Authors: CALLE J. BROOKES
WATCHING (2 page)
“
Can you see me here
?
”
s
he yelled back at him before moving to various places in the pit. It was only about thirty feet in width, but the overgrowth
—
even beat down by the last remnants of melting snow
—
would have provided some potential covering. Georgia stepped behind the largest copse of weeds and brambles. All he could see of her was the black ball cap.
“
Now what
?
”
he yelled.
“
Stand back!
”
She let the first stone fly. It missed him and Stanton by three yards.
Hell cursed,
“
Dammit, Dennis!
”
He may have imagined it, but he heard a wicked feminine laugh come from the pit. He and Stanton moved back several dozen feet.
“
Try it again!
”
h
e yelled and she pelted more stones over the edge. She did this for a good five minutes before he called a halt.
“
All right, that
’
s enough! You
’
ve proven your point, now get back up here!
”
“
Yes, sir!
”
Hell moved back to the rim, watching each move she made. She had more time to deliberate than the victims would have had, and she had the benefit of being an adult in prime physical shape-and she was armed. Those facts gave her an edge the girls wouldn
’
t have had. The terror the girls would have experienced was missing, but Hell watched Georgia
’
s body movements, the way she had to stretch to grab exposed roots and rocks that may have provided Hailey Ann with handholds had the girl climbed the incline.
Georgia misjudged, missing the exposed root she
’
d grabbed for. Hell tensed. She slid, and he bit back another curse. She took the next ten feet more carefully, then reached for another root near the top. Both he and the shorter Stanton leaned down to offer her a hand up. Stanton was too short to be much help, so Hell stretched out a little farther, trying not to think of the drop behind her. The muddy edge crumbled beneath her as Hell
’
s hand met hers.
He cursed again; he used his hold on her hand to pull her the last few feet
—
clearing the rim and jerking them both away from the edge, taking the yellow crime tape with them. His arm rested around her waist and her head was tucked beneath his chin. They both breathed hard. Her front was pressed against his chest and her feet dangled several inches from the muddy ground.
“
Agent Hellbrook
?
”
Her voice wobbled a bit. She pulled against his hold. He lowered her, sliding her body against his larger one, letting her feet hit the grass.
“
Why didn
’
t she hide
—
or fight back? She could have. How did he stop her? Or was she just too damned terrified to resist
?
”
“
That
’
s a question the autopsy and forensics team may be able to answer
,
”
Hell said as she replaced her bag over her shoulders.
She wouldn
’
t meet his eyes.
“
We need those autopsy results as soon as possible
.
”
“
Yes, I think we
’
ve gotten all we are going to get here. Let
’
s go.
We
’
ll head into town and meet up with the medical examiner
.
”
Hell motioned her down the path in front of him and behind Stanton. It was going to be a long hike back.
Chapter
2
****
Georgia estimated she
’
d spent one-eighth of her career in morgues. It never got easier, and was much worse when the bodies of children were laid out on the sterile tables. She took several deep breaths before pushing open the cold, sterile, metal door that led into the county coroner
’
s office.
The medical examiner looked hard at work, and Georgia felt a rush of relief hit her at the familiar face. Dr. Julia Bellows was one of her two closest friends, and had been for years. Georgia was always glad to see her, though it was infrequently.
“
Jules, it
’
s good to see you. How are you
?
”
“
Breathing. Which is more than I can say about these poor girls
.
”
t
he slightly taller brunette said with a long sigh. Four bodies were laid out over four metal exam tables, three of them covered with sheets.
“
George, it
’
s good to see you
, too
. Wish it was under better circumstances.
”
“
Dr. Julia Bellows, this is my supervisor, Unit Chief Michael Hellbrook;
Hellbrook,
Dr. Julia Bellows, special agent and girl genius
.
”
“
Dr. Bellows, it
’
s nice to meet you. What have you got for us
?
”
Hell asked, his words polite and purposeful.
“
It
’
s not good
.
”
Jules shook her head, her eyes sadder than usual.
“
Let
’
s start chronologically, shall we? Hailey Ann Michaels. Age fourteen. Brown hair and blue eyes. One hundred eight pounds. Her last meal was plain cheese pizza and waffle fries. And what appeared to be an M&M ice cream sundae. Time of death was nearly ninety-six hours ago. Faint ligature marks were found under the skin of both wrists, but that is the least of it. Under the bruising were signs of fondling and sexual molestation. No rape or penetration
.
”
Jules kept her voice flat and clinical; Georgia knew it was her friend
’
s way of coping with the daily traumas she
’
d seen. Georgia knew the other woman had seen so much. It was a wonder Jules stayed sane. Georgia couldn
’
t do what her friend did. She could catch the killers, but she could not deal with the dead.
“
Anything stand out, Jules
?
”
“
Official cause of death was cranial trauma to the front right occipital lobe. The victim was knocked unconscious, and slowly died from the bleeding within the brain. Along her body were numerous bone fractures, though most were hairline, particularly around the ribs, wrists and arms. Where she held her hands up to defend herself. No foreign DNA or other samples were found on her body,
”
Jules said.
“
Go on
.
”
Hell and Georgia followed her to the next table. The doctor pulled the sheet back, exposing the body of the next girl. Georgia recognized her as
Kir
by Jaysons.
“
Time of death, approximately seventy-four hours ago,
”
Jules began listing her findings.
“
Similar ligature markings, on both wrists. A faint burn on the left outer side. Cause of death, internal injuries to the lungs due to broken ribs, bleeding in both the liver and spleen. Also signs of sexual molestation, but no forced intercourse. Had several fractures in similar positions to the first victim. Also had several signs of previous fractures, possible abuse. I
’
m not sure if it
’
s case relevant
.
”
Georgia looked at the little girl
’
s face, seeing the smattering of freckles over the small nose. Her little boy Matthew had freckles.
Georgia
had freckles like that. Still did, under the makeup she used to cover them.
Why
? Why would someone seek to hurt something as innocent as a child? To use them and discard them?
It was a question
she
had tried for fifteen years to answer.
“
I
’
m still in preliminary stages on the final two victims
.
”
Jules moved the sheet back up to cover the teen.
“
I wanted to prevent any further degradation of evidence on the first two. I
’
ll get you my findings as soon as I
’
m finished
.
”
“
Thanks,
d
octor
.
”
Hell nodded.
“
I
’
d appreciate it
.
”
He started to the door, but Georgia didn
’
t follow.
Georgia waited until the door closed before speaking.
“
You ok
?
”
“
As good as can be expected
,
”
Jules said.
“
You
?
”
“
I
’
m ok. Keep busy
.
”
Georgia shrugged.
“
It helps
.
”
“
Maybe for you. Hellbrook still giving you trouble
?
”
“
He
’
s apathetic now. It
’
s better. But the six month assignment ends pretty soon
.
”
And her father had promised her that if it hadn
’
t worked out with Hellbrook
’
s team, she could have a team of her own to lead. That was what she wanted, and she knew—and no one else could deny—that she had earned her own team.
“
Then you
’
ll get your own team
?
”
“
If I want
.
”
“
This is serious, then,
”
Jules said.
“
Tread carefully, George, real careful. I
’
ve heard things of Hellbrook and the Bureau considers him a legend; I
’
d hate for you to end up being the squeaky wheel
—
especially with PAVAD being such a new division. That would seriously suck for you and your dad
.
”
“
I know,
”
Georgia said. It would. Her father had created the Prevention & Analysis of Violent Acts Division and it was still in its infancy. It couldn
’
t afford any major upsets.
And Hellbrook could be a definite upset.
If Hellbrook took exception with her getting her own team—the way he
’
d reacted when she
’
d been assigned to his team—it could upset the entire scale of the division. Not to mention her career.
And he hated her enough to do just that.
Hated her, hated her father. And made no attempt to hide that hate. How many times had he accused her of nepotism? Of hindering the team? Too many times for her to count.
“
I know,
”
Georgia said.
“
In the meantime, I
’
d better catch up with Hellbrook. He
’
s likely to leave me behind
.
”
Jules threw out one hand and waved the pencil in it with impervious command.
“
Go. Be gone. The murdered never sleep. I have work to do
.
”
***
Hellbrook waited inside the small office they
’
d been given, files spread over the table. She watched him through the small window for a moment before entering.
“
Agent Hellbrook, sir
.
”
“
Dr. Dennis
.
”
His face closed up and a considering look came into his eyes. Georgia tensed, then cursed at the instinctive reaction to him.
“
Is everything ok
?
”
“
Just some family business
.
”
Georgia bypassed the table with the autopsy results spread over it. She wasn
’
t ready to see those photos yet
, not after seeing the girls
’
bodies on the tables
. She stopped by the window, stared out at the barren fields surrounding the police station and the lab.
“
You
’
re related to Dr. Bellows
?
”
Surprise was evident on his face.
“
No. Not really
.
”
She didn
’
t want to get into it. Not with him.
“
So how was it family business then
?
”
He was as persistent as a damned terrier with a rat.
Always was. Why couldn
’
t he just give her a break sometimes?
He moved to stand beside her, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at her.
Crowding her. Intimidating her.
“
Her husband was the brother of my fiancé. Before he died
.
”
She threw the words at his insensitive head
, taking only small satisfaction from the surprise on his handsome face
.
“
I took ten minutes to catch up with one of my closest friends and my little boy
’
s only aunt...sir. Will that be a problem
?
”
“
Your fiancé died, or his brother
?
”
Hellbrook
’
s voice came out garbled. She tilted her head back to see his face fully. He was so damned big, standing over a
foot taller than she and being
broad-shouldered and built like a damned Mack truck. It was no wonder
it was so easy for him to intimidate
.
She
’
d always hated large men.
“
Both.
They
died together
.
”
“
When
?
”
he asked.
Was he that unfamiliar with her history? She thought everyone on the team knew.
“
How long ago, you mean
?
”
Her eyes returned to the window, and she tried to convince herself that he wasn
’
t that close to her, that it wasn
’
t the man she
’
d fought with for months standing within reaching distance. God, she wished it was Bryan so close.
All her hostility evaporated as she remembered that day three years ago. Her differences with Hellbrook seemed so insignificant compared to that.
So petty. So unimportant. Why did Hellbrook matter so much?
Her voice was soft when she answered.
“
Car accident, three years ago. We were on our way to the mall
—
Jules and I were in the car behind them. Bryan had Mattie in his car, backseat of course.
Jules and I
saw it happen. I ran to the car
and
pulled Mattie out of the back, he was screaming for his daddy. Jules tried to help Bryan. Her husband was already dead. There was nothing either of us could do. Jules never got over it. And that
’
s how I
got
my son. He was Bryan
’
s, not mine
.
”
He surprised her by covering her
shoulder with one large hand
.
“
I
’
m sorry you had to go through that, Georgia. Both
—
all three
—
of you. And thank God you weren
’
t in that car. Your son is lucky to have you
.
”