Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) (18 page)

“That wasn’t directed at you two, it was meant for Tony. I know you two wouldn’t ever bare hand a set of keys that you found beside blood and a
vandalized car.”

Tony tried to rationalize it once more, and again, it fell on deaf ears.

Elizabeth found Doc’s briefcase and grabbed a tissue from the desk. Carefully, she popped it open and pulled out the files inside. There were two that had post it notes on the top of
them.

When she flipped them open, she began scanning the pages and observing the notations. Elizabeth was accustom
ed to the files that Doc would prepare for her. She had read a few as sheriff of Salem. When she found the main information, she glanced over at Tony.

“You found human bones in the river?”

“A fisherman was over there baiting some traps. He pulled up his catch and found a tibia. We dredged the river and found more.”

She didn't know what to say.

“Were you investigating it as homicide?” asked Ethan.

Tony shrugged. “I told Doc it was probably some old Indian bones that washed into the river. The water runs right through the old land that the tribe
lives on.”

She sighed. “Tony, I don’t know why I’m going to even bother, since you probably won’t remember this anyway, but Indians are from India.” She pointed at Ethan and Callen. “They are Native American
, as in they originated here before the settlers.”

He stared at her blankly.

“My children are Native American. Don’t make me knock you on your ass for offending me. It’ll only be embarrassing.”

Callen grinned and Ethan ran a hand down her back. Ahhh, it was good to have his wife back.
Apparently, he was a sicko. He actually missed her threatening to inflict bodily harm.

Tony tried to brush it off. “Doc was working on the investigation. He was trying to find their identity.”

She stared at him incredulously. “What do you mean a seventy year old man was investigating? You’re the damn sheriff, Tony. This is your job! He gives you the findings and you run with it!”

He opened his mouth and more insanity fell out. “I was busy working on the Spring Fling. Doc was bored and wanted to handle it. Something about it was bugging the shit out of him.”

“Yeah, a disarticulated body in a river should bother the shit out of someone,” she said, closing her eyes. Already, she knew what was coming.

“Breathe, baby,” Ethan whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Tony, you have bones in a river, a busted out windshield, blood in the grass, and a missing ME who was investigating the bones. What does that tell you?”

“That I need help?”

Well, at least he got that one thing right.

Kudos for Tony.

Elizabeth walked towards the door without saying a single thing. She was torn over wanting to be sick because Doc appeared to be gone, how bad Tony was doing with being sheriff, and having to work while they were on vacation. This was one hell of a conundrum.

Callen whispered to Ethan, “We’re going to be working, aren’t we?”

Ethan nodded. “Yep, and I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

Death had found them again.

                        *     *     *

Elizabeth said nothing the entire ride back to their house. Neither man bothered her because they knew she was thinking through everything that she had just discovered. From the look on her face, it was obvious that she was thinking about what needed to be done, and what was coming.

As they pulled into the driveway, Ethan carried the files into the house. They bummed some gloves from Tony and told him to not run around town telling everyone that Doc was missing. The last thing
that they needed was a town full of people stirred up, again.

They had been there and done that before.

For now, until they knew more, Doc was just missing. As Feds, it was hard to look on the bright side. They’d been down that road too many times, and generally, it didn't end well. When someone who was actively investigating a possible murder disappeared, of course that looked suspicious.

You’d have to be an ignoramus to not go there in your mind, then again, you could just be Tony.
To the FBI, the odds weren’t in the old man’s favor, and that had to be weighing heavily on Elizabeth.

As they headed into her office, Ethan handed her a pair of gloves.
Elizabeth efficiently snapped them on and sat. As she opened the files, she stared up at him.

“To me, they’re just bones. I may need to call in for some help for this one. We’re assuming they’re human, but what if they’re not?
I’ve got a good memory, but with over two hundred bones in the human body, I can’t be sure.”

Ethan got it. “Call Doctor
s Leonard and Magnus. They’ll give you an answer in seconds, and I believe that one is on duty, right now.”

She put in the call on Callen’s tablet and waited until their faces popped on the screen. Since Chris was still at home, the screen split
to a side by side.

“Hey, what’s up,
Director?” Tony asked, cheerily. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a lover’s retreat?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows lecherously.

Ethan and Callen moved to stand behind her, and the man started laughing. “Hi there, very large angry bosses.”

Both men ignored him. They were more focused on their ME. He didn't look too happy, and that was always concerning when the team wasn’t at their best.

“I’m sorry to bother you both,” Elizabeth began. “I have a situation and it’s out of our realm of expertise.”

Tony and Chris waited until she began.

“The ME here found some remains
, and I need you both to look at them and tell me what we have,” she stated, holding up the photos. “I can’t ship them to you via email, since Salem isn’t that technologically savvy.”

Tony stared at them
and began making the mental calculations.

Chris spoke first, “You have four femur bones, some tibias, a handful of vertebra
, and what looks to be metatarsals.”

“I concur
with Chris’s findings.”

“So, they’re human?” she confirmed.

“Yep,” Tony said.

“The next question is for either of you. Is
there any way that these bones could be from a Native American burial ground? We have quite a few along the river here in Salem.”

Chris had to defer this one. It wasn’t really his area of expertise. “I need flesh on the bone. This one is all Doctor Magnus.”

He contemplated it. “I’ll really need to see the bones in person, but tell me about the river there. What’s it like?”

Elizabeth used to boat in
and tube along the Waccamaw when she was a kid. “It’s black and murky from all the sediment and downed trees. You can’t see through it.”

He
weighed what he knew and what she was telling him. “Are the burial grounds old?” he inquired.

“Hundreds of years,” she replied. “If I remember correctly, they buried their dead there until the nineteen thirties, and now they use a different location.”

Tony Magnus used that information as he stared at the remains. “I’m going to say that the bones weren’t in there long. If they were, then they wouldn’t be that white,” Tony began, “I’d say that you have bones that haven’t been submerged for more than a few weeks to months.”

Chris spoke up, “Can we get them shipped here?”

Elizabeth knew what was coming. That would just be a waste of time. “Not yet. I need substantial proof that there was a crime and this isn’t just some washed up remains.”

Thinking about it, Chris tapped his chin. “Why don’t you take them to the local ME and get him to write us up a report. We’ve worked on less before.”

She shook her head. “The local ME has gone missing.” Then, she told them all about what they found. When Tony whistled, it amazed her that they could figure out something bad was brewing but the town sheriff was clueless.

Then again, she expected nothing less from her team.

“What are you going to do, Director?” Chris asked. Deep down, he was praying that he wasn’t going to head into work and have to deal with this too. In a couple hours, he was going back on duty and relieving Doctor Legend.

“I’m going to confab with the team and call you back.” Disconnecting the video chat, she stared at Ethan and Callen. “What do I do?”

Both men stared at her in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

She pointed at the three of them. “You both know what I’m thinking. This isn’t looking good. If I open this can of worms, I’m going to be stuck in it for the long haul.”

They both got it.

“We’re here to be together and heal. I don’t want to chance that. I’m between a rock and a hard place here, and we agreed to honesty. I need you both to help me figure out what to do. I’m too scared to make this decision myself.”

That she would even admit that weakness
, touched them both. The old Elizabeth would jump right in, despite what they thought. This new woman was worried, and that was both endearing and alarming at the same time.

Ethan pondered what she was saying. “I think step one is contact Gabe. This is technically his side of the
country. We handle the Mississippi and west. If he has a team that can handle it, they should be first up. We don’t need to encroach on anyone’s domain, even if we’re residents here.”

Elizabeth knew he was giving her an out. “And if he doesn’t?”

He moved to kneel beside her and stare into her eyes. “You’re my wife, and I love you.” Ethan placed his hand over her belly. “If you have to search for Doc, I understand and I support you. God knows, you and Callen have been here for me the last few months.”

“It’s just that it’s Valentine’s Day weekend.”

Ethan knew she was hesitant only because of him. He didn't want her to stress this. “Lyzee my love, death brought us together in Salem. What better way to reconnect and heal us than an assignment? This is who we are, and we can’t pretend that we’re a normal couple. We live with death daily and can’t turn our backs on it when it comes to call.”

Inside, his gut churned because h
e was worried too.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Ethan. I need to know. We promised truth.”

He paused before continuing, “I’m afraid. What if you need me to profile, and I can’t do it. It’s why I’ve been so hesitant to go out in the field. What if Patrick Parrish broke me here?” he said, pointing to his head. “I know he tried to mess with my mind, and every day I wonder if he got his wish. What if I’m unfixable and can’t do my job?”

They both knew that Ethan
was proud of the legacy he had built for himself. He constructed his life from the ground up to be the best at what he did. Now, they understood why he wouldn’t take an assignment the last four months.

He was running from himself.

Elizabeth promptly took his face in her hands. Staring into his eyes, she gave him her heart and the absolute truth. “You’re going to be fine. You were abducted and tortured, but that’s not going to affect how you do your job. You’re Ethan Blackhawk, and no one knows his way around the crazy train like you do, handsome.”

Callen dropped his hand on his shoulder
in support. “Ethan, even if you’re rusty, you’re still miles ahead of anyone else. You’re only human, bro. Stop pressuring yourself. Do you want me to do the profiling?” he offered, teasing the man. “I can Google it, and figure it out.”

Ethan laughed
at that. “Uh, no.”

“Then stop stressing it. We’re a team. It’s time we came back together and moved forward. Besides, nothing says love like bones in a river.”

She laughed and stood to hug them. “I love you both so very much. There really wouldn’t be a Lyzee without a Callen and Ethan. You two nuts complete me.”

“Awwww, how romantic
was that?” Ethan teased. “That was pure poetry.”

They dropped kisses to her face and neck.

When they broke apart, Elizabeth picked up her phone to call her boss. Using the private line, she crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. Part of her wanted him to send in a team, and then the rest of her wanted to handle it, for Doc.

“Elizabeth, aren’t you supposed to be getting personally reacquainted with the men in your life?” Gabe
asked, when he answered the phone. “Or are they both exhausted and you snuck away?”

She winked at them both. “Oh,
they’re fine, and I’m generally the one who gets exhausted first, but that’s not the issue that I’m having right now.”

Gabe knew her well. She wouldn’t be calling unless it was work related.
His wife and Elizabeth were best friends, and Livy told him how rough it had been lately for her. That’s why he was cutting his directors a break.