He went down hard.
I knew that I’d scrambled his brains a bit and that he would be disoriented for a short while.
Enough time to get out.
I didn’t make the mistake of turning my back on Chung, though. I kept my eye on him until I was actually inside the bar. I took a moment to breathe, to let my adrenaline level even out. Then, looking for Raven, I wondered if Chung was simply a bully…a potential rapist…or a murderer.
Chapter 7
I could feel that I was the focus of attention. Jake’s. He was staring at me, and I got the weirdest feeling that he knew what had just gone on in the mall.
Which was impossible, of course.
And yet, he asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” My hip was now refuting that statement, but I would live. I looked around. “Did Raven leave?”
“I saw her run into the women’s bathroom.”
I immediately headed that way, wondering if Chung’s attack on her was related to Thora’s death in any way. He was both violent and a sexual predator—both traits of LaTonya’s murderer. I wanted to know if Thora had been sexually assaulted, as well.
Inside the rest room, I heard muffled sniffling and realized Raven was in a stall. She’d left the door open. Her back was pressed to the stall and she was shaking. When she saw me she let out a sob.
“Hey, are you all right?” I asked.
She nodded. “H-he didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“I’m okay. Did you call anyone for help?”
“N-no.” She sobbed again. “I—I’m sorry. I should have told J-Jake.”
Truth be told, I was glad she hadn’t. He could suspect all he wanted, but he hadn’t seen what had gone on in that mall between Chung and me.
“You shouldn’t let Chung get away with molesting you.” I was ticked that I couldn’t arrest him myself without putting an end to my investigation from the inside. “You could have him arrested.”
“Thanks for helping me out, Silke, but he won’t try that again.”
He would—if not with her, then with some other young woman—but I didn’t want to argue. I wanted to get information from her. “Listen, about the other night—”
Raven’s eyes went wide and she looked around wildly as she lowered her voice. “Forget the other night!”
“How? Thora’s dead. You found her.” I assumed she had no clue that the body had disappeared.
“Well, maybe she wasn’t dead…I was, um, a little high. I could have imagined some of it.”
No shocker there. Yet I thought she was using drugs as an excuse, so she didn’t have to face what she’d actually seen. “What do you remember?”
Raven shrugged and had trouble meeting my gaze. She was scared, probably doubly so after being attacked tonight. That added to a good dose of guilt in my regard. Had Chung convinced her to forget what she’d seen?
“You don’t really want to forget Thora, do you?” I prodded. I could tell she was torn. Most of a detective’s work was talking to people, wearing them down until you got to the truth. “You have to remember something about how Thora looked when you found her.”
Raven shook her head.
“I know I wouldn’t forget if I saw something like that. It would haunt my dreams.” I knew I shouldn’t lead her, but I was getting desperate to make another positive connection with the first murder. “Did Thora look like she was sexually molested or anything?”
“Okay, yes…her skirt…it was up.” Raven’s voice low and frantic, pleaded, “Can we drop it now?”
Her skirt was up—the same as with LaTonya.
“You need to tell the cops what you know,” I said in Silke’s most persuasive voice.
“I—I can’t.”
“It’ll happen again. You know that. You don’t want to see anyone else hurt or killed.”
I could see Raven’s mind working—she could be that anyone else. She was staring down at her hands, which were knotted together. Fear leached off her in waves.
“Raven, please. You might have seen something that could lead to the murderer.”
“Or lead the murderer to me.”
“The police can help you.” I would see to it. I would help her myself if I had to. “They can keep you safe.”
“I—I don’t know.”
She was weakening. I could feel it. “Don’t let this happen to another girl,” I pleaded.
“I’ll think about it.”
Was she serious or brushing me off? I pulled a sheet of paper from my order pad and tore it in half. I scribbled the number to my cell and handed it to her, then gave her the other half and the pen.
“Can I least have your number? I’ll call you later, after the bar closes.”
Raven hesitated, then gave in. I wanted to tell her to give me her last name and address, but I was afraid of pushing too hard. I just prayed the number she was giving me was real. If it was, I could do a reverse directory and get her name and address from it.
“Okay, Silke,” Raven said, handing me the paper. “I’ll think about it. I’ll think about everything. I—I promise. Thanks for being a good friend.”
We headed back into the bar and had barely gotten inside when Chung entered. Having recovered faster than some would from a blow to the head, he quickly zeroed in on me and Raven and didn’t let go. I meshed gazes with him, wanting more than anything to lock him up personally…but I couldn’t.
So I was the one to look away first.
Raven quickly put herself between two of her friends, so I got back to work with a feeling of satisfaction. I thought I’d gotten to her. I would have to call her later, when she was away from the bar, and talk to her again. If I could cinch a witness willing to tell what she saw, I would make the investigation official. Then I would have the full resources of the department at my disposal. And a better shot at nailing the killer.
I was trying to think of a way to convince Raven when Desiree caught my eye and waved me over. I approached her warily. Had the security guard complained to her already?
Her dark eyes looked almost black in the low light as she gave me a piercing look. “You and Hung Chung. You don’t play together nice.”
That was certainly putting a spin on things. So did everyone in the bar know about our altercation? It happened in the mall, so I didn’t see how. Undoubtedly, she’d sensed the tension between Chung and me when he’d come back into the bar.
“He was forcing himself on someone. So I just tried to stop him. That’s it.”
Desiree slid a glance to the bar and I followed. Even though he was still on duty, Chung was nursing his wounded pride with a beer.
“A man of his nature has no control,” Desiree said. “He could have hurt you.”
“Sometimes fear isn’t a good enough reason not to do something.” I swore that made Desiree look at me with respect. “Does Chung have any kinky tricks other than force?”
Desiree’s expression turned inscrutable. “His tricks will prove ineffective.”
“Does that mean you’re going to do something about him?” Wondering if I was making a mistake in trusting the bar owner simply because she was a woman, I pushed her a little further. “I’ve been hearing weird stuff lately, like someone here at the bar has a taste for blood.”
Desiree went ashen, if that were possible. I swear her already pale skin lightened.
“Rumors,” she said. “Considering our customers, this is no surprise. But you, Silke, you prove to be quite a surprise.”
Was that a compliment? Or simply an observation that should tell me I had now raised her suspicions where I—rather, Silke—was concerned? She certainly hadn’t liked the question, and she’d brushed it off rather than really answer it.
“I don’t like seeing women get hurt,” I told her. “Especially ones I know.”
Desiree nodded as if she agreed. “Don’t worry, I shall take care of Chung,” she promised. “He won’t bother anyone here again. That includes you.”
&n
bsp; And indeed, a short while later, I saw the bar owner in conference with the security guard. Hot anger radiated off Chung. Desiree was coldly angry.
And I got a little nervous about the whole incident. What if Chung gave Desiree a load of crap about me and she believed it? Then I would be out of here, and my investigation would be ended.
But a few minutes later, Desiree passed me with a distracted smile. So far so good. Too bad she’d avoided telling me anything of value about Chung.
Did she know something about him that she wasn’t telling?
Silke continued to worry long after Shelley had shut her out. What the heck had happened?
She hated this whole identity switch. Hated being shut out when her sister was in danger. Hated that she’d been the one to pull Shelley into this mess.
What had she been thinking?
No matter what Raven had wanted after finding Thora’s body, Silke knew she should have called 911 instead of her sister. She’d simply thought Shelley should be in on this, so she could clear her name. If only Shelley would relax and accept their psychic connection, Silke thought, picking up a book on casting spells.
She’d always been attuned to her sixth sense, something Shelley had denied ever since the time she’d gotten her signals crossed and had mistakenly roughed up a guy Silke had been flirting with. Puberty had done weird stuff to them both, but she’d gotten past it. Shelley hadn’t. That incident had been it for her. Shelley had blamed their twin mind-meld, as she used to call it, for her hurting someone who was innocent. So while Silke learned to expand her mind and her personal power, Shelley had closed down and had never trusted that particular instinct again.
But why couldn’t her twin open up now, when her life could depend on it? Silke wondered, worry eating at her.
She set down the book and called the bar and when Jake answered, affected one of the accents she’d used on stage.
“Silke Caldwell, please,” she said, her voice ripely Southern and a little breathless.
“Who is this?”
Not a polite “Who can I tell her is calling?” but a demand that made Silke crash the receiver into its cradle. Great. Now what?
Glancing at the clock, she realized it was almost midnight. Heart of Darkness was about to close. It wouldn’t take her more than ten minutes to get there at this hour. Part of her wanted to march down to the bar to see that Shelley was all right for herself. But doing so would blow Shelley’s cover and put her in even more danger.
Calling Shelley’s cell or home phone would probably be as futile as it had been the night before when her sister hadn’t bothered with her voice mail.
There was only one thing for it. She went to her key depository—a fancy bowl on a bookshelf—and pulled out the ones to Shelley’s apartment. She would go to her sister’s place and wait for her there.
I was exhausted when I left the bar, relieved to find parking across the street from my building. Before getting out of the car, I checked my surroundings to make certain there were no nasty surprises awaiting me. All I saw were a couple of guys out with their dogs for a late-night stroll.
I hurried to my building. Tension I hadn’t even realized I was holding drained from me as I hurried up the stairs to my second-floor apartment. By the time I got to the landing, I was relaxed.
Which lasted all of a moment until I saw who had a shoulder wedged against the jamb of my apartment door. My pulse pushed against my veins like a locomotive picking up speed. I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What are you doing here, Jake? How do you even know where I live?”
“I followed you. Unless you were trained to spot a tail—and you’re not, are you?—you wouldn’t have seen me.”
Which was why he’d beat me to my door, right? I narrowed my gaze on him and thought maybe I ought to get my hand on my weapon.
Mouth dry, I asked, “Okay, how did you know which apartment is mine?”
“The number on your mailbox.”
Right. My mailbox said S. Caldwell.
Jake said, “Hung Chung is no one to mess with.”
He’d followed me out of concern? “I wasn’t messing with him.”
I hadn’t been. I’d seriously meant to discourage Chung from his aberrant behavior. But how had Jake known what had gone down between us? Remembering his knowing look earlier, I wondered if he could possibly have heard the altercation or if he’d put two and two together and come up with four simply by seeing a disheveled Raven, then me, then a furious Chung come into the bar.
“You’ve made a dangerous enemy,” Jake said.
“I can take care of myself.” I moved toward my door and him.
“How badly did he hurt you? You cover pretty well, but you’re limping.”
Hearing what sounded like real concern in his voice, I asked, “What’s it to you?”
“I wouldn’t like to see anything happen to you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Can you? Some people are so damn trusting they don’t recognize evil when they face it.”
I started. He’d basically turned my own statement about fear back on me. But I was one of the least trusting people on earth. “What evil?”
“It’s all around you. And if you’re not careful, it will eat you alive…whoever you are.”
Whoever…
He was challenging me on more than one level. My identity. My ability to see what was right in front of me. I felt my blood humming.
“And you see this evil?”
“Clearly.”
“Then tell me about it.”
Jake didn’t answer, but even in the dim light I could see that his features had gone taut. I had the crazy notion that he wanted to tell me…but wouldn’t. He kept those fathomless eyes glued to me. Did he know something I should know? The identity of a murderer, perhaps? Or was he conning me? One thing was for certain: he had his own agenda.
Not knowing what to think, not sure I could trust him, I pushed by Jake and inserted my keys in the dead bolt.
“Hung Chung,” he said. “You should have called for help.”
I turned to face him. “You?”
“Don’t underestimate me.”
“Don’t underestimate me, either.”
We were in the midst of a glaring match when a warning buzz assaulted me. With my senses sharpened, I immediately knew Silke was agitated. Though I was frustrated at her timing, I didn’t close her out. I concentrated on letting her feel my rising irritation. But once I opened that gate, Silke took full advantage. I felt her grab on with every psychic vibe she could muster, and I suddenly knew she was in my apartment.
“I think we’d better call it a night,” I said, fearing Silke might open the door and then Jake would see us both.
Jake’s gaze intensified, and for a moment I felt weird, almost as if he were trying to force his will on me. Strangely enough, for a moment I felt as if he could make me do anything he wanted if he tried hard enough. Then, with a sigh, he disconnected, leaving me irritated and wondering what that had been about.
“I’ll go,” he agreed, “as long as you promise me to stay put.”
“Where do you imagine I would go at this time of night?”
“Don’t go anywhere.” He started down the hall. “I wouldn’t want yours to be the next body found drained of blood.”
The statement was like a whack to my solar plexus. My heart kicked into overdrive, and it had nothing to do with attraction.
“What the hell do you know about it?” I demanded.
He whipped around to face me. “You first.”
I realized he’d just tricked me into admitting I did know. But it was an even trade, because now I knew that he knew. Where exactly did that get us?
“I’m not the one who brought it up, Jake.” My mind was whirling with questions about his stake in this. “And I can’t believe you’re being so protective because of a rumor.”
“Then it’s time for some straight talk,” he said. “Heart of Da
rkness holds dangerous secrets—”
I interrupted with a breathless “You’ve seen a body?”
He hesitated just a second too long before saying, “Near the bar? No.”
Something about that statement was off. “Then what makes you think the rumors aren’t just that?”
“I have my sources.”
Sources? As in an informant? Someone like Junior Diaz? If so, that would make his interest official.
“So what are you doing about it, Jake?” I asked. “Running your own investigation?”
“Something like that.”
“Why?” I wanted to ask whom he worked for, but I thought the situation would be best handled with a little more finesse. “Is this a full-time preoccupation or a hobby?”
“What is it for you?”
We would have done well on that game show that makes the contestants come up with a question as answer.
“Enough. Good night.”
As much as I wanted to keep after Jake for the truth, I suspected I wouldn’t get a straight answer out of him. I suspected Silke had her ear pressed to the wood panel so she wouldn’t miss a word of our dialogue and worried that if we kept this up long enough, Jake would hear her move around.
I unlocked the door, then made sure Jake wasn’t close enough to see inside before opening the door. The moment I closed it, Silke slid into view.
“Shell, what were you thinking taking on Hung Chung? I wasn’t tuning in, but when your adrenaline surges it turns up the frequency. Chung is dangerous!”
“So is my job.”
I made my way into the bedroom, planning on getting ready for bed. From the chest of drawers, I pulled a pair of soft cotton pajama bottoms and matching crop top. I turned around and practically ran over Silke. I threw the pjs on the bed and started stripping.
“You’re not doing this for your job,” Silke said from the doorway. “You’re doing it because of me. I don’t want to be the cause of your getting hurt. You need backup. Other cops. You need to make this official.”
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