Deep Dark Mire (An FBI Romance Thriller ~ book four) (48 page)

He thought about it. “Elizabeth, you know that I have to follow the rules.
But if you can accurately pull and fire, then this can stay between us. If you can’t then I have to pull your gun and badge, and then send you for requalification after a medical release.”

Elizabeth pulled
on her shirt, and she was pissed, mad, and fed up. Pulling the official rule book out and slapping her with it hurt more than anything.

Tucking in her shirt,
Elizabeth grabbed Chris’s soda can off the counter and also Doctor Magnus’s can. She holstered her gun, picked up the magazine and single bullet lying on the table, saying nothing to anyone. Not even her husband.

Whitefox felt horrible
, because this was entirely his fault. He really wished he’d kept his mouth closed and never ratted her out. What started as a joke had gone too far. No one expected Doctor Leonard to go ‘rule crazy’.

The three men followed her out to the back of the Escalade and she
set up her magazine and gun.

“Put them where you want them. I don’t have a lefty holster here. There’s one in our room. I’ll have to lay my gun on the hood of the Escalade.” Her voice held no emotion at all. Out of the back she pulled her yellow tinted sunglasses. When she had to
qualify, she preferred wearing them. They cut down on shadow and distraction, brightening the area.

“That’s fine, Elizabeth.”

Doctor Leonard placed one on the fence post and one next to the lamp post further away.

“You get four shots,” said Doctor Leonard.

Elizabeth stared over at him, voice completely void of all emotion. “I don’t need more than two,” she answered, placing her gun on the hood of the vehicle. She took five steps backwards and waited. She’d had to qualify a few times and knew the drill. Taking a deep breath she looked at the men. “Ready.”

“Any time.”

Elizabeth blocked it all out, and forgot that it was to keep her gun; it was simply putting two holes in two cans with her left hand.

Blackhawk watched his wife, and it reminded him of an old western. All she needed was her hat. He held his breath and waited
, hoping anger didn’t get the best of her.

Elizabeth let out her breath and picked her first target
, running towards the Escalade. Pulling the gun off the hood she popped the magazine in and pulled back the slide, loading the chamber. It took seconds and was smooth and automatic. Quickly she sighted and fired, and then fired again. Both cans flew into the air. To prove her point, she watched the one still mid-air and fired off a third round. The can exploded and fell to the ground in pieces.

“Good enough, Doctor Leonard?” she asked, switching hands and re
-holstering her weapon.

“
You know it was, Elizabeth. Can I talk to you alone for one minute, please?” he asked.

She
shrugged, waiting for both men to move. Her temper was on slow simmer, and she wasn’t happy at all with any of the three.

Chris
waited as they moved to the Escalade, sitting in the back, legs dangling over the edge. “I get you're mad at me, but if I didn’t just make you do that, who would I be doing justice to? You? Them? You know none of us can let a lame agent out into the field. I had to question you, and you know it. So you be mad at me, but when you calm down we’re still going to be friends. I care about you, and if I let you go out unable to protect yourself, then I’m not a friend.”

Elizabeth sta
red at him. “Here’s how it felt:
Hey Doc, I don’t think you can do the autopsy, so have a seat and let me find a new replacement because you’re a liability
.” She waited for him to get it before continuing. “I know you did what you had to do, but it’s how you did it. You could have asked to see me privately, or off to the side. I have pride too, and lately I’ve swallowed a lot of it for the sake of our team. I’m entitled to be pissed.”

He thought about it. “I’m sorry, you're right.
I didn’t think about your feelings when I called you a liability.”

“They may be my husband and brother-in-law, but you don’t call a person out in front of others. You pull them aside. I’d never doubt your work in a room full of people. I respect you too much. I’d take you aside and ask you then. I may sleep with him and him, or whatever, but they’re my partners in the field. I don’t need them doubting my ability. If I couldn’t shoot my gun, I’d stand in front of them
, but I’d rather die than be a liability and risk them.”

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder. “I know you three meant well, but I’m entitled to courtesy too. Everyone thinks I’m bad ass Elizabeth Blackhawk, and most of the time I am. Bu
t courtesy is still appreciated, because believe it or not I do have feelings.”

“I get it
, Lyzee. I’m sorry that I made this hurtful. Are we okay?” he asked, sincerely looking upset himself.

“As a co-worker yes. As a friend, give me a day or so. I don’t
generally stay upset long.”

Elizabeth walked back into the ME lab, and sat on the table, waiting for the tech reports. When the three men walked in, she wasn’t paying any attention to them, and there wasn’t going to be eye contact.
Again, she was entitled to a little bruised pride.

“How about we focus on work, now that we know I’m not a fucking invalid
and a general liability to everyone around me.”

Doctor Leonard
flinched at the words, as he pulled the reports. “Here’s the tox report. Cordelia Adare inhaled chlorine and ammonium gas. Most likely someone made the mix, poured it on a rag and then covered her face. It didn’t kill her, but it burned her lungs and esophagus. It did likely knock her out, at which time she drowned. That’s your official COD.”

“So
, we have two different modes of killing for two related victims. I’m not the profiler, but a killer rarely switches it up.” She didn’t even ask her husband for his input. “Twenty five years apart and two different means. Awesome. Can we say needle in the haystack?”

“She was indeed pregnant,” he added. “
We didn’t find a zygote. The snake must have consumed it and the ovary. Her tested blood had HCG levels conducive of a woman about two months pregnant, or one month if she was carrying multiples.”

Elizabeth sat there and thought about it. “I’m damn sick of dead pregnant women.”

Back on the reservation they had a crazed killer who liked pregnant women, and they all turned out to be his own children. After sorting through baby fetuses, she’d had enough. At least this time she wasn’t pregnant.

“We need to find out who both women were having sex with, because
that’s the mitigating factor that ties them together. One may have been killed by her lover, the other because she was pregnant,” added Blackhawk.

“I need to go over those journal entries,” she stated
, hopping down. “I’m going to venture that Desdemona is going to want to view tomorrow. Call FBI West and get the skull shipped back. We don’t need a reconstruction. She’ll need to see a full skeleton. Tell the team no one says anything.”

“When are you informing?” asked Chris Leonard.

“I’m going to go tell her now,” stated Whitefox. “I’ll tell Desdemona that she can view them tomorrow after you clear it.”

“Good
luck, Director Whitefox. This is going to be a hard one for her to swallow.”

Elizabeth started from the room. Might as well head back and start working through the night. Outside she p
acked away her shooting glasses and closed the back of the Escalade. Both men were standing there waiting for her to be angry. She could see the twin looks on their faces.

“Let’s go.” That was all she had in her at that moment.

“Elizabeth,” started Whitefox, and he stopped when she shook her head and walked past him.

“Not now Callen. Now’s not the time.
I’m too damn angry and hurt.”

His heart sunk. Everything crushed down on him, at the knowledge that he’d pissed her off and hurt her. The only woman
who he loved wasn’t speaking to him, or his brother for that matter. When they pulled into the parking lot, Elizabeth jumped out, not saying a single word. Callen watched her walk away, and he didn’t know what to do or say. This was all on him. Even thought it was only to tease her, it ended up throwing her to the doctor wolves.

“We both did this, Cal. It’s on me too.”

“Yeah, but you're at least married to her. Elizabeth won’t toss you aside when you piss her off. I’m just the extra and when I fuck up I’ll be the first to go.” Callen hopped out of the vehicle and strode across the parking lot and into the building. It was time to face Desdemona and do the notify.

Ethan’
s heart hurt for his brother, that he felt disposable. No one should go through life feeling like they were going to get pushed out if a screw up happened. God knows, he made a huge mess plenty of times with his wife. He too, hopped out of the Escalade, heading in to talk to his wife and confess that it had been all him. Blackhawk would take this one for the team and his brother’s heart.

Callen knocked on the door to Desdemona’s room and was met by Julian. “I need to talk to her for a few minutes. Stay close please. It won’t take long.”

Julian figured he knew what it was regarding
. He’d heard from the techs that the lab reports were in, and that probably meant the victims were identified. If Elizabeth was sending Callen that meant it wasn’t going to be good news. He took his place outside the door and waited.

Whitefox
entered the room, unsure of what kind of reception was waiting for him, but he was assuming it would be chilly. Surprisingly, Desdemona was smiling at him. Right then he went on alert. Yeah, that wasn’t what he expected at all.

“Hi Callen,” she said, softly. “How are you?” she asked, smiling gently at him
. Her big green eyes followed his every move. Desdemona wasn’t above luring him back with sex. If Elizabeth could lure him away with it, she could use the same techniques. All was fair in love and men!

“I’m fine, and you?” he
answered, suspiciously.

“Bored out of my mind, and I actually miss being arm deep in a dead body. How pathetic is that?” she laughed, and then shook her head. Just seeing him hurt.

“I think we need to talk, Desdemona.” Shit, he hated notifying people that they lost one person, now he had two. Why the hell did he say he’d do this?

“I think we need to talk too. About us
, Callen. I’m really sorry that I hurt you, and I wish you’d forgive me. You’ve punished me enough, and I learned my lesson. We can go back to where we were and resume our relationship now.”

It
caught him off guard. That wasn’t happening. He’d got off that train and was on a whole new one going in a new direction. “Desdemona,” he started and didn’t get to finish.

“I still love you, and I want you back. I promise to be more accepting of the family and stop resenting Elizabeth. I’d rather have half your heart than none.”

Oh boy, what the hell did he do now?

“I really do love you, Callen.” Now she moved towards him, and stopped inches from his body. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, looking up into his eyes.

Whitefox stood very still. He didn’t want to crush her, but he wasn’t in love, or lust, with her anymore. When she ran her hands up his torso he held his breath, waiting to see if his body reacted or felt anything at her caress.

Nothing.

Then she pulled him down and kissed him. It was slow, sweet, and very Desdemona like, yet there was no response. His pulse didn’t quicken and his heart didn’t pound in his chest.

When she broke away she looked up into his eyes. “You feel nothi
ng, right? We’re over aren’t we, and for good?”

“Desdemona, I’
m sorry. You were right. I’m madly in love with Elizabeth. I always was and trying to fill the hole she made was very unfair to you.”

“I see. So
, she owns your heart?”

“Desi, she does. I can’t help but feel what I do inside. Being in a relationship with you wouldn’t be doing
either of us justice. You’d always know that I wanted her, needed her, and you deserve a man that looks at you like…”

“Like you look at her,” she said, completing his sentence.

“Yes. You deserve that
. I owe you an apology for pushing you into an engagement. Thank you for dragging your heels and not marrying me.”

She laughed at that. Funny had she just married him, everything would have been completely different. “Yeah, and had I married you Callen, then what
would have happened?”

He looked at her confused. “Then we’d be married. I wouldn’t have cheated on you with Elizabeth. I never did anything inappropriately with her while you wore that ring. I wish you’d believe that.”

Desdemona said nothing. In her heart she wanted to believe it, but she’d seen them all together.

“I'm going to sell the house when I go back, because I don’t think I can
live my life next to Elizabeth.”