He couldn’t believe the man before him was going to let him out in the field. This had to be a really good dream. At any second, Tessa was going to walk back in, naked, and sit in his lap.
“You should be safe, but strap your gun back on and have Tessa get you into a vest. I don’t need any more holes in you. Your mother will kick my ass.”
Paris grabbed his gun from his messenger bag and grinned enthusiastically. This was turning out to be a really good day. “I didn't see this coming,” he admitted.
“You should have. You’re still the same man and very intelligent. We’re talking three geeks. What are they going to do? Throw a tablet at you? Tessa will shoot them.”
Paris didn't doubt it, and the visual made him laugh.
Croft walked beside him as he wheeled himself toward the door. “I want you to watch them, see what they do, and mess with their minds.”
“You really dislike them.”
He began laughing as they caught up with their team at the door. “You can say that again.”
Croft was skirting the line, hoping to make them an example to the rest of Vegas. Was it wrong to make this a personal vendetta?
Hell yes, it was.
But sometimes, you had to bend the rules a little bit, and this, in his mind, was one of those times.
With that, the team headed out to the vehicles to pull on Kevlar and coms. Was it a little over the top?
Yes.
Did Greyson Croft want to make a statement?”
Hell yeah, he did.
It wasn’t only directed at the owners of the company. He wanted to deliver a message to the killer. This was his city now, and certain shit wouldn’t be tolerated.
They could learn it or leave.
He didn't care.
They didn't pay him to give a rat’s ass. He earned his money to make the law sterling, and that was exactly what he planned on doing.
He was riding roughshod over the people who were morally inept.
Outside the precinct, they all made sure the media watched them getting suited up. There were pictures being taken of Greyson velcroing Emma into her vest, and her doing the same to him. Then, there was a moment of talk as they put in their coms.
Immediately, the media was stirred into a frenzy. They knew something was coming, but they weren’t sure what it would be.
What Greyson wanted was to make sure the crew of information thirsty mongrels saw that they were doing an official run to a location.
He wanted them to follow.
He longed for them to assume.
This was his plan.
When he saw his weasel reporter in the crowd, he nodded at him, signaling to follow their caravan.
Later, he’d give him some details. From the look on the man’s face, he could see he was lapping it up like a starving animal.
Yeah, there were days he loved his job.
A lot.
This was certainly one of them.
Pulling up to the warehouse, they all exited the FBI vehicles, the two bosses in the lead. They were treating this as if the people inside were dangerous. After all, they may have a killer in their midst.
Or not, but either way, the media was getting one hell of a show.
Once inside the door, they ran into their first pain in the ass. Daisy, the pit bull receptionist, was there playing sentry. She appeared to be off, since her apparel was low key.
“What do you want?” she asked, crossing her arms as she stood there.
Croft handed his wife the warrant. This was technically her show, and he was going to let her run it.
“We’re here to serve this,” Emma said, handing it to her. “I suggest you call your bosses down before we begin dismantling the place one computer at a time.”
She immediately saw the word warrant, and began dialing the phone. It was good to see that she was taking this seriously.
It didn't take long for all three men to lumber down the stairs. None of them looked the least bit happy at what was going on in their business.
“Hello, gentlemen,” Croft stated. “It looks like I’m back, and I brought a few of my friends with me.”
The horrified men took it all in. There were four armed Feds, two detectives and a few cops for backup.
Their faces said it all.
This was going to be a mess.
“Plus, we have about twenty news reporters outside. They seem to think you’ve got something to do with our case,” Emma added. “Right about now, they’re transferring live feed to their offices for the daily news.”
Donald Clark angrily took the warrant from his secretary. “What the hell! Our homes are on here too!”
Croft grinned ferally. “Yes, I noticed that. It seems that when you bought into this business, you used your homes as collateral on the loan. So, that makes them part of this entity, and now we get to search them too. I’m going to enjoy that the most.”
Emma pointed toward the cops. “Lock down their computers. They’re not to access anything on them without one of us at their side.”
“This sucks!” stated Rodney Hamilton. “Why are you doing this?”
Croft didn't care what any of them thought. “That’s not my problem. I came here, and you told me to get a warrant. Did I not tell you that I’d be back? Well, when you make the cops jump through hoops, we get bitchy. We could have played nice on this, but now we’re going to blow it up Vegas style. This is now a media three ring circus!”
Emma pointed at the woman. “She’s ours,” she said, motioning toward Brynn. “While you men handle the owners, we’ll interrogate her.”
At the use of the word, Daisy looked a little sick, but she followed them off to a quiet area. She had seen these women on the news before, and had to admit the redhead intimidated her.
“Now, how long have you worked here?” Emma asked, as Brynn made notes.
“I've been a part of this since they started the business. I’ve been here from day one.”
“So, you must see some interesting stuff, and know everything that’s going on around here.”
She shrugged.
“Have there been any people who made you nervous, alarmed, or wary? Maybe one of the bosses, perhaps?” Emma asked.
Daisy laughed. “Those three? They’re far from dangerous. Most of the time, they just dream big. This time, they managed to pull it off.”
“You go way back?”
“College. I dated Juan for a while. Then, we remained friends.”
“So there have been no creepy calls, visits, or anything else?” Brynn Westmore asked, glancing up.
There was a pause.
“What?” Emma asked.
“We had one incident with the local postal carrier. When he first had to deliver mail here, he was pissed since it was out of his way. Then, he must have done his research about the place. He came in one day asking if I was on the site. It was weird, since he seemed lecherous all of the sudden.”
“What did you do?”
“I told Rodney, and he checked the membership list and deleted the man.”
Emma found that curious. “Did it piss him off?”
“Oh yeah. He came in pretty angry, saying that I shouldn’t be selling services and teasing the clientele.”
Brynn made notes. “What was his name?”
She tried to recall. “I know his first name is Lawrence, but I don’t know his last. You can ask Rodney. He would know. He booted him.”
Brynn sent a text to her husband, asking him to dig up a detail for them. It was weird for her to use the word ‘husband’ when thinking about Curtis, but it didn't exactly upset her.
It was kind of nice.
“Anyone else?” Emma asked.
“No, since that day, we get our mail dropped in a post office box. It’s just easier to go pick it up at the end of the week.”
They asked a few more questions before something occurred to Emma. “Are you on the dating site?” she asked.
“I have an acc
ount, just in case they need me to go in and monitor something. I don’t use it. I’m in a relationship right now, plus I don’t condone cheating.”
“And you work here?” Brynn asked. “You do realize what your bosses are selling, right?”
“They pay me well. I need to eat. It’s all business. I don’t have any kinky fetishes. I like it plain and very vanilla. I help give the guys some perspective into what a woman wants. After all, men aren’t all that astute.”
Emma didn't agree. Some men were.
Finishing the questioning, they let her go.
“What do you think?” Brynn asked.
“I find it odd that the mailman freaked out, then disappeared. Let’s see what the men turned up.”
“I hope it’s something. This place is just nasty.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Curtis sat at the table with the three men watching him. He could tell that they weren’t happy. When the text came in, he glanced down and then over at the men. “What’s the last name of the mailman you booted from your site? You know, the one who was harassing Daisy and wanted in her pants.”
Rodney chimed in, “His name was Lawrence Owens. He was technically kicked off for harassing a woman who has an account--not just our employee.”
Croft didn't understand, and Curtis tossed him his phone so he could just read the text from Brynn.
“Does she use it on a daily basis?” he asked.
They all shook their heads.
Croft pointed out the obvious to their team. “She fits the descriptions.”
They all got what he was saying.
“Tell her not to meet up with anyone who contacts her,” he stated, trying to save another potential woman. It was a long shot, but why not try? While he despised what they were doing, he didn't like the idea of another woman being murdered. He was old school, and the fairer sex deserved to be protected.
“This is going to take time,” Curtis admitted, glancing over at his boss. “We’re going to have to pick through the four women’s hits. They were messaged a lot.”
“People like sex,” stated Donald Clark.
Greyson signaled his profiler to begin.
“How do you feel about sex?” asked Paris.
The question caught him off guard. In fact, the man looked irritated.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Paris did his shrink thing. “Well, here, you have three grown men who created a site for cheaters. Did you do it because you like the thrill of doing something not quite moral, or because you enjoy watching relationships fall apart?”
“The money. It’s always been about the dinero, bro.”
Croft interrupted, “His name is Doctor Archer, so use it. We don’t call you dude, so have some respect.”
Paris grinned at his boss. The man was very protective as of late. It was like having a big brother.
“Sorry,” the one man replied.
“We just don’t buy that your case has anything to do with our business. Who are we hurting?” Donald asked.
Croft didn't even know where to begin.
“All four women had accounts. That’s why we’re here. You could be right. They might have nothing to do with this, but if they do, we have a problem. We have to nip this in the bud, and we’re three victims past coincidence,” Paris said.
“Can we keep this quiet?” asked Juan Sanchez.
Croft laughed. “We’re three days past that point, my friend. You shouldn’t have made me get a warrant. Had you worked with us, we wouldn’t have drawn attention to your business. Now, we have no choice.”
“I found someone,” Curtis whispered, as Paris kept interviewing the men. “I may have one person who is connected to two of the women. I’m going to really need to go over this back at the office,” he stated.
Croft was pleased with the team. Emma was browbeating the secretary, Paris was scaring the hell out of the men, and Curtis found something.
This was going to be a productive day after all.
* * *
The man was furious.
“What do you mean he’s gone?” Dominic Marianna practically screamed. “How can he just disappear?” he asked.
The man before him shrugged. He’d seen the boss pissed before, but this was a far more volatile explosion.
He was throwing papers around, and actually whipped a picture of his favorite racecar at the wall.
“I don’t know, sir. I’m only delivering what I found. You told me to go over there and pick him up. I did, and when I got there, the door was open, and the place was vacated.”
“All his stuff?” he asked furiously.
“No, there were some things, but his office looked like someone packed hastily. His computer was gone, and all his ledgers.”
“Shit! What the hell am I supposed to do now?” he asked. “Levi was supposed to help me level Greyson Croft. I want to bury that asshole. He embarrassed me by shoving me into that pool. His frigid wife is to blame.”
The man said nothing.
“Find him. If his accounts are empty, he’s a dead man. No one promises Dominic Marianna the world and then breaks it. NO ONE!”
The man hustled out, getting as far from his boss as possible. He felt bad for the older man. Levi Hammond was as good as dead when he was found. He’d seen this before. It was only a matter of time.
Someone would pay, because Dominic Marianna was one crazy man.
* * *
Sunday Early Afternoon
Once arriving back in-house, the team got down to work. Paris began working on a profile of the three men he had interviewed, while Tessa worked beside him. She would be going back on duty soon, and he would miss her.
“When will you have it, Paris?” Croft asked, pacing back and forth.
“Soon, boss.”
Emma could see the tension in her husband’s body. “Grey, I’m going to head down to autopsy and run back out. Would you like to join me? Curtis can run the programs and Brynn will help him.”
He glanced over. “Where is ‘out’ exactly?”
“I want to interview Mike Rogers. He’s the man who was accused of harassing Polly. He’s due for a surprise visit before the media gets wind of the victims’ names.”
Croft was good with that. “Sure, I’ll ride shotgun with you.”
Curtis mouthed, ‘thank you’, to show his appreciation. The next few hours were going to be tedious, and the last thing they needed was Croft circling like a buzzard.
“Can someone run him?” Emma asked. “When we get back, we need something.” She had to give the team some space before her husband caused a mutiny.
As she headed out, he was right behind her. “If you think I don’t know that you’re trying to occupy me, you’re wrong. I didn't get my job for my roguish good looks.”
Emma began laughing. “You found me out. I guess I’m not as tricky as I thought.” She was well aware that her husband was a smart, astute man. It was one of the things she loved most about her sexy pirate.
He dropped his arm over her shoulder as they entered the elevator. It garnered stares, but not nearly as many as it once had. The cops Emma worked with were more at ease around the Feds, since they were often underfoot.
When the elevator opened, allowing access to the morgue, they headed through the door together.
“What’s up, Doc?” she asked, noticing the man looked a little harried.
“I just got called to the principal’s office,” he stated. “My contract is up with the city next week, and I really think they’re looking for a way to get rid of me.”
He looked around before continuing, “The issue I helped you with is still being investigated. If they think it was me, that’s the nail in my coffin.”
Croft felt bad. The man had helped them solve it, saving his agent’s life. “If you need anything, give me a call. I can be persuasive.”
“Thanks,” Steele stated. “Now, I’m guessing you’re here for the DNA and my impressio
n on the four bodies.”
“Yep,” stated Emma. “What’s your opinion?”
“Professionally, I believe that it’s the same killer. He’s utilizing the same killing methodology. They’re all strangled exactly the same way, plus the cuts made to their scalps are consistent across the board. I can tell you now that he’s not a doctor. They’re rough and look like he does a lot of ripping.”
That grossed Croft right out. He pictured it in his head, and it didn't sit well with him.
“The DNA is back from your office, Director.”
“Greyson,” he corrected. “We’re alone, you can use my name.”
Steele visibly relaxed. It was still odd thinking about this man as being his lover’s big brother. It was also a little weird that they looked alike. Steele felt bad every time he checked him out, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Thank you, again. I wish I had better news, but the DNA didn't match. Your killer isn't, or should I say wasn’t, Benji Johnston.”
“What about his autopsy?”
Being that he had just finished, he had an answer for them. “I just wrapped it up. He also was strangled, but his hyoid wasn’t broken.”
When they looked confused, he continued, “He didn't fall from a great height, so there wasn’t any pressure on it. The article of clothing was up around his neck here,” he said, pointing toward his Adam’s apple. “Not here where the hyoid is located.”
Emma got it. “Okay, so what you’re saying is that we still have a lunatic running around.”
Croft laughed. “We always do. This is Vegas. Now, I bet you wish you let me brow beat the team more.”
Emma rolled her eyes in amusement. “Yes, Grey.”
“Well, then we should get moving. We still have a killer. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll be this teacher.”
Emma followed him out. “Steele, if you need us, call!” she stated, referring to his issue coming up.
When he waved, they exited the morgue. Out in the hall, Croft grabbed some coffee. It was already a long day, and he still had hours to go.
Heaven is Weeping (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 5) Page 30