by LS Sygnet
"I'm waiting with baited breath."
"I think her killer was female."
I dropped the file.
"Got your attention now, don't I?"
"Yes, you do."
"Think about the nature of a garrote."
"Rope, twisting action effects strangulation by depriving the brain of oxygenated blood."
"Have you ever seen a garrote fashioned like this?" She procured another photograph. It showed a length of rope attached to a wooden handle on one end with a loop at the other end of the rope. "Slip it around the neck, use the bar to twist the rope."
"And you think this was the cause of the bruises?"
"Stop scowling at me."
"Why not use it to twist the way it was designed, instead of what, prying the bar against her back for leverage?" I felt the theory wash over me in a very logical wave. "Someone smaller and weaker would've needed the leverage. That's actually a very good theory, Maya."
"What doesn't fit is the sexual assault."
"It could. Not all men are giants."
Maya laughed. "You've been here what, half a day? The men in Darkwater Bay are giants. I've heard all kinds of wild theories about why, but since I got here, I haven't seen one of them less than six two, except for Tony Briscoe who claims he's taller than he looks on account of his round belly." She sobered in a blink. "I think, unless the rest of her remains are recovered, that this is the closest we'll get to determining cause of death. As for time of death, I'm confident. After five, before eight."
"That gives our guest last night an iron clad alibi. At least we know he wasn't the one who physically killed her."
"Orion's a brute," Maya said. "He'd have had to strangle her on his knees while she was standing. Plus, Billy collected his cigarette butts from the street where he smoked. We'll have his DNA to definitively rule him out in a few days."
"You're sure they were his?"
"Positive," Maya said. "He was smoking when Forsythe arrived at the scene. We figured that with the hullaballoo from Daltry and Rogers after you let him go, we'd be wise to collect the sample so there isn't a wrongful arrest in this thing."
"That only rules him out as the rapist. What about her dismemberment?"
"It happened shortly after she died. Within half an hour at most."
"So your estimated time of death alibis him on that too."
"What're you thinking?" Maya struggled to hoist herself up on the counter beside me, her shoes thumping off-beat to mine.
"Someone who knew an awful lot of details in the Bennett case dismembered Gwen Foster. I was over at central, evidenced by the badge, and after I met with the mucky-mucks, Rodney took me to his office and let me review the case file from the Bennett murder."
"Which made you think of Orion."
"There were a lot of cops who knew the details of that case."
"Helen, from what Billy told me, there wasn't a whole lot of information that didn't become common knowledge. Welcome to Darkwater Bay. And speaking of which, I think it's time you tell me what brought you out here."
"Divorce, murder, the usual stuff."
"You mentioned that you and Rick divorced."
"Two years ago," I said. I let my gaze wander to a distant point of nothing. "I buried him this week."
"Helen!"
"He was murdered, under investigation by the FBI prior to that, for laundering money."
"I'm so sorry."
"The emotional umbilical was cut a long time ago." Honestly, it had never really existed. Rick was a bit player in the drama that was my life. He didn't know it, but my reason for accepting his proposal was about as genuine as his for proffering it. "Still, it wasn't easy to see his life end violently." No, it had been beautiful, necessary, just.
"I guess I shouldn't ask if you're ready to go cruising the bars with me for men."
"Probably a bit premature." Yet visions of Orion and how far things might've gone while we were pretending to be Todd and Diana flitted through my mind. Wings flapped in my belly. It had been too long since I succumbed to any such urges. Orion ignited them. The fact that he lied to me should've doused any desire. Oddly, I could still feel him imprinted on me from the close contact in my bathtub this morning.
"You'll call me on the DNA right away?"
"Of course," Maya said. "But I really don't expect a match. What do you make of the theory that this could've been done by a woman?"
"It wouldn't be the first time a rape and murder were committed by a male-female team working together. However, I would imagine that even detectives as daft as those in Darkwater Bay would have a hard time missing the kind of behavior we'd see from a duo."
"Meaning what?"
"A secret is never safe when more than one person shares it," I said. "When two people are involved in a violent crime like this one, it's only a matter of time before they're caught."
"Even if one of them is a cop?"
"I didn't mean to imply that a police officer was the killer, Maya. For all I know, it could be a cop that shared too much information with someone who decided to give it a try."
"But the dismemberment is as good as a fingerprint, Helen. I pulled the old autopsy file. My predecessor, while not thorough, and omitting a great deal of pertinent information, did at least note some important details about the severed limbs."
"And it's consistent with this crime?"
"Very consistent. I'd say it was remarkable."
"Huh," I grunted softly. "That doesn't fit somehow."
"Explain."
"If the first victim was sexually assaulted, I would anticipate that subsequent victims would be similar in age. Sex offenders are typically very preferential. Why would he go for a mid teen the first time, and a thirty-something the second? It doesn't jibe."
"You'll figure it out. I've seen you work through far more baffling cases than this one." Maya nudged me with one shoulder. "Remember the spate of elderly women in Baltimore? Everybody else thought it was that, old people die in threes thing until you saw the pattern."
"Ah, yes. The temp nurse who fancied himself an angel of mercy to women who reminded him of his overly strict grandmother."
"Not even your boss was convinced that something criminal happened."
"You believed it," I said. "You were the one who noticed the barely discernible signs of asphyxiation."
"We make a good team, Helen. What time do you want to meet for dinner?"
"Seven. My hotel restaurant. I'm glad you're here, Maya. I do have a strange request though."
"The stranger it is, the better I like it."
"For now, I think it would be best to let people think our relationship wasn't as friendly as it became over the years. I'd rather that people think I'm isolated out here without an ally in the world."
"You're right. That is an odd request, but I shall defer to your psychological wisdom on that one. Maybe you should come to dinner at my place rather than be seen with me in public." Maya wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially.
"No, I want people to see me working this case. So no flirting with men at dinner. We have to at least maintain the façade of an utterly professional conversation."
Chapter 12
It occurred to me when I walked into the Arboretum Restaurant and immediately spotted Orion sitting at the bar nursing a crystal glass of amber liquid that perhaps my other shadows were lurking about too. Sure enough, I scanned the room and saw them trying to appear unobtrusive tucked into a corner along the restaurant wall.
Apparently, they all knew I returned to the hotel after my visit to the medical examiner this afternoon. A wild thought tickled through my brain. Who was Orion following? Them or me? Didn't it make more sense that he happened to find me being harassed by men he followed from Darkwater Bay rather than another more convoluted scenario?
That's the problem with paranoia. It can put you at the center of the universe when that's not the case at all.
I strode through the busy restaurant to the bar an
d tapped Orion's shoulder.
"I was wondering when you'd make an appearance."
"Funny," I said, "but I was about to say the same thing to you. It struck me that I've been vain, Mr. Orion."
His eyebrows took an exaggerated arch. "Indeed. Do tell."
"I thought you've been following me, showing up in D.C., a convenient excuse to swoop in and play hero, ingratiate yourself and make me feel indebted to you because you're interested in what I'm doing."
His chuckle was a warm, soft hug that wrapped me in desire that my delusion was true. "What makes you think I wouldn't go to such exaggerated ends to get your attention, Doc?"
"Because I observe behavior for a living, and I think that if those men trying to hide so poorly in the corner weren't here, that you wouldn't be either. This isn't about me, it's about them."
He lifted his glass in silent toast.
"Any idea why they're following me yet?"
"Not the foggiest clue."
"And I don't suppose you'd share if you did know."
The twinkle in his cerulean blue eyes intensified. "I might be coerced into sharing."
"You're a pig," I muttered.
"Hey, nobody held a gun to my head and forced me to go to your suite in D.C. I figured it was a case of mistaken identity, just like you said it was."
"So you showed up because …?"
He leaned close and whispered against my neck, "Because you're gorgeous, and I have no self control when I meet a woman and want her the way I want you."
My stomach twisted and dove down to the vicinity of my left ankle. "Nice try, Orion. Why were you tailing Dumb and Dumber?"
"Why did you lie and say your name was Diana? It would've saved me a hell of a lot of trouble if I'd known they really were after you."
It was my turn to lean in and be provocative. "Is it so difficult to understand why a woman might use an alias before inviting a complete stranger into her bed?"
It was a ridiculous claim, and if Orion had the capacity for rationality, he'd have known it instantly. I gave him the name I used when I checked into the Ritz. My ruse was in play long before he showed up. Fortunately, the notion that I planned to spend the night with him stripped away his sense of reason.
Before I could retreat, Orion's hands morphed into a cage that trapped my waist. His thumbs stroked along the bottom of my ribs. "Doc."
"Let go of me. Have you lost your mind? You're not Todd and I'm not Diana." The weak delivery rendered the message ineffective. I might as well have said, take me to bed and make wild passionate love to me all night.
The look in his eyes, predatory, hungry, made me question if I said the words my brain formed or the ones that fluttered in my belly.
"Let's get out of here," he murmured.
"I'm working, Orion." Still weak, but a little more firm.
"Fuck the job. I want you."
It took more willpower than I imagined I possessed to step out of his light, seductive embrace. "Mr. Orion, the case I'm helping to solve involves the murder of your friend Ms. Foster. I find it odd that you care more about your libido than justice for a friend."
"I'm a master of multitasking. For instance, are you aware that Dumb and Dumber have left the restaurant?"
I glanced at the empty table. "They could be on their way upstairs to ransack my room again."
A wicked grin and a jerk of his head in the direction of the door, "Are you inviting me upstairs, Doc?"
"Not a chance. It's official now, Orion. I've got a badge and a sidearm. I think I can handle it."
"I wasn't aware you lacked either one."
"We weren't exactly truthful with each other Monday night," I reminded him. "Perhaps it's merely a trend we're destined to continue. Meanwhile, the men you refuse to tell me why you're following are probably breaking into my room while we debate who has the tougher mojo."
Orion chuckled softly. "I doubt even those two are foolish enough to break into a room now guarded by private security."
"What?"
"You heard me, Doc. There's a private guard posted at your door. You can thank me later."
"I'll thank you to butt out and mind your own business."
Orion polished off his scotch and pushed the glass away. "You assume that's not exactly what I'm doing. I let myself be persuaded to ignore a threat once before. It's a mistake I don't intend to repeat."
"Your mistake is letting your quarry escape."
"My quarry. You make it sound downright Shakespearean, sweetheart. I like it." Orion motioned the bartender to bring another glass. "How's the investigation into Gwen's death going? I heard you had a big day at central this morning. Old George was practically stepping on his tongue over the coup of hiring a bona fide criminal profiler."
"He didn't hire me."
"No? So you're a pickpocket on top of being the cool little liar, eh?"
I swayed close enough to brush his shoulder. "I'd love to know who your source is, Mr. Orion."
"Have you confirmed my alibi yet?"
"We have."
"But you're not convinced of my innocence."
"It's the lies you've told that make me doubt you, Mr. Orion."
"And I believe your dinner date has arrived. Give my regards to Dr. Winslow."
"Not until you tell me the truth," my feet planted firmly, arms crossed over my chest. "What investigation led you to Washington D.C., Mr. Orion? What do you know about why the bumbling PI's are following me?"
Orion lifted his drink, swirled it in the glass and watched the colors flicker in the dim bar light. "I haven't figured that out yet, but I find it damned interesting, considering who I suspect hired them."
My fingers dug into his bicep. "Who hired them, Orion?"
"Tsk. Suspicion isn't evidence, as you well know. But I'll let you know as soon as I can prove my theory."
"I'd settle for the theory."
"Meet me after you talk to the good doctor," Orion said. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Theory, that is." He tipped his glass and drained it.
"I don't have one yet."
"Bullshit," Orion smirked. "I've heard enough of your reputation to know that's not true. You've always got a theory, Doc. You know where to find me when you're ready to share stories."
"I can't possibly –"
"Your friend is headed this way."
Orion slid off the bar stool and saluted. "Congratulations on the new working arrangement. I sincerely hope you close this case. Gwen deserved a hell of a lot better than she got in the end."
"Give me your number. I'll call you when Maya and I finish discussing the case."
His eyes twinkled. "And here I thought you already did that when you were at the morgue earlier today."
"A lot can happen in a few hours, Orion. You should know that."
I joined Maya at our table, out of Orion's prying vision and slid into the chair.
"We had an agreement," she grinned. "That looked like flirting."
"Don't look too relaxed. I told him we're discussing the case. And I wasn't flirting. Orion knows something and he's baiting me with the information he's withholding."
"He's involved in this murder after all?" Her eyes darted across the room. "I was so sure he wasn't one of the villains in this city."
"It's nothing."
"But you just said –"
"I know what I said, Maya," I snapped. "It's not related to the case. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be sharp. Someone has been following me since before I arrived in Darkwater Bay. It turned out that these … investigators are actually from here. I seriously doubt that it has anything to do with the murder investigation."
Her eyes widened. "Are you safe?"
The gun at my hip provided an additional layer of security, one I was accustomed to holding. I nodded. "Now that things are official with Hardy and Weber, I'd say that I'm safer now than I was when I arrived in town last night. Let's order some wine and forget about unpleasantness for an hour or two."
"Hel
en, are you sure you're all right?"
I rubbed my temples and dug around my memory for some tidbit of wisdom instilled by my father. Nothing came immediately. Dad hadn't prepared me for the eventuality of being stalked by corrupt PI's for an unknown reason. No, I was definitely not sure I was all right. "Yes, of course I'm fine. It's been a grueling week. Two weeks."
"I can't imagine how you're capable of working at a time like this. I realize that the divorce was long over, Helen, but it can't have been easy to hear that Rick was dead."
"Work is a balm to my soul right now."
"Of course it is," she reached out and gripped my hand. "I hope you know that if you need to talk about any of this, I'm here for you, Helen. We haven't really treaded far into the territory of friendship outside our professional relationship, but I suspect that we're both in a place where a familiar face is more than welcome."
"It's been difficult for you out here, hasn't it? Blending in, making new friends."
"I wasn't welcomed with open arms." Maya gave a slight wave to our waiter and ordered a bottle of wine and an antipasto platter. "If you've encountered any resistance from the police today, I wouldn't be surprised."
I talked about Charlie Haverston. "He seems eager to work this case with me. If the pressure from Jerry Lowe's detectives at central gets too great, I suspect his enthusiasm will wane."
"I don't like the detectives from central, not the ones I've had to deal with," Maya said.
"The true test will be tomorrow. Rodney Martin is setting me up in an office adjacent to his. Considering our history, I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"You have a history with him?"
"I was a teaching assistant in his criminal psychology course his senior year in college. What I thought was a crush turned out to be Rodney's true skill – using anyone within his reach to advance his unwavering ambition. He had no idea that George and Donald took his suggestion and asked me to come out here to consult on their cases. He was stunned to see me."
"I'm sure," Maya said. "Was it awkward seeing him again?"
"He didn't recognize me until Hardy told him who I was. It was a different story after that. Rodney hasn't changed much over the years. In fact, I wasn't surprised at all that he made police captain by the time he was thirty-five." I sipped wine and let my eyes drift around the dining room. "Then again, if incompetence is a job requirement in Darkwater Bay, I'm not sure either one of us should be too pleased that the city targeted us to join the ranks."
