Oracle Rising (22 page)

“How about we go have sex and if you really wow me, we can call Avalon and see how she’s doing.”

“Really?”

She knew what she was doing. Until they talked to the team, her husband would worry. So, she’d distract him, numb his mind, and then they’d handle it—together.

“Yes. If you call Nate, he’s not going to tell you what’s going on, but Avalon is newbie enough that she might not see your plan coming.”

He laughed at the irony in that. Avalon saw everything coming.

“God, I love you.”

She kissed him again. “Show me how much, Lucas. I want your mouth and hands all over me.”

How could he say no to that?

Getting up, he tossed his scantily clad Marine wife over his shoulder before hustling back to their room. He didn't care that every man was checking out her camouflage covered ass.

He was focused on his mission.

First his woman…

Then his team.

Chapter NINE

Morgue

Nate recognized the smell and sounds. He’d heard them plenty of times before. There was an antiseptic scent floating through the air, and it was the same in morgues everywhere.

It never changed.

The second you picked it up, you knew the truth.

You were where the dead were waiting.

Here, they waited to be given their final dignity, their names back, and a place for families to start the grieving process.

In the morgue, everyone was equal.

Death didn't play favorites.

As Sheriff Longfellow led him into the one sterilized room, Nate saw the two covered lumps on the table. He didn't need to see them to know that it was Mandy Ryan and Caitlyn Knox.

From the distorted forms, beneath the crisp white sheet, it told the tale. When someone burned, the heat cooked and atrophied their muscles, making everything tighten up. Instead of lying long and lean on the table, they were tight balls of flesh, seared beyond recognition.

It was a horrible way to die.

From the exposed jaws, which the ME had removed from the skulls, he could tell that he’d already begun the ID process.

Great.

Nate really didn't want to hang out there while the ME worked on the women. They had things to do and a notification to handle. Then he wanted to get back to the cabin so he could ensure that Avalon was safe.

Even while on a case, she was his priority. Since this was their first time out, he wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen. At that moment, Jagger was all who stood between her and danger.

It made him incredibly nervous.

It wasn’t that he didn't trust the man, because he did. He just didn't trust the universe. Nate was finally happy, and he didn't want anything to stop that.

He wanted Avalon to be his forever, and he was waiting for the shoe to drop. There was that fear he’d lose her.

“Let’s get this over with,” Rhett said, touching the man’s arm.

“Good idea.”

As the doctor saw them coming, he placed his clip board on the cold metal table and waited for the introductions. He’d never seen the other man before, and that made him curious.

“Doctor Marco Allen, this is Director Nathaniel Carter, FBI.”

They man held out his ungloved hand, shaking the fed’s. “This is a surprise,” he offered. “I didn't think the sheriff would have the FBI here this fast. Most lawmen like to try and run a case before the FBI rushes in.”

Nate waited for the sheriff to handle this.

He was curious too.

Would Rhett roll on them, or would he indeed keep his word?

“Doc, I’m no fool. I told you I was going to ask for help, and Director Carter is that assistance. He’s come highly recommended from FBI West, and I can’t wait to work with him.”

There was a pause.

Then the man smiled.

“Welcome aboard, Director. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you on this horrible case.”

Nate relaxed, grateful that the man kept his mouth shut about everything he knew. Maybe Avalon was right. Maybe, he could be trusted.

“Doctor, what do we have?” he asked. “We need to head out and do a notify if you have her ID.”

“I actually do have a positive ID. This is your administrative assistant. It was sketchy at first, since she only had one cavity, but when we x-rayed her, we found some healed bones she broke as a child. We got her medical records, and we did the confirmation.”

“That’s excellent, Doctor. It’s good to see someone do their job so thoroughly. You could be a Fed,” Nate said.

He laughed. “I could be, but why would I do that? All that red tape would make me crazy. I like to travel and see the world. There are many small departments like this that need a qualified ME, and can’t afford one.”

“Very noble.”

“I try.”

“Can you tell us anything more about the second victim?” Nate asked.

The man wasted no time. He yanked the white sheet back, revealing her gnarled up body.

Nate wasn’t caught off guard. If the man was trying to test his resolve, he had news for him. This wasn’t his first arson serial killing.

Hell, it wasn’t his tenth.

Unfortunately, the same wasn’t true about Rhett Longfellow. Being a sheriff in a small town hadn’t given him that type of experience.

Maybe he was lucky in that respect.

When the sheet came off, the pungent odor of cooked flesh wafted through the room. It was reminiscent of a BBQ gone horribly wrong. Immediately, Rhett began going gray.

Or maybe that was green.

Either way, Nate knew what was next.

The man started gagging, despite what he fought so valiantly to keep down.

He rushed to a waste paper can and began purging coffee and donuts.

Nate watched the doctor.

He could have sworn he saw something there. Was it satisfaction that he’d managed to rattle the man? Nate was excellent at reading people, and he didn't like the doctor. There was something about him that didn't sit right.

“Are you okay, Sheriff?” Doctor Allen called. “Do you need some water?”

When Rhett finally finished, Nate handed him a handful of tissues and a stick of peppermint gum. This wasn’t his first time with a newbie in autopsy.

He remembered when Luke first puked.

It happened to all of them. Everyone had their first time horror story. His was a slaughtered baby.

He still saw it in his mind.

“I’m really sorry,” Rhett muttered, wiping his lips and then popping the gum in his mouth. “Thank you.”

Nate patted him on the back. “It’s okay. Next time, you won’t get as sick. Eventually, you manage to keep from puking, even when you want to do it. Death grows on you.”

Rhett shook his head. “I hope I never get that way.”

Honestly, Nate did too.

“What can you tell us, Doctor?”

“She was alive during the fire. Her lungs are riddled with smoke.”

“He didn't try to choke her?” asked Rhett.

“There were a few fissures to her hyoid, but it wasn’t broken. I’m sure he’d have to use something to control her. Most women aren’t going to lay around and let you burn them alive.”

“Was she bound?”

He shrugged. “That I can’t tell you. If it was with a natural fiber, like cotton, or twine, it burned up. If it was polyester, it would have left some melted material on her arms and legs.”

Nate knew she was bound, only because of what Avalon had told him after her dream.

“What else can you tell us?”

He laughed. “You know, I’ve been doing this a while, but I saw something today that I’ve never seen before.”

“What?” Rhett asked.

He grabbed a vile with liquid in it. Floating in the clear water was a worm.

“What the hell is that?” Rhett asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he offered.

Nate took a look. Immediately, he got it. “It’s a tequila worm. Where did you find it?”

“It was floating in some DNA. It appears that he left a sample after the rape, and he also left this. I somehow doubt that it got drunk and crawled into her body.”

Nate thought about it.

This could be a clue of sorts, or he could just be a sick, twisted animal. At that moment, it was a craps shoot.

“Can you get the reports ready and email them to the Director?” Rhett asked.

“I sure can. You’ll have them in a couple of hours. I’m only waiting on a report to come back.”

That was good with Nate. “Thank you, Doctor. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

“Yes, I imagine it is.”

Nate rolled his eyes, so only the sheriff could see them. If this guy thought he was so great, he wouldn’t want to run into Doctor Leonard back at FBI West. The man was younger, and could run circles around him.

This guy was off the mark.

Outside the morgue, Nate had to know. “What the heck did you do to him?”

He looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“He hates your guts.”

Rhett didn't know what to think. “How do you know that?” he asked, not quite sure where the man picked this up. “I’ve worked with the doctor a few months now, and he’s always like that.”

“He wanted to make you sick. He was grinning while you were puking. He’s a total dick.”

This was news to him, but now that he thought about it, the whole thing made sense. He did derive a little bit of pleasure from making Rhett’s life hell.

“I have no idea what his issue is. Maybe he’s just a douchebag.”

Nate laughed. “Yeah, a conceited one.”

With that, they headed out. They had a notify to do, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

Then again, they never were.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Juliett’s Cabin

She didn't know what to do.

All Juliett knew was that she shouldn’t be going out on this date.

In fact, just thinking about the words scared the hell out of her. Jagger and Avalon were talking about it like it was nothing more than dinner, but her gut told her otherwise.

She needed to be wary.

“I’m scared.”

Avalon was sitting beside her on the bed, trying to calm the woman down. Where she went, Jagger was right behind her. He stood in the doorway, shoulder braced against the wall.

“Why? It’s only dinner. He wants to get to know you. It’s not like you have to decide if he’s the man of your dreams,” Jagger offered.

Avalon knew what was coming, and she hoped the woman would go out on the date. Yes, it was sudden and out of the blue, but this situation needed one hell of a push—and that’s what she was doing.

She was trying to save this woman’s life.

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve never been on a date before, so I can’t really tell you if you should be scared, but I wish it were me. I love the idea of a man taking you out, buying you dinner, and treating you like you’re a queen. It’s so romantic.”
              She was shocked. “You never went on a date? Then how did you get a boyfriend?”

She told the woman the story, knowing she could trust her. “Nate saved my life. We fell in love on a case, and he nearly died to keep me safe. That makes him definite boyfriend material.”

She laughed. “That makes him saintly husband material.”

Avalon shrugged. “I don’t know about that either. He’s never asked me to marry him. He once brought it up, but since then he’s tried to talk it to death. I think some things should be spontaneous, and some should be planned. Marriage proposals should sweep you off your feet.”
              Juliett didn't have anything to say to that. She’d never had a long term relationship. Her ‘gift’ had always been the breaking point.

Jagger listened to Avalon talk, and he felt horrible for her. All her life, she was abused, locked away, and treated like nothing more than a tool. He couldn’t blame her for wanting that romance. He made a mental note to talk to the boss.

Nate was screwing this up big time.

Granted, it wasn’t his business, but he still cared about the woman. She had feelings and mattered. He still remembered when he saved her from her crazed father.

They didn't talk about it because it would have freaked Nate out. Had he known how close they came to not getting out of that building, he would be having nightmares.

“I just think you need to try.”

“Where is it going to go?” she asked. “We don’t live in the same town. When this is over, if I survive, I’m going home. That’s an hour away. There’s nothing past this moment in time.”

Oh, Avalon knew how wrong she was. While she wanted to blurt it out, she knew not everyone liked to hear about their future. Elizabeth Blackhawk and Maura Gaines-Mars were prime examples of that little rule.

So, she bit her tongue.

“Just go. I promise it’ll be a good night.”

She stared at her. “Are you sure?”

Jagger was amused by the girl drama. If he ever decided to settle down, the woman better not be like this. If that were the case, he’d lose his mind.

Go.

Don’t go.

Christ!

He didn't want an indecisive woman in his life. It was exhausting.

“Listen, Juliett, you can trust Avalon. She knows what she’s doing. If she says go, just do it. You won’t be disappointed. The sheriff seems like a nice guy. He did get his balls kicked in by a blind woman. How dangerous could he be?”