. She’d run more than a few cases, and they needed to see who they were working against.
“Our first one is going to be Andy Dawkins,” stated Julian, telling the rest of the team what they learned from the sister the previous night.
“So he’s on the run?”
Tori nodded. “We can’t track him. If during our investigation, we find that he’s guilty, then we can pass this one off to the officials.”
Claire scribbled his name on a piece of paper. “Okay, how about we list why we think it’s him?”
Tori began rattling them off, ticking each from her fingers as she went. “He’s deep in debt. His sister was sleeping with one of the victims, and he ran. We can also take into account that Jeffery hired them and dumped them. That might piss Andy off.”
“Yeah, it would,” stated Beckett.
“Who’s next?”
Beckett took this one. “The person I chased out of here last night was a male, and he ran straight toward Paul Spencer’s house. Before I could catch him, he was gone. There’s no way he could just disappear that quickly, unless he knew the terrain.”
Julian had to agree with that. His employee had a very good point.
Tori continued, “He’s wanted to buy this land for a while now, and he did tell us that his family had lived in that house for a long time. We know that our killer has been tied to this community, or at least we suspect it.”
Julian agreed. “I think in order to have the killings span a century, they had to be related. We just need to figure out how.”
Claire made notes. “I like the brother who hired us for this. He lent Jeffery Lamont money. Maybe the man came to him and told him about the gold. Brothers have killed for less.”
They agreed. Family could be murderous.
“Who else do we have?” Julian asked.
“We have the other neighbor, but he’s crackers,” stated Tori. “I doubt that Brady Parker could plan his way out of a paper bag. Besides, he’s big into the military. Everything he does is geared toward that. This doesn’t feel like a military job. This killer, and the ones who came before him, have been stashing bodies wherever they can. There’s no rhyme or reason. That’s not a strategy. That’s a crime built out of necessity.”
They all agreed.
“We should call Christina,” offered Julian. “We sicced her on the background checks, and she should have something by now.”
Calling the team, they checked in.
“Justin, how are things going?” Julian asked. While he completely trusted his brother, he didn't like leaving the office for too long. He ran a tight ship, and that was what he planned on doing for the rest of his life.
“Good. We closed one more case, the money’s been deposited, the bills are paid, and Lena quit.”
“What?” Julian asked, shocked.
“Kidding. You realize that I can handle this, right? I am a grown man.”
Tori knew her husband was a man on the edge. “Today’s a bad day to torment him, Marine. Your brother is all riled up.”
“I’m sorry, Jules. I couldn’t help myself. Everything here is good. I’m guessing that you’re checking in regarding Beau or for the work you had Christina all over.”
“The latter, but why not tell me about Tori’s brother too?”
Justin lowered his voice. “Christina and Kane are babysitting him. He’s helping them run checks on the suspects you sent over. He’s doing a decent job.”
Julian wasn’t sure how he felt about the man working with his team. While he wanted to trust him, there was still that possibility that the man would screw them over.
If he did, he was dead. Julian was going to kick his ass. His wife had been hurt enough over this. Julian wasn’t taking any more chances with her heart.
“Is he fitting in?” Tori asked curiously.
“He is, and most importantly, Beau is actually finding information. Kane, of course, is suspicious as hell, but he still looks at Lena the same way, and it’s been a year. Christina on the other hand is her normal self. She either likes him, or is trying to kill him with kindness.”
Julian relaxed. It appeared that his brother was handling it. Now he knew that giving Justin half his company was a good move on their behalf.
“Thanks for doing a good job,” Tori offered.
“No problem. We need this company to stay afloat. I have a wife and child on the way. I don’t want to have to go back into the military.”
They knew that was the last thing Justin could do. The nightmares had just started to abate. If he went back, surely the bad dreams would return.
“Send us over to the conference room phone,” Julian stated. “We need to talk to Christina.”
They waited as the music came on. Julian took that opportunity to talk to his wife.
“Are you okay with your brother helping out? If not, I can ask the team to sideline him.”
She thought about it. While she didn't trust the woman who gave her life, she had a gut feeling that Beau was a decent person. He’d suffered too and deserved a chance at a family. There were no other people she respected more, than the ones she worked with.
Well, maybe the Blackhawks.
“No, let him help out. I’m sure this whole thing has him just as confused. He believed one thing and was blindsided. I can sympathize.”
Julian began weighing everything in his mind. He knew the man was in the reserves, and they needed more people for their office. With the business growing, it could work out. After all, Littlemoon Inc. was a family business, and Beau was part of that.
Julian began planning and plotting in his head.
“Okay, honey.”
Just then, their bubbly office co-worker, Christina, answered the phone. It was good to see some things didn't change.
“Hey! How’s the case going? Justin updated us, and I have to say I’m jealous of all the fun you’re having!”
Kane made a sound. He obviously wasn’t jealous at all. Julian couldn’t blame him. This case was a nightma
re. This was the last place he wanted to be.
“Yeah, we’re just lucky like that,” Tori stated. “Can you make our day and give us something, Christina?”
“Well, I can tell you that we’re playing divide and conquer. Kany-kins is working on your suspect list, and I’m handling the family history.”
Kane had to object. “Christina! Not in the office!” he hissed.
Tori laughed. It was funny to hear the frustration in the man’s voice. This sprite of a woman had taken the giant to his knees.
It was sweet to watch.
“Okay, how about you give us all you have?”
There was a shuffle of papers.
Kane went first.
“We started pulling anything we could find on your possible suspects. It’s not looking that good. There really isn't all that much out there.”
Julian suspected as much.
“Your psychic doesn’t have any other address other than Cloverdale. She’s been there her entire life.”
“Okay,” stated Julian.
“Her brother, on the other hand, had three other addresses pop up. He moved around some after getting his education. They both went to college there, but he left shortly after.”
“Yeah, this is a small town. He likely wanted to spread his wings a bit,” Julian added.
Tori didn't disagree. “What else do we know about him?”
“His degree is in business. We had Beau sift through all the college annuals to find his picture. He graduated in accounting.”
The team found that was ironic, since he couldn’t hold onto his own money.
“He’s missing,” stated Tori.
“As in the killer got him?” questioned Christina.
“No, as in he’s in the wind. He took off.”
“That sucks,” stated Kane, knowing that they couldn’t chase him. Once the man bolted, he was off their radar. Private investigators had limited powers. There was a fine line between doing your job and harassing a private citizen.
“Maybe you should contact the local authorities and report him,” Christina offered. “They’ll be the only way to bring him in for official questioning.”
Julian liked that option about as much as a root canal.
Unthinkable Games (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 3) Page 37