“Not that I am aware of,” Amber said thoughtfully. “I don’t even have a sister. Hell, I don’t have any family of any sort anymore.”
“Well,” Kristy continued. “I’ll bet that she was nowhere near as fun as you. You could tell that she was a little bit stuffy. But she did seem to enjoy my kiss.”
“There’s no one like me,” Amber stated. “I am one of a kind baby.”
The girls laughed and drank their drinks. But Kristy’s story had Amber a little shaken. Was there really a girl out there that looked that much like her? Or was the girl sitting in front of her just so infatuated that she saw what she wanted? Amber decided that it had to be the second one. There couldn’t be anyone in this city that looked that much like her. As a matter of fact, she seriously doubted any one in the world looked as good as she did.
She tried to relax and enjoy Kristy’s company. It was hard for her to concentrate on what the girl was saying. She was still thinking about the possibility of another that looked like her. After a few drinks, the idea left Amber’s mind, and she began to relax.
The two girls had a good time once Amber stopped obsessing over her “twin.” They drank a little and danced some, discovering their similar tastes in music and food. Amber didn’t normally let herself get close to anyone. She was used to being on her own.
They had been dancing on the floor for about an hour when Amber leaned in and whispered in Kristy’s ear, “You wanna get out of here?”
Kristy looked at Amber a little wide eyed and shook her head eagerly. Amber could tell that Kristy had never been with a girl before. She took Kristy by the hand and led her outside. The night had gotten chilly.
Kristy shivered and Amber wasn’t sure if it was the coldness in the air or the fear and anticipation of what she was about to do. She opened up her car door for the young girl and then got in the driver’s seat. Before she started the car, she leaned over and kissed Kristy lightly on the mouth. “Relax honey, it’ll be fun.”
Kristy shook her head in agreeance, and Amber could see the young girl try to relax.
“Let’s go to your place,” Amber told her. “I don’t want to wake my roommate.”
“Ok,” Kristy said. “Make a left at the next signal.”
They drove in relative silence until they got to Kristy’s apartment. They got out of the car and again, Amber took Kristy by the hand. Kristy opened the door for Amber and the two girls went in to the apartment. Kristy apologized for the mess, but Amber looked around and everything was in place. It was a normal girl reaction to worry about the cleanliness of everything.
Amber could see that Kristy was still very nervous about what was coming. She took the young girl into her arms and kissed her slowly. She could feel Kristy loosening in her grasp.
“I hope I don’t disappoint,” Kristy told her. “I have never done this before.”
“There’s nothing to know,” Amber assured her. “You know what makes you feel good. That’s just what you do to the other. Just do what comes natural.”
Amber took Kristy and began to undress her as they kissed. She showed Kristy what to do and where to touch. Kristy was tentative at first, but began to explore more after a while. Amber made Kristy orgasm and the young girl was then insatiable.
The two girls spent the next few hours learning each other’s bodies and exploring. Amber let herself relax at the young girl’s touch. She was a quick learner and a very eager lover. After both girls had been sated, Kristy fell asleep in exhaustion. Amber looked down at the young girl tenderly. It had been a long time since she had been with someone so innocent.
She tucked Kristy into bed and brushed her hair behind her ear. Amber placed a kiss on Kristy’s forehead. She smiled down at the figure sleeping so peacefully before her. Then Amber turned and grabbed her purse. She drove home feeling sated and satisfied. She crawled into her own bed and promptly fell asleep.
SIXTEEN
David sat at his desk. It wasn’t that he wanted to do this particular duty but he wasn’t allowed to do much else. All of his active cases had been removed from his jurisdiction and he was stuck finishing up the paperwork on cases that had already been solved and completed. David was not a paperwork kind of guy.
But he knew in order to keep his job and not have IA all in his business forever, he needed to keep his nose clean and do what the captain wanted him to. No one needed to know that David was actually still working on the Harvester case. No one needed to know about the extra file he had saved in his bottom drawer.
Joe had gone to talk to the guys in forensic evidence. They were all good friends. He convinced them to let him know if something came up from the prints they had pulled off of the sheets, or if any other new evidence came in that they might be interested in. It was against procedure to tell that information to anyone but the leading investigator, but no one particularly cared for Rosetti. They all knew that he had used nepotism and brown nosed his way to the top.
David decided to go down to the morgue to talk to the medical examiner.
“Yo Padre,” David said warmly to the man that had helped him solve many murder cases before.
“Hey David,” the ME answered. “What’s happening top side?”
“Not a lotta,” David answered. “I am sure by now you have heard the news of my probation.”
The ME nodded his head. “I did indeed. Sucks that they gave the case to Rosetti. He wouldn’t be able to find his dick in his hands.”
“I know,” David answered. “But then again, it is his dick. There isn’t much there.”
“I came down here to ask for a favor,” David continued. “I need to know if you’ll continue to feed me information on this case.”
The ME looked gravely at David. “You know that’s against force policy.”
“I know,” David said, hanging his head in shame.
“Of course I’ll do it,” the ME answered with a devious grin. “But all the information you get from me is strictly off the record. Understand?”
“Of course,” David answered. “Joe and I can’t sit around while Rosetti sits with his thumb up his ass. We have a couple of theories that we are going to follow up on. All on our time of course.”
“Of course,” the ME answered back. “Which would be like now, right?”
David grinned sheepishly.
“So,” the ME asked, “what can I do for you?”
“First off, I need to know more about that drug the victims have been given,” David asked. “What is it, where you can get it, stuff like that. I don’t know this shit; I’m homicide, not narcotics.”
The medical examiner took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He then put his glasses back on and looked at David. “Gamma Hydroxybutyrate Acid is a naturally-occurring substance found in the central nervous system, which makes it difficult to trace unless you are looking for it. It is also an illegal drug in many countries. Here in the US it is sometimes used to help patients with narcolepsy.”
“Really?” David said. “So why would out killer choose to use something like that?”
“Well, there’s more,” the ME said. “GHA has been used in a medical setting as a general anesthetic, to treat conditions such as insomnia, clinical depression, and alcoholism. As a drug, it is used most commonly in the form of a salt, which explains how the perp is able to get it into the victim’s system. More than likely, she slips it into their drinks, without them even knowing it. And here’s the most interesting fact, GHA is also known as the date rape drug.”
“So it would be illegal to get, but not impossible to find, right?” David asked.
“This is correct,” the ME said, situating his glasses back on his nose correctly.
“So someone who was a known drug dealer would be able to get it pretty easy, right?” David said thinking about the first victim, Milo.
“Yeah, a drug dealer would know where to get it. It’s the same as getting morphine or oxycontin,” the ME agreed with David.
“Well, I t
hink I might have a motive for one of our killings,” David said, in thought.
They sat in silence for a few minutes just absorbing the facts. David was intrigued by what the medical examiner had just revealed. It was possible that the rocker, Milo, had been murdered for the drugs he was supplying to the killer. It was more information than David had before, and he made a mental note to remember that.
“Hey Padre, remember the last victim that was brought in?” David asked. “Can I get the toxicology report on it?”
“Well I can’t give it to you,” the ME said. “But I could be making a copy of it and accidentally leave it on the copy machine. You know how forgetful I am sometimes.” He winked at David.
“Well of course,” David said. “And of course I am going to turn it over to Rosetti. After, oh, three, four days or so. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get their hands on that information.”
The two guys shook hands conspiratorially. The doctor then went into his filing cabinet and withdrew the information that David needed. He then walked over to the machine in the corner and waited as it warmed up.
“So I hear you got a date with the bartendress, Kelly,” the ME said casually.
“Shit, the grapevine has been working overtime,” David sighed. “And it isn’t a date, it’s a dinner between friends.”
“Yeah well I had five bucks on December,” the ME said and turned to copy the papers.
David shook his head and tried not to laugh. He wondered when his love life, or lack of love life had become the station’s circle of attention.
“Well David,” the ME said. “It’s been nice seeing you again. Don’t be a stranger.” He then walked back to his microscope and started jotting down notes on the paper next to him.
David walked over to the copy machine and picked up the copies of the latest victim’s toxicology report. He then left the morgue to go find his partner. He couldn’t wait to tell Joe what he had just found out. They were to meet at the deli on the corner. Joe was already waiting for him. Joe was always there before him. David wondered how his partner could always be so prompt.
“Hey Tinkerbell,” Joe called out to him. “What kept you? Beating up some school kids on the corner now?”
“Yeah, you fucker,” David retorted. “They were telling me how good your mom was in the sack, and I was trying to find out if she swallowed.”
Joe pretended to hit him on the shoulder. “You’re just jealous ‘cause your mom can’t blow.”
“Yes well of course,” David said. “Look what I got,” he said changing the subject, showing his partner the report that had been “left” on the copy machine.
“Well looky there,” Joe said. “Tox report. Let me see.”
“And there’s more,” David said, handing the stack of papers over to his friend. “I asked the Padre about Gamma Hydroxywhatever acid, you know GHA? And I think we now have a motive for the first victim.”
Joe looked at David, “Very cool. We always wondered if that killing fit in, since it didn’t seem to follow the same protocol as the others.”
David nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah but I think he was killed for what he got the killer, not for anything else.”
Joe went back to looking at the toxicology report. David could tell that Joe was thinking about what he just told him, so he went up to the counter to grab them a couple of sandwiches and cokes.
“Hey Balducci,” the deli owner called out. “I hear you got a date with Kelly tomorrow night.”
“Don’t be spitting on my sandwich there, Sam. And it’s not a date, it’s just dinner between friends.”
“Sure and my mother waxes her legs still,” the deli man answered. “I had that you guys would make it a month ago. You cost me five bucks.”
“What the fuck,” David said under his breath as he shook his head and paid for the meal. He walked away from the counter and got back to the table. “How far does this pot extend?” he asked Joe.
“I have no idea what the hell you are talking about Tinkerbell. Did you read this yet?”
“Nope,” David replied as he sat down. “I just got it from the ME.”
“Blood work is consistent with the other victims.” Joe said. “He shows traces of alcohol and traces of GHA. It appears that the drug intensified the alcohol and caused him to pass out. Like it did for all the other victims.”
“I figured as much,” David answered. “Have you had a chance to talk to the ex-wife yet?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.” Joe told him. “I talked to her this morning. She said that she didn’t hold any animosity towards him, and he was a decent guy, they just had different ideas on where their life should go. She also confirmed that he was an inventor, did have a decent sum of money saved up, and that he wasn’t much of a drinker. She was kind of shocked to hear that he had been in a bar at all.”
“Hmm,” David said, taking a bite of his turkey on rye. “Wonder if our killer knew that.”
“We may never know,” Joe sighed. “While you were playing brown-nose boyscout to the captain this morning, I also found out that there is a computer convention going on tomorrow and Friday at the Westin.”
“Damn,” Joe said. “I wish I had more say in what is going on. I would have that convention watched.”
“You know damn good and well Rosetti isn’t going to think about that,” Joe said.
“I know,” David answered. “But I am not going to give him that idea either. He’s not going to look like the golden child with my ideas. Fuck that. It’s too bad I am going to dinner with Kelly tomorrow night. I might have done a little undercover work on my own.”
“Yeah,” Joe said rolling his eyes. “You’re really upset that you’re going to dinner with Kelly.”
“You’re right,” David said. “I am more upset that I wasn’t asked to put five bucks in the pot. I might have won.”
SEVENTEEN
Lila stood looking at her bed. She had her boss, Carl Olberman, handcuffed face down on the mattress. She was wearing a leather corset and held a whip in her hand.
“Just cause you’re the boss doesn’t give you the right to do what you want,” she said, lashing him across the back, watching the welts form along his skin in delight.
“I know Lila, I’m so sorry,” he whined. “Please let me go.”
Lila continued to beat him with the whip. “I will not be anyone’s girl anymore. I will not be subservient anymore. I will not let anyone hurt me anymore. I will not be aNYONE’S slave anymore.”
She continued chanting her mantra, punctuating each sentence with a loud thwack of her whip. “I will be the one in control. I won’t let myself be hurt again. I will not let anyone tell me what to do.”
“Lila please!” Carl cried. “Please let me go. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“I’ve heard that before!” Lila shrieked. “He used to tell me that every time, every fucking time. Then he would beat me; beat me until I couldn’t move anymore. I won’t let that happen to me ever again. NEVER AGAIN!”
Lila dropped the whip and began to sob. The man on the bed changed and Lila watched as he transformed from her boss into someone she had never seen before. He went from having a full head of hair to being bald. And from being muscular to being portly. He rolled to face her.
“I always knew that I couldn’t hold my alcohol,” he told her.
“Who are you?” she asked, looking at him with interest. It was the same man that had been in her dream before. She grabbed the whip and held it up defensively.
“Maybe I should have invented a stronger stomach,” he said, chuckling.
The man then continued to roll over until he was on his back. He moved his hands away from his stomach and his bright animated intestines immediately began to spill all over the bed. “Take what you want Lila,” he said, pulling his liver out with his bare hands. “I have nothing anymore.”
Lila sat up in bed with a scream on her lips and her hands over her eyes. She was covered in sweat. She slo
wly lowered her hands, looked at her familiar surroundings and saw nothing out of place. She was alone, in her pajamas, and there was no blood anywhere that she could see. She wondered why her nightmares had been so violent lately. She really needed to stop reading the newspaper.
Looking at the clock, she saw it was almost time for her to get up anyway. She got out of bed and turned the alarm off. She went into the bathroom to avail herself of the facilities. Figuring since she was up so early, she decided to go ahead and run. She looked at herself in the mirror, at the dark circles evolving under her eyes. Maybe some sleeping pills would help with all these nightmares.
Lila got dressed in her running clothes and forced herself to go a little faster than normal. It was as if she was running away from the images that she had dreamt the night before. Feeling the adrenaline take over, she began to think about what had happened the previous day. She was a little ashamed of the way she had acted. It wasn’t as if Carl had molested her. It was a simple kiss. And Lila wondered why she hadn’t reacted so violently to the girl’s kiss. She wondered if she even had a job to come back to.
Lila changed clothes in preparation of her day and hoped that she hadn’t been demoted or fired. Knowing that could bring around a nasty case of sexual harassment, she assumed it wouldn’t be the case. After all, what would he fire her for? The only infraction she had committed was leaving work early yesterday. Lila walked out to her car. It was going to be a beautiful day. She hoped that the events of the day matched the weather.
Lila let herself in the office and went through her morning ritual. She got to her desk and right away spotted a simple looking card lying on her keyboard. She unfolded the paper, revealing a brief message: Lila, I’m sorry. Please come see me in the morning. C.
Lila knew that she had to see him as soon as she could. If nothing else, just to apologize for her infantile behavior the day before. She hoped that no one else in the office knew anything. She would be mortified if the word had gotten out about what a prude she had acted like. Wasn’t she trying to get away from that? Didn’t she want to be more open like Amber?
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