Dirty Rotten Scoundrel (Romantic Mystery) (J.J. Graves Mysteries) Read online

  “He had good security, and he had damned good instincts according to his superiors and what I read in his file. The alarm had been tampered with and there were forced entry marks on both the front and back door.”

  “Surround and attack,” Jack said. “Multiple killers.”

  “It looks like it, yes. Hired more than likely. Wallace put up a fight. Broken lamps and furniture. Some blood found on the scene. They’d have to incapacitate him before they removed him from the house and into a waiting car. No neighbors heard or saw anything suspicious.”

  “We found evidence of another crime scene near the 14th Street Bridge. Blood and brain matter consistent with two shots to the back of the head. It looks like he was tossed into the river at that point. No one saw or heard anything there either.”

  “These killers have worked their way from location to location, steadily traveling east, until they got to DC,” Jack said. “They’re trained. Professionals. And they wouldn’t be traveling together, but they’ve worked together before. It’s gone too smoothly for them not to have. They’ve saved me for last.”

  “You were the commander. It probably seems fitting to end it that way.”

  “I haven’t seen or felt anyone else in the area that doesn’t belong except for your guy.”

  And except for my father. I met Jack’s eyes and I could tell the thought had already crossed his mind. Apparently my father was good enough at what he did to slip by Jack.

  “Whoever is pulling the strings is probably waiting until some of the heat dies down. Doesn’t make sense to try and take you out while you’re surrounded by feds. You’ve put in for vacation time too, so maybe he wants to wait and see how your routine changes. See where you go. You might present them with a better opportunity.”

  I didn’t want to think about all the opportunities Jack had probably presented the killers already. It was just sheer luck that they picked him last.

  My cell phone rang and it took me a minute to remember which pocket I’d put it in. I didn’t even look at the caller ID but instead switched it to silent. The ringing started again, but this time from my office.

  “You need to get it,” Jack said.

  “Yeah, I need to get it.”

  “I won’t go anywhere. I promise. We’ll figure this out.”

  I nodded and stepped over the bar stool he’d thrown, and then I ran the rest of the way down the short hall to my office. I barely got there in time to take the call.

  “Doctor Graves,” I said, only panting slightly.

  “This is Doctor Perkins at Augusta General. The Mosely family has requested you for pick up.”

  “Oh, no,” I said, dropping back into my chair. “She was doing so well. I thought she was going to pull through.”

  “We all did.” The doctor’s voice was tired and sad.

  “I’m on my way now. Give me half an hour.”

  “We’ll be waiting.”

  I hung up the phone and stared blankly for a few minutes before I shook myself out of it. Leanne Mosely was a forty-year-old mother of four who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer only a few short months ago. She was active in the PTA and volunteered at the church a lot. They’d caught the cancer late because it hadn’t been easily detectable, but the doctors were positive a double mastectomy and treatment would be enough. She’d had the mastectomy and things had looked good at first, but they hadn’t gotten all of it. I didn’t think anyone really believed it would come to this. Her oldest child was nine and her youngest was three. Devastating to say the least.

  I went back down the hall in a daze and was almost inside the door before I heard the lowered voices. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if they hadn’t been making an obvious effort to keep things quiet.

  “Six years is a long time, Lauren. Things change. People change.”

  “You can tell yourself that, Jack, but people don’t change that much. You’re not meant for this, wasting your brain and your talent in some small town. Don’t forget I know you well.”

  “You knew me well. And even then you didn’t know all of me. I’m not the same person I was then.”

  “You could come back, you know. You left your doctoral work right in the middle. You could finish and get any number of high profile jobs.”

  My gut tightened and I tried to swallow. Jack had talked about continuing his education, but he’d never told me he’d started the program.

  “I thought you’d come back,” Lauren said. “After you’d healed. I wanted to be with you, but every time I came you told me this was something you had to do by yourself, so eventually I stopped trying.”

  “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t handle it right. Didn’t handle a lot of things right during that time.”

  “I loved you. And if you hadn’t been shot, it would be you and I making plans for our future.”

  I heard Jack’s sigh and I rested my head against the faded wallpaper.

  “You can’t know that, and I’m not altogether sure we would be. And there’s no point in this, Lauren. The past is the past.”

  “Come back with me,” she said. “We can pick up where we left off.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Because of her?”

  “Because of her. She’s my future.”

  “If you marry her, there’s no going back. You’ll be under the microscope just as much as she is. You’ll never have the chance for a high profile position or a spot in the agency. She’s the daughter of felons and it’s never been proven without a reasonable doubt that she wasn’t involved in their operation.”

  “You don’t want to go there,” Jack growled.

  “Her whole family is a con. Are you a hundred percent sure that she loves you as much as you love her? Would she protect you at all costs? If she did, she’d know that marrying you was the worst thing she could do for you and she’d back away.”

  “That’s enough, Lauren.” Jack sounded tired.

  Her voice grew softer and I had to strain to hear. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. I still care about you.”

  I couldn’t stand to listen anymore and I needed to escape as soon as possible. I needed to tend to Leanne Mosely and lose myself in work. I slipped back into the kitchen and my gaze immediately went to Lauren’s hand, which rested on top of Jack’s in an intimate gesture. Jack pulled his hand away, and I didn’t make eye contact with either of them as I went to get my bag from the counter.

  “Jaye, I—”

  “I’ve got to do a hospital pickup,” I interrupted. I headed to the fridge and got out a bottle of water and resisted the urge to hold it to my forehead.

  “Who?” Jack asked.

  “Leanne Mosely.”

  “Hell. I’ll go with you.”

  “No need. It’ll be a quick trip, and you probably don’t need to be out and about with a killer on the loose. Where’s Agent Greer?” I still hadn’t managed to meet Jack’s eyes and I had a hand on the doorknob when I asked the question.

  “He went outside to speak to another agent and get all the case files for me. I asked him for copies of everything so I could work this from my end too.”

  I finally managed to work up the courage to turn and look at Jack face to face. I couldn’t play poker as well as Jack, but I knew how to blank my face when I needed to, how to pretend nothing was wrong.

  “That’s good,” I said. “Will you have protection?”

  “There will be agents in the area, but I refuse to have someone inside our home tripping under our feet all the time. I was adamant about that.”

  “I’ll need to start on Leanne tonight, so it could be late before I get home. Be careful.”

  I gave Lauren a cool look and then stepped outside into the fresh air. It wasn’t until I stood there a moment that I realized I didn’t have my Suburban.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Agent Greer was speaking to another agent and I stood on the steps, watching them for a couple of minutes until they looked my direction. Greer had a box
of what I assumed were case files in his hand.

  “Problem, Doctor Graves?”

  “I’ve got to head to the hospital and pick up a body, but I left my Suburban at home. Do me a favor and tell Jack I borrowed his cruiser.”

  “No need. I can have Agent Donaldson take you to your vehicle.”

  “So that’s Agent Donaldson?” I said, glancing at the man behind the wheel of one of the multitude of black SUVs. He looked uncomfortable and a little pissed off.

  “It’s good to know not everyone can recognize him.” Greer sighed and shook his head in disgust.

  “Jack’s very good at what he does. And what he did.”

  “I know that better than you think, Doctor Graves. His file is impressive and his intelligence is top level. If he played by the rules a little better I’d be trying to recruit him for the FBI.”

  “I mean to say that I know that Jack is strong and smart and has the kind of intuition that can be unnerving, especially when he can read people so well. But this time is different.”

  He looked at me with a steady gaze and he finally nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, it’s different this time.”

  “I’m scared for him, though he won’t appreciate me saying so.”

  “We’re going to do our best to keep him safe. I’ve got men out all over the county and I’ve got my team right here digging into the files so we can have a better picture of who’s doing this.”

  “Don’t feed me departmental bullshit, Agent Greer. It took me about two seconds to realize that you have every intention of using Jack to draw out who’s doing this. You’ve read Jack’s files and probably have them all memorized, but you don’t know him. He’s one of the best men I know. Your files won’t say that. And he’ll put himself on the line because it’s the right thing to do and because he believes his men need justice. He’s carrying the weight of guilt on his shoulders right now, that there’s something important he missed six years ago that could’ve prevented all this.”

  “All I’m asking is that you remember the man and not the file when you use him as the sacrificial lamb.” I took a step closer so Greer had to readjust the box he held. We were almost eye to eye and that was good enough. “If anything happens to him I’ll hunt you down. You know my background. My family. I could make it happen, and I can see in your eyes you know I’m telling the truth.”

  “Threatening a Federal agent isn’t a good way to start our working relationship, Doctor Graves. All it will do is get you arrested.”

  “If anything happens to Jack, it’ll be worth it. We’re getting married in a couple of weeks.” I moved aside and headed toward Agent Donaldson and the SUV. “It’s your job to make sure he makes it to the wedding alive. Thanks for the ride.”

  ***

  It didn’t take long to retrieve Leanne Mosely’s body once Agent Donaldson dropped me back at the house to get the Suburban.

  All of the family had left except for Leanne’s husband, Mark, by the time I arrived. And to be honest, I was thankful to not have to see the grief on her children’s faces. It was hard enough looking at Mark, his face sunken and aged, and the devastation in his eyes unbearable to witness.

  Death had always been a part of my life. It was always there, lurking in the corners of my mind, even when I was entrenched in life. But that didn’t mean I didn’t question it—didn’t wonder and speculate about what happened after.

  I know better than anyone the cycle of life. What happens to flesh after we draw our last breath. How the organs and tissues break down, rendering us back to dust. Death is powerful. No one is immune. And it’s the living who must make their peace with it, because the dead don’t give a shit.

  I made an appointment to meet with Mark in the morning, promising to take good care of his wife. I told him to go home and be with his children, and I told him how sorry I was. But I’m not sure he was really listening. He just stared as we loaded her up and I drove away.

  By the time I got back to the funeral home it was well after dark and the businesses in town were long shut down. The porch lights were on; so was the light near the kitchen door where I brought bodies in and out. Jack’s cruiser was gone, as well as all but one of the black SUVs.

  I saw Agent Donaldson sitting across the street. He still looked pissed, so I had to figure he was being punished by given the duty of watching me. I tried not to worry about Jack and if he made it home okay. I also tried not to worry about whether Lauren had given him a ride and if they’d talked more about their past in my absence. Oddly enough, that was harder of the two to block out of my head at the moment.

  I went over to Agent Donaldson and he rolled down the window.

  “Is everyone gone?” I asked.

  “They left about an hour ago. I’ll be here to follow you home when you’re ready to leave.”

  “I’ll probably be a couple of hours at least, but thanks for waiting.”

  He nodded and rolled his window back up, so I guessed that meant I was dismissed. I didn’t bother asking him for help with the body. It was more difficult on my own, but I’d done it before and could do it again. The most difficult part was making sure the stretcher didn’t tip as I pulled it out of the back of the Suburban.

  Leanne’s decreased weight from her sickness made things easier and I got her out and up the ramp with little hassle. I went through the ritual of unlocking the lab door and moving her to the elevator, and I made sure to pull the door shut behind me. It locked automatically, but there was a deadbolt from the inside my parents had installed when it had been their lab.

  The elevator was old and creaky and it took time to get to the bottom floor. The doors slid open and there sat my father, big as life, in a chair with his back to the wall.

  “Jesus Christ, Dad,” I shrieked, holding a hand to my pounding chest. He looked amused and stood slowly, sticking his hands in his pockets. He was dressed similarly to the way he’d been dressed the day before. His clothes were pressed and clean, and he was smoothly shaven.

  “Are you out of your mind? The FBI is sitting right outside.”

  “Hmm, I know.” He came over to help me pull the stretcher from the elevator and I was so surprised I let him. “Agent Donaldson needs seasoning yet. And of course I’m just very good.”

  It was odd working in tandem with my father once again. We hadn’t done this since I’d been in high school, helping out on the weekends when I was needed. A morbid youth if ever there was one. We lifted the black bag from the stretcher to the sterile metal table I used for embalming.

  My teeth wanted to chatter from either the cold or the sight of my father again, so I went and grabbed a thick sweatshirt from a hook on the wall and one of the white disposable gowns to put over my clothes.

  “You need any help?”

  “Why, do you have something you need to smuggle out through her body?”

  “I suppose I deserve that.”

  “And much more. Jack knows you’re in town.”

  “He’s got his own problems to worry about. I don’t think he’s going to have time to actively search for me.”

  My head snapped up. “You don’t have anything to do with the deaths of Jack’s men, do you? Please tell me you don’t have any part in that.”

  “It’s not me. I could probably dig around some and help find the source.”

  I snorted out a laugh before I could help it. “Yeah, I’m sure that would go over well. Not to mention I’m sure you never do anything that doesn’t further your own agenda.”

  “That’s not true. You’re my daughter. If you asked for help I’d give it. But you were always too damned independent to ask for your mother’s and my help.”

  “And law abiding,” I said dryly. “Speaking of, where is Mom? I’m assuming she survived the fiery crash over the side of the mountain with you?”

  “Yes, but she didn’t survive Kaliningrad.” His voice went hoarse and he cleared it once. “We had some problems there.”

  I took in a deep breath and
focused on setting up my equipment. She’d been dead for two years. At least to me. It shouldn’t make the hurt fresh again to hear she was gone for real, but it did.

  “Who’s in the bag?” he asked.

  “Leanne Mosely. Age forty. Cancer.”

  “I remember her. Your mother and I were friends with her in-laws once.”

  “I don’t think they’d invite you to any neighborhood barbecues now if they knew you were alive. They still won’t speak to me, much less look me in the eye when we cross each other on the street. I’m actually surprised I got the call to do the interment.”

  “You’ve had a rough go of it the past year. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Uh, huh. More likely sorry you got caught.”

  “They still haven’t caught me,” he said with a half smile.

  I pulled on blue latex gloves and then unzipped the black bag, stripping it away from the husk that was Leanne Mosely. I grabbed the spray bottle of disinfectant and sprayed over the eyes, nose, and mouth and her lids automatically opened.

  “That used to freak you out when you were a kid.”

  “One of only many things.” I poured soap on my hands and started rubbing out the rigor mortis from the body. “I appreciate you trying to convince me that you’re sorry about what you and Mom did and the backlash it’s had on me, but I’m not buying it. You’ve always been a great actor. And I can deduce from our previous conversation that the only reason you’re still here is because you don’t have the boxes. If I’d left them here you would already be gone and we wouldn’t be having this nice father daughter chat.”

  He smiled and jingled the change in his pockets. “Maybe. Did you go through the boxes?”

  “You mean did I see all the evidence you compiled about my real parents and how you kidnapped me and forged documents so it would look like I was your own? Yes, I saw all that. Hand me the pliers there.”