Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) (63 page)

He grabbed his phone and headed into the next room.

“You’re expecting him to betray you.”

“Yep.”

“Do you really think he would?”

She shook her head. “No. I think he trusts someone who will, and that’s my gut instinct. If they head west, we’re staying east. Until they can figure out my game, I’ll have to stay one step ahead of them.”

“This blows seven ways to Sunday.” Callen hated that his woman was playing cat and mouse with an unknown entity.

Elizabeth went into his arms before resting her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, Cal, it does.”

“Promise me…”

He didn't get to finish.

“I will. I promise I will.”

~ Chapter Nineteen ~

Heading to the Blackhawks’ room was always nerve wracking. When it came to the bosses, it was sink or swim. This was like heading into a class to take your final exam.

There was no screwing it up.

This late in the assignment game, it meant only one thing. They were going to be narrowing down the suspects. Both agents could only hope and pray they did enough. After the last screw up, their asses and careers were on the line.

Welcoming them in, Ethan knew the looks on their faces. It was something he’d done himself when he was first starting out.

The nerves were a burden each agent had to carry at some point.

“Have a seat,” Elizabeth said, pointing at the couch.

They did what she asked.

“Now, let’s start. Agents, what did you find when you interviewed Russell Beston?”

“That he’s a letch,” stated Brody.

That one sentence said a great deal.

“Anything more than that?” she reiterated.

“We interviewed him, and it was pretty much what we expected,” stated Johanna. “He was rude, gross, and played grab ass with me.”

Well, that explained the other agent’s irritation.

Callen took over. “I wasn’t able to connect him to Ruthie or Jacey. Although Jacey worked in an ice cream shop, so we can assume that he crossed paths with her at some point.”

Yeah, they could.

“So, our letch, for a lack of better words, could have had contact with everyone. If he was at Monroe’s home, Ruthie was there.”

“Yes.”

That was something.

“Interesting. How about our profile, Ethan? Has anything changed?” she asked.

“Not really. He’s still going to be young, especially since we’ve noticed that he’s really into college age women.”

“Wilfred liked them young,” Callen stated. “I hate to point out the obvious, but he can’t be Tony’s brother. He’s older. If he turns out to be the killer, Ethan’s whole profile is bunk.” He glanced over at his brother. “Sorry, bro.”

Ethan didn't mind. “It’s okay, Callen. It’s about catching this guy. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.”

“Okay, so our killer is still young, crazy, and socially awkward.”

Ethan agreed. “Yes, and it appears that his mother is the trigger point for him. Losing her was hard on him. Since we know Tony shared the same mom, it goes to say that the nut built a lasting relationship with her.”

“Okay, and?”

“He likely had her for his formative years. Then, she was gone. After that point, quite a few other women came in and out of his life. He was never able to get attached to them.”

“Yeah, the next five must have not filled that hole in his crazy little heart.”

Ethan continued, “So he’s trying to find that meaningful connection with someone who will love him.”

“So a mother figure?”

Blackhawk didn't think so. “No, he’s definitely searching for a wife. Who better to complete him and fulfill his need to feel whole?”

“That’s weird,” stated Johanna.

Blackhawk didn't think so. “When you find that person who is meant to be your other half, you’ll feel similarly. I can’t imagine not having my partners with me through life now.”

Broderick stared at her.

That’s exactly how he felt. What wouldn’t he give to have her feel the same about him?

“He’s hunting, collecting, and then discarding the women who disappoint him. That’s also likely why they’re escalating as he goes. With each failed coupling, he’s more enraged.”

It made sense.

“We won’t know if his mentor ever reached his goal of the perfect woman, but we can assume he didn't. This is an ongoing attempt to further his father’s mission.”

Elizabeth was with him so far. “So, who do we have that fits this profile?”

She pointed at Johanna. “Go.”

“I think that the one dig student is a perfect match. He’s rich, he’s arrogant, and his mother is out of the picture.”

“Dad isn't dead,” stated Callen. “Can the killer’s father still be alive?”

Ethan didn't see why not. “Then we can assume he DID find his perfect woman. Then, she would be his prisoner, or maybe she escaped to the island.”

Elizabeth thought about it. “No, she’s going to be dead. I can feel that in my gut. He’s not going to let her get away, and since we checked, and she’s very alive, he’s not going to be the killer.”

“We can check with Merry. We have all their samples of DNA. We made her get them when the fresher bodies were found,” Ethan suggested.

“Call.”

He walked out of the room to do just that.

“I feel fairly certain we can remove him. How do you all feel about it? Are there any objections?”

They all shook their heads. She crossed Jeffery Whilton off their list.

“What about the obvious suspect?” Brody asked.

“Yeah, Lenny Ellis. He’s pretty high up there on my list,” Elizabeth stated. In fact, her gut was leaning toward him.

That reminded her.

She dug in her bag.

“This is for you guys.” Elizabeth tossed it to the male agent. “That’s the security footage for the pizza place. Watch it, make note of the people we’re talking about tonight, and use it to help me find a killer.”

They would work late.

Callen raised his hand. “Teacher?” he asked, grinning wickedly.

She laughed. “Yes, Callen?”

“How do you feel about Clarence Rickert? He’s young, and he worked for the Monroe family. He could have had contact with Jacey and Ruthie, and like we said earlier, there is only one ice cream place in town. He might grab a pizza, and then head there afterward.”

He had a point.

“Good one, Callen. I was feeling bad for him, but he did get the shit kicked out of him eighteen months ago, and then all this started up.”

Callen flipped through his papers. “His parents are dead, he was thrown over by one of our victims, and he has the same black hair that Tony has.”

“Put him high on the list for our agents to investigate. If he shows up on the security tape, we’re visiting him again.”

The agents did just that.

Ethan returned. “Merry will have the tech who collected and logged the DNA send it over in the morning,” Ethan stated.

“Thank you.”

Sitting, he stared at her list. “Oh, I love when we pick the killers.”

Callen grinned. “It’s like a game. Some people play Monopoly, we play ‘Catch the Killer’. We have quite the life.”

She was amused by the men in her life. “Shall we continue?”

They all quieted down.

“Russell Beston?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yep,” Johanna replied. “He’s the hired muscle, and we know he shows violent tendencies and no respect toward women.”

Ethan agreed. “He’s definitely high on the list.”

“I still like Wilfred Monroe,” stated Callen. “He likes them young. I don’t think we should remove him yet, despite his age.”

She was good with that.

“I’ll make my mind up about him tomorrow when I get him in the vice and squeeze his balls.”

Ethan shook his head. “Well, that sounds horrifying.”

Whitefox happened to agree.

“He’s playing a dangerous game,” Elizabeth stated, leaning back to look at the whiteboard.

Blackhawk heard it in her voice. “You suspect him of something. What are you thinking?” Ethan asked, curiously.

“I don’t believe that he’s guilty of killing, but he’s definitely a pervert. If he’s the killer, your profile is wrong, and that’s really not how you roll, so I’m going to say no. I trust my profiler, one hundred percent.”

“We can skip interview,” stated Callen. He hated that he doubted his brother. After all, he was by no means an expert at this kind of thing.

She laughed maniacally. “Hell no, we can’t. I look forward to that tomorrow. It’s going to be the highlight of my damn day.”

Ethan couldn’t wait to see that go down.

Motioning toward the door, Elizabeth spoke to her agents, “It’s going to be a long night. Get some coffee before you sit down to watch hours of pizza fun.”

They didn't look excited about what was coming, especially Johanna Madden. She looked panicked. Elizabeth wanted to point it out, but why rattle them before they got to work?

“Hey! They have fresh cookies downstairs. Get some of those too. Why suffer too much?”

They stood.

“From here on out, we forget the other deaths. We’re going to focus on Bonnie Anston. Our focus won’t be scattered. We can zero in and bring her home.”

“If she’s alive,” stated Johanna.

Elizabeth didn't say anything more.

“Head on out,” said Ethan. He could tell that his wife was under pressure on this one. Usually, their victims were dead, and all you had to do was get them justice. Now, they had to save someone’s life. That was a big weight to carry.

When their door closed, Callen knew he was up to bat. It was time to lighten the tension, so he went there. “Are we pulling an all-nighter too? I may need some nookie to get me through it.”

“I said cookies. They better not be mixing those words up,” she said, laughing.

They all needed that. It was to the wire now.

Whitefox got serious. “Do you really think she’s still alive?”

Ethan shrugged. Odds weren’t in her favor. Before he could say it, his wife interrupted.

“Yes. She’s very much alive, and we’re going to find her. I can feel it in my gut. She’s not dead yet. We have to be positive. Until we get her body, she’s staying in the alive column.”

It was an order.

She couldn’t give up hope.

Blackhawk held out his hand. “Let’s get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow. You have to browbeat Wilfred Monroe, and we have a river to search.”

Didn't she know it?

“Good idea.”

They headed into the bedroom but each knew the truth.

Elizabeth Blackhawk wouldn’t be sleeping.

She was going to be solving.

                            *    *    *

Tuesday Morning

He was happy.

She didn't try to run.

After her shower, Bonnie sat on the couch with the remote. Of course he chained her there, by her ankle, but she didn't protest. It made him thrilled that everything was going his way.

During dinner, she was polite, asked about him, and his home.

He meant their home.

It was now something else they would share.

After dinner, he took her back to the bedroom and worked on getting her pregnant. He couldn’t wait to pass on the knowledge and dating skills to his son.

One day, he’d be the teacher and not the student.

During sex, he still tied her down, only because he couldn’t fuck her and hold a knife. It was better safe than sorry.

If this was a trick, he wasn’t risking it.

Then, during the sex, he relaxed. She wasn’t crying like the others. In fact, she was participating.

It got him off like nothing before.

He actually had a wife.

She was the one.

Where his father had failed to find the perfect woman, he didn't. His Bonnie was precious.

He loved her already. So much so, that when she whimpered and cried in the night, he unbound her hands. He felt sorry for her. Pulling her close, he stayed awake the last two hours as she slept against him.

Maybe tomorrow, he could skip drugging her.

He’d think about it.

Right then, all he could think about was how he wasn’t a failure.

He’d found the perfect woman, brought her home, made her his wife, and started the cycle all over again.

From child to trainee.

Then trainer to proud father.

It would be complete.

Leaning down, he kissed her again. “I have to go to work,” he whispered, knowing she couldn’t hear. She was too drugged up.

Heading out, he locked her door, tidied up, and grinned all the way to the car.

This was awesome.

He didn't have any other words to describe it.

                                 *     *     *

The day definitely didn't start as he expected. While he assumed that he’d be joining them in the interviews, Elizabeth had other ideas. He hated being left behind, only because he liked to learn from them.