“It won’t take long to profile three drug runners,” said Manny.
“Yeah. They want you to leave tomorrow and probably come home in a day or two. Home, as in Quantico. You’ve all got a shitload of paperwork to finish and you haven’t met everyone you need to meet. Then there’s the swearing-in ceremony for Alex and Sophie.”
“That’ll be a switch. Sworn in instead of sworn at,” said Sophie.
“For you,” said Alex.
“Bite me.”
“On your own time, you two,” said Josh, not hiding his smile.
“I’m assuming you all brought your travel bags,” he continued, “so go ahead and get a hotel. You’ll leave tomorrow morning, early.”
The phone on the nightstand rang, and Josh picked it up.
“Corner here. Yes sir, thank you. We’re glad we made it, too.”
As Josh listened, Manny saw his friend’s expression change like a dark cloud had just blocked his sunlight.
Josh hung up the phone, then swung his bare feet to the floor. “Circumstances have changed.”
“How?” asked Manny.
“The rangers in the El Yunque rainforest have just discovered four bodies. Two near a campsite and two in a tourist attraction, the Mount Britton Tower.”
“And . . . ?” prompted Alex.
“They were all four hacked to death, and it looks like the killings could have been less than twelve hours apart. They want our help.”
“What does hacked to death mean?” asked Manny.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”
“So we’re invited and still leaving tomorrow morning?” said Manny.
“Yes to both. Well, we’re going to leave as soon as the weather clears and we can get a jet here. I’ll talk to the doctors and find out their bottom line for when I can leave. I have an ‘in’ at the rainforest so I need to get there ASAP.”
“In?” asked Manny.
“I’ll tell you later.” Josh paused then added, “There’s another thing. We need to talk about you and Chloe getting tight when this one’s over. There are regulations that address relationships at the Bureau, let alone in the same unit. Especially when it could affect judgment in a dangerous situation. Is that a problem here?”
Manny nodded. “We kind of thought this was coming, so no surprise. But no, there’s no problem, so far.”
“He’s right, none so far,” said Chloe.
“Okay. We’ll talk more later on. Right now, let’s get the docs to do their job so we can get the hell out of here.”
“Are you going to be able to fly so soon?” asked Alex.
Raising his palms to the ceiling, Josh shrugged. “What choice do I have? I either fly or take a bus to DC and get a job serving burgers.”
“I guess that’s true, but that may be easier said than done,” said Manny.
“It might.”
Manny noticed that Josh was trying to avoid eye contact and knew immediately there was more. “What else?” he said.
“Two things,” Josh quickly responded. “We will be meeting the new CSI assigned to this unit in San Juan. His name is Dean Mikus. We just hired him away from the Los Angeles PD. Very bright, but a little quirky.”
“He’ll fit right in,” said Sophie.
“He will. And the other thing?” probed Manny.
Agent Corner glanced at the floor, then to the ceiling, finally settling on Manny. “This might be my last case in the BAU.”
Chapter-12
“We’ve got six bodies, all killed the same way. I think that qualifies as freaking rampage, a serial-killer trifecta. Shit. Why us?” said Detective Julia Crouse.
Detective Carlos Ruiz started to answer his partner, but paused to look at her for a moment. She was taller than he, better-than-average-looking with huge, dark eyes and short, black hair that perfectly framed her oval face. She was damn near attractive when she let go of the seemingly eternal frown. Today wasn’t going to be one of those days, however.
He stroked his mustache, shrugged, and said, “What’d you think homicide was when you signed up? A Girl Scout get-together with barbeques and piñatas? I mean we get more murders than New York.”
“No, smartass, I knew we’d get the drug and gang-war crap. A few road-rage shootings, and of course, the old standby, domestic violence, leading to more funerals than reconciliations. But this? Good God, did you see those bodies?” answered Julia, hands flying a mile a minute.
He sighed. He
had
seen them. The horrific scenes would no doubt stoke the fire that fueled his perpetual migraines and the never-ending nightmares.
Ah. The joy of law enforcement in San Juan.
“Even worse was the position of the bodies. It was . . . organized,” he said.
“I saw some of that, but I’m not sure it was the case for the last two.”
“I’m not sure of a lot of this, and the CSI teams are going to go nuts trying to find
anything
where these folks were found. That’s why I called the cavalry.”
Crouse rested her backside on her desk and crossed her arms. He smiled. She wasn’t anything if not a classic, strong-willed woman. She hated not being the first to know. He thought that trait was part of what made her a good cop.
“What? Who’s the cavalry?” she asked, lips tight.
Gathering his thoughts, he gazed out the second-story window and caught the beginnings of a Caribbean sunset. It was as vibrant as any in the world. He felt himself drawing strength from it, strength he needed whenever he talked about
her
.
“A couple of years ago we had a murder at one of the Condado Strip’s elite hotels.”
“I remember that one. Ended up being some psycho serial-killer tandem, right?”
He nodded. “It did. The FBI got involved, and this Michigan cop, Manny Williams, helped in ways that only those profiler types can. But it was too late for my partner, Christina Perez.”
Crouse’s expression was immediately altered by the softening of her eyes and face. He’d only witnessed this look a time or two in their partnership. “I remember that too,” she said softly. “I was still in blue, but I heard the rumors about how she died.” She tilted her head. “And the rest of those rumors.”
He rubbed his face with both hands. “Well, they were true, mostly. She died horribly, and I should have been there. She said she could handle it, and that our caseload here was too crazy to leave, so I agreed.” His hand started to shake, and he clenched it with the other. “I’ve not slept well since her funeral.”
Crouse stepped close and took both his hands. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, but I can’t help wondering how it would have gone if I’d been there.”
“You’ll make yourself crazy trying to figure that one out. So stop. I kind of like my partners not spending their nights in the loony bin.”
“Believe me, if I could, I would. It’s just not that easy.”
Squeezing his hands, she stepped back. “Did you love her?”
Ruiz gave her an even, steady gaze. “The other rumor?”
“Yep. Hey, there might be seventeen thousand cops on this island, but stuff like that gathers no moss.”
“I suppose it doesn’t. Let’s just say we were close.”
“Fair enough.”
“Anyway. The FBI’s BAU is the best, and I hear Detective Williams is now part of them. We have enough shit going on and could use their help on this one.”
“Okay. When will they be here?”
“Hopefully within twelve hours or so. Hell, they don’t even know about the other two bodies found near the La Mina Trail.”
“So all bullshit aside, do you think this is drug-related? I mean half the damn killings on the ‘Isle of Enchantment’ are.”
Ruiz opened his hands. “I don’t think so. I could be wrong, but I don’t see it. We’ve seen some gory shit between local drug lords and all of that turf war violence. I mean the throat slashing and the execution-style crap. But I’ve never seen anything like this from them. They almost have a code, not always, but mostly. There’s no freaking code here. This killer didn’t attempt to hide anything and left everything of any value at each murder scene.”
“And . . . ?”
“And my gut tells me it’s different, for whatever that’s worth. But that’s where guys like this Williams come in. He’ll know, and that can only help find this warped bastard.”
The cell on his desk began to chime, the ring tone set to a famous piece by cuatro player Yomo Toro. He glanced at the screen and did a double take.
“Shit,” he whispered.
“Who is it?”
“The coroner.” He picked up the phone. “Ruiz here.”
A moment later, he dropped the phone from his ear and shook his head.
“I hate it when you look like that,” Julia said.
“Yeah, well, I hate it too. They found another body, only one this time.”
“In El Yunque?”
“Yes. But it’s bad.”
His partner’s eyes grew larger. “What do you mean, bad?”
“They found the commander of the park ranger division, sliced beyond recognition.”
“Shit.” Her eyes widened. “Oh man. Isn’t he the brother of a—”
Her words were halted by the slump in Ruiz’s shoulders. He’d forgotten about the park ranger’s connection with the Feds.
Picking up the land line, he slowly dialed the number he’d already memorized.
Chapter-13
“What the hell does that mean?” asked Manny, watching Josh’s eyes closely.
Sophie was more abrupt. “Are you leaving the Bureau? If so, I’ll have to kick your ass right now. Then nurse you back to health the Chinese way.”
“Relax,” said Josh. “It just means that there might be something more on the horizon for me. And what does ‘the Chinese way’ mean?”
“Let’s just say you won’t be feeling any pain.”
“That works,” grinned Josh.
“A promotion? You’ve only one way to go, man. So that means—” Chloe began, walking gingerly to the head of the bed.
“Assistant director,” Manny finished.
“Well, maybe. The assistant director over the BAU and a couple of the drug-trafficking units is retiring due to health concerns and AD Dickman wants me to throw my hat in the ring. I said yes, that’s all.”
“That’s all? I think that’s pretty significant,” frowned Alex.
“Yeah, that’s like calling Lake Michigan a pond,” said Sophie.
“Hey. Guys. It’s just a hat in the ring. There’s a bunch of agents with more experience, so I’m not even in the top five, I’m sure. Okay?” Josh had a hard edge to his otherwise calm voice when he said “okay?”
“Okay it is,” answered Manny, knowing Josh knew more.
Manny watched Josh’s hand move to the back of his neck and the particular way he looked down and away. Not Josh Corner traits. There was more to the scenario than his friend was letting on. He was hiding something, something deep that birthed a level of anxiety he kept to himself. Josh turned Manny’s way, peering intently at him.
That’s more like Josh Corner.
“I should never talk about these things in front of profilers. Didn’t we have a deal? No profiling the boss, right?” he said.
“I don’t remember that one,” said Manny. “It’s just obvious you’re less than comfortable with all of the attention. So we’ll back off, for now. Not to mention you must have a headache the size of Texas.”
“Like hell we will,” said Sophie. “I sign up and you leave? Not happening. Oh, and I have an old Chinese cure for that headache, but I ain’t telling, or showing.”
“Come here,” said Josh.
Sophie looked at Manny, then to Alex, then to Chloe. Each glance reflecting that wonderful uneasiness that was so rare to see in his partner.
“No. I’m—I’m pissed at you,” she sputtered.
“Now, Agent Lee,” demanded Josh.
Taking a deep breath and leaving the uneasiness in the dust, she marched to the left side of the bed, her hair bouncing in rhythm with her steps.
“What?”
“Closer.”
She shuffled a step closer. “This is all you get. What?”
He pulled her head close and whispered in her ear. When he was done, she moved back and folded her arms. “You can’t play that card, especially now.”
“My badge, and our friendship, says I can. Do we have a deal?”
Rolling her eyes, she bent to Josh, kissed his forehead, then moved back to Manny. “Freaking men. Yeah, we got a deal, for now. Asshole.”
“You’re too kind.”
Josh got out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, looking directly at Manny. “No grilling her either. This one is between us.”
There existed almost a pleading in his boss’s eyes. He found himself, once again, wondering what the hell was going on, but nodded his agreement.
“All right,” said Manny.
Chloe moved to Manny’s side, looping her arm through his.
For the second time in ten minutes, he felt the elation of knowing someone you love is safe. What could match that?
“Let’s get organized,” Josh said. “The docs will be here in a few, so Chloe and I will harass them into a positive update on our conditions.”
Chloe slipped off the sling. “What conditions?”
Josh followed suit and unwrapped the gauze from his head, revealing another semi-bloodied bandage on his forehead. “She’s right. I feel better already.”
“You both look good too,” said Sophie.
“I’ll say it again, none of you are right,” said Alex. “Doctors usually know what they’re talking about, but none of you are going to listen.”
“Hey. We’ve got work to do,” said Josh. “The next thing will be to check out the weather and get us to San Juan as quickly as possible. That means you’ll have to be ready when the pilot says
when
.”
“I hate to be a wet blanket here, but are you two sure you’re ready to get back inside a plane right now?” asked Alex, again.
Josh and Chloe exchanged a look and shrugged in unison.
“My mum used to say you got to get back on the seat when you fall off, so I’m okay,” said Chloe, her eyes full of determination. Another trait Manny loved about her.
“Her mom and my dad must have been from the same school,” added Josh. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Besides, I hate buses.”
“You had a traumatic experience, and it might not be that easy.”
“Thanks Alex, but we’re done talking about this.”
The door swung open, and a team of three doctors entered. The first one was a short, lithe woman, who was probably older than she looked, with intelligent, deep-brown eyes and high cheek bones on a handsome face that demanded respect.