Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8)

by Kelley, Morgan

  “When she exited the office, Martha observed something. Mrs. Harris’s shirt wasn’t buttoned correctly and her hair was out of order.”

  Elizabeth stared openmouthed.

  No one spoke for a few minutes. If that were true, Tony Morell was exchanging sexual favors in his office to bury evidence.

  Oh boy.

  Where did she even take this one? “Was she one hundred percent sure?”

  Cyra nodded. “She offered to swear on a bible and Bubba’s grave, but I couldn’t tell you who that is.”

  “Her dog,” Elizabeth said. “She loved that hound, so that’s a pretty big vow, coming from her.”

  “Okay, I need to let this percolate in my brain for a few minutes. I know that this isn’t my jurisdiction anymore, so if Tony is sleeping with half the town, it’s not my business.”

  Ethan spoke up, “BUT, if it interferes with our investigation, you’re obligated to head to his boss to report it.”

  Damn it!

  She knew that he was right.

  “I’ll talk to him first, before I make my decision,” she stated. “I know he’s incompetent, but this could destroy his career.”

  Callen patted her on the shoulder.

  “What else did you find out today? Who were the trespassing charges against?” Elizabeth asked, changing the subject and directing the conversation from Tony. Now, she could only hope he had nothing to do with it.

  This time, Harper spoke, “Yes, boss! I pulled all the records, and it took some time since nothing here is computerized. I isolated it before Jefferson Harris went missing and worked backwards. I have to say, Salem is pretty laid back. There’s not a lot of crime here.”

  Didn’t she know it? Of course, then again the serial killers seemed to like the peacefulness of the town. They were two for two.

  “When I dug into the files, I found the name. Jefferson Harris filed a complaint against a Native local named Jason Walters. He was brought in and questioned, and while here, he told the deputy on duty that he had permission to be on the land and wasn’t trespassing at all.”

  “What was he doing there?”

  “His claim is that he was hunting.”

  They all thought about it. Finally, Ethan spoke, “Who is he claiming gave him permission?”

  “Jefferson Harris’s wife,” Harper replied. “He wouldn’t say anything else and just took the ticket. It was paid by the next morning.”

  “Curious,” stated Elizabeth. “So, Barbara Harris, the man eater, gave another man permission to hunt on her land, behind her husband’s back.”

  No one missed the double entendre of her words.

  Blackhawk laughed. “Oh boy, this just got more fun,” he stated, knowing his wife was going to make it her mission in life to dig this one up and bare all the skeletons in the Harris closet.

  “It sure is, Cowboy. I love when someone lies to us in a questioning. We’re going to make Mrs. Harris sorry that she wasted my time and our resources.”

  Callen pulled out his phone. “I’ll see if I can find out if Jason Walters is part of Chief Runningwolf’s tribe. If he is, we’ll need to tread lightly there too. The man technically paid the fine and this is over.”

  “Oh, it’ll be over when I say it’s over,” stated Elizabeth getting up. “For now, it’s only begun.”

  Staring over at her agents, she offered them each a fist bump. “You both did really well. I think I know just about everything that I needed to know about our missing people.”

  Harper Stanton couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “Mr. Williams liked collecting stamps.”

  They all stared at her, and Cyra began to laugh. She was giggling so hard, tears were filling her eyes.

  “What?” Elizabeth said, staring at her. “What’s with the detail Tourette’s?”

  Harper looked just as confused, which made her partner laugh even harder. “You told me to learn everything about him, including hobbies.”

  Cyra actually snorted, as she fought for composure, trying not to fall out of her chair.

  “Agent Stanton, I didn't really mean that I wanted to know his hobbies. That was me trying to make my point about leaving no stone unturned.”

  The woman turned red.

  Elizabeth pointed at Cyra. “Seriously? You let her walk right into that one.”

  “Yeah, well she told Chris that I had a gun pointed at me today, and he’s pissed, so now we’re even.”

  Yeah, she had a point.

  “Good one, Agent Austin. Keep up the good work.” Elizabeth laughed, along with Callen and Ethan. “Agent Stanton, thank you for the chuckle, and we’re not laughing at you, but with you. As you’ll find out, I do appreciate moments like this when they’re timed just right.” Elizabeth remembered being green once too and offered the woman a pat on the back.

  “Carry on, ladies.”

  Cyra watched them walk away. “I’m sorry, but that was pretty damn funny.”

  Harper could have been embarrassed, but why bother. Instead, she joined in the laughter, and worked on fitting in on the team.

  In the conference room, Ethan put the names of the potential suspects on the back of the whiteboard, in case anyone came in and tried to see where they were heading with it. When Ethan turned around, Elizabeth had her boots up on the corner of the table and was staring off into space.

  There was a profound sense of déjà vu. Here she was in the same shirt that she wore on the day he met her, and in a very similar contemplative state. Ethan’s heart skipped at the visual. This was his reason to live, and she looked torn up over something.

  “Hey,” he said, getting her and Callen’s attention. “What are you thinking about?”

  “I was working out the details on burying Doc when this is done. He didn't have any kids of his own, and I want to take care of it for him.”

  Ethan wouldn’t let her do it alone, and he suspected neither would Callen. “We’ll be right by your side. Where do you want to do it?”

  She knew immediately. “I believe he wanted to be cremated. I want to talk to Chris Santana, but I’d like to get a marker placed in front of the morgue. He built that place and made it what it is today, sinking his own money into the equipment, and sometimes staff. I think he needs to be laid to rest where his heart lived.”

  Callen kissed her on the cheek. “You’re a good woman, Elizabeth. He’s proud of you, wherever he is now.”

  God, she hoped so.

  At the knock on the door, they all looked over. There stood Cyra, and she looked perplexed.

  “Hey, what’s up?” asked Elizabeth.

  There was the brief moment of hesitation, before she finally spoke, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure,” she answered.

  When the men didn't get it, she looked at them. “No offense, but its girl stuff.”

  That had both men rushing out of there, dramatically. It had its effect, because it made both women laugh. It was obvious that neither wanted a part of the babe banter.

  When the door was closed, she sat down and stared at her. “A while back, you told me that you were going to be offering up some friendship, because Chris loved me. You trusted his judgment and loved him, you knew he wouldn’t screw up picking a woman.”

  She nodded. “I stand by that comment. So far, you’ve lived up to it.”

  That offered her some relief. “I really need your advice, and a friend, right now. I know we had a rocky start, with me not approving of your relationship choices, but I’ve really come to love you and your family, and see past the surface. Chris has a special place in his heart for you, and now I do too.”

  Elizabeth waited.

  “I know I can trust you with my friendship.”

  “Girlfriend code.”

  She stared at her. “What?”

  Elizabeth broke it down, telling her all about it. At one time, she had handed it out to someone very unworthy, and it made her skittish. Since then, she offered it up to Tori Littlemoon, and that ha
d been a great decision on her behalf. She was one of her best friends for life.

  “I’m offering it up to you. I don’t do it often, so take it as a sign. From this moment on, I’ll have your back no matter what, and it’s now us against the men in our life, when it needs to be.”

  That touched Cyra.

  “I’m in. I could always use someone I can trust.” Especially since her family wasn’t exactly supportive of her upcoming nuptials.

  “Okay, Cyra, get it off your chest. I can tell that you’re really worked up about something, and I’m here for you.”

  She was and most of it was because of the fight that she and her fiancé had, but that wasn’t what she really needed help with. “Christopher is very romantic. He’s always showing up and doing something sweet for me.”

  “Yeah, I saw the rose on the desk out there, and the size of that ring,” she grinned. Chris had told her that he liked to fluster her with his wealth. Most women would use it to their advantage, but Cyra was the opposite.

  It freaked her out.

  “God, I have dreams that I lose it all the time! I swear he loves torturing me. I want to trade it in on something less…”

  “Hope diamond-like?” she finished for her, busting her ass.

  “YES, but he won’t let me!”

  Elizabeth grinned at that. Yeah, this woman was genuinely a good person.

  “So, Chris and I are here in Salem, and I want to do something romantic and sweet for him for Valentine’s Day. I could go out and buy him something, but let’s face it, he has everything. So, I need a grand gesture, and it’s not a huge town, so I don’t know what to do. If you were me, and you wanted to have a special night with the man you loved, what would you do?”

  She thought about it. Knowing what she did about Chris, it was best to go simple. Other than his predilection for buying cars, he was fairly laid back and loved sports and nature.

  “I happen to have a little lake front land attached to the house property. It used to be my brother’s, but when we demolished the house, we kept the land.” Ethan had decided to tear the place apart when she wasn’t able to deal with it. Once more, he was her strength and handled all the things that she couldn’t.

  “It’s not cold, but an evening swim is a bit too chilly for me.”

  She smiled. “There’s a fire pit and some trees. In fact, there’s a little shed there with all the things you’d need to just hang out and look at the stars together. Ethan set it up, but we’ve never had the chance to use it. Doc used to go there to catch fish.”

  When her voice caught, Cyra took her hand, in spirit of the new girlfriend code. “I’m sorry.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “It would make me really happy if you used it and left the spirit of happy memories there. When I do go there, I’ll know that something good happened instead of sad.”

  She liked that idea.

  “You should go to the grocery store down the street and ask for Tom. He’s the owner. Tell him you want the LaRue special, and he’ll fill a picnic basket with delicious goodies. He’ll take good care of you.”

  Cyra was getting excited.

  “There are blankets in the shed. You can light a fire, spread one out, and have a make out fest over really good cheese and wine.”

  “Won’t it be too chilly out?” she asked.

  “I’m sure Doctor Leonard has a cure for that,” she stated, winking at her. “Don’t you think?”

  Cyra could get used to this girlfriend thing. “Yeah, you’re right. I think he’ll be up for that.”

  Elizabeth started to say something, but she didn't need to finish. Cyra got the point.

  “Head out for the night. Go get the picnic set up, and then send Chris a text to meet you at the house. Tell him that you want to talk. It’ll catch him off guard, and I’ll make sure he gets there.”

  The woman stood. “Thank you, Elizabeth.

  She didn't mind helping a friend. Standing, she hugged Cyra. “Go get your ME fix. You earned it today.”

  It wasn’t like she had to tell her twice. Cyra was out that door fast. After thinking about Doc, it did her heart good to talk about life again.

  When the men didn't come back in, she headed out to make sure that they weren’t causing mayhem with the locals. Two sexy Natives could be sheer chaos if they were let loose. It was the story of her life. Just the Blackhawk grin alone could start a women stampede.

  At Martha’s desk, she found the sixty something woman flirting up a storm. It wasn’t surprising, since she had seen her in action many times. Martha was still dating men and living life to its fullest.

  When she grew up, she wanted to be her.

  “Hey now! Are you trying to pick up my love bug and love monkey?” Elizabeth asked, propping her hip on the corner of the desk.

  Callen groaned at the nickname.

  The older woman fanned herself. “Hell yes I am! I’ll take this one tonight and that one tomorrow,” she quipped, pointing first at Ethan and then Callen.

  Elizabeth took each one of their hands in hers. “Yeah, that’s going to have to happen over my cold dead body, darlin’, and I thought that you would know that.”

  The woman grinned at her old boss. “Yeah, well they were interrogating me, and I got all hot and bothered.”

  Ethan focused on his wife. “I was confirming what we learned from, Cyra,” he answered. “She did swear on Bubba’s grave too.”

  Martha leaned forward. “I don’t know what is going on in that boy’s head. I tried to warn him not to play hard and fast with the rules, but the penis is mightier than the brain.”

  Elizabeth snorted. “What?” she said when both men looked at her. “Come on! She said it, not me.”

  Both men shook their heads in admonishment.

  It only made her laugh even more. “Martha, where is Tony anyway?”

  “He called in and wasn’t happy. The boy cut out early for the day.”

  “Yeah, that’s always a good idea during a serial killing investigation,” stated Elizabeth. “Better yet, since he knew I was going to tear him three new ones for the stunt he pulled today.”

  Martha shrugged. “If he’s got his mad on, Lyzee, its best he’s not here anyway. That’ll just end badly all around. You know how Tony is. He’s got a heart of gold, but unfortunately, sex gets him in a lot of trouble.”

  She was well aware. “Yeah, I know,” she answered.

  “You three should cut out. Go on home and have something for dinner. Tomorrow will be a better day all around.”

  God, she hoped so.

  “Yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day, and who knows what could happen.”

  They all stared at the woman in horror.

  “What?” Martha asked, as she tried to decipher the looks on their faces.

  Callen said what they were all thinking, “You know that you just cursed us, right?”

  That made Martha break out into laughter. “Oh, you’re too damn cute, love monkey.”

  He glared at Elizabeth. “That nickname is going as of this moment. It’s bad enough when you use it, but now it’s spreading.”

  Elizabeth winked salaciously. “Don’t bet on it.”

  Ethan snorted and shook his head as the three headed to the Navigator. Maybe Martha had a point. Tomorrow could be a better day.

  Yeah….

  Right.

  * * *

  Chris was packing up for the night and sending Cyra a text, when he received one from her. As he read it, he wasn’t sure what she had planned.

  Head to Hotel Blackhawk.

  Wait for your instructions there.

  When he replied and received no response back, he didn't have any other choice but to do what Cyra asked. He had to admit that he was a little more than curious.

  The entire drive there, he was getting more and more nervous at what could be happening. They did just have a fight, and he probably deserved to be yelled at. Wait, there was no probably in there. He definitely deserved it.

  C
rap!

  Now, his imagination was running away with him, and he was coming up with all the worst case scenarios. He really hated when he did shit like this.

  As he pulled into the driveway, he found the house all lit up. Walking up the front stairs, he knocked. When Callen came to the door holding a beer, he hoped the man would tell him what was going on.

  “You don’t have to knock, Chris,” he stated.

  “Oh, okay. Where’s Cyra?”

  Callen started towards the kitchen. “Follow me.”

  Once there, he saw that Elizabeth was perched on the counter while Ethan was making them something to eat. Cyra not being there made him nervous.

  Maybe she had opted to leave.

  “Where is she?”

  No one spoke, they simply handed him a piece of paper.

  Now, he was getting sick to his stomach. This couldn’t be good. Was this his ‘Dear Chris’ letter? Now, he was sincerely wishing he could take back his outburst this afternoon.

  “Read it,” Elizabeth said, as she kept the serious boss face intact.

  Dear Christopher,

  Leave your things there and follow Ethan’s

  instructions. He will tell you what to do. Follow them

  exactly.

  Cyra.

  “I don’t get this,” he said, nervously. “Someone tell me what I’m supposed to do or say.”

  Ethan handed his wife the spoon and picked up the flashlight from the counter. “Watch the sauce, baby,” he said, giving her a kiss on the lips.

  Turning to face Chris, he motioned him to follow. This was probably the most fun that he had all day. Part of Ethan felt sorry for him. That was, until Cyra told them what she had planned, then he was filled with regret that he didn't think to use their lake side site first.

  At the back patio door, Chris dropped his medical kit and followed Ethan outside. “Where are we going?”

  Again, the man said nothing. He walked them across the property and to the edge of the trees that headed towards the lake. “Follow this and don’t deviate from the path, or we won’t find you until morning.”