Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (36 page)

Outside, Elizabeth tried to calm herself. Her heart was pounding
, and she had this irrational need to cry. It looked like the baby hormones were on a rollercoaster ride.

“We have a problem,” stated Ethan, crossing to her. He could see the emotion on her face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m just dandy. What’s the issue?”

It looked like they had more than one problem, since he distinctly could tell his wife had just lied to him. Before he could comment,
Callen approached.

“We’ve gotten attention,” he said, pointing
toward the church and the gate. Already, spectators had begun to gather. There was a line of black umbrellas with intrigued faces peeking out from beneath them.

“Awesome. The morbidly curious have now just figured out we’re going to be pulling a body from a crypt. In a small town, this should be in the paper by morning,” she offered.

They didn't need that. In order to keep the citizens of Devil’s Lake calm, they needed to do their job quietly.

As if on cue, there were individuals trying to get through the gate with cameras.

“Media,” she stated, pointing. “You’re up, Cowboy.”

He knew this was his thing. Now, he only wished he wasn’t drenched while doing it. His only saving grace was that his shirt was black and the water wouldn’t make his tattoos visible beneath.

Elizabeth knew he liked to hit the media looking presentable. Whistling, she grabbed the tech team’s attention. “You in the FBI jacket, let the director borrow it. He has to wrangle some news people.”

The man pulled it off and handed it to Ethan.

Willingly, he accepted it with gratitude. While it was still wet, it at least made him feel a little more ‘protected’. It was hard to feel in control when you were dripping water and a hot mess.

When Ethan was gone, Callen faced her. “Is it a baby?” he whispered.

“Not likely. All three doctors agree that it’s probably a pet. We’re hoping it’s a cat or dog.”

He relaxed a little. “That’s very Egyptian. Didn't they bury their pets with them?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Tony stuck his head out of the tomb. “Boss, is it okay to
move the victims?” he asked, making sure the coast was clear. Fortunately, before they locked down the cemetery gates, one of the techs showed up with a transport vehicle.

“Yeah, you’re good, Tony. Get our victim
s back to the morgue and have Doctor Legend get it done,” she directed.

Callen spotted the sheriff, his deputy
, and Father Dowell heading toward them. “Heads up, we have company,” he stated, loud enough for Elizabeth’s ears only.

When she turned, the man didn't look too happy. 

“Well, sweetheart, what the hell is going on?” Sheriff Silversmith stated. “We generally like to leave the bodies in the cemetery once they’re placed here.”

She ignored his disrespectful nickname, just because this wasn’t the time or place. “Yeah, we do to
o, Sheriff, but unfortunately, this one was left by our killer.”

The priest crossed himself.

All three men watched as the black body bag was carried from the tomb to a waiting vehicle.

“Where’s the coffin?” asked the deputy.

“There wasn’t one,” stated Elizabeth. “That’s how we knew our killer had left us another victim.” She didn't release any more details than that. From this point out, she trusted no one.

Not even a priest.

“What can we do to help?” the sheriff asked.

Elizabeth was a little surprised that he wasn’t going
to push the issue and try to get control. After all, this body had turned up in his jurisdiction. She’d been a sheriff, and if that had happened to her in Salem, Elizabeth definitely would have been fighting tooth and nail to run it.

Then again, that was just her.

“We need to close off this cemetery. No one gets in or out until we have time to search it.”

“I can help,” stated Deputy Turner. “I can get a few of the guys from the station
, and we can check all the mausoleums for any more surprises.”

Elizabeth weighed her options. Already, her team was stretched a little thin.
“You know what? I’ll accept your help,” she stated. “Can you get your men to put on gloves and head to that area over there?” she asked, pointing where she, Ethan, and Callen had been. “The team is going to have to sweep for trace over here, and that way we can cover twice the ground.”

The man looked excited to be helping out. “Yes, ma’am!” Immediately, he scurried off.

The sheriff smiled at her. “I knew you were sweet as pie. That was really nice of you to not be a hard ass about us helping.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” she stated.

Callen started laughing. He couldn’t help it. This was all too weird. Elizabeth was being called sweet, she’d played good Catholic girl, and now she was playing nice with the locals. It was like the end of the world. Soon the water would be turning to blood as the locusts fell from the heavens.

“We didn't get any missing person reports for anyone,” the older man stated. “How is it possible that no one’s missing
this victim?”

“
In my past experience, the killer may have a jump on this one. If this was a new murder, the victim might not be missing yet. I’d keep an eye out for one, because more likely than not, one will be coming in.”

“I hope so,” stated the sheriff. “It’l
l make it easy for your team.”

She held back as much as she could. “I
f he follows his pattern, we’ll have the victim’s name as soon as we start the exam.” Elizabeth didn't elaborate more, and oddly, no one pushed for an explanation.

The
sheriff did look disgusted. “It looks like evil is working here in Devil’s Lake.”

Yeah, she was well aware.

“Sheriff, can you get your men situated? If they find anything, I need them to not touch it, but instead come find one of my team.”

“Sure thing, sweetness.”
He tipped his hat and headed off after Deputy Turner.

Callen swallowed a comment.

“Father Dowell, you need to go back into your parish and get the people who work there to calm down. We’re handling this, and I can promise you that it’s in good hands. My people can work a scene with their eyes closed.”

“
Director, I have a funeral in two days. I need this cemetery accessible to everyone who comes to bury their loved ones. You can’t keep it locked down for long.”

She had no intention
of keeping the living out. Her worry was stopping a killer from leaving a trail of bodies. “Well, the longer it takes me to do my job, the longer it’ll be shut down. If you want that funeral to happen, you need to let me get back to work. You go calm the masses, and I’ll worry about the body. If I find any more victims, you and the sheriff will hear from me.”

The man hurried away.

Elizabeth waited for him to leave before turning to face her two anthropologists. She could feel them staring at her, which meant that they might have something for her. If anything, her team was predictable. “What do you have?” she asked.

Tony noticed she was shivering from being wet. Pulling off his
semi dry FBI pullover, he handed it to her. “Here, Lyzee,” he said. “You don’t need to get sick.”

She gratefully took it
and pulled it on. “Thank you, Tony.”

Callen appreciated the man’s concern.
Had his own clothes been dry, he would have offered his up.

Tony prepared to give her all he had at that point.
“It looks to be the same MO. The only thing that was noticeably different was the mummification of the animal. We won’t know more until we get it open, but I will tell you there was a lot of blood on the wrappings when we moved the body. The victim was killed, and then bled as the killer did his thing.”

“Yeah, I noticed. What can you tell me about the use of the cemetery?”

Tony glanced over at Jaxon. It was time to let her see what the FBI was going to be like. “Why don’t you take this one?”

“Okay, Tony,” she stated. “First, I’m sorry if I sounded inappropriate in the crypt,” she offered. “I wasn’t aware you were pregnant and if I had been, I would have been less enthusiastic. I just happen to love cemeteries.”

“It’s okay, Doctor Armstrong. I’m not easily offended, but I am a little emotional now.” She placed her hand over her stomach, still trying to calm Charlie down. “Normally, nothing bothers me. How about we forget it, and you give me what you know?”

“Okay, I can do
that. This screams burial ritual to me. In life, there’s only one thing which is certain. We’re all going to die. Our killer is taking it and making it ‘special’. Everyone buries their dead. When we pass on, we’re embalmed and buried, whether in a jar, casket, or tomb. He’s making it elaborate. Where you’re seeing a sicko who is killing, I see it a little different. While he’s taking their lives, he’s also giving them their moment in the end.”

Elizabeth glanced over at her anthropologist for his opinion. When he simply nodded, she went with it. “Continue, Doctor.”

“Most species mourn their dead, from elephants, to gorillas, and then humans. Where we differ is how we lay them to rest. If he’s killing them because of sin, he’s also purifying them in death. They’ve paid the ultimate price and are still important. After killing them, he’s preserving them in frankincense, meticulously wrapping them, and finally burying them. Even though he’s a cold, calculated killer, he’s still reverent in their demise. To him, it’s a calling.”

Elizabeth understood. They weren’t just dumped on a roadside, but handled carefully. “Okay, why?”

Tony spoke up, “To me, he’s mourning them. I’ve seen societies where they would wrap the bodies, and then lay them to rest much like this. Some used banana leaves, others used paper. It’s a way of sending them off to their maker.”

“Like giftwrapping them?” Callen asked. Until then, he’d remained silent, getting ill over the entire thing. This killer was obviously insane.

“Yes, you can say that,” Jaxon said. “If he’s wrapping the bodies like mummies and preserving them with frankincense, he likely has a fascination with Egyptology. This is exactly like dig sites I’ve worked before.”

“I agree,” stated Tony. “I worked in the outskirts of Cairo years ago in college. The
canopic jars, the oils, and now the mummified pet all point that way.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Elizabeth stated. This was all a mess.

They had a killer who was callously taking a life, but in death he was being reverent. It seemed that the killer was a little more than crazy in her book.

None of this made sense to her, and it looked like she was going to have to call in the big guns on this.

It was going to be profiler time.

Elizabeth glanced down the path
toward where her husband was busy with the media. She was sure he’d have a field day with this one.

“Boss, can we get in to sweep the crypt?” asked Meredith, as she stood there with her kit and three techs.

“Yeah, get me everything you can find. I even want the spiders brought in for interrogation,” she said.

“You’ll be able to eat off the slab when we’re done,” she stated.

“Yeah, that’s appealing,” Elizabeth said. “You and Jaxon can get back to the morgue. Thank you for your insight. Help Zane out as much as possible. We’ll be heading back in for the autopsy soon,” she said.

The two wandered off to their vehicle.

“I don’t like this at all,” stated Callen.

Yeah, neither did she.

“Join the club.”

After Ethan had dealt with the media and Callen had made sure the sheriff’s deputies understood that the cemetery was on lock down, they headed to the morgue. While no one really wanted to watch an autopsy, they had no choice. In order to get to the bar and interrogate the patrons, of the dead prostitute, they needed to check this off their list.

Once
arriving, they waited as a tech finished pulling fibers from the mummy wrappings. Doctor Legend was pulling on his scrubs as he prepped to start.

“If it’s okay with you, Director,” he said, pulling out his tools, “I’d like to let Tony and Doctor Armstrong handle the smaller victim. Then, I can focus on the body.”

She was fine with that. This wasn’t her area, and Elizabeth was more than willing to let them run with it. “Have at it, Doctors.”

All three gloved up, and Zane gave the go-ahead
. “Let’s begin.”

Elizabeth leaned against Ethan, letting him wrap his arms around her. Right now, she wasn’t feeling well
, and it had nothing to do with her pregnancy. There was this sick feeling brewing in her gut over this case. She was accustomed to sickos. After all, they’d dealt with devil worshipers and cannibals. Yet, this didn't sit well with her at all.

Killers
, who did their crimes in the name of their God, were generally extremists. They had few boundaries and didn't believe they had anything to lose. A martyr on a killing spree was terrifying.