“Everyone is well, Jake. Why don’t you drive over and check on Holly. For safety reasons I’ve booked her in a hotel room, unknown to anyone but me. But if you’re asking nicely, I can let you in on that secret.” Jake watched Drew chew his gum and go through the detailed report of the weapon they’d found on site, radio controlled, the bastard. Chances were they’d never find the trigger or the person behind it. They had two out of three, motive and weapon, but when would the last and most important part fall through? No fingerprints meant the shooter was still at large.
Jake read the pages and chewed on the material and bounced ideas with Drew. It had been some time now and they had received help from other police departments yet nothing surfaced. “I think you should get over that Jessie-girl I read about in the papers and find yourself a new muse. I know you want Holly and to be honest you better catch her before she moves on and finds someone that makes her number one.”
“It’s not that easy—“
“Get over yourself, will ya! Holly is a solid ten compared to the chicks you banged during your years being all famous and shit.” Drew’s quoted mid-air and sat down to write down the report and send the weapon to the lab for further testing.
“Jessie could have been my ten, but I fucked up and seeing her walk out of my apartment, her hand wrapped around the handle, she looked at me and heartbreak was screaming from her eyes. I could never do that to Holly. I fucking ruing everyone I touch.”
“So you figured it’s better to stay away from happiness afraid you may cry at the end? With Holly that’s bullshit. You know how many men she’s dated since you left?”
“No.”
“Two . . . not counting the speed dating thing. It’s her no-good baby-daddy and . . .well, you. Do you understand how fucking rare it is that she puts herself out there. As I’ve said before, I know Holly as well as my own sister so you better do something about this or I will prompt her to move on and find her happiness elsewhere.” Drew stopped his typing and looked at him. “And seeing you pale as a fucking ghost today thinking Holly got shot it was obvious your happiness lies with her. Miss that opportunity and you fucking ruing yourself.”
* * *
HOLLY
The white cotton sheets on the bed crunched slightly as she sat down and watched the big city and the even bigger sky through the panoramic windows. She’d been here once in her early twenties, gambling and enjoying the new phenomena of Bacardi Breezer. She remembered enjoying a few too many with a hangover the size of Texas the day after.
She placed her shoes by the door, hung up the few pieces of clothing she’d brought in the overnight bag on hangers and called Aubrey to say goodnight. Yet, here she sat, the day had played out the way the police had planned but she felt anything but happy. Who would hold the grudge to kill another man? How could she have offended someone she didn’t know was interested in her, and why wouldn’t he step forward so they could talk? The thoughts spun around her head like a white ball on a roulette wheel and she with her feet still on the floor she fell back against the sheet and her view changed to the French chandelier in the ceiling.
A soft knock on the door made her jump and forgetting if she’d ordered something or not she called out a soft, “I’ll be right there.” She stood on her toes and placed one eye at the peephole and felt a sudden heat blast through from her feet to her head, touching every single part in between.
“Jake?” she mumbled surprised as she opened the door to let him inside.
“May I?” he motioned and stepped inside the dim light coming from the single lamp by the office desk she’d turned on. Crestwood City stood for the rest of the light coming into the room.
“You have a really nice view here, Holly.” Holly’s toes curled; as they did every time he spoke her name in that baritone voice of his. “Drew told me you were here. I made sure no one followed. Even took in at a hotel down the street adorned with more lights than the Andromeda Galaxy.”
“It’s a nice surprise,” Holly whispered as she pulled the flowery cotton robe she’d bought herself as a Mother’s Day gift a little tighter around the waist. His intense eyes were fixed on her as he turned, Crestwood’s lights making his height and impressive physic a silhouette of darkness. The sexy curve of his mouth and the way he held his hands on his hips made heat flicker through her body. Dear God, what was it with this man that made her like a moth to a flame? Jake reached her and slowly ran his large hand across her cheek and she turned into his warmth.
“I should have noticed you a long time ago, Holly.” And there it went again, his baritone calling her name and her thighs clenched at the sound.
“Oh, it’s all right. You and I were not on the same level if you know what I mean.” With his other hand he angled her face up to meet his as he spoke. “It’s not all right, Holly.” Shit, now she got wet and warm. He had to stop saying her name that way. “I should have paid more attention to you in high school and I should have paid more attention to you since I got back. Heck, I should have looked you up while I was away.”
“High school is ancient history, Jake,” she said and blushed at the thought of the teen crush she’d had of Jake while doing anything in her power to get close to him, doing his homework was the best she could think of then. Since then her imagination had grown, and with the glass of wine she’d had a little while ago she let her hand roam his chest and standing on her toes she kissed him and cut off his explanations. His lips were soft yet the bristle of his unshaven face poked her skin to emphasize the masculinity he empowered.
“I wasn’t finished talking, although I really don’t mind what we’re doing.” In the dusk she saw his grin before his mouth took hers, more forcefully this time until she opened up and let his tongue inside.
“I should have told you that . . .” Jake breathed quickly as his chest rose and fell as he spoke. His hands roaming her arms, cupping her shoulders, running up her neck until the tangled in her hair pulling her tighter against him. “I want you to be mine.”
Holly took a second or two before she looked back up at his face. “I’m a single mom, Jake. I come with not only emotional baggage like the rest of us, but with a child. I’m not wealthy by any means and I can barely fit into a one digit dress.”
“I like all of that—“
“Jake—“ she interrupted before he cut off her speech with his mouth and pushed her against the wall ripping apart her robe as he did. She wore white cotton undies and nothing else but she figured this was the test of being all in or not. Jake’s eyes traveled the length of her barely naked body and up again until his finger grazed the bottom of her heavy breast. “I’m all in, Holly. Are you?” She was about to answer when Jake lowered his head and sucked one nipple into mouth and she forgot what the question had been. When she heard his moan, she dug her hands into hair to keep from falling and with a groan he released her nipple and devoured her lips, her mouth, sucking her tongue into his.
“What’s your answer, Holly?” She stuttered as he bent and feasted on her other breast and it wasn’t until he pulled down her undies and released his mouth from her breast that she got her senses back and muttered a soft, “I can’t concentrate when you do that. . . “
A naughty grin crossed his face as he tossed her undies aside and pushed the open robe off her shoulders. “You can’t think when I suck your tits, Holly?” Dear God, just let her die right there. She covered her face with her hands at his words and was rewarded with a soft laugh as he turned her around, facing the wall, and kissed his way down her back until he took a playful bite of her bottom. “You’re in or out, Holly?” His hands traveled the length of the back of her legs, grabbing a handful of butt cheek as she whimpered a breathy, “I’m in.”
“Good,” he replied and spread her legs. The last thing she remembered before digging her nails into the wallpaper was the admiration of his tongue in all the best places.
Chapter 19
JAKE
The sound of The Ride of the Valkyri
es played in Jake’s pant pocket and he stood to easier access the device. “Officer Bentley,” he answered and looked twice at the number: out of state.
“Hello, my name is James Turban, and I work for The Laundry Room. We’re a laundry service here in Glauchester.” Jake waited for the man to continue and held the phone tight to his ear. He’d never heard of the place before, let alone used a laundry service himself. The building where he lived in New York took care of all that for him, one of several pros of being a bought hockey player expected to perform his best at all times. The thought left his mind as the man on the other end spoke.
“I’ve heard about the cases you guys are dealing with over there and wanted to inform about a little something I thought might be worth looking into.”
“Sure,” Jake replied and rolled his eyes at the many stupid tips that had rolled in since the killing spree started, yet any advice was better than no advice. So he grabbed his pen ready to take notes. Credible, hopefully.
“Well, a jacket and jeans were dropped off not too long ago and a piece of a dried paint stain fell off the jacket and landed like a speck of dust on the counter here. I took it into Lowes to see what it was, and it happens to be car paint, red. “
“Aha,” Jake nodded and figured there are many cars painted in red. Why on earth would this make any sense.
“The paint doesn’t exist anymore, it’s not being manufactured. Didn’t one of your cases involve an old red collector car?”
“Why would you think the paint on the jacket can help us catch a killer, Mr. Turban. There might be more people owning that kind of car.”
“The return address of the laundry service went to Starview.” Jake’s ears perked up at the comment and made him sit straighter, his pen writing all the information down. “What’s the address for the return?”
“Unfortunately it went to a P.O. Box, the name being a Mr. Mitty. Sorry not to be of any further help.”
Jake hung up and leaned back in his chair contemplating the information. It did sounds credible and after checking out the post office himself he’d have a better knowledge of its credibility. If this was true, the killer lived here in Starview, or was sick enough to have his or her clothes sent here by mail. He’d asked to check into Reena and Holly’s store today to see if things had changed or if he had missed something last time he was there. He knew he’d been preoccupied that time ogling Holly more than he should have ogled the facilities. He stood to get going with his list of things and headed for his patrol car.
The place looked more glamorous than he’s first thought when driving by looking in the window. Like a high-quality place for seduction was his first thought as he studied the room, not that he would tell Holly or Reena that. It was their place, and he was cool with whatever they did with the place. Women enjoyed coming here, as a man, he had no business delegating his opinions on the matter.
The fabric on rolls as well as velvet curtains softened the room but as he walked by one fitting room and pulled the curtain closed dust particles danced in the air from the sunlight coming through the window. Reena was on vacation, a well deserved one he knew, and Holly had been busy with not only Aubrey but gaining customers on street fairs thus she hadn’t been in the store much. Tim he knew little about, except the guy was talented with fabric and that Reena and Holly bragged about finding the best one of the bunch when they hired him. He still needed to look things over when no one was here, he and drew had talked it over, and Holly had agreed. Whatever helped to close the case and save lives. His, preferably, he thought, seeing he was another name down on her list of previous dates.
Jake looked around. They designed room with a large pattern wallpaper, fabric curtains for dressing rooms-creating dust he thought as he looked around the quite large room. He continued walked through the main area and ended up by the sewing machines at the other corner, and around the corner a short hallway with a kitchen corner and two other doors.
He pushed the handle on the second door but could not open it. He walked back out to his car, opened his trunk and grabbed the metal saw he stocked in there among many other tools.
Back inside he cut open the lock on the side and pulled the door open. Cleaning supplies, he noticed, and something else. On the top shelf, under buckets for floor cleaning a device blinked a soft red, on and off, until he grabbed it closer to have a look. A remote device, he understood. He contemplated taking the device in to the station yet wasn’t sure if it was worth anything. Obviously no one had spent much time in the closet making it easy to hide something, and why was that, what was this thing he was holding? He turned it in his hand, the item the size of a walkie-talkie. Maybe it was, and he pretended to hold it against his mouth to speak. No, it didn’t feel tight.
As he walked back down the short hallway his damn knee gave him trouble and before his shoe caught the beginning of the heady red rug of the main area, he cursed the rival hockey player than had once tackled him down into the ice ending his successful hockey career. As he stumbled and searched footing, he dropped the device in his hand then grabbed it with the other. The last thing he remembered before the wave of heat pushed him back down the hallway was thinking if an asteroid had suddenly hit earth and pushed its way through the building.
***
HOLLY
Single-parenting had its cons but getting a tight hug and an “I love you” when she dropped Aubrey off at Mrs. Peterson for a sleepover and extra-grammie doting was something that warmed hear heart. The bags from the store were filled, and she sighed heavily when she sat them down next to the sink in the kitchen. Tim would be over for dinner soon, something they’d planned for a while but not been able to do until now. She could just imagine Reena’s teary-eyed smile when they handed over the finished bookkeeping when she got back from vacation. Tacos stood on the menu and she chopped the veggies and fried the Barbacoa meat, just in time as the door bell rang, and she wiped her hands on the plaid kitchen towel hanging on the oven door.
“For the lady.” Holly smiled at the quite unnecessary but charming gesture of the bouquet of pink tulips Tim handed over when he stepped inside the house and hanged up his beige wind jacket on the hooks lining the wall in the foyer.
“Thank you for the flowers, Tim. You didn’t have to do that. The only thing I have for you is a simple taco dinner bookkeeping on the agenda!” Holly laughed as she walked ahead of Tim into the kitchen to turn off the stove burner and find the tall glass vase her grandmother had left behind.
“This looks fantastic. Thank you for inviting me, maybe we should have done this a long time ago seeing we work together daily.” Tim stuffed his first taco to the brim and dug in as Holly poured some carbonated water in their glasses knowing alcohol would make for an interesting outcome in the world of accounting. At times she found Tim awkward, but who was she to judge, people in Starview found her strange for not being married. She knew the way people talked behind her back.
“You’re right, we should have done this earlier. Hopefully we can do a repeat of this again when Reena comes back.” Tim didn’t respond and downed almost the entire glass of water before leaning back in the chair, slowly rubbing his stripe clad tummy. “Delicious, Holly. I appreciate it.”
“Please have some more and as dessert I made Lemon Fromage, not too heavy but perfect as we take on the numbers.”
Tim stood and placed his empty plate in the sink and went to wipe his hand on the paper napkin he’d left on the table. “Thanks for dinner, it was tasty. I’m just going to use the bathroom”. Holly stood at the sink rinsing of the plates when she turned to show him the way when she noticed him already down the hall to the right where the downstairs bathroom was located. She swung the kitchen towel over her shoulder and shrugged as she went back to finish by the sink, maybe he’s seen the door, with its cute little nude troll as he walked in. Either way, Fromage was next on the menu, topped with fresh raspberries and leaf of mint. Yum.
Chapter 20
JAKE
&nbs
p; Jake’s ears screeched from the sudden blast but he managed to push himself into standing, walking like a pinball back down the smoky hallway until he got outside and was met with his patrol car turned upside down in flames. “There goes any type of career advancement,” he thought, leaning against the brick wall of the building he pulled out his phone and called Drew. Several rings went by until he reached his voice mail. “Don’t know why you’re not answering but my patrol car is up in flames . . . I’m heading off to catch the bastard. It’s fucking—“ The phone in his hand died as he finished the message, and he cursed the mother-fucker before trying to stand up and find a replacement for his vehicle.
Around the building was small parking lot next to the local bus stop and he was lucky to find two mopeds parked, and remember being a fifteen-year-old boy, he’d have no problem jump starting this black beauty knowing how many times he’d lost his keys and used the same method to get home from wherever he’d been or whoever he’d seen. He scribbled down a short note and taped it to the helmet he left behind, asking the owner to call him and that it was for an emergency and he would be rewarded. The moped did a nice 35 mph as he high-tailed it out of the inner-city.
The road kept straight for another few miles until he noticed the now more familiar lights of the small cluster of homes. The wind blew his hair like a hurricane but the ringing had subsided somewhat, a plus if anything, he thought as he turned down the street and stopped at the old brick house he’d now grown to know. A few feet before the house he shut off the engine on the moped and rolled it with the help of his feet. He parked it on the side of the street, hidden from view by the wavy yellow bushes growing into a long hedge. Pushing down the stand he hunched and pulled his weapon from his belt, happy the dusk concealed him, and walked slowly up the side of the property until he reached the ten-feet tall lilac bushes that smelled like heaven. No wonder Holly always smelled so good, he thought, she must brush by these flowers daily.
That Thing You're Good At (A Starview Novel Book 1) Page 10
