Chapter Eight
The Morgue
Same Time
Monday Afternoon
To say that Mac and Tora were excited to be helping the FBI out on a case would underestimate how they were feeling in that moment. Not only were they helping the FBI, but they were also being given the opportunity to become Feds.
That was huge.
So.
Freaking.
Huge.
For Tora, that had been her life goal.
When she’d been saved all of those years ago, she’d made a promise that she’d make something of her life, so as not to squander her second chance.
Now, here she was.
Doing just that.
Being a detective, and helping people had been the stepping stones to what she wanted. Oh, she had one gold badge, but there was another she needed.
And it was within her grasp.
All they had to do was work this case and impress Elizabeth Blackhawk.
How difficult could that be?
“You’re grinning,” Mac said, clueing her in.
She giggled softly, keeping her voice down. Yeah, she couldn’t help it.
She was trying, but this was too damn awesome.
At that very moment, they were assisting the FBI, and not being handed shit cases by their boss.
Today was a good day in her world.
A damn good one.
“Mac, she told us that she was going to offer us jobs. I can finally get the fuck out from under Frank’s thumb. I’m tired of him objectifying me.”
He patted her leg in sympathy.
Yeah, it was annoying for him to watch happen, but he imagined his partner hated even seeing the man. He gave off a creepy-ass vibe, like he wanted to corner Tora and make her life hell.
When he became a detective, he’d replaced one of the older female ones. She’d bailed because dealing with Frank was a nightmare.
“I know. I’m sorry he does that. I’m trying to keep him from doing it as much as I can. There’s only so much I can do,” he admitted.
She was aware.
Truth be told, Mac was her best friend.
They did everything together. Not only did they work well together, but they played well together. He liked skiing, and she loved it.
He was into vintage cars, and so was she.
When she was upset, her bestie talked her down, and vice versa. They had a great friendship, and she was grateful they’d be moving on together.
He was her ride and die.
“Think we’ll be partners in the FBI?” she asked.
Oh, he hoped so.
“Maybe. We have to find something to make this case. We need to get evidence, so Elizabeth is impressed,” he said. “Or we’re playing detective until the day we die—with Frank all over us like cuckoo on a clock.”
Yeah, she wasn’t taking that lying down.
She would fight and get on Elizabeth’s team, and she’d make sure Mac was with her.
They’d make that transition together.
Tora didn’t want to leave him behind, especially since he’d been the wall between her and their boss.
“Did we find anything unusual about the list of people who were buried in the cemetery?” she asked, handling the task that Elizabeth had asked them to do.
He shook his head.
“No, nothing odd. They all had different jobs, and none of them seem to be suspicious. I’m not sure we’re going to find anything in that list. We might need something bigger to dig into.”
On that, she agreed.
But what?
“Okay, let’s brainstorm. We know that the building is owned by Devon Slater. We should start there. I know that Elizabeth is talking to him now, but we should dig deeper. Like who owned it before his father purchased it, and he got it in that not-so-shrewd business deal?”
He was tapping a pen against his chin.
“That’s a good angle. Let’s do that. Slater got the building last year, but someone owned it before his father tried to buy it. The Director just called in, and her anthro said they were two to three years out of the ground,” he said, having overheard the conversation.
Tora agreed.
“That’s a good plan.”
Mac kept his voice down.
“So, let’s start working that angle. Maybe we won’t find anything, but we’ll at least show that we thought about it. She seems like a ‘take initiative’ kind of a boss.”
She gave him a fist bump.
“Let’s do it.”
Well, now, they had their plan.
They worked for a few minutes, and Mac glanced over.
“Do you think she’d mind if we got lunch? I’m starving. Do you want something to eat?”
She wasn’t sure if Elizabeth would be upset. No one else was eating, but then again, they seemed like they were robots. Everyone there was working and not saying a word.
“I don’t know, but I’m starving too.”
Well, then, they should fuel up.
It was going to be a long day.
Getting up, Mac took a chance. He headed toward the other Fed in the room.
“Uh, Doctor?”
Chris glanced over.
“Yes, Detective. What can I do for you?” he asked, working on the mountain of paperwork that had to be done with this case.
Mac went there.
“We’re new to working with Elizabeth. Would she be angry if we grabbed something to eat and ate while we worked?” he asked. “Is there a specific protocol that we should follow, or rule?”
Chris was direct.
“Detective, she’d give you a gold star for eating and working in a morgue.
She finds that funny. As for a protocol, you’ll find that Elizabeth doesn’t micromanage her team.
If you find your way onto it, or you’re helping, she trusts you to manage your time accordingly.
She only micromanages us,” he said, motioning at the techs.
Tony laughed.
“She’s so far up my ass, I’m cheating on my wife,” he stated.
Chris just rolled his eyes.
“Ignore Tony. That’s the standard protocol,” he joked.
Mac was glad to hear that Elizabeth was easygoing. They had the opposite of that now at work.
He lowered his voice.
“I know you’re married to her, and this might be inappropriate, but can I ask you something?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“You can ask, but I don’t know if I’ll answer, due to the appropriateness factor. What do you want to know?”
He went there.
“She said she was going to let us join your team if we impressed her. It’s weird to ask her husband, but can you tell us how to impress her?”
Chris relaxed.
That didn’t go where he thought it would go. That they didn’t try to get ‘dirt’ made him more willing to help them. By them, he meant both detectives.
The female one was listening intently.
“I know it’s a big ask, but…”
It really wasn’t, and Chris knew it.
Most people asked about their open marriage. That this man didn’t, and he wasn’t gossiping, that was already a big step in impressing all of them.
Especially Elizabeth.
She surrounded herself with people that she could trust.
In their world, there was very little anonymity.
It was clear the man was worried.
“What if we can’t find something huge to dazzle her?
” he asked. “I’m worried about my partner.
Our police captain is a dick. He treats her like shit, and I want to make sure she gets out of here.
If Elizabeth can only take one of us, I’d give up being a fed for Tora. I don’t like how he treats her.”
Chris smiled.
Oh, someone was more than a partner. Chris would bet Elizabeth’s boots he had a crush on her. His wife wasn’t the only Cupid on the team.
Chris had been around cops his whole career, and he could see the ties between the two.
Because the detective was being genuine, Chris shared what he could with the man.
“Just do your job. Cover all your bases, and don’t be lazy about research.
Even if you don’t find the case-solving clue, if you show her that you’re smart enough to run a case, you’re in.
Elizabeth must have sensed you’re both good detectives, and decent people already, or she wouldn’t have given you the heads-up that she wanted to hire you. Did she give you a heads-up?”
He nodded.
“Well, then, my suggestion is, stay calm, and do your job. As long as you can work as part of a team, and you’re not the killer, you should be good,” he said, laughing. “We haven’t had that happen yet, but we still have a good fifteen years left in our careers,” he joked.
The man relaxed.
“Oh, thank God. We’ll work hard to make this happen. It’s difficult with the homicide captain. I just want to keep us both safe. That’s all. I’m going to go grab some lunch for us, quickly, and be right back. Would you like anything, Doctor?” he asked.
Chris thanked him.
“No, I’m good. I travel with a medical kit packed full of chocolates. My wife takes care of me. At some point, food will appear,” he joked. “But definitely take care of yourself and Tora. Elizabeth won’t mind if you get food. She’d insist. You can’t do your job if you are starving.”
He smiled.
“Thanks, Doctor.”
Chris nodded.
As the man walked away, he watched how he crouched down to talk to Tora, and she smiled up at him.
Oh, there was something there.
When Cupid got a hold of this, she wouldn’t only be trying to hire them. She was going to likely try to entangle them.
He’d bet on it.
* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *
Center City
Interview
Monday Afternoon
The Center Of Town
When Alex and Corbin arrived at the city council building, they were escorted to an office and told to wait.
And they did.
Why?
Because if Corbin and Alex didn’t interview the dude, the woman in charge would have their heads on pikes outside of the morgue.
Bet.
On.
It.
The last thing they wanted to do was piss her off by dropping the ball.
Working with Elizabeth was amazing—unless you slacked and didn’t do your job. Then, she’d be so far up in your business, you’d think you were dating her.
Alex knew that more than anyone.
He’d dropped the ball a few times in his career, but thankfully, Elizabeth never fired him.
YET.
As of late, coming out here, and working from this office had changed a lot in his life. He was busy getting settled, and he wasn’t feeling out of control.
FINALLY.
Oh, he missed Noah, and having dinner with him and Lawless, but even that was losing its luster.
Being the third wheel wasn’t fun, and that was exactly what he was in that relationship.
Alex had come to the cold, hard realization that he needed to back off and give the couple space.