The Killing Times (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 1)) (7 page)

“It seems like a violent way to go.”

“It is, especially if they were coherent and awake at the time.”

“Can we discuss the third victim?”

He leaned forward and patted her cheek with his worn hand. “We certainly may, but I am up there in age. I need to see the file, if you don’t mind.”

Elizabeth smiled gently at
her friend. He reminded her of her own father in so many ways. “Right here,” she passed it to him, watching him carefully as he took in all the information, processing it.

“Okay, I’m ready.
What’s your question?”

“My dad had one question in his folder; he didn’t understand how she got up into the tree. Do you know what he meant by that?” she asked
, hopefully.

“I can only tell you what we discussed.”

“Okay. Trust me I’ll take anything at this point.”

“The hyoid bone, you may have noticed,” he paused
, flipping back through the pages to the autopsy picture of the y-incision, “that it wasn’t broken.”

“But she
was strangled to death with a rope. Shouldn’t it have snapped?”

Doc Trudeaux nodded. “This is why I didn’t mark it suicide. The hyoid doesn’t have to break in
choking. In only one third of all murders involving strangulation, does it actually break. But where your father’s confused, I happen to agree.” Doc stood behind her, showing her on her own throat, as he pointed to the hyoid. “With manual asphyxiation you can miss the hyoid, but in most hangings the pressure and weight of the body dropping snaps it.”

“My dad wasn’t buying it.”

“Here you have Melody, a five foot seven woman at one hundred fifty pounds. She ascended into a tree and no ladder was found. There was no step stool, and nothing that she could use to aid her climb.”

“I’m with you so far.”

“She gets up into the tree, and she sits on the branch,” Doc continued, setting the scene. “In her moment of depression and sadness, she has the fortitude to tie the rope around the base of the tree, up over the limb, and around her neck.”

The way Doc described it, just made her more suspicious.

“Then she slips from the tree, dropping to hang herself. As she’s dying, not once does she reconsider, and start pulling at the rope to save herself. I found no scratches, and absolutely no DNA under her nails.”

“Okay.”

“So between the hyoid and the lack of DNA, I didn’t feel justified calling this suicide, Lyzee. It’s still open as suspicious, until proven otherwise.”

“I see
.” Elizabeth began seeing what had bothered her father.

“I think what is more likely
is that someone strangled her, and then strung her up. The rope left abrasions, and it hid what would have been hand mark bruising. I personally, along with your father, believe this girl had help, and it was against her will.”

Elizabeth was getting that feeling up and down her spine.
“This just screams foul play to me. I don’t think we have random people suddenly committing murder in our town. I think we have one person perpetrating it all.”

Yeah, hell was about to break loose in Salem
.

Elizabeth sat in
her Jeep and dialed the number she had committed to memory. She was told to use it if she ever needed help. Now was as good a time as any. Their community had a killer among them, and she didn’t have the resources to save them on her own. It was time to call in a favor, and when it came to the FBI, she didn’t use up her favor cards often. She liked to save them up, just in case.

“Rothschild.”

“Gabe?”

“Lyzee? Is that you?” he asked, genuinely surprised. She never called this line; she always called them at home, or his personal cell.

“You said if I ever needed your assistance to call, and I’m using the official FBI line because this one’s official.”

He looked at the area code on his
desk phone. She was still in Salem. It befuddled him what the hell could be happening there. The town was like Mayberry on sedatives.

“I have a serial killer and at least five deaths.”

“You want me to send in reinforcements?” Gabe spoke softly to the woman on the other end; they had been friends for many years. In fact, he was the one who tried to talk her out of leaving the FBI, especially since he knew both sides of the story. Next to his wife, she was the only other woman he loved. Elizabeth LaRue was like a sister to him, and he would do anything for her.

“I need them, but I
want to keep it quiet. Can you send me someone good? I need the agent to blend in as a consultant. I’m hoping I won’t need to officially call in the FBI cavalry. You know my forte wasn’t profiling, and I really need another set of eyes to help me get a baseline on who’s doing the killing.”

Right then
, he knew exactly who to send. “I happen to have an agent. He’s perfect for this, and just coming off a case and needs a new assignment. I know he’d be the best consultant I could find for your situation.”

“Thank you, Gabe,” she said, appreciatively.

“No, you don’t need to thank me. Expect them by tomorrow mid-morning. Get me the information you want him to take a look at, and I’ll pass it on today. He’ll have his partner with him, too. You get two for the price of one, this time. Oh, and Lyzee?”

“Yes
, Gabe?”

“He’s the best
profiler I have on staff. Just don’t tell him I said that,” he said, laughing. “He tends to get an ego and out of control!” Gabriel Rothschild disconnected the line, and started compiling information for the agents before their meeting. Cowboy was heading to Salem on an adventure he’d surely never forget.

Elizabeth leaned back against the seat and
could finally breathe. Gabe would always have her back, and she trusted him to send the best. Salem’s residents would now have a chance. The only thing that bothered Elizabeth was, once the agents found out about what she’d once done, would they still be willing to work with her? 

Damn
it! Her past was creeping back up to haunt her once again.

                            *   *   *

Special Agent Lily Sanderson walked out of Gabriel Rothschild’s office
, and the look on her face spoke volumes. She wasn’t happy, which meant he wasn’t going to be either. In the doorway stood their boss, and with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't speak, he only nodded at him. Well, now it was his turn with the ‘
Dragon Slayer’
.

“Was it bad?”
he whispered to his partner.

“Oh, you have no idea
! Thanks, Ethan, for once again, boning us professionally,” she replied nastily, as he walked towards the office.

After this assignment, like she told Gabe,
Lily wanted to be reassigned. Her new partner needed to be more sane and less cowboy.

It was
officially over, and she was bailing on this chaos filled ride.

“Have a seat, Ethan,” s
tated Gabe. “I saw your report.”

“You look pissed.” It was all he could say, he knew they were in trouble.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m pissed, as much as disappointed. You know how I am about rules,” he answered diplomatically, his face showing nothing. He leaned back in his desk chair and ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. The pepper was the real color; the salt was from the stress of his team. He was always worried about the man in front of him, and before last year, he worried about Elizabeth LaRue.

They
had both aged him.

It was one more reason he beli
eved they’d get along just fine, since they both enjoyed making him crazy.

“I did what I felt was needed
. The abductor was getting more and more agitated, and I feared for the child’s life.”

Gabe nodded, “Except you had no way of knowing the child was indeed alive.”

Blackhawk said nothing. If he told the man that he simply had a feeling, he would be in for mandatory evaluation. He wasn’t going there. Maybe it was just good old Indian intuition. His grandfather preached it growing up, and then there were the dreams...

On second thought, maybe he was crazy.

“Just tell me the repercussions, Gabe. I need a vacation from the city, and I am sure you’ll be more than willing to help me out there. For the record, Lily had nothing to do with my plan. In fact, she told me not to do it.”

“Oh, Special Agent Blackhawk, I
’m very aware you need a vacation from the city. Let’s just say, you’re absolutely right, you’re getting one.”

Great, this was
going on his and Lily’s records. That was why she was pissed at him.

“Pack your bags, Special Agent Blackhawk. I have a new assignment for you, and bring your cowboy boots; you know
, the ones you wear when you stomp all over the rules.”

Blackhawk
looked confused. He planned on couch surfing and sleeping as much as he could, to find his mystery woman.

“Since you appreciate
circumventing the rules, I have one of my own rule bending assignments planned for you.”

Something about the way he said that made him very wary. Gabriel Rothschild was a by the book kind of guy.

Always
.

“It seems
one of my closest friends called me from down south.”

“I’m going
out in the field?”

“Yes
you are. Sheriff LaRue has a slew of bodies adding up, a stretched deputy force, and needs some assistance with profiling. You, Cowboy, are that assistance and I’m sending you in as a consultant. You are to back up the sheriff unofficially, until deemed necessary for the FBI to take over.”

“You're doing someone a favor?” he just stared, but his face must have said it all. “
A close friend?”

“
Yes, a very old friend, and yes, I am. Since you don’t mind bending the rules, this is the perfect assignment for you. As for Lily, where you go, she goes Cowboy. That is her cross to bear as your partner.”

Blackhawk sat there
, unsure if this was a good or bad thing.

“I suggest you pack cooler clothes,
late spring and early summer in the south is a bitch,” he added, grinning. When he could teach his agents a lesson without it damaging their record, he enjoyed it. It must be the sadist in him. Besides, he liked Ethan Blackhawk a great deal, and he suspected he would be good for Elizabeth LaRue, and in more ways than one.

Maybe he could talk her into coming back, but they would cross that bridge later.

“Again, I’m there as a consult only, and the sheriff remains in control?”

Gabe rubbed his chin smiling, at the thought of Blackhawk trying to gain control from Elizabeth LaRue. “You are to go in quietly, and to make contact with the
sheriff. Try to not scare the locals and most importantly, don’t get anyone killed- especially yourself or Sheriff LaRue. If it is indeed a serial killer running loose, contact base and get back up. Are we clear?”

“Yes, crystal.”

“Meanwhile, get home, pack, and get to the airport. I’ll email you everything once the sheriff sends me the info.”

Blackhawk
stood.

“Oh, and Cowboy, don’t piss the
sheriff off. Remember, friend of mine, and I take that very serious,” he nodded, as the man left looking worried. Gabe couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Blackhawk was about to meet his match. Stubborn and control freak were about to collide, and maybe teach them both a lesson. Once he met the original cowboy, maybe Ethan Blackhawk would see how dangerous and reckless it could be.  He picked up his phone and hit redial, getting her back on the phone.

“Sheriff LaRue,” she answered on the first ring.

“They’re departing for the airport and they have an arrival time of four in the morning. By the time they drive to Salem, it should be around seven.”

“I’ll be ready for them,” she
answered softly. “Thank you, Gabe. I love you!”

“Lyzee, anything for you
and you know that. Livy and the kids ask about you all the time. After this is all over, please come visit, okay?” he was worried about her. “We love you and miss you too.”

Elizabeth thought about his wife and the kids she loved, and it was almost enough to make her consider. “I can’t promise anything, but if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

He let it go. It was obvious that she just wasn’t ready yet. “Special Agents Blackhawk and Sanderson are on their way. Send me the files with all you have, and I’ll email it in route so they can be prepared.”

Elizabeth motioned from her desk to
get her secretary’s attention. “I’ll send all I have immediately. If they’re arriving early, have them meet me at ‘
The Barrel’
in town for breakfast. Then we can get to work. I want to meet them on level playing ground, so I can size up the FBI powerhouse you’re sending me.”