Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (74 page)

When he called, she put it on speaker phone and already Elizabeth could already hear it in Zane’s voice. He’d definitely found something.

“What do you have, Doctor?”

“I ran the DNA. One sample had a genetic marker alteration. In one strand, there was evidence that someone had a bout of childhood leukemia. It altered the gene slightly, giving us enough to distinguish the difference between the two of them.”

“Spill it.”

“Victim one and the hair from Tony’s clothes don’t match. The victim had survived leukemia, the hair samples weren’t showing that in the spliced DNA.”

“Okay, so who is who?” she asked, getting excited. They had something here. She knew it!

“Pulling Walter Dennison’s medical records, I can tell you that they never showed him battling cancer. So, your victim is likely Andrew Dennison, and not who we believed it to originally be. We have a twin in the morgue.”

She grinned in triumph even as her team stared in surprise. No one saw this one coming, and now they were ready to lock the animal down. Once they found the new hole he was hiding in
, he was going to jail.

“Thank you, Doctor,” she said, hanging up. When she faced them, Elizabeth was ready to get this done.

“It all makes sense,” Ethan said. “He kills his brother, the classic Kane versus Abel syndrome, only Walter has a way of covering his tracks. By taking out his brother, he can assume his identity and roles in life.”

Callen understood the switch-up, but he didn't understand all of it. “But he wa
s sleeping with some young girl. Wasn’t he just as big a sinner?”

Blackhawk began breaking it down. “He saw himself as flawed, but knew that the blood of God would wash him clean. So, he took it upon himself. By killing his brother, making that sacrifice, he elevated himself into that position. Likely, he was addicted to sex and couldn’t perform unless it was with what attracted him. He swapped obsessions, the minute he took Andrew’s life.”

Elizabeth continued, “He became so focused on God that the sexual need fell away. He simply replaced one form of crazy with another.”

“Yes, more proof
that he is a sociopath,” Ethan stated.

“Why the church?” asked Meredith. Rarely did she get to be privy to the way they solved things. This was fascinating.

“It was easy to hunt there, and he likely felt safe. After all, God was everywhere there. He would watch the sinners going into the confession, and he could access the oils and the cemetery.”

“This was a new lease on life,” Blackhawk stated. “He got into trouble and found a way to start over, in a life he preferred. His brother was the missionary, and he was just the lowly organist. He was the older brother, and he should have been the ‘Godly’ one in his eyes.”

“Speaking of eyes, he took Toni Michelle’s because she could identify him. If she knew he was a twin, then she’d likely be able to spill those details. If he’s been watching us, he would have known that we visited her,” Elizabeth said. “So, his escalation happed right after his botched attempt at Jaxon. He couldn’t take the risk. In fact, he was likely worried that Doctor Armstrong saw something she shouldn’t have, and that’s why he went after her again, only getting Tony.”

“So, who’s next?” Callen asked.

Ethan knew the answer. “He’s not going to stop until he makes the catalyst for his downfall pay. He’s going to go after the woman who caused him to fail so miserably and make him feel out of control.”

“Is she safe?” Meredith asked, hoping Doctor Armstrong was okay.

“Yeah, she’s on her way back to Quantico,” she offered. “He’ll never get her there.”

“Where is he hiding out?” Callen asked. “We took away his lair, so where’s he crashing at night.”

Blackhawk had a pretty good idea. “If he thinks he’s Andrew Dennison, he’s going to use his place. We searched Walter’s home, but we never even considered checking his brother’s.”

Elizabeth knew what they needed to do. “Well, we’re going to make sure we
do that now. If we’re lucky, we’ll catch him there.”

Ethan pulled out his phone. “I’ll get an emergency search warrant. We can send our two agents here, and let them check the place. If he’s not
there, they can assist the techs in searching it.”

They stood.

“Good luck, Agents, and don’t forget to suit up.”

Callen watched them go. “You just let them walk out of here really easy. You don’t want to be t
here to kick his ass?” he asked warily.

Elizabeth didn't believe they’d find him in that apartment. “He won’t go there. He’s coming for Jaxon. What he doesn’t know is we’re going to be ready for him.”

Callen didn't like the sound of that. “I think I want to puke.”

Ethan wasn’t too far behind him on that.

                                *     *     *

The rain was beginning to fall.

He didn't like getting wet. It made his clothin
g stick to his sore back. Maybe he could hide in the cabin and wait for her. Then, when she finally came through the door, he could make her pay.

Creeping
toward the dwelling, he found an open window. Raising the blinds, he slithered in, all the while staying low. As he closed the window behind him, he found a safe place to hide.

Now, it would be all about keeping
quiet and out of sight. Like always, he would blend in.

Thankfully, it was an excellent skill to have.

He began praying, his rosary in his hand. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”

~ Chapter Twenty One ~

           Sunday Morning

They searched the entire place, looking in every crack and
crevice they could find.

And… they didn't find him.

Yes, they knew he’d been there.

In the kitchen, there was food in the
refrigerator, cold coffee in the pot, and dishes in the sink. Elizabeth had been right. He had been using his dead brother’s apartment as his place to lay low.

Now, they had taken that away from him too.

As they continued their search, hands on their sidearms just in case, they found something appalling in his bedroom. Taking pictures, they sent it to their bosses.

It looked like the inside of a church. Well, one if the priest was out of his damn mind. There were statues everywhere, facing the bed, where the man
would sleep every night. On the bedding, they at first thought there had been candle wax, since there was a plethora of red candles everywhere, but it turned out to be blood.

Where did it come from?

They didn't have to puzzle over it long. That question was answered when they opened the top dresser drawer. Inside, they found a whip, and on it was more blood. Obviously, the man had punished himself in order to pay for some sick twisted sin.

Yeah, he was totally nuts.

In the bathroom, they found even more evidence that he was out of his mind. On the walls of the commode, there was writing.

I will die for God.

I will die for God.

I will…..

It looked like Ethan Blackhawk was right too. The man had a break from reality and was a few bricks shy of a wall. After sending those pictures too, Madden and Seaton stood guard over the techs working on finding more proof that the man was a killer.

Yeah, somehow, they didn't think that was going to be too difficult.

The perp had left them a pretty clear picture.

                                *     *     *

Elizabeth had gotten all the details from her team. She was pacing as they waited for Walter Dennison to make his move. Ethan was watching the road, and Callen was making her something to eat.

It was
only going to be a matter of time, and he would show. He needed to take out Jaxon in the worst way, and that’s when they’d get him.

“Are you sure Tony’s safe?” she asked, worried about her friend.

“Yep. He’s got three deputies outside his room. It would take a miracle from God himself to get in there,” Ethan said, accepting a cup of coffee from his brother.

“Lyzee, you should eat something,” Callen said, handing her a plate
of toast. “Do it for Charlie.”

She relented. “That’s not fair,” Elizabeth said, accepting his kiss along with the plate.
“You just used one of our kids to manipulate me.”

“Yeah, I know.
I get off on the power,” Callen teased.

Ethan laughed.

Going to the window, which was facing the other cabin, Elizabeth began eating her toast. In her mind, she was measuring the probabilities and weighing all her options. All she could hope was the man would be predictable, even as he lost control.

It was rare for them to wait for a killer to come to them. More often than not, the team had to chase them down.

This was definitely new for her. Elizabeth was finding out that patience was not one of her strong points.

As she scanned the surroundings, something
miniscule caught her eye.

“Wait!”

Both men glanced over at the tone in her voice.

“No one went in
the other cabin after we locked up, right?”

“Correct,” replied Ethan. “Why?”

She pointed at the back window, almost out of view. It was partially blocked by a tree. “When we sealed it up, that window blind was down.”

“Are you sure?” Callen asked.

“Yes,” she replied, putting down her toast. Charlie would have to wait for food. Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that they were about to head out.

Blackhawk peered over her shoulder at the window.

“He’s not going to sashay himself to the door, hoping to shoot Jaxon, guys. He’s going to lie in wait until someone comes thought the door.”

That made both men sick because they were pretty sure who was planning on doing just that.

“Elizabeth!” Whitefox blurted, hoping he could stop her, but it was too late.

She was already moving
toward her gear and pulling her shirt off. She was going to catch this asshole once and for all. While she wasn’t a big fan of God, she believed his perversion of it was a sin in itself.

Callen and Ethan were right behind
her, unwilling to let their pregnant woman go at it alone.

“What’s the plan?” Ethan asked, hoping
Elizabeth was wrong. In such close quarters, one of them could get shot. He didn't want any of them entering a cabin where a sociopath was lying in wait.

“
We’re going to sneak in and take him out in cuffs. Then, we’re getting the hell out of Devil’s Lake.”

Neither man looked happy about the plan.

Elizabeth glanced over as they slipped into their Kevlar. “It’ll be okay. I promise,” she reassured. “He’ll never suspect we’ll be onto him and searching the cabin.”

Still, they looked worried.

“How often am I wrong when it comes to things like this?” she asked, hoping they’d lighten up. This was the easy part. They’d done the sleuthing, and now it was time to reap the reward- one crazy fruit loop behind bars.

Neither
of her partners spoke. The only thing they could do was check their guns and hope at all three of them would be going home alive.

                                *     *     *

He was getting impatient and didn't know what to do. As he hid in the bedroom, his greatest hope was to see her drive up and park her car outside. Peeking out the window, his heart dropped.

Oh, she wasn’t coming, but he had just caught sight of an FBI agent heading
his way. The blue jacket with the gold lettering gave him away.

Thank God
he looked outside!