Murder Stalks

by Sara York

  “He has resources, I don’t.”

  “You know, the Juniper PD didn’t abandon you. You could have asked and we would have pushed through a search.”

  “Yeah, but the bureau has more resources. Juniper has enough to do without trying to search for some freak spying on me.”

  “Get in the car. I’ll drive you back over to the motel.”

  It hadn’t been fake. Instinct should have told him before now. That feeling, the tickling sensation on the back of his neck, the laughter at the pool, the sudden thought someone was watching him, all of it had been real. He wasn’t going crazy, his life was being taken over by a madman bent on destroying everything he held dear.

  “Rex, when can we meet with Sally?”

  “She didn’t want to do it at first. I had to convince her. She wants to see you in thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty minutes. What am I going to tell Marissa? Oh God, Marissa. Where is she?”

  “At the motel. I’m sure she’s fine.”

  Tony jumped from the car. His sore shoulder grazed the doorframe and pain shot through his body, causing his knees to sag for a moment. He grunted through the pain and continued forward, praying Marissa was okay.

  “Marissa,” Tony yelled as he burst through the door.

  “What?” Marissa came out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel and another towel wrapped around her body.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Tony pulled her into a tight embrace and breathed in deeply. She smelled like fresh peaches and clean soap. His hands ran up and down her torso, trying to soak in her body. His head bent, searching for her mouth. Desire for her spiked. He wanted her now.

  “Excuse me,” Rex interrupted from the doorway. “If you want to make our meeting with Sally Gerrig, we need to leave now.”

  “Meeting with Sally?” Marissa said. “When did this happen?”

  “Rex set up the meeting.”

  “Tony?” Marissa raised her eyebrows and held eye contact with him.

  “Trust me, Marissa.”

  Tony saw the doubt in her eyes, but she relented, grabbing her clothes and closing the bathroom door behind her. His body still burned for her. They hadn’t fixed everything in their relationship, but hopefully the meeting with Sally would help. Marissa had been thrown into living with him for these last few days, but deep down, she still wasn’t ready to trust him. Tony sucked in a breath, masking his hurt and desire before turning to go.

  Chapter 29

  The rush to Rex’s house left Tony’s insides knotted. Pacing didn’t make him feel any better. He checked his watch again. Sally was late. How long should he put his wife and himself through this torture? The weight of his mistake in not going to personnel pressed down on him. He rubbed his damp hands on his slacks. This was stupid. He shouldn’t have had Rex set this meeting up.

  Tires crunched on the pavement out front, Tony’s blood turned to ice as a cold sweat enveloped him. He swung around and stared at Marissa. She looked so calm and peaceful, but something simmered under the surface, causing wariness to build in his gut. Was she gearing up for a fight?

  The door cracked open behind him. Sally was here. He moved to his wife and sat down, grabbing Marissa’s hand.

  “Let’s make this quick,” Sally spat out as soon as Rex closed the door, blocking her path to the exit.

  “Sally, I know this doesn’t look good, but Tony needs to talk to you.”

  “This feels like an ambush. I’m calling internal affairs.” Sally pulled out her cell phone, ready to punch in the number.

  “Before you do, maybe you need to read this.” Marissa jumped up, surprising Tony with the pleasant tone in her voice when he knew she was seething inside. She held the note tightly in her fist.

  “Marissa, I don’t know why they drug you into this. I’m...I’m sorry. Rex said there was a note, is this it?” Sally asked pointing to the paper in Marissa’s hand.

  “Read it. I think it might clear up some of the confusion.”

  Sally grabbed the note from Marissa. Her face turned pink then molted into a darker shade. “What is this?”

  “That’s what we’d like to know,” Rex said from behind her.

  “I didn’t write this,” she yelled, turning on Rex.

  “It’s your signature and from what I can tell, it’s your handwriting.”

  Sally swung around, and moved towards Marissa, “Oh God. I didn’t write this. Marissa, you have to believe me. You don’t know me that well, but I did not write this trash.” She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. “You have to believe me.”

  “What about the other notes?” Tony asked.

  “Notes? This isn’t the only one?”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Tony said. Grief overwhelmed him. He should have gone to internal affairs when he received the first one. He’d been stupid to think he could handle it. Someone was playing him for a fool and he had willingly followed.

  “Please don’t tell me it got worse than this.” Sally sunk down into the armchair beside Tony. She searched his face, looking for answers to questions that should never have to be asked between colleagues.

  Tony rubbed his brow. “There were pictures.”

  “What kind of pictures?” Sally asked.

  “You were in various positions.”

  “Oh crap. Oh God, why didn’t you go to internal affairs? Oh shit, if you had, I would have been fired.”

  “I was stupid. I should have confronted you. But my life was a wreck at the time and I let myself be dragged into a situation I couldn’t handle.”

  “Was I...” she swallowed. “...dressed in the pictures?”

  “No. Someone else probably took them. Unless you have a really good camera setup.”

  “No one ever took pictures of me...” Her eyes widened. “Do you think someone set me up and hid a camera? Oh shit, this is so embarrassing.”

  Tony watched tears cascade down Sally’s cheeks, but he couldn’t respond. He had lost his wife, lost his own self-respect and could have lost his job. Whoever was behind this wanted him hurting and incapacitated. The death of his daughter, his marriage on the rocks, and his job in jeopardy was all a setup. How had he been so stupid, so self-absorbed he couldn’t see the notes for what they were?

  A sob escaped Sally’s lips, and he watched Marissa go to her. The response was typical Marissa. She was so kind and loving, always considering others when he knew she was aching too. He couldn’t let Sally leave without finding out more. Someone had used her. She had to have known the person who had taken the snapshots. Her body had been fully exposed to the camera. Heat rose to his face as Tony remembered the photographs.

  “Sally, I hate to bring this up, but someone took those pictures. It had to have been someone you were having an intimate relationship with.”

  “I don’t know who it could have been.” She pulled a tissue from the box Marissa held, her eyes downcast and her face red.

  “We need a list of all of the men you’ve dated in the last year.”

  “There were no men.”

  “Someone took these pictures Sally. Don’t try to protect the guy. He’s a jerk and you should be angry. Come on, give us his name.”

  “I don’t do men.” Sally’s face turned up belligerently. “Look, Tony, it wasn’t a guy. It was a girl.”

  A hush settled over the room. Tony walked to the window, looking out across the darkening neighborhood. He gritted his teeth and drew in a deep breath through his nose. He hadn’t had a clue that Sally was a lesbian. He had assumed that with a body like hers, she could have any man she wanted. And she probably could. But, apparently, she didn’t want them.

  “Sally, what was her name?” Rex kept his voice calm and controlled.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, think,” Tony demanded.

  “I picked her up in a bar. We had a few drinks and I found out she was clean, free of diseases. I went to her hotel room and we had sex. She was leaving town the next day so I n
ever got her full name. Winter. That was the name she used.”

  “Winter? Do you know anything else about her?” Rex asked.

  “No, nothing.”

  “Which hotel was it?”

  “I don’t remember. I was drunk. I don’t normally hook up like that, but I was upset. My girlfriend and I had just broken up. I just wanted a little fun to help me forget.”

  “How many people know you’re a lesbian?” Tony asked. If they could figure out who knew, maybe they could find the person who requested the pictures.

  “I never hid my sexuality from anyone. But when I’m on the job, I’m on the job. I don’t hit on women while I work. I’ve tried to not make it an issue.”

  “I had no idea,” Tony said.

  “You didn’t know?” When Tony shook his head, she said, “But I thought that was why you had a problem with me, why you treated me like I had a disease.”

  “No. It was because of the notes, the pictures. I was uncomfortable around you because of those.”

  Sally nodded. “That makes sense now that I know what’s been going on.”

  “Do you remember anything else about that night?” Rex interjected.

  A deep blush reddened Sally’s face. She ducked her head and cleared her throat. Tony wondered if he should leave. He had no right to hear the intimate details of her love life. Watching Marissa, Tony was relieved Sally was a lesbian. It proved the notes were faked.

  The air kicked on, blowing cool relief through the heated room. He listened intently to the first part of Sally’s description of that night, but his mind wandered. He needed to think. He leaned over and whispered in Marissa’s ear, “I’m taking a walk. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  The heat of the day still hung in the air. Rex lived only a few blocks from the beach and Tony could hear waves lapping up onto the shore. He breathed in deep, taking in the salty ocean air. A desire to feel the water on his skin consumed him. His feet moved on their own accord, the Gulf’s waters drawing him closer.

  The pounding behind him startled him. He turned and saw Marissa running down the street.

  “Marissa, why are you out here?”

  “I needed to talk to you.”

  “Couldn’t you have waited? I was...never mind. I shouldn’t have gone this far from the house.” Tony grabbed her hand and pulled her close. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and nestled her head against his chest. She fit so perfectly against him and a surge of desire spiked deep in his belly, bringing with it a longing to possess his wife again.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know. Tomorrow we’ll figure out something.”

  “It’s going to get worse, isn’t it?” Marissa’s voice shook when she spoke.

  “Yes. I don’t think this psycho is going to let up.”

  “Tony?”

  “Yes baby.” He pushed her away and searched her face.

  “Take me home, not to that crappy motel, but our home and make love to me.”

  “It’s not ready for us yet. There are still signs.”

  “I want to go home. I want this over with.”

  “I know, I know.”

  ****

  He could strike now. Dealing the fatal blow would be simple. They were easy targets. Standing out in the open on the lighted street corner was stupid. The man watched as they hugged. How he wished he wouldn’t have been interrupted at Marissa’s place.

  Anger clouded his vision for a moment before he employed the techniques he had learned at his anger management class. In through the nose and out though the mouth. He focused on the car’s insignia on his dashboard as he breathed in the calming breaths.

  His revenge would come soon. His next victim would make them sorry. She was young, only eighteen. He’d move on, not to his next target but the one after, he’d wanted to save the next in his plan for a special treat.

  A laugh erupted from deep in his belly. Drying tears of joy and revenge from his eyes, he turned and stared at the passenger sleeping in his back seat. It had been easy, like taking candy from a baby, only he’d given the candy to her, a lollipop laced with heroin.

  He started his engine and drove away. Tony and Marissa never even looked up from their embrace.

  He checked the back seat again. His latest quarry slept quietly. Her soft cheek rested on her hand. He shook his head. What a shame. Her peace would end very soon.

  Chapter 30

  Marissa pushed the door closed behind her. The motel room was small and ugly, but if this was where they were staying, she’d make the most of it. Tony came out of the bathroom and threw his shirt onto the bed. She wanted to run her fingers through the smattering of hair on his chest and feel his arms wrapped around her.

  They’d been through too much, but tonight she didn’t want to think about that. Before she could move away from the door, Tony turned to look at her. She could see the moment he realized what she wanted. His pupils dilated and his breathing changed.

  It had been too long since the last time they had made love. She needed him now. Her body ached to feel his hands on her breasts.

  Tony took two big steps and was beside her. His lips were only inches from hers, but he didn’t touch her. The sound of cars racing down the highway filtered through the thin walls. This wasn’t how Marissa envisioned them coming together again, but champagne, flowers and mood music wouldn’t fit this place, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted hot, slick sex that would leave her exhausted. Tony’s hands braced the door behind her. His head dipped and his lips trailed down her neck to her shoulder. She had missed this.

  Distancing herself from him after Ashley passed away had been wrong. Her emotions were conflicted at the time. Unsure of how to deal with the rollercoaster of their life together, she’d pulled away. Now she could fix that, correct her mistakes.

  Tony pulled her shirt over her head and released the clasp at the front of her bra. His lips trailed down between her breasts. A growl rumbled from low in his chest, sending vibrations of pleasure rippling through her.

  His teeth caught her nipple, teasing her with a gentle pull. She arched her back, brushing her body against his. The soft hair across his chest grazed her belly and she gasped. She slammed her hips against his, letting him know she was ready.

  Strong hands caught her, stilling her body. His eyes held hers. He shook his head. “I won’t do this up against the door. We are going to take it slow. Very slow.”

  Tony ran his finger down the side of her body, hooking his finger in her pants. She shivered, reaching down to undo the button on her jeans.

  Tony grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. “I said slow.”

  She was ready to complain when she recognized the spark of mischief in his eyes. Tony was in control. He wouldn’t take her early. As evident as his desire was, he would hold back, stretching out the enjoyment for both of them.

  The fire from his lips on her belly rolled up her body, and escaped as a moan. His tongue played a torturous game across her stomach. She moaned in desperation as he kissed her legs, her pants keeping her from feeling the touch of his lips. “Please, Tony.”

  “Not yet.” He kissed her shoulders, ignoring all the places she wanted him to touch.

  “You’re driving me crazy.”

  “Good.” Tony picked her up and carried her to the bed. He tossed her up a few inches and she screamed. “Not scared, are you? I’m not going to drop you.”

  She squealed and laughed as he tossed her up again. “Just throw me on the bed and have your way with me.”

  “If you insist.”

  They tumbled together onto the sagging mattress. The laughter died away. Marissa closed her eyes as Tony delivered a long and lazy kiss on her lips. She trailed her fingers over his back and down to the waistband of his pants. They needed to get naked now. With one finger tucked into his pants, Marissa pushed him away. “You need to lose these.”

  “And you need to lose something too. Let me.”

&nb
sp; Tony stripped them both, pausing to kiss her legs as he revealed her skin. A deep moan came from Tony as he pulled her panties off. Her legs welcomed him, wrapping around his torso and drawing him nearer.

  Waves of pleasure rocked Marissa. “Tony, I --” His lips came down hard on hers, quieting her admissions of love. A twinge of disappointment hit her before her body peaked, wiping every trace of emotion from her mind except perfect pleasure.

  Tony lay gasping on top of her. As their breathing returned to normal, Marissa knew what she had to do. The simplest of words in the English language wanted to be voiced.

  “Tony, I’m sorry I’ve been such a twit.”

  “No, I’m the one who needs to apologize.”

  “I never should have shut you out. I pushed you away after Ashley died.”

  “Marissa, don’t.”

  “I’m not taking the blame for your mistake, but I do need to make right what I did wrong. I didn’t tell you about the baby because I wanted to hurt you.”

  Pain darkened his eyes. She reached up and smoothed the wrinkles from his brow. “It’s okay to be mad at me. I miss Ashley too, and maybe we can fix this. I want to try again. I want to come home. I love you.”

  “I love you too. As soon as this is over, we’ll move home.”

  ****

  The sharp peal of the phone woke Tony from a deep sleep. His hand shot out and grabbed the receiver and dropped it to the floor. Tugging the cord, he found the handset and drew it to his ear. “Tony here.”

  “It’s Rex. Just thought you’d like to know we found another body.”

  “What?” Tony asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

  “An eighteen year old was found strangled in a field.”

  “Damn it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “No, don’t come. You won’t be allowed in. I thought you’d want to know she has the letter ‘E’ carved on her upper back.”

  “Damn. Call me once you know more.”

  Tony rolled onto his back and winced. The ‘L’ carved onto his shoulder still ached. Another dead girl. She was young too. Not a child, but that wouldn’t matter to her parents.