by Lois Kay
“Do you…feel… me?” Alice finally asked, glad for the darkness that was hiding her blush.
“I do,” Yarra admitted in a gentle voice.
“I’m glad,” was Alice’s unexpected reply and this time it was Yarra who could feel her cheeks grow warm.
“So, are you ready for that story?” Yarra asked.
“Yes, I am,” Alice smiled, wiggling around to get more comfortable.
“Good,” Yarra said. “This is a story about how the tortoise lost its tail—.”
Yarra’s gentle and captivating voice filled the silence in the room and from the very beginning of the story Alice was entranced, letting her friend weave the words and sentences together to create an enchanting tale.
The third occupant of the bed was lying on her side, facing away from her friends. Her breathing was deep and regular, and her eyes were closed. But had Yarra or Alice taken a closer look, they would have seen the smile on Fiona’s face.
*
He had counted at least twelve security cameras in the parking garage. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that the area that was separated from the rest of the underground parking by a wall and a barrier was private parking. There was a sign on the wall that read ” Private.” He knew that behind the barrier he would find the private elevator that only had three floors it could stop at: the parking garage, the first floor, where the reception desk was and the third floor.
He rubbed his dry, burning eyes, and wondered if he could be fast enough to steal a key card and use it to board the elevator on the first floor. If he could lure the night clerk away, he might be able to pull it off. But he needed some luck.
He chuckled softly and shifted around, not comfortable at all on the cold floor. Deciding he had seen enough, he crawled underneath the car that was parked next to the one he was using as a shield to stay out of the cameras’ reach. He had no intention of being filmed. He knew the police were looking for him and up until now, he had managed to stay one step ahead of them.
“Idiots,” he giggled, wrinkling his nose when his arm brushed an oil stain on the concrete floor. “That will sufficiently ruin this coverall,” he smirked. “I better not tell that to the nice man who gave it to me.”
He crawled his way back to a dark corner, where he knew the camera would not be able to capture him clearly. He pulled himself up and quickly took off the dark blue coverall he had found underneath the tarp of the truck he was hiding behind.
With a look of disgust, he lifted the tarp and threw the stained fabric inside, glad to be able to get rid of it. Reaching inside he pulled out a leather wallet, smiling when he saw the stack of dollar bills greeting him when he flipped it open. He squinted to read the name on the driver’s license and let out an amused chuckle.
“James L. Ferguson. Sales Manager for McNamarra Pharmaceutical.”
His fingers pulled out a couple of pieces of paper and photographs. The latter were immediately tossed back under the tarp, but a plastic card with The Reef’s logo printed on one side had his immediate interest.
“My, my, look at this,” he smiled. “And I didn’t even need to make reservations. “
He licked his lips, neatly put the card back in the wallet and slid it in his pocket. Lifting the tarp up a little higher he pulled out a suitcase.
“Thanks, Jim,” he giggled, sticking his hand under the tarp again and patting a shoulder. “You need to dress warmer, mate. You’re cold,” he said, laughing at his own joke.
“Time for Martin to go to his room, Alice,” he smiled, but his eyes were cold and completely void of emotion.
*
After Sam and Jody had made their exit, Trishia and Lucy had followed suit. Not only were they in desperate need of some privacy, but Trishia knew she really needed a few hours of undisturbed sleep.
Of course, sharing a shower with Lucy had led to some very intense, very intimate but extremely satisfying activities that had left them both satiated and so utterly relaxed, they had both fallen asleep, still wrapped in each other’s arms.
It was in that same position Trishia woke up after at least six hours of deep, continuous sleep. She blinked sleepily, and it took her a few moments to realize she was at The Reef and not some tropical location for a well-deserved vacation.
“Why the heck am I awake?” she mumbled, afraid to wake Lucy, who was wrapped around her with her head resting on Trishia’s shoulder.
A soft buzz coming from the nightstand was the answer to that question and inwardly cursing Trishia reached out a hand to grab her cell phone. “Hello,” was the curt greeting.
“Trish, it’s me, Pete. I think you’d better get out here. The night guard has found a dead body in the back of a truck down in the parking garage.”
Trishia was silent for a few seconds to let Peter’s words sink in and give her brain the opportunity to jump start. “Damn,” she softly muttered. “I’ll be on my way down in a few minutes, Pete. Where are you?”
“Outside your door,” Peter answered, and Trishia could hear a trace of humor in his voice. “I didn’t want to come barging in because you and Lucy are probably not exactly…dressed for the occasion, and I didn’t want to get shot.”
Trishia softly chuckled and appreciated her partner’s thoughtfulness. Trishia would not have been bothered if Peter had found her in bed naked, with Lucy. But she knew Lucy would have been mortally embarrassed.
“Thanks, mate. I’ll be out in a few minutes. You don’t have any coffee, do you?”
“Brewing as we speak,” Peter grinned. “Your mother-in-law is up and taking care of business. She sure is putting that coffee maker to good use.”
“Bless her,” Trishia breathed. “See you in a few.”
Trishia put down the phone and looked at the still peacefully sleeping Lucy. With a pang of regret, she carefully untangled herself from her loving grip and carefully climbed out of bed. She went to the bathroom to splash her face with cold water and quickly got dressed.
On her way to the door, she stopped by the bed and looked down at the sleeping Lucy. The sheets were only partially covering her, and Trishia’s eyes roamed over the lightly tanned skin, drinking in the beautiful face and slowly sliding down to where the sheet was covering her body, but still allowing her to see the swell of a soft breast. With a deep sigh, Trishia bent over and tenderly kissed Lucy’s temple. “I love you,” she whispered, brushing away a long strand of dark hair.
Lucy stirred and mumbled something incoherent, and Trishia smiled when she watched her snuggle deeper into the pillows, hugging the one Trishia had been resting on to her chest. After one last look, Trishia headed toward the door and soundlessly left the room.
Chapter 20
“No, Senior Sergeant Waters!”
Trishia winced at her Inspector’s use of her full title, and she shot Peter an exasperated look. The last five minutes she had been trying to convince her Inspector to give her permission to go down to the parking garage and check out the murder scene in the hope of finding any clues that could lead them to Martin Coles’ whereabouts.
“There is nothing you can do down here that can’t be done by someone else,” Inspector Wong stated forcefully. “I want you and Peter to stay where you are and work on your plan to lure that…that shark to the surface and reel him in. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Coles is expecting you in that parking garage. He is sick, Trish and full of hatred. On his computer, Phil discovered a lot of nasty things. Not only about those murdered girls, but apparently, Martin Coles has ties to Neo-Nazi groups, and we did find emails in which he disclosed the addresses of gay people. Suffice to say those people mysteriously lost their pets, got the tires of their cars slashed and in some cases, they even got attacked by those hate-filled mongrels.”
Trishia could hear her Inspector let out a deep breath before she continued to speak again. “I’m sorry I have to be blunt,” she apologized. “But this bloke hates your guts, Trish. I want you to be careful.”
“I
will be,” Trishia promised, feeling sick to her stomach when she realized a former police officer was most likely responsible for killing at least four people now, Alice’s family not included. On top of that, he encouraged prejudice and violent hatred. “We need to flush him out, Inspector. I know he’s around here somewhere and I want my hands on him before we find any more victims. I’m positive he’s no longer in the room that poor James Ferguson had made reservations for and I also know that he’s expecting me to show up in that same room.”
“More reason not to go there,” Inspector Wong replied wryly. “Maybe that will piss him off enough for him to make a mistake.”
“Hopefully,” Trishia mumbled. “Maybe we should seal the hotel and check everybody who happens to be inside.”
“And create chaos and panic? I don’t know, Trish. That could push him completely over the edge, and I don’t want to risk a hostage situation. There’s no telling what he would do. I don’t want to see more dead bodies.”
“I guess you’re right.” Trishia breathed in deeply. “Peter and I will stick to our original plan to walk around this hotel and see if we run into Martin somewhere. I just know he’s here somewhere, the bastard.”
“Good. That stuff you requested is on its way, and Shirley Crabb should be arriving at The Reef soon. If it’s not Shirley, who shows up, arrest the one who does. My instructions have been quite specific. I’ll head for room 297 myself, and I’ll let you know what I find. You and Peter go ahead with your preparations. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
*
Inspector Wong and a team of five police officers had taken the stairs to the second floor, and within five minutes after leaving the gruesome scene at the parking garage, they were standing in front of room 297.
With armed officers on either side of the door, Inspector Wong took a deep breath and knocked. She knew that her rank could have afforded her to stay behind in the lobby, but it was a personal insult that one of ‘her’ officers turned out to be a psychopathic murderer and she was determined to bring down Martin Coles. And she was not sitting on the sidelines and watch others trying to bring him in.
After the knock on the door, it remained quiet, and Inspector Wong decided to knock again. There was no answer, and no sounds were coming from the room.
“Alright, here we go,” she mumbled, tightening her hold on the gun she was holding. Her other hand held the plastic card in front of the reader and immediately a soft click indicated the door was unlocked. The door was not wide enough for three people to enter at the same time, but Inspector Wong knew two of her officers were right behind her. She pushed the door open, holding her gun steady with both hands and pointing it at the space in front of her. She could see the bed had been slept in and her heart rate increased. When she prepared to step inside, her eyes darted around the room. Once she barely crossed the threshold, her foot collided with something, and then everything happened in a blur. It took her less than a second to realize Martin Coles had left them a surprise. As soon as her foot had touched something, she knew it was a trip-wire, and she yelled a warning. “Get back!”
At the same moment, she twisted her body and threw herself toward the wall to get out of the path of whatever would be coming at her as soon as she had activated the booby trap. Two razor-sharp knives that had been mounted on a cleverly designed catapult and aimed at the door came flying at her, and it was only thanks to her quick thinking and excellent reflexes that the metal embedded itself in her left shoulder and upper arm, instead of in her chest. Had she not thrown herself against the wall, Inspector Wong knew she would have ended up as Martin Coles’ next victim. That realization made her so angry that initially, she didn’t even feel any pain. Phil Kanides, who had been standing right behind her had caught her in his arms and dragged her backward, out of the room, into the hallway, while the rest of the team entered the room, carefully scanning the floor and walls for more traps.
“Inspector, are you alright?” Phil asked. His face was pale. “I’ll call an ambulance,” he quickly added, seeing the blood pour out of the knife wounds in his Inspector’s arm and shoulder.
Inspector Wong nodded and tried to block out the pain that quickly became worse now her adrenaline level was getting back to normal. She inhaled deeply to fight nausea that settled in the pit of her stomach. “Son of a bitch,” she spat. With every breath, she could feel the sharp metal move inside her arm and shoulder, and she briefly closed her eyes to fight a wave of dizziness. She really wanted to grab the knives and pull them out but knew the bleeding could become worse if she did. And Inspector Wong had no intention of giving Martin Coles what he wanted by dying.
“I need my cell phone, Phil,” she breathed when he had made his emergency call. “It’s in my pocket.”
Phil Kanides stuck his hand in the pocket of Inspector Wong’s jacket and pulled out her cell phone, handing it to her. Not caring that her blood-covered fingers stained the device, she quickly punched in Trishia’s number. She didn’t have to wait long for Trishia to answer.
“Trish? You’re in charge. He left us a pleasant surprise in his room. I got hit by two knives and will be on my way to the hospital soon. Here’s Phil, he can fill you in,” she ended in a pain-filled voice.
Phil Kanides took over and quickly informed a shocked Trishia what had happened.
“Tell her to stay up there, Phil,” Inspector Wong mumbled. “You can take over here, I need Trishia to go ahead with her plan. If she comes down now, she might do exactly what that creep wants her to do.”
Phil repeated the words to Trishia who reluctantly admitted that their Inspector was probably right.
“Keep me informed, Phil,” she ordered. “We’re almost done here. It’s time we go out and capture that bastard.”
*
A loud knock on the door aroused Sam and Jody from a deep sleep. Sam immediately sat up straight, her heart hammering in her chest. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath, raking her fingers through her unruly hair. “I have way too much stress these days.”
There was another knock, louder this time and Sam glanced at the door with a look of disgust in her eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” she called out, not able to hide the annoyance in her voice. “I’m on my way.” She slipped from her comfortable, warm spot next to Jody and headed for the door but Jody’s voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Honey?”
“Mmm?” Sam turned around and smiled when she noticed the disheveled, sleepy and utterly naked state Jody was in.
“Are you going to open the door?” Jody asked with a chuckle.
“Well, there’s somebody knocking,” Sam replied with a sigh.
“I don’t care if the whole world knows I love you, but I refuse to let you go out like that,” Jody stated with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “I don’t want you to become the leading lady in anyone else’s fantasies but mine.”
Only then Sam realized she was as naked as the moment she was born and with a grin she walked toward a chair where she had dumped her clothes the previous evening, very aware of Jody’s appreciative eyes.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Sam smiled. “You saved me from embarrassment and most likely from a lifetime of teasing.”
“I aim to please,” was the playful answer.
“Oh, and you do, believe me,” Sam winked and let out a soft laugh when Jody’s cheeks turned pink.
Heading to the door, now dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Sam opened the door, chuckling when Jody quickly dove underneath the sheets until the only thing visible were her eyes and hair.
“Hey, Trish,” Sam greeted when she saw who had been knocking. “What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you,” Trishia answered, and Sam could read the tension on her face.
“Come in,” she invited, stepping aside to make room for Trishia to pass.
When Trishia noticed that Jody was still in bed, she averted her eyes and mumbled an apology.
“Don’t worry,” Jody said. “If yo
u’d be so kind to turn around for a minute and if Sam would hand me my clothes, I’ll get decent, and nobody will need to feel uncomfortable.”
With an affectionate smile, Sam handed Jody the requested items and watched her get dressed, while Trishia was studying one of the colorful paintings on the wall.
“Alright, Trish, what is going on?” Sam repeated her question, taking a seat on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.
Trishia quickly told Sam and Jody what had happened while they had been asleep. Their faces reflected the frustration and anger that had been her first reaction as well.
“Is Carol alright?” Jody asked, blindly grabbing Sam’s hand for support. The idea that the Inspector was injured and on her way to the hospital was very upsetting, and immediately Jody started to work on a way to keep down the commotion inside The Reef. Causing panic among the guests was the last thing she wanted to happen. Although she suspected most of the guests would have been in their rooms since it was still very early.
“I hope so,” Trishia sighed. “She’s on her way to the hospital now. Those knives were meant for me,” she grunted in frustration, seeing Jody pale.
“Does Lucy know?” she quickly asked.
Trishia bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “No, this has all happened in the last twenty minutes, and she was still fast asleep when I got up. Don’t tell her, Jody, please. I don’t want her to worry.”
“She’ll worry anyway, mate,” Sam said somberly. “I figure you have a plan and I know Lucy’s not going to like it.”
Trishia looked slightly guilty, and she walked toward the huge window to stare outside. Below, the beach was still covered in darkness, and if Martin Coles would have left The Reef and maybe was looking up from the outside, his presence was covered by the night sky.
“I need your help, Sam,” Trishia said without turning around. She knew she would not be able to stand the horrified and pleading look from a pair of green eyes that, without a doubt, were staring at her at that moment.
