Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) (58 page)

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like anyone I know.” She glanced down at Ethan’s dress shoes. It was one of a countless number of pairs.

Ethan slapped her on the ass. “If you think back, you seem to have forgotten that you invaded my neat and tidy world, and so did Callen. Now my closet looks like something that ate old boots and jeans, and then threw them up all over the place.”

She riffled through the dead man’s things. “I’ll clean it up. First thing to go is going to be the lacy shit in your secret sex drawer.”

He knew when he was beat. “Forget I brought it up.”

At his nightstand, Ethan found some of his things. “We have lube, rings, and other fun things. Plus, he’s got some reading material. He apparently liked big breasted women.”

He stared over at her.

“One comment from you, and you’re not seeing them for a month. Callen will have all the fun.”

“You’re vicious. Oddly, that turns me on.”

She snorted. “Perv.”

Elizabeth slid her hand under the mattress. When her fingers touched something, she only hoped it wasn’t going to be some used sex toy. Although gloved up, that would still be gross.

“It’s a file,” Ethan said, watching her pull it out. “What’s in it?”

She opened it.

“It’s clippings on the case against the university. Apparently, he liked reading up on the sex scandal.”

Ethan pondered it.

“We’ll need to go over them with a fine tooth comb later. We might find something.”

She placed them aside. “Deal.”

As they continued to search, he pondered asking about the interview. While he wanted to know, he really didn't. Ethan Blackhawk didn't like Nick Rakin, and he hated himself for it.

There was no rational reason to be jealous of the sheriff, was there? He’d never been worried more about losing his wife than he was at that moment.

It was totally irrational, and he knew it.

So, he went for it. “How was your interview?”

Elizabeth nearly forgot about it. She told him everything, including how they had to worry about the deputy being part of this. On top of it all, this case was getting uglier and uglier.

“Could it be a cop, Ethan?”

“It could be,” he stated. “If the president’s murder was an act of some twisted justice, then that’s going to be a really good possibility.”

It made him sick that it might be the sheriff—the man he’d let his wife go off with to do the interview.

Yeah, that wasn’t happening again.

Callen could be heard coming up the stairs. When he entered the room, he was ready to search.

“The sheriff picked him up and promised to make sure he stayed under wraps. You know, anything for his sweet Elizabeth,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Yeah, Ethan wanted to puke.

She snorted. “I am awful sweet. People get cavities from my rays of awesomeness,” she teased.

Neither man went there. They could smell a setup a mile away.

As they headed downstairs, Callen forgot to tell Ethan the best part. “I yawned, and then he yawned,” he stated out of the blue.

Elizabeth looked at him like he was three days past crazy. “Are you tired? Why do you feel the need to share? You’re not going to tell us next when you have to pee, are you?”

Ethan laughed.

“Hey! No! The great profiler taught me a trick.” Again, he yawned, but Elizabeth didn't.

He stared at her.

“Why didn't that work?” he asked.

She was still staring at him like he was a lunatic. “What didn't work?”

He told her everything.

“You think that the mother of your children is a psychopath?” She put her hands on her hips. “Seriously? Do you think that’s a good test to perform on me?”

Ethan couldn’t help it. They were stressed and needed a little comic relief.

“Wait! Oh my God! No! I didn't mean…”

“I love how you set yourself up, Cal. You walked right into that one. She didn't yawn because Elizabeth is well aware of that old trick. She’s used it before.”

He offered his wife a fist bump. “Good one, baby. You had him going.”

“You two are mean and evil.”

She hugged him. “Sorry, but it was too easy.”

As always, Callen let it go and joined in the laughter.

“Let’s search his office. If I was a killer, that’s where I’d leave all my important things,” Blackhawk admitted.

She agreed.

As they rummaged through the desk they found nothing. The same was true with the filing cabinets. There was nothing but financial papers in there.

Then, as Elizabeth stood facing the dead man’s book shelves, she had a thought. Pulling out her phone, she called Gabe. When he answered on the second ring, she needed to know, “What did Raymond Hallowell major in?”

There was a pause. “The class I cheated in was biology.”

“Thanks. Call you later.”

Ethan crossed to her. “What are you thinking?”

“In biology, you learn all about organs, and how to remove them, right?”

Callen chimed in, “In frogs and piglets, but I doubt people.”

“Well, he had experience in removing organs, even if they weren’t human.”

“If he was a TA, then he certainly would have been one of the best in the class when his teacher picked him to be an assistant.”

She stared at the books. Everyone on the shelf was about finance, the university, and work related—but one.

It was on human anatomy.

When she pulled it down and opened it, she was in for a surprise. On the inside, there was a trail.

The man had left them a direction.

“What?” Ethan said, moving toward her.

“I need you to pull his financial records. That’s going to be key to finding his killer. We’re heading to the scumbag’s office. Maybe we’ll get more information there. He’s lucky he’s dead. That’s all I can say.”

The men stared at her.

“I know what he was doing, and we’re going to take them all down!”

Chapter Nineteen

While Brody went back to sleep, Johanna got to work. Getting him shaved and showered didn't take too long, and she loved every second of it. Now that his facial swelling was going down, she could see the old Brody beneath, and she was glad.

The bruising was a horrible reminder, especially when she saw him naked. His poor body was battered beyond recognition as he fought so hard to protect her.

It nearly made her weep, but somehow, she managed to stay strong.

After Brody had fallen asleep, his father had arrived with dinner for them. Really, she couldn’t understand why he hated the man so much. Her mother never bothered to worry about her, and Brody was actually lucky. After all, they were both in the hospital, and her mother never showed—not that she wanted to see her. That bridge was burned down years ago, never to be rebuilt again.

Still, she wished someone cared about her.

Then she looked over at Brody.

Someone did.

As she went back to her work, she could hear him waking up. When he smiled at her, his one blue eye was visible.

“How was your nap?” she asked, handing him a bag of fast food.

“I could kiss you,” he stated, pulling out a huge burger.

“It wasn’t me. It was your dad.”

He paused.

“Can I ask why you hate him?”

Brody immediately wanted to tense up and shut down, but this was the woman he loved. He wasn’t going to block her out. If she was going to be part of him, Johanna deserved the truth.

“He’s the opposite of everything I’ve ever stood for in life. When I was a kid, he was all about the money.”

She understood.

“Maybe he’s trying to change, Brody. You only get one dad. If you miss this boat, you may not get another later on.”

He bit into his burger.

“What about your parents?” he asked. “You don’t talk about them.”

She laughed. “Well, that I nearly died, and they aren’t here should speak volumes.”

He put his food down and took her hand in his. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really, but you’re going to bug the shit out of me until I do, and I have work to finish for the Blackhawks, so I guess I have no choice.”

He waited.

“My dad bailed when I was three. My mom raised me by herself. Fortunately for us, she had some family money, and I didn't have it too bad.”

“Is she deceased?”

Joey shook her head. “No idea. I haven’t talked to her in about three years. One day she said she was going to save the whales, and the next…she was gone.”

He didn't get it. “Really? She was really off saving sea life?”

She didn't know.

“Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is if she knew I was hurt, she wouldn’t be here anyway. If she was chained to a tree trying to save it, she wouldn’t rush here. The tree would matter too much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. All I’m saying is maybe you should cut your old man a break. He dropped everything and came here. That’s something important.”

Brody knew it was time to change the topic. He could tell when Johanna was going to shut down.

And she was damn close.

“I have a dog. When I move in, can he come?”

“Well, I have a cat. If he bothers her, we have a problem.”

Brody leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll get rid of him for you.”

She didn't doubt that. “No, you won’t. We’re going to blend our lives. Not make one person give in on everything. That’s not the relationship I want.”

He grinned. “You’re the perfect woman.”

“You’re also on heavy narcotics, so your opinion is circumspect.”

Brody bit into his burger. “Talk work with me. What can I help you with?”

“Well, I’m running all the past frat brothers. I found a few pictures on the university’s website, and I’m trying to cross check them for any other law related issues. If you want to help, I’d be more than happy to divide the work.”

He shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth.

“You’re going to choke.”

“Yes, Mom,” he mumbled, grinning wickedly at her.

She ignored him.

“Oh, by the way, while you were passed out, they caught the killer. Sort of.”

He stared over at her confused. “Then why are we still researching? We could be naked and having sex in this hospital bed,” he teased.

She knew he was feeling better.

Here was the old Brody.

“Ewww, and no, we can’t. They didn't catch him. He was offed, and now they’re looking for the killer’s killer.”

He started laughing. “This case sucked from the start. The only good thing is I got you back.”

She winked at him. “Well, we have to find Elizabeth something. If there’s a correlation, it’s up to us to ferret it out.”

He could do that.

Johanna worked for a little while, and as she was about to ask Brody if he found anything, she heard the telltale sound of his breathing.

He was out for the count.

Tucking him in, she couldn’t help but grin. “Next case, you’re doing all the research,” she stated, leaving a soft kiss on his battered lips.

“I mean it.”

But she didn't.

For him, she’d do anything.

       
         
* * *
  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Raymond Hallowell’s

Office

When they arrived there, they weren’t alone. In the office was Pricilla Sanchez, and she was weeping up a storm. As soon as they entered, she was up and heading toward them.

“Tell me it’s not true! The trustees just called. They said that Doctor Hallowell is dead! How can he be dead? I don’t understand any of this!”

Callen patted her reassuringly on the back, knowing that Elizabeth was more likely to kick her out of the way than calm her down. “Have a tissue and a seat. We need to talk to you.”

She nodded, heading back over to her desk. “I was going to go home, since there’s no point in me being here,” she offered, sniffling.

“We’re going to start searching his office,” stated Elizabeth. “Director Blackhawk is going to ask you some questions.”

She nodded, her eyes filling with more tears. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but he didn't really keep anything personal here. He was a creature of habit. Ray liked to work out of his office at home. If there’s anything important, it’s going to be there.”

They were well aware, and it looked like the killer took anything that would help them, except for that one book.

“Just answer Director Blackhawk’s questions, and we’ll worry about the search.”

She headed into the office with Callen, leaving Ethan to do the dirty work.

Elizabeth hated weepy women.

They got on her nerves.

“Did he keep a specific schedule?” Ethan asked, hoping to find a pattern.

“Yes, he was very structured. As president of the university, he had lots of meetings and couldn’t wander around willy nilly.”

She pulled it up on her computer. “Do you need a copy?” she offered.

Ethan waited for it. He didn't mention that the man was a homicidal maniac. Let the world think that he was a victim…for now.

Later, they’d bury his reputation.

“I see on here he met with a lot of faculty. His last meeting was with Doctor Sarah Moore.”

“Yes, she teaches law here. I think he met with her yesterday, but I’m not sure. I wasn’t here.”

Curious.

“What was the meeting about?” Ethan asked, hoping that he didn't give anything away.

“I don’t have a clue. Like I said, he was pretty strict with his schedule. Even after office hours, he’d head home to work on more school stuff. He’s going to be missed. He was a kind man who helped me a lot.”

The tears started all over again.

It was time to send her on her way so he could get to work. She was about as useful as she was going to be.

“You should head home. Go mourn your friend.”

She grabbed her things. “Thank you, and I absolutely will. I don’t feel so well.”

Ethan waited for her to leave. As soon as she was gone, he locked the door before heading into the dead man’s office.

When he got inside, he saw that Elizabeth and Callen had already pulled the room apart.

“Anything?” he asked.

She shook her head. “How about you?”

“One weepy secretary, with a schedule, and all I found out was that he had a meeting with one of the staff. We’re still going nowhere with this.”

Then his tablet chimed.

“That will be our financials,” he offered.

They all pulled off their gloves.

“Call the techs to come here and sweep. It might be useless, but all of our bases will be covered,” she said, tossing her used gloves in the trash.

“We’ll grab something to eat, sit down to examine the financials, and you can tell us what is going on. Normally I don’t mind when you keep things hush-hush, but I’m getting nervous,” Ethan stated.

She wasn’t listening.

Instead, Elizabeth needed that last little thread to tie this all together.

She was getting close.

She could feel it.

       
         
* * *
  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Monday Afternoon

Elizabeth did something she never did before.

She took down her beloved whiteboard.

It was putting too much pressure on her and Ethan, and honestly, they were getting nowhere. Now that she found that book with the notations inside, she was sure where this was heading.

“Are you positive?” Callen asked, looking a little green over the entire thing.

“Yep. I have no doubt in my mind that he was neck deep in that kind of dirty dealing.”

She handed Ethan the book, and he checked out the notations. Alongside each organ, which was handwritten in, there was a price.

“So, he was selling organs on the black market.”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it? All these young, healthy women were killed, and only one organ at a time was harvested.”

Callen was confused. “Why didn't he take them all from one person?”

Ethan had an answer. “There could be two reasons,” he offered. “First, they didn't want to get caught. You kill someone and only take one organ, no one is going to think black market organ sales. It wasn’t where my mind went first. We automatically thought sicko rebuilding someone. Our team didn't connect it, and we deal with death all the time. It was a pretty decent ruse.”

Elizabeth took a bite of her pizza. “That’s exactly what had me tied up in knots over this. Plus, add in that he was warning us about the next organ.”

Callen couldn’t let that go. “That’s still weird. Why would a killer warn us?”

“Guilt,” they said at the same time.

“Well, he should feel guilty. He was killing people for their organs. That’s just sick.”

They didn't disagree there.

“What’s the second reason?” Callen asked. It was hard not to be curious. It astounded him that they got that one piece to the puzzle, and it fell into place for them.

He had a lot to learn.

“That’s the more likely scenario,” stated Ethan. “It was by demand. They found someone who needed a spleen, they took it when it was needed.”

Elizabeth continued, “That way they didn't waste any organs. They’d need a buyer. It’s going to look suspicious if the organ donor registry is flooded with spare parts.”

“Okay, this is getting sicker and sicker the more we discuss this,” Callen admitted.

“It’s a twisted world out there, my love. It’s all jacked up,” Elizabeth stated.

He definitely agreed.

Ethan turned his tablet around. “If we focus on the incoming money, we can tell if he’s working alone or with a partner,” stated Blackhawk.

They scrutinized the data, looking back and forth between the book and the dead man’s bank accounts. That’s when it all started clicking.

“He’s definitely working with a partner,” Elizabeth stated. “Look at the date right after he took Felicity Magliozzi’s heart. In his book, he has this number,” she said, pointing at it, “but then look at his bank records.”