Death Match

by Emma Rose Watts

  “Don’t go accusing him.”

  “You nearly died tonight because of him.”

  “Don’t be so overdramatic, Harv.”

  “He withheld information that could have allowed us to capture Alvaro. Now we have half the state out looking for him.”

  “I know it looks bad, but he’s the one that has to explain it to Davenport, not us. And Davenport will decide what happens. Until then we need to stay focused on this evening.”

  She glanced at her watch. Half an hour until they headed in, just enough time to head over to Apalachicola.

  “Well, we’re not taking him with us.”

  “It doesn’t matter. They don’t even know what we’re going into.”

  “I think they have a good idea.”

  “No they don’t, as I told them to meet us at a spot five minutes away from the bay. By the time we arrive, whoever is charge of the event on that boat isn’t going to have enough time to alert everyone. And if they do, it’ll only be a few not everyone. And let’s not forget we have a wild card in our pocket.”

  “Wild being the right word,” Harvey said shaking his head. “Do you even trust him?”

  “With my life.”

  “After seeing him drunk today?”

  She laughed. “You think that’s bad? You should have seen us after we pulled all-nighters and then had to be on a fugitive’s doorstep by six the next morning. Now that was brutal.”

  “Reid, I’m very worried about your mental state.”

  She straightened up and adjusted her service weapon in its holster. “Strange, that’s what Reznik said about you. Well he did use the words paranoid and obsessed but it’s pretty much the same.”

  “He what?”

  She waved him off and chuckled. “Come on, let’s go before you burst a blood vessel.”

  As they made their way out she enquired about how he’d got on at the medical examiner’s office. “So any luck? What did Jenna have to say?”

  They walked side by side towards the unmarked cruiser.

  “She said you can’t hurry these things.”

  “It’s been two full days.”

  “And she’s put a rush on it. But you know how these things work. It’s like everything else in Franklin County.”

  “Slow!” they both said in unison. She opened the door, grinned and ducked inside.

  “However, she was able to determine that Tyron was struck over the head with a blunt object. It appears whoever did it knocked him out then slit his throat while he was unconscious. I mean, that’s what Jenna is suggesting, but she has to run her tests and will be able to provide a more accurate report soon.”

  * * *

  After giving the odd couple the heads-up on where to meet, Skylar swerved the cruiser into a parking spot a good distance from Scipio Creek Marina. The moon peered out from below the belly of dark clouds drifting across the sky.

  “I swear we should have SWAT for this.”

  “If they were armed and dangerous, of course. But this is a walk in the park.”

  “For you,” he said pushing out of the vehicle. “Why do I get the feeling we are going to enter and find Scot dancing on a table wearing nothing more than his briefs?”

  “Boxers you mean?”

  Harvey tossed her a look. “No, briefs.”

  “Harv, I always took you for a boxers man.” She eyed him up and down making him go red in the face. “Please tell me you don’t wear those old man Y-fronts, do you?”

  He made a zipping motion with his fingers. “My lips are sealed.”

  She pulled out the warrant. “Well let’s see the look on these two guys’ faces when we drop it on them.” They leaned up against the cruiser as Hanson and Reznik veered in beside them. Hanson was the first one out. His brow furrowed.

  “So?” Hanson asked.

  “Let’s do this,” Skylar said turning and heading off the asphalt lot on to the wooden dock that snaked its way around to the numerous boat slips. Hanson jogged to try and keep up with her. Her face was a look of purpose and determination.

  “You do know there is a protocol that we follow for these kinds of things.”

  “I do.”

  “And so you want to fill me in?”

  “I will as we go.”

  “No, that’s not how this works.”

  “It is tonight. Now keep up, gents, and follow my lead.”

  She planned on keeping them in the dark right up until the last minute. She figured if either one of them was on Jackson’s payroll, he would be getting a little antsy by now or had already tipped them off on the way over to the marina. But it didn’t matter now as they would be on the boat in less than two minutes. The St. Catherines was a mega yacht with private VIP terrace, six open decks, multiple dining lounges and could accommodate a lot of guests. Axl had brought up the specs and sent them over at the request of Harvey who was certain that Callum Jackson had funded the entire operation. It wasn’t a far stretch of the imagination to think that he might have had a behind-the-scenes investor.

  Skylar picked up her pace as she saw one of the two doormen at the top of the ramp get on the radio as they approached. Pulling out the warrant she double-timed it up the aluminum ramp and proceeded to flash her badge.

  “That’s right, gentlemen, step aside unless of course you want to spend the remainder of the evening in a holding cell.”

  They parted like two giant curtains and she headed in the direction of music and chatter.

  “Reznik, take the top deck, Hanson, you’ve got the one below that and Baker and I will handle the rest. Arrest anyone engaged in sexual activity.”

  Hanson looked completely dumbfounded, but she didn’t stick around to fill him in on all the fine details. Oh, no, she was going to enjoy this.

  “Good evening, ladies,” she said passing by several models that she’d seen on the Cameo website. She scooped up a hors d’oeuvre off a silver platter carried by an oiled-up muscle freak wearing nothing more than a Speedo and a bow tie. She winked at him, popped it into her mouth and entered what was known as the beach club area on the lower deck.

  “Um, this is one hell of a setup!” she bellowed. Her voice carried and caught the attention of Joshua LaSalle. He was seated between two ladies. He motioned to a guy who Skylar assumed was security. A tall, hulking guy, bald head with a mouth like a cat’s ass. Lasalle’s brow pinched, and he said something and security headed in her direction.

  “Start checking the rooms, Harv, I’ll deal with this.”

  She lifted the warrant out in front of her as the security guard got closer.

  “Back off now! They don’t pay you enough to deal with my hormones. Trust me.”

  He lifted two hands and slipped to one side. She bypassed him and strode over making comments about the setup and stylish décor. “Well, LaSalle, what a gorgeous evening for a search. Don’t you think?” His mouth parted as she scooped up a glass of champagne and knocked it back then tossed the glass over her shoulder.

  “Now where were we?”

  He tapped the two women beside him to leave him and then stood to his feet. He was dressed impeccably.

  She pointed at him. “Is that Armani? I do love a man in Armani.”

  “Your warrant, detective?”

  “Right.” She handed it over and then looked around at the crowd who were beginning to look nervous while LaSalle scanned it. She turned back and used her tongue to pick out some food between her teeth. “All good?” she asked. He handed it back. “Now if you just want to stay right there, this shouldn’t take too long. I already have a few of our men doing the rounds. Let’s hope they find something exciting!” she said in her most enthusiastic voice.

  “My lawyers are going to have a field day with you.”

  “Yes. No. Maybe. But you see, here’s the thing, Joshua. There’s a point in everyone’s life where… um, how do I say it… oh yeah, that’s it…. You don’t give a damn!”

  He chuckled shaking his head. His eyes roamed.
A few of the guests started heading away and Skylar had to tell them that until they had performed their search everyone was to remain where they were. “Thank you kindly.”

  She stood there scrutinizing LaSalle.

  “I’m curious, was it worth it?”

  “Was what worth it, detective?”

  “Killing Teresa, Nancy, oh and let’s not forget, Tyron.”

  He snorted.

  “Something amusing?”

  “I’m going to have your badge, and your partner’s before this over.”

  “Really? Oh I do hope so. I’ve been working a lot of overtime you see, and it’s really caught up with me. I could use a break.”

  He pursed his lips. The process of going room to room took the better part of about fifteen minutes before Hanson, Reznik and Harvey emerged. By the expressions on their faces things did not look good. She was expecting at least one of them to drag out a half-naked woman, or at least a guy dressed up in tight leather.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said to LaSalle before making her way over to Harvey. “Tell me you got something?” she said into his ear as she looked away.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “No one is having sex, not even a handjob?”

  “Nope. I mean, it’s possible things could have progressed but we’ve got nothing right now. I asked four guests, and they were all straightforward and said that they just played poker and went into the back rooms for a massage.”

  She clenched her jaw and balled her fist.

  “What about Scot? Anyone seen him?”

  “On the second floor with Hanson.”

  She raised her eyes without dropping her head back. She didn’t want to give away that she knew him or that he was in any way associated with the department. “I guess we’ll have to hope that he found something.”

  She squeezed her eyes tight preparing to face LaSalle. Feigning a smile she turned and lifted her hands as though she was conducting an orchestra. “Well, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the entertainment for this evening. Please, continue.” She eyed LaSalle who wore a blank expression.

  “Okay, let’s go,” she said under her breath before shifting ass out of there. As they made their way back to the cruisers, Hanson and Reznik just couldn’t resist taking a jab.

  “You know this is going to cost you. What the hell were you expecting to find?” Hanson asked.

  Both of them said nothing but Hanson matched her pace.

  “Not now, Hanson.”

  “First you don’t tell us what we’re going into, then you disrupt an organized event that you know Callum Jackson is behind. Did Harvey put you up to this?” He tossed Harvey a look.

  “Back off, Hanson,” Harvey said.

  “No. I think we need to address this. Since you have arrived in Franklin County, you have created waves and it’s making the entire department look bad, including us and I don’t take too kindly to…”

  Before she could reply, Harvey grabbed a hold of Hanson and pushed him up against his cruiser. “You want to talk about making people look bad? I had to bury my sister because of you two.”

  “Get the hell off!” He struggled within his grasp while Reznik came to his aid and tried to get between them. Skylar glanced up at the St. Catherines. LaSalle was watching them.

  “Guys, you want to do this elsewhere, we have spectators.”

  They stopped for a second and looked up and then Harvey pulled away and Hanson straightened out his shirt while glaring at him. “This isn’t over. Davenport is going to hear about this. You have my word on that.”

  “Yeah, well maybe we will fill him in on how Reznik withheld information that was vital to the case, and because of that we have a lunatic on the loose.”

  They hopped into their cruiser and tore out of the lot leaving a plume of dust in their wake. Harvey stood there, one hand on his hip, shaking his head. “What a royal mess.”

  Skylar was about to say something but she got a sense that Harvey would have probably chewed her out, so she refrained and got in the driver’s side. Both of them sat there in silence for several minutes staring out at the St. Catherines. What did this mean? Had someone tipped them off? Perhaps Davenport was behind the leak, and had already told them to be ready. Or had she just got it all wrong? Maybe she was looking at this from the wrong angle.

  “You want to head back to the department?” she asked.

  “No, just take me home.”

  She nodded and fired up the engine.

  * * *

  As she returned home that evening, her mind felt like a highway. She couldn’t get it to slow down. She was trying to make connections and rethinking the facts of the case. Something was missing. On the surface everything pointed towards LaSalle. He had a motive and the opportunity to kill but the bit that wasn’t adding up was why Teresa, Nancy and Taylor had whip marks. Were all three women seeing LaSalle? Had they received the whip marks from a client or… her mind trailed off as the headlights on the cruiser swept over Scot’s face. He was seated on a bench near the dock. She pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

  Getting out of the vehicle, Scot went to get up but stumbled a little.

  “You’re drunk?”

  He put two fingers close together. “Just a little.”

  “Great. Well I hope you had a good time because our evening was a bust.”

  “Yeah, I saw that. Ah, you win some you lose some. We didn’t always find our perp when we showed up. It’s all about timing.”

  He slung an arm around Skylar and they wandered down the dock to her boat. With a little assistance from one of her neighbors she managed to get Scot onboard. He slumped down at the first chance he got. His bow tie was off, and a few buttons were undone. Any minute now and he would be out like a light.

  “Did you manage to get anything?” she asked.

  “A massage but she wasn’t up for much more than that. In fact she slapped me when I proposed doing the double-back beast.” He grinned. “Look, you got a glass of water or coffee?”

  “Yeah, just don’t move. I don’t want to drag your body out of the water.”

  “No fear of that.”

  His eyes started closing. Skylar ducked as she went down the steps into the salon and pulled a glass out of the cupboard. She filled it with water and by the time she returned he was out cold and snoring up a storm.

  “Scot?”

  He didn’t respond. She placed the glass on a side table and slumped down beside him glancing out across the water. Small lights that draped from post to post reflected off the surface making it feel more magical than it was. She sat there for a few more minutes contemplating the evening, the smug look on LaSalle’s face and the accusations made by Hanson. Eventually she got up and laid Scot down, retrieved a blanket from the salon and placed it on top of him. Before she retired for the evening, she removed the micro camera button from his jacket and decided to take a look at what footage it had captured.

  She put the kettle on and made herself a sleepy time cup of tea and powered up her computer. She plugged in the SD card adapter and inserted the micro SD card and brought up the contents. The footage started a few minutes before he walked into Elite Matchmaking. She skipped forward through some of the small talk, and Scot’s pitiful attempts at flirting with women. She chuckled. Some things never changed.

  In the background the kettle whistled, steam spiraling up into the air. She twisted the computer around and watched it out the corner of her eye while she prepared the tea. She recognized a number of the faces of local women in the town, along with models. There was a stark contrast between the average and the flawless. Most of the men that attended the events weren’t ugly per se, just older, overweight and the kind of men that were found at country clubs sipping cognac and smoking cigars. She even noticed that a couple had wedding bands on their fingers. She thought back to what Tom Reynolds had said about the Viagra. He said it wasn’t for the escort. Could it have been that he had a partner w
ho didn’t meet his needs, so he sought out escorts? She assumed that only single people would attend these events but if what Tyron had said and the footage on camera was anything to go by, there were married men playing both sides of the fence. Did Elite allow for that? If a lot of money was on the table, she figured they would. It’s not like it hadn’t been done before. The company Ashley Madison did it. They had been in the news after a data breach and it came out that many of the men and women using the site were married or already in a relationship.

  Skylar stirred her drink and returned to the table. She nursed the tea with both hands and blew on it before taking a sip while she peered into the world she knew very little about. In many ways she’d been fortunate to meet Alex. He hadn’t only shown her how a man should treat a woman, but he had saved her for a short while from a lonely single life. It wasn’t that she couldn’t live alone, or that women needed men in their lives, heck, she’d managed just fine before him but there was something to be said about coming home to someone you loved.

  She ran her finger over the trackpad and sped up the video until she got to the discussion he had with LaSalle about purchasing a VIP membership. She wanted to see the exchange of money and listen to the pitch, hoping that he would make a slip and say that Scot was free to have sex with anyone, but he didn’t. Hearing it from his mouth it became clear what he was referring to when he used the term pain. He was speaking about alleviating physical and emotional pain, and they catered to that with women who would provide them with close companionship and massages to ease some stress.

  “So can I do anything?” Scot asked, pressing him for specifics. Generalities kept things too vague. The key with any sting was to get them to keep talking and hopefully they would dig their own grave.