Heaven is Weeping (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 5)

by Morgan Kelley

  They were even.

  She got off, and so did he.

  Now, he needed to think about the next one. Sitting there, he sipped his coffee, pondering the dead women as he pictured the next person he wanted.

  He’d seen her online, and all it would take was making the connection. She was available all day when her husband was busy at work.

  She would be easy.

  Fast.

  Deliciously kinky.

  All it would take is one message to her, and she would fall into his web. The spider didn't have to work hard on this one, but then again, women weren’t that smart.

  This was proving it.

  As his thoughts drifted toward the FBI and the team pursuing him, he knew it was only a matter of time. They would get frustrated and give up.

  No one could stop him.

  He was just too damn tricky.

  The people around him pulled him back to reality. He needed to blend, all the while finding his next fantasy. The FBI wanted him, and he was going to make sure they didn't find out the truth.

  He had more pleasure to give.

  And so much more to steal away…

  * * *

  Back at the station, Greyson Croft was a man on a mission. His single solitary goal was to bring that company down. As they pulled into the police precinct, as usual, the media was waiting for them. The horde was camped out in front of the building, dying for a juicy tidbit. Before getting out, Croft pointed at the red haired reporter.

  “See that man?” he asked Curtis.

  “Yes, why?”

  “He caught me coming out of a gay bar when I was hunting for Dante’s boyfriend.”

  Curtis immediately began laughing. That one sentence was so damn absurd.

  “Yeah, it’s hysterical. You’re lucky you’re not my probee anymore, or I swear I’d have you doing something so horrible, you’d weep.”

  That made him grin.

  “He got pictures of me helping Steele Bentley to my car.”

  “Do you want me to beat the hell out of him?” Curtis asked seriously.

  Croft laughed. “Uh, no. I want you to run him. He’s blackmailing me, and I want to know what kind of man I’m dealing with. If he’s desperate for money, he may sell those pictures, and in which case, I shouldn’t help him.”

  Curtis was confused. “What are you helping him with?”

  He explained.

  “He’s either a stupid man, or likes to live close to the edge of the cliff,” Curtis admitted. “Who blackmails a Fed, let alone one who runs the entire city? He’s crazy.”

  “He’s the reporter Emma deals with, and that’s the only reason I didn't tear him apart. Just find out what you can on him, and be quiet about it. If you dig up some dirt, I have leverage. I don’t like helping the media, and I certainly abhor giving them details.”

  Curtis would take care of it.

  As they hopped out of the Denali, the media swarmed. Greyson had his sunglasses on, so they didn't have a clue who he was monitoring.

  The man who was blackmailing him was his focus.

  As they approached the building, reporters called out lots of crazy questions, some about his personal life, a few regarding his clothes, and then a couple about the case.

  At the door, he motioned to the reporter to follow him. The man looked jubilant, especially when there was an uproar from the crowd behind him.

  Yeah, they didn't like him being singled out to get the information, and Croft didn't mind. Once back outside, they’d chew him up and spit him out. The media was like piranhas. They’d go after their own in a heartbeat.

  If Keith Powell thought his attempt at blackmail would be painless, he was very wrong. Croft would make him the most hated reporter in the entire kingdom, all the while using him to get what he wanted.

  The right kind of spin in the media.

  Inside, they paused right outside the bullpen.

  “What do you have?” he asked, pulling out his phone to make notes.

  Croft played the game. “We have a serial killer who is picking his women because of specific traits.”

  He didn't give out more.

  “What kind?”

  He laughed. “I can’t give you that, and you know it. You’ll have to listen and dig for details like that on your own. He’s killing them and leaving them to be found.”

  Keith made more notes. “Will there be more?”

  He didn't want to scare the people of Vegas, but then this was ‘Sin City’. It would take God coming down from above to frighten the people of this town.

  Heaven actually wept when it saw Vegas.

  There was no doubt.

  “Yes, there will be more.”

  “How about the time frame?” he asked.

  Croft thought about it. “We have some time before the next victim. I can’t tell you why I know that. Sorry, that’s all I can give you.”

  “Are you sure you won’t share the characteristics that he’s using to pick his victims? Are they blondes? Have freckles? Anything?”

  He shook his head.

  “It could save lives…” He took a shot. “Let me help you get it out there, Director. I can use my job to help you save some victims.”

  Croft shut him right down. “Listen, I’m not going to risk an investigation because you’re blackmailing me.”

  He hissed, “Shhhhhhh. Are you trying to get me arrested?” Keith whispered. “I deleted the photos. I shouldn’t have told you I was going to release them. No one in their right mind would believe that you’re gay. Look at your wife.”

  Curtis was waiting for his boss to snap the man’s head off. It would be the highlight of his day.

  In that moment, Greyson had just one more reason to hate the media, but he would admit that he needed them. There might be a time where he could use the man to spin something to their advantage. Being director, he knew the value of that.

  “That’s all I have for now,” he stated, turning to walk away.

  “Thank you, Director! I appreciate you keeping your end of the deal.”

  Greyson had to keep reminding himself that when in Vegas, you had to swim with the sharks.

  Curtis followed alongside him.

  “Wow, you’re off your game. This is so unlike you. I can count on one hand the times you’ve played nice with the media.”

  Didn't he know it?

  “I’m trying to stay calm. As this case goes on, we may need to plant some information to trip the killer up. This might be our only way to do it.”

  “So, you’re using him?”

  “Yes.”

  Curtis shrugged. He was good with that.

  “For now, I’ll play nice and not kick anyone’s ass.”

  That was funny, and Curtis actually snorted. Greyson Croft lived by his own rules and didn’t do anything he didn't want to. “Yeah, how long is that going to last?”

  He grinned at his partner. “All day. Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf.”

  When they met back in the offices, the entire team began exchanging information. It seemed that Tessa had found that no one at the church had seen anything. The last two days, the priest only came in to pray, not conduct confessions. He only did that on weekends.

  He was a dead end.

  It got worse. Tessa had to admit that all the people who witnessed the crime weren’t saying anything that they didn't already know. There was a dead woman without hair.

  That was stating the obvious.

  Yeah, their powers of observation were astounding.

  So much for people being aware of their surroundings.

  Greyson Croft was pretty sure they had hit a wall when it came to the citizens of Vegas. This killer knew his area and was good at blending in.

  When Emma walked in, she was casually sipping her coffee.

  “How was your interview? Did Lidia Martinez have a roommate?” asked Croft, patting the chair beside him.

  Brynn began laughing. “Yeah, you can say that.”
r />   He didn't find any humor in his question, and that set him on edge. “Why are you entertained? What’s so funny?”

  “I had to bring him in,” stated Emma.

  “Did he confess?” Croft asked.

  Brynn laughed more.

  “Okay, I’m getting nervous. When that happens, my blood pressure goes up. Does someone want to tell me why that’s happening?” he asked.

  “He tried to attack us,” stated Brynn.

  Immediately, both Curtis and Greyson stood in anger.

  “Where is he? I’ll kill him!” Croft stated.

  This time, it was Emma’s turn to laugh. She saw this one coming a mile away.

  So much for Greyson Croft’s new leaf and staying calm all day…

  Funny how it only lasted ten minutes.

  ~ Chapter Eleven ~

  If he didn't love his wife so much, it wouldn’t make him so insane when she put herself in danger.

  Yeah, she was a cop.

  He had to expect that, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

  At all!

  In the end, it didn't take long to calm her husband down. Emma was prepared for the outburst. When they had brought Benji in, she had warned Brynn now that she was married, mini Greyson Croft was going to lose it too.

  The little apple wasn’t going to fall far from the tree. In this case, both women were going to have to laugh about it and move on. Emma warned Brynn that getting upset was a dead end. It was best to just let it go, choosing her battles wisely.

  After all, going head to head with a concrete wall didn't make the situation better or easier.

  Sitting, Emma didn't miss that Curtis had moved closer to Brynn, as if someone might still sneak up on her in a room full of cops and Feds. Then, she realized her husband had done the same thing.

  It made her laugh more.

  “Emma Croft, I don’t think this is funny,” he stated, low in her ear.

  As his breath tickled her flesh, she wanted to giggle more. “I’m well aware, but we’re fine. You both seem to think that we cops can’t handle ourselves.”

  Brynn didn't say anything. She was too distracted by the man beside her. Part of her wanted to kiss him, the other part wanted to still freak out.

  He was her husband.

  Oh Lord.

  Those words made her guts tie into knots.

  Emma continued, explaining the entire situation. All the while, the team listened quietly, doing their thing. Paris began analyzing the man, Tessa began running him, and the two husbands tried to remain calm.

  “He was easy to handle,” she stated.

  Still, Croft didn't like it.

  “Yeah, the bigger they are, the harder they fall,” Brynn stated.

  Both men looked at her.

  Then at Emma for clarification.

  “He’s a steroid junkie. He didn't move all that fast, and once I got him down, he was easy to get under control. I just had to stay on top of him until we got him cuffed.”

  This story was getting worse and worse. Croft actually visualized some big man with his wife on top of him.

  His face flushed.

  Emma took it as her cue.

  “What did you learn?” she asked, trying to draw the focus off them and onto another part of the investigation.

  Croft broke it all down. “They’re going to run this by the books. You can tell they had everything invested in it. All three of them showed no compassion toward the dead women. They were all about the business.”

  Emma glanced over at Paris. “Does that fit the profile?” she asked, hoping that the man would have something for them.

  “Yes, it’s going to fit somewhat. The person doing this is going to be somewhat tech savvy. He’s going to know his way around that site. Now, could it be someone who works there?” he asked, pausing. “Absolutely. He could be hunting for women in his own back yard. It wouldn’t be the first time a killer did that, and ultimately, what got him caught.”

  Emma could see it happening that way.

  Curtis agreed. “If they have access to the main database, they could peruse all the women without leaving a trail.”

  “We really need that warrant,” stated Croft.

  Paris got why his boss was in a hurry. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but get the inkling that something bad was coming. This killer was slowly coming apart at the seams. “It’s in the works. You know how fast judges like to move on Saturdays. We should have it by tomorrow morning.”

  “Good, because I want to pull that place apart and dig into Donald Clark, Juan Sanchez, and Rodney Hamilton’s lives. That’s looking like tomorrow’s work load.”

  Emma was good with that. In the evening, she had a date with Randall Mason. He’d requested to wait until that specific day to have Emma play for him. She would have rather had gotten it over with weeks ago, but the man did pay two million for her hour. The homeless shelter was the big winner, so she could accommodate the bad timing on this one.

  “I still have to do the interview with Benji Johnston. They’re busy booking him right now.”

  “I’ll help you,” Greyson offered.

  Emma laughed. “No, that’s probably not a good idea. You might hurt him.”

  Croft winked at her. “Do you think? What gave that away?”

  Everyone in the room saw that one coming.

  Tessa spoke up, “I ran your three executives of ‘Perfect Indiscretions’,” she stated. “You have three geeks who want to take over the world. All three of them went to good colleges, outside of this area. In fact, two are not native to Nevada.”

  Curtis began scanning the information he found online. He pointed at the big TV on the wall, and everyone glanced over. There, on the screen, was a news article.

  ‘Selling Sex in Vegas is Very Profitable.’

  They each read the article before anyone spoke. It was Greyson who broke the silence, “I knew I didn't like them,” he stated.

  “Wow! They’re scuzzy,” stated Brynn. “Who would ever base their business in a city because of the lure of sex, crime, and other bad behaviors?”

  “Someone without any moral code,” Croft stated. “They picked Vegas because it has moments of lunacy, but they’re on my radar now,” he stated. Croft was going to make it his mission to take them down.

  Emma finished reading. “They’re selling sex and found a legal way to do it,” she stated. “Want to buy a hooker, but don’t want to go to jail? Well, then use our service,” she stated. “There’s money being exchanged, just not between the couple who is seeking sex. They’re getting rich off of Vegas and sin.”

  As far as being despicable, it was genius.

  Greyson didn't like that at all. He was trying to clean Vegas up, and the last thing he needed was this. While he wasn’t one to police people’s bedrooms, this skirted pretty close to the law, especially when bodies were turning up all over the place.

  “We need to pull that place apart,” Curtis stated.

  “Yeah, as soon as that warrant comes in, we will. It’s on the top of our list.”

  Before anyone could continue, there was a knock on the door. “Detective, your suspect is in holding,” Captain Ford stated, giving her the heads up.

  “Thank you,” Emma replied, pushing back in her chair. “I’ll go handle him now.”

  Brynn stood and couldn’t help but notice the look on Curtis’s face. “Relax. He’s in cuffs. What could happen?” she asked, patting him on the cheek. “We’ve got this. Besides, if he tries to attack me, Emma will kick his ass.”

  Funny, Greyson Croft didn't like the sound of that either. When the women were gone, he stood. “Paris, can you and Tessa keep running those three slime balls? Curtis and I are going to go watch the women work.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” he stated, more than happy to spend some alone time with Tessa while working. When the door closed, he grinned at her. “Tessie, my sweet, are you ready to find some dirt in ‘Sin City’?” he asked.

  She l
eft a kiss gently on his lips. “Absolutely, Paris. Then maybe tonight we can look for some sin in our bedroom.”

  He swallowed when she winked lasciviously at him. “Anything for you, Tessa,” he replied, finally getting it out.

  God, he couldn’t wait to get home.

  Sin never sounded so good.

  When Greyson Croft made his way to the interrogation viewing room, he found that he and Curtis wouldn’t be watching his wife work alone. Inside, they found Captain Ford standing there, also monitoring his detectives’ progress.

  Glancing over he grinned. “No offense, Director, but I love watching your wife work. She strolled in there, and the man is already thinking she’s just a girl. Look at his body language.”

  Yeah, Croft wanted to get an up-close look, as he beat the man into a puddle of mush.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be happening. Instead of pounding on the glass like some maniac, he decided to give his Emma the benefit of the doubt. Taking it in, his wife was sitting there, Brynn at her side and a cop on the door. Well, at least she had more backup in case the man snapped. Yeah, and big was an understatement. Someone liked steroids a little too much.

  They all focused as Emma began.

  “So, Mr. Johnston, can you tell me where you were the last two nights, and why the hell you didn't notice your girlfriend was missing?” Emma asked.

  “I told you, bitch, I work night shift. When I get out of here, I’m going to a lawyer to sue your ass for hitting me.”

  Emma wasn’t shaken by his threat. “Yeah, you won’t get far with that,” she said, pulling open a file. “Want to know why, Benji? Well, let me tell you. We ran you, and it seems that you’re a bad boyfriend. Your past relationships have been a tad bit rocky,” she stated.

  He glared at her.

  “One ex filed a PFA against you, and your baby momma moved out of the state with your only child, citing to the court that you have a violent temper. I concur on that one. She probably should have moved ten states away.”

  He went to move, and the cop on the door pointed at him. “Don’t even think about it.”