Okay, that wasn’t true. If everyone quit, he was a shoe in.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Martha didn't have a clue, and that’s shocking.”
Ethan began explaining everything to the man, from the bones to the missing ME.
“I was the one on duty when the remains were found. I personally transported them to Doc. When he saw them, he was acting all weird.”
That piqued her interest. “How?”
Tyrell thought back to that day. “He had them under a magnifying glass and looked all freaked out. I asked what was bugging him, but he just patted me on the shoulder and sent me back on duty.”
That sounded like Doc. He never liked to freak anyone out. The man had fifty years of calm under his belt.
“I wish I would have made him tell me.”
Yeah, she did too.
“Are you three working on this?” he asked. “If so, then I would really like to help out. Doc was a really nice man. When he saw me or my family on the street, he always had a pocket full of candy for the kids. This case is important to me.”
She patted him on the arm. “I’m not in charge of this one, Tony is.”
The sound he made was decisive and said it all. “I like Tony, but he’s not fit to lead. He drives around waving at citizens and kissing babies for the next election. He’s making a mockery out of this office. It’s like he’s using it to find women and not justice.”
He wasn’t telling her anything that she didn't figure out already. This was exactly why she didn't want Tony taking over for her. In life, he seldom took anything serious. Death and crime had consequences, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you were going to be in charge, you needed to want to find the truth.
“If we find something, I have authorization to pull rank, and I will.”
“That’s probably a good thing,” Tyrell replied.
Before anyone could add anything to that, there was a shout from the water, drawing everyone’s attention.
The diver surfaced holding what looked like a thigh bone. Unfortunately, it was still meaty, or maybe that was a good thing, depending on your perspective. As he held it up, the water around him churned and little pieces of bone began to float to the surface.
Tony looked disgusted.
“That’s gross,” he muttered, his eyes never leaving the leg bone with the flesh still clinging to it. “What do we do?”
Elizabeth pulled on gloves and stepped in where he had no clue. “Hand it over, boys,” she said, moving to the edge of the water. When the diver handed it to her, she gently placed it on the tarp that Ethan spread out behind her.
It was a good old fashioned FBI retrieval, minus her team. They needed to do this by the book.
“We need all those bone pieces,” Callen said, as he held out his gloved hands.
Tony began pacing. “This is horrible. This is going to hit the news and be a mess.”
Elizabeth looked up from where she knelt, beside the bones being laid out by the men in her life. If that was all Tony could worry about, then she knew what she needed to do. “Ethan, I was going to visit the mayor first and tell him that we were taking over, but I think we can mobilize.”
He happened to agree. “I’ll call in the team, and you can buzz the ME. He takes bad news better from you.”
Yeah, because she was the scary one.
Elizabeth continued to take the large bones from Callen and laid them out like she had seen Doctor Magnus do before. When he handed her a flesh covered foot, that looked like something nibbled on it, her stomach rolled.
“Maybe seafood before this was a bad idea.”
Tony stopped in front of her and didn't know what to do. “God, that’s so gross.”
Ethan tapped him on the shoulder as he was preparing to dial. “Why don’t you go get some coffees for the team?” he stated, dismissing the man before he set Elizabeth off.
He looked irritated. “I’m the sheriff. I’m running this,” he stated.
Elizabeth was amused that he took that exact moment to finally grow a set and want control. “No, you’re not. As of right now, Tony, you have a dump site and multiple bodies. I’m taking over and bringing in my team.”
He objected.
Looking up at him, she used the inside of her arm to push her sunglasses up onto the top of her head. “Just a few minutes ago, you didn't know what to do, and now I’m telling you. The cavalry is coming to save you and the people in this town. You obviously have a problem.”
“Only one?” Callen whispered, as he laid the partially covered foot beside her on the tarp.
No, they definitely had more than one.
When she came home, this wasn’t what she had expected.
Now, she had no choice but to clean up the mess. It looked like the crazy train had jumped the tracks.
* * *
Chris pulled off his coat and hung it in the little office that he shared with Tony Magnus and Zane Legend. He was just arriving at work for his night shift. Since there were only two medical examiners at FBI West, they had to switch back and forth between the two of them. Most of the nights, they simply stayed on call, but tonight, he had to be in the lab. There was paperwork and payroll to process, and it had to be sent to the big bosses by Monday morning.
As he pulled on his scrubs and folded his clothes, he thought about what he was going to say to Cyra when he saw her. All day, he had been sending her texts and getting very abrupt answers in return.
That meant that she most likely had heard what his mother had done and wasn’t happy. God, he wished they could just run away and elope. All he wanted was to marry her and start a family together.
Instead, what he had was a backlog of red tape. Since he worked for the government, he knew what that was like. His relationship might possibly be worse, and that was saying a lot.
First thing that he was going to do was swing up to her desk and see if she was there. If Cyra was, maybe he could talk her into a coffee break.
Or a walk.
Hell, two minutes alone in a closet would be really nice at that point.
As he logged into his tablet, all the phones around him began beeping and going off.
Shit!
NOT NOW!
Zane Legend began laughing as he headed for the door with a wave. “Tag, you’re it, Chris,” he stated, racing to the elevator. He was officially off duty, now that his co-worker had logged in. He couldn’t have timed this one better if he tried.
Zane loved his job, but he had done his fourteen hour shift in the meat locker, and he was going home to curl up with his dog and a beer.
It was quittin’ time.
Picking up his phone, Chris stared down at the code. It meant they were going to mobilize, and that they had fresh bodies somewhere. In a few minutes, he knew that his phone would be ringing and one of the bosses would be giving him the details.
As he tucked his phone back in his pocket, Tony Magnus walked back into the morgue. He had left ten minutes ago to head home, but apparently, he too, was back on duty.
“It looks like we’re both going out,” he said, grinning. There was nothing he liked more than a field trip. This was going to be just like the old days. He and Chris hadn’t been out together in a long time.
As predicted, Chris’s phone began to ring.
“Can you get the tech team moving?” he asked, trusting the man. Unfortunately, the new head tech was leaving a lot to be desired in her job skills. Half the time she ran around like a chicken with her head cut off.
Despite trying to cover for her with the bosses, it was making his life hell.
“Hello,” he answered, noticing it was Elizabeth cell number on his display. Since they had their video conference earlier in the day, he assumed that they were likely heading to wherever she was, and that meant a long distance romance with Cyra.
Freaking terrific.
He had planned on spending their first Valentine’s Day together. If there was a way to have a worse day,
this was most likely the topper. His mother cancelled their wedding plans, his fiancée was mad at him, and now he was spending the first ‘girl’ holiday away from the woman.
Well shit!
This was going to piss her off now too. Today, he was batting a big fat zero on the relationship front.
“Hey, Chris. How’s my favorite ME?”
“Great. Are we heading there?” he asked, as he watched the FBI ants in the lab move around him in syncopated anticipation. The team was excited to be going out, even if mobilizing all their equipment was a logistical nightmare.
His nightmare.
“Yeah, we pulled more bones from the river, so saddle up my corpse lovin’ friend.”
Here was his one shot at getting out of this. “Well, if it’s just bones, we may only need Tony. We can keep me in house and save the government some money.”
She started laughing. When he opted to save money, there was always an ulterior motive. She knew the man well, and had been to this rodeo a few times before. If he was trying to get out of this, there was only one good reason.
Special Agent Cyra Austin.
Elizabeth put her hand over the phone and whispered in Ethan’s ear. He nodded, willing to play Cupid with his wife this Valentine’s Day.
“The set we found today, Doctor, is fleshy. That means obvious DNA, and the possibility that you can find something that will tell us identity and cause of death. Then, you can factor in the little issue with our new head tech. Do I need to point out that she’s your responsibility? Are you telling me that she’s ready to fly solo in the field, with me?”
He sighed because duty called, and he was well aware that Christina’s replacement wasn’t even close to handling the stress of an assignment out on her own. Never mind the part about being alone with Elizabeth.
“The FBI jet has been called up, and you and the team fly out as soon as you get everything to the airport.”
“Sure thing, Lyzee,” he said, distracted.
The tone in his voice was almost like that of a sad, whipped puppy. “Spill it, Christopher. What’s eating you?”
“Is this boss to employee or friend to friend?”
Yeah, that confirmed it for her. “Let’s go with the latter choice, Chris.”
“What agents are joining us?” Hey, there was always hope. Maybe luck of the draw would shine upon him.
“I bet you’re wishing that it’s your lovely fiancée, aren’t you?” she teased. “Well, she isn’t next up on the list, she missed this assignment by one team.”
Shit!
“I didn't think I was that lucky,” Chris muttered. This was just more proof that he had to be hexed. Again, this had to be his mother’s doing. He didn't doubt that she had some chicken bones with his name on it in some sand circle.
Elizabeth didn't want to kick the ME while he was down. “But, since this is a holiday weekend, and I’m a firm believer in love and kisses, you get a present from Ethan and myself. We remember how hard you both worked to get him back. Happy Valentine’s Day, Orion. I’m bumping order and pulling your babe into the corpse free-for-all. It must be in the stars.”
Chris started dancing silently in the room, ignoring the use of his birth name. Yeah, he looked like an idiot, but this meant time together, and not apart.
“I could kiss you,” he stated.
“Yeah, how about instead we say it with excellent work and an efficient lab? I’m easy like that.”
Both Callen and Ethan snickered at the term ‘easy’ and exchanged fist bumps. Unfortunately, they then were repaid with a little fist bump of her own. She knew that once they got started, it was a runaway train careening off the tracks.
“I want you to meet us at the sheriff’s station in town. I’ll send the address to you when we hang up.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
She was glad he was feeling a little less cranky. When she used her team, Elizabeth liked them to be at their best. She couldn’t do this alone, and there was no ‘I’ in team and the ‘me’ part was getting to be a giant emotional drain.
When she hung up the phone, she noticed that Callen and Ethan were still grinning at her.
“You’re such a romantic,” Callen stated, kissing her on the forehead.
She slapped him on the arm. “You know the rules about kiss-y face on a scene!” Elizabeth hissed in horror.
Ethan took that moment to attack. When he pulled her into his arms and left a big wet one on her lips. He knew it was going to fluster her.
“Are you crazy too?” she finally said, after he let her go. Despite her protest, it was a really great kiss, and she felt it all the way to the fetus.
“I saw that you were only going to slap me, and it seemed worth it.”
She punched him right in the side, and didn't pull it.
“Jesus!” he hissed. “I need those ribs!”
Elizabeth grinned wickedly at him. “You told me to not take it easy on you, or baby you, right?” she asked, walking away.
“Shit, that hurt!” he muttered, rubbing his side.
Callen simply laughed. “When will you learn that when our woman is in the mood to be gentle and sweet, take it and run for the damn hills as fast as you can?”
“I heard that, Callen James,” she called over her shoulder.
“Damn it, she has ears like a hawk.”
“Yeah, and a punch like Tyson.”
* * *
FBI West
Across The Country
Cyra sat at her desk in the cubical and packed up her things to head home. She was dilly dallying, hoping that Chris was going to make an appearance.
And he hadn’t.
It hurt her heart a little that he was even too busy to come see her at her desk. Cyra tried to push it down and not let it become more than what it was.
She was torn. Maybe he was just incredibly busy. No, she knew the truth. It was obvious that he was hiding from her. She had gotten the call from the florist and the church, warning her that someone had tried to change their plans. Well, Cyra would like to say that she was shocked, but she knew that it was going to happen. It was sad that she had to be cynical and expect the worst, but Belladonna wasn’t thrilled about their upcoming nuptials. Cyra knew having a wedding in a church was going to be an all-out war.
That was okay, because Cyra had a backup plan. It was what the FBI trained you for when plan A collapsed around you in a fiery mess. She had warned each vendor that some wackjob mother-in-law to be, was going to meddle, and to be ready for it.
There were only two people who could authorize a change in plans, and it was Chris or Cyra. Anyone else was to be humored, and then on the day of the wedding, there would be a bonus.
Yeah, she wasn’t above bribery at this point. Since the woman was so worried about Cyra getting her hands on Chris’s money, she would show her what she was capable of when push came to shove. She wouldn’t keep his money, but the vendors would.
When she finally saw Chris, she was planning on warning him, but she was getting that feeling that he was already well aware.
Now, Cyra would head down to see him before she went home. Hopefully, it didn't turn into some big stupid fight. Right about now, eloping was looking better and better. An hour ago, she received a scathing email from her brother, refusing to attend. Honestly, she probably shouldn’t have told him Chris was rich. It brought up the topic of a prenuptial, and Cyra had already told him her plan.
She loved Chris enough that she had no intention of even reading it. She would immediately sign on the dotted line. If anything, Cyra trusted the man with her heart and her life.
You would think that she told him that she planned on sacrificing her children to the devil. He was outraged, called her a fool, and even said that he was going to kick Chris’s ass.
Maybe this wedding thing needed to be rethought out. There seemed to be too much conflict swirling around them. When she saw him, they really needed to talk.
Just as she was clipping her
firearm to her hip, her partner, Special Agent Harper Stanton, bounded over and was all excited.
“I just heard from Ginny. We’re heading out on an assignment!”
Shit! There went Valentine’s Day.
“Where to?” she asked. It was official. The marriage Gods did not want this happy day to occur. Instead of making her want to bolt, the stubborn streak was kicking in, and Cyra wanted it that much more.
“I don’t know, but she told us to pack for a week. It’s going to be out of the area. We’re to head home, grab gear, and then head right to the jet.”
This was one hell of a day, and Cyra was ready to weep. Well, so much for talking about their problem when she saw Chris.
Damn it!
“Okay, I have to head down to tell Chris that I’m going out of town,” she said, trying to move past her happy partner. It was obvious that the brunette had nothing better to do with her time then to do back to back assignments far from home. Cyra now had a fiancé, and that wasn’t the case for her.
“Okay, partner! See you in an hour!”
Cyra kept walking. She genuinely liked Harper, but she was overeager and wound up like a teen on a sugar kick. Then again, she was young and weren’t they all eager like that at one time? Maybe if she didn't have this wedding weighing over her head, she would be happy too.
As she took the elevator downstairs, she hoped to grab five minutes worth of her fiancé’s time. They really needed to have a talk.
As she entered the morgue, there was nothing but mass chaos. People were packing up equipment, supplies and anything else that they would need out in the field. In the center of it all, was a happily smiling Chris Leonard.
When he glanced over, the smile got even bigger, and he rushed towards her. “Cyra, sweetheart! I was just going to call you. We’re going out in the field together!”
Some of the pressure alleviated.
Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) Page 15