by Deanna Lee
Sucking in a deep breath, Kyra tried not to imagine what she was going to find when she got there. She should have made sure that John Deets hadn't had a second weapon registered. Two hours had passed since she'd left the bar in a snit.
She double-parked next to a police cruiser and pulled her badge out of her purse before exiting her vehicle. Looping the chain over her neck, she barely acknowledged the officer at the door as he stepped aside to allow her entrance. The place was like a tomb; all the chatter and sexy music was gone. She scanned the silent crowd as she walked across the room. Alex and his brother sat in the booth they'd shared earlier in the evening, along with John Deets.
"Constable Salanti."
Ana Salanti straightened immediately. “Inspector Moray, nice dress."
Kyra blushed. “What's the situation?"
"I tried you on your comm-u...” Ana motioned toward a doorway. “The owner asked for you when he put in the 911.” Both women turned and looked briefly at Alex. “I put him in the booth with his brother to keep him out of the way."
Kyra followed the officer through a staff area; the kitchen had been emptied, as well. The back door to Still Waters stood open, and Kyra swallowed. “Do we have a name on the victim?"
"Janie Monroe. She was a waitress on staff here."
Kyra brushed past the officer. The scene was a near duplicate of Donna LaRoux's. Except for the fact that Janie Monroe was African American. It wasn't time to set all of her preconceived notions aside, but she had no choice other than to re-evaluate what she thought about the killer and how he would proceed.
She asked one of the crime scene techs for a pair of gloves and slid them on as she walked toward the body. The patch skin missing from the victim's upper thigh was a prime location for a tattoo.
"I want Parker here."
"He's on his way, ma'am."
Kyra carefully slipped her fingers into Janie Monroe's mouth and pulled out an intricately carved coffin. “Alabaster."
"What is it?” Ana Salanti squatted down beside her.
"It's a coffin. A token of Voodoo.” She dropped the coffin in the evidence bag that Ana held out automatically. “No one touches her until Parker gets here. Make sure the alley is sealed off really well."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Who discovered the body?"
"The owner's brother, Marcus Waters."
"Salanti, you start organizing the statements from the crowd. Release no one without getting all of their information. Request a few more uniforms so we can get them out of here as soon as possible, and have dispatch wake the commander."
Kyra walked back into the bar and glared at an officer lounging against the bar. “When you are finished with your break, Constable, perhaps you can help get this crowd processed."
The officer straightened immediately. “Yes, ma'am."
Kyra walked to the booth and looked at John Deets. “Mr. Deets, give the officer at the door your statement and your contact information.” He hopped up and left immediately under her silent gaze. Sitting down, she folded her hands in front of her. “Okay, Marcus, tell me."
"I'd taken about three breaks in the alley. Not exactly the freshest air in the city, but better than being out front."
"When was the last time either one of you saw Janie Monroe on the floor waiting tables?"
"She didn't work tonight,” Alex answered.
Startled, Kyra was silent for a minute, and then she looked toward the corner where the rest of the staff was huddled. “I see."
"I went out there around nine-thirty p.m., saw the body, and came in to tell Alex. He called the police."
"Did either one of you touch the body?"
Alex nodded. “I checked her pulse, but just her wrist. She looked dead, but I had to be sure ... I know that sounds stupid."
"No, not stupid. Certainly human, but not stupid.” Glancing at Marcus, she raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't touch her. Frankly, I was so startled by it that I don't even remember coming back inside."
"The position and the display were supposed to be shocking. You wouldn't be normal if it didn't affect you.” Kyra slid from the booth and met Alex's gaze. “I'll need you to give prints and a DNA swab so we can eliminate anything you might have left on her body."
"Yeah."
* * * *
Kyra watched Jeffrey Parker at work with reluctant admiration. He might be a pain in the ass, but he was very good at his job. He had the techs jumping, and she felt secure that he wouldn't miss anything.
"Inspector."
She stiffened and straightened as her commander emerged from the bar and into the alley. “Sir."
"Nice dress."
Kyra frowned and focused on the body. “I didn't have time to change."
"Noticed.” He walked to the body and glanced around the alley. “He likes alleyways."
"Secluded,” Jeffrey Parker muttered.
"Have you confirmed that the skin he took had a tattoo on it?"
Kyra shook her head. “We're looking for next of kin."
"It was a dolphin."
Kyra turned to the doorway and saw Alex. “A dolphin?"
"Yeah. She showed everyone on staff when she got it."
"During Mardi Gras."
Alex looked at her, startled. “Yes, as a matter of fact."
Kyra grimaced and walked to the body. “Was she seeing anyone?"
"I don't let the employees bring their partners into the bar. The waitstaff is encouraged to appear available but unattainable.” Alex dropped his gaze to Janie and frowned. “She was twenty-four years old."
"Get with Constable Salanti and relate everything you know about the victim and her relationship with the other employees in the bar."
Alex nodded and abruptly left the doorway.
* * * *
Kyra re-entered Still Waters. Alex and Marcus stood by the bar. The place was empty. Both men turned to her as she approached. “I'll need formal statements from you both tomorrow."
"Yeah."
She met Alex's gaze and shook her head. “Not a good birthday, Mr. Waters."
"Yeah.” Alex grimaced.
"We're going to need the invitation list—to make sure we have everyone's statement."
"Constable Salanti already got a list of everyone who came through the door tonight, including staff and the band."
"Since he didn't pull her out of the bar, we can assume he was never in here.” She put her hand on the bar to center herself. “We can also assume that she was dumped as she was so Marcus would be the one to find her. He probably watched you enter and leave the bar a few times this evening."
"Sick fuck."
"Yeah, he is.” She looked over Marcus's face and saw the anger and the sadness there. “I doubt she suffered."
"He cut on her,” Alex snapped.
"After she was dead."
"You don't seem surprised, Inspector.” Marcus focused intently on her face and waited for a response.
"Janie isn't the first.” She looked over her shoulder as her commander entered the bar. “You can come in together, but you'll have to be questioned separately. I'm asking you not to discuss your versions of the events. You saw different things tonight; discussing it could only cloud your perceptions."
"Inspector Moray?"
Kyra turned and met Ana Salanti's gaze. “Yes?"
"While canvassing the neighborhood...” She cleared her throat. “I found this on your apartment door."
Kyra took the evidence bag and flipped it over in her hands so she could read the writing on the paper. She grimaced and handed it to the commander, who had stopped beside her.
Ethan Baker reddened with anger and then looked at the officer. “Did her neighbors see anything?"
"No. There are only six other residents in Inspector Moray's building, and none of them noticed anything out of the ordinary."
Kyra watched her commander with the plastic-covered note and realized that he'd reached the same conclusion she had. “W
e knew he was aware of me already. The box sent to the station was sent to me directly."
"I don't like this."
"Well, trust me, letters from a psychotic aren't high on my list, either.” Kyra took the note from him when he offered it, and walked toward the back door of the bar. “I'm going to go with Parker back to the ME's office."
"You might consider dropping by your apartment to change."
Kyra turned and looked at Constable Salanti with a narrowed gaze. “Excuse me, Constable?"
"It just occurs to me the boys at the ME's office might appreciate your current state of dress more than would be appropriate, ma'am."
Kyra grimaced; she'd forgotten. “Fine. Officer, you get to ride with the body."
Ana frowned and trudged off to find the ME. “See if I remind you you're half-naked again."
Laughing, she waited until Ana had exited the building. She turned to Ethan. “I think I'll keep her."
"She's inexperienced."
"She'll learn. She's up for the sergeant's test in two months, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then Ana Salanti will do.” Kyra checked her comm-u for the time and then turned to the commander. “I want a set of street cops on this place for the next twenty-four hours."
"Sounds good. It'll be doing double-duty."
"I don't need a watchdog on my door."
"Didn't ask, Inspector. I'll take care of the notification."
"Sir?"
He raised an eyebrow. “Inspector, you've put in twenty-two hours in two days. You're off duty until eight a.m."
Kyra glared as her boss walked away. She waited until he'd strolled out the front door of the bar before she crossed her arms over her chest. “Arrogant bastard."
"Seems like arrogance is a trait most cops share."
Kyra sent Marcus a look and then focused on Alex. “Genetics is the only thing saving his ass."
Alex slid off the stool. “Why don't I walk you to your apartment?"
Kyra shrugged. “Just don't go touching me in front of the other cops. I have a reputation to protect."
* * * *
Kyra dropped her keys and purse on the table in the foyer of her apartment and turned to Alex. “Tell me you didn't escort me home on the off chance the psycho was waiting in my apartment."
"Of course not.” He shut the door and walked to her. “I came with you because I wanted to do this.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her to him.
She opened her mouth to his exploring tongue and curled her fingers into his shirt. His mouth lifted from hers briefly before he brushed his lips over hers again. “Alexander."
"I know you don't have time for me at the moment.” He ran his hands down her back and pulled her closer.
"I don't."
He held her a moment longer, then released her. “I didn't expect to see that. When Marcus came in and told me there was a dead body in the alley ... hell, I thought I'd find a homeless person. They tend to hover in my alley. I always give the leftover food from the night out in doggy bags."
Kyra watched him walk into her living room. “That's a good thing to do."
"Well, it certainly won't solve the problem of starvation in this country.” He sat down and rubbed his face. “You might as well know, before Janie worked at Still Waters, we had a brief entanglement."
"Entanglement."
"We had a sexual arrangement that lasted about six months. It was a mutually beneficial relationship that ended when she took a job in my bar."
"She wasn't bitter?"
"No, she had a kid to support and needed a good, steady job where she'd be safe...” He clenched his jaw and looked away from her. “From what I overheard, this killer seems to be very interested in you."
"No more than I am in him.” Kyra resisted the urge to sit down beside him. “I need to change. Come into the bedroom with me."
Alex stood and followed along gamely behind her. “This guy ... he's a serial killer?"
"That is a distinction that he endeavors to earn."
Kyra slid the dress down her body and tossed it on the bed as she pushed off her sandals. She was wearing a tiny dark blue g-string that made Alex briefly forget how to breathe. Pulling out a more sensible pair of panties, she discarded the thong and went to the closet for jeans.
"This is related to the murder at Valteau's."
"I'm sure it will be linked in the press tomorrow. We managed to keep the murder at Valteau's mostly under wraps. We won't be so lucky with the one at Still Waters. Your place was packed full of people, and having a woman murdered during your brother's performance will be just the dramatic angle some lucky reporter needs.” She pulled a shirt out of the closet.
"Janie was a decent woman. She worked hard, played hard when she could, and didn't take more than she deserved."
Kyra turned to him as she pulled on her bra and fastened it. “I'm on her side, Alex. Whatever your past relationship with her, I'm on her side. He won't get away with it."
"Good."
Kyra walked to him as he sat down on her bed. “I need you to close Still Waters for at least twenty-four hours."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Don't answer questions when the press calls. I'm going to release a statement as soon as I can.” She let him pull her close, and then she sighed. “Happy birthday."
"Yeah.” He laughed sadly.
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-one."
Kyra met his gaze. “You realize that I'm four years older than you."
"Doesn't bother me."
It really didn't bother her, either. “This is one of those times, Alex, when you're going to regret being involved with me. I don't have time to coddle and comfort you."
He grinned. “I don't need coddling, Inspector. I'm a grown man. I'll just split a bottle of good scotch with Marcus."
Taking his face in both of her hands, she leaned down and kissed his forehead, then his lips. “You'll start to think the only memory you'll ever have of her is that moment in the alley when you realized who she was. It isn't true; it'll pass with time. It may always be your most vivid memory, but it won't be the only one. Images of her happy and alive will come back to you, I promise."
"I see her when I close my eyes."
"I know.” She pulled him to her and tightened her arms around him when he pressed his face between her breasts.
They stayed that way for a long moment, and then he lifted his head. “Okay, so maybe I do need a little coddling."
Laughing softly, she stroked her hand over his head and leaned down to kiss him. The kiss deepened but remained gentle. When she lifted her head, Kyra found herself sighing. “I need to go."
"Your commander told you come in at eight."
"Doesn't mean I can't go down to the ME's office and get a jump on things."
Alex chuckled. “It's a good thing you're good at what you do; otherwise, I'm sure he'd be hard-pressed not to tear a strip off your ass on a daily basis."
"You have to be extra good at what you do if you have an attitude problem."
"I'd like to come along."
She backed up a little and met his gaze. His expression was serious and focused. “Alex."
"I won't get in the way."
"An ME's office is not a pleasant place. There is little dignity left for the dead."
"There is no dignity in death,” he corrected. “In life, yes, but not in death."
She had to agree, and after a moment she nodded. “Okay, fine."
* * * *
The medical examiner's building was across from Police Plaza; since it was nearly one a.m., the area could have been a study in chaos. A steady stream of traffic was exiting and entering the parking lot when they arrived. Kyra pulled into a spot and looked at Alex.
"Don't give me that look. I'll be fine. I've probably seen a hell of lot more death than you have."
She grimaced at that and assumed he was right. “You were in the armed forces duri
ng the last war with North Korea."
"Yes."
Kyra opened the door without another word and exited the vehicle. Alex Waters was a big complication in her life, and for the first time in a long time she wasn't actually displeased by that. It could be the physical attraction, but she didn't think so. She'd gotten her panties wet enough over the years to know that her attraction to him was different and new.
He walked beside her in silence as she input her passcode and entered the ME's office. It was another place that smelled too clean, too sterile for what it was. The storage units and stasis fields kept the smell of death away, and in some ways that seem to cut the edge off the place. Kyra figured that murder cops needed to smell the dead once in a while. They needed the reminder.
They found Jeffrey Parker in exam room three with the body of Donna LaRoux. Constable Ana Salanti was at a table going through Donna's possessions.
"Where's Janie Monroe?"
Jeffrey raised his head and lifted the plastic shield from his face. “Since we're now certain what we're dealing with, I wanted to spend a few more hours with Donna's body so I'll have as much data as possible to compare."
Kyra nodded and looked at Ana. “Constable Salanti."
"Inspector Moray, I've been going over the victim's personal items. What we found in her locker at Valteau's and what we pulled from her bedroom at the LaRoux house. Nothing sticks out."
"Good."
"Except this.” Ana held up a lapel holo-button with the mayor's face on it.
"A lot of people have those silly little buttons. It's an election year."
"Yeah, except Donna LaRoux wouldn't have been old enough to vote for another two years, well after the mayor's race."
"Good.” Kyra nodded and walked over to the desk. “Make a note about that in the evidence log."
"She could have gotten it from a customer."
"Yeah, she could have. We can check to see if any of the other waitresses have the election buttons.” Kyra picked up the button and chuckled when the mayor's face animated. His slogan flashed, and then his smiling face reappeared. “He reminds me of the mayor of Munchkinland."
"Who?” Ana asked puzzled.
"Don't tell me you've never seen The Wizard of Oz."
"Okay, I won't.” Ana took the button back when Kyra held it out to her.
Kyra shook her head in wonder and turned to look at the two men in the room. Parker had gone back to work, and Alex was standing on the opposite side of the body, watching the process. She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder as she came to a stop by his side. “Anything new?"
