Hell Is Burning (7 page)

They watched as the CSI clipped through the rope around her neck, trying to be careful not to damage her in any way. When the rope was free, she tucked it into an evidence bag.

“Want me to unhood her?” she asked.

Mace nodded.

Gently, the woman pulled back the hood enough for the detectives to see her face.

It was like a punch to the gut.

“Cover her,” Emma stated.

The tech looked at her like she was crazy, but she did it anyway.

Mace stared at her. “Oh, holy shit!”

She knew what he was saying because she, herself, was between weeping and puking. Then again, she might do both.

“I have to call this in,” she stated.

“To Ford?”

Emma shook her head. “No, to Greyson. We need the FBI’s help, and we have to keep this under wraps.”

He totally agreed.

It was apparent to both of them that the tech who did the unveiling didn't know who the woman was.

It was a damn good thing.

It was going to buy them that needed time.

As Emma pulled out her phone, she directed the tech. “Call the ME and cancel her trip here. This body is going with us to the FBI lab. We’re officially asking the Feds for help. I need you to get all the evidence gathered and ready for transport.”

The woman headed off, and Mace personally zipped up the body bag.

Emma finally was able to dial her husband’s number at the office. Instead of answering his direct line, his secretary’s voice appeared over the phone.

“I need to talk to my husband.”

“Detective Croft, he’s in a meeting with his agents and asked not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. He has a full schedule for today.”

Emma didn't care. She had a dead detective on her hands, and the fallout was going to be epic.

“Are you sure you need to interrupt?”

She didn't want to scare him but this was bad, and she pretty much believed that it fell in the category of
‘emergency’
. It also fell into the boned and screwed category too. If the media got wind…

“Tell him it’s urgent that I need to talk to him right now. I’ll take the heat on this one.”

The woman paused. “Okay, Mrs. Croft. Hold for the director.”

When his voice came over the phone, he sounded worried. “Emma, honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen to you? You didn't get shot, did you?”

“Greyson, I need your help, and I know you’re probably busy, but I need it right now,” she whispered into the phone, trying to be cognizant of everyone around her.

His breath caught in his chest.

Yeah, that didn't sound good at all.

“Give me a second,” he said before he dismissed the agents who were in his office briefing him on their assignments. If Emma was calling and sounded this rattled, there had to be a reason.

A damn good one.

“Okay, Em, we’re alone. What’s happening?”

“We’re at the scene of the next body, and I need the FBI’s help on this one. I need you to meet me at your lab and have Doctor Bentley ready to do three autopsies.”

He could do that. “No problem, honey.”

After all, he offered up his lab just that morning. Still, he wasn’t sure why the urgency. Autopsies weren’t a big deal. She could have called Doctor Bentley on this on her own. He gave her access to his teams.

“Are the bodies all heading this way?” he asked, typing up an email to the ME.

“Yes, and we need to keep this under wraps. By that, I mean no one but you, me, Steele, and Mace can have access to the room during the procedure.”

He didn't get it.

“Emma, honey, what happened? What has you so freaked out?”

“We just unhooded the third victim, Grey, and we know her.”

That caught him off guard.

“Who is it?” he asked, getting that sick feeling in his gut. It was the one he got as a sniper before he had to kill someone. It was never a good thing.

Emma wanted to throw up.

“Honey, who is it?” he asked, when she went silent.

“It’s Brynn Westmore-Briggs. Someone killed Curtis’s wife, and I’m in charge of her case.”

That’s all she had to say.

It looked like his gut was right.

Chapter Two

Tuesday Mid-Morning

FBI Las Vegas

Everything happened so fast.

It was like the team was on fast forward as he alerted them that there was a body delivery coming in.

Somehow, Greyson Croft had managed to isolate the lab, kicking all the techs out. It wasn’t easy, but when the boss man said move, they moved. Granted, they gave him a few looks that spoke volumes. They apparently thought he was a few bricks shy of a wall.

That was fine.

This was an emergency.

As he hustled the last one out, until it was only him and Doctor Bentley, he couldn’t relax. Then he still couldn’t calm down. He dreaded seeing Brynn Westmore-Briggs on the slab.

While he was pissed at Curtis, he didn't want the man to hurt like this.

“What’s the big evacuation for?” Steele asked, pulling on his protective garb for the autopsy.

Oh, the man was going to understand the second he saw his first ‘patient’ for the day.

“I need anything you find on these three autopsies to be pass coded for my eyes only. Are we clear?”

Doctor Bentley couldn’t help but notice the man didn't answer his question. It must be big. Before he could ask again, the bay door alarm went off. He was pretty sure whatever was coming was going to be a mess.

“Why are we bringing the bodies here?” he asked, still trying to get anything he could from the man.

Greyson didn't know if he should tell Steele, or wait until the third victim was unveiled. Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words.

“Emma’s new ME isn't as efficient as you, and fortunately for us, the techs only got the trace done. No one’s cut into the women, and that may make or break this case.”

“Greyson, who is coming in? I’m getting the distinct impression that you don’t want to tell me.”

He rolled his neck to get rid of the tension. “We can’t call the ID until you do the autopsy, but it appears that the final victim is Brynn Westmore-Briggs.”

It was all he had to say.

He actually gasped. “Oh, shit!”

Yeah, Croft knew how he was feeling.

“Are we sure?”

“Emma and Mace did the on scene ID. They worked with her, so I’m betting the assessment is spot on. There was no ID or badge on her body.”

This was bad.

Very bad.

“We can’t let any of this leave the room. It has to stay locked down tight. I have to have time to notify Curtis and for Emma to do her thing.”

He pulled on his rubber gloves as the autopsy room doors automatically opened.

There was Emma, Mace, and one tech.

Immediately, the tech helped the detective lift the bodies onto the metal trays.

Then Steele dismissed him.

As soon as he was gone, the doctor crossed to the door to punch in the passcode to lock the room behind the man.

Now no one could get in or out.

“Steele, I need her autopsy done fast.”

He completely understood. This had the potential to blow up all around them.

She handed him her tablet and he scrolled through the pictures before opening the body bag. It showed the position of the body before it was moved.

They watched as he took it all in. His eyes crisscrossed over the photos, gathering information.

Finally, he glanced up.

There was so much emotion in his eyes.

“Okay, I’m ready. Were all the women found like this?”

Mace replied, “Yes. That’s why we didn't think anything of it. Had we known, we wouldn’t have left her hanging up there for as long as she did.”

Emma continued, “We also would have locked the scene down. There was media there snapping pictures and chasing after the men who found her.”

“Is there any way you’re mistaken?”  he asked Emma.

She doubted it. “I don’t think so, Steele, but there is one way to find out. She has that scar on the right side of her chest from being shot last year. If that’s there, then my visual is going to hold.”

He unzipped the bag. Steele noticed that as he did it, Greyson Croft immediately moved to his wife’s side as if that would shield her from what was inside the bag.

It wouldn’t help.

They all knew it.

As of yet, Emma was holding up, but this had to take a toll on her. This victim, at one time, had been her partner and friend. This sucked all around.

When Steele opened the bag, he took a deep breath before unbuttoning the woman’s shirt. He was careful not to uncover her face. In his job, he didn't like to use the face for ID right off the bat. Death distorted people. Tattoos and scars never changed after life was stolen from a victim.

He also wasn’t ready to see her. He liked Brynn, and this was a horrible way for her life to end.

For anyone’s to end.

Emma held her breath.

Greyson prayed it was a mistake.

Even Mace had his fingers crossed.

“Recorder on,” he said, having the light start to flash. “Victim is female, and there is a scar across the right side of her chest. The puckering around the entry wound shows that it’s from a bullet wound.”

Emma’s eyes filled with tears.

Greyson dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“You don’t have to stay for this,” Steele offered. “I’ll do it, and lock her in the cooler.”

She shook her head. While they weren’t friends anymore, she still loved the woman. Plus, she loved Curtis like he was one of their own. There was no way she could turn her back on a victim, and there was definitely no possibility that she’d run from this.

They all waited for her to speak.

“I’ll stand. She deserves to have someone here while you do this. We worked with her. We’ll be the family she needs right now in her last moments.”

He understood.

While frail looking on the outside, Emma Croft had a heart of gold. She was tough, and she’d never allow her friend to be autopsied without someone there to stand for her. This was one of the reasons he respected her as a cop, and family. 

Mace turned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if I can do this,” he stated. He genuinely liked Brynn. She was sweet. He could still see her big blue eyes, and smile.

It hurt his heart.

Greyson patted him on the arm.

“You can head into my office,” he offered. Steele pointed to the small room off the autopsy suite.

“Thanks. I’m sorry, Emma, but I just can’t.”

She hugged him. “I’ll get you when it’s over. There’s no reason to say sorry, Mace. This is personal. You make the calls, and I’ll watch the autopsy.”

“Thanks, Em.”

With that, he headed out.

“Do it,” she stated. She was ready. Well, as ready as she’d ever be. This was one of those things that wasn’t going to go away, so there was no point stalling.

With reverence, Steele pulled the hood off Brynn’s head. He probably shouldn’t be doing the autopsy either, but she was a friend, and he’d stand for her too. With gentle fingers, he lowered her battered head to the block on the table. It braced her skull for examination.

Emma sobbed, fighting to hold it in.

“It’s okay, honey,” Greyson said, pulling her against his chest. His arms went around her to offer his wife strength in her time of mourning.

“I can do this,” she whispered. “It’s for Curtis and Brynn.”

The tears fell as she pulled away from her husband to move closer to the table. 

No one judged her weakness in the moment.

In that room, there were only people she loved, and she wasn’t afraid to be herself. “Oh, Brynn, what happened to you?” she asked, staring her down.

Greyson kept his hand on her shoulder, and all the while, he was thinking about the man this was going to destroy.

Gently, Steele swabbed her skin, and as quickly as possible, he did the trace, cutting away all the clothes to bag them. The process took some time, but eventually, he finished.

There was Steele talking into the recorder, their breathing, and the ominous ticking of the clock.

After taking some pictures, he was ready to begin.

“Emma.”

“Just do it, Steele.”

As he picked up his scalpel, he stared a Greyson. The man looked just as upset, and that spoke volumes.