A Murder State of Mind Boxed Set

by Jude Pittman

  Kelly dropped the marker on the table and turned to Gillian’s file cabinet. Under ‘P’ he found personnel, and under ‘K’ he found Paul King. The address on his personal contacts form had him living on Camp Bowie Boulevard, a few miles from Texas Christian University—or TCU as it was usually called. Checking his watch and seeing ten to four, Kelly decided classes were likely over for the day, which meant there’d be a good chance of catching Paul at home. Kelly had some questions that he needed to ask and he didn’t want to cause Gillian any unnecessary pain.

  Might be a wild goose chase, but if either of those boys knew anything about that envelope they sure as hell wouldn’t have let on to Gillian.

  Determined to talk to Paul, Kelly headed for Camp Bowie. Fortunately it was early enough to find parking on a side street off the boulevard. A short walk took him to The Palms, an adobe style complex featuring the regulation pool in the center courtyard and loud music blaring out the open doorways of dozens of cubicle sized bachelor apartments.

  Kelly followed the wall around the courtyard until he came to an unlocked wooden gate. He reached over the top, pulled the latch and walked into the pool yard. There were more than a dozen young people stretched out on poolside loungers. Several scantily clad coeds lounged around the edges of the pool, watching as athletic young males performed a variety of gymnastic maneuvers.

  “Hey there.” Kelly stopped in front of a group on loungers. “I’m looking for Paul King’s place.”

  A sunburned youth with cropped hair, lifted his head and stared. “Top floor, down at the far end.” Kelly must have passed some kind of test, because the boy continued. “He hasn’t been out. Don’t know if he’s home or not. He’s in number 26.”

  “Thanks. I’ll check it out.”

  “Sure. No problem.” The youth put his head back down on the lounger and closed his eyes.

  Kelly took the stairs to the second level and walked to the far side of the complex accompanied by laughter and splashing from the pool below.

  At Unit 26, he raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door.

  “It’s open,” a muffled response came from inside.

  Kelly turned the knob and pushed open the door. No shortage of A/C inside, it was kind of like stepping into an arctic cave.

  “Hey. Kelly. Whatcha doing over here?” Paul sat cross-legged on a leather couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a joy stick in his hands. In front of him, on a video console, a cave monster wielding a sledge hammered away at what looked like a stack of race cars.

  “Let me guess,” Kelly said, “this is one of those all utilities paid buildings.”

  Paul blushed. “Sorry. Too cold for you?” The young man jumped up from the couch, and flicked the switch on a thermostat. Instantly the rush of blowing air stopped and Kelly settled into a chair.

  “Back home in El Paso, we had eight of us living inside four rooms, and we sure didn’t have air conditioning. Guess I get a little carried away once in a while.” The kid ducked his head and offered Kelly a sheepish smile.

  “Understood. I’ve been in a few sweat boxes myself.” Kelly shifted position and stretched out his legs. “I’d like to ask you a few more questions about the incident in the tack room.”

  “You mean Sam getting into the lockers? I’m sorry about that Kelly. I know it looks like I was holding out on Detective Graham, but honestly I wasn’t. I just didn’t think about it until Gillian asked us if we’d noticed anything unusual.”

  “Hey. It’s okay.” Kelly soothed his voice to settle the lad down. “We know you weren’t trying to hide anything. We just want you to go over everything you can remember about that day. Just to get our facts straight.”

  Paul blinked his eyes several times, and Kelly paused for a minute and then continued his questioning.

  “The first thing we’d like to establish is whether or not you have any idea what Sam had in that locker?”

  Paul’s eyes widened and he shook his head back and forth. “I swear I never looked inside. I didn’t have a key for one thing. And anyway, when I asked Toby about it, he said I’d be better off keeping my nose out of Sam and Larry’s business.”

  “So you did mention the locker to Toby?”

  Paul blushed again. “Yeah. Guess I shoulda said something.”

  Kelly kept his eyes fixed on the young man’s face. “It would go a long way to fixing things if you settle down and tell me now, word for word, exactly what was said between you and Toby about this incident.”

  Paul nodded. “Okay. First of all after I ran into Sam in the tack room, I went out to the pasture looking for Toby. I found him there too, fooling around with one of the colts.”

  “Did you ask him about Sam having a locker?”

  “Not then. I gave him shit for ducking out on stacking the bales. He made some lame excuse about checking out the colt’s leg, and then we went back into the barn and stacked the bales.”

  “Where was Sam while this was going on?”

  “I don’t know. I never saw him again. Guess he left through the tack room door. Gillian didn’t want him on the property so he’d make sure not to go out front where Angelina might see him.”

  Kelly frowned. “So even thought you knew that Gillian didn’t want Sam on the property you didn’t tell him to leave or do anything about reporting him."

  Paul shook his head. “I’m sorry Kelly. I was stupid. I just didn’t want to get in between Toby and Larry and their business.”

  “So you know they had some kind of business going?”

  “Not really. I just sort of suspected. But, hey, I was the new kid on the block. Larry and Toby are old timers. This is my first year on the regular schedule and I didn’t want to screw up by rocking the boat.”

  Kelly nodded. “We’ll talk more about that later. But let’s get back to Toby. When did you have this conversation where he told you to stay out of Sam and Larry’s business?”

  “It was after we finished stacking the bales. We went back to the tack room to get some pop out of the cooler, and that’s when I remembered. I said to Toby, ‘hey, how come Sam’s got a locker in here. I thought Gillian said he wasn’t supposed to hang around’."

  “And?”

  Toby shook his head. “Gave me one of those ‘how’d you get so dumb?’ looks and told me if I knew what was good for me I’d forget I’d ever seen Sam, and sure as hell I’d better not mention anything to Larry.”

  “So that’s it. That’s the only thing he said about the locker.”

  “I swear it. I never brought it up again, and until Gillian asked us about unusual incidents I completely put it out of my mind.”

  Kelly asked a few more questions, but he was satisfied the kid had told him everything he knew.

  “I’m going to cut you a break,” he said, getting up from his chair and looking down at Paul. “I’m not going to mention your failure to report these Sam incidents, but I want you to remember. If I ever hear of you even so much as failing to report a rumor about what goes on at those stables, I’ll take it to Gillian and you can bet that’ll be the end of your affiliation with Lake Country Stables.”

  “I promise Kelly. It won’t ever happen again. This is the best job I ever had, and Gillian’s a terrific boss. I’m sorry I was so stupid. I’ll be in the office reporting it to Gillian if a stray dog so much as sneaks into the stables.”

  “Good. You keep your nose clean and things will work out fine.”

  * * *

  By the time Kelly arrived back at Lake Country the sun had gone down and lights glowed from inside the house. Kelly parked and took the steps up the front porch to the main entrance. Knocking, he waited until he heard the slip-slap of sandals on the hardwood floor and the door swung open.

  “You know what I’m missing?” Gillian, wearing a mint green mini dress with matching sandals, opened the door and invited him inside. Her long blonde hair, loosened from its customary pony tail, fell over her shoulders and tumbled down her back in a mass of a
ngelic waves.

  “I’m not sure, but a man can hope.” Kelly bent his head to take possession of her mouth.

  “Oh yes. You can definitely hope,” she murmured against his lips. “It feels like months since our last night in the cabin.” She pressed against him, reveling in his instant arousal. “I’m so hot my panties are wet.”

  Kelly grasped her butt cheeks and pulled her tight.

  “Have you any idea what you’re doing to me?”

  “Yep. Same thing you’re doing to me. Are you hungry?”

  “Damn right, but not for food.” Kelly lifted her into his arms and stepped inside, gave the door a shove with his heel and headed for the staircase.

  “Hurry,” she whispered against his ear, spurring him to take the steps in double-time.

  Inside the bedroom, Kelly stopped in front of the queen-sized bed with its gleaming brass headboard and laid Gillian down on her flowery blue duvet.

  “Let me,” he said, bending to remove her sandals before grasping the bottom of her dress and pulling it up and over her head. “Have I told you before that you’re the most beautiful woman in the world?” He bent to kiss her naval, then slid his hands inside her panties and pulled them down the length of her golden legs.

  “Flattery will get you everything you want.” She reached behind her head and fanned her hair across the pillow.

  Kelly stripped his jeans and shorts in one smooth move and stood above her, naked and very ready for sex.

  “I’ll have some of that.” Holding up a foil wrapped package, Gillian spread her legs and crooked her finger.

  It didn’t take a second invitation. Kelly removed the condom from its wrapping, slipped it on and then, balancing on his arms, lowered his hips between her legs and probed her mound, prodding and pushing until her fold opened and the length of him moved up and inside pressing past her clit, deeper and deeper until he fastened the tip of his penis hard against her G-spot.

  “God yes. Please harder.” She wrapped her legs around his back and grasped his buttocks in a death grip.

  Kelly rocked her back and forth, allowing the suction of his rock-hard member to rub her spot until pleasure screamed from her lips.

  Then, pulling her all the way to her pinnacle, Kelly withdrew and pounded back inside, driving again and again, whipping them both until sweat poured off their backs and their breathing came in ragged gasps, and finally, pulling her with him, he carried them over the edge and into a mind-numbing climax.

  Hours, or maybe only minutes that seemed like hours, later Gillian propped her head on her arm and looked down where Kelly lay with his dark head resting against the pillow and his lips parted in a contented smile.

  “Whatever you want the answer is yes.” He opened one eye.

  Gillian laughed and lowered her head to press her lips against his. “Sure, make me that kind of offer after you’ve deadened my brain with mind-numbing sex.”

  “Give me ten minutes and I could be coerced into seconds.”

  “Tempting. But I’m afraid those horses aren’t concerned about my sex life. They want their dinner.”

  “Speaking of dinner. How about I fix food while you tend to your slave drivers.”

  “Perfect. I made a salad earlier—dressing is ready to whip up. There’s corn in the crisper and steaks in the meat keeper. I’ll pop in for a quick shower and it’s all yours.”

  “I suppose sharing the shower is out of the question, considering that you stressed 'quick'.”

  “Good guess.” She turned and headed into the bathroom.

  Kelly lay back on the pillows and thought about himself and Gillian. When did all this happen? His mind drifted back two years to that first barbecue after he’d captured Anna’s killer. It’s funny how easily they’d drifted together. The quiet strolls and late night visits to Bubba’s bait house. The Hideaway barbecues and kick-ass jam sessions. The double-dates with Cam and Stella. Somehow, without either of them making any commitments, they’d fallen into being a couple. Now, Kelly realized, he couldn’t imagine life without her. Maybe it’s time to take things to the next level.

  Gillian, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a faded Texas Cowgirls sweatshirt, stood in the doorway.

  “You going back to sleep?”

  “Nope. Got a couple calls to make, then donning my chef’s hat and preparing to wow my lady.”

  “Great. Give me an hour and I’m all yours.”

  “Oh yes.”

  Laughing, she left the room and Kelly slid out of the bed.

  Chapter Seven

  In the morning Gus called to say the meet had been set for nine o’clock. Kelly grabbed a coffee to go, kissed Gillian goodbye and headed for Dallas County, where Ajax was serving his time in the Hutchins State Jail.

  When his cell buzzed, Kelly touched the hands free.

  “Everything’s all set.” Gus’ voice boomed through the speaker. “Warden’s expecting you. He’ll have Ajax waiting. The rest is up to you.”

  “What did they tell him?”

  “Nothing. He hasn’t a clue who or what to expect. He’s just been put in a room and told to wait.”

  Kelly chuckled. “God only knows what kind of scenarios he’ll have dreamed up in his head by the time I walk in the door.”

  “That’s the idea. Tighten him up, get him expecting the worst, and you’ll come in looking like saint and savior.”

  Kelly laughed. “Yeah sure. I’ll report later.” He pushed the button and checked the GPS, which showed another five miles to his turn off.

  * * *

  Kelly passed through the security gates and followed the guard to a room with a small barred window. Inside a metal table had been bolted to the floor with two straight backed chairs set on either side. In one of the chairs, leaning forward with his elbows propped on the table, sat the biker known as Ajax.

  The big man had aged since the last time Kelly had seen him. Gone was his full head of wavy brown hair. In its place a prison crew cut and evidence of a high forehead where the hair would never grow again.

  “Been a long time.” Kelly approached the table and held out his hand.

  Ajax studied Kelly’s face for several moments without raising his hand. “I’ll hear you out before I return that handshake.”

  “Fair enough.” Kelly pulled out the other chair and sat at the table. “I’m sure you’ve an ear to the outside so you probably know I’ve been asking around about you.”

  Ajax tilted his chair back and remained silent.

  “I’d guess you’ve been wondering what I want so I won’t keep you in suspense. I want you to help me catch a murderer.”

  “What the fuck?” Ajax let his chair bang down on four legs and glared at Kelly.

  “Nothing to do with the Brothers.” Kelly held up his hand. “Hear me out. If you don’t like my proposition that’s all there is to it. I’ll go on about my business and you’ll go back to serving your time.” Kelly flattened his hands on the table. “You willing to listen?”

  Ajax gave a brief nod. “I’m listening.”

  “Okay. First of all. The murderer isn’t a local. He’s a Yankee and we have reason to believe one the Brothers is helping him hide.”

  Kelly stopped, waited a moment, and when there was no outburst from his listener, he continued.

  “We don’t think your guy knows he’s helping a killer. Matter of fact, we figure this bastard has conned one of the young bucks in your organization into helping him out in exchange for an introduction to a certain West Coast drug lord.”

  Ajax’s eyes flared, and Kelly held up his hand to stay comment. “I know the Brothers have never been into drugs, but we both know that’s history. Rumor has it some of the younger Brothers are pushing for a change in leadership”

  “Bull shit.”

  “No, it’s not bull shit, and you know it isn’t. But we’re not interested in drug dealings and we’re not after anyone inside your organization. It’s like I told you, we’re after a killer.”
/>   “We? You turned into a cop or something?”

  Kelly shrugged. “Or something. Let’s just say, the man you knew as Jake has two roles in life.”

  “Snitch.” Ajax spat the word.

  Kelly slammed his fist down on the table. “I ain’t a Goddamn snitch.”

  Ajax snorted and slid his chair back.

  Kelly pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and put it on the table. “You’ve got a couple of grandkids don’t you? Boys if I remember correctly.”

  “Yeah. So what.”

  “So take a look in that envelope and tell me if you want that son-of-a-bitch living in your neighborhood.”

  * * *

  Minutes ticked by. The biker looked at the first picture, scowled, and dumped the batch onto the table.

  “Are you saying the fucker who took these is staying with one of my Brothers?”

  Kelly shook his head. “We don’t know where he’s staying. If we did he’d have been arrested. The cops have observed Sam Taylor in company with an individual known to be one of your Brothers.”

  “Which one?”

  “They don’t know. They’re not even positive of their information, it’s just rumor at this point. That’s why they need you—to find out whether or not there’s any truth in the rumor.”

  “So you wouldn’t be able to tell me who I’m looking for even if I did decide to go along with this.”

  “That’s about it. We’re counting on you to work from the inside—it’s possible one of your guys is working a private deal. He may not realize anyone’s made the connection, and he may be hiding his arrangement.”

  “That’s not how we operate.”

  “That’s not how the old Brotherhood operated, but we both know things are changing. Maybe there’s nothing to it. If that’s the case you’ll have gotten yourself a free pass for nothing.”

  “Yeah. Thanks. Something for nothing from the cops stinks to hell and back.”

  “I bet it would stink a helluva lot more if that piece of shit came in contact with your grandkids.”