Carolina Rain (12 page)

After reviewing the file, he was at a loss for what had truly happened in the homicide of
Michael
Garity. Almost.
Two bullet holes in the back of Garity's head ruled out any natural causes, but had he just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Gambling debt? Some form of ritual killing? He glanced at the other file, Lance Morgan’s. How about the fact that Garity was found in the same general area that Lance Morgan’s killer had decided to go to work? That was probably a coincidence but
,
at this point, he couldn’t overlook anything.
Besides, he didn’t believe in coincidence.

He did want to see the rest of the toxicology report because there was one thing he noticed that no one had yet addressed: the small puncture wound just below Garity's right eye. It looked out of place
.
H
e’d talk to Alex and Dean about it when the
instance
was right.

The file on Morgan was the last one he’d received
from Josh and
,
because it was the newest crime, it had the least amount of information. But there was enough there for Manny to
suspect they had a
true
problem
in North Carolina
, that the killer wasn’t done. The
murder
was far too detailed to think this was a onetime shot. To take the time this killer had taken meant pure
enjoyment or a tremendous sense of revenge. By the position of the body,
its
nudity, and the careful stitching around the mouth show
casing
the medallion,
Manny
was sure there was some sort of intimate connection
between
Morgan and his killer
—or
at least, the killer’s perception of intimacy.
That, with
the relative ease in which the unsub got in and out with no detection, made him bel
ieve that
Morgan
knew the killer
.

Manny
threw off thoughts of any case, even Garity’s
or the would-be guard who had tried to kill him, for now
. There was time for that tomorrow or next week. He was getting out and
,
by God, that was a miracle worth celebrating.

He glanced at the colorful wall calendar displaying bright-red tulips and purple lilacs that he swore he could smell, and the large green circle around April 1. It marked the fifty-fifth day he'd been tied to a hospital bed and
,
for him, that was about fifty-four and one half too many. April 1. More irony to digest.
Leaving this place
on April Fool’s Day seemed to fit with how his life had unwound the last three years. But he was still alive and he was being released from the hospital after fifty-five long days. He glanced around to make sure he was alone.

“Happy dance it is,” he said out loud.

The next second, he shuffled his feet and swung his arms back and forth, then spun in a circle like some cartoon character. He stopped, put a hand on the bed, and then touched the
virtually-
healed incision on his chest. The pain was minor and he guessed another dance could wait but he’d gotten on
e in, by God! It was worth it!

He stood and put his Detroit Tiger’s windbreaker over his shoulders as he looked into the mirror. The jacket sagged ever so slightly. He’d lost a little weight
,
and the dark circles under his eyes confirmed it. But his hair wasn’t gray, he still had muscle tone, and his
blue
eyes were still his.

“Three out of four ain’t bad,” he said, zipping the jacket halfway up.

Turning away from the mirror, he was startled to see one of the three most important women in his life standing in the doorway, wearing a smile that said she’d been there long enough.

He did a double-take, not from surprise, but from how she looked. She was wearing a low-cut, emerald blouse and a skirt that was a little shorter
than usual
. Her eyes were sparkling, setting off the color of her outfit.
Chloe’s
red hair seemed a little longer and her lips a little redder. She’d always been hot to him
so
he could already feel Mr. Mojo rising
. No woman should look that good. She
entertained
the type of look
that other men turned to
stare
at, even if their woman was beside them
. . .
and
she
was
his
wife.

“Nice little move there. I didn’t know you could wiggle like that,” said Chloe.

“Ahh, well, we’ve not had the opportunity to go to a disco or anything,” he said, not hiding the sheepish smile.

“We’ll have to do that. And what are ya staring at? Never seen a hot Irish lass before?”

“Oh, I’ve seen one or two, but not like you. Is it getting warm in here?”

She moved across the room at just the right speed, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was the joining of
a
woman and her man, and Manny knew the difference. Without thinking, he put his hands on her backside and pulled her closer.

“Why, Agent Williams, whatever do you have in mind?”

“I think I heard that line in San Juan,” whispered Manny.

“Yeah
,
well, you need to refresh my memory on what happens next. We were rather rudely interrupted
.
I’m still waiting for you
to
finish what you promised, and soon.”

“Damn it. I can’t leave you two alone for a minute without you playing grab-ass and kissy-face. You’d think you were newlyweds or some shit.”

They turned to the door and Sophie stood, legs apart, hands on her hips, wearing the biggest smile Manny had seen from her in years.

“Here’s fifty bucks. Leave and come back in fifteen minutes,” said Chloe. “I want to make sure he’s ready for action.”

“I could use the money for a new pair of shoes
except
I’
d
bet that’s not a good idea.
I heard the nurses record stuff
that happens in the rooms
and put it out on the Internet.
Something about real-life porn. Not that I’ve ever
seen any
of it, mind you, but let’s not take a chance. Not to mention the scarring a potential sighting by Jen might do
to
the poor child. Good thing she’s down in the truck, waiting to drive you home.”

“Since when did you worry about affecting Jen’s psyche?” asked Manny.

“Hey. There’s a difference between teaching her things that only a woman like me can and thinking about your dad having sex in a hospital room and then having the whole world be able to see it. Even I get that,” said Sophie.

“She may have a point,” giggled Chloe. “We’ll have to get this party started in a more secluded place. Do you think there’d be room in the back of your SUV?”

“That’s the spirit
. . .
uh, wait
. . .
you mean on the way home? Oh, hell no. That ain’t going to happen.” The look on Sophie’s face made Manny laugh.

“I think she just April Fooled you
, Sophie
.”

Rolling her eyes, Sophie crossed her arms. “What the hell is this, high school?
B
esides, you can’t trust a horny woman. I do know a little about that.”

“Wait. Who said I was fooling?”
asked
Chloe, her laugh giving her away.

“Umm. Okay then. So how about those Tigers? I think they can win it all.”

“Cute, Williams. Trying to change the subject doesn’t change the subject
. W
e’ll let you off the hook, for now,” said Chloe, pinching Manny’s butt cheek.

“Fair enough. Let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough and don’t want to see another hospital bed for another hundred years.”

Grabbing his duffel bag, he headed for the door, took a right, and reached the elevators with Chloe and Sophie on each side of him. He remembered the wheelchair requirement and decided he’d ignore it. He wanted out and he sure as
heaven
was not going to have one more moment of delay. Not one.

They reached the ground floor, swung to the right, and burst into the sunlight.

April weather in Michigan was a gamble at best. But today was one of those beautiful spring days that lingered in your memory. In fact, it was almost warm. Manny stood, breathing deeply, eyes closed.

“Hey Dad. Awesome-like day, huh?”

He opened his eyes just as Jen
reached him
. He dropped the bag and held her. He fought tears and wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because they’d gone through more than their share of
unholy
crap since Louise had died. He tossed that idea away. This was just pure relief at being able to hold her again like this. Period.

“I missed you
too
, Old Man,” she whispered.

“Old
m
an?” he held her at arm’s length
, then
glanced at Sophie. “Spending too much time with Aunt Plastic again?”

“Well, we did take Chloe shopping. Pretty hot outfit. Yes?”

“Great. Two of you I can hold my own against. Three of you and I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

“Oh, I’d say you’re gonna need some alone time,” agreed Sophie.

“I’m driving,” Jen said and turned to run back to the vehicle, kicking Manny’s bag in her excitement. The contents spilled over the sidewalk, among them the FBI case files.

“You’re shitting me. You’ve been reading case files while recovering from a near-death stabbing? Incredible,” said Sophie.

“
Manfred Robert Williams,
y
ou
are
a workaholic,” said Chloe, giving him the evil eye of disapproval.
“You’re lucky you
’re
hurt, don’t ya know. I could make it worse
, much worse
.”

“Hey. I know it looks weird
.
I was bored and Josh took me up on my offer to take a look. It kept me from going
completely
nuts.”

Just then, a black FBI unit pulled into the circle behind Manny’s red Explorer. Josh, Alex, and Dean got out in synchronized timing and joined the group. Manny couldn’t help watching
him
, dressed in his yellow-paisley shirt and matching
bell bottoms
, as he sought Sophie’s face. It seemed
Dean’s
infatuation had grown into something far more. The fact that Sophie was returning a similar look confirmed
Manny’s suspicions
. He would have liked to have seen how they’d gotten from worship to relationship. But he supposed Sophie would tell him eventually.

“Hey. Good to see you out in the sunlight,” said Alex, grinning.

“It is,” said Dean, moving his eyes from Sophie
f
or
only
a
brief
second.

“More than good,” agreed Josh,
first
nodding,
then
shaking his hand, then hugging him like they were lost brothers.

“I thought you three were still in North Carolina,” said Manny after the greetings had ended.

“We were until three hours ago. It’s gotten crazy.”

“How?” Manny felt a twinge of excitement. “Does it have anything to do with the files you gave me?”

“One of them. We went down to see what we could find out about Garity, which wasn’t a whole hell of a lot. But there are still some angles we can dig into. Anyway, we had dinner with the
captain
of New Hanover’s
p
olice
d
epartment. He’s the one who sent me the info on that bizarre murder of the rich kid.”

“Lance Morgan?”

“That’s the
one. Anyway, he thought it was an isolated murder, until this morning.”

“A second male victim?” asked Manny.

Josh nodded. “
I guess
i
t wasn’t much of a stretch that there would be another
.
T
he captain was hoping
otherwise
,
obviously
. The second victim was the lead detective’s husband.”

“Oh, that just ain’t right. Retaliation?”
said
Sophie.

Chloe swore. “So we’ve been called in?”

Glancing at the bright sun, Josh turned back to his unit. "They have requested the BAU’s assistance, yes.”

“I’m not leaving Manny. You told me to take all of the time that we needed. I’m takin
g you at your word,” said Chloe, her Irish lilt at full volume and her face
wearing that look that Manny didn't want to be on the wrong side of.