Page 6 of The Last To Know (Hallowed Halls Series #2)

H is beautiful Tiffany. Everything about her had proven worthy despite Mentor’s dissatisfaction with her as a choice for their family.

“She’s perfect,” he told Mentor.

So unlike Giselle. His lips thinned. Distaste filled his mouth whenever he thought about the way she’d let herself fall from such lofty heights to become little more than a drunk. Instead of working to improve her strength and fight to get back on the stage, she’d wallowed in self-pity and wasted her talent.

Tiffany was different. He watched her now through the two-way mirror that reflected the room. She’d awakened. He smiled. He would get to spend precious time with her. Get to know her hopes and dreams before he made her immortal.

He slipped the key into the lock and stepped inside, carefully relocking the door. He dropped the key into his pocket.

She lifted her head and craned it toward him.

“Hello, my pretty. I’m glad you’re awake.” He crossed the room to her bed. “I’m sorry that I had to restrain you. I didn’t want you to injure yourself.”

Terror boiled from deep in her eyes. No worries. She would come to love him the way he did her in time.

“Please. I’m so thirsty,” she croaked.

Of course. The drug he used to sedate her would make her thirsty.

He had prepared for this. He poured a glass of water, placed a straw inside, and took it over to her. He put the straw against her lips. She sipped before turning her head away.

“Why are you doing this?”

Another anticipated question. He set the glass on a nearby table. “Because you are special. You deserve this.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Please, don’t kill me.”

He tamped down his disappointment. They all begged for their lives in the end, but they weren’t there yet.

“I’m not going to kill you. I just want to get to know you better. You are magnificent on TV.” He’d watched her religiously every evening. “I never miss your broadcast. You are so much better than the one you replaced.” Denise had been a bleached-out blonde with a fake smile, who thought herself indispensable. He’d taken care of her. He wanted to pave the way for his Tiffany and he had. To this day, no one knew what happened to Denise. She wasn’t even worthy of being one of his unworthy ones.

Tiffany stared in horror at his confession. “You’ve been watching me? Stalking me?” she exclaimed as if the word repulsed her.

“No, no, no,” he said. She was twisting everything. He stopped and gathered several breaths to steady himself. “I’m a fan. I can make things happen for you. I already have.”

Her eyes widened. “Denise. What did you do to her?”

“That doesn’t matter. You are far better than she ever was.”

She stared at him with those dark eyes that seemed to drill down to his soul. He wondered if she saw what lay inside.

No, she couldn’t.

Not yet. He wasn’t ready to reveal that side of himself.

“I’m going to take those restraints off.” He pointed to one of the chairs. “Come have a seat.”

She still wore the nightgown she had on when he’d taken her from her bed. He’d slipped into her home after disabling her security system. He’d been inside her place many times before he took her. It was how he knew what pieces of furniture to include in her special room.

For the longest time, he’d watched her sleep . . . waiting for that moment when she realized he was there.

Before she could scream, he’d used the Ketamine to knock her out.

Everything so far had gone according to plan.

He untied the leather straps. She rubbed her wrists as if they hurt. He knew they didn’t. He’d made sure the restraints were padded to protect her delicate skin.

“Come. I have a special meal prepared for us, with your favorite wine.”

She looked at him and then to the door.

“You won’t make it. You’re not strong enough. And even if you could, the door is locked.”

The brief moment of hope he’d seen in her faded.

“Now, enough of that foolishness. Time to enjoy our meal.”

She clumsily swung her legs over the side of the gurney. Tiffany tried to stand under her own power, but it was not to be.

“Let me.” He carried her over to the chair. “Now, rest while I bring the meal.”

He straightened and took in her beauty. He loved beautiful, perfect things. He’d collected them all his life. She would prove to be one of his favorites. Tiffany was so unlike the ones he grew up with.

She dropped her gaze to hands that trembled. Naturally, she was frightened of him. In time that would change.

He crossed the room and left, relocking the door. She would be too weak to leave, but he couldn’t risk his beauty escaping.

In the kitchen the timer ticked off the final seconds for the chicken cordon bleu he’d prepared for her. He placed the chicken onto two plates, along with the garlic butter rice and roasted green beans. The cabernet sauvignon was chilled to perfection. He retrieved two wine glasses and placed them on the tray.

As he passed the mirror, he stopped to look. Tiffany leaned her head against the wing chair, her eyes closed. Raven hair splayed against the chair. Just as she’d be when she finally became his forever.

◆◆ ◆

Someone had been inside her home. The front door stood slightly ajar. Hannah was certain she’d locked it before leaving that morning. She inspected the front of the house. No signs of forced entry.

Hannah dropped everything as a chill sped up her back. Her heart rate went ballistic. She grabbed her Glock and slowly pushed the door completely open before entering the house.

“Clear,” she whispered to herself once she checked the living room. Next the dining room. In the kitchen, a single piece of paper lay on the table. Hannah couldn’t take her eyes off it. Someone had left a note. She eased toward the pale-blue parchment paper.

Disturbing words spilled from the page, threatening to take her legs out from under her.

Beloved, now that I’ve found you again I will never let you go. You will be with me soon. Now and always.

The lack of signature wasn’t the most troubling. The words sounded old-fashioned. Not something a kid would say. The writer referred to her as beloved. That seemed to indicate he believed they had some type of relationship.

I will never let you go.

Her privacy had been invaded. The writer had probably sat at her kitchen table and wrote that note.

She could still smell his scent. A mixture of Old Spice and BO.

A sick prank? No one she knew would do this. Except for Ellie and Hannah’s mother, her friends were her teammates at the BAU.

Hannah finished searching the house. Nothing was missing. No sign of any forced entry. The back door was unlocked. She searched her mind to remember if she’d locked it after she’d taken the trash out. When she couldn’t come up with an answer, Hannah realized the intruder’s access to her home was all on her. She’d made a foolish, rookie mistake.

That was almost as scary as the break-in.

Hannah grabbed her phone to call Zeke then remembered he’d left with Cooper, and she was perfectly capable of handling this herself.

Instead, she called her neighbor, Bert, a seventy-five-year-old retired postal worker. He didn’t have a key to the house. Even though she’d left the backdoor unlocked Bert wouldn’t have gone in without having her permission first.

“Hey, Hannah. How are you feeling?” Bert had collected her mail while she attended Ellie’s funeral on Long Island. He’d brought her chicken soup when he found out she had the flu. She trusted Bert. He wouldn’t have left the note.

“Much better, thanks.” She didn’t know how to broach the subject, so she just dove in. “You haven’t noticed anyone unusual hanging around my place or in the neighborhood, have you?”

“No, nothing. You having trouble over there?”

She wasn’t sure what she had yet. “Not really. Just a feeling, I guess.”

Bert knew she worked for the FBI. He didn’t know the extent of the monsters she hunted.

“There were a couple of break-ins a few weeks back,” Bert told her. “The police suspected some local teens might be snatching what they could to sell for drugs. I haven’t heard anything lately, though.”

Nothing was missing from her place. Was it some teenager’s idea of a joke? The language used in the note mocked that suggestion.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Hannah told him, not at all convinced. “Maybe just the remnants of being sick. I’m imagining things.” She tried to laugh it off, yet the note certainly had her rattled. “I’m going to be out of town for a few days. Do you mind watching out for the place?”

“Not at all. I’ll gather your mail. Let me know if you need anything while you’re gone, Hannah. ”

“I will.” She thanked him and ended the call, happy to have Bert’s eagle eye watching her home.

Hannah double-checked the locks before returning to the bedroom. She tossed the last of the clothes for the trip into her bag and checked the time. Twenty minutes before her Uber driver arrived.

She carried her bag to the kitchen, where the note taunted her.

Beloved, now that I’ve found you again I will never let you go. You will be with me soon. Now and always.

Handling the note carefully, she examined it for fingerprints with a scanner. There appeared to be some. She’d bag it and have it fingerprinted when she returned. The type of paper was sold anywhere including Amazon.

Why had the writer targeted her? If it was to scare her, he’d accomplished as much.

Using gloves, she placed the note into a plastic bag and put it into her laptop backpack. Since she lived alone, Zeke had urged her to get security cameras around the place. She hadn’t seen the need until now.

The murder in Grand Island needed her full attention. When the case ended, she’d tell Zeke about the note. The two could figure out if this was the work of a kid or a kook.

She unlocked her laptop. The first page of the original Embalmer case leapt from the screen, every bit as horrific as she’d expected.

Including his wife, four women had been brutally killed after being deemed unworthy by Embalmer. Another four had been found in Ellison’s parents’ basement. Their deaths hadn’t been anything close to painful like the unworthy victims. A drug concoction had simply put them to sleep and stopped their hearts. Embalmer had them displayed along a long corridor. Each woman had been placed into an eight-by-ten-foot space, much like the display windows in a department store. The women’s spaces held objects from their homes. There had been an actress. A teacher. A nurse. A hairdresser. All were professional women like Ellison’s mother.

In interviews, he’d mentioned how he admired his mother growing up. She’d helped supplement her husband’s farming income by working as her church’s secretary.

Hannah played a video of a prison interview between Ellison and a Bureau psychiatrist. The interview took place a couple of years after his imprisonment.

Ellison claimed he’d branded the women unworthy because of their secrets.

“What secrets are you talking about?” Dr. Garret asked.

The video camera captured Ellison’s every reaction, every micro expression. His brows arched ever so slightly. The question baffled him.

“They wouldn’t be secret if I told you.” A smug smile crossed Ellison’s face.

“So you choose not to share them with me?”

From the bit of conversation Hannah had watched earlier, Ellison loved talking about himself. Why be coy over his selection process unless something about it might reveal more victims?

Hannah leaned her elbows on the table and paused the video. She studied Ellison’s features. An older version of his son. Same sandy-brown hair. Chiseled jaw. The eyes were different, though. Cooper’s were brilliant blue, changing slightly depending on his emotion. Sometimes darker when he was laughing. Deep azure pools when he worked a case.

Outside, a horn honked, startling Hannah.

She walked to the window to confirm her driver had arrived to take her to Ronald Reagan National Airport. A small black hatchback car sat out front. Time to leave.

Hannah searched the front yard while trying to suppress the feeling of being watched. The note. This case. Her dreams. All had her spooked. Death was all around her. At times, she felt it pressing in. Waiting to snatch her.

“Stop it.”

Her phone beeped a message from her Uber driver .

Hannah closed her laptop and stuffed it inside the carrying case. She grabbed her coat and purse, which held the adjusted heart medication from her doctor along with something to help her sleep when she couldn’t. Lately, since losing Ellie, that was often.

After double-checking the locks, she stepped out into the cold day. The snow from earlier had stopped. Still, the temperature hadn’t risen enough to melt the blanket of white covering everything.

Hannah rolled her bag over to the car. The driver, a man in his forties, wore a knit cap over his dark hair. Sunglasses covered his eyes. He stowed her bag before holding the rear passenger door open for her.

Guilt riddled her the entire drive. She’d worked with Cooper going on three years. They’d been . . . close for almost a year of that, and yet she had no idea he came from New York like her or that they’d grown up within a hundred miles of each other. She certainly hadn’t known the nightmare he’d been through.

“We’re here, Miss.” Her driver stared at her in the rearview.

“Thank you.” Hannah rousted herself and got out. The driver retrieved her bag. Hannah thanked him and started across the tarmac toward the waiting plane.

Zeke’s truck was parked in the private parking section near the airstrip that BAU used. There was no sign of Megan, Jack, or Sierra yet.

She climbed the steps, dreading the awkwardness between herself and Cooper.

Inside Zeke worked on his laptop. Her brother glanced up as she entered. “You’re the first here besides me and Coop.” Zeke’s gaze drilled into her. Saying without words what he’d been telling her for a week now: she owed Cooper an explanation.

She spotted Cooper seated at the back. Hannah left her bag with Zeke. Cooper had his eyes closed. As she approached, he opened them. His startling blue gaze held hers.

Hannah slipped into the seat beside him. He didn’t look her way. She’d hurt him. Cooper had no idea she believed she was doing what was best for him. As much as she owed him an explanation, now was not the time.

She reached for his hand and entwined their fingers. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

A ragged breath escaped. He leaned his head against the headrest and turned it her way. “I know. It’s not easy to talk about. I loved him. Practically worshiped him. I had no idea he was a monster.”

She, of all people, understood the need to keep those secrets hidden. She’d done her best to keep hers locked away from the world. Would her past—like Cooper’s—find a way to burrow out of its hole?

“What happened?” She had no right to ask except their case might hinge on Cooper’s memory of that time.

She’d listened to part of Ellison’s police interrogation when he’d first been arrested. At that time, Ellison seemed eager to talk about his trophies. He hadn’t asked for an attorney. He’d taken pleasure in claiming his conquests.

Ellison eagerly named the women he’d killed violently.

When Ellison had been asked about the possibility there might be other victims, he’d clammed up.

The detective asked how he felt knowing his son had been the one to bring him down. There’d been a crack in Ellison’s polished exterior.

Her mental analysis halted when Cooper began speaking.

“I was thirteen when I found out the truth. I came home from school. Heard my mother screaming from the basement. Dad kept a loaded shotgun in their bedroom for protection even though we lived in an upscale neighborhood of Rochester. Dad sometimes worked long hours at the funeral home. He was an embalmer, and yes, I realize the irony of that,” he said in answer to her raised brows.

A prickle of dread chased along Hannah’s spine. Death had walked beside Cooper as well. He hadn’t known the double life his father led. What had triggered his mother’s attack? Usually, serial killers kept their deviant activities separate from their home lives. Many, like Dennis Rader, had been able to live parallel lives for the most part. One person at home. An entirely different person when they killed. Yet sometimes there were little cracks that showed through to family members.

“I thought Mom was being attacked by an intruder . . . until I saw him. My father. H-he’d butchered her.” His voice broke. She squeezed his hand tighter, wishing she could take it all away. “The word ‘unworthy’ was written above her head in blood. I’ll never forget it as long as I live. I relive those moments. I have nightmares about them.”

He paused to collect himself. “I thought he was trying to save her until I saw his eyes. Cold and dead. Like the rest of the killers we’ve captured. Then I knew. He did it. He killed her.”

“Oh, Cooper.” Hannah leaned her head against his. Felt a shuddering breath come up from deep inside him.

“The man who charged at me wasn’t the loving father I knew. The only way I can describe it was like he’d transformed into an animal. I was so scared. I looked into my father’s eyes, and I knew he planned to kill me too. Before he reached me, I pulled back the trigger and shot him.”

Cooper had been forced to take down his own father.

“The shot struck his shoulder.” He appeared unaware that he’d pointed out the spot on his own shoulder. “A neighbor heard Mom scream and called the police. They were already on their way when I shot him. They arrived shortly after with EMTs and saved him.” Cooper’s voice turned bitter. “It was too late for my mother. They pronounced her dead on the scene.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He absently nodded. “I’ve lived my entire life in the shadow of what happened that day.”

The rest of the team entered the plane.

“There’s everyone.” Hannah straightened. She went to pull her hand free, but Cooper held her back.

Their eyes met once more. The depth of the pain that had nothing to do with his father and everything to do with her hit her square in the face. “Why are you ignoring me? What’s going on, Hannah? I thought . . .”

She had too.

You aren’t being fair to Cooper. He needs to know the truth. Zeke’s accusatory words rattled around in her head.

“We’ll talk soon. Now is not the time.”

“You’re stalling.” He didn’t let her go. Cooper was a no bull kind of guy. Yet how did she tell him that he might be the best thing to happen to her and she couldn’t see him anymore.

“How are you holding up, Cooper?” Sierra stood beside them. She had a big heart and a loud personality. She didn’t always respect boundaries. So far, in the time she’d worked as an agent, she’d proven invaluable, but there were moments when she could work on her discretion.

Cooper released Hannah’s hand. She rose unsteadily and moved to the front of the plane, where Jack and Megan were talking to Zeke.

“How’s he doing?” Megan asked pointedly. There was still a touch of distance in her friend’s tone.

“He’s hurting.” Hannah looked over her shoulder to where Sierra had taken Hannah’s seat. She wasn’t sure if she was talking about what Cooper had dealt with as a child or what she’d put him through.

“I can’t imagine going through what he did at thirteen,” Zeke said, and looked at Hannah. He’d been a teenager when Hannah’s heart gave out. Their father cut out soon after Hannah ended up in the hospital, leaving Zeke to step up and help their mother. He’d been forced to grow up quickly.

“Please take your seats and buckle up. We’re cleared for takeoff.”

Once the pilot announced their imminent departure, Hannah slipped into a seat a couple of rows up from Cooper and Sierra. Zeke sat next to her.

“You doing okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Hannah flinched. “I’m fine.” That came out sounding angry, which Zeke didn’t deserve. Her brother had always been there for her. She touched his arm. “I’m fine. It’s just been a day.”

The same green eyes stared back at her. “Being back, you mean? Or is something else going on?” Zeke’s gaze drilled into her like it had growing up whenever she’d do something that put her health in jeopardy.

She wasn’t ready to talk about the note. “Just being back. There’s nothing. Stop worrying. We have enough to think about with what lies ahead of us.” This case, maybe because of its connection to Cooper, had her uneasy.

The plane taxied down the runway. Under the pilot’s skillful control, they were soon airborne. Flight time would be less than an hour before they arrived at Mesmer Airport-NY49 in Grand Island.

Once the seatbelt light went away, Jack called the team to the table up front to review the case. “You should all have the records from the Embalmer case.” He looked around. “Hopefully, you’ve had the chance to study the previous case as well as what we have right now.”

Everyone confirmed they’d received the information.

“There are other similarities besides the word written above the victim.” Zeke had a keen eye for picking out details that sometimes went overlooked. “Giselle Witherspoon was posed in the exact position as the previous unworthy victims.”

Hannah brought up their current victim’s photo. She selected one of the original Embalmer’s unworthy victims—respectfully, not Cooper’s mother—to understand what her brother meant. “You’re right.”

Cooper didn’t follow along with the photos. He probably knew them all by heart.

Jack blew up the photo on his laptop. “I see it too. Anything else?”

“The knife wounds themselves. They’re unusual. What type of knife was used originally?”

“A bread knife,” Cooper said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Also known as an autopsy knife. The type used during autopsies to slice off pieces of organs.” All eyes went to their friend. “My father had several from his days working as a medical examiner.”

“What made him want to go to work at a mortuary of all places?” Sierra wrinkled her nose. She quickly realized her mistake. “Sorry.”

Cooper sat up straighter. “No, it’s alright. I’m okay, guys. This—seeing another woman die the way my mother did—well, it threw me for a moment is all.” He released a breath. “I was about eight when he changed professions. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Now, I see he probably perfected his embalming skills working late at night. My mom didn’t approve of the change because he worked nights mostly. I heard them arguing. She clearly thought it strange. He told her it would give him more time to spend with her and me.”

“And did it?” Hannah wondered if Ellison had been using the excuse to hunt his victims.

“Some, I guess. As I said, he was always there for any of my school activities. And we did a lot of things together on the weekends.”

“I’ve gone over the interviews with your father from jail and later from prison,” Megan told him. “He shows classic signs of psychopathic behavior. Unlike some serial killers, your father tested in the genius range intellectually.”

Cooper nodded. “I’ve heard. I never watched any of those interviews. Never visited him in prison. The family who adopted me shielded me from the spotlight. They changed my last name to theirs—Delaney—and gave me as normal a childhood as possible for someone whose mother was murdered by his serial killer father, the Embalmer.”

Hannah covered his hand with hers. He stared down at their hands before turning toward her. The depth of pain in Cooper’s eyes had her forgetting everything she’d promised herself about keeping her distance. He was hurting, and she wanted to make it better.

“Ten minutes until we land.” The pilot announced over the intercom .

Jack closed his laptop. Everyone prepared to buckle up. “We’re treating this as two separate cases for now. Until we know for certain what we’re dealing with, we don’t know that Tiffany Beckham has been kidnapped or if she’s gone missing on her own free will. We’ll need to split up. Megan, Sierra, and I will run with the Beckham case in Rochester. Cooper, you and Hannah and Zeke meet with the Grand Island police. I’ve asked the chief to meet you at the Witherspoon house and get you up to speed.”

“Copy that.” Zeke slid Hannah a look, warning that she’d better settle things between herself and Cooper before things became too strained. They’d be working closely together. Personal emotions wouldn’t have a place in the case.

She’d find a way to speak with Cooper when the time was right.

The pilot landed the plane, and then taxied to a stop at the small airport.

“One more thing,” Megan stopped everyone before they left. “Jane has us booked on the second floor of the Island Breeze Hotel. Jane spoke to the manager who told her at this time of year the hotel is pretty much vacant. She offered us the use of their conference room and anything else we might need during our stay.”

“Nice,” Sierra said with a wink. “I’ve never been one of the only occupants in a hotel before.”

Zeke grabbed his and Hannah’s bags. Hannah tried not to show her irritation at the gesture. Zeke had grown up being protective of her. He’d become increasingly worried about her physical and emotional state following Ellie’s passing.

“There are two rental vehicles waiting for us on the tarmac. Keep your phones close. This case is fluid,” Jack warned. “We may have more victims turn up if the killer is tracking true to the original Embalmer case.”

Hannah slung her purse strap over her shoulder and followed her brother out into the cold day. Clouds gathered above, dark and gray as if a storm were coming. A cold breeze cut right through Hannah’s coat. She tugged it closer. Apprehension she couldn’t explain had her searching around them. She also couldn’t shake the feeling someone watched her.

“What is it?” Cooper asked, looking around as well.

She didn’t want to bring her troubles to him. “Nothing. Just taking in our surroundings.”

Two black SUVs waited side by side. As they approached, taillights flashed. A younger man dressed in khakis and a pullover with the logo of a car rental agency stood next to one of the vehicles.

“You must be the FBI team from DC. I’m Darren. I spoke to Jane Keller. She reserved two Suburbans.”

“I love it.” Sierra took one set of keys. “Can I drive?”

Jack shook his head. “Not if you were the only person capable of driving. I’ve ridden with you before.” He took the keys from her. “Thank you, Darren.”

Darren handed the second set of keys to Cooper. “No problem. Give me a call if you need anything else. My office is right over there.” He pointed to the sign of a popular rental business.

“We will.” Jack waited until Darren left before addressing his people. “Obviously, we’re playing catch-up. I’m grateful to the chief of police here for picking up the connection to the Embalmer case. Everyone, be careful, and if you need a break, let your team know.” His gaze skimmed over Hannah, the point clear. She wasn’t a hundred percent no matter how much she might say otherwise.

If it came to it, Jack would pull her out of the field. Yet this was her life. She couldn’t let that happen.