Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (73 page)

Callen opted to try and help. “I’m sure we checked to see where the brother is, right?” he asked, hoping.

“We searched his passport, and he arrived back in the US about four weeks ago.”

“Well, okay. That makes up for missing Egypt,” she stated. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “So, we have a man who preaches about God, in Egypt, and his brother is the first dead victim.”

They all nodded.

“When we located him to tell him his brother was dead, what happened?” she asked.

“We called the only contact number we had on him, and left a voicemail to call us back. He’s yet to do so.”

She stared at them.

Ethan could see it. His wife was ready to blow.

“Seriously?
You’re waiting on him to call us? Find his ass! I want to know where the hell the missionary is hiding out, and I wanted it five days ago!”

Elizabeth headed to the front door. She needed a few minutes to calm herself down. Once out ther
e, she glanced over at the cabin where her friend was gunned down. Staring at the little log building, Elizabeth couldn’t believe that a few hours ago, something so horrible happened there. Now, it looked peaceful as all the lights were out and the police tape was gone. Filling her mind with Tony’s face, she fought to remain calm.

Elizabeth was on a mission, and it was to get justice for her friend. 

Before long, the men joined her.

“I can’t believe this,” she said.

Neither man spoke.

“
If there is a next time, I’m doing my own damn research.”

Yeah, it was probably for the best.

                                *     *     *

God had spoken.

He wanted the female FBI agent taken care of, and soon. It wasn’t like he was surprised. After all, he’d shot the wrong man.

Now, the Almighty demanded that he fix his mess.
The one who tried to interfere needed to find herself judged.

There was to be no forgiveness until that point.

As he snuck out of the vestibule unnoticed, there was no doubt what he needed to do.

He was heading back to the reservation, and he would have to wait her out.

Eventually, he’d catch
the redhead. It was only a matter of time.

Patting the gun at his side, he sent his vow to God. “I’ll fix this, even if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

With that, his fate was sealed.

It was all in God’s hands.

             
                  *     *     *

Two Hours Later

When she glanced down at her watch, she knew they had to give her what they had. They didn't have the luxury of waiting on this. If the killer was escalating, he would likely move soon.

Since they didn't know the next target, they couldn’t sit on their asses waiting.

It was now or never.

“Give me
all you’ve got,” she said, breaking the silence of the room.

Once more, Johanna Madden went for it. “We show him arriving home
from Africa, and then he’s off the grid. The man has a thousand dollars in the bank and one major credit card. Nothing has been charged to it. In fact, his bank account is clean too.”

“So, a missionary returns from Egypt, and he doesn’t buy food or gas? He’s just
lying around in his apartment, chilling out? Oh, I know what’s filling his time,” she offered. “He’s killing people.”

They all stared at her, knowing they’d missed a big one.

“It would fit,” Ethan began. “Here, he was raised with God, dedicated his life to the mission, and his brother gets caught with his dick in a teenager. It would offend him on some deep spiritual level. In fact, he’d start with him. After taking his life, he might feel justified, and it could lead to the next victim.”

“Great.”

This was something a newbie should have caught, and she knew they were all aware of that. Chagrin was clearly written on all of their faces.

She wasn’t going to stop. They needed to keep going. She’d bitch later, when there was more time. “Okay, so we have a man of God moving to the head of the pack. Now, I need to know how we can forensically tie him to this. Believe me, a judge isn't going to take kindly to my speculation.”

Ethan glanced over at Meredith and nodded.

It was now or never.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes?”

“Tell her, Meredith,” Ethan urged.

Elizabeth didn't like the sound of that at all. If
her husband knew something she didn't, there was a very good reason why. It was going to make her go bat shit insane, and he was trying to keep that from happening.

“What?”

All the sudden, it all gushed out of her, “We screwed up. I take full responsibility. When we tested Tony’s clothing, we somehow got one of the hairs mixed into the evidence. It must have fallen out of a bag and was sitting on the exam table.”

“Who did it belong to?”

She swallowed. “Walter Dennison.” Immediately, she braced for the explosion. Instead, they all watched something they didn't expect.

Elizabeth turned and faced the whiteboard without uttering a word.
It appeared that everyone around her had dropped away.

The entire team was on edge.
This was completely unlike her.

As she stood there, it occurred to Elizabeth.

Something wasn’t right.

                                *     *     *

Jaxon was just about ready to board her plane. Her heart was heavy. There was one last thread to this, which needed to be severed. She needed to make a call.

Pulling out her phone,
Jaxon dialed the private number she’d been given and hoped he didn't answer. She was coward enough to leave her resignation in voicemail.

Yeah, she was a wuss.

“Yes, Jaxon. What can I do for you?” came Gabriel Rothschild’s voice. He’d already gotten the heads up text from Elizabeth that the woman was a bird on the wing.

Now, he needed to reel her in for her own protection.

“I’m quitting, Director Rothschild. The FBI isn't for me. I don’t fit well here, and I need to move on.”

He was ready for her. “That’s okay, honey. It’s a tough gig.”

She hadn’t been expecting the ease of his acceptance, but it was greatly appreciated.

“I have something that might pique your interest and be far more suited to your skills.”

That alarmed her. “What?”

“I happen to have a friend at the University of Kentucky, and he’s working on a dig there. They found a mass grave behind some church, and he needs a reliable team
to go in and excavate.”

She didn't know if she could do fleshy. “How old is it?”

“At least thirty years old.”

Jaxon relaxed. “Okay.”

“Now, I can’t promise you the head spot, but would you be willing to go on as an anthropologist and help out? Since the killings are over thirty years, we’re letting them run with it first to see what’s there. We won’t call in any agents until we see if there are any viable clues left behind. For now, it’s a retrieval.”

Oddly, it offered her comfort. She needed to forget a
bout Tony and her broken heart. This would be the way to do it. “I’ll take it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, grinning.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Elizabeth would be pleased.

“I’m sure. I have to board now, Director. How much time do I have until it starts up?”

“
You have a couple of weeks. How about you come to work on Monday, and we can talk about it. I promise you won’t be in the lab.” Yeah, he needed to keep an eye on her.

“Yes, sir,” she said, willing to do anything at that point. All she wanted was to forget the man she was leaving behind. Jaxon needed to heal the hole in her heart and soul.

Besides, Tony wouldn’t ever think to look for her in Kentucky. She could nurse her broken heart in peace.

“Good. Hop your
flight, and we’ll see you when you get home.”

She disconnected the call and boarded. In her seat, she put
in her ear buds and closed her eyes. Now, she was one step closer to getting away.

Yeah, that was such bullshit.

She’d condemned herself to hell, and she knew it.

                                *     *     *

Elizabeth believed in her ability, but everything that her team was telling her was shooting up all red flags.

Andrew Dennison owned a white
Camry.

Great.

His brother’s hair was left on the bodies from his own clothes.

Awesome.

He was a missionary gone astray.

Terrific.

It was all pointing at him and yet there was that nagging voice in the back of her head, unable to accept it. When it came to it, she’d learned to trust her gut instinct. That voice had saved her life countless times.

“It’s not going to fly with me,” she said suddenly.

“What?” the two agents and head tech all said together. They were now staring at her like she was crazy. Here, they just handed her the keys to the kingdom, the proof she needed, and now Elizabeth wasn’t happy with it.

Obviously, there was no pleasing her.

“My gut says this isn't right.”

Ethan knew then
that Elizabeth probably saw something that they didn't. This was her thing. He’d watched her in action and when her gut threw down, he was prone to follow her instincts.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Get me his driver’s license,” she ordered, having Johanna jump to it. She located it, and sent it over to Elizabeth’s tablet.

Once she received it, she scanned it.

Yet again, her team missed so small a detail, that it was likely the only clue to not accusing the wrong person.

“Look at the birthdates,” she said, sending the side by side to everyone in the room. She could tell that her husband caught it first.

“Twins.”

“Yep, and I’m betting they’re identical,” she offered. “They have the same height, eye color and weight listed.”

Johanna apologized profusely. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have missed that.”

Elizabeth wanted to be mad, but she’d made mistakes when she was first learning too.
Those errors helped her become the investigator she was now. If she used the mistakes to hurt the agent, Elizabeth could likely hinder her abilities.

“It happens. Now, we regroup and move forward.”

The woman stared at her, wondering who abducted the real Elizabeth Blackhawk?

Pulling out her cell, she dialed her ME. When he was on the phone, she told them what they discovered.

“Really?”

“Why didn't you catch it?” she asked, knowing Chris Leonard wouldn’t have dropped the ball.

“Because identical twins are almost perfectly matched. It would have required a special test to determine the differences, not the similarities.”

“Explain,” she ordered.

“A genome can mutate due to something in their environment or a disease, and if that happens, it would give us the differences.”

“Run the hairs found on the victims, which we believed to be Walter Dennison, and compare them to the first victim’s DNA. I want a deep run. How long will it take?”

“It shouldn’t take long. Once I run it, I can compare the hairs to the medical records for Walter Dennison. If anything pops up, that should verify it.”

“Good. Get to work. I expect you to move so fast on this one, that I’m in shock and awe.” Yeah, she couldn’t wait until Chris Leonard was back from his honeymoon. Never again would she bust his ass for being overly cautions.

Never again.

In fact, as soon as she saw the man, Elizabeth was going to give him a kiss and beg him to come back.

God, she missed her team.

                                *     *     *

Ninety Minutes Later