Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) (44 page)

Luke shook his head. “She spilled her guts.”

Nate looked over at him, and then the woman on the hood. “That’s not even funny.”

Luke pointed at the wall facing her. “I wasn’t trying to be funny. They were his words, not mine.”

Nate glanced in the direction his partner was motioning. That’s when he saw it.

‘Five of Seven. She spilled her guts.’

Yeah, that was bad.

The worst part?

They didn’t know who the hell number four was. The killer had either miscounted his victims or…

Yeah, someone else was dead.

And they’d yet to find the body...

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

When he rolled his motorcycle out of the garage, she simply stared at it.

He had to be kidding.

Lucian must have hit his head.

She couldn’t believe this was his preferred mode of transportation. Ironically enough, he had a few to choose from for their ride.

When he stared at her, holding a helmet in his hand, she didn’t have the heart to say no. He was genuinely smiling, and it lit up his face.

Crap!

It looked like she was taking a ride on his bike.

But first…

She did ask to see his license and registration.

He laughed.

Then she snickered at the look on his face when he realized that she wasn’t joking.

Once he proved that he did have a license to drive the chromed-out death machine, she let him talk her into it. Besides, he was smiling like a kid in a candy store, trying to impress the girl.

If he didn’t kill her, she was going to be damn impressed. As a cop, she’d scraped idiots off the roadways when a motorcycle met gravel. This was a leap of faith, and she hoped he appreciated it.

When he hopped on, making room for her, she did what any good fiancée would do. She held on, closed her eyes, and prayed he wasn’t criminally insane—which was a moot point because it was crystal clear she was the nutty one for even considering doing it.

When the bike roared to life, he patted her hands on his abs. That one motion helped ease the tension.

This was Lucian.

He’d keep her safe.

As she tucked her body against his back, he drove them down the driveway and right toward the gate.

Obviously, he had a remote because when they approached, the gate began opening. It stopped with just enough room for them to blow through, past the media, the onlookers, and the cameras.

Yeah, she was going to hear about this when Silas saw the news. Then again, the man had nearly cost her Lucian. She’d tell him off if he even made a peep.

Enough was enough
.

As they drove toward the city, Bishop relaxed. From behind her helmet, she watched the trees go by, the houses, and it was peaceful.

Maybe she needed this.

Lucian seemed at ease too.

His body was lax, even though he had to know what was coming when they arrived. The media was following them, much like a pack of dogs.

Yeah, this was going to get old. She wasn’t marrying a superstar. She was marrying Lucian Monroe.

What the hell was the big deal?

As they pulled into the city, he drove through the coffee shop drive-thru.

She thought he was insane when he handed her both cups and told her not to spill them.

Well, she’d teach him. Bishop was holding them right above the family jewels as her arms were around his waist. One crazy move, and someone would be singing a different tune.

He laughed the entire time, already knowing what she was thinking. It was that connection that they had that made both of them know what they were doing was right.

Only a crazy person got engaged after a night of sex, on the news, and without even asking the girl.

Since it appeared that they were both insane, Bishop and Lucian were clearly made for each other.

When he pulled into a parking spot at the courthouse, the one right beside her truck, he was feeling pretty damn happy. It was odd coming back to the place that had once ruled his life. The big stone building sat beside the sheriff’s station, and he’d never thought he’d be this happy.

But he was, and on such a deep level.

He had Bishop.

That’s all that mattered in life.

As she got off, still holding the coffees in her hands, he wanted to kiss her silly. She looked really sexy in her jeans, a riding jacket, and helmet. Her gun sat on her hip, and he was thinking that later they could take turns trying out her handcuffs.

Before he could say anything, her body language changed. He knew who was coming.

When he turned, Silas was heading their way. There was the telltale clopping sound of his cane hitting the ground.

He didn’t look happy.

Great.

There went Lucian’s good mood. He really hoped the man didn’t try to break them apart—again. He wasn’t going to be so magnanimous the second time.

Lucian was marrying Bishop—whether Silas liked it or not. His mind was made up.

Before he could say anything, Lucian noticed that Bishop had rested the two coffees on the bike’s seat and was pulling off her helmet.

The second Silas had confirmation it was her, he pointed at Bishop. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, getting angrier by the minute.

Lucian pulled off his helmet and slipped on his eyepatch. “She’s coming to work.”

He stared at the man. “First off, zip it. Second off, I’m not talking about you two coming in here on that,” he sputtered, pointing at the motorcycle. “I’m talking about her working at all. Someone tried to scramble her brains. I don’t think she should be here.”

Bishop relaxed. “Pops, take a chill pill. I’m going to my office. Lucian and I are going to work some files, and maybe, if I feel wild and crazy, I’ll head to the morgue to check on our victim from last night.”

He lowered his voice. “Bishop, the Feds pulled another body. This is going to get ugly.”

She didn’t get it.

Why did he keep looking at Lucian? She hoped he wasn’t trying to insinuate that…

She’d lose her mind.

“Mr. Monroe! Mr. Monroe!” a reporter shouted. “Can you tell us what you think about the news that Wendy Lockwood was murdered last night?”

It was a punch to the gut.

It was clearly written on his face—not because he had feelings for her, but because he already knew where the next round of questioning was going to be focused.

On him.

“Where were you, Mr. Monroe?” another shouted.

“Will the sheriff be your alibi, or are you going in for official questioning?” someone asked.

“Will your relationship with the sheriff exclude you from the suspect list?” someone else inquired.

He wanted to be sick.

Lucian didn’t have to look over at Bishop to tell she had tensed over the questioning.

This was all his fault.

Once more, even in death, Wendy was making his life a living hell. He glanced over at Bishop, and there was only one thing he could say.

“I’m sorry.”

And he really was.

This was one hell of a mess.

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

The killer was amused. He saw on the news how the body of Wendy Lockwood was found, and he couldn’t be more pleased.

She was dead, the people who deserved to die were on their way out, and there were only two more who had to go.

He was saving Lucian Monroe for last.

It wasn’t because he hated him more or less, but because he was a quitter. When the case had gone to trial, he’d promised that the man who committed the crime would pay, and he’d lied.

The man got away.

Yes, he’d nearly died when his car blew up, but still…he had power.

He had prestige.

He could have had someone push to find justice.

So, he would be last because he started all of this. Because of him, they all had to die. When it was his time, he planned to make sure that he faced him and saw what pain would do.

He wanted Lucian Monroe to know how hate had twisted him. While he might look fine on the outside, inside, he loathed what had been done to the girl.

Yeah, payback was nearly there.

They’d never suspect him.

He walked among them, smiling, acting like it was all fine, and it wasn’t.

Nothing was ever the same again.

After what had happened to her…it changed everything, and he’d never forget it.

For as long as he lived.

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

Nate and Luke tore Wendy’s place apart. They were looking for anything that would implicate the woman, and they’d found the mother lode.

She made J. Edgar Hoover look like a recreational file creator. Wendy had a dossier on everyone—including Bishop and Lucian.

The woman was a stalker.

That was crystal clear.

She had times and dates written down, where they had gone, and what they had eaten. Well, mostly that was all about Bishop.

Lucian had one major thing in his file.

It was a date and initials. There were two letters, written in blood red ink. It was as if Wendy had been leaving herself a clue, but for what?

That appeared to be the big question.

Neither of them got it, but they figured it might mean something to Lucian, so they’d ask.

Among the other files, there were ones for Arron Abrahms and his nightlife. It went into details about how he liked to frequent the beds of call girls, hookers, and even some city officials on the side.

She had pictures of him getting blowjobs in his car, and even him propositioning women he was trying to pick up on the street.

Dirty didn’t describe the man.

He was kinky and not afraid to buy his sex.

It looked like Wendy had plenty of time to dig into the man’s life, even when she was sleeping with him for information. She’d been a busy girl.

That led them to Dale Plunkett’s file. He, on the other hand, was just plain dirty. His bank account was padded with enough fluff to prove that he was taking some major kickbacks.

But from who?

That was the million dollar question that needed some answers. Unfortunately, Wendy had left those details out. Still, with what she had, it left enough to the imagination. Someone, meaning Dale, was playing fast and loose with his clients lives.

If you were wealthy enough and could pay, you got his full services, which seemed to include buying jurors.

Great.

This was going to put Ravenswood on the map, and not in a good way. They hoped Silas Reed and the sheriff were ready for that.

There was one hell of a shit storm coming at them. This was going to take years to clean up.

Then it got worse.

Earl Thorpe’s file was horrifying.

In fact, he might have been the worst human being on the face of the earth. What Nate and Luke found made them sick.

Earl Thorpe had an ugly streak. On the outside, he played mild mannered attorney, but according to Wendy, and her digging for information, he was plain evil.

Vindictive.

Nasty.

Cruel
.

He had been Lucian’s co-council on the last case the man had worked before nearly being blown to kingdom come. That was common knowledge.

What wasn’t so common?

It seemed that Wendy had the dirt on him.

Earl Thorpe had been involved in the hit on Lucian. It was hard to believe, but she had all the paperwork. She had bank statements to offshore accounts, and she had pictures of him lurking around town to meet people.