Page 112 of Chaos has a Name (An FBI Romance/Thriller #66)

The Reservation

Timothy’s Cabin

Thursday

Two-Thirty P.M.

As per usual, the whole house was on lockdown, and Wyler was accustomed to it. Only, now, he was still stirred up and annoyed that he and Lance hadn’t just buried the hatchet over what happened years ago.

For Christ’s sake, it was five decades passed, and he really didn’t want to carry this into the afterlife.

It just felt like it would be detrimental.

While he knew that he deserved the reaction he’d gotten, and he should just be glad that Lance was willing to help Caryn after the funeral and family went home, he’d been hoping for more.

What?

He wasn’t sure.

Maybe he wanted a friend. Maybe, as he was likely leaving life, sooner, rather than later, he had people he loved around him.

God knew Lance and he had history. They ran wild, but they were more like brothers. Since he didn’t have one of those, it seemed…important.

After having some makeup sex with his wife, to apologize for his recent behavior, and to soothe her, Wyler left Caryn sleeping as she took a nap.

It had been a long week for her too.

Thankfully, Janet was a trooper, and she was at the hotel entertaining the children. They were damn lucky to have her in their lives.

Later, he wanted to see his grandkids, and especially Oliver, but for now, he needed to think.

When he needed to do that, on the reservation, there was only one place to do it.

In the woods he loved.

So, he walked out the back door, and headed right into the woods, gun in hand.

His plan was to kill one more deer, but this time, bring it home with him. That way, Wyler could show his grandsons how to cook it.

His bucket list was long.

It was time to start on it.

As he hit the woods, Demeter walked past him, not even hearing the older man in the trees.

That distraction was all he needed.

Wyler was gone.

When Demeter’s com chimed, he tapped it on his vest, knowing it would be Michael.

“All clear out here,” Demeter said over the com. “No movement anywhere near the back. How about the front?” he asked, leaning against the tree that held the treehouse.

The com came alive.

“Nothing here,” Michael said. “No one has exited the front. Wyler has to be upstairs still.”

Well, that meant it was going to be a quiet day for all of them.

“Copy that. I’ll sit on the back porch. I’ll be right under the bedroom window if he tries his antics. Let me know if you need me,” Demeter said, heading there to block the door.

Wyler was definitely not getting out.

They had this place locked down.

The three of them were kicking ass and taking names.

Wouldn’t Elizabeth be proud?

* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *

FBI West

Same Time

Thursday

Uh-oh.

When Tony got the results of the DNA test, he was confused.

No, he was three days beyond that.

Something wasn’t right.

“I don’t understand it,” he muttered, and of course, old eagle ears, Doctor Leonard, heard him.

Immediately, Chris rolled over on his stool. He’d been working on the tox report for Elizabeth, making sure all the parameters were set and the testing was going right.

This.

Time.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Tony sighed.

“Here to gloat?” he asked.

The man cut him a break.

“No, Anthony. I don’t gloat. We’ve worked together long enough that you should know that. I’m here to make sure that you get the job done. Benjamin didn’t run the right tests on the blood. It looks as if the testing accidentally got switched.”

Tony sighed.

“I get it. No music.”

Chris patted his arm.

“By doing the right test, Elizabeth has another avenue to follow. That’s all that matters. We want her safe, right?”

He nodded.

“Now, tell me what you found.”

He held the big, fat carved whistle in his hand, and told Chris what he’d found.

“The DNA doesn’t match the other two.”

Chris wasn’t sure what he was saying.

“You were able to get bone DNA? Was there viable samples left?”

He shook his head.

“No, when I swabbed by the blowhole. It’s not matching the other two samples from the bone whistle found at the camping ground.”

Immediately, Chris was nervous.

Had the new techs dropped the ball on that too?

“We need to rerun it.”

Tony was curious.

“What do you think we did wrong?” he asked. “Or do we have a third person?”

He wasn’t sure.

Honestly, that wasn’t for him to say.

“It could be either of those options, Tony. We need to figure this out. Rerun it. We’ll rerun the other two also in case Benjamin didn’t do it right.”

God.

Know who would have?

Chrissy.

“Just get it done,” Chris said, knowing if they kept dropping the ball, Elizabeth would be behind the eight ball on this one.

And no one wanted that.

She wanted out of here.

ASAP.

That was looking slim to none.

* * * The Blackhawk Family * * *

The Veterinarian Center

The Reservation

When they walked in, everyone looked. Elizabeth was with Rayna, and her team.

There were dogs, cats, and people everywhere. Behind the counter, there was a Native woman, and the second she saw them, she stood up.

“Hey,” she said. “It’s so good to see you.”

Elizabeth smiled and wiggled her fingers to get her to follow her to a quiet corner. As she did, security blocked for her, just in case.

The last thing she needed was a Native lip reader catching on.

Elizabeth read her name tag.

“Hey, Enola. Let’s cut to the chase here. I need to talk to the doctor.”

She wasn’t sure why.

“Has something happened to your pets?” she asked, completely confused, as she glanced over at the Chief of Police.

Elizabeth shook her head.

“No, just get me to a room to talk to the doctor. I’ll explain to the vet.”

The woman didn’t hesitate.

Immediately, she walked back over to Takoda, and Gene, as Ethan and Callen were talking to Natives in the room to distract them.

As they waited, it didn’t take long for a Native man to come into the room and motion for her to follow. Well, follow she did.

When Gene, Takoda, and Rayna joined her, the man did the introductions.

“I’m Doctor Elsu Chayton. The receptionist said you had a problem.”

She pointed to the badge.

“It’s not with my dogs. We’re working an investigation here,” she said, as the doctor sat on the stool and they took chairs.

“Okay, with what?” he asked, glancing over at Rayna, but she was staying silent.

For Elizabeth, it was best to just be direct.

“Do you use chloroform here?” she asked.

He nodded.

“We do if we have a quick sedation and a particularly snippy dog that likes arms as chew toys.”

She was on the right track.

She hoped.

“How much do you normally keep in stock?” she asked. “And do you have any now?”

It was clear that he believed that to be a weird question, but he didn’t argue.

Instead, Elsu got up and stuck his head out of the door.

“Jacy,” he called, and another Native male came in wearing scrubs and holding a very young kitten in his hand.

He started asking him questions.

“Do we have a full supply of Chloroform?” he asked. “You know, for the biters?”

He laughed.

“No, we have two bottles. We don’t use it often. The last time we had a full supply was two years ago. It’s getting harder to find so we use it less.”

Elizabeth shook his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jacy…,” she began, pausing for his last name.

“Keme,” he said.

Gene made note, and it had both men watching him. They were definitely curious.

“Hey, Jacy,” Rayna said. “How’s everything going?” she asked.

He grinned.

“Well, about as good as it can be. I’m fine, but Mr. Trouble, here, is about to lose his nuts.”

She scratched the kitten behind the ears.

“Can you tell us what this is about?” Elsu asked.

She continued.

“Is any missing from the supply you’ve had?” she asked, not answering him about the case.

Elsu looked over, and Jacy shook his head.

“We’ve had two bottles now for about three months. The next biter we get is the yearly visit from the Mastiff that the Stormchaser brothers own. He hates EVERYONE.”

That piqued Elizabeth’s interest.

Roland and Paditi came here with a dog? A dog that required Chloroform?

Oh, that was good for her, and bad for them.

The doctor was more direct.

“If you tell us what you’re looking for, then we can help you better.”

She wasn’t sure.

That was the problem.

“We had a case of someone being abducted on the rez and dosed with Chloroform.”

That hung there.

He was adamant.

“We haven’t had any taken, and I certainly am not drugging anyone. Jacy, get the paperwork and make copies of the invoices in and out so Director Blackhawk can have the information.”

The man headed out.

“I can assure you that we haven’t lost any,” he said. “And as for our staff, we were all hired by your husband. I’m sure that we were vetted first.”

Oh, she was well aware.

“We’re just covering our bases here. Are you by any chance related to anyone who works here?” she asked, hitting all the main points in case it wasn’t the Stormchasers. A lot of people on the rez had dogs.

Hell.

She had a dog.

He scrunched up his brow.

“This is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had,” he admitted.

Yeah, welcome to her world.

“Are you?”

He nodded.

“Jacy is my cousin. Our mothers are sisters.”

When she glanced over at Gene, they both shared the same look.

And the man caught it.

“What are you thinking? That we abducted someone and use Chloroform on them? Well, how outsider of you to blame the Native first.”

She stopped that then and there.

“Hold your horseys, Doc. This is my job. I’m just trying to keep people safe here. As for me blaming the Natives first, I’m on a RESERVATION. The crime happened here and was perpetrated by someone here. Who else am I going to blame? HIM?” she asked, pointing at Gene.

He was the ONLY Native in the room.

The man said nothing.

So, she continued.

“How long have you lived on the reservation?” she asked.

“Since Mr. Whitefox hired us seven months ago. The rates of rabies and animals being put down with guns is appalling. When he heard about them shooting the hell out of a rabid German Shepherd, and the dog didn’t die at first because the shooters were drunk.”