If ever.
He usually had sleepless nights, waking early in the morning, even before the sun rose. Most of the time he tried to work out his restlessness by running in the mornings. Working out always managed to put him in the zone, to get him through another day.
But last night, he slept great. He dreamt of Rose. Her sweet smile, her soft lips, her tiny frame and how well she fit in his arms.
He’d sleep even better if she were next to him in his bed, but not yet. Slow and easy. He had to keep reminding himself.
“I won’t tease you anymore.”
He chuckled as he followed Jade into the house. Yeah, right. She loved to tease him, just as he loved to dish it right back.
They nodded at the officer standing just inside the house, who pointed toward his right where an older gentleman, most likely in his fifties, was sprawled on his back with one clean gunshot wound to the head.
Stepping closer, but not too close to contaminate any evidence, Carter surveyed the scene. A piano sat near the man, a few spatters of blood coated the bench seat and a few piano keys. The man’s eyes were wide open, almost in shock, as if he didn’t expect anything to happen. One bullet hole centered in his forehead.
It looked precise. As if whomever shot him had perfect aim.
“Did they find anything missing in the house?” Carter shot out to the officer standing behind them in the foyer. He knew the crime scene crew was already here, inspecting the house from top to bottom. He didn’t see Crock yet, though. Not that he needed the coroner to tell him how the man died. It was easy to see what killed him.
Was this a home invasion gone wrong? Was the old man targeted? Did he make an enemy from work? Did his family want him dead to collect some inheritance?
So many questions, and he had no answers, considering the case was just handed to him.
“They’re still combing through everything. His son is outside. He found the body when his dad didn’t show up for breakfast. They meet every week on the same day at the same place. He knew something was wrong right away when his dad failed to show and he wasn’t answering the phone.”
Carter nodded and went back to perusing the scene before him.
He hated this.
He didn’t want to start on a new case so soon. He wanted all his attention and focus on Evelyn’s case. For Rose. She needed the closure, and he wanted to provide it.
Now, he’d have to divide his attention between this case and Evelyn’s.
And all the other cases piling high on his desk.
That was the sad truth. Crime didn’t stop, and case after case came his way before he could even solve the last one.
But he was determined. He’d solve them all, especially Evelyn’s case.
“What do you think?” Jade asked, walking around the piano and to the other side of the room. “Nothing looks disturbed in here. There’s no alarm on the house, and there doesn’t appear to be any forced entry. Maybe there’s a window broken somewhere.”
“Or maybe he knew his killer and let them in. We don’t have much to go on here yet.”
“Let’s take a quick walk around the house and then interview his son.”
Carter agreed and followed Jade as she headed for the kitchen. Nothing looked off in that room. Or any other room as they inspected each one with a careful eye until they got to the master bedroom. Clothes were strewn everywhere. Drawers hung open on the massive oak dresser, some clothes half hanging out. The drawer on the nightstand stood open, contents from inside scattered around the floor.
A decorative wooden box sat shattered on the floor. Most likely, it sat on top of the dresser until the killer slammed it to the ground. A few pieces of jewelry were sprinkled around.
“Well, a burglary gone wrong?” Jade questioned as she stepped carefully around the room.
Carter’s gut churned. Something wasn’t right. “Maybe. Why is this the only room ransacked? Why not the kitchen or the living room? Even better, the office a few doors down. Nothing looked disturbed in there.”
Jade’s brows puckered as she crouched down to the floor by the broken jewelry box. “Hopefully the son knows what kind of jewelry his father owned. Maybe the killer only wanted expensive stuff.” She stood up. “It’s definitely odd.” She smirked. “But what scene is ever perfect and tells us exactly what happened?”
A tiny grin appeared. “Our lives would be so much easier if that were the case.”
They walked out of the house slowly, taking their time to look at everything once more as they exited. Nothing strange stuck out.
After speaking with the son briefly, Carter determined this wouldn’t be an open-and-shut case. A dead body that appeared to be killed in a professional style, with only one room disturbed. According to the son, the man had no enemies or problems with people. He worked at a local high school as a math teacher, and he was known as one of the favorites among the students. Well-liked by his coworkers. His wife recently passed away last year from a car accident by a drunk driver, and he didn’t own any expensive jewelry.
Unless the son was a supreme actor, he had no issues with his father, and being the only child, he could make the best suspect if he was looking to collect insurance money from his father’s death, or everything his father owned in the bank already. When his mother died, his father had taken the driver to court, winning his case easily and collecting a hefty sum for her death.
They had a few angles to look at. Carter would solve this case. He would solve every case that hit his desk.
Because that’s what he did.
They canvassed the neighborhood, going house-to-house, speaking to most homeowners about anything odd or strange they might’ve seen the night before. Some people weren’t home. They left their card by the front door for the person to call them back.
Carter always wrote a small message on the back of the card concerning why they needed to call him as soon as possible. If not, he’d just show up again knocking on their door looking for the answers he desperately needed.
Because, he was good at one thing, his job.
Each victim deserved justice.
Like Evelyn.
He would solve her case no matter what.
For Rose.
She was in a really good mood today.
Rose didn't think that she had stopped smiling since she got up this morning. Actually, she didn't think that she had stopped smiling since Carter had dropped her off at her apartment after their date. She was sure she must have smiled in her sleep all night long.
Even some of her clients had noticed the change in her demeanor. She was usually quiet; she said only what had to be said and didn't make small talk. She loved her work, and one of the reasons she enjoyed being an accountant was that she didn't have to spend most of her day with people. It wasn't that she disliked people, it was just that she preferred the peace and quiet of working alone, just her and the numbers.
But today she had chatted away with the couple of clients she’d had, enjoying just talking about the weather, and the first signs of spring, and how their days had been going.
How had Carter managed to make such a difference in her life in such a short amount of time?
It wasn't really that he had changed her exactly; it was more that he had just helped her relax, and relaxing wasn't something she did very often. Since the plane crash that had taken her parents from her, she had pretty much lived her life in a constant state of stress, always prepared for the next bad thing to happen.
If losing her parents had been the only bad thing to ever happen to her then she probably would have learned to relax. But unfortunately, that had only been the beginning of what she would endure. Year after year of always living on edge had made her forget how to relax and how wonderful that could be.
Now Carter had given that back to her.
She knew that it wasn't some sort of magic pill and now she would be able to go back to living a normal life, but it was a start. And maybe the more time they spent
together the more she would learn to relax and sit back and enjoy life like everyone else did.
Rose stopped in front of the police station.
She wanted to go in and visit Carter, even just for a few minutes. She knew he was working and she didn't want to interrupt him because she wanted him to find who had killed Evie. But she wasn't really sure of the after date etiquette. Was she supposed to wait for him to call? Was it okay to turn up unannounced? Should she call first? Was it okay to ask if they were going to go out again or did she have to wait for him to ask?
She was so out of the dating loop.
Not that she had ever really been in it to begin with.
Rose was so nervous, her hands were shaking. She clutched them together and resolutely walked through the front door. She was sure that Carter would be happy to see her and who said there had to be dating rules? They liked each other and they wanted to spend time together so she really shouldn’t worry about the technicalities of who initiated the next contact.
Since she had been here before, she knew where Carter’s desk was and headed straight there. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw him.
She knew the exact second when he noticed her because he smiled, too.
They were like two grinning idiots smiling together.
“What a great surprise.” Carter stood to greet her and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. She knew they were at his job, but still, she was a little disappointed. They were going to have to make another date, and soon, so they could do a little more kissing.
“So it’s okay I stopped by?” she asked, he pulled out a seat for her and she sat down.
“Not only is it okay, it’s great. I was going to call you as soon as I finished up here.” Carter smiled and sat back down in his chair.
Rose felt herself relax a little more. She really enjoyed being around Carter.
“Would you like to go to dinner tonight?”
She was about to say that she definitely did when her gaze fell on something on Carter’s desk.
A file.
In the file was a picture of a man.
A familiar face.
She had seen this man somewhere before.
“Rose, is something wrong?” Carter asked.
“This man, what happened to him?”
Carter quickly closed the file. “It’s my and Jade’s newest case. He was murdered.”
“I think I know him.”
Carter’s brow crinkled. “You know this man?”
“I bumped into him the other day when I was walking back to work the last time I was here. I mean literally bumped into him. I was distracted, because you had, ah, asked me out, and I was a little nervous. I wasn't paying attention and I walked right into him. He was really nice about it. Why was he murdered?” Although she didn't know the man it was a little disconcerting that two people she had had something to do with were dead now.
“We don’t know, but I don’t like that he was killed just after you bumped into him.” Carter’s face had gone all cop like.
Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “I really don’t think this has anything to do with me. Why would it? I just accidentally bumped into him on the street. Why would anyone kill him because of that?”
“I don’t know. But just because I don’t have an answer doesn’t mean it didn't happen.”
She really didn't see how this had anything to do with her other than a huge coincidence, but maybe this was how cops worked. They took every bit of information and then examined it to see if it had any bearing on their case. She supposed if they didn't try to think outside the box and check out every single lead, no matter how small, then they wouldn’t be able to do their job.
“Did you talk to him? Did he mention something to you about anything he was worried about? Did he seem concerned about anything?”
“Carter, I spent maybe a minute with him. I bumped into him, I apologized, he said it was fine, and we both went on our way.”
“Okay.” Carter nodded, but he still looked thoughtful. “Jade and I still have a few things to do here, but I can pick you up in,” he glanced at his watch, “maybe two hours for dinner?”
“Two hours is fine,” she agreed. She really needed to clear her head. All this talk about murder was just making her think about Evie. What if they never found her killer? It felt like Evie would never be able to rest in peace if her killer continued to walk free.
But there were no guarantees.
She knew that Carter would do everything in his power to find the killer, but he wasn't Superman. There was a limit to what he could do. This case might never be solved.
Rose wasn't sure how she would be able to move on without closure.
“Rose?”
“I’ll see you later.” She smiled and stood up a little too quickly, making her chair clatter.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine, I just need to clear my head, I’m going to go for a walk down by the lake. Evie and I used to do that sometimes. I like it down there; it’s so peaceful. But I can't wait for dinner.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Carter stood and held out his hand.
She took it, but said, “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “So I can kiss you properly.”
Rose giggled.
Even when she was feeling tense, he could ease those anxieties away. She couldn’t wait for dinner.
“Are you ready?”
Carter glanced up from his desk. Jade stood patiently, although by the gentle smirk on her face, he knew she knew he wanted to be done for the day.
He wanted to see Rose again.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Following her out of the precinct, he tried to get the thought of Rose going to the lake out of his mind, but he couldn’t. When he slid into the driver’s seat, his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel, image after image of Rose getting hurt, drowning, wouldn’t dissipate.
Brutal images of her thrashing through the water, trying to catch a breath. Her beautiful black hair clinging to her face, her eyes wide with fright. Water filling her lungs. The dead vacant look in her eyes as the lake consumed her.
“Carter? What’s going on with you?”
He jerked at the touch to his shoulder and looked at Jade. Concern was etched from corner to corner on her face.
“I lost you there for a second. Didn’t you hear my question?”
Carter’s brows burrowed as more fatal images pelted his mind. “I-I’m sorry, Jade.” He looked away from her, drew in a deep breath, and attempted to push his worries for Rose to the back of his mind.
She was fine. Nothing would happen. She wasn’t going into the water. She just wanted to sit by the lake and enjoy some peace. With everything that had happened lately, she needed time to herself.
It didn’t mean he had to like it.
“What’s the matter?”
He exhaled another deep breath, then started the car as he flashed Jade a reassuring smile, or as reassuring as he could make it. “Nothing. I’m just anxious to see Rose. I want to interview this neighbor and hang out with her.”
She chuckled. “I’ve never seen you so crazy about a woman.” Her lips twisted with a delightful smile. “I like it. It’s nice to see you happy.” Then a frown appeared. “But whatever that was a minute ago, it wasn’t happiness. Are you worried about something? I heard Rose say she bumped into our victim. That doesn’t mean anything. I can already see your mind creating things that aren’t real.”
Pulling out of the parking lot, he tried to keep his cool. Blowing up at his partner was the last thing he wanted to do.
“It’s concerning, don’t you think?”
“I bumped into a lady at the grocery store last week, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Carter cocked a brow. “Did she turn up murdered?”
“Well, no. But it still doesn’t mean anything.”
Another slow breath released. “I know. You’re rig
ht.”
Carter knew she was right. He was creating a mountain out of a molehill. The only reason he was making a connection, a slim one, was because Rose said she was going to the lake.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
He didn’t want her near the lake.
“Then cool your jets. She’s fine. There is no connection between her and our latest victim. Hopefully, whatever the neighbor saw will be helpful.”
Fifteen minutes later, they stood on the porch of the neighbor across the street from where the victim lived.
“Mr. Gordon, we appreciate you calling us. You said on the phone you think you saw something.” Jade offered her usual sympathetic smile that normally put people at ease.
No matter how much he tried to show an ounce of friendliness, he couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. The longer the day wore on, not seeing Rose, the more his anxiety inched up a notch.
What was she doing by the lake?
Was she okay?
Did she slip in?
Did she know how to swim? He didn’t even know if she could swim. What happened if she didn’t know how and she fell into the lake? He wasn’t there to save her.
He could swim. Not that it mattered, because he never went in the water. Not in a lake. Not in a pool. Not in the ocean. The only time he stepped into any water was when he took a shower.
“Did you see anything else?”
Wait.
What did Mr. Gordon see?
Running a hand through his hair, Carter tried to recall what was said between Mr. Gordon and Jade. What were they talking about? Did he get a good description of the guy? He couldn’t ask Jade until they were back in the car.
“That’s all I saw. I know it’s not much, but I hope it helps. Stanley was a good man. He was a good neighbor.” Mr. Gordon pressed a hand to his mouth as his eyes shimmered with water.
“Every little bit helps. Thank you.” Jade intensified her smile, spoke quietly to Mr. Gordon a few more minutes reassuring him he was helpful and immediately dropped the façade as soon as Mr. Gordon shut the door.
“What is wrong with you? You didn’t say a word the entire time.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 195
