Brooke's heart beat faster as Casey parked his truck. His GPS had shown them a road wound down the hill to the base of the ravine. Considering her ankle still ached, she was glad they didn't have to attempt that treacherous twenty-foot descent again. She would have done it if necessary, because nothing was going to keep her from helping Raphael look for his brother.
They exited the truck. Last night, the dark had made it impossible to judge the ravine's size, but today she could see it encompassed many acres. Acres that could conceal a dead body for a long time, if not forever.
"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Casey said, his voice grim.
Raph pointed to a water tower rising above the tops of the trees. "If we head ova there, we'll end up close to where we were last night."
Trust Raph to have made note of a landmark even under the circumstances. She'd been too busy running for her life.
"If ya see anything weird," Raph added, "don't get too close. We don't wanna fuck with the evidence, as Don would say."
Good advice, but she wondered how he could keep his emotions in check. If they'd been looking for Savannah's body, she wouldn't be showing such restraint. Her anxiety would have been written all over her face.
She set off, with the guys fifty yards away on either side. The day was overcast, the threat of rain lurking in the clouds overhead. The raw dampness quickly sliced through her clothes and settled deep in her bones. Within a few minutes, she lost sight of her companions in the woods. Thankfully, their footsteps could still be heard as they forged ahead. Given what she was searching for, it was a comfort knowing she wasn't alone.
She scanned the ground, her gaze sweeping in a wide arc as she walked. Her ankle throbbed, but she ignored it. Several times she changed direction to look underneath clumps of bushes and peer into dark hollows. Corpses weren't necessarily dumped in one piece, she reminded herself, and wildlife often tampered with the remains. Those morbid thoughts added to the chill she already felt.
After climbing over a fallen tree, she paused. A rancid odor permeated the air. Feeling queasy, she sniffed until she located its source. A crevice at the intersection of two large branches. She found a stick and gingerly brushed aside fallen leaves. The remains of a squirrel came into view, its belly exposed, its internal organs crawling with maggots. She dropped the stick and turned away in disgust.
If Leo's body were in the ravine, its condition could be the same or worse, depending on the manner in which he'd been killed. It would be horrible for Raphael to find him, horrible to have the memories of a lifetime tainted by a last, grotesque image. She would spare him that, if she could, even if the experience gave her more nightmares.
With renewed determination, she pushed on. If she hurried, she could finish searching her designated area and move into Raphael's.
Eventually, the ground began sloping upward, indicating she'd reached the base of the hill behind the houses. As she picked her way around a rusted oil drum, three broken chairs, a bed frame and various other castoffs, she inhaled a gross smell and braced herself for a gruesome discovery.
A flicker of movement drew her gaze. She stopped. Her heart gave a hard thunk, then began racing. Like a waving hand, a length of clear plastic fluttered in the breeze about twenty feet away.
It's probably nothing, she told herself. But her pulse kept up its maniacal pace, her body unwilling to accept that explanation.
She eyed the spot where the plastic appeared to be sprouting from the dirt like some weird vegetable. Part of the hill must have given away in the last night's rain, she realized, with the displaced earth trapping the plastic. She edged closer. Something caked in mud protruded from the muck. It was a matted down material. The object looked familiar...
Her mouth went dry, and her throat constricted as she recognized what it was. The end of a coat tail. And judging by the putrid stench wafting toward her, a body was inside it.
She stared in horror at the mud. How deep did it go? Deep enough to conceal a whole body? She eased down into a crouch, her legs suddenly weak.
Until now, she'd believed it possible Raph's brother had simply left town, maybe spending a couple of days away and just forgot to call their friend April. His inconsideration would be have been wrong, but not unforgivable. In time, the story of his "disappearance" and Raphael's search for him might have become a family favorite to be reminisced about when the brother's got together. Now her discovery could mean a family reunion would never happen.
She braced her hands on her knees and shoved herself upright. "Guys," she called out. Her voice was too hoarse to carry far. She cleared her throat, tried again. "Over here, I found something."
Casey arrived first. His eyes followed hers to the mud, then stretched wide. After a minute, he closed them as if the sight were too much to bear.
Raphael appeared a few seconds later, approaching from the opposite direction. He took one look at Casey's bowed head and halted. Then he turned to Brooke. She couldn't speak, so she merely pointed at the shoe.
Shock registered in his eyes as he scanned the area and took in its implications. "No," he muttered. "Not like this, Leo." He moved toward the exposed part of what was a coat tail as if pulled by an invisible force. All the brothers had trench coats whenever they went topside. Raphael panicked at the thought that this belonged to Leo.
She had a sudden vision of him dropping to his knees and clawing at the mud. "Stop," she cried. "You have to stay back, remember?"
"What?" He glanced at her as if she were babbling in a foreign language.
"The scene must not be compromised."
"Last night's rain did that." He started forward again.
She spoke fast, knowing she had only seconds to deter him. "Something important could still be there."
"She's right, bro," Casey said, moving to block him. His face held a deep sadness. "We're done here. The only thing left is to call it in. In the case that it's not Leo, there's still something there."
"Get out of my way." Raph's voice was a low, dangerous growl.
Casey maintained position, his body braced for attack. "Don't do it, man."
Neither wanted to fight, Brooke realized, but adrenaline increased aggressive urges. She had to end this standoff before it turned physical. But how?
She called out to Raphael. "If you touch anything, the police will know and it can ruin our chances in finding fingerprints."
His expression lost some of its fierceness. "I know that. I just... I just wanna look."
Casey turned away, massaging one shoulder. "I've seen enough," he muttered.
So had Brooke. She was thankful the mud had obscured everything except the end of the coat tail. Graphic visuals would have made the discovery much worse. The sooner Raphael left the ravine, the better. "You don't need to stay," she said. "I found the... coat. I'll wait for the police."
"Bad idea. Sidorov's inside thug could get ya."
"Then I'll make an anonymous call."
"I'll make the call," Casey said. "It's my truck parked near the ravine. Somebody oughta seen it. You two should get going."
Raphael looked at him. "Are ya sure, bro? Once the cops come, all hell will break loose."
"I know. I'll tell them the truth. That I was searching the ravine because it's close to the last place my buddy went missing."
Raph made a last-ditch protest. "Ya don't have to do this, man."
Casey's eyes were clear, his expression resolute. "I want to. For Leo."
"You were supposed to check in with me last night!"
The hurt and accusation in his friend's voice were more than Raph could deal with right now. When he'd seen April's number displayed, he'd been tempted not to answer. But he'd promised her regular updates, and that was a promise he had to keep. She was the reason he'd come looking for Leo.
"I got in late, Ape, and ain't wanna wake ya." When he and Brooke had returned to the house last night, it had been close to midnight.
"I wouldn't have cared what time it was, Raph. You know this."
Of course he knew. He just hadn't wanted to call her again without answers or, at least, significant leads. The last time they'd spoken, his lack of progress had escalated her already unbearable anxiety.
"What kept you out so late?" Her voice sounded tired, as if she were operating on very little sleep.
Muted noises came from the direction of the kitchen. Brooke must have been tidying up the breakfast dishes they'd left behind in their rush to get to the ravine - a place that would now be crawling with cops and crime scene techs. He hated the idea that police could be the ones to uncover Leo's body and could risk getting their identity into the public. Risk exposing his brothers. Fuck risk, it should be him, Don, and Mikey getting his body. IF it was Leo. Even though they aren't certain it is Leo out in that ravine, the possibility of it being him put Raph on constant high alert to turning on the news every 5 minutes to see a Breaking News segment on a mutant turtle found. Raph moved to the living room and twirled his Sais in his right hand and watched as a strong wind buffeted an oak tree. The weather was changing again and could interfere with the investigation. As if last night's rain hadn't already compromised any potential evidence.
"Raph?"
He refocused on April's question. "Ya know that last mission Leo was workin' on? The agent he was workin' let us in and look around."
"Us? Is Casey with you?" Before he could confirm or deny, she added, "No, he couldn't have been. He would have told me and I know he was with his uncle overnight. So who went with you? That woman?"
Raphael could hear a smile in April's voice as she said the end of her sentence. All she knew was that he helped save Brooke and he was protecting her, the rest of the details of their relationship wasn't entirely disclosed. And Raph preferred to keep it that way... but he owed it to April to be open and upfront especially with Leo's life on the line. The more humans involved the more dangerous this mission was becoming. "Brooke is a PI."
April harrumphed. "First Casey, and now a PI! You must finally be worried about Leo."
He deserved her reproach - and worse. He should have trusted her instincts from the very beginning. He should looked for Leo Sunday evening right after she'd called. If he had, what might he have discovered? A killer clearing out his brother's last post? Instead, full of resentment, he'd grudgingly made the trip the following afternoon.
Regrets were futile; he knew that. Just as he knew the muddy grave in the ravine could mean he'd never have the chance to tell his brother, despite all the crap that had kept them apart, he loved him. There was no proof yet the corpse was Leo, but deep in his gut, he couldn't help but fear the worst.
April's voice broke through his thoughts. "Did you find anything?"
He swallowed. "A necklace belongin' to Sidorov's daughter, Marisa."
"How did it get there?"
"I'm thinkin' Leo and Marisa were sleepin' togetha'."
"Sleeping together? Were?" She repeated, incredulously. The fact that the turtles were in physical relationships wasn't what surprised April, but the reality was that it was too high risk for them. "Did they break up?"
He had no reason to believe that, hadn't even considered the possibility. The past tense had slipped out because of his fear that Leo was dead. But April's question raised an interesting point. "Why didn't Marisa reveal Leo to the police?"
"Maybe their relationship was more than we know. Ya said his stuff was gone, and he ain't answerin' his cell. This whole fuckin' situation doesn't sit right with me. This doesn't feel like Leo."
Was that how Marisa viewed Leo's desertion? Or did she suspect her father's involvement in ending their relationship? If that were the case, was she too loyal - or too afraid - to go to the police with her suspicions?
"I think you guys should talk to her," April said, echoing the conclusion he'd just reached himself.
"I will."
"Maybe I should come, too."
"Stay home, Ape. We all want you safe. Casey would have my ass if I put ya in danger." He wasn't lying. Casey made it clear from the start that he didn't want April physically anywhere near this mission. The last time they involved her, the Foot destroyed her shop.
She sighed. "I just feel so useless, Raph. This isn't like Leo. I would think Mikey would do this... hell, you but not Leo. No offense."
"None taken, Ape." Raph's muscles were wound so tight and he itched to spar, but without any of his brothers around and the dojo being out of the question, he was left to battle this thoughts. His best lead, though, was a woman who had reason to keep silent. Why?
"Remember Harrison Ford's character in Witness?" April said. "Maybe Leo's situation is like that. He's laid up somewhere, too out of it to call, but he's in good hands."
Raph flashed back to the scene in the ravine again and felt sick, but he couldn't shatter his friend's heart without being certain. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the lass pane, wishing its coolness could numb the pain inside him. The anger. Always the anger. "This ain't Amish country, Ape," he said gently, but his voice was a mixture of sadness and fury. "We would have heard somethin'."
Neither of them spoke for a while.
"Do you think we'll ever know what's happened to Leo?" she murmured.
He spoke around the lump in his throat. "'Course I do."
"You sound weird."
"Too much coffee, not enough sleep."
"That's all it is? You're not hiding out on me?"
He couldn't talk about the ravine. If he did, April would ask a million questions, none of which he could answer.
A loud squeal came through the line.
"Shh, Paige, Auntie is talkin' to her friend Raphie."
He felt his tension ease a little. His friend's niece was nine months old, blue-eyed miniature version of April's sister, Louise, who liked to be attached to April 24/7. Otherwise, she'd wail brokenheartedly. April's demanding niece needed routine and familiar surroundings, so he was glad April had decided to stay home instead of coming closer to the peril.
"What trouble did ya niece get into today?" he asked, partly because he wanted to divert April from probing more deeply and partly because he actually enjoyed hearing about the baby's antics. He was going soft, he thought. Babies never appealed to him growing up, they were loud, stinky, and demanded a lot of attention that he didn't particularly want to give. When April began babysitting more, she'd bring Paige around every so often and Raph would keep his distance. What's changed now?
Brooke.
"I found her eating out of the cat's bowl this morning. I swear she still smells like seafood medley."
"Stinky." Raph smiled.
"Hey, her breath's nothing compared to the diaper waiting for Casey when he gets home to help me."
He couldn't help but feel envious of the simplicity of her life. Family, raising kids. None of it was a big deal when he was a teen, he didn't have to care about it. Running along the rooftops of New York and kicking thugs' asses was his only focus and he liked that. No complications. It seemed as he grew up, those notions began to change something from within him when he realized not all human women would run screaming from him. Like Brooke. He shook his head. Just because she found him attractive, doesn't mean she wants to start a family with him. If that was even possible, Raph didn't want to wait to feel the disappointment that he couldn't give her the most natural thing - a family. There was no way.
Another squeal, this time louder, conveying its meaning in no uncertain terms. Get off the phone. I want your full attention.
"I should go," she said reluctantly.
"I'll call ya again soon, Ape," he said, leaving the timing deliberately vague.
"If anybody can figure this thing out, it's you, Raph. You and Don have been working together well. How's Mikey by the way?"
"Don messaged me the other night and is going back to his friend's place to help her out with some experiment so I don't know if he'll be anymore involved," Raph began. Leo's leaving not only affected Raph, but Don's perception of his eldest brother turned sour as well when their fearless leader started acting less and less as a role model when Splinter passed. All the brothers have love for one another, but they weren't as close anymore. "Mikey's livin' his life as he's always wanted. Free and with video games."
Mikey does check in every so often, but he really is making a life of his own in Florida. Finding a community that wasn't afraid of him and making income. It was honestly incredible. Raphael even considered moving down there, too, but finding Leo became top priority and also protecting Brooke. Brooke had changed Raph more than he was willing to admit.
"I'm happy for you guys. I was worried that after..." April still had a hard time acknowledging their father was no longer around. "You guys wouldn't find a life after. I love you, Raphael."
"Me too, Ape." Raph cringed at that word, but didn't want to make a big deal of it. April was their longest friend and he knew she did love all of them as brothers.
He pocketed his phone, then turned from the window. Brooke stood in the kitchen doorway, drying her hands on a towel.
"Who's Paige?"
"April's niece."
"That was April on the phone?"
He nodded. "She wanted an update. I mentioned Sidorov's daughter, and somehow we got talking about whether she and Leo were together or apart before he went missing. If they had broken up, it doesn't make sense that Sidorov would go after him."
"What if Marisa thought Leo used her, then dumped her, so she asked Daddy to teach him a lesson?"
Trust Brooke to come up with a new scenario. The "woman scorned" was as plausible as the others he'd been considering. He liked it enough to flesh it out a little more. "And Sidorov got carried away and murdered him."
"Marisa might not know that," Brooke pointed out. "Or we could have all this wrong, and she really loved your brother. By packing up Leo's belongings, Sidorov tricked her into believing her feelings weren't reciprocated."
"I wonder how she'd react if she found out her father got rid of him."
"I doubt she'll believe us without proof."
The most convincing proof would be Leo's corpse with physical evidence tied to Sidorov or his men. The thought made him sick, but it also meant speaking with Marisa should wait until after the autopsy was completed. The more time goes by and no news break, Raph wanted to punch a wall.
"How's April holding up?" Brooke asked.
"Not great," he admitted. "And in case ya wonderin'. I ain't tell her what we found in the ravine."
"No reason to. The owner of that coat hasn't been identified. We could have all this wrong. It may not be Leo at all."
"The location suggests otherwise, Blondie."
She frowned. "It's too soon to be sure. We need to give the police time to do their job... besides, we'd have heard a ruckus on the news if a 6 foot turtle was found. In the meantime, you're allowed to hope."
He just shook his head, refusing to give in to the desire to do just that, because he knew if he did, the uncertainty would eat at him like battery acid. Better to take the hit now, instead of wishing for a miracle that wouldn't materialize. Because the odds were overwhelming that the corpse the police had dug up was his brother.
Sergei found his boss in the kitchen, sitting alone at the table, eating borscht and bread. The stench of cooked beets nearly made him gag, and he longed for a smoke, but his news was too important to wait.
"I talked to your cop," he said. "A dead body was dug out of the ravine a few hours ago."
Sidorov stopped chewing. "Do they know who it is?"
"Not yet."
The other man cursed in Russian. "I can't believe Chernov would be so stupid."
"What do you mean?"
"I told him I did not care how it was done, only make sure the body can never be found. Instead it turns up behind one of my company's properties."
"Sloppy job." Sergei made sure to sound suitably disgusted, but inside he felt a tinge of alarm. He enjoyed intimidating people, liked the rush of power it gave him, but pointing a gun at someone was a lot different than using it to end someone's life. If this job with Sidorov became permanent, he'd be expected to do more than issue threats.
"He texted me after it was over," the other man continued. "Told me the job went perfect, no problems."
"He lied." Chernov didn't know it yet, but he should extend his hunting trip. Indefinitely. He had done more than disappoint his boss; he had deceived him.
Sidorov broke off a hunk of bread and dipped it in his soup. "When the body is identified, my daughter will be shocked. She thinks her bastard turtle boyfriend left town. When she learns he did not, she will start asking questions. Did I know about them? Was I angry? How angry?"
That didn't sound good. "What will you say?"
"What I always say. She is more precious to me than all the diamonds in Russia. As her father, I have the right to protect her from men... even a turtle... who would use her." His lip curled in distaste. "I still cannot believe she lay down with a mutant turtle."
Sergei was no longer shocked at the fact that he was chasing after a large turtle, a ninja at that. Loyalty was important to a man like Sidorov, so Sergei said what he figured his new boss wanted to hear. "Daughters should respect their fathers. They know what's best."
Sidorov grunted and shoved aside his soup bowl. "Tell me about the girl PI. How could you and your idiots let her escape after I told you where to find her?"
He'd hoped news of the dead body would distract Sidorov from what had happened last night. No such luck. The reckoning had been postponed only because the boss had been holed up in his office all morning. "She ran into the ravine. It was dark, rainy. We searched everywhere, but there were many places for her to hide."
"Is she the one who found the body in the ravine?"
He shook his head. "It was a guy named Casey Jones. He says he got worried when he couldn't reach his friend and decided to look around the neighborhood where he'd been working."
The Russian wrinkled his break of a nose as if detecting garbage. "He is lying."
Sidorov rubbed his chin with his hand. "I want to know more about him. Who is he? Where is he staying? Will he cause us trouble?"
"I'll find out."
"And keep looking for that PI. I want to know where she is."
"Don't worry," Sergei said, determined not to strike out like his predecessor. "I"ll make that bitch sorry she came snooping anywhere near you."
Caffeine was the last thing her nerves needed, Brooke thought, but that didn't stop her from scooping coffee into the coffeemaker. Making a fresh pot had given her an excuse to escape from the living room. She couldn't handle the tension, the uncertainty, the waiting anymore. She could only imagine how much worse it must be for Raphael, but at least he had his conversations with Casey and Angel to keep him busy; she had only her thoughts. Thoughts that had grown as dark and unpredictable as the storm clouds she'd glimpsed outside.
Raphael had told Angel about the grisly discovery in the ravine. They'd discussed options in the given-and-take away of longtime colleagues and had finally settled on a strategy. Angel would use her connect in the forensic department to inquire about the autopsy findings. Local authorities, when faced with outside interest especially at the federal level, tended to act promptly and decisively. As soon as Angel had details, she'd pass them along to Raphael.
Brooke finished pouring water into the machine and pressed the switch. The coffee would take a few minutes to brew, so she sank into a chair at the kitchen table. Her gaze roamed around the room. Was it only this morning she had made Raphael pancakes to thank him for staying with her last night?
Her mind flashed to the ravine. The police must have removed the body hours ago. Wouldn't they have heard anything if it was Leo? Surely worldwide news would sink their teeth into this story. Would it turn out to be Leo? Was he lying on some lab table waiting for dissection by the medical examiner's knife?
A shiver passed through her. Although she'd been the one encouraging Raph to hope, she couldn't shut out the fear that his suspicions were right, and he had lost someone dear to him. It wasn't fair. He deserved better. He'd come to Manhattan willing to sacrifice his life to find his brother. He'd ended his surveillance of a suspect and exposed himself to danger to help her, a complete stranger. She would never forget his daring rescue, the first of several. His actions had been courageous, his motives unselfish. It seemed inconceivable to her that, despite all of Raph's efforts, his brother might be dead. Such an outcome would leave a hole in his life and that of his family.
The last of the coffee sputtered into the carafe, rousing her from her depressing thoughts. It was the endless waiting that had her feeling anxious. She'd never been patient, had never been content to let life unfold at its own pace. When her father had undergone triple bypass surgery, she and Savannah had kept a vigil at the hospital. If she'd been on her own, she would have gone out of her mind worrying, and she knew her sister alone would have fared no better. Fortunately, they'd had each other for companionship and comfort.
She thought of Raphael. He was disciplined and smart, someone others could count on, no matter how terrible the circumstances. Yet despite all of his toughness, he possessed surprising insight and sensitivity. Now he was hurting. She wanted to go to him. Wrap her arms around him and give him the support she suspected he desperately needed by wouldn't ask for. What would be his reaction? Would he pull away? Or would he hold on tight?
Under the circumstances, she could understand how he might crave contact, how he might need someone else's warmth to help him ward off the cold dread inside him. Would he welcome her touch? Her heart skipped at the thought of his muscled body pressed hard against hers, and she chided herself for the instinctive response. She was talking about comfort... not sex. But sometimes one could lead to the other.
Last night, she'd been tempted to offer herself to him, but old fears had held her back. Today, she'd been reminded, in no uncertain terms, life was fragile and uncertain. She didn't want to die with regrets. She didn't want to miss out on wonderful experiences or pass up the good in life. And she knew without a doubt Raphael qualified as good. Regardless of who or what he was. He was possibly the best.
She moved to pour the coffee into mugs, having come to a decision she knew she wouldn't regret. She would reach out to Raphael. And if he wanted more, she wouldn't refuse him. Not when she'd finally realized she wanted a lot more, too.
His cell phone rang in the other room. Her heart pounded faster in anticipation, in trepidation. Calm down; she tried to soothe her jittery nerves. It might only be Casey checking in. Or it might be more information about Leo's disappearance.
Raphael was facing away from her, was a solid block of tension. And she knew that whoever was on the other end of the line, the call definitely related to the remains in the ravine.