Cypress Lake

by Graysen Morgen

  *

  Dani walked into her apartment and peeled out of her uniform. She poured a glass of whiskey from the bottle she kept on the top of the fridge, drinking half of it before changing into shorts and a t-shirt. Nothing on the TV kept her attention as she flipped from channel to channel. She wasn't hungry and didn't feel like showering. Her mind kept replaying the kiss that clung to her lips.

  Dani finally gave up on clearing her head and went to bed. She tossed and turned for an hour, restlessly thinking about the look in Kristen's eyes, the softness of her lips and the way her body had felt against her. Dani fought her inner self. Fanning the flames of the fire burning between then wasn't a good idea and deep down she knew that, but the more she tried to rationalize her thoughts, the more she wanted Kristen.

  Desire finally won the battle. Dani tore the sheet to the side and shot out of her bed like she was on speed. Dressing quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, she snatched her phone and keys from the nightstand and tripped over the cat as she raced towards the door.

  *

  Kristen was getting ready for bed when she heard pounding on the door. Scared, she reached for her gun, cursing silently when she remembered it had been stolen. She crossed the hall to the front bedroom and peered through the blinds at the sheriff's office SUV parked in her driveway.

  She rushed down the stairs in a t-shirt and shorts with nothing under them and squinted to look through the peephole at the woman on the doorstep. Dani was standing under the moonlight in jeans and white t-shirt. Her hair was down, grazing the top of her shoulder on one side and tucked behind her ear on the other.

  Kristen turned the lock and pulled the door open. "Dani?" she questioned.

  Dani walked inside, wrapped her arms around Kristen and kissed her deeply. The shock of seeing Dani at her door wore off quickly and she shoved it closed. Dani spun her around, backing her up against the wall as she kissed her passionately, pushing her thigh between Kristen's legs and drinking from the mouth she so desperately craved.

  Kristen moved involuntarily against the body pressing her to the wall. She throbbed between her legs, feeling the warm wetness soak her shorts as she ran her hands through Dani's hair. She felt like she'd internally combust from the pressure building inside. She'd never wanted anything so badly in all her life. She reached down, pulling Dani's shirt, frantically trying to get it off her.

  Dani backed away, pulling her shirt over her head and pushed back against Kristen in one fluid motion. Kristen's mouth watered as she ran her hands over the lithe muscles and subtle curves of Dani's upper body.

  Clothes were traded for skin on skin as Dani pulled Kristen off the wall. They fumbled around blindly, never letting go of one another, landing on the couch with Dani on top, gasping and kissing wildly. Kristen wrapped her legs around Dani's, thrusting up into her with each pass of her tongue.

  Dani worked her hand between them and down to the wetness that was coating her stomach. She circled Kristen's clit with her fingers, teasing her entrance as she tore her lips from Kristen's, kissing her neck before licking her nipples.

  Kristen arched her back, moaning from pure pleasure as Dani's fingers eased inside of her. She saw the storm brewing in Dani's green eyes as she moved lower. Hanging halfway off the couch, she pressed her tongue to Kristen's pulsing clit, licking in circles as her fingers slid in deep, before pulling almost all the way out, and then back in again.

  "Oh my God!" Kristen panted, squeezing her eyes shut and throwing her head back. She felt like she was flying a thousand miles an hour through the night sky on sensory overload. Kristen opened her eyes to see Dani looking back at her with the hungry eyes of a caged animal. She bit her bottom lip and ran her hand through Dani's hair, tugging her back up.

  Their mouths met recklessly as Dani continued thrusting. Dani ignored the ache in her chest and the fire burning deep in her belly, losing herself in the feel of Kristen's hot core wrapped around her fingers as she moved in and out of her.

  The taste of herself on Dani's tongue overwhelmed her already heightened senses, causing an explosion deep inside of her as she came fiercely, gasping and jerking. She nearly flung Dani to the floor as her body released the weeks of pent up lust that had been eating away at her.

  Dani pulled her hand free, kissing Kristen's neck gently as she caught her breath. She grinned softly when dilated chocolate brown eyes met hers.

  "I couldn't take it anymore," she whispered.

  "I know." Kristen kissed her swollen lips. "Me, either."

  Dani made a move to get up and Kristen grabbed her. "This isn't over." She smiled.

  *

  Dani awoke in the middle of the night in a strange bed. Realizing someone was next to her, she opened her eyes to see Kristen sound asleep. The memory of their lovemaking overwhelmed her. She pulled the covers off her nude body and walked over to the French doors that led to the balcony. The open curtains allowed the light in from the full moon glistening across the still water of the lake.

  She looked back at the slumbering woman in the bed. Her hair cascaded across the top of her shoulders, spilling onto the pillow behind her head and her naturally tanned skin contrasted against the crisp white bedding. It was the most beautiful sight Dani had ever seen. A tear escaped her eye as she thought about the happiest night of her life potentially being the biggest mistake of her life. She wiped the tear away and turned back towards the shiny lake.

  A warm hand on her back made Dani's heart race. She melted into the body behind her. Kristen stepped closer, pressing herself to Dani's ass while running her hands over the front of her body. She skimmed her hands across the muscles of her flat stomach to her breasts, caressing each of them and teasing her nipples with her fingers and thumbs.

  Dani watched as Kristen moved around her, running her hands over Dani's stomach as she pushed her against the door. Their mouths met tenderly at first, each taking what the other was giving. Kristen dropped her hand to Dani's thighs, rubbing her legs in lazy strokes while teasingly skimming across her center.

  Dani's body tightened in anticipation. She ran her hands over Kristen's back and down to her ass, squeezing gently as their kiss deepened. When Kristen finally parted Dani's legs, sliding her fingers back and forth through her wetness, the blood in Dani's head rushed south, causing her to sway slightly from the dizziness. Kristen pressed her tightly against the wall, rubbing her harder and faster, before slipping inside of her.

  Dani's body jerked as Kristen filled her. The smell of Kristen's shampoo mixed with her light perfume and the heady scent of sex in the air was intoxicating. Dani was lost in her own swirling arousal, kissing Kristen as if her life depended on it, while rocking her hips up and down on the fingers driving in and out of her.

  Kristen pulled away from the kiss, trailing her mouth over Dani's upper body as she sank to her knees. The cool air stung the heated skin of Dani's exposed torso. She watched as Kristen spread her legs, snaking her tongue out and licking her slowly, stroke after stroke.

  Dani's legs quivered. She could barely stand as Kristen put her lips on her, alternating sucking and licking her. She held Dani's hips against the French doors squishing her ass against the glass as she finished her with her mouth. Dani moaned and gasped when the orgasm tore through her. She jerked back, smacking her head on the glass behind her.

  Kristen licked her way back up Dani's body to her mouth. Dani's muscles felt like mush around her bones, but she mustered the last of her energy and found the strength to pick Kristen up against her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and wrapped her legs around Dani's waist as she walked them back to the bed.

  Chapter 15

  A week and half had gone by without Dani seeing Kristen again and Kristen hadn't exactly tried to see her either. She knew it had been a mistake before it had even happened. She'd gone to Kristen in the night knowing she was giving into the sinful desire that was driving her mad. She was willing to accept the broken heart that was bound to come with the night of unbridled pass
ion, but she was still trying to avoid it nonetheless. Staying away from Kristen was the easiest and hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

  Dani threw herself headlong into her job, trying to keep her thoughts from wandering back to Kristen, but nothing could peel the image of her naked, yearning body off Dani's mind. She feared the picture was burned into her memory and would become a permanent fixture in her thoughts.

  Dani walked into the station, tossed a brown paper sack onto her desk and walked to the vending machine at the end of the hall. She deposited the loose change from her pocket and pressed the button for water. Nothing happened. She pressed the button again and waited. The machine didn't make a sound.

  "Damn piece of shit!" she growled, smacking the side of it. Finally, she shook her head and turned around to go back to her office.

  "Everything okay?" Sheriff Fisher asked. He was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed and the key to the machine dangling from his hand.

  "Peachy," she sneered, snatching the key from him to retrieve her drink.

  "You've been on edge recently, Ricketts. Is something going on?"

  She wasn't in the mood for twenty questions. All she wanted to do was sit down and eat her lunch in peace. This was the reason she'd chosen to eat lunch in her office, instead of the deli down the road where she'd purchased her sandwich.

  "I'm fine," she said, handing him the key. "I haven't been sleeping well. I think I need a new bed or something," she lied.

  "It could be the food you eat. Maybe your body is finally telling you that you need a cheeseburger," he called to her back as she walked down the hall.

  "I had a pork sandwich yesterday at Smokey's," she yelled back.

  "That place gave me the shits the last time I ate there," he grimaced. "Hey, maybe that's what's wrong with you."

  Dani stuck her head out of her office and tossed a cherry tomato at him.

  "You better pick that up!"

  She laughed, ignoring him as she sat down at her desk to eat her turkey sandwich and side salad. What he didn't know was she'd also purchased a tiny slice of carrot cake for dessert. She devoured her food as she worked on the schedule for the following month. She liked to stay at least three weeks ahead and with the summer fast approaching, she needed to make sure each shift was double covered with an extra person patrolling on the lake. Many of the houses along the backside of the lake were rented out over the summer months. This brought extra traffic into town, on the streets, and on the water. The touristy time of year brought a lot of money to the town, so she couldn't complain and it had always made her job interesting.

  Dani balled up her trash and tossed it in the waste basket as she closed the screen on her computer. She was about to go back on patrol when she heard yelling down the hall. A call had just come across the radio, but she still had the volume turned down from her lunch break.

  "Son of a bitch!" Sheriff Fisher shouted.

  Dani stepped out of her office. "What's going on?"

  "Pat Weaver just called. He found the handyman who's been doing some work on his lake house. This is not what we need right now."

  Dani raised an eyebrow. "Okay? Found him where? Was he missing?"

  "Found him dead!" he growled, pacing the floor. "The damn side of his head was bashed in."

  "Oh shit."

  "The mayor's going to have a field day with this!"

  "Who is on scene?"

  "Vince should be there in a minute. He was the closest to the area. Also, I think Henry's already been called too."

  "Pat Weaver's house—"

  "Oak Lane."

  Dani nodded. She knew where the Weaver's house was located. She grabbed the radio attached to her shoulder as she headed out of the building. "Vince? Chief Ricketts, copy?"

  "Roger, Chief."

  "I'm 10-76, ETA five minutes. Secure the scene and don't touch anything," she said.

  "Roger."

  Dani squealed the tires as she floored the gas pedal coming out of the sheriff's office parking lot with the lights flashing and siren blaring on her SUV. She pulled off the side of the road behind Vince's cruiser and cut the engine. A line of yellow police tape circled the small house. She grabbed a pair of gloves from the back of her vehicle and ducked under the tape.

  "Hey, Chief, you might want a mask. The smell is pretty bad," Vince uttered, wrinkling his nose.

  "Great." She shook her head, walking through the front door behind him.

  They walked through the living room to the kitchen. Dani held her hand over her nose to cover the rancid stench that smelled like rotting meat. The body was swollen and greenish-blue in color and his skin looked sort of waxy, like he was fake and out of a Hollywood movie. He was slumped on his right side near the open cabinet doors under the sink where he'd obviously been working. Various tools were strung about beside him, as well as inside the cabinet. Dani stepped a little closer. The left side of the man's head was smashed in over his left eye, as well as above his left ear.

  "Damn," she whispered, pulling her phone from her pocket. She took a couple dozen pictures of the body and the crime scene. She examined the man's tools for evidence, but everything was clean. "The killer must have taken the weapon with him. It's definitely none of these."

  She pulled the notepad from her pocket, making notes as she went over the scene. From the position of the body, it looked like the man had been on his knees, working on the pipes under the sink. He probably turned around when someone walked up on him and that's when he was struck in the head.

  "The owner called this in, correct?"

  "Yes, ma'am. He's outside."

  Dani followed Vince back outside where he pointed out the owner of the house. She took a few deep breaths of fresh air as she watched Henry park his white van in the driveway. "I'm going to talk to the owner. Go update Henry and I'll be inside in a minute," she said, walking towards the group of people standing next to the yellow tape line. "Patrick Weaver?"

  "That's me," an older gentleman replied, stepping under the tape.

  Dani walked him away from the group. "I need to ask you some questions. Firstly, do you know the man inside?"

  "Yes. He's a handyman I hired to do some work on our rental house. His name is Larry Hicks."

  Dani raised an eyebrow as she wrote the name on her notepad. Larry Hicks had been another classmate of her and Kirsten's. "When's the last time you talked to him?"

  "I'd been trying to get a hold of him for about two weeks I guess. That's why I finally drove up to see what was going on. My wife and I live in the city."

  "Did he have anyone working with him?"

  "No. At least, not that I know of."

  "How long had he been working on your house?"

  "Oh, about a month, maybe a little longer. We had him fix some rotten wood and do a few other odd jobs like painting and putting in a new garbage disposal."

  "Was the front door closed and locked when you arrived?"

  The man pursed his eyebrows in thought. "It was closed, but no, it wasn't locked. I turned the knob and walked right in."

  "Alright. In a few minutes, I'll need you to go inside with one of my deputies and take a look around to see if anything is missing." She wrote a few more notes and walked over to the deputy cruiser pulling up alongside the curb.

  "Chief." Wilbur nodded.

  "Get your print kit and dust the front door."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "When you're done," she nodded towards Mr. Weaver. "Take the owner around to see if anything was stolen. Wait for Henry to remove the body first though."

  Dani walked the perimeter of the house, checking for signs of forced entry or exit before going back inside. Henry was kneeling next to the body.

  "I'm starting to feel like a character in a crime novel," he said, looking back over his shoulder at her.

  "Me too," she sighed.

  "He's been here a while. I'd say ten days, two weeks at most, based on his level of decomposition and the temperature in here."
<
br />   Dani's stomach rolled from the putrid smell and grotesque sight of the rotting body. "Any idea what he was hit with?"

  "Nope. It was quick though. I'll know more once I get him on the table," he replied, walking past her to retrieve the stretcher from the van.

  "Stay here and help Henry load him up. Then, I want you to question all of the neighbors. See if they've seen anyone here with him," Dani said to Vince before walking away. She met Henry at the front door. "Call me the minute you have something."

  "You got it," he replied, pushing the black gurney past her.

  *

  Dani walked into Sheriff's Fisher's office and pushed the door closed.

  "I've been on the phone for the past hour with the mayor. How bad is it?"

  "There's no sign of forced entry and the front door was unlocked. We were able to get a few prints from the handle, but more than likely they're the victim's. Henry said he was probably there about ten days."

  "Do we know who he is?"

  "Yeah, he's the hired handyman, Larry Hicks. He also happens to be another one of my high school classmates."

  "Oh, that's fucking great! Are you telling me this is linked to the others?" He pursed his lips and shook his head.

  "I don't know. His head was smashed in pretty good. It looked like a sneak attack. None of these homicides are the same. Larry, Roger, and Paul were all friends in school. I know Larry worked as a handyman doing odd jobs for people all over town. He could have still hung around them. I have no idea." She shrugged.

  "Either we have one pissed off drug cartel, or a crazed serial killer who has pulled the wool over all of our eyes. Any way you look at it, this isn't good," he sighed.

  "I'm going to go talk to Roger's ex-wife and try to establish a connection," Dani replied.

  "Three murders in two months. What the hell is going on in this town?"

  "No idea." She shrugged.