Page 22

22

STONE

I spent every waking hour trying to find the connection we needed to arrest Ethan. It’d been over a week, but still, nothing. We had enough to bring him in for questioning based on the footage we found of him drugging Len, but that was it.

Mags had combed back through all the footage the FBI had collected and found a few more clips showing him doing the same to the other victims. I forced myself to watch each one, fueling my motivation even more.

Part of me wanted to hurry and bring him in so he couldn’t hurt anyone else, but I knew the second we showed our hand, he would retreat. There was a chance we’d lose him again. This time, he might move on to another town and evade us until he decided to kill again. If he waited three years this time, I could only imagine how long he could hold out the next time.

“You’re killing yourself working on that,” Len scolded from behind me.

“I can’t stop until I figure out what I’m missing,” I groaned.

“What about for a break to grab coffee?” she asked, batting her long eyelashes at me.

How could I deny that? “I suppose just an hour to clear my head could help.”

She grinned and hurried off to find her purse. I shut my laptop and met her by the front door, ready to walk down into town.

By the time we made it to the café, Len had already tried to get more details of the investigation at least five times. It physically pained me to keep it from her.

“Two iced vanilla lattes,” she told the barista when we made it to the counter.

“How’d you know that’s what I want?”

“Lucky guess,” she said with a wink. “I will say, I wouldn’t have guessed you were an iced coffee person before I knew you, though.”

“Lattes are gentler on my stomach, and they have less caffeine, so I can have more than one in a day,” I explained.

“I should have known there’d be a practical reason,” she laughed.

We grabbed the cups as they appeared at the end of the counter. Our walk back was mild, the weather not as scorching hot as when I first arrived in Briarport.

“I don’t know if I could deal with such drastic changes of seasons living up here. This summer has been brutally hot, and yet you all deal with obscene amounts of snow come winter.”

“I don’t think I’ll stay here forever,” she answered. “I like the snow, but the winters are long. I think I want to experience a change in scenery eventually.”

My ice rattled in my cup as I swirled the latte around, trying to mix in the vanilla syrup that collected at the bottom.

“Virginia is perfectly mild. We still experience summer and winter, but it’s a perfect balance between the two.”

“Maybe that will be my first stop when I finally get out of here,” she teased.

My heart jumped. I didn’t mean to let my hopes rise, but the promise of seeing Len again, even when this was over, was far too great to ignore. If I could hold on to that possibility, it would make the painful reality feel dulled.

“Then I’ll have to show you around,” I answered, trying to keep the desire from my voice.

For a moment, there was a pause in which she stared back at me, her eyes full of longing. Before Len could answer, her phone began to ring inside her purse. She grumbled at the noise and ignored it.

“You should really check that,” I said. “What if it’s your parents or Calvin with news on their visit?”

“Fine,” she sighed.

Her eyes widened the second they saw the screen, and I caught a glance over her shoulder at the number scrolling across it. I’d memorized it the last time they called. My hands scrambled for my phone and dialed Mags.

“Mags, I need you to trace a call on Len’s phone,” I said when she answered after barely a single ring.

Len answered her phone, and I knew Mags would already be well into trying to trace the caller. She’d need only a minute to find the exact location.

“Hello?” Len said, her voice hesitant.

“Keep them talking,” I tried to mouth as softly as I could.

“Did you like your gift?” a robotic voice came through the speaker, muffled.

Len looked to me for guidance. The killer was seeking her praise, almost like they relied on it. She was the key to this all; we just didn’t know how yet.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she said, and I could tell the word physically pained her. “It was thoughtful for you to think of me on my birthday.”

Perfect answer.

It kept the Coastal Killer satisfied with her praise without mentioning the severed finger or victim at all. Len was doing great, and I reached out for her hand to give her reassurance. Her face flushed a little, and I felt her hand shaking.

“You’ve got this,” I whispered.

“Another thirty seconds or so,” Mags said into my ear.

“There will be more,” the voice said through the speaker again.

“Please don’t,” Len said before I could cue her not to engage. Her voice trembled, and I knew the killer would hear it too.

“This is what happens when you don’t listen,” the voice scolded.

The phone call clicked off, and I knew the unsub was gone. Len handed the phone to me, like the killer might come right through the screen.

“For evidence,” she said as she shoved it at me.

“It’s alright. You can hold on to it,” I said, trying to give it back, but she shook her head.

“Not right now,” she answered softly.

I pocketed the phone so she no longer had to look at it.

“Please tell me you know where they are,” I said into my own phone.

“Not exactly,” Mags answered. “But we have a pretty small area narrowed down.”

“Send the perimeter to my phone,” I said. “And call Grey, let him know where to meet me.”

* * *

The warehouses we pulled up to were clustered in a large lot near the water. The ocean abutted the business park, and there were a couple ships docked nearby.

Len and I hoped out of my car and glanced around. We made it back to the house in no time to grab my car and were given orders to wait until Grey arrived.

The rest of the team pulled up minutes later, Grey scowling as he stepped out of his own vehicle.

“I told you to stop involving her,” he grumbled at me.

Len flinched at the statement.

“She was with me when the call came through. I wasn’t wasting time arguing with her to stay at the rental rather than coming straight here,” I argued.

“Fine,” Grey snapped. “But she stays here. I won’t have a civilian wandering around.”

I nodded and glanced over at Len. Her eyes narrowed on me, and I knew I deserved it. I was complicit in Grey’s orders and wasted no time removing Len from the case. This was her work the past three years, and as simple as that, she had been cut off from it.

Everything inside me hated that.

My mind was meant to follow rules and orders, but when it came to Len, none of that applied. There wasn’t a single rule that could convince me to let her go.

I was pushing every boundary I could while making sure I saw the case through for her.

I walked over and opened the passenger door of my car.“Stay here.”

Len barely acknowledged my words, sitting with her arms crossed as I shut the door. When had this become so complicated? My loyalties to the FBI warred with everything I owed to Len.

I followed Grey, pulling out my gun and holding it in front of me. We didn’t know exactly what we were searching for, but I kept my eye out for anyone I recognized from town. There weren’t many workers in the area, and the ones who milled around saw us and steered clear.

Mags had narrowed it to a single warehouse, divided to house about five businesses. The team split up, half taking two and Grey and I taking the other three.

The first space we entered was small, and we found piles of pet supplies.

“Clear,” Grey called out, and I echoed the same back to him.

We moved on to the second one and found an entirely empty space, abandoned by whatever business used it before.

We gave each other a wary look and pushed on to the third.

When I entered, I kept my gun raised and split off to the right. The warehouse space was small, filled with restaurant supplies. Boxes of beer and liquor were stacked high. I made my way down the row of them, finding nothing.

“Clear,” Grey shouted across the space.

I made my way back to him, checking the last row of mine.

“Clear,” I said, rounding the corner to find him waiting.

He pulled out his phone and dialed.“Did the others check in?” he spoke into it. “Alright.” He hung up and turned to me. “Mags says the rest is clear as well.”

I let out a groan as I holstered my weapon.

“Did you really think they’d still be here?” Grey asked.

“No, but I hoped something would.” What was I even expecting?

Grey holstered his weapon and led me back to the door. A bunch of paperwork hung in a folder next to it and caught my eye. Receipts and order confirmations for everything inside the warehouse spilled over the edge, disorganized. Grey held open the door, but before I stepped through, I noticed a slip on the ground.

I froze, reading the name of the business written on it.

High Tide Pub.

I pulled out my phone and dialed.

“I just let Grey know everyone checked in,” Mags answered cheerily.

“The warehouse we’re in, does High Tide Pub rent a space?” I asked.

Grey‘s eyes bore into me, taking note of every word. I heard her fingers typing on the keyboard frantically, and another minute passed before she answered.

“Yes, it looks like one of the businesses they rent a space to is High Tide Pub.”

“Thanks,” I said before I hung up. “That’s the connection,” I said to Grey.

“We’ll have to get a warrant for the security footage of the area. It’s going to take a bit,” he said, already typing out a message to Mags.

A weight lifted from my chest, knowing this was what we were looking for. The needle in the haystack of the case. We need something to tie everything to Ethan, and this was enough to do so. If we could prove he was here when the call was made, we could start tying everything back to him.

Grey and I walked back to the cars together, and a sinking feeling grew in my stomach the moment I spotted mine. Len was no longer the passenger seat. I glanced around, not seeing her anywhere nearby, and panic set in.

“Where did she go?” I asked.

Grey looked up from his phone and saw what I meant. He turned in a circle, not spotting her. I was already walking off, hurrying to find her. Was there a chance we missed something? Could the unsub have still been in the area, waiting for us to leave her alone?

My heart raced, and I found it hard to force myself to swallow.

I rounded the corner of a small building closer to the water and saw her standing with her back to me. Relief washed over me. I wasn’t surprised to find her watching the waves.

“Len,” I called out, but she didn’t move. “Len, we’re done here. There’s nothing more. Let’s go.”

She still didn’t budge.

I walked toward her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying not to startle her. She flinched and jumped away from me, her hand clutching the necklace she’d worn since dinner with her family.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, seeing the look on her face.

She looked back out toward the water and pointed. I followed her finger and finally saw what had held her attention.

Propped against a wooden pole, right next to the water, was a body. The woman looked no older than Len, her head hung, lifeless.

I left Len and rushed over, immediately checking her pulse. The body was barely cold, but I couldn’t find one. She couldn’t have been sitting there longer than an hour. Blood seeped through her shirt, and I saw the wound that ended her life: one stab straight to the chest.

I rushed back to Len, my hands stained red. I was careful not to touch her, instead leading her back to where I knew the rest of the team stood.

The second Grey spotted us rounding the corner, he hurried over.

“There’s a body,” I said in a low tone.

He signaled to the other two agents to follow while I walked Len back to the car. I drove her straight back to the house and waited for Grey to come with an update.It wasn’t until the sun set and I had Len sitting on the couch with a cup of tea that he finally came.

He knocked on the door before letting himself in. He went straight to the kitchen, away from Len. I followed, double checking she was alright before I did.

She’d barely spoken since we got back, still in shock.

“Another victim,“ Grey confirmed. “We found a ring shoved into her mouth like all the others.”

“Do we know who she is or if she has any connections to the other suspects?” I asked.

“The sheriff’s office ID-ed her, but we haven’t found any connections yet,” Grey answered and shook his head. “Our best option is going to be the footage. We checked, and where she was left is a blind spot without cameras on it. We will have to canvas all of the others in the area.”

I wasn’t shocked. The unsub had been careful and calculated thus far. I doubted they’d leave a body in the open if they thought it would get them caught. No, their motivation was solely to leave it for Len. The killer kept us on the phone long enough for us to find that group of warehouses. They knew we’d be there.

“How is she?” Grey asked, and I was taken by surprise at his question.

“As good as she can be.”

“Keep her close,” Grey said. “Make sure she’s alright. I doubt this unsub is done with her.”

I knew he was right. The killer only seemed to escalate when it came to her.

“Let me know the second you have something from the footage,” I said. “I’ll be here, watching over her.”

Grey nodded before he left, and I returned to Len. She sat with her legs pulled up on the couch, both of her cats beside her.

I sat on the other side, careful not to disrupt the felines.

“How are you?” I asked, a simple question, yet also impossible.

I knew it was more than just a one word answer. The entire case revolved around her; I couldn’t imagine what that felt like.

“I just can’t stop thinking about how that could’ve been me,” she admitted. “All of this is happening because of me. The unsub isn’t going to stop killing. It’s my fault. I said the wrong thing on the phone.”

“No, Len,” I stopped her. “That woman would’ve already been dead before you said that. The unsub is taunting you, trying to get a reaction. I know it’s hard, but you have to try to ignore what they’re attempting to wring out of you.”

“I just can’t stop blaming myself,” she sniffled.

I knew nothing I said to comfort her would help, but I wanted to try anyway. “You are not to blame for the Coastal Killer’s actions. You’re as much a victim as any of the others. They’re taunting you because they couldn’t get to you. They know you’re stronger than they are. Don’t let them take that away from you.”

She set aside her tea and moved closer, cuddling into my side. I wrapped an arm around her, holding her until she fell asleep after only a few minutes, exhausted from everything. Shock was mentally draining on a person.

After a bit, I scooped her up bridal-style and carried her up the stairs. I was still wearing my slacks and button down, but I didn’t want to risk putting her down and waking her if I left her alone. I knew she needed me more than ever tonight.

I placed her gently down in bed and pulled the covers up over her before climbing in next to her. My arm wrapped around her waist and held her tight, hoping I could chase away the nightmares I knew would come.

* * *

The next morning, Len was up before I was. It was just before sunrise, and I could smell bacon filling the air in the house. The scent of fresh brewed coffee hit me about halfway down the stairs.

When I made it to the kitchen, I found an entire plate and cup of coffee ready for me. The door to the sun room was open, and I walked in, carrying my breakfast, to find Len watching the sun rise over the water beneath the cliffside.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked.

She shook her head, not looking away from the water.

“Can I join you?” I asked before I stepped up to her chair.

“Sure,” she murmured, but she was barely present. Her mind was wandering.

I sat in a chair across from her at the small glass table set in the center of the room. With the sun rising, it was starting to warm already, the cool morning breeze disappearing. I’d miss views like this when I had to go back to Quantico.

The closest beaches were still far, and the view was nothing like what I found here. New England would forever leave its mark on me.

Len continued to sip at her own cup, gaze never faltering from the window. I watched the way her mind spun, the few times her lips parted like she wanted to say something. It was thirty minutes before I couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“It’s okay to not be alright,” I said, hoping I could get through to her.

She turned toward me, her eyes locking with mine, as if trying to decide whether this was something she was ready to admit.

“It’s also alright to be frustrated with me. I deserve it,” I said.

“It’s not that,” she said immediately.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief hearing that.

“It’s just-” she started and paused.

“This is your work,” I guessed. “And now, in the blink of an eye, it has been taken from you. On top of that, you’ve already been through an ordeal.”

She nodded.

“I’m not used to this. I worked hard to climb my way up at the museum. For the last three years, I have done nothing but throw myself into work, into research. To lose all of that in seconds? I’m just not sure how to process it yet,” she admitted. “But at the same time, I never imagined things would escalate to this.”

I was happy to see the incident from the prior day hadn’t shaken her too badly. For all the trauma she’d been through, she was in better shape than most I had seen in the field.

“You haven’t lost it all,” I said. “Everything you have done is the reason the FBI is even here. Grey may be keeping you away from the case, but it’s only for your own safety. You got us closer than we ever were before to making an arrest. That is all because of you. This town may finally get closure because of you, Lenny,” I insisted.

“And you,” she breathed.

“Don’t give up on things yet,” I said. “Even removed from the case, there is still plenty to be done. This town is going to need someone when this case ends, someone who knows it inside and out to assure them we arrested the right person. Someone to make sure every last victim is remembered.”

She nodded along, and I saw the slight smile growing on her face.

“This town needs you, just as much as I needed you,” I finally said.

Just as much as I still need you.

Her eyes searched mine before she stood from her seat. Her hands gripped either side of my chair as she leaned in.

“As much as I need you,” she whispered before she kissed me.

* * *

It wasn’t until later that day when I realized some of Len’s distance was anxiety about her parents coming to town. They’d be arriving soon for the upcoming clambake, which I promised to attend.

We still hadn’t heard from the FBI or Mags on how the warrant was going, or about combing through the footage from the warehouse area.

It would be a grueling process, which I knew could take days, weeks even.

The next few days passed, and Len only grew more anxious. There was little I could say to help, my own anxiety starting to take over, worried we’d find nothing tying Ethan to the warehouses.

Trust the process.

I repeated the mantra over and over to myself. If I could control my own fears and nerves, I could help Len as well.

We spent time exploring town, grabbing lattes, and reading through the books in the rental. Len was already on her re-read of the book I gifted her, and I caught her adding little notes of her own to it.

My heart swelled at that.

It wasn’t until the night before the clambake that I finally saw Grey again. Len had gone to her apartment to swap out her clothing and visit Mallory. She insisted on going alone, given Mallory’s distaste for me. The only way she’d forced me into agreeing was that she promised to be less than an hour and would text me every ten minutes. Excessive, but effective.

I had the rental to myself for a while, but quickly, a knock to the front door changed that.

The second I pulled the door open, I knew something was different. Grey’s face looked almost excited.

“What’s happened?” I asked, trying to contain the thoughts running through my mind and manage my expectations.

“The warrant came through, and they finished going through the footage,” he said.

My heart stopped for a second before I forced myself to push forward.

“They found something?” I asked.

A grin spread across his face.

“We got him.”